Archive for March, 2014
The Shift From Low-Wage Worker to Robot Worker
March 27th, 2014Via: FiveThirtyEight: The minimum-wage occupations that Frey and Osborne think are most vulnerable include, not surprisingly, telemarketers, sales clerks and cashiers. But also included are occupations that employ a large share of the low-wage workforce, such as waiters and waitresses, food-preparation workers and cooks. If the computerization of these low-wage jobs becomes feasible, and if […]
Terra Tech Corp: Vegetables Today, Pot Once It’s Legal
March 27th, 2014Via: Alternet: State by state, the nation is beginning to chip away at marijuana prohibition. Especially since Colorado and Washington legalized the herb for recreational purposes last year, whispers of legalization and decriminalization are spreading like wildfire. But cultivation of the plant is still federally illegal, and often as states legalize either medically or recreationally, […]
Antigun Politician Charged with Gun Trafficking, Wire Fraud
March 27th, 2014There’s a doosey in here. One of the members of this criminal enterprise is, “Raymond ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow, a longtime Chinatown gangster.” According to the piece, Chow is president of the Supreme Lodge of Chinese Freemasons of the world in San Francisco (see: Tiandihui). Via: San Francisco Weekly: State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and […]
Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation
March 26th, 2014Via: New Scientist: NEITHER dead or alive, knife-wound or gunshot victims will be cooled down and placed in suspended animation later this month, as a groundbreaking emergency technique is tested out for the first time. Surgeons are now on call at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to perform the operation, which will buy […]
This Is a Generic Brand Video
March 26th, 2014Vis: Dissolve.com / Vimeo: This Is a Generic Brand Video from Dissolve on Vimeo. Research Credit: JL
Eyes on Afghanistan as Next Lithium Motherlode
March 26th, 2014Via: oilprice.com As American troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, the US has handed over prized mineral data to Kabul, which is hoping it can provide enough security to lure investors to key mineral deposits that could turn the country into the Saudi Arabia of Lithium in the best-case scenario, or another conflict minerals venue like […]
Canada: Bill C-22, Nuclear Companies Win the Jackpot
March 26th, 2014Update: Current Liability Is Only $75 Million J sent this piece in from HazMat Management: The federal government has introduced legislation that will dramatically boost the civil liability ceiling for nuclear operators from $75 million to $1 billion. — Via: Huffington Post: Imagine you could go to Las Vegas, and it didn’t matter how much […]
Facebook Buys Virtual Reality Co. Oculus for $2 Billion
March 25th, 2014Reality 1440×900 by EranFolio on deviantART Via: AP: Facebook has agreed to buy Oculus for $2 billion, betting that its virtual reality technology may be a new way for people to communicate, learn or be entertained. “This is a long-term bet on the future of computing,” said Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday on a […]
The Most Popular Show In America Is Basically NSA Propaganda
March 25th, 2014Via: Business Insider: NCIS and its sibling NCIS: Los Angeles are the top-rated dramas on television, a distinction they have held for several years. Next season there will be a third iteration, which ones hopes will be titled NCIS: Spinoff. As Quartz’s Jason Lynch notes, viewers love these formulaic procedurals—while critics ignore them. But what […]
Bloomberg’s Censorship of China Story
March 25th, 2014Via: New York Times: Ben Richardson, an editor at large in Asia at Bloomberg News, announced his resignation on Monday, citing the company’s handling of an investigative report in China late last year. He is the third reporter or editor to leave the organization since several news organizations reported last November that Bloomberg had declined […]