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
Study demonstrates that anti-radiation phone stickers do nothing
Can stickers—as in adhesive- or magnetic-backed paper—block phone radiation? Not these ones, says the University of Surrey in England. The stickers are sold by a U.K. company, Energydots, to exploit the country's pitch into 5G conspiracy theories and mystic paranoia. The stickers are about $35 each, shipped; Energydots has also falsely claimed to be in… READ THE REST
Floating a foil boat on heavier-than-air gas
Others have done this demo, but this is a great recent example in a large tank full of sulfur hexafluoride. Their demonstration of its voice-lowering properties was not as good as some, though. Image: YouTube / Da Vinci TV READ THE REST
Is the human gaze a physical force?
Is the human gaze a physical force? It sure feels like it sometimes. Princeton University researchers scanned subjects' brains to gain insight into why we subconsciously interpret "other people's visual attention as an invisible, force-carrying beam projecting from the eyes." This isn't about the paranormal investigations into whether you can "feel" when someone is staring… READ THE REST
Lightkey Pro predicts what you're going to write next – and can supercharge your texts, emails, and more
Thanks to machine learning, algorithms know us now as well as we know ourselves. Once artificial intelligence starts building a file on you and your habits, assessing data, then extrapolating outcomes, it becomes very clear how much we each follow our own particular patterns – and how easy it is for some smart AI to… READ THE REST
It's a desk lamp, a night light, and a gorgeous art piece – all wrapped up in one
When you buy an item to perform a task you need done, but there's such beauty to it that you'd gladly display it even if it did nothing at all, you know you've hit a sweet spot. The Tree of Lyte Motion Sensor Bird Night Light Tree and Illuminated Eggs by Lift Care absolutely fits… READ THE REST
These 10 deals can teach you an instrument and get you started recording music your way
and Drums Master Class Bundle – $59.99; originally $1,791 You've gotta walk before you can run…which is why these instrument lesson packages are the perfect starting point for any budding musician. For ax men and women, The Ultimate Beginner to Expert Guitar Lessons Bundle includes almost 60 hours of training in learning the guitar, proper… READ THE REST