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Jan 19, 2016

That Weird Star That Doesn’t Have Alien Megastructures Around It? It Keeps Getting Weirder

Posted by in categories: alien life, habitats

While I AM aware that this is unlikely to end up being the work of an alien civilization, I DO believe that sooner or later (given the mindbogglingly powerful, state of the art observational instruments coming online soon, or already online, I’d DEFINITELY go with SOONER, rather than later!) we will detect an alien civilization in a similar way.


A star that made headlines due to weird brightness dips—leading to speculations of aliens building structures around it—is even weirder than we thought.

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Jan 19, 2016

Top Ten Ideas that Prove Nikola Tesla was the Greatest Mad Scientist in History

Posted by in category: futurism

http://bit.ly/1Oc95OY

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Jan 19, 2016

Impossible Foods

Posted by in categories: economics, food, habitats

We love meat. We love cheese. And for thousands of years we have relied on animals to make them. Impossible Foods has found a better way. We use plants to make the best meats and cheeses you’ll ever eat.

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Jan 18, 2016

Black hole sun could support bizarre life on orbiting planets

Posted by in category: alien life

A reversal of thermodynamics could allow life to exist on planets orbiting a black hole, as seen in the film Interstellar.

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Jan 18, 2016

Do-It-Yourself Gene-Editing Kit Transforming Biology

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Your own “Do it yourself” gene editing kit for only $120.


To “democratize” science, Josiah Zayner is packaging and selling his DIY gene-editing technique for $120 so that everyone can cut, paste and stir genes as simply as mixing a vodka tonic.

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Jan 18, 2016

Why it’s so difficult to build a hydrogen bomb

Posted by in category: military

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RNYe_UaWZ3U

Very true point & question to raise.


It’s been more than 60 years since the US successfully tested the first hydrogen bomb. Since then only four other countries—Russia, France, China, and the UK—have been able to make one themselves. This week North Korea claimed it had, but you can disregard Kim Jong-un’s boast for now.

Continue reading “Why it’s so difficult to build a hydrogen bomb” »

Jan 18, 2016

What’s eating Silicon Valley

Posted by in categories: habitats, transportation

I know many; who do take a break/ sabbatical from the valley to spend time with family or reconnect with friends on the east coast, Midwest, or other places that they refer to as home. However, once your sabbatical is in the 6 month period; you cannot wait to come back because the energy and excitement is truly hard to find anywhere else.


Like most people, I look up to and admire the heroes of Silicon Valley (the real ones, not the ones from the TV show). They’ve given rise to services (e.g., Google, Facebook, Uber, LinkedIn, Airbnb) that we use every day and make the world a better place. They’ve created value, wealth, and opportunity at unprecedented historic levels.

I’ve also had the chance to meet some of the leading CEOs and entrepreneurs of the Valley and they are, by and large, good-natured, brilliant, and thoughtful people. They’re earnest and committed to building positive things. Some of them are donors to my organization, for which I’m immensely grateful. It’s clear that Silicon Valley is today more than ever the center of innovation and technological progress.

Continue reading “What’s eating Silicon Valley” »

Jan 18, 2016

EverLaw: Another Useful Artificial Intelligence Capability By @BobGourley | @CloudExpo #Cloud

Posted by in categories: business, computing, robotics/AI

With AI, why have attorneys or judges anymore. Frankly, AI is proving to be the most unbiased judges/ decision makers already. And, AI can develop contracts and patent agreements, etc. better than most humans. Plus, AI will outperform humans in discovery work on cases. So, we truly in just 3 years may not need judges and attorneys anymore.


Our list of Truly Useful Artificial Intelligence Tools You Can Use Today was out of date the minute we published it. We knew that would happen and are absolutely thrilled when we discover new capabilities that belong on this list. One we just learned about is EverLaw, provider of perhaps the world’s most advanced litigation platform, designed to be easy to use and programmed to leverage the most powerful technologies available, including cloud computing, mobile solutions and yes, artificial intelligence.

We found Everlaw and learned about their prediction engine and other key platform characteristics from an a16z blog post introducing a new investment. From a16z:

Continue reading “EverLaw: Another Useful Artificial Intelligence Capability By @BobGourley | @CloudExpo #Cloud” »

Jan 18, 2016

Digital Diagnosis: Intelligent Machines Do a Better Job Than Humans

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

I am not surprised by this finding at all. This will change Healthcare drastically.


Until now, medicine has been a prestigious and often extremely lucrative career choice. But in the near future, will we need as many doctors as we have now? Are we going to see significant medical unemployment in the coming decade?

Dr. Saxon Smith, president of the Australian Medical Association NSW branch, said in a report late last year that the most common concerns he hears from doctors-in-training and medical students are “what is the future of medicine?” and “will I have a job?”. The answers, he said, continue to elude him.

Continue reading “Digital Diagnosis: Intelligent Machines Do a Better Job Than Humans” »

Jan 18, 2016

Cheaper solar cells with 20.2 percent efficiency

Posted by in categories: materials, solar power, sustainability

EPFL scientists have developed a solar-panel material that can cut down on photovoltaic costs while achieving competitive power-conversion efficiency of 20.2%.

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