Edge Cases
By barrysmyth | Technology, design, science at the edges of business.
40 more maps that explain the world
Maps seemed to be everywhere in 2013, a trend I like to think we encouraged along with August's 40 maps that explain the world. Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. You might consider this, then, a collection …
Maps2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to LIGO Black Hole Researchers
Rainer Weiss, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Kip Thorne and Barry Barish, both of the California Institute of Technology, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for the discovery of ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves, which were predicted …
Physics3 scientists just won the Nobel Prize for discovering how body clocks are regulated — here's why that's such a big deal
• <b>Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young were awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine "for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm."</b>• <b><br>Your circadian rhythm, known as your internal body clock, helps regulate when you feel awake or asleep — and</b> …
SleepGoogle submits plans for 1m sq ft 'landscraper' London headquarters
Construction on building that is longer than the Shard is tall set to begin in King’s Cross in 2018<p>Google has officially submitted plans for its new 92,000-square metre “landscraper” London headquarters, with the intention of beginning construction on the building in 2018.<p>Designed by Bjarke Ingels …
Bjarke IngelsForward Labs' new solar roof is 33% cheaper than Tesla's - and it can be installed in half the time
Tesla gets all the attention lately when it comes to solar roofs, but start-up Forward Labs has been hammering away at their own solar roof …
Clean EnergyThis tiny Lego Macintosh is the beautiful lovechild of a Raspberry Pi and e-paper display
Building Apple’s original Macintosh computer out of Lego isn’t exactly a new feat on the internet, with numerous versions of the famous computer floating around online (including this one from Chris McVeigh, featuring both accurate hardware internals and comprehensive instructions is probably the …
Raspberry PiA woman’s pioneering exoskeleton technology could allow paralyzed people to move again
There weren’t many role models for Sam Huynh when she was growing up in Belen, New Mexico. In fact, except for a howling freight train and the surrounding desert mountains, there wasn’t much of anything in the town of 7,000 people.<p>But as a wildly imaginative and ambitious kid, Sam never had any …
RoboticsThe CEO of Sony is stepping down to become the chairman of Snap
Michael Lynton, the CEO of Sony Entertainment, Sony Pictures, and Sony America—the company has a rather complicated organizational structure—announced today that he will be stepping down from his positions to become chairman of Snap, the holding company behind Snapchat. According to a release from …
John SculleyBrain implant helps paralysed monkeys walk in just six days
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne implanted a brain-spine communicator in two monkeys to let them walk again<p>Spinal cord injuries typically …
BreakthroughsThere’s something fishy going on with old iMacs: DIYer turns them into aquariums, lamps
For nearly 10 years, a DIYer named Jake Harms has taken a rather clever approach to getting the most out of his old iMac computers — instead of …
iMacElon Musk just unveiled something that could revolutionize how you power your home
Tesla CEO and SolarCity chairman Elon Musk just announced a new way to power your home with solar power. The product is called Solar Roof, and it’s designed to replace traditional shingles with compact solar panels.<p><b>Follow Tech Insider:</b> On Facebook
Elon MuskInspired by nature: the thrilling new science that could transform medicine
Jeffrey Karp is at the forefront of a new generation of scientists using nature’s blueprints to create breakthrough medical technologies. Can bioinspiration help to solve some of humanity’s most urgent problems?<p>In the summer of 2005, Jeffrey Karp, a bioengineer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) …
InventionsEve-Tech's crowdsourced computer: the laptop designed by its users
The Finnish startup turned to an online community of tech enthusiasts to shape the design of its new device. The result? Something ‘really different’<p>When Finnish startup Eve-Tech launched its first device, the T1 tablet computer, it received positive reviews for its premium feel and budget …
TabletsMars, here we come: Breaking down the most advanced spacecraft in human history
If the idea of deep space travel conjures up mental images of a winged shuttle — or simply a dusted-off Apollo capsule — your imagination could use a …
Space TravelThis Handmade Robot “Reads” with Adorable Eyeballs
Jakob Werner’s 'A Machine Learning' questions whether computers can actually learn.<p>Can a machine actually be intelligent? Can it absorb information? Can it solve problems, or does it simply work around them? Will machines and humans ever become indistinguishable? These are questions that led Jakob …
Machine LearningThe Greatest New Innovative Technologies of 2016
The World Economic Forum (WEF) and Scientific American have recently joined forces and devised a list of the top ten most innovative technologies of …
Appliance Science: Alexa, how does Alexa work? The science of the Amazon Echo
The Amazon Echo listens to you, translating your voice into commands so it can play music, turn the lights on, or order stuff from Amazon. Appliance Science looks at how it works.<p>There are plenty of things in my house that I yell at. Some of them answer back these days, though, and even do what I …
AmazonRaspberry Pi Pan And Tilt Camera Created (video)
Electronics enthusiasts looking for a new project idea to keep them busy over the weekend and beyond might be interested in a new DIY pan and tilt …
Marvel at Nasa's gorgeous travel posters advertising the best sights in the Universe
The Visions of the Future posters are an extension of the Exoplanet Travel Bureau series published in 2015<p>Nasa recently unveiled a gorgeous set of …
EarthThe Boundless Beauty of Pi
On March 14th of this year, I wrote about Martin Krzywinski’s 2016 “Pi Day” visualization, in which each digit of pi was reimagined as a physical …
Raspberry PiVirgin Galactic poised to start its new spaceship's test flights
Virgin Galactic is ready to put its SpaceShipTwo replacement through a series of test fights, and according to <i>Bloomberg</i>, it will begin sometime in August. The private space corporation launched Virgin Spaceship (VSS) Unity in February to replace SpaceShipTwo, which crashed into the Mojave Desert …
Space TravelThese Are the Year’s Best-Designed Kitchen Tools
Every year, since 1955, an international jury of experts and academics has come together in Essen, Germany, to vote on the best-designed products of …
Kitchens5 ways the ‘supermaterial’ graphene could transform the tech around us
We’ve been writing about graphene and its potential for years now, but this year at MWC in Barcelona we went hands-on with a number of prototype …
EngineeringYou can rent this Vincent van Gogh-inspired Airbnb for just $10 a night
Raise your Instagram game instantly<p>In order to publicize an upcoming exhibition on the domestic spaces painted by Vincent van Gogh, the Art Institute of Chicago has recreated one of van Gogh's most famous paintings — <i>The Bedroom</i> — as a rentable room on Airbnb. The room accommodates two from $10 a …
Vincent Van GoghThis wearable tent makes sure that bikers never get wet
Nothing ruins a bike commute more than a rain shower.<p>To solve this problem, the Amsterdam-based bike design company Vanmoof designed a poncho that keeps riders dry, even in snow or a downpour. Called the Boncho, it's like a wearable tent that repels water.<p>"Just have the Boncho inside your bag, and …
Industrial DesignQwertycards Is A Wallet-Sized Card That Generates Secure Passwords
Do you still use one generic password to login across multiple websites? Even though it’s a pretty awful habit, you’re probably not alone.<p>Most of of us now have hundreds of accounts for different sites across the internet. That means unless you use a password manager, its practically impossible to …
SecurityMIT students create 2,000-pound "megalith" that can be moved with a fingertip
Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed and built a 2,000-pound sculpture that can be rocked, rotated, lifted, and hauled …
Easter IslandStanford researchers make artificial skin that senses touch
A team from Stanford University might have made a breakthrough that could change the lives of people with missing limbs. Researchers have developed an artificial substitute for skin that is capable of sensing when it is being touched and sending that data to the nervous system. It's hoped that …
Robotics8 Best Reading Chairs for Spending a Night In
Here’s the first fun, important (and pretty obvious) historical fact: people didn’t always sit on chairs. Stools, benches, other hard and backless …
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