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May 25, 2015

DRONES: How Drones Could Help an Indigenous Community Fight Mining and Deforestation Emiko Jozuka | Motherboard

Posted by in category: drones

“The local Wapichana monitoring team learned how to build a fix-winged drone from scratch. The team then mounted a GoPro onto the drone, which shot around 500 images of the Shulinab village along a pre-programmed flight path. Using Pix4Dmapper automatic imaging software, the team were then able to recreate a 3D model of their village from the images. The aim, explained MacLennan in a blog post, is to ‘create high-resolution up-to-date imagery at a fraction of the cost of satellite imagery.’” Read more

May 24, 2015

Neuroscientists Are Making an Artificial Brain for Everyone — Davey Alba | WIRED

Posted by in category: neuroscience

“Nara is essentially a matchmaking system that finds and understands entities in any data set, from people and places to businesses and abstract concepts, then builds a massive knowledge graph that shows weighted links between those entities. Wilson says Nara inserts users right into that knowledge graph to offer personalized recommendations. Knowing a bit about the user is what allows Nara to light up other things they might like. And the system can scrape public databases to enhance its knowledge.”

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May 24, 2015

MIT’s Humanoid Robot Goes to Robot Boot Camp — Emily Dreyfuss | WIRED

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

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“If the humans were controlling Atlas directly from the command center, this would be no big deal, but the MIT team designed for autonomy. So they don’t have a joystick that would make the robot open the door. All the team can do is send their robot the command to find the handle and open it. It’s up to the robot’s software to figure out how.” Read more

May 23, 2015

What Is the Metaverse? Philip Rosedale’s Big Dream for Immersive Virtual Worlds — By Jason Dorrier SingualrityHub

Posted by in category: virtual reality

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What is the metaverse? It’s Philip Rosedale’s second crack at playing god—at least in the virtual sense. Rosedale created his first virtual world, Second Life, in 2002. Now, he and his new company, High Fidelity, are building another world in silica—and this time, they’re thinking on planetary scales.

Speaking at the Silicon Valley Virtual Reality (SVVR) conference this week, Rosedale said that by harnessing the shared power of home PCs, “We could collectively create a space whose literal scale is comparable to the landmass of the planet Earth.” Sound ambitious? It is, and it isn’t. Read more

May 23, 2015

Experimental Architect Explores Biology’s Role in Urban Design — By Henry Grabar for Next City

Posted by in categories: architecture, biological, complex systems, futurism, habitats, health, science

ARTICLE: “My own contribution has been to take the avant-garde ideas of architecture into a laboratory space.”

Bütschli Dynamic Droplet System in Summer/Fall 2013 issue of Artificial Life

May 23, 2015

Watch GE’s 3D Printed Jet Engine Fire at 33,000 RPM — By Jason Dorrier

Posted by in category: 3D printing

GE just 3D printed a jet engine—complete and functioning. It’s a pretty cool trick. The engine, about the size of a football, is a much-simplified version of something you might see on a commercial jet. But as we can’t fully 3D print one of those yet, this simpler design is used on RC planes instead of 747s.

GE is one of several aerospace players experimenting with industrial 3D printing. They’ve been using the tech to make finished parts for real jet engines too. Last year, for example, they said their CFM Leap engine would use 3D printed nozzles. Others, like SpaceX, are likewise using 3D printed parts in their creations. Read more

May 22, 2015

AI More Like Iron Man’s JARVIS Is Coming This Next Decade…Bring It On — By Peter Diamandis SingularityHub

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most important technology we’re developing this decade. It’s a massive opportunity for humanity, not a threat. So, what is AI?

Broadly, AI is the ability of a computer to understand your question, search its vast memory banks, and give you the best, most accurate, answer. AI is the ability of a computer to process a vast amount of information for you, make decisions, and take (and/or advise you to take) appropriate action. Read more

May 22, 2015

Novel Cold Storage Wallet

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, computing, cryptocurrencies, encryption

“Cryptosteel is an indestructible private cold storage system not only for Bitcoin users”

https://vimeo.com/128299690

May 22, 2015

The Untold Story of ILM, a Titan That Forever Changed Film

Posted by in category: entertainment


As the young director had conceived it, Star Wars was a film that literally couldn’t be made; the technology required to bring the movie’s universe to visual life simply didn’t exist. Eventually 20th Century Fox gave Lucas $25,000 to finish his screenplay—and then, after he garnered a Best Picture Oscar nomination for American Graffiti, green-lit the production of Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as Taken From the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. However, the studio no longer had a special effects department, so Lucas was on his own. He would adapt, and handily: He not only helped invent a new generation of special effects but launched a legendary company that would change the course of the movie business.

Industrial Light & Magic was born in a sweltering warehouse behind the Van Nuys airport in the summer of 1975. Its first employees were recent college graduates (and dropouts) with rich imaginations and nimble fingers. They were tasked with building Star Wars’ creatures, spaceships, circuit boards, and cameras. It didn’t go smoothly or even on schedule, but the masterful work of ILM’s fledgling artists, technicians, and engineers transported audiences into galaxies far, far away. Read more

May 21, 2015

Want to Write for Singularity University? We’re Hiring a Staff Writer — By Singularity University

Posted by in category: Singularity University

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If you’re a writer based in the Bay Area who is fascinated by science, technology, and the futurewe invite you to join our team!

We’re seeking a writer to produce engaging stories about all things Singularity University (SU), including programs, startups, and the growing global community of alumni. You will write stories for Singularity Hub to promote SU activities, provide real-time coverage of events, and showcase initiatives and impact. Read more