Pathing.
- Americans are less afraid of hurricanes with feminine names - causing increased fatalities.
- Leonardo Da Vinci's resume.
- The lowdown on Makerbot's new (and disputed) extruder patent.
- Soon, anyone can apply for Estonian e-residency - whether they've set foot there or not.
- Autodesk is integrating CAM into their Fusion 360 suite.
- You can now pay Kottke.org to promote your Kickstarter campaign. Meanwhile, Kickstarter is simplifying their rules - and allowing you to launch projects without human review.
- A Hong Kong VC fund added an algorithm to their board of directors. Good stunt.
Manufacturing.
- The former CEO of Atari is starting a 3D printing vending machine company.
- A new way to make grapene directly on a non-metal substrate.
- GE is using a process (dubbed "3D inking") to embed sensors in inaccessible locations on jet engines.
- A really cool method of printing carbon nanotubes directly into FDM printers.
- Neatsfoot oil is extracted from the shins and feet - but not the hooves - of cattle.
- Robotic arms.
- A new haptic feedback device can simulate what breasts feel like (for mammographies).
- A giant underground ice wall is being constructed at Fukushima Daiichi.
- MIT researchers are trying to replace AC with a device you wear on your wrist.
- A wearable to test electrolyte levels and a way to test blood sugar through saliva.
- A team is building a solar powered airplane - with a 72 meter wingspan - to fly around the world.
Logistics.
- That scrappy bunch of hackers is successfully communicating with the ISEE-3 Probe - which NASA hasn't been in touch with since 1999.
- Traffic cops in Kenya are taking bribes by M-pesa.
- Some interesting details on how Google's self-driving cars work.
- Cleanup crews at Fukushima are storing 250,000 tons of radioactive soil in big, blue, plastic bags (paywall - cached link).
- iOS 8 will support location-based app suggestions right in the lock screen.
- There are backhoes buried all over the backyards of fancy London neighborhoods.
Reflecting.
- A dissection on how Alibaba monetizes (low margins, but *tons* of revenue).
- The frequency of different opening moves in chess has changed drastically over the years.
- The origins of Venmo.
- A history of the definition of "traffic" (cars vs. bikes & pedestrians).
- Benedict Evans on WWDC and the Google/Apple competitive ecosystem.
- A history of the Hunt's Point Terminal Market, which handles roughly 60% of New York City's food.
Stuff that doesn't fit into my dumb/arbitrary categories.
- In 1897, an amateur mathematician tried to establish a mathematical proof by introducing a bill to the Indiana General Assembly. Unfortunately, an implication of his proof was that pi = 3.2 :/
- Some 17th-century drawings of what the world would (presumably) look like with no oceans.
- A Google Loon balloon crashed in Washington State.
And.
In the '20s, planes carrying transcontinental mail used huge concrete arrows to navigate.
Love, Spencer.
ps - Thank you to everyone - especially my friends at Gin Lane, Undercurrent, and on twitter - who referred me to everything here.
We should be closer friends. Coffee's on me.
