Pluto, The Magic Of Blockchain, and DIY Smart Mirrors

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Maker Message Monday!

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of “Maker Message Monday”, a list of what we are enjoying or pondering as Makers!

 

Random Shower Thoughts

science random shower thoughts

Videos We Are Watching

The transformation of China’s Shenzhen from a modest fishing village to a futuristic metropolis is challenging to wrap your mind around.

40 years ago in Shenzhen, you would have found dirt roads and farmland. Now you find skyscrapers and robot wars inside those buildings.

 

The tech revolution unfolding is being driven by the startups and the people competing for the world market.

In this video, Bloomberg Businessweek’s Ashlee Vance travels to witness firsthand and explore what is making this city transform so rapidly.

 

 

 

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Articles We Are Reading

We hear Blockchain all the time on the news but typically it is about cryptocurrencies rocketing in valuation or crashing and burning (often both at the same time).

However, the real value isn’t only in currency.

Our friend from STEM.org, Andrew Raupp, believes Blockchain concepts could transform and streamline transactions and recordkeeping in all sorts of fields – specifically education. 

“If individual educational records were encrypted in this way, I believe K-12 assessments could be better coordinated as well. Instead of annual high-stakes tests that vary by state and grade level, one could imagine a more longitudinal assessment system that tracked achievement over time. For example, if an eighth-grade student passed a tenth-grade geometry test, she would carry that accomplishment on her record wherever she went, allowing her to continue her math education at the appropriate level for her as an individual, rather than having to retake the same test for the next several years. In this way, blockchain could help revolutionize personalized education.” – Andrew Raupp, Founder STEM.org

Read the full article “Blockchain: A Revolution For STEM Education” here!

 

Projects We Are Enjoying

What is a “smart mirror”?

Technically any mirror that communicates with the internet could be considered a “smart mirror”.

What would you want your mirror to tell you?

The weather, time, if that shirt matches those pants…

Okay maybe the last one was a little much but one day our mirrors will be able to engage with us to help us with our everyday tasks!

Well… that day is today!

In this week’s tutorial, SrivishnuT is going to show us how to make a DIY smart mirror for under $80!

 

 

Join Maker Message Monday to receive more videos and articles like this every Monday in your Inbox!

 

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