Tesla Motors Regenerative Braking

I just read an interesting overview of regenerative braking in electric cars.  When you step on the throttle, torque is applied to driving the motor and this consumes battery power, but when the car is rolling and you step off the throttle, reverse torque is applied to the engine and it immediately becomes a generator, not a consumer, of electrical power. 

I was always curious how this worked, and if you are too, and want more details, read the article.

US Deploys and Recalls 'Pain Ray'

As reported in this article by Al Jazeera, check out this $120 million 'pain ray' deployed to Afghanistan, and then immediately recalled as, not surprisingly, a PR disaster.  I'm not arguing that pain rays are evil while water cannons, flash-bangs and tear gas are good, but people are very easily frightened by things they don't understand.  I can see how a pain ray, packaged in an camouflaged truck with a big satellite-dishy thing on top, would be super juicy low-hanging fruit for Taliban propagandists to make America look like an even greater Satan.

PES: Fresh Guacamole

Remarkable piece of work!

Bret Victor On Invention, Ethics, And A 'Principle Driven Life'

A computer conference presentation by Bret Victor, an Apple "human interface inventor," that shows what a paradigm shift looks like.  Computer nerds will love this, but I think a far broader audience than that will be inspired...


Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle from CUSEC on Vimeo.