Category Archives: Technology

Green Design, Reviews, Sustainability, Technology, Videos

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- June 3, 2023

Video Leave a comment

World Economic Forum (June 3, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:


0:15 Spain just powered itself entirely from renewables – Mainland Spain’s electricity needs were met solely by wind, solar and hydropower between 10am and 7pm on Tuesday, 16 May. Impressively, this happened on a weekday when demand is highest. Last year, 42% of Spain’s electricity was generated renewably. This could rise above 50% this year, experts say

1:31 This school teaches students in the Metaverse – Donning VR headsets, pupils can visit the planets in our solar system, get up close and personal with a woolly mammoth or walk through the chambers of a human heart. They can practice their pronunciation in a simulated French restaurant or travel back in time to World War II. The cutting-edge lessons are on offer at Reddam House School in the UK.

3:06 New York City is sinking under the weight of its skyscrapers – Scientists calculated the mass of all the buildings in New York City. Including the Central Park Tower and the Empire State. In total, there are 1.1 million buildings, weighing a total of 762 million tonnes. The same as 64 million city buses. While most of the city is built on solid bedrock, softer parts of the earth are compressing under the enormous weight. Sending the Big Apple downwards at 1-2mm a year on average and up to 4mm a year in some areas.

4:28 Scientists have developed Eco-Friendly Ammonia – Used in many cleaning products and agricultural fertilizer. Their method uses water, nitrogen, a catalyst and a sprayer. If successfully scaled up, researchers say it could make a big dent in CO2 emissions, while helping to feed the world’s growing population sustainably.

_____________________________________________

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Design, Innovations, Previews, Reviews, Technology

Augmented Reality: Apple Unveils ‘Glass Air’ Glasses

Leave a comment
Concept Images by Kylin Wu

Yanko Design (June 2, 2023) – Augmented Reality has always been Tim Cook’s favorite buzzword, and he’s consistently pushed for Apple to have a presence in this space. It’s expected that all this will culminate in what analysts and leakers call “Reality”, Apple’s first XR headset. This cutting-edge device, expected to be unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, aims to pioneer the relatively uncharted realm of mixed-reality technology.

With a price tag of approximately $3,000, the ‘Reality’ headset has been seven years in the making, and has been apparently filled with controversy too, with a large chunk of Apple’s own employees expressing doubt and disdain. However, here’s everything we know about the Reality headset (or could it be a pair of glasses?) that’s set to launch this Monday.

The headset’s design journey has oscillated between being thick and obtrusive, like your average VR headset, to being as slim as a pair of spectacles, or realistically, a pair of chunky ski goggles. At its heart, however, lies the innovative xrOS, designed to provide an interface that echoes the familiar iOS experience. The new operating system (which is pretty much confirmed thanks to a trademark filed by Apple in New Zealand) is set to revolutionize how users interact with their devices, presenting a traditional Home Screen in an entirely new dimension filled with apps and customizable widgets.

One of the most exciting features of ‘Reality’ is its ability to merge digital elements with the real world. The xrOS software could potentially project AR app interface elements onto actual objects, creating a seamless mixed-reality overlay effect. This represents a significant leap forward in AR technology, blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. According to MacRumors, the ‘Reality’ device will achieve this using “dual high-resolution 4K micro OLED displays with up to 3,000 pixels per inch for a rich, realistic, and immersive viewing experience.” To operate the device, the user’s hands and eyes will be monitored by over a dozen optical cameras. The user can select an on-screen item by simply looking at it and activate it by making a hand gesture, such as a pinch.

READ MORE AT YANKO DESIGN

Analysis, Computer Science, Innovations, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Technology: What Is Generative AI Good For?

Video Leave a comment

The Economist (May 18, 2023) – Generative AI is the technology behind the wave of new online tools used by millions around the world. As the technology is ever more widely deployed, what are its current strengths and its weaknesses?

Video timeline: 00:00 – What is generative AI? 00:46 – Breakthroughs and take-up of the technology 02:03 – Strengths 03:32 – Weaknesses

Home Design, Homes, Innovations, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Innovation: Expandable ‘Sliding Home’ Prototype

Video Leave a comment

Kirsten Dirksen Films (May 28, 2023) – Caspar Schols built his first shapeshifting house in his mother’s backyard as her writing cabin that, by sliding a room-on-rails, could convert into a place to sleep under the stars.

He has since perfected his expandable home with 10 prototypes: his most recent model is robust enough to serve as a primary residence and has a bathtub and guest bed hidden in the floor. The house can be opened up – on sunny days, for nature-watching or just to sleep directly under the stars – with just a push.

The entire walls and ceiling of the house move, but anyone can propel this 3,000 kilograms (over 6000 pounds) room-on-rails because Schols created a system that is “super low friction”. To create a well-insulated home that has walls that move, Schols and his team designed the rails with wind labyrinths to trap the air and added brushes to any moving surface to prevent airflow.

READ MORE

Green Design, Reviews, Sustainability, Technology, Videos

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- May 27, 2023

Video Leave a comment

World Economic Forum (May 27, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:


0:15 Why we need to consider AI development – Berkeley professor Stuart Russell is one of the world’s leading experts on AI, and one of more than 1,000 experts who recently signed an open letter calling for a 6-month pause in the development of AI systems for safety reasons. “I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding about the letter. Some people say it bans AI research and so on but what it really is saying is: we have developed this technology that’s pretty powerful, but we haven’t developed the regulation to go along with it. At the moment, the technology is moving very fast. Governments tend to move very slowly. So we need a pause on the development and release of still more powerful models so that, in a sense, regulation can catch up.”

5:43 Germany’s first 3D printed house – It took just 100 hours to print the walls thanks to a nozzle that moves at 1 metre per second. The fireplace, kitchen island and bathtub were all printed too. The house contains 160m2 of living space over 2 floors. It was designed by architects Mense Korte. Its walls are comprised of an inner and outer shell with insulation filling the gap between them.

7:11 Ocean search for 100,000 species begins – They’re launching dozens of explorations deep into the ocean to build a huge catalogue of as-yet-unknown marine life. An estimated ​​2.2 million species live in the ocean but just 10% of them have been discovered and named by scientists. It’s a race against time to document endangered marine animals before overfishing and climate change drive them to extinction.

8:56 How kids learn through play – These 3 to 5-year-olds are taking part in a programme called Play Labs. They spend their day on puzzles. Games outside playing with others and learning about the world. The programme boosts kids’ physical, social, cognitive and language development and helps them close the education gap with their peers.

_____________________________________________

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Green Design, Reviews, Sustainability, Technology, Videos

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- May 20, 2023

Video Leave a comment

World Economic Forum (May 20, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:

0:15 Greece makes nearly 200 beaches wheelchair accessible – Seatrac bathing chairs glide into the sea. Wheelchair users reach the Seatrac by an accessible wooden path, transfer to a recliner, then ‘drive’ into the sea using a remote control. At the water’s edge, they can sit and cool off or go for a swim, heading back to the chair for a break. Seatrac chairs are solar-powered and Greek-designed. Enabling people with disabilities to enjoy the sea independently without negotiating the sand, which can be tricky for some.

1:39 This robot surfs over grain, protecting farmers – The robot crawls over grain heaps, while a smaller partner robot burrows in to check the grain is being stored efficiently. Farmers need to check the condition of stored grains such as wheat and barley regularly to protect them from mould and insects. Typically, a person walks on top of the grain bulk and samples it with spears but this method is arduous, time-consuming and dangerous as the grain can shift suddenly and trap them underneath. In 2019, 38 grain engulfments led to 23 deaths in the US alone. Some companies don’t monitor their grain at all because of the dangers involved. These robots are made by Edinburgh start-up Crover.

2:52 These simple measures could save 1 million babies a year – Globally, 1 in 4 babies are born either too soon or too small. Vulnerabilities like these are behind more than half of all newborn deaths and their foundations are laid during pregnancy. Doctors say 1 million neonatal deaths in the developing world could be avoided if we administer simple, low-cost measures during pregnancy. Such as progesterone, help to stop smoking and insecticide-treated mosquito nets. That’s according to a new study in The Lancet…

4:20 The link between green energy and forever chemicals – ‘Forever chemicals’ is a nickname given to some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Many PFAS are highly resistant to high temperatures, oil, water or corrosion. For this reason, they’re used in many products including some fundamental to the energy transition. From wind turbines to solar panels the batteries in electric vehicles and the semiconductor chips at the heart of energy technologies. They’re also used in thousands of everyday products, from non-stick pans to clothing and fire-repellent foam, but these chemicals pose risks to human health. PFAS have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease and low fertility among many other conditions.

_____________________________________________

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Museums, Science, Technology, Tours, Videos

Inside Tour: Gilder Center At The American Museum Of Natural History In NYC

Leave a comment

PBS NewsHour (May 15, 2023) -At a time when the public teaching of science is again being fought over, the largest museum of natural history in the U.S. just extended its reach. Jeffrey Brown got a look inside the American Museum of Natural History’s stunning new expansion in New York for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Analysis, Finance, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews, Technology

Special Report: ‘Digital Finance’ – The Economist

Leave a comment

Image

The Economist – Special Reports (May 20, 2023): The fight over payments systems is hotting up around the world. There may be surprising winners, says Arjun Ramani.

As payments systems go digital, they are changing global finance

The fight over payments systems is hotting up around the world. There may be surprising winners, says Arjun Ramani

Payment is one of the most fundamental economic activities. To buy anything, you need something the seller wants. One option is barter, but that is beset by friction (what are the chances of having something your counterparty wants at any exact moment?). Early forms of money, from cowrie shells to beads to metal coins, offered a solution: they were always in demand to settle transactions.

Analysis, Government, Reviews, Technology, Transportation, Videos

Public Transit: NYC’s $16 Billion Subway Line Costs

Video Leave a comment

CNBC (May 13, 2023) – Public transit can be extremely valuable for a city’s economy – in New York City 85% of the people who travel into the business district below 61st Street take some form of public transportation.

Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 01:39 — Second Avenue Subway 06:45 — A national problem 08:37 — Subway costs 15:31 — Solutions

In several major cities – New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco – the subway and other rapid rail systems are key contributors to the prosperity of the city. In NYC for example, more than $37 billion of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $54 billion budget goes to subways. But building subways in the U.S. is very expensive.

In fact, it’s the sixth most expensive country to build rail transit in the world. And even that is likely an understatement. High labor costs, overbuilt tracks and stations, and onerous regulations all jack up costs. NYC’s sheer population density makes it rather worth it – so many people ride the subway that the cost per rider is comparable to many European cities where total expenditures are substantially lower.

However, the high costs hurt the case for public transit in less dense areas of the country. Lowering those costs could go a long way toward building affordable and accessible public transit for smaller cities around the country and reducing traffic congestion, pollution and traffic accidents.

Green Design, Reviews, Sustainability, Technology, Videos

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- May 13, 2023

Video Leave a comment

World Economic Forum (May 13, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:

0:15 This volcanic bacteria eats CO2 – Scientists say they turn CO2 into biomass ‘astonishingly quickly’ and one day could help remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The microbes were discovered off the coast of the Italian island of Vulcano where the ocean is rich in CO2. They bubble up from volcanic vents on the seafloor. The microbes were discovered by scientists from the Two Frontiers Project who found that the bugs sink in water which could help to sequester the CO2 they absorb.

1:35 This Japanese soccer league is over 80s only – It kicked off in April with 3 teams going head-to-head boasting an average age of 83.5. Among the players is ex-national team forward Mutsuhiko Nomura. His career has spanned 70 years and 18 World Cups. Now, aged 83, he patrols the midfield for Red Star. But the league’s veteran is Shingo Shiozawa. The former racing car designer plays in net for the White Bears at the tender age of 93.

3:19 Why we need economic growth – Economic growth may not be the only measure of success but in many countries, it saves lives. But economic growth need no longer happen at the expense of the planet.

6:38 Women need investment, not just empowerment – Non-profit Grameen Foundation is helping millions of people lift themselves out of poverty by teaching women how to manage money, access loans and manage their businesses. Most importantly, Bai says, women need to have the knowledge to ask the right questions.

_____________________________________________

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.