MIT has long offered thousands of undergrad and graduate level course materials for free online. This month, they announced plans to significantly update and expand that effort, creating an open-source education system called MITx that will basically allow anyone to virtually take an MIT class, participate in laboratories, and get individual assessment on whether or not they've learned the material. The school even has plans—not fully worked out yet—to offer some kind of certificate of completion to people who take classes this way and can show that they've mastered the subject. MITx will open in spring of 2012. I'm looking forward to checking out this great resource! (Thanks to Chris Hayden!)
MIT and the future of open-source education
Don't dip your hand in boiling hot oil like this
Don't try this. Dianna from Physics Girl showed how under highly controlled conditions it's possible to dip one's hand into boiling oil without injury. The video is unlisted and age-restricted to keep children and dummies from trying to replicate the physics demonstration that's often done with molten metal. Image: YouTube / Physics Girl READ THE REST
Scientific American endorses Joe Biden, breaking 175-year tradition of never endorsing a presidential candidate
Because Trump is an enemy of science. "Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history—until now," tweeted the publication today. "The 2020 election is literally a matter of life and death. We urge you to vote for health, science and Joe Biden for President." Excerpt: The evidence and the science show… READ THE REST
Scientists find preserved cave bear frozen more than 20,000 years ago
Reindeer herders in the Russian Arctic's Lyakhovsky Islands found a preserved carcass of a cave bear frozen in the ice between 22,000 and 39,500 years ago. From the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk: [North-Eastern Federal University} scientist Lena Grigorieva said of the island discovery of the adult beast: 'Today this is the first and only find… READ THE REST
Bring the karaoke bar home with this on-demand software
For years, karaoke was relegated to those places with a dedicated system and an archive of tracks for use. Now, Karaoke On Demand essentially gives you frustrated artists the chance to bring your song stylings out of the bar and into the outside world 24/7/365…whether the world is ready for you or not. Karaoke On… READ THE REST
Ditch the binoculars and travel light with this high definition monocular telescope
With everyone looking for increased portability from all their necessary items, it's a surprise monocular telescopes haven't eclipsed binoculars yet. But it may not be too long before these lightweight marvels are nudging their way past their big, bulkier brother as the instrument people reach for to get a quality view from a distance. While… READ THE REST
No kitchen is complete with a great molcajete and this one is on sale for under $55
There are few tools in the history of humankind that stretch back as far as the molcajete. Going back thousands of years to the ancient Mayans and beyond, the process of crafting stone mortar and pestle instruments to grind up spices is a staple of Mexican and South American food preparation. There are also few… READ THE REST
