2019 – Page 67 – Impact Lab

brains, Business, Employment, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

The importance of foresight : Why intuition and imagination will be critical in the future of work

April 17, 2019

In his book Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman refers to the parts of our brain, where he suggests there are two competing intelligence at play.

He specifies one area affiliated to “system 1” which is known to be an area relying on speed in decision making and on emotion in information perceiving. System 1 is based largely on our instinct and intuition unconsciously stored by past experiences that are often rapidly available to memory. The second area is affiliated to “system 2” which is known to be an area for slow and deliberate decision making and more rational in information perceiving. This area takes in information based on our conscious appraisal of current events, and our stored episodic long-term memories, which are slowly available to memory. Why do we care?

Continue reading… “The importance of foresight : Why intuition and imagination will be critical in the future of work”

Analysis, Employment, Money Talk, Science & Technology News

Immigrants in the U.S. sent over $148 billion to their home countries in 2017

April 16, 2019

Remittances sent by immigrants living in the U.S. to their home countries in 2017.

A significant share of immigrants all over the world send part of their paycheck back to help their families in their home countries. When all of those payments are added together, the amount of money on the move every year is enormous and it competes with international aid as one of the biggest financial inflows to developing countries. According to recently published Pew Research Center data based on figures from the World Bank, it is estimated that the collective sum of remittance payments in 2017 came to $625 billion, a 7% increase from 2016 when the total was estimated at $586 billion.

In the United States alone, it is estimated that more than $148 billion was sent to individuals in other countries in 2017. Back in 2004, a study found that over 60% of the 16.5 million Latin American-born adults living in the country at that time sent money home on a regular basis. Pew’s analysis of the latest World Bank figures found that Mexico was the top destination country for U.S. remittance payments by far with over $30 billion sent home. China was a very distant second with $16.14 billion while India had the third-highest volume at $11.7 billion. The cashflow wasn’t just limited to developing countries, however, with South Korea and Germany coming in at number 11 and 12 on the list with $2.83 and $2.80 billion respectively in 2017.

Via Forbes

China, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News, Transportation

China opens world’s longest sea bridge and tunnel to connect Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland

April 15, 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated China’s latest mega-infrastructure project on Tuesday: The world’s longest sea crossing.

The 34.2-mile bridge and tunnel that have been almost a decade in the making for the first time connect the semi-autonomous cities of Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai by road.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge spans the mouth of the Pearl River and significantly cuts the commuting time between the three cities. The previously four-hour drive between Zhuhai and Hong Kong will now take 45 minutes.

One section of the crossing dives underwater into a 4.2 mile tunnel that creates a channel above for large cargo ship containers to pass through.

The project came in over budget — with Hong Kong alone investing $15 billion in it — and delayed, as it was originally slate to open in 2016.

Continue reading… “China opens world’s longest sea bridge and tunnel to connect Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland”

Amazon.com, drones, Google, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Google just beat Amazon to launching one of the first drone delivery services

April 15, 2019

A Wing delivery drone

Google just beat Amazon to launching one of the first drone delivery services

The Alphabet startup Wing has secured approval for one of the world’s first drone delivery services.
The service is set to officially launch in Canberra, Australia, after securing approval from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority following a successful trial.
The service will aim to use drones to deliver items including coffee and ice cream to homes in the Canberra area within minutes of their being ordered through an app.
It means Alphabet has beaten Amazon to the punch after Jeff Bezos failed to deliver on his promise of launching a commercial drone delivery service by 2018.

Continue reading… “Google just beat Amazon to launching one of the first drone delivery services”

Aviation, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News, Transportation, Travel

This new $12 billion airport will be the biggest in the world — take a look inside

April 15, 2019

This airport will cost $12 billion to make — take a look inside

On April 6, Istanbul Ataturk Airport — which was considered one of the busiest airports in the world with 70 million annual passengers — officially ceased operations. All commercial flights were transferred to Turkey’s new flagship international airport, which means Istanbul New Airport is open for business.

The first flight at Istanbul New Airport took place October 2018, and now the airport’s first phase of construction, which includes three runways and 15 million square feet of terminal space, is finished. There are four phases to be completed by 2025, with a total cost of about $12 billion.

The new airport covers 76 million square meters (more than 818 million square feet or 18,780 acres) and can currently handle 90 million passengers a year in phase one. When the entire airport is completed, it will be able to handle 200 million passengers a year. That will make it the world’s biggest airport by passenger traffic. In comparison, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, currently the world’s busiest airport, handles 107 million passengers a year.

Continue reading… “This new $12 billion airport will be the biggest in the world — take a look inside”

Aviation, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News, Transportation, Travel

‘Spaceplane’ that flies 25 times faster than the speed of sound passes crucial test

April 15, 2019

Hypersonic plane passes crucial test

A hypersonic ‘spaceplane’ just passed a crucial test for its precooler component. If and when the jet becomes available for commercial use, it could fly people from London to New York in less than 60 minutes.

A ‘spaceplane’ that flies 25 times faster than the speed of sound has successfully passed a crucial testing milestone.

The hypersonic plane is so fast it could jet from London to New York in less than 60 minutes and transport you from the UK to Australia in four hours.

Continue reading… “‘Spaceplane’ that flies 25 times faster than the speed of sound passes crucial test”

Big Problems, Economy, Housing, Science & Technology News

Australia is on the brink of a housing collapse that resembles 2008

April 14, 2019

The U.S. has been an “island of stability” as economic woes grow all over the world. Other such islands exist, too.

Australia is high on the list. The last Down Under recession was 27—yes, 27—years ago in 1991. No other developed economy can say the same.

The long streak has a lot to do with being one of China’s top raw material suppliers during its historic boom. Australia has done other things right, too.

But all good things come to an end. While not officially in recession yet, Australia’s growth is slowing.

Continue reading… “Australia is on the brink of a housing collapse that resembles 2008”

Alzheimer's Disease, Machine Learning, new technology, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

Five key ideas you need to understand now if you want to be ready for the world of 2030

April 14, 2019

With a new series of the BBC science podcast Futureproofing on air this month, presenter Timandra Harkness explains how to get ready for the world of the future.

Just a building that keeps the rain out and your clean underwear in? Think again. The home of 2030 will be smart, connected and emotional.

“Our notion of home will change drastically,” says Sce Pike, CEO of Oregon-based IOTAS. “The notion of home is no longer four walls and a roof and a place, a location, but actually something that travels with you throughout your life.”

How does it do that? By learning your preferences and your habits, and automatically adjusting the light, heat, even your TV channels, before you have to ask. “It’s about how that home reacts to you and makes you comfortable,” says Pike.

Continue reading… “Five key ideas you need to understand now if you want to be ready for the world of 2030”

facebook, Human Behavior, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News, Social Media

Influencers are flocking to a surprising new kind of social media

April 14, 2019

Influencers are flocking to a surprising new kind of social media

350+ influencers with a collective audience of 3.5 billion people are flocking to a platform called Escapex, which gives them their own apps. It’s part of the next wave of social media focused on smaller, more private groups.

Last week, actor Jeremy Renner posted a time-lapse video of himself trying on different outfits in front of the mirror. “Suiting up for the Avengers press tour,” he wrote. “What are you wearing?” More than 2,000 people commented on the post (some offered outfit tips, but many agreed he looked better without a shirt). Others said good luck, or jovially wished everyone a happy Friday.

None of this was happening on Instagram, but on Renner’s own app, where his most die-hard fans gather to gush about their favorite actor. They do more than just comment on Renner’s photos, videos, and give-away contests. They also post their own images in a “fan feed”–a quick scroll reveals a woman’s before-and-after haircut, a call for recommendations for a trip to L.A., and a shot of tomato soup and parmesan-crusted chicken with bacon, which a fan had made from another fan’s cookbook.

Continue reading… “Influencers are flocking to a surprising new kind of social media”

Batteries, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News, Tesla

How we get to the next big battery breakthrough

April 13, 2019

Electric planes could be the future of aviation. In theory, they will be much quieter, cheaper, and cleaner than the planes we have today. Electric planes with a 1,000 km (620 mile) range on a single charge could be used for half of all commercial aircraft flights today, cutting global aviation’s carbon emissions by about 15%.

It’s the same story with electric cars. An electric car isn’t simply a cleaner version of its pollution-spewing cousin. It is, fundamentally, a better car: Its electric motor makes little noise and provides lightning-fast response to the driver’s decisions. Charging an electric car costs much less than paying for an equivalent amount of gasoline. Electric cars can be built with a fraction of moving parts, which makes them cheaper to maintain.

So why aren’t electric cars everywhere already? It’s because batteries are expensive, making the upfront cost of an electric car much higher than a similar gas-powered model. And unless you drive a lot, the savings on gasoline don’t always offset the higher upfront cost. In short, electric cars still aren’t economical.

Similarly, current batteries don’t pack in enough energy by weight or volume to power passenger aircrafts. We still need fundamental breakthroughs in battery technology before that becomes a reality.

Continue reading… “How we get to the next big battery breakthrough”

Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight

Japan just bombed an asteroid in our solar system, for science

April 13, 2019

Japan’s space agency said it successfully dropped a small bomb on an asteroid on Friday as part of its mission to better understand the history of the Solar System.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said its Hayabusa2 spacecraft detonated the copper explosive, also known as the Small Carry-on Inspector (SCI), on the Ryugu asteroid on Friday.

The SCI weighs about 2 kg (4.4 lbs) and is the size of a baseball, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Hayabusa2 released the SCI about 500 meters (1,640 feet) above Ryugu’s surface around 11:13 am Japanese time (02:13 UTC) on Friday, JAXA tweeted.

Continue reading… “Japan just bombed an asteroid in our solar system, for science”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Science & Technology News

What will machine learning look like in twenty years?

April 12, 2019

What will machine learning look like 15-20 years from now? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

Machine Learning is a very rapidly moving field, so it’s hard to make predictions about the state of the art 6 months from now, let alone 15 – 20 years. I can however, offer a series of educated guesses based on what I see happening right now.

We are still far away from AGI. Current generation machine learning systems are still very far away from something that could legitimately be called artificial “intelligence”. The systems we have right now are phenomenal at pattern recognition from lots of data (even reinforcement learning systems are mostly about memorizing and recognizing patterns that worked well during training). This is certainly a necessary step, but it is very far away from an intelligent system. In analogy to human cognition, what we have now is analogous to the subconscious processes that allow split second activation of your sympathetic nervous system when your peripheral vision detects a predator approaching or former significant other turning around a corner – in other words, pattern-based, semi-automatic decisions that our brain does “in hardware”. We don’t currently have anything I can see that would resemble intentional thought and I’m not convinced we’ll get to it from current generation systems.

Continue reading… “What will machine learning look like in twenty years?”