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Dec 8, 2015
Google says its quantum computer is more than 100 million times faster than a regular computer chip
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: computing, quantum physics, robotics/AI, space
Google appears to be more confident about the technical capabilities of its D-Wave 2X quantum computer, which it operates alongside NASA at the U.S. space agency’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
D-Wave’s machines are the closest thing we have today to quantum computing, which work with quantum bits, or qubits — each of which can be zero or one or both — instead of more conventional bits. The superposition of these qubits can allow great numbers of computations to be performed simultaneously, making a quantum computer highly desirable for certain types of processes.
In two tests, the Google Quantum Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab today announced that it has found the D-Wave machine to be considerably faster than simulated annealing — a simulation of quantum computation on a classical computer chip.
Dec 8, 2015
Transhumanism Solving Violence and Improving the Human Condition: IQ, EQi, and Intelligence Upgrades
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: biotech/medical, business, computing, cyborgs, life extension, neuroscience, robotics/AI, transhumanism
Can we end violence? Can we create greater emotional well being and intellectual equality for the greater well being of humanity? Will we be able to keep up with machines? How can we augment our intelligence? Could we cure mental illness? After advancements in aging the next major area of research from a standpoint of eliminating personal and global suffering would be upgrades in intelligence. Transhumanist values at their core want to eliminate suffering and existential risk to people’s lives. With well founded logic, these goals are not completely out of reach, it is possible but as usual, we will have to take the complex issue from many angles and from the standpoint of a systems engineer, but let’s look at some fun stuff before we get into the heavy stuff.
The Benefits of Intelligence Upgrades
Dec 8, 2015
The Robots are coming! They cook, bike, teach, learn, fly and fall. And more!
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: robotics/AI
Dec 8, 2015
Sending humans to Mars could uncover a disturbing truth to one of life’s greatest mysteries
Posted by Sean Brazell in category: alien life
If humankind successfully lands people on the surface of Mars, we could discover an important clue about the origins of life on Earth — one of the greatest scientific mysteries in human history.
A theory called panspermia, which dates back to the 5th century BC, posits that certain life forms can hop between planets, and even star systems, to fertilize them with life.
Following this theory, some scientists suspect that the first life on Earth never formed on our planet at all, but instead, hitched a ride inside planetary fragments from Mars that were flung into space after a powerful impact and eventually fell to Earth. We could be the aliens!
Dec 8, 2015
Gary McKinnon reveals detail on NASA data breach and ‘extraterrestrial life’
Posted by Sean Brazell in category: space
In an recent interview, It expert Gary McKinnon has candidly revealed detail on his NASA data breach and finding documents on ‘extraterrestrial life’.
Dec 8, 2015
Cyborg Future: Engineers Build a Chip That Is Part Biological and Part Synthetic
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: computing, cyborgs
Dec 8, 2015
The $75,000 problem for self-driving cars is going away
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: robotics/AI, transportation
LIDAR units once cost $75,000. Now a $250 LIDAR, with no moving parts, is about to enter the market.
Giving a car “eyes” once cost a fortune. Now it’s affordable, a good sign for autonomous vehicles.
Dec 8, 2015
Why Algae Could Be the Greatest—and Trickiest—Fuel Source of All
Posted by Montie Adkins in categories: climatology, nuclear energy, sustainability
I recall when Venter made the first synthetic unique life form he said biofuels and algae that soaks up carbon dioxide would come out of it. Feels like it has been slow going but here is a why and why no item and please read the comments too as they are also informative.
From powering airplanes to replacing nuclear energy, algae has been touted as a green energy miracle. So if our waterways are already filled with the stuff, why isn’t it filling the world’s skies with biofueled planes? Algae is a tricky creature that presents a lot of challenges and misconceptions. Here’s why it’s difficult to harness—and why it could big a big payoff.
As we previously reported, algae is a fuel source that’s vastly more eco-friendly than oil, and will be crucial as we head into a future filled with climate change and depleting fossil fuels.
Continue reading “Why Algae Could Be the Greatest—and Trickiest—Fuel Source of All” »
