…where science, futurism, and anything else Stephen finds interesting are
thrown together in an informational stew for your consumption.
Enjoy!
Follow Stephen on Twitter: @stephentgo
- “Live in the moment, but take the long view.”
- overheard by Tobias Buckell
- Army’s To Test at End of 2010, Hints at Industrial/Medical Uses
Based on this I’d say it’s likely we’ll see some real-world version of Iron Man before we see a biologically enhanced Captain America.
- from Laser-Activated Nanoparticles Move Molecules, Proteins and DNA Into Cells.
This method is allowing these scientists to get stuff into living cells that they’ve never been able to do before. This could be a big, revolutionary change in medicine.
- Achieves 700 bits of Parallel Processing
Such massive parallelism could solve problems that conventional computers would work on forever.
- “Free” is getting better and better: Excellent tabletop RPG – “Warrior, Rogue & Mage” – available free at RPGNow.
- Speeding Up Diagnosis of Infectious Disease through DNA sequencing. What used to take several days can be done in 24hours
This might be the first way DNA sequencing technology enters your doctor’s office. Not to sequence you. Rather, to sequence enough of a disease’s DNA to make a good diagnosis.
- Rise of the Helpful Machines.
There is a huge need for these elder-care bots in demographically-challenged places like Japan.
- A young William Adama is getting his own online series, .
As we learned from Kelly Parks in the latest FastForward Radio show, online series have a way of becoming more – full television series and movies.
- The statistical result is in: The galaxy is rich in Earth-like rocky planets.
Now, how do we get out there?
- In answer to author Tobias Buckell: yes, movies can sometimes be better than the book. The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Jaws, and High Fidelity are all good examples.
Of course there are plenty of counter-examples.
- Huxley v. Orwell
Competing dystopias – Orwell thought Big Brother will destroy our lives by taking away our freedom, Huxley thought that freedom will destroy our lives.
Perhaps we can dodge both bullets. Increased technology can decentralize power to avoid Orwell’s vision. And, if we concentrate on using technology to build greater connections with other people, perhaps we can avoid disappearing into the hedonistic traps Huxley warned against.
- Examples of science fiction preceeding science fact.
Even if a technology proves to be forever out of reach – like, perhaps, faster-than-light travel – it wouldn’t mean that Star Trek was a big waste of time. Beyond its entertainment value, many times these stories have inspired us to look a little into the “impossible,” and turn dreams into reality.
- DIY to DIWO [Do It w/ Others]: biohackers, synthetic biologists, & FBI to dialogue at Open Science Summit
- “CO2 Could be Decreased To Pre-Industrial Levels in 10 Years.”
This new solar carbon capture process simultaneously uses the visible and thermal solar components to power a cabon-capture facility. The carbon that is captured from the atmosphere could then be converted to carbon monoxide for fuel.
- is playing the villianous Red Skull in next summer’s Captain America movie.
Here’s the The Council Of Elrond scene from “Fellowship of the Ring.” Weaving is playing Elrond.
- Prequel to Inception is a graphic novel, available online.
- China Surpasses U.S. in ?
Why is this important? Energy use is a great way to measure a civilization’s technological development. See the Kardashev scale.
- “If you would be known, and not know, vegetate in a village; If you would know, and not be known, live in a city.” – Charles Caleb Colton
Geographical location means less than it used to. It is increasingly possible to live in a village physically while simultaneously existing, virtually, in a city.
And vice-versa.
- Cory Doctorow: Why can’t I right-click on a building to find out when it was built?
- One of the strangest invention stories of all time. The origin of the mechanical calculator.
It was perfected by a prisoner in a German concentration camp.
- MythBusters’ Jamie: this is how the show works- we’re just curious about stuff and figure out how they work
- Maker Faire is in Detroit this week.
- MIT , Virtuoso Mixer and Robotic Chef
Can I get mine in harvest gold?
- Speaking of harvest gold, check out this1981 TV news clip about .