tech, startups, internet

$499 toothbrushes are here.

$499 toothbrushes are here. “Dyson just released a new AI-powered toothbrush with an integrated 100,000-pixel macro lens camera for $499” What does it do with the AI and camera? It spritzes water exactly through the gaps in your teeth while […]

fun facts

We can already eradicate mosquitoes if we want.

We can already eradicate mosquitoes if we want. “The best way to find and kill mosquitoes quickly is to recruit other mosquitoes.” The piece walks through how sterile-male releases work: you breed mosquitoes, sterilize the males, and let them outcompete […]

fun facts

Benevolent dictator for life.

Benevolent dictator for life. “… is a tongue-in-cheek title given to a small number of free and open-source software development leaders, typically project founders who retain the final say in disputes or arguments within the community.” It is the old-school […]

fun facts

How do gills work?.

How do gills work?. “The air we breathe has an oxygen concentration of 200,000 parts per million. Water, on the other hand, only has a concentration of 4 to 8 parts per million.” Fish have to run a lot of […]

big ideas

Why data centers can’t plug in.

Why data centers can’t plug in. “Grid operators must study how it will change power flows around the grid and determine whether upgrades to the system are required. That process is significantly backlogged.” It now takes over four years, on […]

big ideas

Why the West stopped making land.

Why the West stopped making land. “Since the completion of Battery Park City in 1976, there has not been a single major urban land reclamation project in the United States and only a handful of port expansions.” The piece argues […]

under the microscope

Metasurfaces: Tiny tech with big potential.

Metasurfaces: Tiny tech with big potential. “Imagine manipulating light with ultra-thin, flat sheets instead of bulky lenses and mirrors.” Metasurfaces are engineered nanostructures that can control “the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light waves” in a tiny footprint. ~ learn […]