Though “sliced bread” gets the credit, we all know that it is ice cream that deserves the honor of being the world’s best invention. That is probably why on July 9, 1984, former US President Ronald Reagan declared July, National Ice Cream Month, and the third Sunday of the month, National Ice Cream Day. According to Proclamation number 5219, the event should be observed “with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” This, of course. means eating as much of the creamy treat as possible....
Read news articleTo state that China has traffic issues is an understatement. A 2015 study conducted by navigation system maker TomTom revealed that the country is home to five of the top twenty most traffic congested cities in the world. Though Chinese authorities have tried to control the traffic flow with tactics that range from charging road tolls to building expressways with 50 lanes, nothing appears to be working. Now, some engineers are proposing an ingenious solution to ease the country’s traffic woes — An elevated bus that glides over cars!...
Read news articleBeing blind is tough under any circumstances. But things were even harder for Srikanth Bolla who born in a small village near Hyderabad, India, where the common belief was that kids with disabilities were “useless” and even a “sin” and therefore, better off dead. Fortunately, Srikanth’s parents loved their son and refused to give in to societal pressure. Instead, they encouraged the blind boy to dream big and reach for the stars....
Read news articleControlling and interacting with content on a smartphone or tablet is a relatively easy task given their large screens. However, the same is not true for smartwatches which are proving to be more of a fashion statement than a piece of useful technology. Now a group of researchers from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute’s Future Interfaces Group (HCII) at Carnegie Mellon University is trying to change that with an invention that transforms the arm into a touchpad....
Read news articleThough few people need an excuse to bite into a warm, gooey donut, it is always nice to have one. And what better reason to justify eating the treat than the fact that it is National Donut Day! Observed annually on the first Friday of June, the origins of this yummy holiday can be traced all the way back to World War I....
Read news articleOn May 26, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams spent seven hours inflating the first expandable room at the International Space Station. Called Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, the balloon-like structure that measures 10-feet by 13-feet, (about the size of an average bedroom) when fully inflated, is the first prototype of what NASA experts hope will be the space habitat of the future. The compressed module arrived at the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on April 8 and was put in place outside the Tranquility module by ISS’s robotic arm, Canadarm2....
Read news articleMost airlines go all out to ensure their passengers have the best possible flight experience. Now, Europe’s low-budget airline EasyJet, wants to extend the positive experience beyond the plane ride with “Sneakairs” — Smart shoes that allow visitors to explore new cities and towns without ever looking at a map....
Read news articleOn Thursday, June 23, residents of the United Kingdom will head to the polls to vote “yes” or “no” to a single question: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” Simple as it sounds, the outcome of the referendum will have a significant impact on the country’s future....
Read news articleHundreds of thousands of hearing-impaired people in the United States and many parts of Canada rely solely on American Sign Language (ASL) for communication. But popular as the language is, there are millions of people with normal hearing that are unable to decipher the hand and finger gestures. That may change soon thanks to the ingenious “SignAloud” glove that converts sign language into speech....
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