Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

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Going Boating on a Moon


02 Oct

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We have landed multiple rovers on Mars with great success- including the rovers having longer life spans than originally planned for. So what is next? While it does not come out of NASA, there is a group in Europe (Spainmostly) that is currently presenting the idea of landing a boat in one of the large lakes on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

If we can land cars on a planet, why not a boat on a moon? We know Titan is covered in lakes and rivers (of methane, apparently, not H20), which makes it a possible location for microbial life.

Your Money Friday: Help an Inventor Out


21 Sep

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Everyone knows how much I love the new crowdfunding craze. In fact, I can’t wait until we actually get to really invest in some of these products and ideas instead of just donating for prizes. Because of that fascination, this week’s Your Money thread gives us a different look at the crowdfunding game, that of the inventor (vs the investor). The poster has an invention up on the indiegogo site and is trying to get funding, but so far, no one’s really bitten. By asking the message board their opinions, he is actually crowdsourcing his crowdfunding pitch. I love it.

The Space Elevator


11 Sep

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I recently linked to the 16 Kickstarter projects that could destroy civilization. One of those projects was the re-birth of the Space Elevator. Michael Laine of LiftPort Group was looking for $8,000. He got $70,000.

Believe it or not, this is a problem. While $70,000 is a lot of money, it’s really nothing when it comes to the costs of building technology needed for a lift system that one day will carry things into space. He’s hoping the backing of 2,300 ordinary people will impress angel investors enough to convince them to give him the kind of money he needs.

The EKG Ap


10 Sep

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Here in the US, if you need an EKG, you go to the doctor, it gets ordered and off you go to be hooked up to expensive equipment, at least if you have money or some kind of insurance. But what about people in developing countries where the majority of the population does not have access to advanced medical care and an EKG machine?

Enter Catherine Wong, a 17 year old from New Jersey. She recently invented an ap that will work as an EKG. Because the sad truth is, more people have access to smart phones than do hospitals.

KickStarter Projects


05 Sep

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I laughed, I cried for mercy, and now I live in fear. Okay, not really, except for the laughing. Someone with much more time than I have went through KickStarter and found 16 projects that could destroy civilization.

Some of them I’d heard of before- like the Space Elevator, I just hadn’t realized that someone was trying to get it funded through KickStarter. Others have been funded and fully realized- like Cards Against Humanity, which is actually a terrifically fun card game (with the right group of people).

We do need to beware Bond villains and their giant robot spiders.

Invisibility Cloak Science for Broadband


23 Aug

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Despite the fact that I have written about the invisibility cloak twice (here and here) that’s not what I’m excited about. Yes, it’s proof that the science is sound, but read what Kymeta is doing- in two to three years, they plan to have a device out that will enable people anywhere in the world to have broadband access to the internet, at a not super high cost. And since it creates a hotspot, not everyone will need one. Towns, villages even, could invest in this to provide internet access for their citizens.

Broadband for the entire world? Yes please.

Speeding Around the Forest Moon


21 Aug

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I am having a geekgasm. Even though I will likely never ride one of these- I may never even see one in person –just knowing that there is a hover bike, much like the speeders from Star Wars, in existence makes me ridiculously happy.

It’s not only real, it is being flight tested in the desert (at 15ft, 30mph) and not crashing. They have been successfully tested in trees and under bridges. The only sad thing is that manned versions are not in the immediate future. Aerofex (the company making geek dreams come true) is currently focusing on unmanned uses.

2nd Geek Girl Con


13 Aug

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This weekend was the second Geek Girl Con. This year, due to other scheduling issues, I was unable to attend. I am still thrilled the conference exists, and it was really nice to see that they got more space this year so that they wouldn’t have to turn anyone away.

They are attracting national attention, including an article on the Today website. EA was one of the sponsors, proudly showing off their new NHL game with a female avatar. So  when will we get Madden with a female avatar, or an RPG that is capable of moving past Lara Croft?

Mars


02 Aug

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Humans can’t go to Mars just yet. We have to settle for sending rovers to the surface and living through pictures taken by telescopes (like the picture in this post from the Hubble spacecraft). But even if we have to visit Mars vicariously, this week we can still do it “live”. The Slooh Space Camera is webcasting live views of Mars August 1 through 3. The webcasts will include commentary from NASA scientists.

Of course, on Sunday, the newest Mars Rover will land on the planet, and the hunt for water will begin again. It’s called “Curiosity” for a reason.

Penny Arcade on KickStarter


12 Jul

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Back in April, I wrote about micro-investing. I highlighted the Order of the Stick KickStarter project which raised over $1million, just so the guy could reprint one of his books. As loved as OotS is, it’s small potatoes. The big guns of online comics now have their own KickStarter project. Penny Arcade is raising money to make the site ad free for an entire year (and still be able to pay all their bills).

They are looking for $250k by August 15. Given that in one day they were over halfway to their goal, I’d be eyeing those stretch goals.

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