2014-06-06

Pathing.

• Americans are less afraid of hurricanes with feminine names - causing increased fatalities.
• Leonardo Da Vinci's resume.
• The lowdown on Makerbot's new (and disputed) extruder patent.
• Soon, anyone can apply for Estonian e-residency - whether they've set foot there or not.
• Autodesk is integrating CAM into their Fusion 360 suite.
• You can now pay Kottke.org to promote your Kickstarter campaign. Meanwhile, Kickstarter is simplifying their rules - and allowing you to launch projects without human review.
• A Hong Kong VC fund added an algorithm to their board of directors. Good stunt.

Manufacturing.

• The former CEO of Atari is starting a 3D printing vending machine company.
• A new way to make grapene directly on a non-metal substrate.
• GE is using a process (dubbed "3D inking") to embed sensors in inaccessible locations on jet engines.
• A really cool method of printing carbon nanotubes directly into FDM printers.
• Neatsfoot oil is extracted from the shins and feet - but not the hooves - of cattle.
• Robotic arms.
• A new haptic feedback device can simulate what breasts feel like (for mammographies).
• A giant underground ice wall is being constructed at Fukushima Daiichi.
• MIT researchers are trying to replace AC with a device you wear on your wrist.
• A wearable to test electrolyte levels and a way to test blood sugar through saliva.
• A team is building a solar powered airplane - with a 72 meter wingspan - to fly around the world.

Logistics.

• That scrappy bunch of hackers is successfully communicating with the ISEE-3 Probe - which NASA hasn't been in touch with since 1999.
• Traffic cops in Kenya are taking bribes by M-pesa.
• Some interesting details on how Google's self-driving cars work.
• Cleanup crews at Fukushima are storing 250,000 tons of radioactive soil in big, blue, plastic bags (paywall - cached link).
• iOS 8 will support location-based app suggestions right in the lock screen.
• There are backhoes buried all over the backyards of fancy London neighborhoods.

Reflecting.

• A dissection on how Alibaba monetizes (low margins, but *tons* of revenue).
• The frequency of different opening moves in chess has changed drastically over the years.
• The origins of Venmo.
• A history of the definition of "traffic" (cars vs. bikes & pedestrians).
• Benedict Evans on WWDC and the Google/Apple competitive ecosystem.
• A history of the Hunt's Point Terminal Market, which handles roughly 60% of New York City's food.

Stuff that doesn't fit into my dumb/arbitrary categories.

• In 1897, an amateur mathematician tried to establish a mathematical proof by introducing a bill to the Indiana General Assembly. Unfortunately, an implication of his proof was that pi = 3.2 :/
• Some 17th-century drawings of what the world would (presumably) look like with no oceans.
• A Google Loon balloon crashed in Washington State.

And.

In the '20s, planes carrying transcontinental mail used huge concrete arrows to navigate.