Lifeboat Foundation

I don’t have kids. But there are lots of kids in my life. I’ve also worked closely with thousands of entry-level developers over the course of my 20 years in tech. Throughout my career I’ve been approached by parents looking for advice on how to encourage their kids to become software engineers. It is, after all, the #1 profession today, according to US News & World Report. It’s also a really fun job.

There’s a temptation to treat kids like Olympic hopefuls. Get them coding as soon as they can type! Craft an ascetic childhood of programming challenges and summer code camp! Surely, that will ensure their future success. Right?

Well, maybe.

Continue reading “9 Traits of Successful Programmers That Kids Can Develop Now” »

The tallest active geyser in the world may be erupting for the first time since 2014, according to the National Park Service.

Yellowstone National Park employees reported seeing the Steamboat Geyser erupt on Thursday evening, the park service announced Friday. Park geologists then compared the accounts to thermal sensors in the area and determined it “could be a series of minor eruptions.”

Continue reading “World’s tallest active geyser may be erupting deep in Yellowstone National Park” »

Sky map March 2018. Printable star chart to see constellations.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Los Alamos-based startup Ubiquitous Quantum Dots got a $750,000 boost this week to further develop and begin deploying technology that enables windows to generate electricity.

The National Science Foundation awarded a phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant for UbiQD LLC to continue building quantum dot-tinted windows, which can harness sunlight to power everyday consumer products, and eventually entire buildings.

The NSF previously awarded a $225,000 phase I grant in 2016, allowing UbiQD to test and validate its technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado.

Continue reading “Quantum dot startup wins $750,000 grant” »

Following a public naming campaign that drew 115,000 participants, NASA’s New Horizons team has selected the name Ultima Thule for the spacecraft’s second target, Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) 2014 MU69, which the probe is scheduled to fly past on New Year’s Day 2019.

Pronounced ultima thoolee, this name was nominated by more than 40 participants in the campaign, which ran from early November through December 6 of last year.

Initially scheduled to end on December 1, the project was extended five days due to high levels of participation.

Continue reading “New Horizons’ next target nicknamed Ultima Thule” »

The future arrived, and it’s a minivan. Waymo’s fleet of totally driverless cars in Phoenix, Arizona, now lets members of the public hail a ride around the suburbs.

The news: Waymo’s CEO, John Krafick, announced at SXSW in Austin, Texas, that the firm is offering trips to so-called “early riders”—the first people to have signed up to use its robotic Chrysler Pacifica taxis. The minivans don’t have a safety driver behind the wheel, but someone can take control remotely if necessary.

Why it matters: The cars have been in testing without a safety driver for a few months. But this long-awaited advance is the first time people have been able to simply hail a totally driver-free ride using an app, as they would an Uber. It’s a big moment for a firm that hopes to turn its autonomy tech into a viable business by offering driverless rides.

Continue reading “Real people are now hailing Waymo’s robotic taxis, without a driver in sight” »

D rones have become the must-have gadget for tech fans and videographers. Drones let you become a pilot and aerial photographer, getting incredible footage or even taking part in activities like drone racing.

There are a couple of major drone brands out there. DJI is known for making high-end drones close to those used by professionals. Parrot makes cheaper drones, which have slightly less powerful cameras but come cheaper.

Until recently, GoPro produced the GoPro Karma, but the company has recently cut its drone division and will no longer be producing it, so we have left it out for the purposes of this review.

Our brains aren’t flying solo; our emotions also come into play when we’re interacting with the world, new research finds.

Satellite imaging, astronomy and a smart hunch about North Korea propaganda confirmed the launching site of the North Korean missile and a new monument.