Great Learning Resources for Kids

Are you looking for great learning resources for kids? These are two of the best free sites that I have found.

• Minute Physics: Explains complicated physics concepts with easy to understand examples.
• Kahn's Academy: Has over 3,200 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history.

If you have any additional free learning resources (similar to these sites) that I can include in this list please include them in the comments.

Atul Gawande: How do we heal medicine?

Our medical systems are broken. Doctors are capable of extraordinary (and expensive) treatments, but they are losing their core focus: actually treating people. Doctor and writer Atul Gawande suggests we take a step back and look at new ways to do medicine -- with fewer cowboys and more pit crews.

Cocorobo - the Intelligent Vacuum Cleaning Robot

I have used a Roomba for years, I like the product but it does have its limitations. The greatest limitation of mine has been the batteries which seem to die after a few months of use, and then have to be replaced.

Now I have a new intelligent vacuum cleaning robot lust known as Cocorobo. You can communicate with robot via your a smartphone application, speech recognition, or its remote. It also has the ability to respond to you with simple greetings.

Other features include:

• 1.3-megapixel camera
• an LED light
• wireless LAN connectivity
• Uses phosphate lithium batteries (which has a batter life three years or 1,200 charges)

All these features doesn't come cheap, the estimated retail price for the RX-V100 is around US$1,600 or the basic version RX-V80 without a camera will be around US$1,100

[AUDITIONS SAN FRANCISO] Turf,- America's Got Talent 2012 (Season 7)

Video Description: America Got Talent a Show For all kind of people with crazy talent from singing to variety dance crew so better to say everthing is welome on America got talent 2012

IMHO: This guy is an amazing dancer, that comes from a very humble background.

NPR: Is Thorium A Magic Bullet For Our Energy Problems?

I am huge fan of Thorium reactors as alternative to Uranium reactors because I believe they're safer.  Here is a great podcast from NPR on the subject called: Is Thorium A Magic Bullet For Our Energy Problems? Here is excerpt from the article: "As the search for cheap, safe and non-carbon emitting sources of energy continues, a band of scientists say the answer may be nuclear reactors fueled by thorium. Others caution that thorium reactors pose waste and proliferation risks. Ira Flatow and guests discuss the pros and cons of thorium reactors." (read the rest of the article or listen to the audio)

The Race To Create The Best Antiviral Drugs : NPR

I learned lot from this NPR podcast, and I thought I would share it: The Race To Create The Best Antiviral Drugs : NPR.  Here is excerpt from the article: "If you've ever had a bacterial infection like staph or strep throat, your doctor may have prescribed penicillin. But if you've had the flu or a common cold virus, penicillin won't work. That's because antibacterials only kill bacteria, and both the flu and the common cold are viruses. So for illnesses like the flu, doctors prescribe antiviral drugs, which target the mechanisms that viruses use to reproduce." (read the rest of the article or listen to the audio)

Top tips for reducing your cell phone bill

Feel like your cell phone bills are going through the roof? TODAY financial editor Jean Chatzky has three strategies for making your payments more manageable.

PAL-V Flying Car - Best Flying Car Concept

The Dutch company PAL-V announced the first flights of its prototype "flying car".  This  vehicle is called the PAL-V One, or the 'Personal Air and Land Vehicle'.  On the ground the vehicle drives like a sports car. Within minutes its rotor is unfolded and its tail is extended: then it is ready to take off with its gyrocopter technology.  The next step will be the design of the first commercial production model of the PAL-V, and first deliveries are expected in 2014. (More information: www.PAL-V.com)

Flash mob in the Copenhagen Metro. Copenhagen Phil playing Peer Gynt.

In April 2012 Copenhagen Phil (Sjællands Symfoniorkester) surprised the passengers in the Copenhagen Metro by playing Griegs Peer Gynt. The flash mob was created in collaboration with Radio Klassisk http://radioklassisk.dk/. All music was performed and recorded in the metro.

Arthur C. Clarke Predicts the Internet & PC

In1974 Arthur C. Clarke told the ABC that every household in 2001 will have a computer and be connected all over the world. Courtesy of Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Reset Gadgets Back to Factory Default

Have you ever had the need to reset a device back to its original factory default?  If you do a search for the device in your favorite search engine you will probably find these instructions.

Warning: Following the instructions on this site will erase all your data on the device and revert it back to its original configuration when you first bought it.

There's a site called Factory-Reset.com that is trying to be a one stop shop for this information.  Before resetting your device, backup your data (if you still can).  To reset it, just search the site for the product, then follow the instructions.

Camera Drones: Losing More Personal Privacy?

The military has been using surveillance camera drones for years, now the police and the average citizen has access to this technology.   Like any technology how it will be exploited for good or bad, only time can tell how it will be used or abused.

Watch the video like the one below to see what awesome things can be done with this technology, but you might also see the potential for how the technology can be abused.  For example, it gives anyone access to view in to places they might not of had access to before.



I am not a legal expert in any way, but as I understand the law about privacy, every person has a reasonable expectation of privacy unless they are in a public place (more information).

Best of Web 2

Meet John Collins, "The Paper Airplane Guy"

Will and Norm meet The Paper Airplane Guy to learn about the craft of designing and folding amazing paper airplanes.  John Collins creates paper airplanes for a living, and recently designed a plane that broke the world record for longest flight. Learn more about folding paper airplanes at John's website.

Largest Rube Goldberg Machine: Purdue team set new world record (2012)

From YouTube: "WEST LAFYETTE, Ind., USA--The Purdue Society of Professional Engineers team smashed its own world record for largest Rube Goldberg machine with a 300-step behemoth that flawlessly accomplished the simple task of blowing up and popping a balloon - setting the new world record for the Largest functional Rube Goldberg machine, according to World Records Academy"

Myshkin Ingawale: A blood test without bleeding

Anemia is a major -- and completely preventable -- cause of deaths in childbirth in many places around the world, but the standard test is invasive and slow. In this witty and inspiring talk, TED Fellow Myshkin Ingawale describes how (after 32 tries) he and his team created a simple, portable, low-cost device that can test for anemia without breaking the skin.

Rob Reid: The $8 billion iPod

Comic author Rob Reid unveils Copyright Math (TM), a remarkable new field of study based on actual numbers from entertainment industry lawyers and lobbyists.

Vijay Kumar: Robots that fly ... and cooperate

In his lab at Penn, Vijay Kumar and his team build flying quadrotors, small, agile robots that swarm, sense each other, and form ad hoc teams -- for construction, surveying disasters and far more.

T. Boone Pickens: Let's transform energy -- with natural gas

The US consumes 25% of the world's oil -- but as energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens points out onstage, the country has no energy policy to prepare for the inevitable. Is alternative energy our bridge to an oil-free future? After losing $150 million investing in wind energy, Pickens suggests it isn't, not yet. What might get us there? Natural gas. After the talk, watch for a lively Q&A with TED Curator Chris Anderson.

Harmless Computer Practical Jokes (Updated)

I wrote the original blog post a few years back, and it turned out to be one of the most popular posts on this blog. I have updated and expanded the original text, you can read the updated version of the article here.