Items of Interest

UTF-8 Character Encoding

When I was studying computer science, myself and my class mates always had at least one topic that was a blind spot. An area that we were either too afraid or too lazy to dive into and learn the details properly. For me and some others, character encoding was one such topic.

Web Dev

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5 Hour Trains

#326

Benjamin TD created a handy map that shows you how far you can travel by train in 5 hours from any main station on a map.

Data Vis

Environment

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Dead Spider Grappling Hooks

#325

Researchers at the University of Texas have discovered that by injecting air into a dead spider, they can open and close the legs of the spider and use it as a zombie spider grappling hook to lift 130% of the spider's weight.

Science

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18,000 Ideas For Ireland

#325

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science published the results of a national brainstorming project called Creating Our Future that collected 18,000+ ideas to make Ireland better for all.

Life

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Upcycled CD Biosensors

#325

Researchers at Binghamton University developed a new method to extract the gold metallic layer of a CD, without toxic chemicals, and repurposed into biosensors for wearable devices.

Environment

Innovation

Science

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All The Proteins

#325

DeepMind is due to release a database of AI predicted structure of every protein known to science (200 million proteins)!

AI & ML

Science

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Hydrogen From Tap Water

#325

Spanish scientist José Antonio G. I. developed a prototype system to extract hydrogen from tap water without electrolysis. Pressurized air injected into a tank of water, ferrosilicon, and sodium hydroxide causes a chemical reaction to extract the hydrogen through two additional tanks that can produce 30 litres of hydrogen per minute. Allowing hydrogen to be generated at the point of consumption removes the need for hydrogen transportation.

Environment

Innovation

Science

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Underground Autonomous Cargo Delivery

#324

Switzerland have given go-ahead for the construction of the first 70km of a new underground autonomous cargo delivery system called Cargo Sous Terrain (CST) at a cost of $3 billion. The full 500km network is expected to cost $35 billion and be complete by 2045. Electric induction power cargo pods will travel on rails in the underground tunnels at 30km per hour.

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Sonar Face Expressions

#324

Engineers at Cornell University have demonstrated how facial expressions can be detected and recreated using sonar on a wearable placed on each side of the head. A machine learning model analyses the sonar echo produced from a speaker and microphone on each ear to detect changes in skin on the face. The system effectively recognises facial expressions with the same detail as a camera.

Innovation

Tech