For the last 28 years, I have written a prediction column for the new year. I study our research and look for trends that provide hints of what might impact the tech industry in the near future. In 2017, be on the lookout for augmented reality products (more so than VR), the further development of autonomous vehicles and smart cities, and the impact of the […]
Doctoral student Shuo Li shakes hands with an optoelectronically innervated prosthesis. Credit: Huichan Zhao/Provided Most robots achieve grasping and tactile sensing through motorized means, which can be excessively bulky and rigid. A Cornell group has devised a way for a soft robot to feel its surroundings internally, in much the same way humans do. A group led by Robert Shepherd, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering […]
Oil prices surged above $57 a barrel for the first time since July 2015 on Monday, rallying as much as 6.5 per cent after the Opec cartel clinched a long-sought supply pact with Russia and other big crude exporters. Russia led a loose coalition oil producers from outside Opec, including Oman, Mexico and Kazakhstan, in an agreement signed this weekend to reduce supply by 558,000 barrels a […]
In Australia, over 137,390 animals once called pets are received annually by the RSPCA [PDF] alone, with rescue homes and animal shelters receiving surrendered animals faster than they can re-home those already in care. With few options other than euthanasia for those animals unable to be placed, self-taught coder John Bishop decided he needed to do something and launched Pet Rescue in 2003, an online service connecting […]
ALEPPO, Syria The Syrian military operation to recapture rebel-held east Aleppo is in its final stages after the army took Sheikh Saeed and other districts, Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the Aleppo security committee, said on Monday. “The battle in east Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don’t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,” he told a group of reporters in the […]
Gabriel Yared begins every day the same way. He gets up, and reaches for a Bach score, burying his head in the baroque master’s music. “Why do I do this? I put a ceiling of perfection and beauty over my day, and every day is the same to me – trying to reach beauty,” says the celebrated French-Lebanese film composer, who was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement […]
The recent deal to keep Carrier jobs in the United States is not at all unusual. It only received so much press because Trump made it a campaign issue and saw an opportunity to record a big early PR victory before he even took office. Government and corporations cooperate, negotiate deals, scratch each others backs, kickback ill-gotten gains, and function as a career advancement funnel for corrupt […]
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants fans began booing early in the third quarter of their team’s game with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It was an impressive show of restraint. Booing in the first quarter would have been understandable. The Giants’ offense certainly deserved it. Odell Beckham Jr., who had dropped two crucial passes, knew that. “I walked onto the field and told myself, ‘You need […]
By Howard Schneider | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve inaugurates the Trump era this week with a near-certain interest rate increase and new economic forecasts providing a first glimpse into whether the U.S. election has reshaped the central bank’s growth and inflation outlook. Fed fund futures show a 97 percent probability that the Fed will lift rates by a quarter of a percentage point at the end […]
By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry | ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT Syrian rebels have received a U.S.-backed proposal to leave Aleppo along with civilians under safe passage guaranteed by Russia, rebel officials said as government forces closed in on Sunday, but Moscow denied a deal had been reached. If the proposal were to be taken up by all sides, it would end four years of fighting in […]
Monday 02.15 GMT Overview Markets around Asia were mostly higher, buoyed by a surge in oil prices and following on from another set of records for Wall Street on Friday. Hot topic Ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on Wednesday, government bond yields are hovering at their highest levels in months. Of note, the yield (which moves inversely to price) on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury […]
Natural gas and wind are the lowest-cost technology options for new electricity generation across much of the U.S. when cost, public health impacts and environmental effects are considered, according to new research. (via WSJ)
Even in today’s increasingly globalised, genre-melding world of music, many fans remain remarkably territorial – none more so than the stereotypically snobby classical connoisseurs. Yet different genres more in common that you might think, and a series of concerts, hosted as part of the Abu Dhabi Classics, aims to explore and expose the relationship between classical and pop music, with the help of a man who has […]
The first global crude supply pact in 15 years has underlined the growing energy alliance between Saudi Arabia and Russia, as the depth of the two-year oil slump forces co-operation between once unlikely partners. Russia led the main oil producers from outside the Opec cartel, including Mexico and Kazakhstan, in a deal signed this weekend to reduce supply by 568,000 barrels a day — with Moscow, the […]
It was a wild second half, made even wilder as the Eagles resorted to sideline tryouts for a new longsnapper after a series of injuries. Brent Celek, a tight end, was sent out for one attempt but his snap was fumbled by Donnie Jones resulting in a turnover on downs that Washington converted into a touchdown. Trey Burton, also a tight end, then got a shot and […]
As Democrats continue to spin the fake news narrative, because it’s simply impossible that Hillary (the candidate who lost both Wisconsin and Michigan to a Socialist in the Democratic primary) lost fair and square, Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, penned an op-ed in the Washington Post yesterday that suggested registering RT and Sputnik as “foreign agents,” claiming that they “campaigned openly for one candidate, Donald […]
Photo Mayor Nir Barkat of Jerusalem says he is optimistic that when Donald J. Trump is president, he will move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, whose status is contested by Israel and the Palestinians. Credit Associated Press/Tsafrir Abayov The mayor of Jerusalem says that he is optimistic that once Donald J. Trump becomes president, the United States will quickly move its embassy in […]
Luke Hemsworth has just played a prominent part in one of the TV events of the year – Westworld, HBO’s TV adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1973 techno-noir thriller movie. The sci-fi drama is about an amusement park populated by lifelike robots who start to develop consciousness and become self aware. The show takes the basic idea behind Crichton’s film – robots run amok at a theme park […]
ADEN: Forty-eight Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by the Daesh group in the southern port city of Aden, officials said Sunday in an updated casualty toll.“We have 48 dead and 29 wounded,” all soldiers, Abdel Nasser Al-Wali, health department chief for Aden, told AFP, revising an earlier toll of 35 dead.The bomber detonated his explosives belt as hundreds of troops had gathered to […]
An astounding 60 percent of employees have been given their walking papers at Yik Yak, a chat app particularly popular among college students. The massive layoff saw the 50-strong startup reduced to a motley crew of 20 on Dec. 8. Yik Yak Layoff The recent development has been surprising for tech industry observers because Yik Yak has managed to raise $73.5 million from investors since it began its […]
Photo A nun surveyed the scene after a deadly bombing at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo on Sunday. Credit Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters CAIRO — A bomb ripped through a section reserved for women at Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral during Sunday morning Mass, killing at least 25 people and wounding 49, mostly women and children, Egyptian state media said. The attack was the deadliest against Egypt’s Christian minority […]
Rick Telander admits he has an addiction. “I read three to four hours each day,” Telander said. “Sometimes as much as eight hours. I can’t stop myself. I am addicted to the English language.” Naturally, Telander jumped at the opportunity to be the editor of “The Best American Sports Writing: 2016.” The annual anthology, overseen by series editor Glenn Stout, should be a must-read for every sports […]
By Patrick Markey | QARAQOSH, Iraq QARAQOSH, Iraq For decades, the Immaculate Conception Church in Qaraqosh was the heart of Iraq’s largest Christian town. After two years under Islamic State rule, it lies scarred and desecrated. In the church’s inner courtyard, Islamic State fighters set up a shooting range for target practice, leaving behind bullet-riddled female mannequins and hardboard figures when they were driven out. The yard’s […]
Our round-up of the week’s best comment and analysis from the Financial Times focuses on the expectations of boom times for US stocks, the troubles of active fund managers and Italy’s dilemma after the referendum. The selection is taken from our Markets Insight and Smart Money columns, written by industry contributors and FT commentators. US stocks may be at record levels but there is no end to […]
