Ada Lovelace is largely credited with having written the first computer algorithm. She is also recognized as being the first to understand how a mechanical calculator could actually be used for computing, how it “might act upon other things besides number.” Born from the union between poet Lord Byron and mathematician Anne Isabella Milbanke in […]

Imagine going to your banker to ask for a detailed overview of the bank transactions that took place last week. Your banker might well laugh at this request. Yet this is already a reality in public blockchains, which allow people to see all their transactions since their creation. These transactions are recorded transparently and anonymously […]

Antikythera Mechanism

In 1900, a group of sponge divers found the Antikythera wreck off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island of Antikythera. Among the wreckage was the oldest example of an analogue computer – a hand-powered orrery, or mechanical model of our solar system that predicts the positions and motions of the planets and moon, including eclipses. […]

A new tool will help future communities become fairer and easier to manage equitably. It’s called a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO. In simple terms, “a DAO is just a way to organize people towards a collective aim.” Based on the blockchain (“a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking […]

Orthopedic 3D printing

3D printers aren’t just good for printing prototypes or, in extremely large cases, building whole bridges or houses. Because the list of things that can be put into a 3D printer is quite possibly only limited by our imagination, what can be printed with it is equally unlimited. Great advances have been made in 3D […]

Without a doubt, the social and economic benefits of the internet are immense, providing continuous access to information, generating new ways of learning, promoting new forms of entertainment, facilitating new contacts and offering the convenience of shopping from home, among them. Despite these clear advantages, though, come certain challenges. One major issue is the ability […]

For the next six weeks, we will feature new and not so new technologies that benefit mankind. The Good Times will highlight such advances as blockchain, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), Web3 and 3D printing/additive manufacturing. We’ll showcase innovations and innovators. Over the years, The Good Times has regularly focused attention on technologies and the people […]

 Here’s one solution to a pressing problem facing the world: the lack of access to modern energy services. This young man, Jeremiah Thoronka, has developed a device that uses energy generated by pressure, heat and vibrations to create affordable and clean electricity. His company, Optim Energy, uses the energy that an object naturally has as […]

Certain dolphin behavior is most likely self-medication, according to new evidence published in iScience this month. The research shows that Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) rub against particular corals and sponges to come into contact with healing mucus that these marine invertebrates release. The rubbing causes the coral polyps to secrete the mucus that is […]

Have you ever heard of forest therapy or forest bathing? Do you know anything about phytoncides? These are all about making you healthier in an incredibly simple way. Forest therapy is “healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments.”  It’s about allowing your body and psyche to be at peace in the […]