The best way to learn about Passbook is to see it in action, the video below auto-starts at 1:32:55 (except on mobile devices): In my personal quest to shrink my wallet, maybe even get rid of it, I love this feature. No more loyalty cards and gift cards, just my phone. More on this …
Tag Archives: tech
A set of podcasts is 21st-century equivalent of a textbook, not a teacher
An intelligent essay from Pamela Hieronymi, professor of philosophy at UCLA, discussing the impact of technology on education: A set of podcasts is the 21st-century equivalent of a textbook, not the 21st-century equivalent of a teacher. Every age has its autodidacts, gifted people able to teach themselves with only their books. Woe unto us if …
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List of engineering blogs from top companies – Twitter, Facebook, Airbnb, Linkedin, Foursquare, Tumblr
RC3. org – A list of engineering blogs …technology trends of the past few years has been the emergence of engineering blogs. They are, mostly, a recruiting tool, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn a lot about how companies operating at varying levels of maturity and scale go about their business. A few examples: …
Google puts its self-driving cars to use as commuter vehicles
Technology is at its best when it makes people’s lives better, and that’s precisely what we’re going for with our self-driving car project. We’re using advanced computer science to try and make driving safer and more enjoyable. Our vehicles, of which about a dozen are on the road at any given time, have now completed more …
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Why do experts always lowball clean energy projections?
Last month, Michael Noble of Fresh Energy put up a fascinating list of projections made by energy experts around 2000 or so. Suffice to say, the projections did not fare well. They were badly wrong… What should we take from this? The projections weren’t just off, they were way off. You can find similarly poor projections from the ’70s that …
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The growing popularity of summer camps for building iPhone, Android apps
Here is an excerpt from a Marketplace interview on computer-focused summer camps, they’re surging in popularity: Queena Kim: Aw…the sounds of summer. Families getting together for barbeques. The sound of BBQ sizzling. Dogs running around. And 9-year-old Alex is plopped down on a lounge chair totally engrossed in his favorite iPad game, which prompts this from his dad: …
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Internet connected cars is the 3rd fastest growing technology (after smartphones, tablets)
The real question is who will pay for internet access in our cars. Will this be another charge on our cell phone or cable bill, like getting 3G on an iPad is? “Intel claims that the connected car is the third-fastest growing technological device, following smartphones and tablets. For a car maker that offers …
Foxconn to build a $1 billion factory in Indonesia – create 1 million jobs
The chinese are offshoring their work to find cheaper labor… The market leading computer manufacturer Foxconn is planning a new $1 billion facility in Indonesia. The new manufacturing plant will create around 1 million jobs in the region. Foxconn is currently discussing its plans with the Indonesian Ministry of Industry. Foxconn already operates several …
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Energy Department invests millions to accelerate high-volume solar manufacturing
A $25 million federal grant will speed the construction of a solar manufacturing plant in San Diego, in an effort to boost U.S. competitiveness. Semiconductor maker Soitec Solar, recipient of the Department of Energy grant, will pour the funds into equipment at its Rancho Bernando-area plant. Production is set to start before the end of …
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Pixar created a whole new “hair simulator” for curly hair in Brave
In the ’80s, when you wanted big hair you whipped out the Aqua Net. But it wasn’t so easy for animators. The Little Mermaid‘s Princess Ariel was meant to sport curls, but the technology just wasn’t there in 1989—rendering that kind of bounce and frizz, cel after hand-drawn cel, was all but impossible. Now, though, …
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