College libraries have been lending laptops to students on short-term loans for years. Clearly, computers are deemed to be essential for work and education alike. But as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola? At Drexel University in Philadelphia, yes. The university recently teamed up with the Free Library of Philadelphia to create a vending machine that...
The Internet, social media and smartphones have all changed journalism and the way journalists do business. We now live in a 24-hour news cycle and stories need to be published immediately to avoid being scooped by Twitter. But as a look at any newspaper's balance sheet will tell you, traditional media outlets were slow in adapting to and...
While alcohol consumption in general remains relatively flat, consumers are guzzling down more expensive, high-quality liquor in recent years. Whiskey has proven especially popular with a new generation enamored with the Golden Age of cocktails. First bourbon was in vogue as the main ingredient in classic cocktails that hadn't been seen since...
As marijuana legalization spreads across the USA, entrepreneurs are racing to get in on the ground floor of this nascent market. Many established companies are wary of the sector because contradictory state and federal regulations make the business of pot a risky proposition. Start-ups on the other hand, have lots less to lose, so the race to...
Wind and solar power projects have seen major gains in the past few years as the world looks for cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. In the search for green energy, many other ideas have been proffered, including wave power and algae fuel, two of the more novel options. But for many scientists and researchers, the Next Big Revolution in clean...
If you’ve been to a museum in North America or Europe lately, you may have noticed signs banning those popular selfie sticks. And we are seeing endless media stories linking selfies to an unhealthy self-reverence, creating a backlash against the recent selfie obsession. Because you’re a selfie fanatic yourself, you probably getting a bit...
Fingerprints have long been associated with crime investigations. Now shoeprints are making their way into the crime-fighters toolkit with a new technology that can tell how people walk. Of course, many people share shoe brands and models, but interestingly, individuals can be identified based on the weight distribution that shows in their...
One hallmark of our green-conscious age has been the rapid rise of reusable, cloth grocery bags, sold at checkout counters or brought from home. Some cities have banned single-use plastic bags altogether, which others encourage (or require) stores to charge a few cents for them. Either way, plastic bags and other packaging create obvious issues...
Here's one unintended result of the recent openness regarding gender issues and identity: A trend towards gender-neutral names. Want proof? Just look at envelope-pushing celebrities. While famous people have long been known for giving their children odd or unconventional names, recent naming trends suggest that parents are choosing names that...
Coffee connoisseurship has officially trickled down to the masses. Everyone drinks coffee, it seems, but truly gourmet cup of joe used to be the exclusive domain of a lucky snobby few. Over the past few decades we have witnesses a long-simmering trend that is slowly but surely making connoisseurs of us all. Starbucks, of course, gets the most...