Armin Auctor

Great Sons and Greater Fathers

On Father’s Day, we take a look back at the meaning of fatherhood, both of great sons and greater fathers, and its significance in our present-day society. It seems like wherever we turn, men and fathers are taking a beating, with the blaming of patriarchy for every problem under the sun. In short, fathers are ...

Armin Auctor

A Self-Driving Car’s Choice: Who Lives and Who Dies?

When faced with a choice of either crashing into a young person or a group of adults, what will a self-autonomous vehicle choose? And who is ultimately responsible for this choice — the driver or the car manufacturer? Who provides the ethical framework on which to base decisions for the self-driving car? On what basis ...

Armin Auctor

A highway.

The Future of Banking Looks Like This

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of banking. Even people who never used to access online banking services are now getting accustomed to it since this is the only way to manage one’s banking account in the current scenario. So how will technology change the way we bank in the future? Some indications of ...

Armin Auctor

Internet banking.

Brain Training Apps

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, which are connections between brain cells, in response to learning and experiences. Brain training is done with the intention to improve neuroplasticity. There is opposing research regarding brain training, with some supporting its impact and others concluding, based on the same data, that ...

Armin Auctor

The human brain.

Diamonds: The Future of Energy Storage

What do diamonds have to do with energy storage? Energy storage is one of the most important tech challenges that scientists are tackling right now. How do you make batteries more efficient, safer, and cheaper? This is a question that drives scientists to look into a myriad of options. Researchers from the Queensland University of ...

Armin Auctor

A cut diamond.

World’s Oldest Man Dies in His Sleep and Other Longevity Stories

The amazing longevity of Robert Weighton, confirmed as the oldest living man in the world at 112 years of age, ended as peacefully passed away in his sleep. He was suffering from cancer and died at home in Hampshire, England, on May 28, 2020. A former engineer and teacher, Mr. Weighton was born in Hull, ...

Armin Auctor

Robert Weighton.

The ‘Path to the Underworld’

According to Chinese mythology, souls of the deceased must travel the path to the underworld to face the King of the Underworld who renders judgment for the deeds they committed when alive. The judgment will decide the fate of the deceased — to ascend to Heaven, to be reborn as a human again, to become ...

Armin Auctor

The 'Path to the Underworld'

Tesla and the World’s First Million-Mile Battery

Tesla cars will soon have batteries that can last for a million miles. The batteries are being produced by a Chinese company called Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), which signed a supply agreement with Tesla in February this year. With a life of a million miles, the battery might well outlast the car itself. The million-mile ...

Armin Auctor

A Tesla charging station.

What If We Dumped All Our Trash Into Volcanoes?

Instead of polluting the Earth and its oceans and killing and suffocating the wildlife, why don’t we just dump our trash into volcanoes? Well, it seems logical. They melt even the hardest of substances. If Sauron’s One Ring could not survive the fires of Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings, what chance does everyday ...

Armin Auctor

An active volcano.

Financial Literacy — Part 1: What is Financial Freedom?

Do you know what it means to have financial freedom? What’s your first reaction when an expected turn of events causes you to foot a significant bill, like for example, a medical expense? Or, more simply, how’d you feel if your kid broke the laptop? Do you handle it with equanimity or dread? Well, if ...

Armin Auctor

A pile of money.