If ever you needed a sign that 3D printing has hit the mainstream, look no further than SkyMall.
Innovation
WATCH: Oculus Rift, Omni ‘Treadmill’ Virtual Reality Demo Illustrates Why I’m Not Interested
Is Virtuix’s Omni paired with Oculus VR’s Rift the future of virtual reality gaming?
Finally, an App That Lets You Grope Your Special Someone over the Internet [Sort of NSFW]
This one’s for all you long-distance lovaaaahs out there.
San Francisco’s New Exploratorium: A Bigger, Better Playground for the Mind
A visit to the remarkable new home of a pioneering science museum for kids and grownups.
Is It the End for Handwriting? Are Tablets Doing Penmanship In?
Is handwriting on the way out? Is scribbling with a pencil or ink pen on actual paper destined to become a cultural relic?
Should the Blind Be Able to ‘Drive’ Automated Vehicles?
It’s probably inevitable: the point at which someone legally forbidden today from manually operating a motor vehicle on public roadways can pop into an automobile and ease on down the road.
A Talk with Computer Graphics Pioneer Ivan Sutherland
Fifty years ago, Sutherland’s Sketchpad program broke new ground in computer graphics and user interfaces.
Passwords May Soon Be Replaced by ‘Pass-Thoughts’
A new UC Berkeley study suggests that the traditional method of computer authentication can be readily replaced with “pass-thoughts,” allowing you to gain access to your computerized accounts simply by thinking.
FIRST Robotics Competition: Students Teaching Robots, and Vice Versa
Segway inventor Dean Kamen’s annual contest inspires high-school students to build some spectacular robotic athletes.
Bitcoin Basics
Everything you ever wanted to know about Bitcoin, but were afraid (or weren’t sure what) to ask. Over in The New Yorker‘s new tech vertical, Maria Bustillos presents a thorough look at how the virtual currency works, how it got started, and the potential challenges it faces.
The Future of Bitcoin [The New Yorker]
An Interview with Computing Pioneer Alan Kay
Born in 1940, computer scientist Alan Curtis Kay is one of a handful of visionaries most responsible for the concepts which have propelled personal computing forward over the past thirty years.
WATCH: Robot Swarms of the Future (Because Sometimes It Takes a Village)
What happens when you put 40 tiny robots in a room and let them go nuts?