Matt's Favorites: Las Vegas Getting Michigan Firm's Smart (Spying?) Streetlights, The Future Of Twitter, Falling Satellite And Much More
So what else is new and cool in science and technology? Let's try these on for size...
* First of all, here are links to the Tech Report home page and Tech Report Page Two, as well as our latest reports on tech-related meetings and events in Michigan.
*CNet's News.com reports that Las Vegas is installing new streetlights from Intellistreets, a division of Farmington Hills-based Illuminating Concepts. The smart streetlights feature adjustable lighting, high-tech display technology, the ability to crank out custom sound -- oh, and the ability to shoot video and record audio. So are the streetlights a spy or a comforting security system?
* In the wake of the social media company's $31 billion public offering, Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey describes to CBS News' Tracy Smith his vision for the future.
* Speaking of Twitter, a new interactive site displays where, and how often, people around the world use the F-word on Twitter. Looks like New York is really effed up.
* The European Space Agency says that one of its research satellites that ran out of fuel will most likely crash to Earth into the ocean or polar regions. The agency said Sunday the crash is expected to occur between 1830 GMT Sunday and 0030 GMT on Monday.
* Bulletproof vests may be practical, life-saving garments, but they're hardly fashion-forward. Some people demand both fine tailoring and the ability to keep bullets from penetrating their bodies. Those people are putting orders in with Canadian tailor shop Garrison Bespoke for a bulletproof suit. Garrison specializes in luxury garments, so don't gasp when you find out the bulletproof suit starts at $20,000. Carbon nanotubes in a layer under the exterior fabric harden on impact to stop both bullets and knife blades. The technology was originally developed for use in military applications.
* The Olympic torch relay leading to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, chalked up a space first Saturday, with two cosmonauts staging a symbolic handoff, passing the torch back and forth while posing for publicity shots during a six-hour spacewalk at the International Space Station.
* Yeah, this is probably what they should have done in the first place: Three 20-year-olds in a San Francisco startup incubator have created their own website that addresses some of the most annoying problems with HealthCare.gov.
* But the government does get some things right. Here's a look at all the high tech in the USS Gerald R. Ford, a new class of aircraft carriers named after Michigan's only native son to become president.
* Google plans to include a dozen or so massive sails on its four-story barge under construction in the heart of the San Francisco Bay, creating a floating artistic structure the Internet giant promises will "stand out," a newspaper reported Friday. After weeks of speculation that barge would be "a party boat," a data storage center and a store to sell its Internet-connected glasses, Google on Wednesday revealed that it plans to use the vessel as an "interactive space where people can learn about new technology."
* Consumers waiting for the new iPad Mini may have to wait awhile longer. Apple is pushing back the launch of the Mini 2 due to burn-in problems on the tablet's LCD panel, AppleInsider reports, citing Korean News site ETNews.
* Mobile broadband speeds can vary widely, but now the Federal Communications Commission is turning to the smartphone community to get a more accurate picture of how wireless carriers compare. The FCC is expected to hear a presentation this week on FCC Speed Test App for Android, which will record smartphone users' data speeds nationwide for analysis by the commission, according to a meeting agenda reported Friday by the Wall Street Journal.
* Claiming that customers demand being able to get away from their families and shop earlier, Best Buy will now open at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving evening, rather than midnight.
* Looking for a cool audio Christmas gift for someone? (Like maybe your favorite science writer, hmmmm?) Well, News.com found a terrific tabletop stereo system from Sony at a very reasonable $140.
* Last week we learned about scientists studying the physics of men making a mess in urinals. This week? The future may hold urine-powered robots!
