The red squares represent the area that would be enough for solar power plants to produce a quantity of electricity consumed by the world today, in Europe (EU-25) and Germany (De). (Data provided by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), 2005)

Theoretical space needed for solar power plants to generate sufficient electric power in order to meet the electricity demand of the World, Europe (EU-25) and Germany (De) respectively. (Data by … Read More → "The total area of solar panels it would take to power the world, Europe, and Germany"

Coffee retailer Starbucks has announced the beginning of a national rollout of Duracell Powermatwireless charging in stores beginning with those in the San Francisco area. The “Powermat Spots” will allow compatible devices to charge wirelessly in designated areas of tables and counters. Starbucks’ press release on the rollout indicates that the company will begin expanding wireless charging to “major markets” sometime in 2015.< … Read More → "Starbucks announces the beginning of national rollout of Duracell Powermat wireless charging in stores"

The conclusions drawn by researchers in a study conducted at the University of Utah include that male human cranial structure, particularly that of the jaw, has evolved to minimize damage during physical altercations. 

In a series of experiments, van Tilburg and his colleague, Eric R. Igou, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Limerick, Ireland, asked people to evaluate written passages by authors with or without middle initials. In one experiment, 85 university students read the exact same paragraph about general relativity. The only difference was that the paragraph had different author names on it—either an author without a middle initial or an author with one, two, or three middle initials.

The students thought the excerpt written by an author with middle initials was better … Read More → "Middle initials make you seem smarter"

In a move calculated to boost the electric vehicle industry, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced the company would make all of its patented technology available for use by competitors. A blog post on Tesla Motors web site offers Musk’s reasons for the move.

Earlier this week, Musk made comments foreshadowing today’s announcement.

In a press … Read More → "Tesla Motors offers all its patents for good faith use"

Usually, you want to match up with someone at about your level, or a little higher. The trouble is that many people overestimate their own level. Maybe that’s especially true of men.

One summer many years ago at the tennis courts, a guy I didn’t know came over and asked me if I’d like to play. … Read More → "Louis C.K. on assortative mating: why do men overestimate their own level of attractiveness?"

In the New York offices of Ben Wizner, the American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represents Edward Snowden, sits a telepresence robot constantly representing the exiled whistleblower. As the German newspaper Tagespiegel reported Wednesday, the robot is “a screen on stilts, with electrical rollers for legs,” and Snowden has the ability to control the robot from Moscow.</ … Read More → "Snowdenbot now lives in his ACLU lawyer’s office"

This chart from a 1949 issue of LIFE will help you determine if you are high-brow, upper middle-brow, lower middle-brow, or low-brow.
via Boing Boing

Read More → "1949 chart shows difference between high- and low-brow taste"

One thing that allows human beings to live together is their ability to read one another’s emotions before the frying pans start to fly. If personal robots are to join the household, they’ll have to learn how to deal with emotions as well. Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot designed to do just that, with the ability to gauge human emotions and alter its behavior accordingly as a way to better fit … Read More → "Emotion-reading Pepper personal robot set for 2015 release"

Forget the “walk-and-turn” field sobriety test; researchers have developed a laser that can detect drunk drivers remotely. A team at Warsaw’s Military University of Technology shined a laser beam through a moving vehicle, along with a reflective mirror that bounced back to a detector, to pick up alcohol vapors. With a system to simulate a drunk driver’s breath, the researchers were able to detect blood alcohol concentrations higher than 0.1 … Read More → "Lasers could be the future of drunk-driving detection"