China and Russia added the most to their defence spending in 2013

2014 will be the first year that global defence budgets will grow overall since 2009, according to the IHS Jane’s Annual Defence Budgets Review from IHS Inc the leading global source of information and analytics. Total global defence spending in 2014 will be USD1.547 trillion up from USD 1.538 trillion in 2013 – 0.6% increase …

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Star Trek TV series rumors do not seem credible, do not expect a Star Trek TV series until 2017

There was an internet rumor of two Star Trek TV shows with plots related to future police shows. These rumors are not credible to me. J.J. Abrams has said CBS Is ‘Not Interested’ in a new Star Trek TV series. Sparked by the success of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, Abrams wasn’t optimistic about Star …

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Ultra high definition TVs, a few native high resolution movies and TV shows for tens of hours of content in 2014

Samsung’s currently has a 85-inch Ultra HD display is priced at $40,000, while LG has a 84-inch Ultra HD display priced at $17,000. LG Electronics and Samsung have each announced new 105-inch Ultra HD TV displays. Both call their new displays the first and largest curved Ultra HD TVs so far. Each of the LCD …

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Age and Crime and Radical Life Extension

Crime peaks around age 17 or 18. Age and the Explanation of Crime, Revisited from the University of Arizona re-examines age and crime. They followed 1,300 serious juvenile offenders in Phoenix and Philadelphia over a seven-year period. They controlled for 40 different things that were changing over these seven years. The researchers were able to …

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Over 200 million electric bikes in China in 2013 and What to Look for in a $1000 E-bike

People in China rode more than 180 million e-bikes (electric bikes) by the end of last year, up 36 percent since 2010, according to Wood Mackenzie Ltd. Average lead content in a two-wheel e-bike has dropped from about 13 kilograms (29 pounds) in 2010 to 11 kilograms last year, according to the Edinburgh-based researcher. There …

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Stem cell breakthrough could lead to new bone repair therapies

Scientists at the University of Southampton have created a new method to generate bone cells which could lead to revolutionary bone repair therapies for people with bone fractures or those who need hip replacement surgery due to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The research, carried out by Dr Emmajayne Kingham at the University of Southampton in collaboration …

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Business Card VChip brings accurate, cheap, and portable blood testing everywhere

The V-chip is the size of a business card and can test for 50 measures (like insulin and other blood proteins, cholesterol, and even signs of viral or bacterial infection all at the same time) from one drop of blood. The V-Chip could make it possible to bring tests to the bedside, remote areas, and …

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Iraq sees oil exports reaching 6 million barrels per day by 2017

Iraq laid out more milestones on its path back to oil producing power, targeting 6 million barrels per day exports by 2017, and confirming it was currently pumping more than neighbor and fellow OPEC member Iran. Iraq milestone targets for oil exports Year Exports Total Production 2012 2.6 million bpd 3.2 million bpd 2013 2.9 …

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China’s central and local governments plans 12.6 trillion RMB (Over US$2 trillion) in spending

Forbes – Weak economic data from the world’s second largest economy continues to stoke fears that as China slows down, it will exacerbate the cooling of the global economy. But it shouldn’t be all gloom and doom, according to Nomura’s economic research team, which suggests Chinese output will rebound sharply in the fourth quarter on …

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