I know that the headline sounds absolutely crazy, but this is actually a true story.  A Silicon Valley executive named Anthony Levandowski has already filed paperwork with the IRS for the nonprofit corporation that is going to run this new religion.  Officially, this new faith will be known as “Way Of The Future”, and you […]

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The pamphlet Black Book Volume 1: Principles of Extreme Living by Christopher S Hyatt, with Nicholas Tharcher, S Jason Black, has a lot of quotable quips, but one must consider them in context of the question “to what end?” I suspect that far too many would read this as a primer on how to justify […]

CHICAGO—Worrying that he could be caught off guard anywhere, at any time, area man Dan Moritz on Friday was reportedly afraid some woman might come out of the woodwork to hold him accountable for something. “I’m honestly starting to get a little freaked out that a woman could, out of nowhere, start demanding that I…

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What ancient stones on a tiny Pacific island can teach us about Bitcoin, blockchains and the future of money.   Future of Money click for video Source: Quartz (11:26)

The post Future of Money appeared first on The Big Picture.

"She walks in beauty, like the night. Of cloudless climes and starry skies." So begins the eloquent poem written in 1813 by the powerful pen of none other than Lord Byron.

Dozens of defense contractors showed off their latest gear and technology at the annual International Police Chief Association conference and exhibition this past week in Philadelphia. 

Everything from lethal and non-lethal weapons, body armor, drones, policing software, uniforms, and even vehicles were on display, including a new armored vehicle called "The Rook."

The Rook, designed by Ring Power Corporation, a heavy equipment company that modifies vehicles, is essentially an armored Caterpillar vehicle that has been modified for SWAT and other police units. 

It comes with four attachments and can be used for all kinds of scenarios, including hostage rescue, barricaded suspects, riots, and natural disasters.

At least 25 different police departments across the US have purchased one, and many more are interested, a Ring Power Corporation sales manager, Shaun Mitchell, told Business Insider Tuesday. 

Check it out below:

SEE ALSO: We spent 3 nights in the NYC underbelly with a crime reporter to see how safe the ‘safest big city’ in the US really is

SEE ALSO: Trump just reauthorized police to use high-tech military gear — Here’s what they can get

The Rook is built off a Caterpillar chassis that has been modified with armor, night vision, thermal imaging, multiple cameras, a wireless remote control and four attachments.

The Rook is named after the chess piece, meaning checkmate, Miller said. 

It was designed by a man named Jeremy Eckdahl about 10 years ago, but wasn’t marketed much until Ring Power Corporation bought the design 5 years ago.

Source: Shaun Mitchell, Ring Power Corporation. 

It retails for about $315,000 and has been sold to 25 police departments so far

The Rook was even used by the San Bernardino Police to take down Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the married couple who carried out the terrorist attack in 2015. 

Here are some other police departments using The Rook:

• New York Police Department
• New Mexico State Police
• Albuquerque Police
• Pennsylvania State Police
• Mississippi State Police
• Jacksonville Police 
• Boca Raton Police

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

And they may be coming to an airport or store near you.

Here’s an application for 3D printing that will probably be more useful to most people than trinkets, homemade guns, and prototype parts: Floors. The Dutch company Aectual is using huge robots to make cool, completely customizable floors designed to be walked on by hundreds of thousands of people in airports and other public spaces. After installing its first floor at Loft’s flagship store in Tokyo, the company plans to install a new one at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in November.

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Last week we offered the ultimate beginner’s guide to WTF Blockchain is. However, for those with even shorter attention spans – squirrel – WIRED magazine has managed to explain why there is such fervor surrounding the blockchains in under two minutes.

Saving the planet, fixing healthcare, replacing conventional currency – there is apparently nothing that the shared-database technology known as blockchains can’t fix. At least, that’s the impression given by the horde of governments, banks, entrepreneurs, and tech companies working on the technology.

But what is a blockchain and why the excitement? If you’ve got 2 minutes, WIRED can explain…

From her small studio in rural Alaska, artist Laura C. Hewitt fuses the technological with the handmade, producing cyberpunk dishware and cyborg decor from wheel-thrown ceramics. A recurring theme in her work are plates, cups, and bowls speckled with 0’s and 1’s formed by vintage alphanumeric and punctuation keys from old typewriters or machinist punches. She often fires the pieces multiple times to enhance the worn appearance of each object, pieces that might look right at home on the desk of H. More

Dreaming can really lift you up! Who’s already dreaming of the weekend? ? –
“The dream” by @minodisumma_. Painted for #Appartengo street fest in #Stigliano, #Italy. –
#globalstreetart #streetart #urbanart #art #dreamart #dreaming #floating #strairstoheaven #stairsart #streetartfestival https://www.instagram.com/p/BatXlhuFd5D/

Artist and designer Matthias Jung (previously here and here) collages unique elements of architecture to create imaginary homes set in isolated landscapes. The works float above environments on the outskirts of civilization, appearing like a mirage above rolling plains or an arctic glacier.
The details Jung chooses for his compositions are selected based on the feelings they elicit. For example, the German designer might select latticed windows to convey a sense of coziness in a work, while including concrete to provoke a certain coldness. More