Posts Tagged ‘Tech Insider’
Technology: Bill Gates Is Backing Cranfield University’s Waterless Toilet Concept (Video)
June 6, 2017
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is going hard for ‘the toilet of the future’… still. We posted on a prototype the Foundation backed in 2012 on here.
And now this…
In developing countries, access to public utilities like running water and sewer systems are often not available. The lack of those resources leads to unsanitary conditions that can put people’s lives at risk. Researchers at Cranfield University hope to put an end to that with the waterless Nano Membrane Toilet. The design has so much potential to change lives that it’s been backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Science: Even Einstein’s Blunders Help Explain The Universe’s Wonders (Video)
June 6, 2017
Even Einstein’s bad ideas end up being pretty darn good.
– Brian Greene
Ha! This kind of reminds me of Dr. McCoy’s line in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where he told Spock that Captain Kirk trusted his guesses more than most people’s facts. We can’t even count out the theorems that Albert Einstein tosses out; they might be right.
Brian Greene, Columbia University physicist and co-founder of the World Science Festival, explains how today’s physicists and mathematicians use an Einsteinian formula to explain the universe that Einstein himself originally thought was false.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Technology: A Look At The Phantom Express Spaceplane Concept (Video)
June 5, 2017
A spaceplane? A HYPERSONIC spaceplane?? You mean we’re getting that in real life? Hell yes! Thank you, technology and science (and business and military)!
The Phantom Express is the latest spaceplane concept. DARPA and Boeing joined up to design an unmanned space craft that can carry 3,000 lb payloads on daily flights.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Posted in Animation, Business, Technology, Travel, Videos | 
Tags: Boeing, DARPA, Hypersonic, Phantom Express, space craft, Spaceplane, Spaceplane Concept, Tech Insider, unmanned space craft | 
No Comments »
Science: How Long Could You Survive In Space Without A Spacesuit? (Video)
June 1, 2017
Okay, I don’t mean it for real for real… but if you actually DO think you could live any significant amount of time in space, kill yourself. This video will show you a spectacular (read: awful) way to do so in the cold vacuum of space.
Why are astronauts always wearing those bulky suits? You don’t NEED them, do you? Here’s what would really happen to an exposed human in the void of space.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Gallium: Liquified Metal That Is Safe To Touch (Video)
May 8, 2017
I remember everything in my high school chemistry class coming to a screeching halt… because my teacher saw a couple of students break a glass thermometer and ALMOST try to wipe up the spilled fluid with paper towels left on the lab counter.
(I say ‘screeching’ halt because I still remember/hear/feel her SCREECHING yell, admonishing them not to even touch the spill: “Ainh-ainh-AAARRHHH! That is an old thermometer. Mercury. DO NOT TOUCH IT. Back away!”)
Sheezus! That mercury must be a motherf**ker. I got home and looked it up (in my encyclopedias, like Google in book form, old geeks like me remember using them a lot when we were young… Now what was I talking about? Oh yeah, motherf**king mercury).
Mercury is a metal that is liquid at room temperature. Now, there are lots of liquid metals we KNOW to be dangerous to the touch (because molten HOT). But mercury is not gonna burn you for touching it… Check that. I guess you could say injury or death by a metal that POISONS you because it is neurotoxic is a kind of ‘burn’ right?
So, no touching mercury. But Gallium though… You can touch that. You can do all kinds of stuff with it.
You definitely shouldn’t mess around with mercury, but if you want a safe, similar, tactile experience, a metal called Gallium is widely available online. It’s melting point is about 85 degrees, so with just a little heat, you can turn it from a solid, crystal-like state into a fun, reflective pile of goo. Here’s a look at a few of it’s properties and how it’s used in the real world.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Posted in Science, Series, Videos | Tags: Chris Snyder, Dave Mosher, gallium, Mystifying metal safe to touch, Tech Insider | No Comments »
Technology: Walking Boat Ramp (Video)
May 6, 2017
Okay, so I will admit that when I stumbled across “Walking boat ramp gets you to shore without getting wet” as a YouTube title… I was thinking that this would involve some mega-robo-tech that would let passengers board and ‘walk them out’ to a boat; like Godzilla going back out to sea after a monster fight.
No… I do not smoke… anything.
Hard Drive Marine made this walking boat. Its landing gates unfold and pull the craft to shore so you don’t have to go in the water.
– Tech Insider
Really cool. But you KNOW that sh!t would have been epic as I imagined it! Some of you would have booked a boat trip just to ride out on the MechaDockZilla (like MechaGodzilla, just made that up off the movie name, and you LOVE the name… or you’re a hater LOL)!
– @ojones1
Posted in Lifestyle, Product, Recreation, Technology, Videos | Tags: Hard Drive Marine, landing crafts, Tech Insider, walking boat ramp | No Comments »
More Than A Movie Prop: The EV2 Ripsaw Is A Luxury ‘Super Tank’ (Video)
May 1, 2017
The tank in ‘The Fate Of The Furious’ is real??? Whaaaaat!!??!!
The unstoppable tank in ‘The Fate Of The Furious’ is actually real. The EV2 Ripsaw Tank is a luxury super tank originally built for the military. It is the fastest dual tracked vehicle ever.
– @ojones1
Education: What Is ‘Infinity’… Really? (Video)
May 1, 2017
I know you are, but what I am I… I know you are, but what am I… Infinity!
If you had a nerdy Peewee’s Playhouse-watching friend (like me) growing up – or if you were that friend – then you instantly got the reference AND significance to the quote above. Hit the jump if you need clueing in. Ahhh, Peewee Herman: debate champ and math scholar. Hahaaaa! Invoking the concept of infinity to shut down a hater. Science!
Infinity is an elusive concept that can often be difficult to comprehend. In order to better define what infinity actually is, we brought in Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician and the author of “Beyond Infinity.”
Hands up if you ever countered someone with ‘infinity plus one’ though. C’monnnnn, you can admit it. That’s the paradox!
(Well, this gives new meaning to Souls Of Mischief’s “93 Til Infinity”…maybe).
– @ojones1
Posted in Education, History, Lecture, Science, Videos | Tags: A mathematician explains infinity, Eugenia Cheng, Infinity, MATHEMATICS, set theory, Tech Insider | No Comments »
Technology: Roborace Concept Car Drives Itself (Video)
May 1, 2017
Bwaaahaaaa! For some reason, I read ‘Roborace’ in my head like ‘Liberace’ (flamboyant and flossy, all the same).
This self-driving race car is a prototype from motorsport startup Roborace. It can go 200 mph.
– Tech Insider
So, the flying car concept has to scooch over a bit for the Robocar now, huh? Okay…
– @ojones1
Posted in Technology, Videos | Tags: Robocar, Roborace, self-driving race car, Tech Insider, This race car drives itself | No Comments »
Science: A 300-Year-Old River In Canada Vanished In Just 4 days (Video)
May 1, 2017
Wow. A river dried up about as fast as a big puddle after a heavy rain! Because a glacier retreated too fast. Because climate change (e.g. global warming) some scientists believe.
One of Canada’s rivers has vanished. The Slims River has been flowing through Canada for 300 years, but in 2016 something happened that caused it to vanish in the blink of an eye. In just four days, the river dipped in height so much that it could not recover. Today, the only evidence of the Slims River is its empty, thirsty channel. Scientists attribute the river’s disappearance to our warming climate and predict that future rivers may suffer the same fate.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Five Survival Myths That Could Get You Killed (Video)
April 12, 2017
Myth #5 though… My answer is always: HA! Don’t be down there with sharks in the first f**king place. #SharkPunch #SharkLunch
Do you have what it takes to survive in the wild? These are common misconceptions when it comes to surviving in the wilderness.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
Posted in Advice, Human Interest, Nature, Videos | Tags: 5 survival myths that could get you killed, survival myths, Tech Insider | No Comments »
Science: Just How Deep Is The Ocean? (Video)
April 11, 2017
I’ve seen videos like this before, and they get me every time. There is a BIG world out there… in the ocean. Sure there is the vast unexplored expanse of outer space, but what about the unexplored areas of our planet. NASA has had some shaving of its programs over time, and it’s unfortunate but understandable. Plus, the opportunities for international partnerships to get some space exploration done could turn out to be better for the planet’s push into the beyond.
But what if we swapped in some oceanic exploration in the U.S. and anywhere else that wanted “in” on the new nearer frontier? There is so much of our planet’s mass that we still know nothing about. Most of it is ocean. We could still spur youths’ daring (remember: kids wanted to grow up to be astronauts back in the day) and societies’ pursuit of bold advances in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (aka STEM) research. We would definitely find new challenges, cures to problems and diseases, and more. But first, we would have to find courage. Because the ocean is deep. SCARY deep. How deep? Watch!
Just how deep does the ocean go? Way further than you think. This animation puts the actual distance into perspective, showing a vast distance between the waves we see and the mysterious point we call Challenger Deep.
– @ojones1
Technology: Silicon Valley Piloting Security Droids For The Office Place (Video)
April 10, 2017
This thing looks like one of the Daleks on ‘Dr. Who’… Exterminate. EXTERMINATE! Hahaaa!
(Wait. Why am I laughing? Okay, moving on.)
But the design is meant to be disarming to those who might see ‘murder bot’ when one of these droids glide by. In the clip above, the droids’ applications look to be benign – sensing human presences, reporting on security anomalies like open windows and such. The only ‘Big Brotherish’ thing in the video is that ID check (think: let me see your papers), but as long as we don’t arm the droids or go all ‘Gattaca’ (think: this is an ‘inferior’ human) we should avoid a Terminator Skynet apocalypse scenario.
With those caveats, my ruling… cool future tech.
– @ojones1
Out Cold: How Long Does It Take To Get Frostbite? (Video)
March 20, 2017
So wind chill DOES matter. For real! All these years, since bus stop forecasts on the evening news weather reports to just now, I was thinking that wind chill was just a matter of comfort; how long you could ‘chill’ in the wind, so to speak. But naaaaah son, it’s real in the field (AND at the bus stop). It turns out that extreme cold, in concert with wind chill, can freeze uncovered extremities within MINUTES. Introducing… frostbite!
Yeah, I used the word ‘concert’ – but think more ‘lose your fist’ than pumping your fist to ‘Lose Yourself’ if you find yourself in the middle of a windy winter in Detroit without gloves and gear. Just saying.
Frostbite is a serious condition. Cold temperatures can cause the skin and tissue to start freezing, killing the cells. But, wind-chill can drastically change how long you’ll last.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
These High Tech Tattoos Can Conduct Electricity (Video)
March 14, 2017
Yoooo! So now we can join the “Justice League” as a Cyborg without all the getting mangled in a near-life-ending accident and being put back together by a dad mad cyber-scientist? Could be cool…
The newest activity tracking device may not even be a device. Austin-based software design firm Chaotic Moon Studios has created a concept prototype for tech tattoos, a circuit that you can wear on the surface of your skin. The components are attached with conductive paint, and can monitor health and activity stats, authorize charges for purchases and many other potential applications.
Yeah, while I’m not a tat guy, some folks who are might get into this. And that Justice League thing… I might go with being a Six-Million Dollar Man or one of the Bionic Six (Google/YouTube it, old school rules).
– @ojones1
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Well, Watch And Learn! (Video)
February 20, 2017
Now, pay attention… This is some serious personal finance!
How difficult is it to become a millionaire? It’s probably not as hard as you might think, if you plan ahead. Author of “Smart Couples Finish Rich,” David Bach, came up with a chart showing how much money people at different ages should set aside each day in order to save a million dollars at the age of 65.
– Tech Insider
Maybe another takeaway from this: The earlier in life you start the better. So, again, we see that time is a most valuable commodity. If only I had more time (perhaps I could have more millions).
– @ojones1
Posted in Advice, Human Interest, Lifestyle, Videos | Tags: Advice, Become a millionaire by 65, David Bach, Finance, investment, savings, Smart Couples Finish Rich, Tech Insider | No Comments »
Science: What Is The Future Of Human Evolution? (Video)
February 20, 2017
What are the next steps in human evolution? Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf, who is the director of the Columbia Astrobiology Center at Columbia University, New York, and author of “The Copernicus Complex,” explains how the future of human evolution could unfold
– Tech Insider.
Now, I can only begin to fathom some Earthly idea of what an astrobiologist is. But Caleb offers some fascinating points to ponder above. There is absolutely no reason to believe that modern humans will continue to exist as we do over the coming milennia. Interesting to think about what we might become as a species… especially those of us who don’t go to Mars (those ‘Martians’ will have their own evolution to go through).
– @ojones1
Science: How Colonizing Mars Could Spark New Kind Of Human Evolution (Video)
February 17, 2017
So, we talk about going to Mars. And leave it to futurists like Elon Musk, we talk about STAYING and establishing human life there. But watching this video though… Colonizing Mars means former “Earthlings” become real-life “Martians”… and that is a different kind of human; or it least it most likely would be.
If humans ever successfully colonize Mars, how would their biology change? An evolutionary biologist at Rice University and author of book “Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution,” Scott Solomon, explains how humans might evolve on Mars and what significance that could have for humans left on Earth.
– @ojones1
Communication Is Overrated! Here Is The Most Important Advice For Lasting Relationships (Video)
February 14, 2017
For all of you couples who want the ‘science’ on how to Make It Last Forever (shout to Keith Sweat and Jacci McGhee, good choice for tonight)… You’re welcome.
When author and blogger, Mark Manson, was about to get married, he reached out for some advice. He didn’t ask friends, or family, but instead called upon his considerable readership.
He asked people who had been happily married for at least 10 years to explain what lessons they had learned and would pass down to others. He also asked anyone who had been divorced to explain what had gone wrong — which led to some of the most interesting responses.
Over 1,500 people responded. Here, we speak with Manson about his experience and one of the most valuable pieces of advice he learned.
– Tech Insider
– @ojones1
