Biz Insider II The United States is in a very tough spot, economically and politically. The 25-year debt-fueled boom of 1982-2007 has ended, and it has left the country with a stagnant economy, massive debts, high unemployment, huge wealth inequality, an enormous budget deficit, and a sense of entitlement engendered by a half-century of prosperity. After decades of instant gratification, Americans have also come to believe that all problems can be solved instantly, if only the right leaders are put in charge and the right decisions are made. And so our government has devolved into a permanent election campaign, in which incumbents blame each other for the current mess, and challengers promise change. The trouble is that our current problems cannot be solved with a simple fix. They also cannot be solved quickly. So it is time that we began to face reality. The biggest debt binge in US history, by a mile. St. Total US debt, including households, companies, and the government. You reduce the debt.
Education stats: South Africa vs United States Definitions Elementary school > Gender ratio: Ratio of female to male primary enrollment is the percentage of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools. Elementary school repeaters > Female: Repeaters in primary school are the number of students enrolled in the same grade as in the previous year, as a percentage of all students enrolled in primary school." SOURCES: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; UNESCO; CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; World Bank staff estimates using data from the United Nations Statistics Division's Statistical Yearbook, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics online database. "Education: South Africa and United States compared", NationMaster. "Education: South Africa and United States compared, NationMaster." 1970-2008. "Education: South Africa and United States compared", NationMaster [Internet]. 1970-2008.
US Infographic: Envisioning Emerging Technology for 2012 and Beyond What developments will the next 30 years hold in the fields of AI, biotech, robotics, computing, the internet, materials science and more besides? That’s the question Michell Zappa, technology strategist and founder of trend forecasting firm Envisioning Technology, asked himself – and here is his response: a striking, concise infographic which outlines a range of probable developments, and their likely significance for society. Synthetic blood, anyone? [Click image for hi-res version]
Media Conglomeration Some nations can influence and control their media greatly. In addition, powerful corporations also have enormous influence on mainstream media. In some places major multinational corporations own media stations and outlets. Often, many media institutions survive on advertising fees, which can lead to the media outlet being influenced by various corporate interests. Other times, the ownership interests may affect what is and is not covered. Stories can end up being biased or omitted so as not to offend advertisers or owners. The idea of corporate media itself may not be a bad thing, for it can foster healthy competition and provide a check against governments. Global conglomerates can at times have a progressive impact on culture, especially when they enter nations that had been tightly controlled by corrupt crony media systems (as in much of Latin America) or nations that had significant state censorship over media (as in parts of Asia). — Robert W. We are here to serve advertisers.
Mahoro lab android automates dangerous lab work Mahoro, co-developed by AIST and Yaskawa, is a general-purpose android for automating lab work that previously had to be done manually. The robot can do tasks, such as dispensing and culturing, faster and more precisely than people. So, it can do clinical tests and work with biohazards efficiently. "For example, to develop influenza drugs, we do infection trials every day, using virulent strains of influenza. "We've tried various robot systems. When work precision in genetic amplification trials was compared between Mahoro and people, Mahoro's precision was better than that of veteran technicians. "Mahoro's arm has seven joints. Previously, to teach a robot with this many joints, a huge amount of programming was required. "First of all, we use a 3D scanner, to capture 3D CAD data for all the tools we want to use. Mahoro is sold domestically by Nikkyo Technos, and it's already being used at pharmaceutical companies and universities in Japan.
World GDP, by country Toward achieving one million times increase in computing efficiency Modern-day computers are based on logic circuits using semiconductor transistors. To increase computing power, smaller transistors are required. Moore's Law states that the number of transistors that can fit on an integrated circuit should double every two years due to scaling. But as transistors reach atomic dimensions, achieving this feat is becoming increasingly difficult. Among the most significant challenges is heat dissipation from circuits created using today's standard semiconductor technology, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), which give off more heat as more transistors are added. This makes CMOS incapable of supporting the computers of the future. Engineers are therefore seeking alternatives to CMOS that would allow for highly efficient computer logic circuits that generate much less heat. The spin-logic circuits are created with magnetoresistive bipolar spin-transistors, recently patented by McCormick researchers.