Code academies have proliferated the higher education and vocational landscape over the past few years. They are posing big questions on the value of a formal four-year college computer science degree and answering consumer demand with a savvy proposition: come to us for an indispensable skill and we will line you up for a high paying job, without making you incur $100,000 in student loan debt.
Continue reading… “Code Academies Caught in the Government Sausage Factory”
After banning Twitter last week, the actions of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have failed spectacularly. Immediately following Turkey’s ban, Twitter issued an SMS workaround. Then, “#TwitterisblockedinTurkey” became a globally trending topic on Twitter.
Continue reading… “Turkey’s Twitter ban backfires”
A screen shows a rolling feed of new generic top-Level domain names that have been applied for.
U.S. officials announced plans to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet last week., a move that pleased international critics but alarmed some business leaders and others who rely on the smooth functioning of the Web.
Continue reading… “U.S. to give up remaining control over the internet”
Chinese government-supported payment card network, China UnionPay.
There are a growing numbers of people in China who are using the country’s state-backed bankcards to illegally smuggle billions of dollars abroad, according to a report by Reuters.
Continue reading… “How China’s official bankcard is used to smuggle money”
Technique lets children avoid inheriting certain diseases – and give them genes from another woman besides mom.
Last week, the U.K. government issued proposed regulations that would allow researchers to try a new and controversial in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure in patients. The technique could allow women who are carriers of mitochondrial disease to have healthy, genetically related children. But it also transfers DNA from one egg or embryo into another, a form of genetic alteration that could be passed on to future generations. Altering the genes of human egg cells or embryos in IVF procedures is now forbidden in the United Kingdom.
Continue reading… “UK government proposes regulations on making ‘three-parent embryos’”
Laser Weapon System
The U.S. Navy will turn fiction into reality when it deploys its first laser weapon aboard one of its ships this summer. The solid-state Laser Weapons System promises to be able to incinerate aerial drones and speedboats quickly and less expensive that today’s weapons, which typically relies on a finite supply of interceptor missiles that cost roughly $1.4 million a shot. The laser, on the other hand, can be fired continuously and costs just a few bucks per shot. A prototype will be deployed this summer on board the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf.
Continue reading… “U.S. Navy to add futuristic laser weapon to its arsenal this summer”
California could be the first state to mandate a way for consumers to disable lost or stolen mobile phones.
Legislators in California are expected to outline a proposal requiring mobile devices sold in the state to come equipped with “kill switches” that would disable them if stolen or lost, beginning Jan. 1, 2015.
Continue reading… “California proposes ‘kill switches’ on mobile phones”
Vehicle-to-vehicle communications would report where every car, bus, and truck is, where it’s going, and how fast it’s moving.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced plans to move forward with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication systems. After years of experimentation and a real-world trial in Ann Arbor, MI the government is almost ready to make peer-to-peer networking a required safety feature on all new cars.
Continue reading… “U.S. Department of Transportation wants our cars to ‘talk’ to each other”
The U.S. Army has recently declared that it is cutting troop levels. Over the next sixteen years, each and every brigade in the Army will see its soldier count drop from 4,000 to 3,000, with robots making up the loss in firepower. That’s according to General Robert Cone, who said robot soldier levels would reach their new peak between 2030 and 2040 during an Army Aviation symposium last week.
Continue reading… “By 2030 U.S. Army will replace 25% of soldiers with robots”
TrackingPoint smart rifle
The startup TrackingPoint unveiled the first in their line of “smart rifles” last summer. The smart rifles are unlike your average sniper rifle, which requires a great deal of training and expertise to effectively kill at range. The TrackingPoint rifles can be picked up by absolute novices, even those as young as 12 years old. (Videos)
Continue reading… “U.S. military testing TrackingPoint ‘smart rifles’”
Local authorities are seeing tangible benefits from citizen innovation.
In numerous towns and cities across the world, citizens are having more of a say in sorting out civic problems. Through open innovation and crowdsourcing initiatives thousands of people are not only involved in identifying particular challenges such as pollution, poor water quality and graffiti, but also in designing and implementing the solutions.
Continue reading… “The roles of citizens in civic problem-solving and innovation”
The U.S. Marshals will likely auction off the Bitcoins.
The online drug bazaar, Silk Road, was taken down this past October by the feds. Nearly, 30,000 bitcoins in Silk Road’s coffers was seized in the process. Last week, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the Silk Road case, announced that a judge had signed off on a forfeiture order for those coins. That means they’re now free to get rid of the 29,655 bitcoins, worth about $25 million at Bitcoin’s current $850 value.
Continue reading… “Feds are free to sell seized Silk Road bitcoins worth $25 million”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.