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31 May 2011 14:30

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Tech: Expectations for jetpacks soar to new heights

  • Jetpacks won’t be a thing of the future for much longer. Some people at the Martin Aircraft Company have been working on a jetpack that could be yours for the low, low price of $100,000. In this video, they’re working out a very important problem in the design – what happens if the engine fails 5,000 feet above the ground? Now there’s a parachute that can save you. From the looks of things, we’ll be living like the Jetsons in no time at all and traffic jams will be a thing of the past. Or you’ll run into your neighbor a lot more — and it might hurt a lot. One of the two. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 13:55

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Tech: Yeah, that’s scary: WHO calls cell phones “carcinogenic hazard”

  • The World Health Organization has a new study out that says cell phones are possibly carcinogenic to humans — they’re in the same class as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. They based their findings on a number of peer-reviewed studies on cell-phone safety. Long-term effects from cell phone radiation remain unknown, but research suggests that cell phone radiation is non-ionizing — similar to a very low-powered microwave. “What microwave radiation does in most simplistic terms is similar to what happens to food in microwaves, essentially cooking the brain,” notes Dr. Keith Black, who leads the neurology department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He notes that beyond brain cancer, this could also cause memory problems because we hold cell phones close to the memory temporal lobes. Looks like it’s time to break out the earbuds. (photo via ElvertBarnes‘ Flickr page) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 May 2011 12:32

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U.S.: Two ways Obama’s health care plan is actually working

  • Who’s getting insured? A greater number of people under 26 now get to stay on their parents’ insurance. It helps because they’re paying for it — meaning that they’re helping lower costs for the elderly. When they get older, they’ll be helped by younger generations in the same way.
  • Who’s insuring people? As small businesses are getting incentives for providing health care, insurance-providing businesses with fewer than 10 employees have grown by 46%. That’s huge; it helps people who need health care most. And the IRS has approved more incentives, too. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 May 2011 15:19

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World: In Soviet Russia, CNN competes with … uh, itself. Kinda.

  • A Russian fan went above and beyond, it seems. It seems like someone has taken the liberty to set up a CNN site for Russia — but the site is not officially associated with CNN in any way. In fact, the stories are just run through an online translator, so they often translate horribly. One story referenced the head of the IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the head of a penis, not an organization. No one knows who’s running this thing, but a note on the website says that it only republishes parts of stories from CNN.com and links back to them. To do this, the site uses Joomla, a CMS system like similar to WordPress. A spokeswoman from CNN said that they’re “evaluating the next steps.” Hopefully they can get to the, er…head of the problem. (thanks to Mediaite for pointing us in the right direction with this one) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 May 2011 14:10

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Biz, U.S.: Bubble watch: Is the student loan market about to crash?

  • $24k average amount of debt a graduating college student has
  • $800B amount in outstanding student debt — with 30% of it securitized
  • 40% number of student loans that are in default after 15 years; not good source
  • » This is huge. To put it in perspective: Student loans are the nation’s largest source of debt – even more than credit cards. Tuition has risen faster than inflation, and lenders are quick to help students. That’s because until 2009 the government had a program in place that purchased loans that weren’t paid back. That sounds a lot like the housing market, right? Couple all of that with the fact that college graduates are having harder times finding jobs, and you don’t get a very good picture over the long-term.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 May 2011 13:12

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Culture: Good read of the day: NY Times’ ‘Coming Out’ interactive feature

  • Spend a few hours with this package, guys. The Times wrote three stories for the piece, but the readers submitted 32 of their own equally moving stories. It makes for a very powerful package — in a time where not every corner of society accepts homosexuality, the Times has stepped up to tell some of the stories that need to be told the most — from that of a young Christian girl, to another about a high school ROTC student. It’s a moving read that sends a positive message, too, one we’re all familiar with: It gets better. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 May 2011 15:36

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Culture: Latest “Pirates of the Carribean”: Big in the U.S., bigger worldwide

  • $90 million opening for Johnny Depp’s latest meal ticket
  • $46M the amount the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” made in its opening weekend
  • $135M the amount “Dead Man’s Chest” opened at — the most successful of the franchise
  • $114M the amount “At World’s’ End” opened at; it had a bigger foreign gross than the first two source
  • » Look beyond the U.S.: While it wasn’t a super-impressive opening weekend compared to other “Pirates of the Carrribean” movies, worldwide it’s a juggernaut — earning over $256 million this weekend alone, which is the largest foreign weekend ever. Also of note: It’s still the largest domestic opening weekend of the year so far, which we credit to Michael Bolton being a major cinephile.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

20 May 2011 16:37

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U.S.: DIY levees save houses from the rising Mississippi

  • Some houses in flooded areas near the Mississippi — like the one above — were saved by makeshift levees. The Daily Mail has a gallery showing a bunch of these (for back of better term) flood hackers. Not everyone was this lucky, though — some of the dirt dams failed.These particular photos are from the Yazoo River, a tributary to the Mississippi. (photo via Getty Images) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 May 2011 16:28

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Offbeat: Today in things you should be more careful about

  • Here’s an idea: Don’t pocket dial 911 when you’re in the middle of a drug deal. That’s what a man in Gainesville, Georgia did. He was working the late shift at a Waffle House and made a drug deal on the clock — which ended up being overheard by the 911 operator. An officer was dispatched, found the phone in the guy’s pocket, and realized he pocket dialed 911. Know what else the officer found in the guy’s pocket? Prescription pills. Yeah, he got charged with drug possession. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 May 2011 13:50

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U.S.: Pawlenty set to announce 2012 presidential bid

  • Tim “Michael Bay” Pawlenty reportedly plans to announce his presidential bid Monday. We hope he wins the nomination, because it would be an epic election season with T-Paw’s overproduced ads like this. It seems like he’s taking his own advice, and getting off the sideline. He’s going to need a lot of money to keep making ads like that, though — we can’t wait to see his 2012 election trailer that will undoubtedly go with the announcement. Robots? Explosions? Dramatic music? T-Paw has it in spades. In fact, we’d argue he’s a Republobot. (pic via Gage Skidmore‘s Flickr page) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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