Unbound: No 184
Wearable AI: will it put our smartphones out of fashion?
by GUEST POST from Howard Tiersky | The Gaurdian
Portable AI-powered devices that connect directly to a chatbot without the need for apps or a touchscreen are set to hit the market. Are they the emperor’s new clothes or a gamechanger?
Imagine it: you’re on the bus or walking in the park, when you remember some important task has slipped your mind. You were meant to send an email, catch up on a meeting, or arrange to grab lunch with a friend. Without missing a beat, you simply say aloud what you’ve forgotten and the small device that’s pinned to your chest, or resting on the bridge of your nose, sends the message, summarises the meeting, or pings your buddy a lunch invitation. The work has been taken care of, without you ever having to prod the screen of your smartphone.
In Texas, ex-oil and gas workers champion geothermal energy as a replacement for fossil-fueled power plants
by Emily Foxhall | The Texas Tribune
This story was originally published by the Texas Tribune and is the second of a three-part series on emerging energy sources and Texas’ role in developing them.
In 2009, on a plot of shrub-covered cattle land about 45 miles northwest of McAllen, Shell buried and abandoned a well it drilled to look for gas. The well turned out to be a dry hole. Vegetation grew back over the site.
In 2021, a Houston-based energy company run by former Shell employees came looking for it.
This company wasn’t drilling for oil or gas, though. Its engineers were looking for a place to experiment with their technology for producing geothermal energy, created by Earth’s underground heat.
The Innovation Enthusiasm Gap
by GUEST POST from Howard Tiersky | Human Centered Design and Innovation
Getting new innovations launched within companies of any significant size typically requires buy-in from a number of different people and groups around the organization.
And moving towards a “culture” of innovation that the most successful companies create definitely requires that there be a critical mass of people with common understanding of the value of innovation.
Different Attitudes Towards Innovation
In any given enterprise there are generally many people who are hungry for the excitement of innovation and at the same time there are often many people who are resistant. Innovation, after all, inherently means change. And while change is viewed by some as exciting, challenging and fun, others view change as risky, scary and something to be avoided wherever possible.
🌙 NASA - Best Photo from Last Week
A Tranquil Sunrise
A fast boat crosses the waters several hours after NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 splashdown on March 12, 2024. The SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. The Crew-7 members spent nearly six months in space as part of Expedition 70 on the International Space Station.
Throughout their mission, the Crew-7 members contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. Moghbeli conducted one spacewalk, joined by NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, replacing one of the 12 trundle bearing assemblies on the port solar alpha rotary joint, which allows the arrays to track the Sun and generate electricity to power the station.
Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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