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Jan 4, 2016
Tesla’s rival just unveiled its first car — and it looks like a futuristic Batmobile
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: futurism, transportation
Some people take the new year as an opportunity to contemplate their goals; Alan Lightman, writing in the January issue of Harper’s magazine, takes the opportunity to contemplate the creation of the universe.
It’s a topic too vast and unimaginable for most of us to wrap our brains around, but Lightman brings his considerable skills as both physicist (he teaches at MIT) and novelist (“Einstein’s Dreams”) to introduce us to a “small platoon of physicists” who focus on figuring out such things as what happened at the very first moment of the big bang, whether time or anything else existed before it, and exactly how we distinguish the future from the past.
And they expect, sometime in the next 50 years or so, to have some real answers.
Jan 4, 2016
Researchers awarded $16m to develop brain tech to reanimate paralyzed limbs
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience
Researchers from the US will use the funds to create tech for those with spinal cord injuries and other debilitating conditions.
Jan 4, 2016
Siberian Scientists Make Step Toward Building Faster Optical Computer
Posted by Dan Kummer in category: computing
Russian scientists from the Siberian Institute of Geology and Mineralogy have succeeded in growing modified diamonds, in what is a step closer to faster computers run on light, the head of the institute said Monday.
Jan 4, 2016
Mark Zuckerberg unveils 2016 plans for artificially intelligent butler
Posted by Dan Kummer in category: robotics/AI
California-based Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) made the announcement in a Facebook post on his profile. He said building the AI ‘butler’ would be his personal challenge for 2016.
Jan 4, 2016
Bitcoin Primer: Don’t Start with Miners
Posted by Philip Raymond in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, disruptive technology, economics, innovation, internet
I administer the Bitcoin P2P discussion group at LinkedIn, a social media network for professionals. A frequent question posed by newcomers and even seasoned venture investors is: “How can I understand Bitcoin in its simplest terms?”
Engineers and coders offer answers that are anything but simple. Most focus on mining and the blockchain. In this primer, I will take an approach that is both familiar and accurate…
Terms/Concepts: • Miners • Blockchain • Double-Spend
First, forget about everything you have heard about ‘mining’ Bitcoin. That’s just a temporary mechanism to smooth out the initial distribution and make it fair, while also playing a critical role in validating the transactions between individuals. Starting with this mechanism is a bad way to understand Bitcoin, because its role in establishing value, influencing trust or stabilizing value is greatly overrated.
Continue reading “Bitcoin Primer: Don’t Start with Miners” »
Jan 4, 2016
Declassified: U.S. Military’s Secret Cold War Space Project Revealed
Posted by Sean Brazell in category: space
In a not too distant future, societies of all countries come to rely on an intricate network of artificial intelligence devices designed to bring efficacy to man’s life. Yet, man continues to devour himself in useless wars. A strong political hierarchy now divides all powers into three factions, and A. I. devices rapidly gain ground as efficiency becomes a priority.
As social revolts grow worse everyday, authorities seek ways to control their citizens. They decide to carry out a series of tests that will determine not only whether some crucial powers can be transferred to non human entities, but also whether man is ready to yield those powers.
Jan 4, 2016
Finding space-time quanta in the cosmic microwave background: Not so simple
Posted by Andreas Matt in category: futurism
Can we find evidence for space-time quantization in the cosmic microwave background? Turns out it’s complicated.
