Send Your Very Own Personal Spacecraft to the Moon

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jtOE3bd3MVs?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1677943140/send-your-own-pocket-spacecraft-on-a-mission-to-th" target="blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Pocket Spacecraft</span></b></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span><b>ow anyone with $300 can send their own personal spacecraft (called Scouts) to the moon. If you want to keep things closer to home, a $150 pledge gets you an Earth Scout that will be released into Earth's atmosphere.</b><br /><br />Your Scout is a polyimide disc (a material used for flexible circuit boards, spacesuits and, of particular relevance for this application, high performance solar sails) held taut by a NiTi memory metal hoop that can also double as an antenna. These will be loaded by the thousand into an Interplanetary CubeSat Mothership which will fly to the body of interest, send out the Scouts to explore it, and relay their discoveries back to Earth and amongst each other.<br /><br />The thinness and lightness allows the packing of thousands per mothership and act as very small solar sails (when coated with a thin metal layer) to move about space, and potentially survive re-entry from orbit to the surface of bodies with suitable atmospheres.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLRpog5tzQhuDlxxkhkZHtuCVDqJ9t466yj3exeCm5sVD1YKBcAAif5Ugak6e9NDMO0Xb0tPFNIOCmZIgRLopwhgBmaW2wNvdBjmbDtvlOyetoJx2_Le10tntKOrl4u4D47am2PMggVs/s1200/1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLRpog5tzQhuDlxxkhkZHtuCVDqJ9t466yj3exeCm5sVD1YKBcAAif5Ugak6e9NDMO0Xb0tPFNIOCmZIgRLopwhgBmaW2wNvdBjmbDtvlOyetoJx2_Le10tntKOrl4u4D47am2PMggVs/s1600/1.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">You can upload a picture or message which will be printed on your spacecraft. You decide where you would like your Scout to go – load it onto the Earth Scout deck, and soon after it is launched into space, we’ll release it into Earth’s atmosphere to attempt re-entry and recovery from the surface of the planet. Load it onto the Lunar Scout deck and we’ll try to send it to the moon and release it to deorbit to the surface of the moon.<br /><br />Scouts are solar powered with integrated optical and radio transceivers and can have sensors including a single pixel optical sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature sensor, strain gauges and more. If you are comfortable with Arduino level software development, you can run your own software on Software and Hardware Development Scouts. We’ll provide a web based integrated development environment (IDE) so you can write code, test on a Scout simulator and in a virtual solar system and upload your design to your own Software Development Scout.</div>

Send Your Very Own Personal Spacecraft to the Moon

Pocket Spacecraft N ow anyone with $300 can send their own personal spacecraft (called Scouts) to the moon. If you want to keep things close...

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Domonique Ansel | Cronut Goes Viral

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hGHuP0Ba4sE?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://dominiqueansel.com/cronut-101/" target="blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dominique Ansel Bakery</span></b></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span><b>alf croissant, half doughnut — the Cronut created by Chef Dominique Ansel is taking the world by storm since it’s launch on 10 May 2013.</b></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Z9c_ogQJyeM?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Cronuts should be eaten right away as they have a very short shelf life. They should not be refrigerated or they will go stale and soggy. </div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KO_gTfJ9Dwc?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ridiculous-cronut-line-2013-7?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29" target="_blank">Lines for Cronuts</a> start as early as 2 hours prior to the opening of the bakery and the limit is 2 per person at $5 apiece. <br /><br /><a href="http://searchinstagram.com/cronut" target="_blank">Instagram photos of Cronuts</a>.</div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vswiimBEvCk?rel=0" width="853"></iframe>

Domonique Ansel | Cronut Goes Viral

Dominique Ansel Bakery H alf croissant, half doughnut — the Cronut created by Chef Dominique Ansel is taking the world by storm since it’s l...

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Simon Christen | Adrift (Bay Area Fog)

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69445362?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&badge=0&color=ffffff" width="853" height="461" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Simon Christen | Adrift (Bay Area Fog)

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will.i.am Owns the Trademark to “I AM”

<script src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/media/2013-07-02-09-04-35/web/common/javascript/vendor/ExternalAd_BC_Prod.js" type="text/javascript"></script><object class="BrightcoveExperience" id="myExperience2517502929001"><param name="width" value="100%"></param><param name="height" value="480px"></param><param name="linkBaseURL" value="http://www.cmgsharedcontent.com/videos/entertainment/william-pharrell-williams-lawsuit-singer-sues-over/v5YQ4/"></param><param name="playerID" value="1126033600001"></param><param name="playerKey" value=""></param><param name="isVid" value="True"></param><param name="isUI" value="True"></param><param name="dynamicStreaming" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="htmlFallback" value="true"></param><param name="@videoPlayer" value="2517502929001"><!-- params for Universal Player API --></param><param name="includeAPI" value="true"></param><param name="templateLoadHandler" value="onTemplateLoaded"></param><param name="templateReadyHandler" value="onTemplateReady"></param></object><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/will-i-am-takes-legal-action-against-pharrells-i-am-other-brand-20130626" target="blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rolling Stone</span></b></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><b>ill.i.am is <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/151324667/i-Am-Other-Entertainment-Llc-v-William-Adams-and-i-am-Symbolic-Llc-Complaint" target="_blank">taking legal action</a> against Pharrell Williams over the latter’s new creative brand “i am OTHER”—claiming that he owns the copyright to the phrase “I AM” and that Pharrell’s logo is “confusingly similar,” according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.</b><br /><br />In his notice of opposition, will.i.am argues that Pharrell would be using his “i am OTHER” brand on clothing and other items in a manner similar to the goods that bear his own “I AM” logo. “The registration of the mark…is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the WILL.I.AM mark,” the document reads.<br /><br />“I AM disappointed that Will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me,“ Pharrell says in a statement to RS. “I AM someone who likes to talk things out and, in fact, I attempted to do just that on many occasions. I AM surprised in how this is being handled and I AM confident that Will’s trademark claims will ultimately be found to be as meritless and ridiculous as I do.”</div>

will.i.am Owns the Trademark to “I AM”

Rolling Stone W ill.i.am is taking legal action against Pharrell Williams over the latter’s new creative brand “i am OTHER”—claiming that h...

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iPad Schools In the Netherlands

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifomQ3P4evZoe-DmQOTe1LFo0Vu0tN4BEPQpbjoUULpd1sjQMeJFtgvxqZ-FeAuCbQ14mh0fOybjbEEzrweMOt-AT8QVGotzRCbMiXOPHeCo0VQzvMOgSzyY-jTSOzjgNKG9Vi26V96oU/s850/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifomQ3P4evZoe-DmQOTe1LFo0Vu0tN4BEPQpbjoUULpd1sjQMeJFtgvxqZ-FeAuCbQ14mh0fOybjbEEzrweMOt-AT8QVGotzRCbMiXOPHeCo0VQzvMOgSzyY-jTSOzjgNKG9Vi26V96oU/s1600/4.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Mark Maela/Corbis</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-learning-from-a-tablet-fotostrecke-98547.html" target="blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Spiegel</span></b></a><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“The classic chalk-and-blackboard teachers are preparing children for a world that no longer exists.”</span> ~Maurice de Hond</blockquote><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span><b>leven “Steve Jobs schools” will open in August in the Netherlands. Some 1,000 children aged four to 12 will attend, without notebooks, books or backpacks. Each of them, however, will have his or her own iPad.</b><br /><br />There will be no blackboards, chalk or classrooms, homeroom teachers, formal classes, lesson plans, seating charts, pens, teachers teaching from the front of the room, schedules, parent-teacher meetings, grades, recess bells, fixed school days and school vacations. If a child would rather play on his or her iPad instead of learning, it'll be okay. And the children will choose what they wish to learn based on what they happen to be curious about.<br /><br />The schools will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 on every workday. The children will come and go as they please, as long as they are present during the core period between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The building will only be closed for Christmas and New Year’s. The children's families will be able to go on vacation when they please, and no child will have to be worried about missing class as a result, since classes in the traditional sense will be nonexistent.<br /><br />Only in exceptional cases will a teacher direct classes in groups. Normally, the children will learn by calling up a learning app on their iPad—which will be turned into a sort of interactive, multimedia schoolbook—whenever they want.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHyCaObxwcYBgb0Zrc4jK8PP7aCEvFgn3KLdxxpejvJOGS9CKWHqSj9BE2SeQnoh5FDAQnZOiX5NMHM-ihXu92aIA_hnuxMUuVOBSkilfYwV3pFlcQWrokyLhmpaNjJwSX2y9yw9kuMk/s600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHyCaObxwcYBgb0Zrc4jK8PP7aCEvFgn3KLdxxpejvJOGS9CKWHqSj9BE2SeQnoh5FDAQnZOiX5NMHM-ihXu92aIA_hnuxMUuVOBSkilfYwV3pFlcQWrokyLhmpaNjJwSX2y9yw9kuMk/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: DPA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">The program is more patient than any person ever could be and turns learning into a game-like experience, partly with the help of amusing noises and animations. In each exercise, the children are corrected the way players are in a computer game. They don’t have to work through entire chapters, as they did in the past. The goal is to enable them to reach the next level in the learning program at their own pace. The teacher’s role is to help them, not as conveyors of knowledge but as learning coaches. “The interaction between the child and the teacher remains the foundation of the lesson,” as Kleinpaste puts it.<br /><br />As such, the school day never really ends. Pupils are welcome to keep working on their iPads at home, on weekends or on vacation. But as much as the program offers freedom and continuity, it also comes with a substantial monitoring component. The iPad keeps teachers and parents constantly informed about what children are doing, what they have learned and how they are progressing. If a math app is neither enjoyable nor successful, the teacher simply orders another one. The supply of educational programs never runs dry in Apple's online app store.<br /><br />Arithmetic, reading skills and text comprehension are the core subjects in the elementary school. Good handwriting has been downgraded to a secondary skill, nice for industrious pupils but not truly relevant.<br /><br />Every six weeks, teachers, children and parents decide together what is to be achieved in the next learning period. To do so, they meet at school or virtually via Skype. The era of the 10-minute parent-teacher meeting once a year is a thing of the past in the Steve Jobs schools.<br /><br />And when they are not working on iPads, the future principal insists, students at Steve Jobs schools will lead the lives of perfectly normal children. Drawing, building things, playing and physical activity are all part of daily life at the schools.<br /><br />“It isn’t as if the children will just be sitting in front of a screen here,” Kleinpaste promises.<br /><br />The initiator of the iPad schools is the well-known Amsterdam public opinion researcher Maurice de Hond, 65, a man with an affinity for digital life. He is proud of the fact that he has known how to program computers since 1965. His daughter Daphne, born in 2009, pointed the way for him.<br /><br />"At home, Daphne learns naturally, according to her own pace, interactively and using multimedia tools,” says de Hond. Why should she feel “like she’s in a museum” when she’s in school, he asks? The classic chalk-and-blackboard teachers, he adds, “are preparing children for a world that no longer exists.”<br /></div>

iPad Schools In the Netherlands

Photo: Mark Maela/Corbis Spiegel “The classic chalk-and-blackboard teachers are preparing children for a world that no longer exists.” ~Mau...

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