Entrepreneurship

What in Space Are We Doing?

"We're inclined to believe that the era of space exploration is pretty much over with. No funding. Public boredom. Too many other problems here at home. And so on. End of story. That, however, is not the case. Not at all. Yes, budgets have shrunk. And yes, the federal government is getting out of hands-on involvement with the business (though it still provides a measure of funding for research). But private enterprise (often aided by juicy government grants) is leaping into space in a big way, and some very exciting research by space scientists is going on." Continue reading →

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3-D Printed Car Is as Strong as Steel, Half the Weight, and Nearing Production

"Picture an assembly line not that isn’t made up of robotic arms spewing sparks to weld heavy steel, but a warehouse of plastic-spraying printers producing light, cheap and highly efficient automobiles. Urbee’s approach to maximum miles per gallon starts with lightweight construction – something that 3-D printing is particularly well suited for. The designers were able to focus more on the optimal automobile physics, rather than working to install a hyper efficient motor in a heavy steel-body automobile. Jim Kor is the engineering brains behind the Urbee. Between teaching classes, he heads Kor Ecologic, the firm responsible for the 3-D printed creation." Continue reading →

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Tech Industry Sets Its Sights on Gambling

"Two states, Nevada and Delaware, are already laying the groundwork for virtual gambling. Within months they will most likely be joined by New Jersey. Bills have also been introduced in Mississippi, Iowa, California and other states, driven by the realization that online gambling could bring in streams of tax revenue. In Iowa alone, online gambling proponents estimated that 150,000 residents were playing poker illegally. Overseas, online betting is generating an estimated $32 billion in annual revenue — nearly the size of the U.S. casino market. Juniper Research estimates that betting on mobile devices alone will be a $100 billion worldwide industry by 2017." Continue reading →

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Islands trade quick citizenship for investment

"Turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa has led to a surge of interest in programs that let investors buy citizenship or residence in countries around the world in return for a healthy contribution or investment. Most are seeking a second passport for hassle-free travel or a ready escape hatch in case things get worse at home. Nowhere is it easier or faster than in the minuscule Eastern Caribbean nations of Dominica and St. Kitts & Nevis. It's such a booming business that a Dubai-based company is building a 4-square-mile community in St. Kitts where investors can buy property and citizenship at the same time." Continue reading →

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Singaporean photographer Leslie Kee arrested for selling art book containing uncensored genitalia

"The 41 year old, who has taken pictures of a number of Japanese pop stars including Ayumi Hamasaki, Yumi Matsutoya, and Kumi Koda, as well as internationally famous models Naomi Campbell and Maggi Q, was taken into police custody along with two employees of the book’s publisher at an art gallery in Tokyo. Officials say the gallery showing for Kee’s photography was held in Tokyo’s Minami Aoyama district. It was there that the three sold seven copies of the illegal book to two different customers. The book violates Japan’s laws that require any pictures of male or female genitalia to be censored, which is most often done by pixellation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSingaporean photographer Leslie Kee arrested for selling art book containing uncensored genitalia

Moms in Spain Strip to Raise Money for School Bus

"A group of mothers at a school in eastern Spain has decided to appear nude in an erotic calendar with the aim of collecting the 43,000 euros ($55,000) needed to restore school transportation services for their children. The problem, the mothers say, is that the 80 students at the school have had their school transportation taken away by decision of the regional authorities, and they say that their kids have to walk 6 kilometers (3.72 miles) over unpaved roads to get to class. The mothers, most of whom are young, are posing for the calendar inside bus stop shelters or next to the steep embankments of the town." Continue reading →

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My 3 Cents On Cancer: Jack Andraka at TEDxSanJoseCAWomen

"Jack is a fifteen year old freshman in high school. He developed a paper sensor that could detect pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer in five minutes for as little as 3 cents. He conducted his research at John Hopkins University. This research could change the face of cancer and promote early detection. He has been selected as the Intel 2012 ISEF winner and has won awards at multiple national and international math competitions. Jack is on the national junior whitewater kayaking team and enjoys playing with his dog and folding origami." Continue reading →

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Will the End of Cannabis Prohibition Benefit the Small Farmer?

"The answer has as much to do with simple accounting as the more common outsider assumption: that farmers fear the price drops that come when a prohibitionary economy dissolves (though this is certainly part of the story). When, in three generations of farming, your family has never had to pay taxes, record payroll or meet building code, let alone meet a customer (the Emerald Triangle has an entire caste of middlemen and women who broker wholesale deals, so the farmer doesn’t have to leave the farm), the prospect of coming aboveground -- and dealing with the same red tape every other industry does -- can be terrifying." Continue reading →

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