Innovation : All Tech Considered An exploration of interesting ideas that solve problems, introduce new experiences or even change our world.

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Innovation

Wednesday March 26, 2014

Getting Your Head Into The Facebook-Oculus Virtual Reality Deal

An attendee wears an Oculus Rift HD virtual reality headset at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Getting Your Head Into The Facebook-Oculus Virtual Reality Deal

March 26, 2014 • Author Howard Rheingold has been thinking about virtual reality tech for decades. He spoke to All Tech Considered about Facebook's purchase of the company behind the Oculus Rift headset.

How A Cold Brew Can Stop You From Checking Your Smartphone

A beer glass that only stands if it can rest on your smartphone. Fischer & Friends Agency hide caption

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Fischer & Friends Agency

How A Cold Brew Can Stop You From Checking Your Smartphone

March 26, 2014 • When you're at a bar, staring at your device instead of chatting with friends defeats the purpose of being there in the first place. This innovation steers beer lovers toward the right choice.

Tuesday March 18, 2014

Weekly Innovation: Paper Notebooks That Become Digital Files

Mod Notebooks sell for $25 each, which includes a prepaid envelope and digitization. Courtesy of Mod Notebooks hide caption

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Courtesy of Mod Notebooks

Weekly Innovation: Paper Notebooks That Become Digital Files

March 18, 2014 • This week's innovation pick marries good old-fashioned notebooks with digital storage options. That way you can keep your ideas and sketches in the cloud and access them when you need them.

Wednesday March 5, 2014

Automakers Eye Laser Lights To Let Drivers See Farther At Night

The i8, which has the optional laser headlights, will be on sale in Europe this summer. BMW is working with the U.S. Department of Transportation to get it approved for a U.S. release. BMW hide caption

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BMW

Innovation

Automakers Eye Laser Lights To Let Drivers See Farther At Night

March 5, 2014 • BMW has started making a car with optional laser headlights, which are brighter and more energy-efficient than even LED lights. Laser technology could also end up in street lights and projectors.

Wednesday February 26, 2014

Supersonic Jet Throws Traditional Design 'Out The Window'

Slim screens embedded into the walls of the aircraft can be dimmed or changed to one of many stored images. Spike Aerospace hide caption

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Spike Aerospace

Innovation

Supersonic Jet Throws Traditional Design 'Out The Window'

February 26, 2014 • An 18-passenger plane created by a Boston-based company will feature windowless travel. Instead, cameras outside the aircraft will project images onto thin screens, giving passengers panoramic views.

Thursday February 20, 2014

Deep Learning: Teaching Computers To Tell Things Apart

Cat Or Dog? Sure, you can easily tell the difference. But a machine may not be able to guess on the first try. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Science

Deep Learning: Teaching Computers To Tell Things Apart

February 20, 2014 • The first step in recognizing people could be telling the difference between a cat and a dog. Facebook is investing in artificial intelligence research, with the hopes of better sorting your photos.

Deep Learning: Teaching Computers To Tell Things Apart

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Monday February 17, 2014

DIY Houses In The Internet Age: Some Assembly Required

Good things come in small packages. Lacy Williams, an architecture student, and her boyfriend, Patrick Beseda, built a WikiHouse to live in during a field project in Utah. Patrick Beseda and Lacy Williams hide caption

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Patrick Beseda and Lacy Williams

Innovation

DIY Houses In The Internet Age: Some Assembly Required

February 17, 2014 • Remember the Sears kit houses from the early 1900s, ordered from a catalog and assembled on-site? Now, online designers around the world are building WikiHouses out of plywood pieces that fit together like a puzzle. No nails, no fasteners, no adhesives. Just slot-together joints and the Internet.

DIY Houses In The Internet Age: Some Assembly Required

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Wednesday February 12, 2014

Weekly Un-Innovation: There's Nothing To See Here

You saw Nothing. Milan Vermeulen/Courtesy of Nothing hide caption

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Milan Vermeulen/Courtesy of Nothing

Innovation

Weekly Un-Innovation: There's Nothing To See Here

February 12, 2014 • Forget high-tech gadgets that are supposed to make your life easier. Today, we're writing about ... Nothing. Pim de Graaff, a copywriter from Amsterdam, creates handmade black wooden blocks called Nothing to remind you that you already have enough stuff.

Sunday February 9, 2014

Tech Week That Was: Industry Gossip, Wikipedia Starts Talking

New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will take over for Steve Ballmer, who has announced his retirement. Microsoft Handout/Getty Images hide caption

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Microsoft Handout/Getty Images

Innovation

Tech Week That Was: Industry Gossip, Wikipedia Starts Talking

February 9, 2014 • Between Microsoft's CEO announcement, Twitter's earnings report, Facebook's 10th birthday and Yahoo's disclosures of government requests — there's a lot to catch up with.

Friday February 7, 2014

Technology Tracks Crews Through The Fog Of Wildfire

Crews work a controlled burn in Geneva, Fla., in December. The state's forest service has rolled out a system to track equipment during fires, and hopes it can eventually be used to pinpoint firefighters, too. Joshua C. Cruey/Courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel hide caption

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Joshua C. Cruey/Courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel

Innovation

Technology Tracks Crews Through The Fog Of Wildfire

February 7, 2014 • Communication breakdowns can be fatal for firefighters, but are all too easy when crews are shrouded in smoke and a blaze is moving fast. Florida, with its millions of acres of forest and grassland, has rolled out a new system that can pinpoint crews without relying on voice communication.

Technology Tracks Crews Through The Fog Of Wildfire

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Thursday February 6, 2014

Sensory Fiction: Books That Let You Feel What The Characters Do

Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have created a "wearable" book. MIT Media Lab hide caption

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MIT Media Lab

Innovation

Sensory Fiction: Books That Let You Feel What The Characters Do

February 6, 2014 • Apparently, just imagining what's happening on the written page isn't enough. A new wearable device uses temperature controls and lighting to mimic the experiences of a story's protagonist.

Sunday February 2, 2014

Beirut Bombing Spawns An App To Tell Loved Ones 'I Am Alive'

Sandra Hassan put her app online in late January as yet more explosions struck Lebanon. She hopes it will help people in conflict zones, and areas hit by natural disasters. STR/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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STR/AFP/Getty Images

Innovation

Beirut Bombing Spawns An App To Tell Loved Ones 'I Am Alive'

February 2, 2014 • Bombings are a frequent reality of living in Lebanon, so Lebanese student Sandra Hassan made an app to alert let friends and family know you're okay after violence strikes. It's getting a lot more attention that she had originally imagined.

Beirut Bombing Spawns An App To Tell Loved Ones 'I Am Alive'

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Saturday February 1, 2014

Wheels On The Bike Go Round And Round (To Make Music)

Sound designer and composer Steven Baber used state-of-the-art recording equipment to get gorgeous sounds from his bikes. Devin Whetstone hide caption

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Devin Whetstone

Innovation

Wheels On The Bike Go Round And Round (To Make Music)

February 1, 2014 • Sound designer Steven Baber challenged himself to create a piece of music using only bicycle parts. The result is "Bespoken," an atmospheric piece of music that is all the more beautiful considering the unlikely instrumentation.

Wheels On The Bike Go Round And Round (To Make Music)

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Thursday January 30, 2014

Small Cinemas Struggle As Film Fades Out Of The Picture

The Roxie Theater in San Francisco still has two 35 millimeter projectors, but the switch to digital is inevitable. Laura Sydell/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sydell/NPR

Innovation

Small Cinemas Struggle As Film Fades Out Of The Picture

January 30, 2014 • Paramount became the first big studio to distribute a major film in the U.S. only in digital, and others will probably follow. Small cinemas are struggling to raise money for the transition. Despite resistance from some major directors, the end of film is almost upon us.

Small Cinemas Struggle As Film Fades Out Of The Picture

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Wednesday January 29, 2014

A Boarding Pass Design That's So Much Better Than What We Have

The better boarding pass design. Pete Smart hide caption

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Pete Smart

Innovation

A Boarding Pass Design That's So Much Better Than What We Have

January 29, 2014 • You're in a hurry and just want to make your connection. Unfortunately, your boarding pass doesn't make it easy to quickly see the information you need. A British designer has an answer.