Technology

Text-Mining Algorithm Improves Evaluation Of Scientific Literature

With 25,000 journals in existence today, thanks in large part to the open access movement which charges a fee to print a study, keeping up with current scientific literature is a daunting task. Hundreds to thousands of papers are published each day. Resea ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 18 2013 - 11:17am

USB Dead Drop File Sharing

When we say "off the grid," we often mean off the power grid. ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Oct 10 2013 - 12:03am

The PR Problem Of Instagram: Being More Than Pictures Of Bridesmaid Dresses

Instagram, a popular photo-sharing application, is used by millions of people to show photos of their wedding cakes and pictures of themselves they took in the mirror with their cell phones.  Or maybe it has a much deeper level, if you look hard enough. A ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Apr 23 2013 - 11:48am

DIY Spirit Lamp

Second-hand stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local mom&pop shops are treasure troves of things to hack or repurpose. When you hack something you’re probably using it in a way in which it was never intended to be used so, there is always a risk ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Dec 2 2014 - 7:23am

A reply to Patrick Lockerby's "AC, DC: What's The Difference?"

The following is a reply to Patrick Lockerby's "AC, DC: What's The Difference?" Direct current (DC) In a DC (direct current) circuit where the electricity flows in one direction, we can think of a battery as a storage tank like the wate ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Apr 30 2013 - 9:21am

A Science 2.0 Effort For Dark Data: Elsevier And Columbia University Team Up

Elsevier and the Integrated Earth Data Applications facility at Columbia University have announced a competition to improve preservation of and access to research data in the earth sciences.  Members of the international geosciences community who have wor ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 29 2013 - 11:52am

In Your Dotage, Do You Want A Human Or Robot Helping You?

Some people are worried that unthinking, uncaring robots will be part of our future.  They are concerned about a Cylon uprising or maybe a Terminator, but that is unlikely to happen any time soon; there hasn't been a true advancement in artificial in ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jul 24 2013 - 7:17pm

Smart Objects: Do You Want A Talking Kleenex Box?

Are 'smart' objects the future? People certainly like so-called smart phones, and almost every home in America has a computer, and making everything 'smart' might be a future trend, say humanities scholars at Penn State University.  As ...

Article - News Staff - May 1 2013 - 12:06pm

Manure Pits Sound Funny- Until You Die From Hydrogen Sulfide Gas

The downside to concerns about manure contaminating ground water is that, as manure pit storage to protect water has increased, so have fatalities due to toxic gas buildup. Researchers estimate that about 10 people die each year in North American animal-ma ...

Article - News Staff - May 1 2013 - 5:29pm

DIY USB Magnifying Lamp

In a previous article, I demonstrate how to build an alcohol burner for a home chemistry set. In my article, I mention that "second-hand stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local mom&pop shops are treasure troves of things to hack or repurpo ...

Article - Steve Schuler - May 11 2013 - 12:04pm