NEWS, COMMENTARY, DEBATE AND ACCESS TO FUTUREWORLD'S COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE BASE
"It's worse than migration," says an Arran spokesperson, "they are destroying our neighbourhoods and culture!" Arran is the radical anti-tourist movement in Spain. In Barcelona, Rome and Venice, protest marches have turned violent, and travel advisories have been issued by British and American authorities. Tensions between hordes of foreign tourists and nationalist locals have been escalating for the past two years, and are now boiling over. Share bikes and Uber cars have had their tyres slashed, ...
This excellent analysis of how exponential technologies can flip an industry is well worth a read. The end of internal combustion engines spells the end of demand for gasoline. What isn't discussed in this article is that the sudden change will reverse the declining demand for electricity, but as we've discussed elsewhere, solar power is well positioned to take up the slack. Perhaps the best ...
Years ago - 13 years to be specific, I wrote a MindBullet about a computer virus making the leap to a biological system, and infecting a human. Well, scientists have already demonstrated how one part of that loop could be accomplished. They edited a strand of DNA, coding it with malware that infected the machine designed to decode DNA!DNA is just software, after all... ...
Made In Space just took another step toward its goal of building telescopes and other large structures off Earth.A 3D printer built by the California-based company churned out multiple polymer-alloy objects — the largest of which was a 33.5-inch-long (85 centimeters) beam — during a 24-day test inside a thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) here in Silicon Valley at NASA's Ames Research Center in ...
The Economist weighs in with an analysis of the future impact of the shift to electric cars, and says the death of the internal combustion engine will have many ramifications for industry and government in the future. As batteries become more efficient and cheaper, the advantages of electric propulsion accelerate, and cities will enjoy cleaner, healthier air.But there are downsides, including ...
There's an old adage of mobsters everywhere: "You're only guilty if you get caught!" Now it seems that everyone is guilty. Who can say they've never, ever committed a crime? Perhaps you cheated on a tax expense, or told a little white lie that made you look good; maybe you embellished your resume - just a bit - or left out a part of your history when you told all to your spouse-to-be. Probably most of us have exceeded the speed limit on occasion, or perhaps smoked or drank something we legally ...
When a brand like Mercedes uses the technology in production then its real and disruptive.
The field of robotics is fascinating - and undergoing astonishing growth, Here;s an amazing video of 10 of the most advanced robots around, from robo-snakes and spiders to a robot cheetah.
And here's the latest video of the Megabot in action.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePINYZK4p5Y ...
It's very easy to get caught up in the hype of the technology tsunami. So, for a cooling shower (if not a cold one!) read this HBR article on whether consumers actually want all the tech that is being offered to them. Good, solid advice from someone who has walked the talk.
Electric cars are making quite a splash, and now several EU governments are moving to ban petrol and diesel cars in the future. But what are the economic ramifications of widespread electric car ownership? Where will all the charging capacity come from, and how will current fuel taxes be replaced? Here's an article that looks at the potential impact in the UK. Quite a daunting scenario!
I know we were promised the first humans on Mars by now, but it turns out, making the seven-month journey is pretty rough on people, and we're not ready to risk it yet. Our robots and rovers have been busy on Mars, building landing zones and habitats, and preparing the soil for the first plants. Now we're ready to send a small organism to be cultivated on Mars, to see if it will survive. Sending a mothership all that way, just for a microbe, would be a costly waste, if the experiment fails. But ...
Businesses are still behind the curve on creating truly great mobile experiences..... but mobile is about to expand beyond the phone! The potential is enormous!
This report from MIT says low-cost LIDAR isn't good enough for self-driving cars. But that may improve with time:https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608348/low-quality-lidar-will-keep-self-driving-cars-in-the-slow-lane/On the other hand, they're plenty accurate enough for slow-moving robots in the warehouse or home. Expect them to become commonplace, as this MindBullet suggests. ...
As we approach the UK summer holidays and air traffic rises to its seasonal peak over South East England, aviation authorities have announced that only autopiloted flights will be allowed at airports servicing London and surrounds. "Automated take-off and landing is just so much more efficient," says Juliet Kennedy, Ops chief for NATS. "Humans can't deal with the pressure of 14-second gaps between planes!" Without this blanket ban on human-piloted craft and reliance on digital systems, the area ...
Yes, creating edible protein from electricity just became a reality. Although this was done in the lab, it could be scaled up to produce food for livestock or say, refugees from a shipping container sized 'factory'.
In China, everything is done at huge scale. They've got three big reactor units coming online soon, and a bunch more under construction and planned. And more and more home-grown tech like the digital control systems are being integrated into these power units. Eventually China intends to have almost 23% of their power from nuclear and a sizeable portion from renewables. Coal is still a big ...
A dozen years ago, we wrote a MindBullet about developments with nano materials that would make charging your phone unnecessary. Well, here's a story about new material that could require your phone to be charged only every three months. And with wireless charging also improving - in the lab at least - you might never have to consciously 'charge' your phone in the future.
We have been suggesting for a while that voice and data will soon be free...well in India it is upon us! Competitors of Jio, launched by the Ambani Group, saw share prices tumble today as the reality of free voice and very low cost data for life becomes a reality. Business models work until they don't...that moment has just arrived for Telco's.
From Japan comes this discovery of a new soft, flexible but extremely strong material. It's made from hydrogel and glass fibres, and could be useful for repairing damaged joints and for protective gear like bullet-proof vests. I wonder if they could try reinforcing hydrogel with carbon fibres - that should be even stronger, but might be too stiff.
