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First telescopic eye implant approved by the FDA

Macular degeneration usually strikes when you are older. It’s an eye disorder that damages the center of the retina, so it makes those suffering from the disease unable to consume media and diminishes their ability to recognize faces. It’s also one of the leading causes of blindness.

The FDA gave the green light to a telescope eye implant, which could be used to restore the central vision in the 500,000 people suffering from end-stage macular degeneration.

Read story on SmartPlanet »

Newsweek Tumblr journalist takes job at Tumblr

Mark Coatney did such a good job with Newsweek Tumblr, he is now leaving the magazine for the startup blogging website, Tumblr.

In Coatney’s Tumblr blog, he wrote:

One of the reasons I’ve long been interested in online journalism is in the ways it can be, in a way no other medium can, a two-way communication between writer and reader; Tumblr is one of the best ways I’ve seen to accomplish that.

Read story on Techstartups.com »

Meredith acquires the mobile marketing specialist The Hyperfactory

Meredith bought The Hyperfactory to boost the company’s mobile marketing business. Meredith took a minority stake in The Hyperfactory last year, so it just announced the purchase of the rest of the mobile service.

“The completion of our acquisition of The Hyperfactory is consistent with Meredith’s commitment to excellence in marketing services for our clients,” Meredith Integrated Marketing President Martin Reidy said in a statement. “Mobile is a critical part of the marketing portfolio and its importance is growing at an incredibly rapid rate.”

Read the story on Techstartups.com »

New remote sensing system can detect explosives and drugs

Ever since the underwear bomber on a Northwest Airlines flight failed to ignite a powdery substance Christmas Eve, airport security regulations have been put into question.

When airport authorities claimed high-tech security scanners could have prevented this from ever happening, the scanning devices that used terahertz (THz) technology attracted some eyeballs.

A number of the new body scanning machines have been deployed in major airports in the United States. However, privacy advocates worry the see-through-your-clothes scanning machines reveal way too much.

Read the story on SmartPlanet »

How high-temperature superconductors could change the power grid and medical devices

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who cranked up their air conditioning on full blast during the heat wave last week.  My Florida upbringing failed to prepare me for the 103 degrees Fahrenheit weather. But luckily, the lights stayed on and the electricity kept flowing.

With the help of sensors and electrical meters, the national grid did not fail despite the sudden demand. This is not always the case — back in 2003, a blackout event left 55 million people without power.

Read the story on SmartPlanet »