Jul 31
Last month, we asked you to name your favorite book about space travel and explain why. Hundreds of you replied with awesome, succinct, and sometimes very funny explanations of your favorites.
Jul 31
When you live by yourself, a sofa and TV are pretty much all you need in your living room. Unless you intend to shun a hermit-like lifestyle and actually invite people over to visit. In that case you’ll need additional seating, and the Sofista fills both roles by transforming from a couch into a three-seat sofa, armchair, and chaise lounge.
Jul 31
Nanobots need the proper propulsion system if they’re going to be used to deliver drugs to targeted areas. Take for example this teeny-tiny corkscrew-shaped propeller made out of silica and nickel that’s developed by a group of German and Israeli…
Jul 31
Samsung has just posted its financial report for the second quarter of this year, revealing disappointing figures for the first time in three years. That said, the Korean manufacturer remains undaunted and is said to have two high-end smartphones already in the works to attempt to curb its fall. Samsung, arguably one of the strongest brands in the mobile industry … Continue reading
Jul 31
Every journey begins with a single step. For Elon Musk and his 200 Gigafactory dream, that single step is this agreement with Japanese electronics company Panasonic. The two will be working together to build and manage Tesla’s first gigafactory, a large-scale manufacturing plant that will produce batteries for its EV cars. For Tesla, building its own battery factory isn’t simply … Continue reading
Jul 31
Home automation hub Revolv has released its Android app, bringing Google’s platform into the fold alongside iOS, as well as integrating support for the Nest Smart Thermostat. The smart home box – which brings together various home automation platforms like Philips’ hue and Sonos speakers – also gets a new UI for its iOS app, though it’s the “Works with … Continue reading
Jul 31
Drobo Mini now offers SSD support
Posted in: Today's Chili
Connected Data, the company behind the award-winning Drobo range of smart storage solutions, has just come up with its latest device that might just resonate with the masses. After all, many of us do deal with a growing amount of data with each passing month, considering all of the photos and videos that we tend to record while on the move. Their latest device? The Drobo Mini with Solid State Disk (SSD) drives that are capable of delivering up to 80% more performance in comparison to a Drobo Mini which has been configured with traditional spinning hard drives, as well as other Drobo portable storage devices that we have seen in the past.
The Drobo Mini would lay claim to being the first portable, rugged and expandable SSD solution that is touted to be perfect for the likes of filmmakers, photographers and creative professionals, and basically anyone else who feel the need to protect the precious data that they have just captured while on location. Not only that, peace of mind is always worth every single penny, especially for those who would like to transport precious footage and photos back to the studio for post-production work.
The Drobo Mini will hook up using Thunderbolt or USB 3.0, and it will feature a quartet of 2.5” SSD drive bays alongside an mSATA accelerator option, all arriving in a package which is not only rugged, but compact and portable to boot. In fact, the entire configuration would tip the scales at under three pounds, and similar to the rest of the Drobo products out there, the Drobo Mini will protect data without the need for user intervention. It does not matter even in the event of multiple SSD drive failures, as Drobo Mini is capable of automatically repairing itself while returning to a protected state, delivering full access to data without compromising on performance.
The Drobo Mini with SSD will arrive in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB bundles, with prices starting from $1,199.
Press Release
[ Drobo Mini now offers SSD support copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jul 31
The Die Is Cast
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe midpoint of the summer season has passed and the autumn beckons with colder nights and shorter days, and new school years for children. Teachers are starting to prepare and another class begins. I have reached an age when now some of my teachers are no longer teaching and it is a sad realization, and a new appreciation for them that they will not be sharing their wisdom for the next generation. In the end, it is not the building or facilities or grounds that make a school, but the quality of the teachers.
Teachers are often thanked at the end of the year and we move on. They represent preserved moments in our lives. We remember them as captured in a time, as if they would reign ageless and always be in the classrooms in front of desks where we once sat. When we are young everything only seems important if it relates to the present tense. Too young to look back, too old to be sentimental at every leaving. We want to finish a school year and move on. They are often only appreciated the most when we look back and realize as adults how important they remain in our lives. We reserve their memory and their lessons for longer than we might have realized, and that is their gift to their students. To give a student a positive memory of learning is invaluable.
Nearly everyone can readily recall favorite teachers, but often it is not until our school years are over that we realize their significance. I was at a wedding recently, and after the ceremony I said to a former classmate I had not seen in years, the die is cast. It is reference to a Latin phrase once learned and surprisingly nerve forgotten. He looked at me and said without hesitating alea iacta est. I am certain we never thought that all those years ago in a small classroom off a side hallway, that we would recall an ancient phrase after a wedding in a palm tree lined setting far away from that classroom. In school we sometimes care more about our social life and weekend plans than lessons, so it is commendable to capture a student’s memory long enough to last a lifetime. To be fair, his mother had been that Latin teacher, but that moment was a beautiful tribute to education. It was a lesson in the continuing influence of an excellent teacher.
It is instinctive that we care about those that care about us. If we are fortunate, we have teachers that care about their students and make their students care about grades not necessarily limited to an end product of an average or degree, but because they want to do well for those that care about them. Teaching that is encouraging and not intimidating as the hopeful objective of each day. The school year brings new lessons to students that will hopefully remain with them until they too attend weddings years later and spontaneously recite lessons fondly, with a new appreciation for those that helped shape their lives.
Jul 31
Coffee tables are one of those pieces of furniture that you find in almost every single home and unfortunately, most of them end up looking the same: covered with old magazines and whatever clutter was carried through the door that day.
The exception? The surfaces you see here. They don’t just single-handedly prove that a couple bold books and carefully-chosen accents can go a long way, but they also remind us what a coffee table can (and should) look like as well. Check out the decor ideas that caught our eye in the stellar examples below.
1. A modern tray gives design structure while maintaining organization.
2. Fresh flowers provide a focal point of color and bring new life to the space.
3. Objects on books (on even more books) give dramatic depth to a basic base.
4. A tufted ottoman or pair of stools makes for a cozy coffee table alternative.
5. Metallic or monochromatic accents are the perfect way to fill those awkwardly blank spots.
6. Squares on circles — or circles on squares — create an eye-catching contrast.
7. The more you display, the more you add personality.
8. But keeping things minimal makes a strong statement.
9. Just don’t forget to leave space for the most important part — it is a “coffee” table, after all.
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Jul 31
Rachel Maddow has officially accepted the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” which means that she got a huge bucket of freezing water dumped on her head and had the most wonderful reaction to it.
Maddow was nominated by Fox News’ Shep Smith last week to participate in the viral challenge for charity. Basically, you have to record yourself getting a bucket of water dumped on your head. If you don’t, you have to donate money to charity.
Maddow nominated three people (including Liz Cheney, who has famously rebuffed her before), to take the challenge next. If they go through with it, Maddow said she will donate $50 to the charity of her choice: the Andi Leadership Institute for Young Women.
Watch the video to see Maddow get doused in ice water in classic Maddow form. Her reaction could be characterized as “avant-garde singing.”
Also her outfit (complete with baseball cap) was A++++.
(h/t: TVNewser)
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