“It appears that snobbiness might actually be a qualification worth considering for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci,” says Sauder Marketing Professor Darren Dahl. “Our research indicates they can end up having a similar effect to an ‘in-group’ in high school that others aspire to join.”

For the study, participants imagined or had interactions with sales representatives – rude or not. They then rated their feelings about associated brands and their desire … Read More → "Study: Rude salespeople make you want to buy fancy things"

Wearable tech has always been predicated on the fact that little bits of wire, glass and electronics have somehow been made comfortable enough to put on our bodies. But solar technology, despite whatever aesthetic and gadget-charging potential it may have, just hasn’t been that wearable.

Until now. Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen recently released an experimental line of clothes that harnesses the power of the sun to charge small gadgets like your phone. Enabling … Read More → "Charge your phone in style with this solar-powered dress"

In what could mark a significant breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease, researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have successfully repaired damaged tissue in monkey hearts using cells created from human embryonic stem cells. The findings demonstrate an ability to produce these cells on an unprecedented scale and hold great potential for restoring functionally of damaged human hearts.
via Read More → "Human stem cells used to repair damaged monkey hearts"

Lix is an incredibly small 3D-printing pen from co-founders Ismail Baran, Anton Suvorov, and Delphine Eloïse Wood that can doodle in the air to create designs out of plastic that’s typically featured in regular 3D printers. The aluminum pen is powered via a USB 3.0 port and uses ABS/PLA filaments that are heated thanks to a hot-end nozzle and then cooled to produce 3D structures. Lix is currently raising … Read More → "Lix, an incredibly small 3D-printing pen that can doodle in the air"

Sweden’s Green City Ferries is preparing to launch what it claims is the world’s first “supercharged” electric passenger ferry. Carrying 100 passengers between Solna Strand and Gamla Stan, the Movitz will need just 10 minutes to charge its batteries between 1-hour long service runs. That’s perfect for a ferry operation, because it means it’ll be charged by the time passengers have embarked and disembarked. With extremely low maintenance … Read More → "Sweden launches world’s first quick-charging electric passenger ferry"

You’re standing on a footbridge overlooking a train track. A train is coming down that track. It is about to hit and kill five people.

A very heavy man is also on the bridge. If you push him off the bridge, his body will stop the train, but it will also kill him.

Would you push him?

How you answer this ethical dilemma may be affected by the … Read More → "Using a foreign language affects your ethical reasoning"

The Paperclip Armrest is a design concept by Hong Kong-based Paperclip Design Limited that solves the problems inherent in the typical shared armrest concept so often employed in high-density seating like airplanes by providing an elevated spot for a second forearm to rest. The concept has won a number of design awards, including the Crystal Cabin Award.
via Laughing Squid</ … Read More → "Paperclip Armrest, an award-winning design concept that allows two people to share the same airplane armrest"

Here’s a nifty new feature that came with the Google Now update released Wednesday: your phone can now remember where you parked your car.

via GigaOM

Continue reading

Astronauts may soon look as sleek and cool as they do in sci-fi movies.

NASA unveiled the winning design for the outer shell of its new Z-2 spacesuit today. The space agency invited people to choose from three different versions of the suit, which uses light-emitting patches and luminescent wires — a first for NASA spacesuits. This makes it easy … Read More → "NASA’s new prototype spacesuit design is pure sci-fi awesomeness"

It’s inevitable. You finally find that perfect pair of sunglasses that don’t make you look like a dingus, convince yourself to lay out an absurd amount of money to buy them… And then you leave them in a public bathroom, never to be seen again. The folks at Tzukuri want to end that, with iBeacon-powered shades that send … Read More → "Finally, sunglasses that ping your phone when you leave them behind"