Blog

Page 9608

Aug 10, 2018

A Chance Encounter in a Graveyard – Part 1

Posted by in category: habitats

This is a fictional story about a man realizing for the first time, under rather unusual circumstances, that he has a deep desire not to age and die.

It’s been a few months already, yet that day still feels like yesterday. I am still not convinced that I didn’t lose my mind that day, and even if I didn’t, it’s changed my thinking quite a bit.

I was in a green grove in the local cemetery, sitting on a bench. As it is the piece of nature closest to home, I used to go there quite often. A small group of men, all at least in their 40s and wearing black suits and ties, had passed by just as the bells in the nearby church began ringing.

Read more

Aug 10, 2018

Dr. Aubrey de Grey — Rejuvenation is Finally an Industry

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Dr. Aubrey de Grey gives his keynote speech at the Ending Age-Related Diseases 2018 conference in NYC. This was our first conference and we will be back every year from now on.

To learn more about the event check out the conference page here:
https://www.leafscience.org/ending-age-related-diseases-2018/

Read more

Aug 10, 2018

North American diets require more land than we have, study says

Posted by in categories: food, sustainability

If the global population adopted recommended North American dietary guidelines, there wouldn’t be enough land to provide the food required, according to a new study co-authored by University of Guelph researchers.

The researchers found that global adherence to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines would require one giga-hectare of additional land—roughly the size of Canada—under current farming practice. Their findings were published in PLOS ONE today.

“The data shows that we would require more land than what we have if we adopt these guidelines. It is unsustainable,” said Prof. Madhur Anand, director of the Global Ecological Change and Sustainability lab where the study was undertaken.

Read more

Aug 10, 2018

‘Ancient Aliens’ host believes ETs have visited the Philippines

Posted by in category: alien life

Giorgio Tsoukalos is in Manila for History Con 2018.


Giorgio Tsoukalos, of “Ancient Aliens,” one of History channel’s most popular and longest-running shows, believes that all ancient civilizations were visited by extraterrestrial beings at some point.

And yes, that includes ancient Philippines.

Continue reading “‘Ancient Aliens’ host believes ETs have visited the Philippines” »

Aug 10, 2018

Driverless cars will be in use everywhere within 6 years

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Traffic jams could be a thing of the past. Learn more about a driverless future: https://wef.ch/2Op4rCc

Read more

Aug 10, 2018

Drone Assassination Attempt Foreshadows Future Events

Posted by in categories: drones, law enforcement, terrorism, weapons

Until this past year, consumer drones carried tiny ultralight cameras, but they just didn’t have the energy or the reserve to carry much else. They certainly could not deliver much of a product or payload. They flew for 15 minutes, lacked the capacity to carry excess weight, and had short range.

But market demand sparks innovation. Amazon and Domino’s Pizza are experimenting with drone delivery. The improvements needed to serve these needs are quickly bubbling down to unlicensed weekend pilots. Hexacopters with 4K cameras, gimbals and retracting landing gear are available for under $400. Tiny foldable drones with 720p cameras are available for $35. Some models don’t even need a pilot on a joystick. You can preprogram the flight path to reach any target using GPS, or you can guide them by making gestures with your hand. The drone actually looks back over its shoulder and responds to your hand-waving commands.

Lance Ulanoff is a cartoonist and robotics fantech expert. But he shares a lot in common with Wild Ducks. He is an eclectic journalist and social media commentator.

Continue reading “Drone Assassination Attempt Foreshadows Future Events” »

Aug 10, 2018

The only thing mythical about unicorns these days is their valuation

Posted by in categories: business, mobile phones

They used to be the billion dollar start-ups. Now we call them unicorns, a term coined five years ago by Aileen Lee of Silicon Valley-based Cowboy Ventures. In mythology, unicorns are rare, beautiful creatures. It was the perfect name – until recently.

Now unicorn is taking on new meaning: start-ups that perpetuate the myth that they are worth a billion US dollars.

These days, it does not take much money to claim a US$1 billion valuation – under US$200 million in some cases. Nor do you have to be a leading edge or disruptive tech company. Many unicorns, especially those in China, are simply smartphone apps applied to businesses that have been around for decades.

Continue reading “The only thing mythical about unicorns these days is their valuation” »

Aug 9, 2018

Spinning heat shield for future spacecraft

Posted by in categories: futurism, space travel

A University of Manchester PhD student has developed a prototype flexible heat shield for spacecraft that could reduce the cost of space travel and even aid future space missions to Mars.

Read more

Aug 9, 2018

Magic Leap One AR headset is out now for $2,295, but only in six specific cities

Posted by in category: augmented reality

Surprise! But there’s a good chance you still may not be able to buy it. Here’s everything you need to know.

Read more

Aug 9, 2018

The fastest human-made object launches for the Sun this Saturday

Posted by in categories: particle physics, satellites

If the weather remains favorable and everything goes according to plan on August 11th, NASA is sending a spacecraft to the sun. The Parker Solar Probe will go closer to the massive ball of gas and plasma keeping our solar system together than any other spacecraft has gone before. It will brave extreme temperatures reaching up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to collect data and images of the sun’s atmosphere called “corona.” The spacecraft will also reach speeds up to 430,000 mph, making it the fastest-ever human-made object. That’s nowhere near fast enough to reach Alpha Centauri within our lifetime — it has to travel around 7,000 years to reach the star closest to our sun — but fast enough to get from Philadelphia to DC in a second.

NASA plans to use the data it beams back to figure out how we can better prepare for solar winds, which are streams of charged particles emitted by the corona. Particularly strong winds could change satellites’ orbits, interfere with their instruments and even affect power grids here on Earth. If we want to head deeper into space in the future, we must first study how solar winds can affect our vehicles. Besides, we need to take a closer look at the star nearest to us if we want to learn more about the other stars in the universe. Finally, studying the sun could shed light on the origin of life on Earth, since it’s our source of light and heat.

Continue reading “The fastest human-made object launches for the Sun this Saturday” »