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Dec 29, 2021

Seizing Qatar’s Wealth of Opportunity

Posted by in categories: finance, innovation

Qatar’s status as an investment destination is on the rise, boosted by the efforts of the innovative Qatar Financial Centre.

Dec 29, 2021

China asks US to stop Elon Musk’s satellites approaching its space station

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, internet, satellites

Starlink satellites have twice approached Tiangong in orbit, prompting avoidance manoeuvres, although SpaceX says the satellites are built to avoid collisions.

Dec 29, 2021

China cries foul after space station dodges Elon Musk satellites

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, law, satellites

Celestial tensions mount with U.S. as both sides aim for supremacy.


PALO ALTO, U.S. — China on Tuesday accused the U.S. of ignoring international space law and urged Washington to act responsibly after two near-collisions this year between Beijing’s new orbiting station and satellites launched by Elon Musk’s exploration company SpaceX.

Dec 28, 2021

Look at how much the planet has changed in four decades with Google Earth Timelapse

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

What if we could go back in time to four decades ago, when we first heard the term “climate change,” and take a good look at planet Earth?

The new Google Earth Timelapse feature lets us do that. We can scan the globe and look back from the present day to 1984. The feature gives us a unique opportunity to see how human action and natural forces have changed the planet since the 1980s.

Continue reading “Look at how much the planet has changed in four decades with Google Earth Timelapse” »

Dec 28, 2021

Verizon partners with AR hardware maker Vuzix for some reason

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, internet, wearables

It’s been a few years since we’ve heard from AR company Vuzix. In early 2019, it came out with its first pair of. After staying relatively quiet over the past two years, it’s now partnering with Verizon. The two didn’t share many details about their collaboration. What they did say is that they plan to find ways to commercialize AR technology for use in sports and gaming scenarios, especially those involving the need for training. The partnership will combine Vuzix’s new Shield smart glasses and the capabilities of Verizon’s 5G network.

It’s hard to say if we’ll see anything impactful come out of this agreement, but it’s not a surprise to see Verizon. Augmented, virtual and mixed reality wearables have been consistently positioned as one of the primary beneficiaries of the speed and latency enhancements promised by 5G networks. Likewise, the focus on gaming and sports isn’t surprising either. Some of the earliest locations where Verizon had 5G service was in. They’re one of few places where the carrier’s mmWave deployments shine since there’s enough density there to justify building out all the small cells required to blanket even a small area with ultrafast 5G coverage.

Dec 28, 2021

Singapore engineers build robotic fingers with delicate grip

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food, robotics/AI

Engineers from National University of Singapore (NUS) have built a robotics system they say can grip various objects, ranging from soft and delicate to bulky and heavy. Designed to be configurable, the robotic hand is touted to address the needs of sectors such as vertical farming, food assembly, and fast-moving consumer goods packaging, and with a 23% improvement in efficiency.

These industries increasingly were automating more of their operations, but currently required manual handling for some processes, according to NUS. The human hand’s natural dexterity remained necessary for these tasks.

Rave Yeow, associate professor from NUS Advanced Robotics Centre and Department of Biomedical Engineering, said: “An object’s shape, texture, weight, and size affect how we choose to grip them. This is one of the main reasons why many industries still heavily rely on human labour to package and handle delicate items.”

Dec 28, 2021

Facebook just made a huge upgrade to Oculus VR headsets

Posted by in category: augmented reality

Here’s how the Oculus Quest 2 just became a player in augmented reality.

Dec 28, 2021

The Humanoid Robot ‘Ameca’ Reacts to a Nose Poke Like a Real Person

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The UK-based robotics firm engineered arts unveils a video, giving a glimpse at its latest humanoid robot dubbed ‘ameca’.

Dec 28, 2021

China’s Baidu jumps into the metaverse realm

Posted by in category: futurism

GUANGZHOU — Leading Chinese search provider Baidu opened its self-developed metaverse to the public Monday, allowing users to interact and visit virtual locations through avatars.

Dec 28, 2021

Why Are Humans the Only Animals That Cry When They’re Sad?

Posted by in categories: innovation, neuroscience

The propensity to cry emotional tears is uniquely human. Of all the claims to human exceptionality—consciousness, intelligence, innovation—it is the liquid that falls from our eyes when we are sad, happy, jealous, angry, and grateful, more than anything else, that we can call ours, and ours alone.

And yet the act of emotional crying is poorly understood. There is remarkably little consensus about the purpose of crying, its underlying physiology, and its impact on our moods. “What intrigued me about crying is how few people in the world have been studying it,” said Lauren Bylsma, an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. “You would think with such a ubiquitous and important behavior, there would be more known about it.”