Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Ava 500 Telepresence System
June 10th, 2013Via: TechWorld: Ava 500 is essentially a Cisco TelePresence EX60 personal video endpoint mounted on top of an iRobot mobile robotics platform, which can self-navigate busy environments like offices, manufacturing floors and laboratories without bumping into people or objects. The robot is controlled via an iPad interface. This means that the remote user can select […]
To Improve Today’s Concrete, Do As The Romans Did
June 9th, 2013Via: UC Berkeley: In a quest to make concrete more durable and sustainable, an international team of geologists and engineers has found inspiration in the ancient Romans, whose massive concrete structures have withstood the elements for more than 2,000 years. The researchers’ findings are described in two papers, one that was posted online May 28 […]
Nicaragua Gives Chinese Firm Contract to Build Alternative to Panama Canal
June 7th, 2013Via: Guardian: Nicaragua has awarded a Chinese company a 100-year concession to build an alternative to the Panama Canal, in a step that looks set to have profound geopolitical ramifications. The president of the country’s national assembly, Rene Nuñez, announced the $40bn (£26bn) project, which will reinforce Beijing’s growing influence on global trade and weaken […]
Connecticut Approves Labeling Genetically Modified Foods, Conditions Delay Implementation
June 5th, 2013Via: New York Times: Connecticut on Monday became the first state to pass a bill that would require food manufacturers to label products that contain genetically modified ingredients — but only after other conditions are met. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said he would sign the bill into law, after reaching an agreement with the […]
Afghanistan: Pentagon Has No Idea What 108,000 Contractors Are Doing
June 4th, 2013Via: The Fiscal Times: The number of contractors working in Afghanistan now vastly outnumbers American troops stationed there, according to a Congressional Research Service report. CRS, along with the Government Accountability Office, also determined that the Pentagon is unable to properly document the work these contractors are doing. And the information DOD is receiving is […]
Disney’s Electronic Wristband Illustrates Why Big Companies Push Contactless Wallets
June 4th, 2013Via: MIT Technology Review: Disney just announced an electronic wristband for visitors to its theme parks that neatly illustrates why companies like Google and cellphone networks are pushing the idea of using contactless technology in phones for payments, tickets, boarding passes and more. The short answer? They want data. Disney’s MagicBand, an ID tag that […]
Japan and South Korea Bar Imports of U.S. Wheat
June 4th, 2013Via: New York Times: Japan and South Korea suspended some imports of American wheat, and the European Union urged its 27 nations to increase testing, after the United States government disclosed this week that a strain of genetically engineered wheat that was never approved for sale was found growing in an Oregon field. Although none […]
Acid Jobs
June 4th, 2013Via: Reuters: “All this anti-fracking language misses the target and I am very concerned it is a diversion,” said Steve Shimek, of environmental group Monterey Coastkeeper. The Monterey shale holds an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil, more than most estimates for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and twice the reserves of North Dakota’s Bakken […]
Two-Thirds of Uninsured Americans Don’t Know If They Will Buy Insurance Under Obamacare
June 4th, 2013Via: CNBC: There’s no assurance folks will be buying insurance under Obamacare, and that could spell trouble for the Affordable Care Act. Nearly two-thirds of Americans who currently lack health insurance don’t know yet if they will purchase that coverage by the Jan. 1 deadline set by the ACA, a new survey revealed Monday.
U.S. Manufacturing Unexpectedly Shrank in May at the Fastest Pace in Four Years
June 3rd, 2013Via: Bloomberg: Manufacturing (NAPMPMI) in the U.S. unexpectedly shrank in May at the fastest pace in four years, showing slowdowns in business and government spending are holding back the world’s largest economy. The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index fell to 49, the lowest reading since June 2009, from the prior month’s 50.7, the Tempe, […]
