We humans tend to think that anything currently fashionable or trendy never existed before, but usually that’s not the case. Take the somewhat controversial idea of swapping. The concept has been around since the Gilded Age, but never really caught on because of a lack of interest. No, not that kind of swapping. We’re talking […]
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have created the most efficient solar cell recorded yet – a 39.5% efficiency under normal sunlight illumination – which is 0.3% higher than the record they set in 2020. These small incremental gains show how difficult it is to increase efficiency, but it […]
Crab legs go quick at all-you-can-eat Vegas buffets because of demand – customers like eating expensive food at a lower cost. They also go quickly because of supply – the buffet operator doesn’t like giving away a food product they’re losing money on. It’s the same reason Indian restaurants get pissed off when you order […]
We learned everything we know about fashion from watching the movie Zoolander. In other words, we don’t know much about the world of runway models and runaway fashion trends. It’s a joke we’ve made before when researching startups using artificial intelligence for selecting and designing fashion apparel. This fashionable use of AI got a ton […]
Whenever the Israel topic comes up, we try to tread lightly. As famed American philosopher Louis C.K. once said, “Jew” is the only word that can be derogatory or descriptive, just based on tonal inflections. Most people’s knowledge of Jews probably extends to the funny-looking people seen walking around New York airports. Those are Hasidic […]
You’re either on the bus or off the bus. That’s a quote from Ken Kesey, the leader of the Merry Pranksters, a group of early hippies and hipsters who traveled on a bus called Further in 1964 and introduced LSD to the party scene. Kesey’s comment was both an inside joke – often one of […]
Few things seem to get our readers more charged up than articles about battery technology. (Thankfully, they also generously forgive the occasional bad pun.) Did you know that the first battery potentially dates back to 200 BC in Mesopotamia? The so-called Baghdad battery used a clay pot, an iron bar, copper plating, and a solution […]
A surprisingly large number of retail investors ask Google which stock is the best to own. The response is about as predictable as asking the barber if you need a haircut. Any number of pundits out there will tell you which stocks they think you ought to buy. What most lack is a methodology to […]
The old saying about necessity being the mother of invention is particularly true in countries where resources are scarce. If you want to board a bus in Havana, Cuba, you’ll see a group of people milling about at the bus stop. Just walk up to them and say “el ultimo” loudly. Someone will raise their […]
Tech investors who are tenured enough to recall the dot-bomb days may also remember the hype surrounding a personal transportation device that was said to disrupt walking. Investors lined up to throw money at the vehicle hailed as being “maybe bigger than the Internet” by notable venture capitalist John Doerr. “As big a deal as […]