Not too long from now, entertainment is about to get as real as real life and nothing is ever going to be the same. This is happening thanks to the combination of two forces that you would never expect to overlap. Together, they form a staggeringly potent combination.
Over the past 50 years, getting to space hasn’t become any easier technically speaking. It still requires using huge rockets to create a massive enough amount of force to push a payload beyond the grip of Earth’s gravity.
Continue reading… “Thoth Technology’s inflatable space elevator gets a lift”
Forty-five years ago, Ernst Stuhlinger, the associate director of science at Nasa’s Marshall Space Flight Center, an original member of Wernher von Braun’s Operation Paperclip team, was asked by Sister Mary Jucunda, a Zambia-based nun, how he could suggest spending billions of dollars on spaceflight when many children were starving on Earth.
Continue reading… “The growing problem of space junk”
Ronald C. Arkin: I’ve been engaged in the debate over autonomous robotic military systems for almost 10 years. I am not averse to a ban, but I’m convinced we should continue researching this technology for the time being. One reason is that I believe such systems might be capable of reducing civilian casualties and property damage when compared to the performance of human warfighters. Thus, it is a contention that calling for an outright ban on this technology is premature, as some groups already are doing.
Over the years, Hollywood films have immortalized future. Nothing seemed to capture sci-fi geeks’ imaginations like the hoverboard. The concept seems simple enough yet a working model as remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until now. The Lexus hoverboard is a real thing.
Continue reading… “The Lexus Hoverboard Is a real thing”
3D printing is beginning to gain some traction within the fashion industry. It has gained popularity by some of the industry’s most popular designers, and has attracted the attention of both celebrities and fashionistas from around the world. (Video)
Thomas Frey predicted that 50% of colleges would collapse by 2013. Similarly, Clayton Christiansen is quoted as saying that 50% of colleges will not exist in 15 years. Others have made similar claims. Such predictions are based on tracing the impact and likely trajectory of innovations like blended and online learning, open learning, technologies allowing for mass customization and personalization, adapting learning software, and a growing set of alternative pathways to gainful and skilled employment.
Continue reading… “The future of higher education: The #HigherEd #Startup revolution”
Google’s new search feature shows users when local restaurants are booked up and what stores have the most foot traffic. The Google Search tweak is rolling out today on mobile for some users, and shows graphs—presumably based on geolocation from smartphones—indicating when a given venue is busiest during the day.
Continue reading… “Google Search will now tell you when a restaurant or store is too busy”
Birds communicate by singing. And now it’s the turn of the machines. A new crop of businesses are now creating what’s referred to as the Internet of Sound.
Continue reading… “The Internet Of Sound is here”
In the future ordinary devices will be sensor equipped and wifi-connected. But the Internet of Things might be missing a concept that is something like its inverse: Let’s call it the Search Engine of Things. That is, a device or suite of devices that can identify and contextualize the objects that surround us in the physical world, from pills to trees to hamburgers.
Continue reading… “The Search Engine of Things”
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel and the University of Colorado have developed a dynamic anti-inflammatory “smart” drug that can target specific sites in the body and could enhance the body’s natural ability to fight infection while reducing side effects.
Continue reading… “Anti-inflammatory ‘smart drug’ activates only in high-inflammation areas”
Tor is the world’s largest and most well-known “onion router” network. Tor offers a degree of anonymity that has made it a popular tool of journalists, dissidents, and everyday Internet users who are trying to avoid government or corporate censorship (as well as Internet drug lords and child pornographers). But one thing that it doesn’t offer is speed.
Continue reading… “Researchers develop a better, faster Tor”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.