The “magic” in this plastic flying carpet is pure technology, nothing wizardly or genie-liscious about it. Shove off Aladdin, move over Solomon, technology is catching up with fantasy, the BBC reports. The prototype flying carpet is described in the journal Applied Physics Letters: “We use integrated piezoelectric actuators and sensors to demonstrate the propulsive force produced by controllable transverse traveling waves in a thin plastic sheet suspended in air above a flat surface, thus confirming the physical basis for a ‘flying’ carpet near a horizontal surface…
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
Engineering graduates ‘taking unskilled jobs’
Nearly a quarter of UK engineering graduates are working in non-graduate jobs or unskilled work such as waiting and shop work, a report suggests, reports BBC News. The study says it is “not easy or automatic” for qualified engineers to find related employment in the UK. Employers and industry leaders have repeatedly raised concerns about a lack of good quality science and engineering graduates…
…Read MorePearson announced partnership with Royal Holloway University to enter the degree market
The university is to validate a degree in business, developed by Pearson, which says it eventually wants its own degree-awarding powers, BBC News reports. A White Paper last week outlined government plans to allow the expansion of private degree providers…
…Read MoreOld technology finds role in Egyptian protests
On 27 January, Egypt fell off the internet as virtually all international connections were cut following an order from the government. But older technologies proved their worth as net activists and protesters used them to get round the block, reports BBC News. Protesters are also circulating information about how to avoid communication controls inside Egypt. Dial-up modems are one of the most popular routes for Egyptians to get back online. Long lists of international numbers that connect to dial-up modems are circulating in Egypt thanks to net activists We Re-Build, Telecomix and others…
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