Miscellaneous
Landmark ruling in Connecticut could erase marijuana possession convictions
In the U.S., a conviction for possession of marijuana can follow you for a lifetime. This may change. Earlier this week, Connecticut’s supreme court ruled in favor of 31-year-old Nicholas Menditto who argued that his two marijuana possession convictions should be erased now that less than a Read More...
3-D printing in science fiction way works up to 100X faster
Current 3-D printing is, in fact, 2-D printing repeated until a three-dimensional object emerges. As clever as it is, it’s a long and cumbersome process that takes hours. Yesterday at TED 2015 Joseph DeSimone, professor at the University of North Caroline Chapel Hill, and cofounder of Carbon3D, Read More...
Free, public Wi-Fi is finally making its way to Cuba
Most Cubans have never been on the Internet. The government allows Internet access only sporadically with limited bandwidth. Now, a state-supported cultural center in Havana has begun rolling out free, public Wi-Fi. The connection is slow, but it’s still better than no Read More...
Scientists transmit wireless power; clean energy from space step closer
In space, there are no cycles of day and night or clouds, making it the perfect place for 24-hour solar energy generation. But how do get the electricity down to earth? Scientists of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) have succeeded in transmitting electricity through microwaves. They Read More...
Self-cleaning paint makes soap superfluous
Imagine washing your car only with a hose without any soap or scrubbing the dirt off. A research team at the University College of London has developed a water-repelling paint. The active ingredient in the paint is coated titanium dioxide nanoparticles. These cause liquid to bead up and roll off Read More...
Bitcoins: Goldman Sachs sees the writing on the wall
Why would we write about a boring report by a bank in The Optimist Daily? Because the report is on bitcoins and the bank is Goldman Sachs, an important pillar of modern finance. “Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are part of a technology ‘megatrend’ that could change the fundamental mechanics of Read More...
A new health center in Haiti is built to tackle cholera
Five years after Haiti’s worst cholera outbreak, a newly opened cholera treatment center in Port-au-Prince has been designed to battle the highly contagious disease. This open-air center “is framed by ocean-hued walls that allow light and air to sweep through the space, adding cooling cross Read More...
Absolutely stunning photos of the natural world
This is a must-see. Smithsonian Magazine has announced the finalists for its annual photo contest, selected from many thousands of photos, gathered from almost 100 countries. Be sure to check them out. They will make your Read More...
Don’t praise your kids (too much)
Being too nice to your children can make them narcissists. That’s the outcome of a study done by developmental psychologists at the University of Amsterdam. So why’s that solutions-news? Well, have you recently been at a Saturday morning children’s sports game? It has turned into an unhealthy Read More...
Goodyear develops a tire that charges electric car battery
Talking about reinventing the wheel? US tire company Goodyear has built a prototype of a tire that can charge the batteries of electric cars. The charging tire generates electricity both while in motion and when parked. The tire is designed to absorb sunlight that’s converted into electricity Read More...