25
Jul

TOUGH NEW 3D PRINTING PLASTIC LETS ASTRONAUTS PRINT SPACEWALK TOOLS ON DEMAND

Keeping the International Space Station (ISS) running properly requires a litany of specialized tools, and between unforeseen malfunctions and periodic hardware upgrades, it’s often hard to anticipate what tools the crew will need for a given task. On top of that, it’s also extremely expensive to launch objects into space, so in recent years, NASA has been exploring the idea of 3D printing tools in orbit. Last year, ISS astronauts made headlines when they used the first 3D printed tool ever created in space — but this tool wasn’t without limitations. Due to the extremely harsh conditions in the vacuum of space, NASA’s 3D printed tools…

21
Jul

ELON MUSK WANTS TO WHISK YOU FROM NYC TO DC IN 30 MINUTES WITH A NEW HYPERLOOP

Elon Musk says that his Boring Company is getting closer and closer to transporting folks, with the latest tunnel slated to run between DC and NY. Elon Musk’s next project may be a bit more … boring than his previous endeavors. The founder of SpaceX and Tesla is accustomed to flashy enterprises and larger-than-life dreams (that all seem to be coming to fruition), and now, he’s turning his attention to a simple problem that plagues all of us: Traffic. Because why shouldn’t it take us 29 minutes to get from New York to D.C.? With Musk’s Boring Company, this could be our new reality. Obviously,…

20
Jul

SOME OF US MIGHT SOON BE LIVING ON ARTIFICIAL FLOATING MEGA ISLANDS

Artificial mega islands could let us make better use of the 70 percent of the planet that is covered in water. It is one thing to come up with a wacky idea for transforming our cities or constructing the world’s greatest supervillain evil lair; another to have the expertise and inclination to actually research and build one for real. A new research project coming out of the Netherlands quite handily ticks both boxes. Developed by researchers at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN), their idea is to develop giant artificial islands like today’s floating docks — only on a much, much bigger scale. Like,…

18
Jul

THIS COLLAPSIBLE 2-OUNCE SOLAR LAMP IS SAVING REFUGEES’ LIVES

You can literally have a pocketful of sunshine thanks to the latest invention to come out of Solight Design. It’s called the SolarPuff, and it’s a two-ounce solarlamp that can be collapsed into a flat sheet or expanded into a 4.5-inch cube. And while some may use them for their gardens, their pools, or their camping adventures, the SolarPuffs are also being used by refugees and those in developing countries as a source of light when all else seems dark. Invented by Alice Min Soo Chun, who is also the founder and CEO of Solight Design, the SolarPuff provides much-needed illumination to many Syrian refugees who must…

17
Jul

Using emoji at school ‘could improve language skills

Using smiley face, poo and broken heart emoji at school may sound like a strange idea but it could improve children’s language skills, according to an expert. Vyvyan Evans, a former professor of linguistics at Bangor University, thinks teachers should be using more of the animated icons in class. He admitted people may find the suggestion absurd but said it was because they didn’t understand how powerful emoji was. He told the Times Education Supplement: ‘People that pooh-pooh it and turn their nose up and think it’s puerile and childish don’t understand how communication works.’ He said in his new book,…

14
Jul

KEEP TABS ON THE EARTH’S VIBRATIONS WITH THE RASPBERRY SHAKE 4D

Thanks to a veritable pantheon of smart home devices, we are now able to track even the most minute of changes in our homes. Slight difference in temperature? Track it. Slight change in pressure? Track it. Uptick in radon levels? Track it. But for the big stuff — you know, things you can actually feel, like tremors — we somehow have not figured out how to keep tabs on. Until now, that is. Meet the Raspberry Shake 4D, a “professional personal Earth monitoring device” that puts you in the shoes of a seismologist and could even help you monitor for earthquakes. Building upon the…

13
Jul

VINPOK’S BOLT WANTS TO BE YOUR ONE MAGNETIC CHARGE CABLE FOR EVERYTHING

Vinpok’s new Bolt USB Type-C magnetic cable is designed to be a one-stop shop for charging smart devices like laptops, tablets, and mobile handsets, by boosting the available power and connecting easily to the charge port. It makes use of a “snap and charge” design, and ups the ante over other magnetic Micro USB cables by offering up to 87-watt charging for 15-inch MacBook Pros. While its claims to being the first to offer such functionality in a magnetic cable could be debated, its ease of use is a significant feature. Each cable comes with a USB Type-C plug that fits…

12
Jul

Top 3 Social Media Marketing Trends

1. Live streaming video This trend is changing how we share our stories, live events and educate. It is another way to engage with your audience. It can also be a new way to build trust and credibility online with authentic unfiltered content. 2. Chatbots Chatbots are a conversational agent that is designed to simulate intelligent conversation without a human being present, to improve real-time engagement. In April 2016, Mark Zuckerberg announced that third parties could use the messenger platform to create their own personal chatbot. Since then, the popularity of chatbots has rapidly grown over the world. 3. Automation…