technology

Bitcoin Mining Unit Sells on eBay for US$10,866.88

"Less than two hours ago, the auction closed for this 60 GH/s Single SC from Butterfly Labs. These supercomputers normally sell for $2,499. Last year, they were selling for US$1,299. Butterfly Labs started taking pre-orders for these units on June 23rd, 2012, with an expected ship date in October, 2012. Production finally began in May, 2013. It took them until Friday, July 26th (65 days of production) to start shipping orders placed after June 23rd, and there were still two June 23rd orders to be shipped." Continue reading →

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MIT creates the first perfect mirror

"Physicists at MIT have created the first perfect mirror. When light hits the mirror — or indeed any other kind of wave, including acoustic and water waves – it bounces off perfectly, introducing no distortion and exactly preserving the original image (signal). While this is primarily big news for narcissistic MySpacers, these perfect mirrors could also lead to breakthroughs in solar power, lasers, fiber optic networks, or just about anything that involves the reflecting or capturing of light." Continue reading →

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Too Stoned to Drive? There’s an App for That.

"CheckPlusBalance was developed specifically to help people who want to be confident that they can perform at a safe level after taking medication, alcohol, recreational drugs, or who have any reason to confirm their current level of functioning. The test takes about two minutes to complete and it provides an accurate snapshot of the subject’s memory, balance, reaction time and time perception. Individuals can create their own personal sober 'baseline' when they feel 'okay.' The baseline can be reset anytime and standard baselines are included. The app is currently available free as a public service to anyone who wants it." Continue reading →

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36-Year Old Hacker Who Made ATMs Spit Out Cash Dies in San Francisco; Hastings Connection?

"This is a guy who had demonstrated the year before how he could wirelessly direct an implantable insulin pump to deliver a lethal dose. The year before that, he hacked an ATM to make it spray out bills like a slot machine. But trouble-making is what he’s paid to do at IOActive, and in that role he has developed a particular respect for the looming power of smartphones. What about the firm he was working for, IOActive? The video I put up on Thursday included two specialists who demonstrated how to takeover a car remotely. One of the specialists worked for IOActive. The last tweet by Barnaby Jack, before he died, was to feature an IOActive tweet about the video." Continue reading →

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Holograms, bio-sensors will change how you shop: Intel

"Imagine buying a watch at home online using a hologram 3D display that allows you to 'try' it on. Or imagine having a nut allergy, going to the grocery store, and having which products to avoid highlighted. Technical innovation and falling costs mean holograms will likely be used by retailers in the next decade to personalize the shopping experience and create a virtual environment, said chip giant Intel’s futurist Brian David Johnson in an interview. Last month, MIT researchers released their findings in the journal Nature that showed how to build an optical chip that cost only about $10 and can produce color holographic-video displays." Continue reading →

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British company turns human ashes into vinyl records

"A company called 'And Vinyly' — rhymes with 'And Finally' — will now process your cremated remains into a 12-inch vinyl record that includes 24 minutes of the music of your choice. For a fee of about $4,600, decedents can will for their ashes to be included in the pressing of 30 vinyl records to be distributed to friends and loved ones. A person’s ashes are delivered to a pressing plant in London and added to raw vinyl. Then the vinyl is pressed into a 24-minute record, 12 minutes per side. Leach said that most people struggle not with the price — which is actually less than a traditional burial — but with what music or sounds they want to choose." Continue reading →

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Australian firm launches ‘anti-shark’ wetsuits

"An Australian research firm Thursday launched what is being touted as the world’s first anti-shark wetsuit, using new discoveries about the predators’ eyesight to stave off or evade an attack. The blue-and-white 'Elude' range, designed for divers and snorkellers, uses research about sharks’ perceptions of light and their colour blindness to essentially 'hide you in the water column', Anderson said. The 'Diverter' — mainly for surfers — is based on what sharks perceive as danger signs in nature, with a bold black and white banding patten to imitate an 'unpalatable food item', according to UWA researcher Shaun Collin." Continue reading →

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French farmer’s industrial snail-slime harvesting process to feed cosmetic industry

"The French have long appreciated snails on a plate with butter and garlic. But one rural snail farmer believes the humble molluscs have more to offer alive than dead. Louis-Marie Guedon says the mucus secreted by snails are full of collagen, glycolic acid, antibiotics and other compounds that regenerate skin cells and heal cuts. He is busy turning the innovation into France’s first industrial-scale snail mucus extraction operation with a target to harvest 15 tonnes of it next year. He has secured three supply contracts with local cosmetics labs and a Paris company that mixes cosmetics for some of the biggest names in consumer beauty products." Continue reading →

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How to Self-Publish a Bestseller: Publishing 3.0

"My most recent book, 'Choose Yourself!' sold 53,000 copies since its release on June 3, hit the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list, was No. 1 on Amazon for all non-fiction books for a few days and is still flirting with No. 1 in its various categories. This post is about what I did differently, why I did it differently, and how I think anyone can do this to self-publish a bestseller. I describe all the numbers, who I hired and why, and how I made the various choices I did." Continue reading →

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