Category: Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

Plastic made from pollution hits U.S. market

Feb 1, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Environment, Technology (Energy), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

USA Today: Plastic made from pollution hits U.S. market This is pretty amazing! … Industry experts told them it was a fool's errand. For good reason. Scientists had spent decades trying to capture carbon and use it to make plastic but couldn't do it cheaply enough. The two friends cracked the code by developing a…
The New Industrial Revolution: Everyone’s a Maker

Feb 1, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

Mashable: The New Industrial Revolution: Everyone’s a Maker We’re in the midst of another Industrial Revolution, and it’s all thanks to 3D-printing. While there are several startups working to expedite adoption of the innovative technology, MakerBot is the household name looking to get 3D-printers in the hands of the masses.
Why The Washing Machine Was The Greatest Invention Of The Industrial Revolution

Jan 29, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Economic Development, Human Progress, Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Trends: Economic, Trends: Social

Business Insider: Why The Washing Machine Was The Greatest Invention Of The Industrial Revolution "I was only four years old when I saw my mother load a washing machine for the first time ever. That was a great day for my mother," Hans Rosling, a professor of global health at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, said in…
Are Economic Output and Energy Consumption Decoupling?

Jan 28, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Economic Development, Environment, Great Divergence, Technology (Energy), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

Washington Post: Can we sever the link between energy and economic growth? This is a very important story that is easily overlooked. Why? People genuinely concerned about global economic growth frequently default into a Malthusian thought process. It goes something like this. We have X amount of economic activity today, and that economic activity requires…
A 200-Year Look At Automation And How It Has Improved Our Lives

Jan 21, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Economic Development, Great Divergence, History, Human Progress, Social Media, Technology, Technology (Biotech & Health), Technology (Digital, Telecom, & Internet), Technology (Energy), Technology (Food & Water), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Technology (Transportation & Distribution), Trends: Economic, Trends: Social
The (Mostly) Improving State of the World

Jan 16, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Economic Development, Economics, Environment, Globalization, Health and Medicine, Human Progress, Poverty, Religion, Science, Sociology, Technology (Biotech & Health), Technology (Digital, Telecom, & Internet), Technology (Energy), Technology (Food & Water), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Technology (Transportation & Distribution), Trends: Economic, Trends: Social, Weatlh and Income Distribution

Washington Post: 40 charts that explain the world Our friend and colleague Max Fisher over at Worldviews has posted another 40 maps that explain the world, building on his original classic of the genre. But this is Wonkblog. We're about charts. And one of the great things about charts is that they show not just…
Science and Technology Links

Dec 19, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Africa, China, Evolution, Health and Medicine, Links – Science and Technology, Science, Technology, Technology (Biotech & Health), Technology (Digital, Telecom, & Internet), Technology (Energy), Technology (Food & Water), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Technology (Transportation & Distribution), Trends: Economic, Trends: Social

1. Scientific American: Scientific American's Top 10 Science Stories of 2013 A carbon threshold breached, commitments to brain science made, mystery neutrinos found and human evolution revised—these and other events highlight the year in science and technology as picked by the editors of Scientific American 2. Reuters: "Peak farmland" is here, crop area to diminish:…
’50 Social Innovations That Changed the World’

Dec 11, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Culture, History, Politics, Public Policy, Sociology, Technology, Technology (Energy), Technology (Food & Water), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Technology (Transportation & Distribution)

Atlantic: '50 Social Innovations That Changed the World' They left BBQ off the list, but other than that, it is an interesting list … 50 Social innovations that changed the world more or less in chronological order. Rank order in top 10 shown in [ ] 1. Irrigation that2. created a structured bureaucracy, land measurement…
All the Countries That Contribute to a Single Jar of Nutella

Dec 11, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Capitalism and Markets, Economics, Globalization, Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

Atlantic: All the Countries That Contribute to a Single Jar of Nutella A great map that gives insight into how the global market works. As I read this, the stories of "I, Pencil" and "I, Smartphone," which I've previously blogged about here, illustrate the amazing complexity of market economies and how things are coordinated.
Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt: The world behind a simple shirt, in five chapters

Dec 4, 2013

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by

mwkruse

in Capitalism and Markets, Economics, Globalization, Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

NPR has a wonderful set of five short videos (most about 1.5 minutes) that follow the creation of a t-shirt from the cotton field to the store. It is a well-done and thoughtful presentation about the wonder and challenges of living in a global economy. Be sure to check it out at Planet Money Makes…