Search Results for “https:” – Page 715

The Verdict on The World’s Fastest “Train”

“Consider the motivation behind Musk’s Hyperloop: California’s new so-called high-speed rail system, which Musk calls a ‘bullet train to nowhere.’ Rumored to cost $70 billion, Musk asks why California – one of the world’s largest economies, home of Silicon Valley, and with some of the world’s greatest tech companies – ‘would build a bullet train that’s both one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world.’ Comparing it to the Hyperloop, he says, ‘The train would be both slower, more expensive to operate (if unsubsidized) and less safe by two orders of magnitude than flying, so why would anyone use it?'” Continue reading →

NASA begins selling shuttle launch platforms

“Nasa is selling three huge mobile platforms used to launch the Apollo moon missions and the space shuttle – adding to the list of historic facilities and equipments it wants private industry to take over, including a shuttle launchpad and its landing runway. The massive steel structures – 7.6 metres high (25ft) 49 by 41 metres on top – were originally built in 1967 for the Apollo moon programme’s Saturn rockets, then modified for the space shuttles, which flew from 1981 until 2011. The Kennedy Space Centre launchpad has attracted competing bids from the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, co-founder of Paypal and chief executive of electric car company Tesla Motors.” Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Facebook launches global Internet access initiative

“Facebook and other technology giants launched an initiative Wednesday designed to give the whole world access to the Internet. The project is entitled Internet.org and its goal is to cut the cost of smart phone-based Internet services in developing countries. Today some 2.7 billion people, just over a third of the world’s population, have access to the Internet and the number of new users is growing only slowly each year, a statement said. The other partners in the project are Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek and Opera, while Twitter and LinkedIn also also due to sign up.” Continue reading →

New crowdfunding site JumpStart Fund hopes to launch new startups

“The new platform called JumpStart Fund, marrying crowd-sourcing with crowdfunding, comes from the California-based online community called Jumpstarter, which has been involved in matching investors with technology opportunities. JumpStart Fund was designed to be an online community where people can share ideas and build businesses based on patented technology, with individuals getting stakes in startups based on what they bring to the mix. JumpStart is working with federal research labs holding thousands of patents deemed public property because they were paid for with tax dollars and is reaching out to US universities and private facilities.” Continue reading →