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Dec 17, 2015

NASA’s Tech Was Repurposed in Some Strange Ways This Year

Posted by in category: space

NASA has a long history of seeing its technology turned around after spaceflight for some more earthbound purposes. (Enjoy that scratch-resistant coating on your glasses? Well, it began life as an ‘80s-era spacecraft water filtration system.) What some people miss is that it’s still happening today.

Every year, NASA puts out what it calls a “spinoff report.” No, this is not a list of ideas for a series of zany, roommate comedies set aboard the ISS. (Although this is an excellent idea. Call me, NASA TV!) The spinoff report is actually a list of all the ways NASA’s tech has been repurposed into new products, ranging from the inevitable to the surprising to the bizarre.

Here are a few of highlights from this year’s version:

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Dec 17, 2015

Human Carrying Multicoptor

Posted by in categories: energy, futurism

This battery electric multicopter is part spider and part futuristic flying machine.

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Dec 17, 2015

SpaceX is launching its most powerful rocket for the first time this weekend

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

These upgrades certainly get Elon Musk’s seal of approval.

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Dec 16, 2015

Google ‘disappointed’

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Google says it’s disappointed by draft rules that would ban driverless cars from traveling on public roads in California without a licensed human driver.

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Dec 16, 2015

Carlota Perez: In the midst of ICT revolution: next revolution 30 years out | vimeo.com

Posted by in categories: business, computing, economics, finance, governance, innovation, policy, robotics/AI, science, strategy

https://vimeo.com/53577644

Economist Carlota Perez talk about the future of ICT.

Dec 16, 2015

Russia, China Building ‘Robot’ Army

Posted by in categories: business, ethics, military, robotics/AI, security

Despite more than a thousand artificial-intelligence researchers signing an open letter this summer in an effort to ban autonomous weapons, Business Insider reports that China and Russia are in the process of creating self-sufficient killer robots, and in turn is putting pressure on the Pentagon to keep up.

“We know that China is already investing heavily in robotics and autonomy and the Russian Chief of General Staff [Valery Vasilevich] Gerasimov recently said that the Russian military is preparing to fight on a roboticized battlefield,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work said during a national security forum on Monday.

Work added, “[Gerasimov] said, and I quote, ‘In the near future, it is possible that a complete roboticized unit will be created capable of independently conducting military operations.’”

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Dec 16, 2015

This Concept Car Has A Drone Landing Pad

Posted by in categories: futurism, transportation

That isn’t even the weirdest thing about it.

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Dec 16, 2015

Facebook teams up with Uber to make it easier to meet your friends in real life

Posted by in category: transportation

You can now hail an Uber from inside Facebook Messenger.

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Dec 16, 2015

Did we just discover a new subatomic particle? Scientists are being super cautious

Posted by in category: particle physics

With hints of a new subatomic particle, physics is entering the unknown.

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Dec 16, 2015

Akamai: Global average Internet speed grew 14% to 5.1 Mbps, only 5.2% of users have broadband

Posted by in category: internet

Here are the top 10 countries with the fastest Internet.


Global average connection speeds rose 14 percent year over year to 5.1 Mbps in Q3 2015. Unfortunately, just over 5 percent of users now have broadband speeds of at least 25.0 Mbps. The latest figures come from Akamai, which today published its quarterly State of the Internet Report for Q3 2015.

The firm found 126 countries experienced an increase in average connection speeds year over year, ranging from 0.2 percent in Japan to a 147 percent rise in Congo (the only country to see average connection speeds more than double from the previous year). Nineteen countries saw their average connection speeds decrease year over year, with losses ranging from 0.6 percent (to 1.8 Mbps) in Namibia to 64 percent (to 1.3 Mbps) in Sudan.

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