An interdisciplinary MIT study led by the MIT Energy Initiative has led to a 332-page report entitled The Future of Solar Energy. Among its key findings are that today’s solar panels are all that is needed to supply the world with many terawatts of clean solar power by 2050 (a terawatt is equivalent to 1,000,000 megawatts). The other main …

      Many parents today recall childhoods where we were pushed out of the house by our parents, while told simply to “go outside and play.” But our children seem to be growing up in a different world: one filled with scheduled activities, hovering parents, and a lot of screen time. A new startup called Tinkergarten, now backed by half a …

      With growing attention on food additives, supplements, diet drinks, and general good nutrition in the United States, many parents are becoming more conscious and proactive about what they serve their children and what they consume as well. This, combined with our nation’s population of aging, health-conscious baby boomers, creates an ideal environment for businesses involved in the …

      As a technology-law blogger, I monitor emerging developments in information technology. What’s hot in IT today? Any short list would have to include social media, mobile, wearable technology, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and Big Data. That list is all over the map, right? So, what’s the connection between, say, social media and the IoT? Or …

      As cities continue to grow at a dizzying rate, commuters are constantly battling ever-increasing congestion on the roads and a lack of parking, just to get to work. But now a team of German engineers have come up with an ingenious solution — a “flexible” electric vehicle capable of shrinking, driving sideways (think like a crab) and …

    Does DARPA employ psychics or something? I mean they must, or how else can you explain this precognitive glimpse at the modern world? The advanced research agency produced it more than a decade ago! Admittedly, many of the ideas featured were already rolling out, in development or pulled from sci-fi, but you can see the futuristic vision (and …

    HTC has launched a new smartphone in its Butterfly range, the J Butterfly (HTV31) in Japan. The smartphone is now listed on the company’s Japanese site as well as mobile carrier KDDI’s website. There is no word on pricing of the HTC J Butterfly (HTV31); though the company has confirmed that it will be released sometime in summer …

      China has warned soldiers against using smartwatches, high-tech spectacles and other Internet-connected wearable gadgets, saying they could “endanger security” after a recruit was caught trying to take a photograph of troops. “The use of watches that have internet access, location information, and telephone conversation functions should be considered a violation of secrecy regulations at army barracks,” the …

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc waded into China’s red hot online finance arena on Monday with a new money market fund to compete against the likes of tech rivals Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings.Dubbed “Huoqi Bao”, Xiaomi’s new personal finance service will offer deposit rates higher than traditional Chinese banks and will be accessible via an app to be …

    A Russian mission to resupply the International Space Station failed because of a fault with the carrier rocket, the head of Roscosmos space agency said on Tuesday. The Russian Progress M-27M cargo ship, carrying almost three tonnes (2,722 kg) of supplies, burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere last week after ground crews lost control of the freighter shortly …