This week, why Bill Gates is cool again, a look at Dyson’s new vacuum that is somehow better than it’s previous best-ever vacuum, and the secret lives of scientists. But first, Google does VR a bit better than Cardboard with Daydream.

Google’s going deeper into VR with Daydream

Google’s been playing around with VR for a while. Cardboard is the company’s DIY solution for anyone who wants to experience virtual reality cheaply; with it you can build a device that will hold an Android smartphone and provide basic VR.

Daydream is Google’s next step into VR, and it was announced last week at the I/O developer’s conference in California. The software part of Daydream is built with Android N, the codename for the next version of the mobile operating system.

Google hasn’t announced that it is making hardware for Daydream, but it is making it easy for other manufacturers to do so. And a reference design, which suggests to hardware companies how they might want to support Daydream, was also released at I/O. It includes a headset that holds a smartphone as well as a single remote control with motion-sensing capabilities.

Dyson’s cordless vacuums just keep getting better

Like many other software and device developers, engineers at Dyson are constantly looking for ways to improve on products. Perhaps the best example of this are the handheld vacuums, which run on digital motors.

The Dyson digital motor is, I was told by a spokesperson during a product demonstration in March, propelling the company’s innovation, in part because digital motors are more efficient than carbon-based motors. The digital motors are also much more, as evidenced by the new V8 handheld vacuum.

This is a cordless vacuum. At under six pounds in weight, it can be manipulated with only one hand. And it’s got more suction than the big machine I had to use as a kid to help clean the house I grew up in.

The motor in this thing spins at 110,000 rpm. It’s got a better battery life, providing 40 minutes of use on a charge, and it’s quieter (50% quieter if you’re measuring in decibels). You know how they made it quieter? In part it was by changing how the air flows through the vacuum. Dampening the air exiting the machine helps keep the volume down.

And the attention to detail is here, too. The buttons that are used to connect and disconnect attachments used to be on the main vacuum itself, but have been moved to the attachment, making it far easier to switch things out.

Even emptying the vacuum’s bin is easier than it used to be, which has always been a one-button push effort.

The new Dyson V8 vacuums are available now for $700 (V8 Absolute) and $600 (V8 Animal).

Bill Gates drives a Tesla while interviewing Neal Stephenson

Bill Gates is cool. Seriously, he’s got solid politics and he’s using his money to make the world a better place.

And I’m saying this as the author of a book, called Microman: What Life Might Be Like if You Were Bill Gates, that poked a lot of fun at Gates when he was a favourite target.

Maybe he needed to get away from Microsoft to come into his own. But he’s keeping a blog, called Gates Notes, where he writes about books he’s reading, and interviews interesting people. And because he’s Bill Gates, he gets to talk to some interesting people.

A recent post from Bill is about the book Seveneves, and it includes his conversation with author Neal Stephenson (they both live in the metro Seattle area). But it’s not just any video, this is one that was filmed to be viewed in VR.

And it was filmed while the two drove around in Bill’s Tesla.

I’m telling you, Bill’s getting better with age.

NOVA unveils the secret lives of scientists

NOVA is this amazing media group that is part of PBS. One of the projects to come from the producers is The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers, a series of short videos that spotlight smart people.

Among the people profiled are some you’d expect, like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, but there are other famous people you may not have known were in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Take Blossom and Big Bang Theory actor Mayim Bialik, who is a neuroscientist.

Or former NFL cheerleader Mireya Mayor, who works as a primatologist.

Tom Scholz has a Master’s degree from MIT in engineering and is also a musician and the founder of the band Boston.

And then there’s Rachel Collins, who is a microbiologist, and also a professional wrestler, MsChif. Just watch.