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August 2011

See What You Want to See

It is very difficult to watch or consumer something that is not already customized, but do you really want FaceBook, Google and everybody else to filter what you see?

Eli Pariser says we get trapped in a “filter bubble” and don’t get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview.… Read the rest

Human Powered Cell Phone?

If the vision of Tom Krupenkin and J. Ashley Taylor comes to fruition, one day soon your cellphone — or just about any other portable electronic device — could be powered by simply taking a walk. In a paper appearing this week (Aug.… Read the rest

Anonymous Speaks Up

This summer the mysterious group known as Anonymous issued a video to the world officially declaring war on the system and appealing in staccato robot voice “you are the revolution.”  Clad in a mantel (sic) of crusty, dusty aphorisms and recycled visuals this video nevertheless has a tight graphic design and a message targeting malcontents everywhere.… Read the rest

10,000 Year Clock

Humanity is thinking far, far into the future thanks to the Long Now Foundation and Danny  Hillis.  They are building a clock that will have a different chime every day for ten millennia!

Carved into the mountain are five room-sized anniversary chambers: 1 year, 10 year, 100 year, 1,000 year, and 10,000 year anniversaries.… Read the rest

Pioneers on the Ocean Sea

Ocean homesteading is appealing to those who wish for  a different political system. But how long would it take for such a new government to fall into old patterns of behavior?

The Seasteading Institute wants to find out.  In this video and on their web site this organization promises a brave new world of politics and social organization in giant floating cities, located in formerly international waters.… Read the rest

Guerilla Cyber Wars

The new front for political discontent: social media!  Go figure.

The revolution in Egypt and the “Arab Spring” has been blamed on (or credited to) Facebook.  Meanwhile, the hacker resistance group known as Anonymous emerges with a call to action.… Read the rest

Drive Like the Wind… Not!

What’s the problem with electric cars? They still plug into the grid, causing pollution. But new home  wind generators can charge your little car right up, maybe…

According to Fast Company‘s Michael Corin, “The Skypump’s vertical rotor blades (capturing multi-directional wind more effectively than horizontal turbines) sit atop a 42-foot tower, about the height of light and power towers already common in suburbia.… Read the rest