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When dreaming up that world-changing invention, wouldn't it be great if you could just sketch out the circuits and have them magically work? That's the idea behind Circuit Scribe, a ballpoint pen that's full of quick-drying ink that'll help you doodle your circuits on notebook paper. Emerging out of research from the University of Illinois, the team is now accepting your cash through Kickstarter to help bring it into the real world. $20 will get you a pen and an LED component, while $30 will buy you a basic kit, complete with plenty of accessories to help you test the systems to their fullest. We imagine it'll be a big hit with STEM educators as well as hobbyists, but if you're not yet convinced, check out the video to watch it in action.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Kickstarter

Under Kaz Hirai's leadership, Sony has seen its mobile business turn into a profit driver and its mirrorless cameras competing with professional-class DSLRs. While Sony's hardware manufacturing credentials have been restored, however, other parts of the company remain in a troubled state. Chief among them is the entertainment division, which Sony is announcing plans to restructure and downsize in the wake of some outspoken criticism and mounting losses.

Sony Entertainment has been subject to an impassioned plea from one of Sony's big shareholders, who wanted to see it detached from the monolithic Japanese company and offered up on the stock market as a standalone business. CEO Hirai declined the idea, underlining the value of Sony's...

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Adblock Plus already lets you customize Facebook and Twitter, offering to remove content that isn’t strictly advertising. Starting today, the service is expanding its blocking powers to YouTube as well.

Adblock Plus is particularly annoyed with YouTube’s recent decision to force its users to use the Google+ commenting system, which it says makes it “impossible to remain anonymous.” Even though a petition campaigning against the change has passed the 200,000 mark, Adblock Plus admits it “looks as if their voices will be ignored.”

Enter the YouTube Customizer page, Adblock Plus’ latest tool that lets you selectively remove 10 “annoyances” from the service:

Adblock Plus explains it wants to put its users back in control:

In addition to the infamous 30-second video ads served on the site, YouTube injects a lot of other content in your browser. Like the comments or suggested videos. Perhaps you’d like to see some of this content, perhaps you’d like to see none of it – our YouTube Customizer page puts you in charge of what you see and what you don’t.

Here is the full list of 10 elements that you can now block, assuming you have the extension installed:

• Comments.
• Suggested Videos.
• Featured Videos in the Endscreen.
• Recommended Videos in the Endscreen.
• Sharing tab in the description.
• In-Video Annotations.
• Related Channels on Channel Pages.
• Featured Channels on Channel Pages.
• Popular Channels on Channel Pages.
• Recommended Channels on the Homepage.

In the last few weeks, Adblock Plus has started bravely poking a lot of big companies. Users certainly appreciate the moves, but we’re not so sure the story will end quietly.

See also: Not just ads: Adblock Plus now lets you block 21 other ‘annoyances’ in Facebook’s News Feed and sidebar and Adblock Plus now lets you remove photo and video previews from Twitter’s website

Top Image Credit: asabird

Back in the 1970s, Americans typically lived longer than residents of other countries.

Not anymore: A new report out this morning from the OECD shows that the United States' average lifespan has fallen one year behind the international average, lower than Canada and Germany, more akin to the Czech Republic and Poland.

This isn't to say our life expectancy has gone down: Quite the opposite: you can actually expect to live about eight years longer in the United States right now than you would have in 1970. But our life expectancy is growing a lot more slowly than other countries.

This 213-page, graph-laden OECD report tells the story of why. It shows the United States as a country that is spending tons and tons on health care--but getting way less than other countries out of that investment. It exposes a country that's really great at buying fancy medical technologies, but not so fantastic at using those medical technologies to extend life. It is, in short, the story of why our health care system is so screwed up.

There are some things that the American health care system is great at and, at the top of the list, it has to be the ability to spend money. We spend more than any other country.

What do we spend that money on? Well, we're usually at the top of the list when it comes to buying fancy medical machines, like MRI and CAT scan technology. When you look at the OECD lists on who has the highest rate of medical technology per capita, the United States always cracks the top three.

We make great use of those machines, too, and do lots of screenings with our MRI and CAT Scan machines. More than one in 10 Americans get an MRI exam each year, a rate higher than any other country. In Austria, which has a life expectancy more than two years longer than the United States, the MRI exam rate is just about half of ours.

We're also great at screening patients for different diseases, like cervical cancer. As with medical technology use, the OECD report shows then United States typically has some of the highest screening rates in the world. More than three-quarters of American women receive a cervical cancer screening, a rate higher than any other country.

Screenings and medical scans are used a lot in American medicine, the OECD report shows. But what we don't do a lot of are regular doctor visits. The average American makes four trips to the doctor in one year, compared to an international average of six visits.

That might have something to do with the fact that we don't find our doctor visits especially helpful. Compared to the Swiss or the British, we're less likely to think our doctor spent enough time with us or provided easy-to-understand explanations.

What we have, essentially, is a medical system that is heavy on screening and tests, but light on actual trips to the doctor. We're great at checking for problems, but less great at following through with treatment for any problems we do find. While the United States, for example, has the highest rate of cervical cancer screenings, it also has a below-average five-year survival rate for the disease.

This certainly isn't true for every disease. The United States, for example, has the highest rate of breast cancer screenings--and the best five-year survival rate for that disease. But, unfortunately, a lot of the time, that isn't true.

To be fair, the health care system doesn't tell the full story of our life expectancy. The United States has higher than average morality rates from violence and traffic accidents, another factor the OECD points to in explaining why the United States' life expectancy has lagged.

But the health system likely plays a key role, too. Yhe United States has the highest rate of uninsurance in the countries the OECD studied, right below Estonia and Mexico. It's plausible to think this can make it difficult to seek follow-up treatment when a screening does identify a problem.

And this brings us back to the start of this story, our slowing life expectancy growth. Our health care spending is like no other country--but our life expectancy is also middling. You can see that in this chart, where the United States spending on health care charted against life expectancy pretty much looks like no other country out there.

"While life expectancy in the United States used to be one year above the OECD average in 1970, it is now more than one year below the average," the authors write. "Many possible explanations have been suggested for these lower gains in life expectancy, including the highly fragmented nature of the U.S. health system, with relatively few resources devoted to public health and primary care, and a large share of the population uninsured."

We're spending a lot on health care but, when it comes to life expectancy, not getting much back in return.

The rumors of a Monty Python reunion are true. After The Sun reported that surviving members of the British sketch comedy group would be coming together for a live stage show, the news was confirmed this morning during a live press conference. Monty Python will perform at London's O2 Arena on July 1st, 2014. Member Eric Idle has also taken to Reddit to share the good news. "I'm sure you've seen the exciting news, but here we are to confirm it, officially: Monty Python is reunited," he writes.

Not only is he confirming the reports, but he's brought his four cohorts — John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin — along for a Reddit AMA. The question and answer session will last approximately 90 minutes and start at...

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It took the best part of fifty years, but Bob Dylan finally came around to the idea of making a video for "Like a Rolling Stone." An interactive video introduced today to coincide with the release of a Bob Dylan anthology pays fitting tribute to what has become a classic track in an original and innovative way.

The player on Dylan's site takes the form of a TV set, encouraging you to flick through the channels on offer. Every channel plays a different show, but each is dubbed seamlessly with Dylan's track. What you're left with is a star-studded, interactive experience that feels like a Bob Dylan themed episode of The Twilight Zone. Drew Carey hosting The Price is Right, scholars on the History Network, the cast of Pawn Stars, an ESPN...

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Pinterest has begun opening up its API as a means to allow third-party sites and publishers to display top Pins beyond the interest-based social network. The company revealed today that Disney, Nestlé, Walmart, Hearst, and Zappos are some of the brands that have been chosen to be the first users of the long-desired API feed.

Through Pinterest’s Domain API, these brands will be able to display the most clicked-through or the Pins shared the most, enabling their users to see content that has been deemed popular with users of the social network.

Starting today, popular Pins can be found on AllRecipes, Better Homes and Garden, BuzzFeed, Disney sites Babble and BabyZone, Elle Magazine, Mashable, ModCloth, NBC News Digital’s iVillage, Nestlé, Random House, Snapguide, Target, Walmart, Wayfair, Whole Foods,Zappos, Zulily, and “coming soon to Spoonful and Taste Book.”

Pins displayed will be refreshed in real-time, enabling brands to highlight their products that match the users current interests.

The API will be free and, as the Wall Street Journal notes, Pinterest will not take any fee from generated sales. However, the sites will have the social network’s logo featured and is definitely a user acquisition strategy.

Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Square Wallet. Google Wallet. PayPal. For many years, these mobile payment apps have been heralded as the successors to our overstuffed wallets and purses. Adoption of these services, however, have been slow. It’s driven one startup to launch a crowdfunding campaign for Coin, a physical card that replaces everything in your billfold.

It looks just like any other credit card and can be processed by the vast majority of credit card terminals. The low-key device has a small display and a button for cycling through all of your stored cards. Select the one you need for that given moment and then swipe your Coin through the terminal to make a payment.

Much of its appeal stems from the comfort and familiarity associated with physical cards. With mobile payment apps, there is still a moment of doubt where I wonder if the store will accept the app I’m using, or even know what it is. The effort associated with explaining the service, or dealing with the embarassement when the clerk says they don’t accept it, usually puts me off using it altogether.

Even if the person you’re dealing with raises an eyebrow at Coin, they’ll know what to do with it. Just swipe it across the terminal and punch in the amount that needs to be deducted from the card. Furthermore, it doesn’t require any special hardware or software.

Coin comes with a small card reader that attaches to the bottom of your smartphone. Using the Coin app for iOS or Android, you can swipe each card in your possession and then take a picture of the information on the front. The card is then stored on the app using 128-bit encryption and synced with your Coin using a Bluetooth Low Energy connection.

Once you’re set up though, you won’t need to access the app or your smartphone in order to continue using Coin. This pairing is only required when you need to manage, add or delete cards.

Similar to Bikn, Linquet Mini and Button TrackR, Coin also comes with some useful security features. If you leave it behind in a store, bar or restaurant, you’ll be alerted through the companion app. In the event that you lose your Coin, it will also disable itself automatically.

To make this device a reality, the team behind Coin is launching a crowdfunding campaign to the tune of $50,000. Each Coin will retail for $100, but you can reserve one for half that price if you get in early. In addition, there’s a $5 discount for every friend you refer. The first units are expected to ship in the summer of next year.

In short, this is a card to replace all of your cards. Until mobile payment apps are truly commonplace across the world, Coin seems like the best alternative. It’s similar to the Wallaby Card, although Coin gives you greater control over which credit, debit, or gift card you’re using at any given moment.

If it means we can finally leave our wallet or purse at home, we’re certainly interested.

➤ Coin

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