‘Meanwhile, the poor Babel fish, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different races and cultures, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation.’ Douglas Adams, Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

Google now offers instant machine translation in Google Talk, a step on the road to the ultimate Babel [...]

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Two and a half years ago, Zopa launched its social finance concept in the UK. Yesterday, they finally went live in the US. While the basic principle is the same—consumers lend to other people instead of banks, and both parties win—Zopa US deviates from the path taken by its British sibling.
While Zopa UK uses [...]

Shout out to my former colleagues, now moving into new territory.
Plum TV’s Miami Beach channel has pretty much dumped all other news in favor of heavy and varied Art Basel coverage. For now they’ve posted some sneak peeks and back stories like what’s up with those anti-anti-fairs and the brewing controversy surrounding local galleries and [...]

QR Codes – Internet to Cell Phone via Camera: “An anonymous reader writes ‘From ITWorldCanada comes an article about a technology that might change the way people use their cell phones in North America: ‘A Toronto-based software developer wants to bring Quick Response (QR) codes to Canada, and an industry analyst says this may appeal [...]

Mathieu Lehanneur’s indoor air filtration system pulls in filthy air to be processed through a plant’s leaves, roots, and humidity, reintroducing purified air back into the room.
Bel-Air is a mini mobile greenhouse that continuously inhales the space-polluted air, forces it through three natural filters (the plant leaves, its roots, and a humid bath) before ejecting [...]