Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Life Inside a Secret Chinese Bitcoin Mine
February 8th, 2015Via: Vice:
New High-Tech Farm Equipment Is a Nightmare for Farmers
February 5th, 2015Via: Wired: Aside from using it, there’s not much you can do with modern ag equipment. When it breaks or needs maintenance, farmers are dependent on dealers and manufacturer technicians—a hard pill to swallow for farmers, who have been maintaining their own equipment since the plow. “[DIY repair] is cheaper than calling out the technician. […]
The World’s Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who Is Going Broke
February 5th, 2015If anything is real in this area, it’s GPG. It’s a shame that most people can’t or won’t use it, even now that mass surveillance is mainstream knowledge. Via: ProPublica: The man who built the free email encryption software used by whistleblower Edward Snowden, as well as hundreds of thousands of journalists, dissidents and security-minded […]
An Alloy of Iron and Aluminum Is as Good as Titanium, Tenth the Cost
February 5th, 2015Via: The Economist: The obvious way out of this is to alloy steel with a lighter metal. And the obvious one to choose is aluminium, which is, like iron (steel’s principal component), cheap and abundant. An alloy of iron, aluminium and carbon (steel’s other essential ingredient) is too brittle to be useful. Adding manganese helps […]
Alibaba Tests Drone Deliveries in China
February 4th, 2015Via: Forbes: Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is not the only one with a drone-delivery dream. Alibaba’s billionaire founder Jack Ma is also testing drone-delivery services, as the company races to overcome logistics barriers in the country. The initial scope of Alibaba’s experiment is small. The company’s online Taobao bazaar is inviting 450 shoppers in […]
Massive Worldwide Layoff Underway At IBM
February 4th, 2015Via: IEEE: Project Chrome, a massive layoff that IBM is pretending is not a massive layoff, is underway. First reported by Robert X. Cringely (a pen name) in Forbes, about 26 percent of the company’s global workforce is being shown the door. At more than 100,000 people, that makes it the largest mass layoff at […]
Brookings Video Piece on Aquion
February 3rd, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in NZ. Bring it on. Via: Brookings Institution: More: America’s Advanced Industries: What They Are, Where They Are, and Why They Matter
Apple to Convert Failed Arizona Sapphire Factory to Data Center
February 3rd, 2015Disclosure: I bought a single Feb27 put option on Apple last week. The better to see you with, my pretties! Via: ComputerWorld: Apple on Monday confirmed it will convert a failed sapphire factory into a data center that will also double as the hub to control the company’s other server farms. “We’re proud to continue […]
Uber Opening Robotics Research Facility In Pittsburgh To Build Self-Driving Cars
February 3rd, 2015Via: TechCrunch: Driver-on-demand service Uber is building a robotics research lab in Pittsburgh, PA to “kickstart autonomous taxi fleet development,” sources close to the decision have confirmed to TechCrunch. They say the company has hired talent from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, including lead engineering and commercialization experts.
‘Get Your Loved Ones Off Facebook’
February 1st, 2015Via: Saintsal: It’s not just what Facebook is saying it’ll take from you and do with your information, it’s all the things it’s not saying, and doing anyway because of the loopholes they create for themselves in their Terms of Service and how simply they go back on their word. We don’t even need to […]
