Software: Best Deal on Microsoft Office for the Home

If you have ever used  Microsoft Office, then you might agree its one of the best commercial Office software suites available.  I want to point out I make a distinction when I say "best commercial Office suite", if you're looking for a free office suite check out LibreOffice.  I will note LibreOffice formerly part of OpenOffice, but it's a long story, but these are now two separate projects.

Although to come back to the original topic, the problem with Microsoft Office was that it felt too expensive for the home.  For example, the current version of Microsoft Office Professional lists for $399 (MSRP) per copy.  Although, if you purchase an Office365 subscription, you can get it for 5 PCs (or Macs) in your house for $99 a year, plus any updates.  There is also some additional extras (like extra SkyDrive storage and Skype minutes every month), but check out the offer for more details.

Unbelievable Facts That Are Actually True

Source: Quora

Not sure if all of the video true, but it's interesting to watch and wonder.

Video: The Social Revolution - (From: Remember Me Video Game)

Video: The Quarter Life Crisis

I remember being in my mid-20s when this happen to me.  Video description: "A video about growing up, being an adult, the anxiety that comes with adulthood, and defining your own life. This is a love letter to anyone in their 20's."

Video: The NEW Periodic Table Song

Tom Lehrer sang the original "Element Song" in 1959, which was about all the elements in the Periodic Table at the time.  Since then new elements have been added, so the educators at ASAP SCIENCE updated the song.  The new song covers all the elements in their correct order.

Video: Google Glass 2.0: What If We Had Glass?

Video description: "Now that we all have seen Google Glass we tried to think beyond version one. We wanted to visualize how heads up displays can affect our interactions with information, each other and the world.  For more information check out: www.playgroundinc.com/blog/the-future-of­-google-glass"

Video:3D Scanning at the Smithsonian

I am really impressed with modern 3D scanning, it has the potential to allow general viewing and the ability to study different objects and artifacts in ways that would normally be impossible or limited only to an elite few.

Video description: "What can you do to bring some of the Smithsonian's 137 million objects to life? Put them in 3D!

This is a full-time job for two of the Smithsonian's very own "laser cowboys," Vince Rossi and Adam Metallo, who work in the Smithsonian's 3D Digitization Program Office. They work hard to document, in very high three-dimensional detail, many of our priceless and important collections so that the objects are available for research, education and general interest.


Smithsonian 3D Digitization on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/3d.si.edu

Gunboat Philadelphia:
http://s.si.edu/kYedb

Cornell Imaging:
http://ct.biotech.cornell.edu

Smithsonian Gardens' orchid collections:
http://s.si.edu/kYhim

Euglossa ignita bee:
http://s.si.edu/kYigP"

Video: SNL reviews Google Glass (Comedy)

Video description: "Seth welcomes tech blogger Randall Meeks, who has high praise for the Google Glass."

Video: Michio Kaku: The Universe in a Nutshell

Video Description: "The Universe in a Nutshell: The Physics of Everything Michio Kaku, Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at CUNY

What if we could find one single equation that explains every force in the universe? Dr. Michio Kaku explores how physicists may shrink the science of the Big Bang into an equation as small as Einstein's "e=mc^2." Thanks to advances in string theory, physics may allow us to escape the heat death of the universe, explore the multiverse, and unlock the secrets of existence. While firing up our imaginations about the future, Kaku also presents a succinct history of physics and makes a compelling case for why physics is the key to pretty much everything."

Article: The Robots Are Coming, and They're Taking Jobs

Below is an excerpt from an article about how advancements in robotics (or any other new technology) slowly replace existing jobs and how to stay relevant: "It seems like every time a new technology gets created, it threatens the livelihood of individuals that derive their income from that industry. Progress destroys some jobs (generally low skilled), but at the same time it always seems to create new jobs (generally higher skilled).

Consider when the first cars came on the road, it literally killed a whole industry that was created around horses and related types of vehicles and the infrastructure needed to maintain it. For example, horse related jobs like: breeders, ranchers, stables, etc. became obsolete (or needed less) over time, but it also created thousands of new jobs that required newer skill sets, to support the car industry." (read the rest of the article)

Technology Evolution (videos)

I came across the top video a little while ago, then when I came across the second one it made me think of the first.  I find it interesting that technology used to propel a tractor in snow 87 years ago found its way to  being incorporated in to a snowboard.  I wonder if the creator(s) of the second device were influence by the first.

1926 Armstead Snow Motor Vehicle

Video Description: "This screw-propelled vehicle was designed to cope with difficult snow and ice terrain. Instead of tracks, the vehicle is moved by the rotation of two horisontal cylinders fitted with a helical flange that engages with the snow surface. The Armstead Snow Motor was developed in the early 1920's. Leading Detroit automobile makers had organized a company entitled "Snow Motors Inc" to put out a machine that would negotiate the deepest snowdrifts at six to eight miles an hour. The vehicle consisted of a tractor power-plant mounted on two revolving cylinders instead of wheels."

(2013) Propul~surf 


Video Description: "Propul~surf is an alternative to ski tows and snowmobiles. It is a portable device: once packed in a bag, the snowboarder (or skier) can freely go down trails.This propulsion system is based on Archimedes' screw: this is efficient and soft for the environment."

Video: The Future of Wearable Technology (PBS)

Video Description: "As computing moves from our desktops to our phones, we look into the future to see how technology will become increasingly ingrained in our movements and our active lives. From the Nike Fuelband to Google Glass, consumers are already seeing hints of the future of wearable devices. They have the possibility to make us more knowledgeable about ourselves and our surroundings, and connect us with each other in an uninterrupted, more intimate way. From DIY wearables to high-tech sensors and smart fabrics, the years ahead will show how integrated technology can impact our lives for the better."

Video: Supervillains Trying to Find Love Through Speed Dating

When Everyday Technology Becomes Art

I find it interesting when technology we use everyday is considered beautiful enough to be considered art. All of this technology is from the past, and the majority of the collection is from Apple.

There are literally thousands of different pieces in Museum of Modern Art's (MOMA) complete collection.
Below is a brief list of computers and other electronics that can be found in it:

• ThinkPad 701c laptop
• This laptop is unique because of its foldable keyboard.
• Apple iMac computer
• This computer is unique because of its brightly colored translucent case.  The popularity of this model of Macintosh literally saved apple from bankruptcy.
• Apple Macintosh 128K computer
• This was the first model of the Macintosh computer line, it also popularized the Graphical User Interface (aka GUI). The popularity of this model of Macintosh literally saved apple from bankruptcy.
• Apple G4 Cube computer
• One of Apple's more unique designs for the Macintosh line of computers.
• Grid Gridpad tablet (model 1900)
• Before the iPad or any other tablet there was the Gridpad.
• Grid Compass (model 1100) laptop
• One of the first portable computers that utilized the clam-shell design (e.g. the display folding over the keyboard) that is still used by most modern laptops.
• XO Laptop from the One Laptop per Child (OLPC)
• An early attempt to create a low-cost computer that could be used by every child in the world.
• Apple iPod media player
• This was the first model of Apple's iPod digital music player line.  This device also popularized the MP3 music player.
• Apple QuickTake digital camera
• An early digital camera from Apple.
• Braun T3 pocket radio
• Dieter Rams designed this pocket transistor radio.  It's believed that Jonathan Ive's original iPod design was influenced by this device.
• Sony Aibo robotic dog (ERS-110)
• An early attempt by Sony to create a domestic "Entertainment Robot".

Video: PBS - Watch Making Stuff: Stronger (NOVA)

I have a fascination with material science and how its progressing.  Our society's success and failure to generate new materials (e.g. carbon nanotubes, graphene, etc.) will determine our ability to create the next generation of structures, spacecraft, electronics, etc.  

The following video PBS's NOVA, and called Making Stuff: Stronger.  Here the program description from the site: "What is the strongest material in the world? Is it steel, Kevlar, carbon nanotubes, or something entirely new? NOVA kicks off the four-part series "Making Stuff" with a quest for the world's strongest substances. Host David Pogue takes a look at what defines strength, examining everything from steel cables to mollusk shells to a toucan's beak. Pogue travels from the deck of a U.S. naval aircraft carrier to a demolition derby to the country's top research labs to check in with experts who are re-engineering what nature has given us to create the next generation of strong stuff."

Cold fusion research continues in 2013 as further experiments are planned (Wired UK)

Wired Magazine UK has posted an article on the current state of Cold Fusion (some call it LENR, then others know it as E-CAT).  Whatever you want to call it, here is an excerpt from a article: "There has been steady progress in the world of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR), better known as Cold Fusion, in the last few months. The main commercial players have been quiet -- although April is likely to be make-or-break for "Energy Catalyser" (E-Cat) inventor Andrea Rossi -- but the open-source Martin Fleishmann Memorial Project (MFMP) has made some big steps towards its goal of proving the reality of LENR to a skeptical world." (read the rest of the article)

If you want more information, I have posted an article with videos and links to other sources such as: 60 Minutes and NASA on the subject.  I won't say I am a supporter of the technology, I will say that I see a lot of promising information coming from sources other then from "independent scientist" I have never heard of.

Video: Future Cyber-Therapist

Video description: "The USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) is a leader in basic research and advanced technology development of virtual humans who think and behave like real people. ICT brings together experts in clinical psychology, cognitive science, computer vision, speech processing and artificial intelligence. This video shows two interactive technologies recently developed for multimodal perception and healthcare support" (read the entire description)

TED Video: Elon Musk: The mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity

Video Description: "Entrepreneur Elon Musk is a man with many plans. The founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX sits down with TED curator Chris Anderson to share details about his visionary projects, which include a mass-marketed electric car, a solar energy leasing company and a fully reusable rocket."

Video: The Worlds of Viral Video (Why Videos Go Viral)

Video description: "Viral Video" is the signature phenomenon of internet media. Something akin to pop songs, these videos with irresistible hooks have saturated video culture online and have now evolved into a multitude of sophisticated forms. Whether rooted in comedy, spectacle, schadenfreude, cuteness, politics, performance, or deep meaning, the idea of viral videos, and the huge audiences they generate, have forever changed the values and potential impact of video online."

Did we go from the being the MTV generation to the YouTube generation?

Video: Stewart Brand: The dawn of de-extinction.

Video description: "Throughout humankind's history, we've driven species after species extinct: the passenger pigeon, the Eastern mountain lion, the dodo .... But now, says Stewart Brand, we have the technology (and the biology) to bring back species that humanity wiped out. So -- should we? Which ones? He asks a big question whose answer is closer than you may think."