Instagram – 600 Million Users and Counting

Today Instagram is proud to announce their community has grown to more than 600 million Instagrammers. And the last 100 million of you joined in just the past six months.

A lot has changed this year, but the Instagram community and the diversity of expression it provides has remained consistent. And you now have more ways to share than ever before with Instagram Stories, live video and disappearing photos and videos in Direct. Additionally, with updated safety tools that give you more control over comments and other parts of your experience, they’re working to make Instagram safer than ever for connection and self-expression.

This article originally appeared at: http://blog.instagram.com/post/154506585127/161215-600million.

I Clicked on an Ad. Found Something AWESOME!

This thing caught my eye. Mostly because I was watching what kind of ads we have here on Ochen.com
I clicked, watch the video and I WANT ONE!
Unlikely I’ll ever consider a purchase and it’s got limited use for most of us. 
I think it’s the first great banner ad experience I’ve had in over a decade.
These guys got their money’s worth buying ads on Ochen. I’m sharing with everyone, and assume at least one of my followers will find it good for their business.

The rest of you can watch and remember “Technology and progress are Ochen”

Can We Change The Past?

Do we change the past or just our illusion of it? 
If you can’t tell the difference, it’ doesn’t matter. 
You are in control of your reality.

“The past is never where you think you left it.” – Katherine Anne Porter

Join Jason Silva as he freestyles complex systems of society, technology and human existence and discusses the truth and beauty of science in a form of existential jazz.

Self-Driving Uber running red light – Pretty Scary

Uber just had one of the weirdest days ever

Yesterday morning, Uber announced that its self-driving car service was live in San Francisco. However, the launch wasn’t without its share of controversy. Apparently, the 7-year-old company failed to get a permit from the California DMV for “autonomous vehicle testing.”

According to Uber, that’s because they don’t consider their cars to be autonomous, since they have 2 humans involved — one ready to grab the wheel, the other watching for pedestrians and taking notes.

Fast-forward a few hours…

A video was uploaded to YouTube that shows one of Uber’s modified vehicles running a red light. And we’re not talking about a questionable offense here… it’s pretty darn blatant.

Then, around the same time, a Lyft rider tweeted that a self-driving Uber had just “lurched into the intersection” nearly hitting that car she was in.

Doesn’t look like Uber ever responded to the second incident (maybe they think it’s their competitor, Lyft, trying to blowup their spot?), but here’s their response to the video:

“This vehicle was not part of the pilot and was not carrying customers. The driver involved has been suspended while we continue to investigate.”

Hmm, okay.

And it only got worse from there…

The California DMV, clearly frustrated by Uber’s utter disregard for the rules, sent a letter saying that the company “must cease” operating its self-driving cars.

They then added, “If Uber does not confirm immediately that it will stop its launch and seek a testing permit, DMV will initiate legal action, including, but not limited to, seeking injunctive relief.”

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the worst first day in self-driving car history. Well, the only first day, but still…
This article originally appeared at: http://thehustle.co/uber-self-driving.

New Synthetic Diamond Is Harder Than Nearly All Found in Nature

Technology moves us forward. We our traditions keep up? A real diamond has always beat a synthetic. Now that it doesn’t, will we still want the ones that are now inferior?

Diamonds are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Not only can they be used to create stunning jewelry, they can also cut through some of the toughest materials on the planet. Now, an international team of scientists, led by researchers from Australian National University (ANU) and including experts from RMIT, the University of Sydney, and the United States, has developed in a lab a diamond that’s even harder than the jeweler’s versions.

In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team describes how they developed Lonsdaleite, a nanocrystalline hexagonal diamond, from glassy carbon. Named after pioneering crystallographer Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, this type of diamond has thus far only been found in nature at the site of meteorite impacts. The researchers’ nano-sized creation was made in a diamond anvil at 400° Celsius (752° F), though it would require a temperature twice that to be formed in a laboratory.

Lonsdaleite is much harder than jewelers’ diamonds, and its ability to cut through ultra-solid materials would be particularly useful for a variety of applications. “This new diamond is not going to be on any engagement rings. You’ll more likely find it on a mining site,” lead researcher Jodie Bradby from ANU’s Research School of Physics and Engineering told Phys.org. “Any time you need a super-hard material to cut something, this new diamond has the potential to do it more easily and more quickly.”

“Smaller Is Stronger”

Of the strongest materials known to man, Lonsdaleite seems to be near the top of the list. It sets itself apart from typical diamonds found in nature through its hexagonal structural composition. “The hexagonal structure of this diamond’s atoms makes it much harder than regular diamonds, which have a cubic structure,” said Bradby.

What’s most impressive is that the researchers were able to produce nanosized versions of this diamond. “We’ve been able to make it at the nanoscale, and this is exciting because often with these materials”smaller is stronger’,” Bradby added.

The diamond will definitely make industrial processes that require cutting ultra-solid materials a lot easier, and it joins a long list of super materials we’ve been able to make in labs to help us do everything from create faster computers to build better nuclear reactors.

This article originally appeared at: https://futurism.com/new-synthetic-diamond-is-harder-than-nearly-all-found-in-nature/.