Innovation/entrepreneurship

Decentralizing education: how startups are dismantling the university

Dale J. Stephens leads UnCollege, the social movement changing the notion that college is the only path to success. His first book, Hacking Your Education, will be published by Penguin in 2013. Also see the three related posts today (below). Student/teacher interaction “What about student/teacher interaction? What about building a social and professional network? How can you get a job [...]

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This Video helps you get the Most out of your Ipad- What are you missing?

[cb_profit_poster ipad]

Why immersive virtual reality is the next generation of gaming: part 2

At the recent E3 2012 show, I saw the future of virtual reality and gaming. It’s a robust stereoscopic head-mounted display (HMD) called the Oculus RIFT from hardware pioneer Palmer Luckey, shown off by legendary computer graphics guru John Carmack, technical director of Id Software. Using aspheric lenses and side-by-side stereoscopy, the Oculus RIFT boasts a wide field-of-view of [...]

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V2V: Department of Transportation’s new communication system helps cars avoid crashes by talking to each other

The University of Michigan is conducting a pilot program to test a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications device that could help drivers avoid accidents, CNET reports. This technology could prevent up to 81 percent of all vehicle crashes, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). The school’s Transportation and Research Institute is seeking 3,000 drivers in the [...]

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Bing likes Britannica, Bruno burns

Microsoft has announced a deal with Encyclopaedia Britannica to add entries from the prestigious reference work to Bing search results. The deal appears related to Britannica’s decision in March to stop producing a print edition and Google’s “knowledge graph,” which consolidates search information about specific subjects. Et tu, Bruno? For example, a Bing search for Giordano Bruno [...]

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A robot that learns how to tidy up after you

Finally: a robot I really need. Like right now. Researchers at Cornell’s Personal Robotics Lab have trained a robot to survey a room, identify all the objects, figure out where they belong, and put them away. Bingo! “This is the first work that places objects in non-trivial places,” said Ashutosh Saxena, assistant professor of computer science. [...]

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Let’s bring back apprenticeships!

Dale J. Stephens, age 20, is a Thiel Fellow and leads UnCollege, the social movement changing the notion that college is the only path to success. His first book, Hacking Your Education, will be published by Penguin in 2013. The idea that the world is constantly changing — and faster than ever before — is nothing new. But [...]

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Crowdfunded science projects

Got a cool idea for a research project, but need funding? Check out Petridish.org, which has just launched crowdfunded science and research projects. I think this is a really great idea that could open up funding for some amazing research ideas. On Petridish.org, researchers post materials about themselves and their research, and the public can discover projects [...]

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Why China makes our electronic products (it’s not just cheaper labor)

It’s not just that workers are cheaper abroad, according to an important article in The New York Times Saturday. Most of the components of cellphones, computers, and other electronic products are now manufactured in China (and European and other East-Asia countries), so assembling the device half-a-world away would create huge logistical challenges, the article points [...]

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Beyond texting: augmented-reality windshields — what could go wrong?

What? You thought distracted drivers texting on cell phones and swerving erratically is a problem? That’s so 2011. Imagine a future in which icons flash on your car windshield, hologram-style, as your car approaches restaurants, stores, historic landmarks or the homes of friends, effuses CNN. Simply point your hand at them, and the icons open [...]

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