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Filtered by author: Doug Vining
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Spock Challenge
Posted: 13 May 2013   2 Comments
Here's a great new Audi ad which features the Old Spock challenging the New Spock, and some futuristic high tech motor machinery. The best part comes right at the end.

But what really interests me is that this video was published on YouTube only seven days ago and has already been viewed over 5 million times. That's a powerful viral medium! ...
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Big Mother is watching you
Posted: 17 May 2013  
I'm not sure that I want my nurse or doctor to spy on my lifestyle. But I suppose it all depends - if I was frail and vulnerable, perhaps I love to have a smart app keeping tabs on me...
Lifelogging App Talks to Your Doctor
17 May 2013
Here’s the smartphone technology that alerts a doctor when patients are headed for trouble.
MindBullet logo THE SMART FACE OF HEALTHCARE
Virtual hospitals are reinventing medicine
Dateline: 14 January 2018
Yessirree, things sure ain't what they used to be! Just take the new hospital in town...not a patient in sight! That's because the new high-tech hospitals ...
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Microsoft aint dead yet
Posted: 17 May 2013  
We told you not to write off Microsoft, and it seems we were right!

Poor Bill, it must be tough having to deal with all that money. I guess he could always invest in Space-X or Tesla... ...
Bill Gates is once again the richest man in the world
17 May 2013
He may be retired, but that's not kept Bill Gates from regaining the top spot as the richest man in the world.
MindBullet logo MICROSOFT SURGES TO NEW PEAK
Apple in decline as consumers, and businesses, vote with their wallets
Dateline: 7 November 2016
The votes are in, and there's a new winner in the global race to be the biggest and best tech company. And the winner is Microsoft! Just four years ago, ...
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Growth is not dead
Posted: 14 May 2013  
In this wonderfully simple 'Lesson from the Future' Erik Brynjolfsson argues that the key to growth is to race with the machines, not against the machines.

This is a must watch for anyone interested in the future of global growth!

(Hat tip to Neil Jacobsohn for sharing this) ...
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Solar attacks
Posted: 14 May 2013  
In a reminder that 2013 is the year of solar maximum, that is when the Sun reaches its highest level of activity in an 11 year cycle, our friendly star has belched out two huge spurts of radiation.

Neither of these were directed at Earth, but it would be wise to review this MindBullet and be aware of what could happen in the event of a major flare enveloping our planet. Forewarned is ...
Nasa announces first X class solar flares of the year
14 May 2013
This week saw the sun fire off its first X class solar flares of the year according to Nasa.
MindBullet logo EARTH 'ATTACKED' BY THE SUN
Solar storm creates techno chaos and climate change
Dateline: 13 December 2013
Welcome to Blackout Friday. Yes, it's Friday the 13th. You probably won't be able to read this on your flexipad until systems are restored next week, when ...
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Solar towers in the desert
Posted: 14 May 2013  
Here's an example of harvesting the Sun's heat on a massive scale. These solar towers could be used for more than just driving steam turbines, as suggested in this MindBullet scenario.

...
BrightSource Energy Looks Ahead to New Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Markets
14 May 2013
With BrightSource’s Ivanpah solar plant about to come online, the company looks to its next projects for the economics to improve.
MindBullet logo THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY IS HERE
Hydrogen will be the dominant fuel of the future
Dateline: 15 July 2017
After two decades of disappointment, hydrogen is finally becoming a viable fuel and source of energy for the world economy. The breakthroughs in innovation ...
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Mini-boom begins
Posted: 8 May 2013  
In line with our Timeline for the scenario for global growth that is described in this MindBullet, we would expect some signs of a global 'mini-boom' to start soon.

This could be one of those weak signals that gives us an early warning that that is precisely what is going to happen. If it does, will it peak in 2016 or sooner? Or will rising demand for energy cause it to falter? ...
Global shares reach fresh five-year highs on Chinese trade data
8 May 2013
Bigger than expected rises in both imports and exports add to buoyant mood on global equities markets, to detriment of commodities
MindBullet logo STOP THE WORLD, WE'RE HAVING A MIDLIFE CRISIS
The West deflates, China stagnates, and the rest of the world watches and worries
Dateline: 1 May 2040
As the 21st Century approaches middle age, prices are falling alarmingly. In real terms, everything from coal to electronics is cheaper than it was four ...
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Or does your supercomputer drive itself?
Posted: 8 May 2013  
In the (near) future, cars are going to be smart, connected, and no matter their main power source, highly electronic. It stands to reason that a fully electric car would have computer controls. Why not an autopilot too?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is in talks with Google to develop a new autopilot system for its electric cars
8 May 2013
Entrepreneur and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has revealed today that he’s been in talks with Google to develop an ‘autopilot’ function for his company’s ...
MindBullet logo DO YOU DRIVE A SUPERCOMPUTER?
The smartest high-tech device that you own is - your car!
Dateline: 18 October 2017
Ford actually made this a mission of theirs some years ago. Now it's a reality. MIT just released a new study that shows the sheer computing power and ...
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Making it, faking it
Posted: 10 September 2012   4 Comments
There's something happening out there and it's going to be big - very big.

Yes, I know we've said it before, 3D printing is going to change the way the world works. Not only will traditional manufacturing be completely transformed, but the counterfeiting business will get a real boost. We published this MindBullet a while back, which explores a scenario where it's simple to scan and clone ...
Difference Engine: The PC all over again?
10 September 2012
WHAT could well be the next great technological disruption is fermenting away, out of sight, in small workshops, college labs, garages and basements. ...
MindBullet logo POINT, SHOOT AND PRINT - IN 3D
From camera phone to plastic clone in three clicks
Dateline: 5 July 2015
It's now a simple matter to create a bust of the company president or a replica of your favorite pet - just point, shoot a couple of times from different ...
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Digital currency could stoke Chinese dreams
Posted: 7 May 2013  
With all the hype surrounding Bitcoin and news that Bitcoin ATMs are on the cards, wouldn't it be the perfect time for China to prove that it is the world's banker and establish a global digital currency?

But then, I suppose the allure of Bitcoin is that it is independent of any government, despite the implied volatility and vulnerability to hostile regulation.

Perhaps Bitcoin is a secret pilot ...
Bitcoin challenges the status quo
7 May 2013
The currency exists exclusively online and is independent of any government or company.
MindBullet logo CHINA LAUNCHES THE E-YUAN
US Dollar slides as gold-backed RMB becomes the online and offline currency of choice
Dateline: 15 March 2015
China's monetary authority has done it again. After surprising everyone but a small group of futurists by partially adopting a gold standard to back their ...
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A Tesla in every home
Posted: 7 May 2013  
Elon Musk reckons that, with a new payment plan and some creative accounting, about 30 million Americans can afford a Tesla. That's a lot of electric cars, and would test Tesla's production capacity severely, seeing as they've been having trouble producing 5,000 per quarter.

But I think the point is, many more people could afford electric cars, as they become mainstream and costs decline, as ...
Why It’s Okay that Tesla Makes Cars for Rich People
7 May 2013
The U.S. Department of Energy has been criticized for loaning money to Tesla Motors because the company makes cars that only rich people can afford. That’s ...
MindBullet logo WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
Despite the hype, the electric car has failed, again, to be a commercial success. Who is to blame?
Dateline: 8 July 2014
Remember the very first electric car, the EV1? They made a movie about its demise, and blamed the oil companies. Well, it's happened again. The electric ...
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Bird flu could still be the great pandemic of this century
Posted: 2 May 2013  
As we wrote in a MindBullet published way back in 2005, the real risk of bird flu is not catching it from birds, but when it mutates into a strain that is highly contagious between humans. That scenario could still materialize and if it does, we probably are "sitting ducks."

Another reason for the west to fear China? ...
Why we are sitting ducks for China's bird flu
2 May 2013
If China's bird flu acquires the ability to spread between people, we don't have the drugs or vaccines to tackle a pandemic
MindBullet logo BIRD FLU PLAGUE ON ITS WAY TO USA AND EUROPE
China’s economy under threat as millions die
Dateline: 25 April 2009
South East Asia is under attack by deadly disease. With growing industrial development and market economies, the region was looking at a rosy future in ...
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Animated atoms
Posted: 2 May 2013  
IBM makes the world's smallest movie, aired on BBC last night. Amazing.
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Going home - to Mars
Posted: 30 April 2013  
Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp wants to get humans settled on Mars and start the first colonization of another planet. His project Mars One has attracted 30,000 volunteers within a week of launch, despite the fact that the 'lucky' astronuts, err, astronauts won't be coming back - it's a one-way ticket.

But the real genius behind this project is the gameification of the entire thing. It's ...
Daily Maverick - Mars Attracts!
30 April 2013
Mars One, a private Dutch spaceflight endeavour which aims to launch a colony on Mars by 2023, opened for applications from would-be colonists last week. ...
MindBullet logo THEY CAME FROM MARS - WE ALL DID
We're not alone, and we're not from here!
Dateline: 21 March 2014
Astonishing results from the first soil samples returned from Mars indicate that there was once 'life' on the red planet - and that it was similar in ...
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Stimulus or austerity?
Posted: 27 April 2013  
Europe embraced austerity while other countries, notably the US, opted for stimulus to pull them out of the recession. Now there is mounting evidence that austerity has failed to do the job.

This is indicative of the thinking that says the future is a matter of choices. But perhaps, given the situation in Greece and elsewhere, there was little choice but to insist on austerity, as the poor ...
Europe in limbo as economic chiefs debate the future
27 April 2013
The European Union's focus on austerity has hit the limits of public acceptance, says the head of the trading bloc's executive arm.
MindBullet logo STOP THE WORLD, WE'RE HAVING A MIDLIFE CRISIS
The West deflates, China stagnates, and the rest of the world watches and worries
Dateline: 1 May 2040
As the 21st Century approaches middle age, prices are falling alarmingly. In real terms, everything from coal to electronics is cheaper than it was four ...
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The tricorder is coming
Posted: 27 April 2013   1 Comment
The Scanadu SCOUT and its complementary test kits will make instant self-diagnosis easy and accurate, and it's coming soon to your smartphone.
Holy Spock! The Star Trek Medical Tricorder Is Real, And It's Only $150
27 April 2013
The device you're looking at is called the Scanadu SCOUT and, basically, it's a medical tricorder that will give you precise vital information about any ...
MindBullet logo THE SMART FACE OF HEALTHCARE
Virtual hospitals are reinventing medicine
Dateline: 14 January 2018
Yessirree, things sure ain't what they used to be! Just take the new hospital in town...not a patient in sight! That's because the new high-tech hospitals ...
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Space phone - that's smart!
Posted: 26 April 2013  
And so, once again, those 'crazy' scenarios we dream up here at FutureWorld prove to be remarkably accurate!

Some of us thought this MindBullet was a bit off the wall. Now NASA has sent three smartphones into space, and they are wowing folks down on the ground. It just goes to show you what a high tech device you carry around in your pocket, and how low tech spy satellites could be commonplace ...
NASA launches 3 Android phones into orbit: awesomeness ensues
26 April 2013
NASA recently rocketed three HTC Nexus One smartphones into orbit and the stuff they're sending back is pretty damn cool.The phones were ...
MindBullet logo SEND YOUR PHONE INTO SPACE
Home-made spy satellites are all the rage
Dateline: 10 October 2015
More and more people are 'going' into space on a shoestring - and controlling their very own spy satellites from their iPads. Like 3D printing, the idea ...
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Our vulnerable web
Posted: 26 April 2013  
Don't you also think of the internet as 'ours'? After all, it belongs to all of us, doesn't it? So how do we feel about it? A lot of us are quite dependent on it, and would not be able to work if it went offline. Just working on a bad connection can be the source of endless frustration - ask me, I know!

But it's amazingly vulnerable to serious attack. We've seen some cyber attacks lately that ...
Pinging the Whole Internet Reveals Unsecured Backdoors That Could Tempt Hackers and Cyber Criminals
26 April 2013
A home science experiment that probed billions of Internet devices reveals that thousands of industrial and business systems offer remote access to anyone.
MindBullet logo INTERNET GOES OFFLINE
Global emergency spreads like a digital wildfire
Dateline: 21 December 2010
It's been 24 hours since the internet stopped dead. For the past day not a single email message has been delivered and no e-business transaction has been ...
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War of cyber words
Posted: 24 April 2013  
This incident is perfectly described by the Daily Maverick in their morning bulletin:

"The Syrian Electronic Army claimed credit for hacking the Associated Press Twitter account and briefly sending US markets into freefall yesterday. The shadowy cyber group, aligned with the Syrian government, has been targeting news organisations (with some success) for months. This time round, they used ...
Hackers compromise AP Twitter account, send out false tweet about White House attack
24 April 2013
NEW YORK — Hackers compromised Twitter accounts of The Associated Press on Tuesday, sending out a false tweet about an attack at the White House.
MindBullet logo FACEBOOK IDENTITIES FOR SALE
Trade in 220 million fake IDs worth $2.3 billion
Dateline: 21 April 2015
Police in Berlin thought they had tracked down a notorious hacker responsible for stealing US$ 18 billion from Deutsche Bank. "The hacker wasn't as ...
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Carbon Crisis
Posted: 22 April 2013  
Could it be that this scenario will emerge, and the collapse of value in coal, oil and gas companies would turn into another world financial crisis? According to this report, China has already said its use of coal will peak before 2020. That's not the same as decommiting from all fossil fuels, and I'm fairly sure their use of oil and gas will continue unabated, but it does lend credence to a ...
Carbon bubble will plunge the world into another financial crisis – report
22 April 2013
Trillions of dollars at risk as stockmarkets inflate value of fossil fuels that may have to remain buried forever, experts warn
MindBullet logo WORLD MARKETS IN TURMOIL AS CHINA DECOMMITS FROM ALL FOSSIL FUELS
Bold energy strategy targets pollution and leadership in world automotive industry
Dateline: 1 July 2008
Just four weeks before the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China has played a trump card in global politics. China has taken the pollution bull by ...
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Filtered by author: Doug Vining
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