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Aug 29, 2015

The algorithm that can learn to copy ANY artist

Posted by in category: information science

Researchers fed their system a series of old masters — and it turned a modern day snap into perfect pictures in the style of some of the world’s best known paintings.

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Aug 28, 2015

Freaky AI robot

Posted by in categories: entertainment, robotics/AI

An excerpt from PBS “NOVA science now”: “AI robot that learns new words in real-time tells human creators it will keep them in a “people zoo” #BladeRunner #TuringTest #AI #Robotics


Freaky AI robot, taken from Nova science now, here’s the full episode, enjoy bigsmile
http://video.pbs.org/video/1801365037
Also yay for me, 2 videos in one day bigsmile bigsmile

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Aug 28, 2015

Terminator-style ‘skin’ quickly repairs itself after a gunshot | New Scientist

Posted by in categories: habitats, materials, space

Other self-healing plastics exist, but they take much longer to repair themselves. The ability to instantly plug holes could be especially useful to protect structures in space, where flying objects can puncture spacecraft or orbiting habitats. The plastic could be incorporated into their walls, creating a seal if the atmosphere inside a vessel starts to leak out, putting astronauts at risk.

Other fabrics take a different approach: stopping projectiles altogether. A futuristic tissue combining human skin cells with spider silk can cushion a gunshot when fired at half speed. Pure graphene, which is made up of layers of carbon one-atom thick, is being investigated for use in bulletproof armour because it can handle blows better than steel.

Continue reading “Terminator-style 'skin' quickly repairs itself after a gunshot | New Scientist” »

Aug 28, 2015

New experiment verifies quantum spookiness

Posted by in category: particle physics

A new experiment provides the most robust proof that quantum mechanics doesn’t follow the rules we take for granted in everyday life.

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Aug 28, 2015

Say it ain’t so: 6 Mars hoaxes you keep falling for

Posted by in category: space

Here are some misconceptions about Mars that just won’t die.

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Aug 28, 2015

16 Things You Probably Never Knew About The Short Circuit Movies

Posted by in categories: entertainment, robotics/AI

Right now, we’re falling in love with BB-8 from Star Wars—and yet, there’s still a special place in our hearts for Johnny Five, the robot from the Short Circuit films. But how much do you actually know about these films? Check out this video, featuring 16 electrifying facts about the making of this duology.

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Aug 28, 2015

Physics-Astronomy: NASA’s Warp-Drive Solution for Faster-Than-Light Space Travel

Posted by in categories: materials, space travel, time travel

Agreeing to state-of-the art theory, a warp drive might cut the travel time between stars from tens of thousands of years to only weeks or months. Harold G. White, a physicist and innovative propulsion engineer at NASA and other NASA engineers are working to regulate whether faster-than-light travel — warp drive — might soon be possible. The group is trying to some extent warp the course of a photon, altering the distance it travels in a definite area, and then detecting the change with a device called an interferometer.

In 1994, a Mexican physicist, Miguel Alcubierre, speculated that faster-than-light speeds were conceivable in a technique that did not deny Einstein by binding the growth and reduction of space itself. Under Dr. Alcubierre’s theory, a ship still couldn’t surpass light speed in a native region of space. But a theoretical thrust system he sketched out operated space-time by producing a so-called “warp bubble” that would inflate space on one side of a spacecraft and contract it on another.

Image source: With thanks to Shutterstock.com.

Continue reading “Physics-Astronomy: NASA's Warp-Drive Solution for Faster-Than-Light Space Travel” »

Aug 28, 2015

Meet The Anti-Death Presidential Candidate

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, life extension, transhumanism

My 4 min interview on transhumanism and longevity with BuzzFeed came out as a stand-alone video. About 800 comments under the YouTube video:


Because we all deserve a chance at immortality!

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Aug 28, 2015

Messaging As the Interface to Everything | Andreessen Horowitz

Posted by in category: big data

Aug 28, 2015

Editing humanity

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

THE genome is written in an alphabet of just four letters. Being able to read, study and compare DNA sequences for humans, and thousands of other species, has become routine. A new technology promises to make it possible to edit genetic information quickly and cheaply. This could correct terrible genetic defects that blight lives. It also heralds the distant prospect of parents building their children to order.

The technology is known as CRISPR-Cas9, or just CRISPR. It involves a piece of RNA, a chemical messenger, designed to target a section of DNA; and an enzyme, called a nuclease, that can snip unwanted genes out and paste new ones in. Other ways of editing DNA exist, but CRISPR holds the promise of doing so with unprecedented simplicity, speed and precision.

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