A new type of electrically conductive and transparent metal has been developed by US researchers that is significantly cheaper than the cost that it takes to make today’s smartphone displays.

Current screens are based on indium tin oxide (ITO). And over the past 10 years, the cost of ITO has varied. It went from $200/kg to $1000/kg. Now, it has settled at its current price of $750/kg. Ultimately, this means that phones (and other devices that require the material) are rather high in price and vary greatly based on the whims of the market. Ultimately, this is because ITO contributes to the about 40 percent of the production cost of a smartphone or tablet. The rest of the price can be attributed to the cost of memory chips and processors, the latter of which has continued to drop.

To that end, scientists from the Pennsylvania State University began working on an alternative to ITO that can potentially match the optical transparency, electrical conductivity, and efficiency that traditional materials in use provide.

Source: New Transparent Metal Developed for Smartphones and Other Displays – Futurism

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The blast radius of a database dump is huge.

Source: Scared, dead, relieved: How the Ashley Madison hack changed its victims’ lives | Fusion

Will the GOP as we know it survive 2016?

A very interesting piece, from a conservative, on the travails and possible futures of the GOP. -egg

Will the Republican Party Survive the 2016 Election? – The Atlantic

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I thought this was a pretty thought-provoking read, even if I don’t agree with every point. It really is pretty sad to think how far the situation has diverged from our idealistic imaginings in the nineties and oughts.

Does our fatigue with unfiltered opinion reflect a larger philosophical change, though? Are we disenchanted with the idea of equality itself? Our expectations of people, people generally, have been so disappointed. People just turned out to be so much dumber than we had hoped. Dumber, angrier, more irrational, impulsive. People are just scary. What does this say for our enshrinement of democracy?

Perhaps media managers have decided not that they hate people, or even people with opinions, or even people with stupid opinions, but that the expressing of an opinion must require a minimum symbolic effort, it must require entering a system of conventions. At least in spaces that they are paying for. Outside these, people may create any number of their own spaces with different conventions. Is this drawing of new boundaries an abandonment of democratic principles? I think not: We restrict voting in elections in a number of ways (age, citizenship) and yet our elections are still deemed democratic. A refusal to provide a space in which blind rage is fomented is not the abandonment of democracy, but the protection of it.

Russell Smith: Say bye to the online comment section as you know it

Inspired by the relics of his parents’ past as Czech publishers and book smugglers, Martin Tomsky (previously) produces laser-cut illustrations that introduce depth with several layers of plywood in varying tones. Originally immersed in drawing detailed scenes on paper, Tomsky transferred his skills to the 3D, creating stories that seem tangled in lore and feature the outlines of animal skeletons, dense forestry, and mythical beasts.

The London-based artist aims to create work that speaks to craft, illustration, and sculpture, each piece serving as both a decorative object and wall-mounted story. Although many of his works are large and intricate productions, he also works small, singling out animal characters like owls, rabbits, and badgers in necklace pendants and brooches. You can see more of Tomsky’s laser-cut tales on his Etsy and Facebook page here.

Source: New Laser-Cut Wood Illustrations by Martin Tomsky | Colossal

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hosted the inauguralMIT Water Innovation Prize, inviting attendees from around the world to pitch their water-conservation device or business to a panel of judges for a chance to win grants totaling $30,000. One of three big winners for the night was a new washing-machine filter that seeks to recycle 95 percent of laundry wastewater.

Source: Making a Washing Machine That Recycles Its Own Water