The Maldives, an island nation located just south of India, has an average elevation of just five feet above sea level. Eighty percent of the nation hovers just one foot above sea level. The country fears that it’s days may be numbered as the ocean steadily rises.

“Climate change is upon us and the Maldives are feeling it most. That’s why they’re leading the way in trying to find a way to combat the problem.” -Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at the Nature Conversancy

That solution may be self-sustaining man-made floating islands; an arcology of sorts. The nation is going all out to pursue this end, and has the pieces in place to build the world’s first floating golf course and resort. The Maldivian government is working with established cutting edge architectural firm Dutch Docklands, as well as golf course management mainstay Troon Golf to make these dreams a reality.

Have you ever wondered what your grandma would look like break dancing? Do you daydream about your favorite pet fighting zombies? Has the thought of an ill-tempered bookshelf ever crossed your mind? If so, KinEtre is for you. Using rapidly improving object recognition and mapping technology, the farfetched, left field ideas from above are becoming a virtual reality.

Body parts, jewelry, food: what once required extreme craftsmanship and an incredible amount of time and resources is being reduced to an afterthought. Our grandparents would never have believed that we could sit at home andprint a feedwater heater for a 1907 White Steamer, but that’s exactly what’s happening. Although 3D printing may break down barriers and revolutionize manufacturing, we’re quickly learning about a number of dangerous drawbacks.

Some big time domains exchanged hands this month for some big time prices. The seven figure sale of Denver.com sent shockwaves throughout the industry. YG.com, Metal.com and CricketScore.com all sold in July for six figure sums. Here’s a summary of this month’s action.

Many great pranks have been pulled over time using adhesives; duck taping a friend to a bed, gluing coins to a floor, and sticking a ‘kick me’ sign on someone’s back. Unfortunately, pranksters worldwide have been limited by scotch and duct tapes’ elementary adhesive abilities or superglues’ longer than comfortable effects. Fortunately, scientists have been hard at work developing a sticky alternative that will change the way we prank and the way we live our lives. They’re calling it GeckSkin.

An amateur chemist may have invented one of the most important materials in human history. A man with no formal scientific training claims to have created the concoction using a food processor in his kitchen! The problem? He may have been too greedy for us to get to ever experience it. The invention, a non-toxic and extreme heat resistant plastic that could actually be smeared onto an object as a liquid, was dubbed starlite. Not only does starlite hold more promise than most inventions known to man, it also holds more mysteries.

America is addicted to energy. Let’s not even talk about the incredible amounts consumed by our homes and vehicles. This is about fueling the human machine with any type of upper we can get our hands on. Adults have been addicted to coffee for at least 500 years. Ever since Red Bull brought energy drinks to the U.S. and gave us wings, hundreds of rivals have arrived on scene to try and tap into the lucrative market. Now, Five Hour Energy and similar energy shots are popular due to their convenience and kick. Many Americans don’t sleep nearly as much as they should, and need to jump start their bodies to make it through the day. A new alternative to the traditional energy powerhouses has arrived on the scene at the hands of a Harvard Professor.

MySMS is bringing the world together like never before

What if you could text anyone in the world, on any platform, instantaneously and for free? What if you could do this while leaving your smartphone in your pocket? A successful Austrian company, Up to Eleven Digital Solutions, is making these dreams a reality today through a new application called MySMS.

As we work towards a greener and more sustainable future, we’re going to need natural materials that want to work with us. One of the most overlooked smart materials in the world is bamboo. Many people are familiar with it’s versatility, but few know the true extent of the life enhancing benefits that it provides.

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world, with reports of some species growing 1-4 feet per day (though most grow 1-4 inches, but still)! A common misconception of bamboo is that it’s a wood; it’s actually a grass. It’s nearly pest resistant and able to grow in a wide variety of climates, both hot and cold. Bamboo is easy to maintain as it requires little water. Bamboo can shelter us, feed us, and purify our air: it’s designed to help us in more ways than we know.

Those of us who use our phones for more than just the occasional call know that infinite battery life (or even a full days worth) is too good to be true; but is it really?