De Beers Group, the world’s largest diamond company has set up investment offices in Silicon Valley to find and fund startups that use synthetic diamonds in their business.

The investment group, Element Six Ventures Group, has already funded a number of startups that use synthetic diamonds in the semiconductor industry and other manufacturing processes. Its new office will be in a Santa Clara, Calif. location that will also house an Element Six production site. via Venture Beat

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Before the ticker tape parades and the inevitable world tour, the triumphant Apollo 11 astronauts were greeted with a more mundane aspect of life on Earth when they splashed down 40 years ago today – going through customs. via Space.com

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A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an … Read More → "U.S. military’s unmanned drones hit by a virus"

Thanks to smartphones and wireless networking and SMS and Twitter, we are all swimming in an ocean of real-time information — an ocean that can often seem overwhelming. Are new technologies going to help, or are they going to increase the problem? A presentation at the recent Society for News Design conference included a video called “The Storm Collection,” whose creators imagined a near future in which real-time updates about a news event would be shown in virtual heads-up displays on picture frames, car windshields and even eyeglasses. But would this kind … Read More → "Is more real-time information a dream or a nightmare?"

In honor of Ada Lovelace Day, Sarah Zielinski at Smithsonian.com has a list for you. Check it out. 

From the Finding Ada website:

Who is Ada Lovelace?

Ada Lovelace is widely held to have been the first computer programmer. Close friends with inventor Charle Babbage, Lovelace was intrigued by his Analytical Engine and in 1842, she translated a description of it by italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea. Babbage asked her to expand the article, “as she understood [it] so well”, and this was when she wrote several early ‘computer programs’. 

Ada Lovelace Day aims to raise the profile … Read More → "Happy Ada Lovelace day!"

The Rumble Challenge is lock picking game where six people compete head to head for the best time. Whenever a competitor masters his lock, the competition is paused so that each player has a chance to take a shot from their air-powered shot dispensing machine. Once everyone has imbibed, the next round starts with the competitors picking up where they left off, in an effort to be the next to successfully open his lock. via HackADay

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Cute!

via LikeCool

Today’s BIG winners have one thing in common: an information-centric approach to creating customer value. Google did it with AdWords. Apple did it with iTunes. Walmart did it with logistics. You can do it too.

On Oct. 27 in New York City, The Advertising Research Foundation is hosting a one-day master class in deriving insights, bringing in speakers from NASA, the United Nations and several Fortune 500 companies to discuss and debate the creative use of information for business breakthrough. These world-class minds will tell us how they think and how you can address your … Read More → "Unraveling complexity: a master class in creating insights"

This little spy tank is app-controlled from your iPod, iPhone, or iPad tablet. It generates its own Wi-Fi connection and has a range of 200 feet.

Whether following friends and family, navigating the office or investigating the activities of your dog, it’s all possible with this audio/visual-enabled and photo-taking Rover. Its built-in microphone transmits sound back to your … Read More → "Rover app-controlled spy tank"