Yearly Archives: 2013

Can You 3-D Print An Airplane?

"It’s a new phase in the 3-D printing revolution. 'We’re transitioning now to a stage where not only can the machine make something, but the machine can actually make its own parts,' said Gershefeld. Rather than laying down materials flatly, layer after layer, it will be possible to print stronger, interlocking parts that build into huge structures. Just as pixels of different colors come together to form a picture, 3-D pixels will come in different 'colors' or shapes. It’s incredible. If a simple 'Can you 3-D print an airplane?' leads down the road to such innovation, imagine what other inventions are stemming from other questions." Continue reading →

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3-D Print Your Own Invisibility Cloak, And More!

"The invisibility cloak that makes you undetectable to radar was the height of metamaterial capability back in 2006. Now, according to the same researchers, you can print that cloak using an off-the-shelf 3-D printer in your living room… That gives you a good idea of how long an optical invisibility cloak could follow suit. And you will be able to make it from home. Not a bad Christmas present for the kids, eh? What once was the sole domain of science labs and military bases will have the letters DIY slapped on it. This is but one example of how the Click, Print, Anything Revolution will change the world." Continue reading →

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Gold Is Rebounding, Time to Look at Franco Nevada

"Franco-Nevada isn’t your average gold miner. They don’t have regular mine costs like the big gold producers we follow. Instead, Franco-Nevada is a 'streaming' company. Meaning after they put money into getting a project off the ground they take a cut of future production. With many of those streaming deals set up over the years, Franco-Nevada can just sit back and collect checks as other companies produce metal. In other words, if you think gold is set for a rebound, this pony will provide a huge upside compared to your average cost-laden miner. Since we covered Franco Nevada in April, there are a few points to be made." Continue reading →

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The Century of Arbitration and Peace

"All of this provides a real-world example of the possibility of adjudicating disputes in a private and contractual manner. It does not take a huge leap of faith to conclude that a decentralized arbitration system could be extended to smaller and smaller segments of the population, ultimately leading to a private security environment. If it can be done between states, why not between individuals (or private insurance / security companies) in a world without states as we currently use the term? Why limit the possibilities by geographical boundaries – some form of panarchy, if you will?" Continue reading →

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Food Stamp Nation

"The USDA has acknowledged a formal partnership with the Mexican government to boost food stamp enrollment among Mexican nationals. In fact, in response to oversight inquiries from Republicans in Congress, the USDA revealed that the current administration has met with Mexican officials approximately 30 times as part of the partnership. The USDA has also adopted a range of strategies and programs designed to enroll more people in food stamps by overcoming the notion of self-reliance. A 2011 USDA Hunger Champions Award document reveals that local assistance offices have been rewarded for 'counteracting' pride when pushing more people to sign up for benefits." Continue reading →

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Is Your College Going Broke? The Most And Least Financially Fit Schools In America

"Almost all colleges have noble mission statements, but few have pervasive cultures or are able to focus employees on core competencies the way great companies like Coke, IBM and Wells Fargo do. Most colleges and universities try to be all things to all people. That way of doing business was tolerable when the market of high school graduates was expanding, as it was from 1990 to 2010. However, the production of high school graduates has fallen from its 3.4 million peak in 2011 to a current 3.2 million–and is likely to stay there until 2020. This ugly demographic fact, plus the decline in household wealth brought on by the Great Recession, has exacerbated the problem." Continue reading →

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Obama offers plan to deal with the high cost of college

"Barack Obama took aim at the spiralling cost of higher education on Thursday, threatening US universities with a new official ranking system he claimed would help students identify whether they were getting value for money. As crippling student loans are increasingly seen as a impediment to social mobility and a check on US consumer confidence, the president used the latest of his economic speeches to propose a series of limited reforms to encourage lower fees. Besides the new ratings system, Obama’s proposals amounted to a call on state legislatures to stop cutting subsidies, universities to stop putting up fees, and Congress to pass laws limiting loan repayments." Continue reading →

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Stat of the Day: Tuition Discount Rate

"The NACUBO tuition discount rate for 2012 was 45% and has risen every year for the last six years. Despite all the stories about tuition hikes, the fact is that many colleges that lack elite status (and huge endowments) are struggling to make money while maintaining the overall quality of their student body. Their solution appears to be to raise the sticker price while offering deep discounts at the same time, usually on a sliding scale based on student attractiveness. This Forbes article talks about schools so desperate that let students walk up weeks before school starts and get an admission decision on the spot." Continue reading →

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Cameron Herold: Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs [2010]

"Bored in school, failing classes, at odds with peers: This child might be an entrepreneur, says Cameron Herold. At TEDxEdmonton, he makes the case for parenting and education that helps would-be entrepreneurs flourish -- as kids and as adults." Continue reading →

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Homeland Studies

"Salt Lake Community College in Utah joins numerous other institutions of higher spending now offering an 'associate of applied science [sic for ‘baloney’] (A.A.S.) degree in “Homeland Security and Emergency Management.' Yes. Seems there is a correct way to grope a victim while stealing his iPad, and by gum, the instructors are gonna learn rookies to do it right. You won’t be surprised at this propaganda’s sponsors: 'the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, various medical institutions and other regional agencies and employers.'" Continue reading →

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