Google’s New Initiative Will Use Tech to Write Local News Stories

In an effort to cover areas not presently serviced because of the financial woes of newsrooms, Google has committed over $800,000 to develop a software that automates news for The Press Association in the UK. Known as Radar—Reporters And Data And Robots—the service should be able to produce more than 30,000 local news stories per month, turning data into readable content. This division of Google’s …

An Elevator That Goes Every Which Way

ThyssenKrupp’s Multi won’t be your average elevator beholden to a life of ups and downs. To debut soon in a Berlin residential tower, the Multi forgoes cables for strong magnetic levitation (the same technology found in high-speed trains). This means that the elevator cars will float along hoistway guide rails in all directions—even diagonally. They aren’t going to be super-fast—moving (at a reliable 1,000 to …

Why 2,000-Year-Old Roman Concrete Still Stands

How is it that 2000 years later, certain Roman ruins still stand in harbors? Geologists have determined that it pertains to one of the components—aluminum tobermorite, a rare mineral found in volcanic ash. When struck with seawater (another component of Roman concrete, along with lime and rock), a possolanic reaction occurs where the tobermorite crystallizes and spreads—adding further strength. Thus, longterm seawater exposure only reinforces …