Smart News / Smart News Ideas & Innovations

Cool Finds

Forget Driverless Cars, These People Want to Make Driverless Cargo Ships

While drone ships aren’t around the corner, they’re probably coming soon enough to keep ship workers up at night

February 27, 2014

Trending Today

A Drug Company Tried to Block the Use of Pentobarbital in Executions, But U.S. States Are Finding Ways Around the Ban

In 2011, the Danish company behind the drug, Lunbeck, banned the sale of pentobarbital for execution purposes.

February 26, 2014

Cool Finds

Cities Across the Country Say: End Savesies on Snow Days

Car owners save shoveled parking spaces with weird household items, and officials say it’s got to stop

February 26, 2014

Cool Finds

Reusing Hotel Towels Actually Does Make a Difference

Laundry accounts for 16 percent of hotels’ water usage, which translates into significant energy costs

February 25, 2014

Trending Today

The EU And Brazil Are Planning to Sidestep the NSA With a $185 Million Cross-Atlantic Cable

The EU and Brazil are partnering to lay new fiber-optic cables across the Atlantic

February 25, 2014

Cool Finds

This Incredible, Folding Design Could Change How Doors Work

It’s about time the door industry got a little more exciting

February 25, 2014

Cool Finds

This Baby-Making App Is Taking on the Task of Insuring Against Infertility

Those who do not conceive after 10 months receive funds for infertility tests from either a public pool they contributed to or from their employer

February 25, 2014

Trending Today

Tech Companies Are Trying to Make NSA-Proof Encrypted Phones And Apps

From encryption apps to encrypted phones, telecommunications companies are pushing back

February 24, 2014

Cool Finds

Naples’ Dog DNA Database Tracks Owners Who Don’t Clean Up After Their Pets

U.S. condo building picked up this idea, and now Naples is spreading it across a city

February 24, 2014

New Research

Computer-on-a-Ring Reads Text Out Loud

MIT’s prototype FingerReader reads text aloud

February 24, 2014

Cool Finds

Smart Business Plan: Selling Girl Scout Cookies by Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Somebody should get a “smart businesswoman” badge

February 24, 2014

New Research

Prison Education Systems Can Keep People From Being Incarcerated Again

But education budgets in prisons were slashed during the economic recession

February 20, 2014

Cool Finds

Will Smart Guns Actually Save Lives?

Smart guns, like the Armatrix iP1, will only fire for their owner

February 19, 2014

Cool Finds

China’s Growing Number of “Baby Hatches” Allow Parents to Anonymously Give Away Their Children

China will install at least two baby hatch facilities in each of the country’s provinces

February 18, 2014

Cool Finds

Caffeine Kick Not Doing It For You? Try a Mild Electric Shock—The Pentagon Is

Direct jolts of electricity to the brain give a burst of alertness

February 18, 2014

Cool Finds

To Avoid Deer Strikes, Finland Is Painting Deer Antlers With Reflective Paint

Attempts to keep motorists from hitting animals usually center around making cars and roads safer, but the Finns are heading straight to the source

February 18, 2014

Cool Finds

Hamburg Plans to Become Car-Free By 2034

But should there really be zero cars?

February 17, 2014

Cool Finds

New York Could Grow All Its Own Food

Theoretically, New York City could become largely self-sufficient

February 13, 2014

Trending Today

Programmers Across the Country Are Self-Organizing to Protest NSA Surveillance

“The Day We Fight Back” campaign seeks to reform the NSA

February 11, 2014

Cool Finds

You Could Soon Make Coca-Cola in the Comfort of Your Own Home

How a Keurig Coke pack will work is still under wraps, but Coca-Cola is taking aim at the home-made soda market

February 11, 2014