100 Websites You Should Know and Use. In the spring of 2007, Julius Wiedemann, editor in charge at Taschen GmbH, gave a legendary TED University talk: an ultra-fast-moving ride through the “100 websites you should know and use.” Six years later, it remains one of the most viewed TED blog posts ever.
Time for an update? We think so. Below, the 2013 edition of the 100 websites to put on your radar and in your browser. To see the original list, click here. And now, the original list from 2007, created by Julius Wiedemann, editor in charge at Taschen GmbH. How The Federal Reserve System Really Works. So, it might be a couple of read-throughs of this infographic before you really grasp all the subtleties of the Federal Reserve System. Despite its claim, this is not a particularly “visual” guide. However, I think it neatly sums up many of the questions asked about the Fed through text. Basically, the Federal Reserve’s duty is to keep inflation balanced and in a state of not growing too much or too little. While this is almost impossible, it is mostly achieved through setting the federal funds rate, a very important task.
Unfortunately, the Fed relies on the judgement of humans, and therefore is not a foolproof system at all. While the Federal Reserve may be irksome at times, it is important to recognize that the nature of the system is meaningful and well intended. In the end, the Federal Reserve should be seen as the middle man trying to make sense of the millions of expenditures that banks and government do everyday.
[via] Share This Infographic. Inside Google X's Project Glass, Part I. Photo by Christophe Wu for Google "Something like this has never been created before," says Steve Lee (pictured, left), one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business and the product lead for Google's Project Glass--the company is developing the futuristic eyeware at its secretive X lab. Much has been written about the project, but few details about the device itself have emerged outside concept designs and video.
Following Google's announcement of Project Glass, Fast Company talked extensively with Lee to learn more about how his team is turning this work of science-fiction into a reality. FAST COMPANY: We've seen what you envision Glass becoming, but what can the current prototype actually do right now? How long is it away from being market-ready? STEVE LEE: I can't speak to specific product release timelines, because quite frankly, we don't really know [when it will be ready]. Personally, I view Glass as more than just a geo-product. It's very early though. Google's Project Glass: Inside The Problem Solving And Prototyping. At Google X, the company’s now-not-so-top-secret R&D lab, engineers and neuroscientists and artificial-intelligence experts dream up a future without the pressure of market deadlines: driverless cars, robots, space elevators.
But for lead product manager Steve Lee, his X pursuits are anything but an exercise in the fantastical: Project Glass, the futuristic eyeware he’s developing with an interactive heads-up display, might just hit market in the near future alongside products like Gmail and Android. For Lee, it’s a matter of wrangling a sci-fi idea into a practical product. Whereas Apple and Microsoft have grounded their mobile future in the belief that the Post-PC World will revolve around the pillars of smartphones and tablets, Google is adding a late, left-field entry into the mobile space that’s as much of a technical feat as it is a fashion statement.
The Problem: How Do You Keep People Connected, But Still Present In Meatspace? Lee calls much modern-day technology a distraction. Most Interesting Documentaries. Bionics. 32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow - Interactive Feature. Electric Clothes Physicists at Wake Forest University have developed a fabric that doubles as a spare outlet. When used to line your shirt — or even your pillowcase or office chair — it converts subtle differences in temperature across the span of the clothing (say, from your cuff to your armpit) into electricity. And because the different parts of your shirt can vary by about 10 degrees, you could power up your MP3 player just by sitting still. According to the fabric’s creator, David Carroll, a cellphone case lined with the material could boost the phone’s battery charge by 10 to 15 percent over eight hours, using the heat absorbed from your pants pocket. Richard Morgan Chris Nosenzo The New Coffee Soon, coffee isn’t going to taste like coffee — at least not the dark, ashy roasts we drink today.
Analytical Undies Your spandex can now subtly nag you to work out. The Morning Multitasker Clean Hair, No Hands Tim WuAuthor of “The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires” Welcome to Forbes.