PZ Myers, David Brin, Eliezer Yudkowski and Eneasz Brodski were debating about immortality. Eliezer brought up the point about different levels of immortality and had 10,000 years as a lower bound of immortality. Many of the complaints from PZ Myer and David Brin were concerns about societal effects that might accompany the change to people living a lot longer.
Continue reading… “How long before we reach 180 year lifespan?”
Shipping containers
On a mid-April sunny Tuesday morning, the Hong Kong Express had been docked at Hamburg’s Container Terminal Altenwerder for 33 hours. The ship was half empty already. Cargo from Asia was stacked in neat rows of shipping containers on the dock.
Continue reading… “How the shipping container built the modern world”
The first few full electric vehicles (EVs) have come to market over the last few years that consumers are actually interested in buying. Before that, the closest any car maker ever got was a hybrid vehicle. But as the cost of gasoline remains stubbornly high, EVsare becoming big business. The main reason for that is the stability of the eGallon — it averages just $1.18 while regular gasoline is sitting at $3.49.
Continue reading… “It’s all about the eGallon when it comes to electric vehicles vs. hybrids”
This breakthrough could lead to the creation of long-range quantum networks.
University of Darmstadt scientists in Germany have stopped light for one minute. Light is usually the fastest thing in the known universe and travels at 300 million meters per second, but was stopped dead still inside a crystal for one full minute. This effectively creates light memory, where the image being carried by the light is stored in crystals. Beyond being utterly cool, this breakthrough could lead to the creation of long-range quantum networks — and perhaps, tantalizingly, this research might also give us some clues on accelerating light beyond the universal speed limit.
Continue reading… “Light completely stopped for 1 minute inside a crystal”
Slingatron
A Kickstarter project, Slingatron, that combines a slingshot capable of hurling objects into orbit and a space-bound railroad just might actually send you to space one day. (Images and video)
Continue reading… “The Slingatron: Building a railroad to space”
ERO Concrete Recycling Robot
The annual production of concrete in the world is estimated at about 6 billion cubic yards. It’s an alarming situation that has potentially devastating environmental effects. Consider that concrete under normal conditions has a lifespan of just 60 to 80 years–meaning that a significant number of the world’s buildings and bridges will have to be upgraded, if not entirely rebuilt, within our lifetimes.
Continue reading… “ERO Concrete Recycling Robot can ‘erase’ entire buildings”
High schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions will create early-college/dual-degree courses better aligned to the college curriculum.
The higher education landscape has been profoundly transformed in roughly 50-year intervals. During the early 19th century, the colonial colleges were joined by several hundred more religiously founded institutions. The mid-19th century saw the rise of public colleges, culminating in the Morrill Act of 1862. The turn of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of the modern research university as well as the articulation of the Wisconsin Idea, that public universities should serve the public, as well as the appearance of extension services. The 1960s saw the transformation of normal schools into comprehensive universities, the rapid proliferation of community colleges, the end of legal segregation in higher education, and sharply increased federal aid to colleges and universities.
Continue reading… “15 innovations that will alter the face of higher education”
Excellent misuse of cooking utensils!
Quote of the Day – “Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God’s final word on where your lips end.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Continue reading… “Top 10 Photos of the Week”
Skylar Tibbits, an architect who heads up the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT.
The essence of human identity is increasingly in the hands of a new generation. We are entering a future where our biology is becoming self-defined, assembled, manufactured, and increasingly unique. For one, advancements in new materials technology are leading to potentially game-changing innovations. When combined with rapid improvements in 3D printing techniques, the applications for human biology become manifold.
Continue reading… “4D printing: The new human bionics”
Hospital staff help a patient put on a cold cap.
What is the first thing most patients undergoing chemotherapy want to know? Oncologist Susan Melin of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina told the Associated Press that often, her patients ask first about hair loss. “It’s not, ‘Is this going to cure me?’ It’s, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?'” she said.
Continue reading… “Cold caps may prevent hair loss during chemotherapy”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB85O3yy0zM[/youtube]
Today, they are just cute, animated eyes. But tomorrow, curved displays could change the way we interact with everything. According to Frog’s chief creative officer, Mark Rolston, in the next five years a doll will come out with a face made from a curved display, and that will change the way toys are made forever.
Continue reading… “The future of toys – Disney 3D prints animated eyes for interactive characters”
These occupations are experiencing strong job growth and provide good opportunities for workers with the right skills.
Which jobs are hardest for employers to fill? CareerBuilder reports that 35% of hiring managers currently have positions that have remained open for 12 weeks or longer.
Continue reading… “Top 10 jobs employers are struggling to fill”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.