Category: Current Events

Impact Lab > Current Events
Current Events, Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight

Japanese spacecraft ‘bombs’ asteroid in scientific mission

C43E467D-F963-439E-87DB-DCBE07A6BA4CArtist’s impression of Hayabusa2

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is working to confirm that its experiment to bomb the asteroid Ryugu was successful. Today at 11:36 am Japan time, JAXA’s unmanned Hayabusa2 deep space probe deployed the SCI (Small Carry-on Impactor), which is designed to blow a hole in the surface of Ryugu to allow for deep sampling, but safety issues prevented the spacecraft from witnessing the detonation directly.

Shooting explosives at an asteroid may seem like a great way to break the monotony of a dull afternoon, but it has a very serious purpose. Aside from pure science, the world’s space agencies are very interested in gaining as much information as possible about the structure and composition of asteroids because it may one day be necessary to deflect or destroy one that is on a collision course with Earth.

Continue reading… “Japanese spacecraft ‘bombs’ asteroid in scientific mission”

Analysis, Business, Current Events, Legalized marijuana

Marijuana is getting cheaper. For some states, that’s a problem.

AEF4D328-980C-46C0-AC10-1883250EB53C

Bags of marijuana sit on shelves in a building at the Los Suenos Farms facility in Avondale, Colorado, on Feb. 25, 2016. (Matthew Staver / Bloomberg)

Wholesale marijuana prices in Colorado have fallen by a third in just the past 12 months, continuing a price crash that began soon after the drug was legalized. Although this implies that some marijuana entrepreneurs are going to go bankrupt, the bigger financial hit will be felt by states that tax marijuana based on its price.

Marijuana prices are collapsing in Colorado and in other legalization states (e.g., Oregon, where the price can go as low as $100 per pound) because a legal business is dramatically cheaper to operate than an illegal one. Because states generally set their marijuana tax rates as a percentage of price, their revenue per sale sinks in direct proportion to the fall in marijuana prices. Ironically, in a bid for more tax revenue per marijuana sale, Colorado increased its marijuana tax rate from 10 percent to 15 percent last year, only to see the anticipated added tax revenue wiped out by falling prices in a year’s time.

Continue reading… “Marijuana is getting cheaper. For some states, that’s a problem.”

China, Crazy Stuff, Current Events, Games, Latest Trend

Inside the ‘World Cup of E-sports’

D940EDB5-7676-4124-BA30-2F1E1E27B992

The League of Legends World Championship Finals in Incheon, South Korea, on Nov. 3.

Two squads battled it out at a 50,000-seat stadium in the South Korean city of Incheon. Photography by Jean Chung

This weekend, legends were created in South Korea, the birthplace of esports.

Watched by tens of millions of people each year, the world championship finals of League of Legends this year featured two squads battling it out at a 50,000-seat stadium in the South Korean city of Incheon.

Continue reading… “Inside the ‘World Cup of E-sports’”

Current Events, government, Military, Science & Technology News

North, South Korea begin removing landmines along fortified border

IMG_9296

SEOUL (Reuters) – Troops from North and South Korea began removing some landmines along their heavily fortified border on Monday, the South’s defense ministry said, in a pact to reduce tension and build trust on the divided peninsula.

Project details were agreed during last month’s summit in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

In a statement, the ministry said the two sides agreed to remove all landmines in the so-called Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom within the next 20 days, with military engineers performing the hazardous task on the South Korean side.

There was no immediate confirmation from North Korea that its troops had begun the process.

Continue reading… “North, South Korea begin removing landmines along fortified border”

Current Events, Entertainment, Games

The first Fortnite World Cup with $100 million in prize money is happening in 2019

Qualifiers start later this year, and anyone can participate.

Epic Games announced more details about its e-sports plans for Fortnite, revealing today during its live celebrity-streamer ProAm tournament in Los Angeles during E3 that the competitions will all be part of what’s called the Fortnite World Cup. The prize pool, first announced earlier this year, will be $100 million. It will be spread out over a number of different “organized events, online events, and major organized competitions all over the world,” reads the developer’s blog post.

Continue reading… “The first Fortnite World Cup with $100 million in prize money is happening in 2019”

AI, Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Automobiles, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Current Events, cutting edge, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Future, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Latest News, Medicine, mobile technology, Science & Technology News

Self-driving doctor brings the doctor to you

aaaaaaa

Even those of us fortunate enough to have good health insurance will often put off seeing a doctor when we probably should. Often it’s simply a matter of logistics. We feel like we can’t take the time off work, or arrange transportation, or get childcare to make the trip.

But what if the doctor just comes you? In a self-driving car.

Continue reading… “Self-driving doctor brings the doctor to you”

Bitcoin, Blockchain, Crypto-Technology, Current Events, Economy, Future, Money Talk, Science & Technology News

The Blockchain Will Do to the Financial System What the Internet Did to Media

Even years into the deployment of the internet, many believed that it was still a fad. Of course, the internet has since become a major influence on our lives, from how we buy goods and services, to the ways we socialize with friends, to the Arab Spring, to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Yet, in the 1990s, the mainstream press scoffed when Nicholas Negroponte predicted that most of us would soon be reading our news online rather than from a newspaper.

Fast forward two decades: Will we soon be seeing a similar impact from cryptocurrencies and blockchains? There are certainly many parallels. Like the internet, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are driven by advances in core technologies along with a new, open architecture — the Bitcoin blockchain. Like the internet, this technology is designed to be decentralized, with “layers,” where each layer is defined by an interoperable open protocol on top of which companies, as well as individuals, can build products and services. Like the internet, in the early stages of development there are many competing technologies, so it’s important to specify which blockchain you’re talking about. And, like the internet, blockchain technology is strongest when everyone is using the same network, so in the future we might all be talking about “the” blockchain.

Continue reading… “The Blockchain Will Do to the Financial System What the Internet Did to Media”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Problems, Business, City Planning, Current Events, Economy, Employment, Engineering, Future, Hot Issues, Latest News, Latest Trend, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News, Technological Unemployment

Robots will replace over 250,000 government jobs — and that’s just the beginning

c

Automation could replace 250,000 jobs in government over the next 10 to 15 years — with potentially one million more under threat. The UK’s public sector workforce stood at around 5.3 million in the middle of last year, and has been falling since 2009, when it stood at 6.4 million. But that could be slashed significantly if the public sector adopts a policy of automating predictable jobs, according to a report from thinktank Reform.

Continue reading… “Robots will replace over 250,000 government jobs — and that’s just the beginning”

Analysis, Children, Corporate Manipulation, Culture, Current Events, Dating, Economy, Employment, Future, Hot Issues, Ideas, Latest News, Latest Trend, Parenting, Science & Technology News, women

How Japan can solve its huge sex problem

a

It’s the kind of stat you might casually tell a friend at a bar: For the last six years, Japan has sold more adult diapers than baby diapers. But Japan’s fertility problems are far more grave than toilet-related trivia. Over the last decade, Japan has seen its elderly population swell, new family-planning stall, and its economy shrink because of persistently low spending. Economists are now calling the situation a “demographic time bomb,” and some Japanese researchers have even created a doomsday clock that ticks off the seconds until Japan’s population extinction.

Continue reading… “How Japan can solve its huge sex problem”

Automobiles, Battery, Current Events, Ecological Products, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles, Future, Latest News, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Shell to start installing electric vehicle chargers at its gas stations

b

In a future where the world’s car fleet is rapidly transitioning to electric vehicles, gas stations will be forcefully downgraded to simple convenience stores and consequently, they will lose a significant revenue stream brought in by people stopping for gas but buying something at the convenience store.

Continue reading… “Shell to start installing electric vehicle chargers at its gas stations”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.