This week we learned about a science fair project that identified millions in potential savings by simply switching fonts. Swapping from Times New Roman to Garamond would save the U.S. federal government $400 million in the cost of ink. Make it so, I say!
All the money saved could be ploughed into Big Data, which has now become Big Business. Intel have reached into their pocket to lead in a $740 million round of investment in the data diggers at Cloudera.
And as they do, the FT publishes an article sceptical of the very idea of Big Data. I tend to agree with the FT on this - it’s not that Big Data is not a thing, it’s that it is just a thing and probably doesn’t warrant the gratuitous sprinkling of capitals
Carbon Nanotubes are catching my attention a lot lately. With “a thermal conductivity higher than diamond, greater mechanical strength than steel - orders of magnitude by weight - and better electrical conductivity than copper”, the potential applications are many. We’ve known about them for ages though, and nothing much has come of them. Are they really of practical use?
Finally, something a bit more light-hearted. I don’t have words for how much I want one of these robotic kangaroos. Not cuddly, but all the neighbours kids would want one. And why shouldn’t they have one? They would make the world a better place.