Category: Miscellany

LeVar Burton finds Google Glass disturbing and challenging.

www.engadget.com/2013/11/09/levar-burton-google-glass-expand-2013/

This was published a little over a week ago. The video is an excellent interview with LeVar Burton, mostly about his Edutainment company Reading Rainbow, where it started, where it is, and where it’s going, but he also discusses the use of technology in education and ends up describing his own reaction when encountering someone wearing Google Glass for the first time — that his knee-jerk reaction was “Am I being recorded?”. The part about Google Glass is 11 minutes into the interview, but watch the entire thing, it’s packed with good stuff.
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www.pcpro.co.uk/news/385231/amazon-offers-kindle-kickbacks-to-indie-bookstores

You may have already seen this, but Amazon is planning to give independent booksellers 10% of the takings from ebooks bought on Kindles they sell — for the first to two years. Alternatively, indies can choose to purchase the Knidles at a deeper discount upfront when offering them for sales.

I’m sure this is to entice them to sell Amazon’s products in competition with other more open eBook formats. I’m interested to see how this is received by independent book sellers. My gut feeling is that it won’t get much more than a toehold, since the two year limit means small bookstores could lose customers over
Link: www.pcpro.co.uk/news/385231/amazon-offers-kindle-kickbacks-to-indie-bookstores
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Link: www.viralnova.com/i-noticed-this-tiny-thing-on-google-maps-and-when-i-zoomed-in-well-nothing-could-prepare-me/
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I find it particular interesting that this is being developed in Romania — think of all the villagers that could be saved when the local multi-national fast-food chain starts offering various forms of McBlood on the menu!
Link: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2480236/Forget-prosthetic-limbs-theres-artificial-BLOOD-Liquid-water-salt-protein-successfully-used-mice.html
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I’m sure this has already been am over your Facebook lists, except mine. Now that everyone is only four degrees away from everyone else, I have finally achieved six degrees.
Link: m.fastcoexist.com/3020687/you-are-connected-to-everyone-on-earth-by-just-4-degrees-now
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“Clearly, solar won’t destroy the century-old utility business model overnight. But utilities aren’t ignoring the challenge. They’re keenly aware of what happened to the old, landline phone companies when cell phones arrived.”
Link: m.sfgate.com/news/article/Solar-switch-forces-utilities-to-shift-priorities-4929363.php
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Inventor says his technology can cool drinks from room temp to 4 degrees in just a few seconds and uses 80% less energy than many standard drink chillers. ARE there other drink chillers, other than refrigerators?
Link: www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10404692/Reverse-microwave-can-chill-wine-bottles-and-fizzy-drink-cans-in-45-seconds.html
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Link: www.reuters.com/video/2013/10/23/reuters-tv-solar-sail-set-for-deep-space-voyage-in?&videoId=274263648&videoChannel=118065
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… amount other newly discovered animals…
Link: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131025085909.htm
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Google’s autonomous car project presented results of a study showing that the company’s autonomous cars are already safer than human drivers — including trained professionals.
Link: www.technologyreview.com/news/520746/data-shows-googles-robot-cars-are-smoother-safer-drivers-than-you-or-i/
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“Brains are naturally wired to focus on the negative because evolution has optimized our brains for survival, but not necessarily happiness, which means that we feel stressed and unhappy even though there are a lot of positive things in our lives.”
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“The rent-to-own giant’s computers contained software that allowed it to collect unauthorized information from customers.” Something to think about if you’ve ever rented a computer from them.
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A fascinating new theory on why we sleep: the brain uses this time to literally wash itself clean of metabolic toxins and waste — something it apparently can’t do while we remain awake.
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A bracelet that keeps you warm/cool as needed, a possible augmentation or replacement for building heating and air conditioning.
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“Honest, mom, I have a prescription for this game!”
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70 miles SW of Phoenix…
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WARNING: Krokodil, a heroin-like drug that rots the skin, has been reported in Arizona. About ten times more addictive than Morphine, Krokodil users only have a life expectancy of two or three years.
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