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Douglas Engelbart, inventor of computer mouse, dies at 88

"Engelbart arrived at his crowning moment relatively early in his career, on a winter afternoon in 1968, when he delivered an hour-long presentation containing so many far-reaching ideas that it would be referred to decades later as the 'mother of all demos.' Speaking before an audience of 1,000 leading technologists in San Francisco, Engelbart, a computer scientist at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), showed off a cubic device with two rolling discs called an 'X-Y position indicator for a display system.' It was the mouse’s public debut. He never received any royalties for the mouse, which SRI patented and later licensed to Apple." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDouglas Engelbart, inventor of computer mouse, dies at 88

Quantum Teleportation Between Atomic Systems Over Long Distances — New Reliable Technique

"A new milestone has been reached in the development of a practical quantum teleportation system — researchers have for the first time succeeded in the teleportation of information between two separate clouds of gas atoms, over long-distances. And not just once, the method is apparently already extremely reliable — working every single time that it’s been attempted. There are two glass containers, each containing a cloud of billions of caesium gas atoms. Both glass containers are enclosed in a chamber with a magnetic field. Information is teleported from the one glass cloud to the other by means of laser light." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingQuantum Teleportation Between Atomic Systems Over Long Distances — New Reliable Technique

How close are we to getting superpowers?

"Next month, at a technology conference in Hong Kong, Dina Katabi, an MIT professor, will present her 'Wi-Vi' device, which uses a low-power wi-fi signal to track people moving behind walls. Last month, it was reported that scientists in Singapore have created a rudimentary invisibility cloak, which they illustrated with a video clearly designed to appeal to muggles as much as wizards – it showed a fluffy kitten entering the 'cloak' and disappearing so conclusively that a butterfly could be seen fluttering behind it. Essentially, if there’s a superpower you can think of, someone’s probably trying to develop it. Just remember: with great power comes great responsibility." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow close are we to getting superpowers?

The first-ever 3D-printed battery is less than 1mm wide

"In order to make a battery so small, the Harvard and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign team used a 3D printer to create tiny stacks of battery electrodes. Each electrode is thinner than a strand of human hair. The battery is of the standard lithium-ion variety, so with it comes all of the faults and benefits of lithium-ion. The custom 3D printer employed by the team uses special inks that are electrochemically active, and harden into cathodes and anodes once extruded from the printer’s nozzle. The anodes and cathodes were printed in a pattern similar to a common comb, then a case and electrolyte solution were added as finishing touches." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe first-ever 3D-printed battery is less than 1mm wide

Maker Nabs A 3D Model Of Marcus Aurelius With Google Glass

"In what looks to be a first for the technology, designer and engineer Todd Blatt took 30 pictures of a bust of Marcus Aurelius with Google Glass and created a downloadable 3D model that you can grab and print. It’s fascinating that, in a few minutes, he was able to render a physical object digitally and then reprint it. These methods aren’t foolproof, but they’re very nearly so. What does this mean for the future? Well, almost anything can be copied now, from a car to a tourist’s trinket. It also means that nothing is 'safe' anymore – all it takes for IP theft of object designs to happen is a few winks with a good enough camera." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaker Nabs A 3D Model Of Marcus Aurelius With Google Glass

Bill Bonner: Special Independence Day Edition

"Eventually history will tell the story of how Edward Snowden came out and revealed the extent to which the feds - under the guise of protecting us from terrorism - were laying the foundation for a police state. This was deeply disturbing to thoughtful people...if there were any...who feared the rise of an all-knowing, all-powerful Big Brother, from whom no secrets are kept, from whom no desires are hidden. And it was disturbing too to the Big Brothers themselves. They insisted on knowing everything about everybody else's business. But they made it a crime to reveal what they were up to! In short, nobody likes a snitch...and a snoop especially dislikes a snitch." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Special Independence Day Edition

Paul Rosenberg: Top 5 Reasons I Stopped Caring About Politics

"When I was young, I felt a need to understand politics, and I spent time studying. But as time progressed, I received diminishing returns on that investment. And in the past few years, I have given it up altogether. These days, my concern with politics is limited to things like these: Who is making war, and where? Where is the crime occurring in my area? Are there laws that will force me to move my businesses offshore? Beyond that, I’m really not interested. I see the headlines, but I seldom read the stories. And I’m very happy saying, 'I haven’t looked into it,' when people ask my opinion on the day’s ‘news.’ Here’s why." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Rosenberg: Top 5 Reasons I Stopped Caring About Politics

Want to Defend Your Privacy?

"We all have to accept the cold, hard fact of the matter, which is that this cat-and-mouse game is likely to be with us for a very long time. Those who believe they have the right to spy on us will develop ever more sophisticated ways of doing it. Those who believe we have a Constitutional right to privacy will fight tooth and nail to protect it. It's possible that the one side eventually will develop an unstoppable offense or that the other will come up with a defense that can't be breached. But that's not the way to bet. In the end, technology is completely neutral. It will evolve with no regard to how it is used. Expect those cats and mice to continue chasing each other." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWant to Defend Your Privacy?

More inmates say guards at St. Louis jail forced them to fight ‘gladiator-style’

"Thirty inmates at a St. Louis jail want to join a class-action lawsuit saying they were forced into a 'gladiator-style' fight club — all for the amusement of guards. The potential for additional plaintiffs comes a year after the original suit was filed against the city and alleges a systemic problem at the Medium Security Institution, which is nicknamed the Workhouse. 'What was happening was the guards were actually taking inmates out of the cells, placing them in cells with other inmates and forcing them to fight each other,' Brown told St. Louis radio station KMOX. The station said the city has filed a response denying the allegations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore inmates say guards at St. Louis jail forced them to fight ‘gladiator-style’

Female inmates sue Texas county for running ‘rape camp’ at jail

"Two female inmates have sued a Texas county and three former jailers for running what they said was a 'rape camp' at the county jail. In a court filing obtained by Courthouse News Service, inmates J.A.S. and J.M.N name Live Oak County and former jailers Vincent Aguilar, Israel Charles Jr. and Jaime E. Smith as defendants. Although the three guards were arrested in 2010 on charges of sexual assault and are now serving time in Texas state prisons, the women have brought to light new disturbing details about the abuse. They are seeking punitive damages for civil rights violations, assault and emotional distress." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFemale inmates sue Texas county for running ‘rape camp’ at jail