Lifeboat Foundation

Bloomberg TV

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Kyle Maxey- Engineering.com

A recently presented paper outlines how 3D printing, robotic assembly lines and airborne drones will become the cornerstone of future military production.
Co-authored by Ben Fitzgerald and Dr. Aaron Martin, both experts in the field of strategic planning and security, the paper describes how additive manufacturing can shift today’s military procurement paradigm.

Currently, the US military is faced with a huge problem. New systems take decades to develop, face massive cost over-runs and often aren’t adaptable to changing strategic needs.

To solve this problem Fitzgerald proposes that the military adopt additive manufacturing as a way to accelerate the development and procurement process. As the paper’s authors see it, 3D printers offer the military three distinct advantages over traditional manufacturing:

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FEBRUARY 04/2014 UPDATES. By Mr. Andres Agostini at www.Future-Observatory.blogspot.com

Lockheed Uses Robot Arm To Build F-35s
http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/lockheed-uses-robot…SOC&dom=fb

New Method of Creating Stem Cells is a “Game Changer”
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/01/30/new-met…u7rhLTSmHd

The Future of Skunkworks Management to Impossible Business Enterprises
http://lnkd.in/bYP2nDC

Was There A Beginning Of Time And Will There Be An End Of Time?
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/timeslowingdown.php?utm_source…u7yMbTSmHd

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by Alex Lemieux — Liberty Voice

Lockheed Martin has recently completed testing an autonomous convoy that utilizes advanced robotics, making humanized warfare transportation nearly obsolete. The test was a part of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps’ Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS) installation. The program assisted testers to successfully navigate heavy-duty military vehicles in an urban setting, complete with real-world obstacles a military convoy may encounter on the battlefield. Military vehicles have been designed to protect cargo and soldiers; however, new technology and robotics could eliminate the soldiers’ need to be at risk in times of war.

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By Richard Webner — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

During his childhood in Korea, Yong-Lae Park developed a love for robotics, using the nuts, bolts and metal bars from science kits to build mechanical versions of his favorite cartoon characters.

“Robotics is very interesting and attractive because you build it and it moves on its own,” Mr. Park said.

Today, Mr. Park, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, retains his childhood passion but directs it toward more mature creations. He’s part of a team that has designed a robotic device to restore movement for sufferers of neuromuscular disorders that affect the foot and ankle, such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and drop foot.

Catherine Shu- TechCrunch

BTC China, the world’s largest bitcoin exchange, has started allowing users to purchase the digital currency with Chinese yuan again. This is significant because BTC China stopped accepting deposits in renminbi last month after the People’s Bank of China issued a memo warning national financial institutions not to trade in bitcoin. That decision triggered a quick and massive drop in its value. It also hurt Bitcoin’s public image, which has taken several shots in the past few months.

BTC China CEO Bobby Lee told the Wall Street Journal that the exchange started accepting renminbi again on Thursday after studying the PBOC memo and determining that it was legal to accept deposits and transfer money into customer accounts, even though the banks that manage those accounts can’t conduct business in bitcoin.

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FEBRUARY 03/2014 UPDATES. By Mr.Andres Agostini at www.Future-Observatory.blogspot.com

Maps showing which parts of the world would be flooded if all the world’s ice melted
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

3-D printing takes shape
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/manufacturing/3-d_printing_…k-oth-1401

40 more maps that explain the world
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/13…the-world/

The Future of Space-Age Management
http://lnkd.in/bYP2nDC

Continue reading “The Future Observatory” »

Pete Rizzo — CoinDesk

Readers who visit the Chicago Sun-Times today will notice something they aren’t likely to have seen before: a bitcoin paywall separating them from their content.

The Chicago Sun-Times is the ninth-largest newspaper in the United States, and the first major US publication to trial a bitcoin paywall.

Instead of paying for a subscription, as patrons of the The Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times do, Chicago Sun-Times readers who visit the site on 1st February will be asked to donate bitcoin payments to the Taproot Foundation, or tweet about the nonprofit, in order to read articles.

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By Rhiannon Williams — The Telegraph