Lifeboat News: The Blog – Safeguarding Humanity

The Next Social Networks Could Be Brain-to-Brain

Posted by Mike Ruban in neuroscience, physics, space | 1 Comment on The Next Social Networks Could Be Brain-to-Brain

Oct 3
2018

It might already feel like social media is taking up too much of our mental space, but just wait until it’s literally inside of our brains.

Physicists and neuroscientists have developed the world’s first “brain-to-brain” network, using electroencephalograms (EEGs), which record electrical activity in the brain, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which can transmit information into the brain, to allow people to communicate directly with each other’s brains — a new and thrilling (and a little terrifying?) example of science fiction brought to life.

Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle announced last week that they successfully used their interface, which they call BrainNet, to have a small group of people play a collaborative “Tetris-like” game — with their minds.

Silicon Valley’s Keystone Problem: ‘A Monoculture of Thought’

Posted by Derick Lee in engineering

Oct 3
2018

Ms. Powell does not have any easy or obvious ideas for how to address tech’s monoculture. She thinks of her book as starting a conversation. But any solution, she said, will involve “a fundamental, bottoms-up cultural change” — and one that we should not expect to see overnight.

In a satirical new novel, a former Google executive identifies the technology industry’s chief issue: its narrow engineering-focused bubble.

First woman Physics Nobel winner in 55 years

Posted by Aleksandar Vukovic in physics

Oct 2
2018

Only the third woman to win Nobel in Physics.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to a woman for only the third time since the award began.

Dark stars come into the light

Posted by Genevieve Klien in cosmology

Oct 2
2018

With help from dark matter annihilation, some of the universe’s earliest stars were able to grow much larger than they would otherwise.

As stem cell and gene technologies advance, La Jolla conference mushrooms

Posted by Genevieve Klien in biotech/medical, business

Oct 2
2018

Now in its 12th year, the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa continues to grow, much like the stem cells that are the center of its business and scientific discussions.

DJI Can Now Authorize Drone Flights in Controlled Airspace

Posted by Genevieve Klien in drones, government

Oct 2
2018

DJI now has the US government’s permission to authorize drone flights in controlled airspace near airports.

The FAA has approved DJI as part of its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) program. The agency rigorously tested and validated DJI’s technology capabilities before giving its stamp of approval.

DJI was one of 9 companies that were just newly authorized. The other eight are Aeronyde, Airbus, AiRXOS, Altitude Angel, Converge, KittyHawk, UASidekick, and Unifly.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites may use unique solar array deployment mechanism

Posted by Genevieve Klien in materials, satellites

Oct 2
2018

Spotted on an official SpaceX T-shirt commemorating Starlink’s first two prototype satellites and corroborated through analysis of limited public photos of the spacecraft, SpaceX appears to be testing a relatively unique style of solar arrays on the first two satellites launched into orbit, known as Tintin A (Alice) and B (Bob).

It’s difficult to judge anything concrete from the nature of what may be immature prototypes, but SpaceX’s decision to take a major step away from its own style of solar expertise – Cargo Dragon’s traditional rigid panel arrays – is almost certainly motivated by a need to push beyond the current state of the art of satellite design and production.