Assaf Biderman: Sentient Cities

Assaf Biderman is the Associate Director of the SENSEable City Laboratory, an MIT university research group that explores the real-time city by studying how distributed technologies can be used to improve our understanding of cities and create a more sustainable ways of interacting in urban environments.

Dan Ariely: Irrational Economics

MIT professor Dan Ariely believes that the starting point for making better decisions, particularly with financial matters, requires understanding the impulse to act irrationally. At PopTech 2009, Ariely discussed an excerpt from his new book, The Upside of Irrationality, about the role of emotions in the workplace.

Massoud Amin: A Smart Grid

Massoud Amin wants to make our energy infrastructure more sustainable and secure. The complex systems researcher from the University of Minnesota believes this requires networking energy into a "smart" grid that incorporates alternative energy. This will provide national as well as environmental and financial security.

Mike Wesch: Lessons From YouTube

Cultural anthropologist Mike Wesch studies YouTube and how social media is transforming how we communicate. The Kansas State University professor says social media has made us far more connected. His research on YouTube also reveals a media landscape that is fostering new forms of community and collective action.

(note: contains strong language)

Danny MacAskill - "Way Back Home" - NEW street trials riding short film

Way Back Home is the incredible new riding clip from Danny MacAskill, it follows him on a journey from Edinburgh back to his hometown Dunvegan, in the Isle of Skye.

Sony demos 360º display at Siggraph 2010

Sony demonstrates the prototype of a new 360º Autostereoscopic display. The display allows you to view full color volumetric objects from all angles, as if objects really exist. The display uses special LED light forces and can show 360 unique images to all directions in 1º separations. And no special 3D glasses are required to see the image!

Contortionist Ends Up In Box - Ruby Rubberlegs (Rani Huszar)

Contortionist Rani Huszar (Ruby Rubberlegs) ends up in a small box at a showcase performance of The League of Sideshow Superstars at the TREV/AACA Conference 2007 in Sunbury, Victoria.

Bridges Not Bombs: Finding $300 Billion for Infrastructure

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell advocates for increased spending on infrastructure development. Rendell argues that while the cost to repair America's aging infrastructure may seem daunting, the hundreds of billions used to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would easily fund the project.

A Brief History of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels have powered human growth and ingenuity for centuries. Now that we're reaching the end of cheap and abundant oil and coal supplies, we're in for an exciting ride. While there's a real risk that we'll fall off a cliff, there's still time to control our transition to a post-carbon future.

Mark Roth: Suspended animation is within our grasp

Mark Roth studies suspended animation: the art of shutting down life processes and then starting them up again. It's wild stuff, but it's not science fiction. Induced by careful use of an otherwise toxic gas, suspended animation can potentially help trauma and heart attack victims survive long enough to be treated.

Microsoft Products Still Lead the Pack: 10 Reasons Why - Enterprise Applications

eWeek reports: "Microsoft gets raked over the coals by critics quite a bit in the IT industry. Those folks say that the company is too big, it has lost its way and it’s failing to deliver the products that today’s consumers and even enterprise customers are really searching for. When it’s all said and done, those critics contend that Microsoft will lose its place as one of the dominant companies in the industry and become yet another big firm that has failed to evolve with changing times. In some cases, those critics might be right. The tablet space has been one market that has consistently hurt Microsoft. And as it attempts to transition its operation from a software-focused company to one that sees more value in the Web and advertising, it’s going through some growing pains. But aside from those issues, Microsoft is still a huge success. Recently, the company announced its first-quarter earnings and revealed that its revenue grew 51 percent during that period. Microsoft Office itself saw a 15 percent gain year-over-year, while the company’s Xbox 360 also enjoyed strong revenue growth. The company netted a profit of $5.41 billion on the quarter. Such success might throw some holes in the argument that Microsoft is on the way out. In fact, that success might more effectively show that the company is still very much the company to beat in the tech space. For as successful as Google, Apple and others have been, they have yet to take down Microsoft."

Dell Inspiron duo coming soon

A sneak peek at the new Inspiron duo, Dell's first convertible tablet, from touch to type in seconds. It should be available on Dell.com before the end of the year.

Star Wars Augmented Reality: TIE Fighters Attack NYC!

Test footage from an early version of Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner, the first augmented reality Star Wars game. Coming out in mid-November for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 4th Gen. Developed by Vertigore Games and published by THQ Wireless.

The Urbee hybrid: the world’s first 3D printed car

gizmag reports: "In the early 20th century Henry Ford revolutionized automobile production with the introduction of the assembly line for the iconic Ford Model T. Now, almost a century later, a car has been produced using a process that could prove just as revolutionary – 3D printing. Code-named, Urbee, the streamlined vehicle is the first ever to have its entire body, including its glass panel prototypes, 3D printed with an additive manufacturing process."

Wow, 3D printing is getting sophisticated.

High-Tech Holograms: 3-D With No Glasses Required

NPR reports: "This week, scientists in Arizona announced they've taken another step toward bringing a sci-fi mainstay to life: the hologram movie. ... Unlike the Oscar-winning movie Avatar or animations from Pixar, a hologram movie would be truly three-dimensional. Viewers could actually walk around the image, as if it were a solid object."

I am waiting to this technology, just like I am waiting for fully autonomous robots.

Michael Specter: The danger of science denial

Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress.