Hardware, Prototyping, and Fabrication
It's the dog days of summer, which means it's time to ask the age-old question: is it better to wear a white shirt, or a black shirt?
These all-paper mechanisms put your typical pop-up book to shame.
It turns out we don't really understand how tape works.
♂️ I don't really wear hair clips, but I think I need to get this one(which doubles as a multi-tool).
Software and Programming
One of the most persistent and insidious computer worms in history infected 10 million computers, but it was never used to initiate an attack. (Also, did you know I don't have a worm emoji?)
The NSA open-sourcing its code might seem counterintuitive but a lot of the technology they develop for... security? surveilance? spying? can also have a lot of useful applications in the general software development space - with the proper pre-release modifications.
The best way to gird yourself against fake news is to play a game where you're tasked with creating fake news.
From Gizmodo via the NYC Media Lab: "It's grim, but true: 'once you die, your image is kind of a part of the public domain,' attorney Joseph Rothberg tells Gizmodo. For some dead celebrities, rights are controlled by heirs. So, for example, Whitney Houston's sister-in-law and former manager Pat Houston calls the shots for Whitney's upcoming hologram tour. For-profit moves like these are the estate's decision, but making holograms for personal purposes? Legally, anyone can double your likeness whether you're alive of dead."
Why did I use the computer/laptop emoji with each of these articles? Well, I hadn't initially realized I had already used it once when I added the second one so I decided to just keep going with it for every article in this section.
Science, Engineering, and Biomedicine
A volcanic eruption from the ground? Scary. A volcanic eruption from space? Beautiful.
Do you go on dates for the free food (aka a "foodie call")? You might score high on the "dark triad" of personality traits, too.
Everything you need to know about Uranium.
Mapping, History, and Data Science
What are the densest square kilometers in your city? The way New York jumps around from neighborhood-to-neighborhood is absolutely fascinating to me.
From Ingrid Burrington, a civic-minded techie and dataviz artist I recently discovered: How much does it cost us when the MTA raises fairs?
Could taxis be the solution to urban data collection? These initial results are certainly promising.
Events and Opportunities
Hold on to your hats, kids. We've got a lot of stuff coming up...
TONIGHT, 8/9 Uptown nanotech enthusiasts, this is your moment! Nanotech NYC's next Nanonite Social is being held at Harlem Tavern.
TOMORROW (& 8/17) If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to walk through the streets of New York City without getting hit by a car, you can find out tomorrow (and next Saturday) at Summer Streets, the annual multi-mile street fair held the first three Saturdays in August.
Tuesday, 8/13 Join the New York Biopharma networking group for their August meetup, back at Tir Na Nog in midtown.
Tuesday, 8/13 Celebrate the Summer season at this a special event where IFP members, the Media Center community, and DUMBO neighbors collide. Whether you’re a longtime supporter of either of those communities or just want to learn what IFP stands for and what the Media Center does, this event is for you! Meet and mingle while enjoying complimentary beer, wine, and snacks.
Thursday, 8/15 The Health-Tech Connect meetup group is gathering once again, this time for some drinks, snacks, and informal discussions over at Earl's Beer & Cheese for a special happy hour.
Thursday, 8/15 Join the Hackaday Make It NYC meetup at Kickstarter where Supplyframe's Giovanni Salinas, Sophi Kravitz, and Majenta Strongheart whill host an interactive workshop covering all things product development.
Thursday, 8/22 The Nanotech NYC meetup group heads to New Lab in Brooklyn for their next Nanochats seminar, featuring group leader Jacob Trevino. He'll be discussing the all-important topic of nanotechnology's role in society.
Some other upcoming events to keep on your radar...
Friday, 8/23 Join the New York Academy of Sciences for a brainy comedy night where local scientists will attempt to confirm the hypothesis that science does indeed have a sense of humor.
Friday, 8/23 NYDesigns holds its third community lunch, a great place to meet other inventors, tinkerers, and awesome startups working in and around NYC.
Wednesday, 8/28 The NY/NJ chapter of the Society for Conservation GIS are gathering for an informal chat over snacks and drinks. Come network with the organizing committee and other members of the chapter. If your map-minded data enthusiast like myself, they're always looking for volunteers, presenters, and suggestions for activities.
Wednesday, 9/4 The Transit Techies meetup is back with all of your favorite transit-and-data-related projects. If you like trains, data science, and/or the view from Hudson Yards, I highly recommend you check out what is one of my favorite meetups.
Wednesday, 9/4 NYDesigns is hosting is next Women in Tech Happy Hour at Bierocracy in Long Island City. As always, individuals who identify as female and men are also welcome to attend.
Thursday, 9/5 Join Columbia Nano Labs for their annual Industry Day conference. Learn how you can use and leverage the Nano Labs facilities, hear from a panel of entrepreneurs who have done just that, and listen to faculty and technical experts discuss the way these sophisticated tools contribute to cutting-edge research.
Monday, 9/9 Small science gets a big showcase at Nano Day at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center. Learn about some of the most exciting nanotechnology research and innovations coming from the NYC area and meet other technologists working in the field.
Wednesday, 9/11 Scientists, researchers, cartographers, artists, andeveryone in between will be gathering together at Peculier Pub for the next SciArt mixer.
Wednesday, 9/25 Coming off their 1st birthday party, the NYC JLABS crew is taking a short break for the summer but will be back in September for their next Innovators and Entrepreneurs mixer.
Wednesday, 9/25 The RobotLab meetup's September event focuses on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Industry 4.0 and autonomous manufacturing.
October 11-16 Innovation Week at Mount Sinai. What started as just the SINAInnovations conference is now a week's worth of activities dedicated to bringing New York's biomedical innovation communities together. Here's the full lineup:
Friday-Sunday, 10/11-13 Mount Sinai Health Hackathon. The 4th annual Mount Sinai Health Hackathon will be an exciting 48-hour transdisciplinary competition focused on creating novel technology solutions for problems in healthcare. This year’s theme is Artificial Intelligence – Expanding the Limits of Human Performance.
Tuesday, 10/15 Careers & Connections 2019. October may feel far away, but I promise you it's not and you'll want to be sure to mark your calendars for our next big event, the Careers & Connections mini-conference and networking event, held concurrently with emerging healthcare technologies conference SINAInnovations.
Tuesday & Wednesday, 10/15-16 SINAInnovations Conference. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is hosting its eighth annual SINAInnovations conference around the theme of Artificial Intelligence. A range of talks andpanels will focus on the explosive growth of AI in our society and in particular in medicine, featuring international thought leaders across the range of relevant domains.
Saturday, 10/26 The Future of Care conference is back at Rockefeller University featuring some of the latest breakthroughs in clinical care and the innovators helping shepherd them from bench to bedside. Apply to attend the conference by September 6th.
Map of the Month
What will the climate in your city feel like in 60 years?
Odds & Ends
All you need to make this furniture is plywood or MDF, and a large enough router.