A quick look at everything that tickled my fancy this past week:
Artificial Wood
A newly created material could replace wood and get used as everything from insulation to packaging. Best of all, it’s both water and fire resistant.
According to Scientific American, “Unlike natural wood, the new material does not require years to grow. Moreover, it readily repels water—samples soaked in water and in a strong acid bath for 30 days scarcely weakened, whereas samples of balsa wood tested under similar conditions lost two thirds of their strength and 40 percent of their crush resistance. The new material was also difficult to ignite and stopped burning when it was removed from the flame.”
Such a material could revolutionize the construction industry.
TouchFocus
Newly designed glasses let you to toggle between various modes allowing a single pair of glasses to double as reading glasses.
According to New Atlas, “They charge through USB, with a full charge taking four hours and lasting 10 hours – mind you, that’s 10 hours in reading mode, and the glasses only consume power when reading mode is on. And the company tells us you don’t need separate prescriptions for the two modes, it’s all done using a single standard prescription.”
Now, these aren’t the only new glasses on the market. Alexa compatible Focals are on the way as well and they could shatter our misconceptions about what smart glasses are.
As CNBC explains, “Focals connect to your phone via Bluetooth and have a small projector that beams data into the wearer’s eyes. They can tell the wearer the weather or time, read text messages and even order an Uber. The glasses are also connected to Alexa, so if you can ask them for directions or information, a small speaker will tell you the answers.”
Fiber Optic Breakthrough
Soon our Internet connections will be blazing fast.
According to The Guardian:
“A new development in fiber optics could make internet speeds up to 100 times faster – by detecting light that has been twisted into a spiral.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, can be used to easily upgrade existing networks and significantly boost efficiency, scientists say.”
Suffice it to say, we’ve definitely come a long way from the days of dialing up America Online.
Are any of these the Greatest Idea Ever?
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