It is one of the most remarkable things that in all of the biological sciences there is no clue as to the necessity of death. If you say we want to make perpetual motion, we have discovered enough laws as we studied physics to see that it is either absolutely impossible or else the laws are wrong. But there is nothing in biology yet found that indicates the inevitability of death. This suggests to me that it is not at all inevitable, and that it is only a matter of time before the biologists discover what it is that is causing us the trouble and that that terrible universal disease or temporariness of the human's body will be cured.
- Richard Feynman, The Role of Scientific Culture in Modern Society (1964)
Fortune: Quantum leap
"The age of computing has not even begun," says Stan Williams, a research scientist at Hewlett-Packard. "What we have today are tiny toys not much better than an abacus. The challenge is to approach the fundamental laws of physics as closely as we can."
Saving the World, One Video Game at a Time
Video games, serious-games advocates say, also possess a persuasive element that is missing from books or movies: They let the player become a different person (at least for an hour or two), and see the world from a new perspective. When Mr. Burak first showed Peacemaker to Israelis and Palestinians, he found that they were most interested in playing as their own "side." But when he pushed them to switch positions they developed a more nuanced sense of why the other side acted as it did. In Qatar several people told him that "they kind of understood more the pressures the Israeli prime minister has."
Ensimmäisen sukupolven nanolääkitystä: nanopartikkelit vievät lääkkeen verisuonistoon ja annostelevat sen oikeaan paikkaan.
"-- This could open the door for a lot of drugs that have failed to be approved because they caused too many side effects at a higher dose. It might pay to look at these drugs again and ask if placing them on these nanoparticles can help them be effective at a lower dose and clinically useful."
SLP2 Survival Tool - Taskuveitsi lampulla, sytyttimellä ja pillillä.
Jos me kansalaiset ja kuluttajat pystymme tänä päivänä organisoimaan kulttuurin jakelun tehokkaasti ja edullisesti keskenämme ja vapaaehtoisvoimin, ilman mitään julkisia investointeja tai verovaroista maksettavia juoksevia kuluja, miksi emme tekisi juuri niin? Miksi tuhlata luonnonvaroja ja rahaa kalliiseen ja vanhanaikaiseen aineelliseen jakeluketjuun ja sen monille välikäsille, kun uusi, luontoystävällinen ja huippuedullinen aineeton jakeluketju on jo kehitetty ja toimivaksi todettu?
- Kulttuuri tienhaarassa: kontrolloitu niukkuus vaiko runsauden markkinat?
Mouthpiece - Kaiuttimet ja näyttö suun edessä korvaavat ihmispuheen samplepuheella.
Shinichi Yamashitan robottinukkeja.
Haavat paranevat nopeammin sähkön avulla.
Julian Dibbell myy Play Money -kirjaansa pelirahalla Second Lifessa.
Alkuperäistä Doomia voi pelata Doom3:n sisällä.
The Genetic Secrets of Longevity - TechReview haastattelee Thomas Perlsia Long Life Family Studyn tiimoilta.
TP: Most people think, 'the older you get, the sicker you get.' But the reality is, the older you get, the healthier you've been.
CNN: AI set to exceed human brain power - Nick Bostromia haastatellaan.
Nanofactory Collaboration - Kansainvälistä yhteistyötä ensimmäisen nanotehtaan rakentamiseksi timanttimekanosynteesillä. Lisää yhteistyökumppaneita kaivataan. Täältä löytyy tekemättömien töiden ja kokeiden lista.
The precursor to the Nanofactory Collaboration was informally initiated by Robert Freitas and Ralph Merkle in the Fall of 2000 during their time at Zyvex. Their continuing efforts, and those of others, have now grown into direct collaborations among 23 researchers (including 17 Ph.D's or Ph.D candidates) at 10 institutions in three countries (U.S., U.K. and Russia), as of 2006. -- Additional collaborations are eagerly sought to extend our ongoing theoretical and experimental investigations.
The Terrafugia Transition - Carl Dietrichin lentoautomalli. Prototyyppi valmisteilla, myynnissä ehkä 2009.
"Edge monkeys"
The authors liken the relationship between edge monkey and human to that of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster characters. "Jeeves's aim is always to modify Wooster's behavior so that it is more sensible," they write. "And we need all the persuasion we can get to modify our behavior before the planet is severely compromised."
Maglev-tuulimylly Kiinassa.
Ergo-Tech - Tyylikäs selkäreppu.
Jos avaruusturisti maksaa 15 miljoonaa extraa, hän saa tehdä avaruuskävelyn.
This is the natural next step for space sex: bondage.
The Fountain - Darren Aronofskyn elokuva kuolemattomuudesta tulee teattereihin lokakuussa. Pääosissa Hugh "Wolverine" Jackman ja Rachel "Muumio" Weisz. Traileri (YouTube). Myös graafisena novellina DC:n Vertigolta.
Polecat - Miehittämätön lentokone, joka on rakennettu 3D-printatuista osista.
Death in the Deep Freeze - Uusi tunnin dokumentti kryoniikasta. Tekijöina brittiläinen independent-tuotantoyhtiö Zig Zag ja National Geographic Channel. Kuvattu Alcorin tiloissa Arizonassa viime helmikuussa.
Piano Wizard - Opi soittamaan pianoa nuoteista videopelin avulla.
The Passionate Gardener
If human beings are themselves part of the natural world, then our efforts to modify that world are not interference, but a higher expression of its energy and order. The garden is the point where nature and human nature intersect and interact, producing something that is natural and artificial, intelligent and inanimate, all at once.
Copy What You Like
It's easy to be drawn into imitating flaws, because they're easier to see, and of course easier to copy too. For example, most painters in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries used brownish colors. They were imitating the great painters of the Renaissance, whose paintings by that time were brown with dirt. Those paintings have since been cleaned, revealing brilliant colors; their imitators are of course still brown.
Tesla Roadster - Battery-Fueled Car Will Smoke You
It's an eerie, disconcerting feeling. There's no engine hum -- nothing to make you think that this car should be sold with a neck brace. Most high-performance cars telegraph their power. That's part of the allure of a seriously fast car -- you can hear it coming. The Roadster seems like a sneak attack. As with everything about this car, Eberhard has a fast answer. "Some people are going to miss the sound of a roaring engine," he says, "just like people used to miss the sound of horse hooves clippity-clopping down the street."
Valokuvallinen aikamatka kryoniikan historiaan: ensimmäinen neurosuspensio 30 vuotta sitten. Todellista tee-se-itse -henkeä.
Nano 50™ Awards - 50 parasta nanoteknologiatuotetta, tekniikkaa tai innovaatiota.
AfriGadget - Kotikutoisia laitteita Afrikasta.
Nao Project - Ranskalaisen Aldebaran Roboticsin humanoidirobotti.
Biotech Blue Jeans - Geenimuunnelluista kasveista tehtyjä vaatteita.
Yes, a good cautionary tale is a powerful thing. What makes me crazy is that a cautionary tale is all we get. We also need the alternative. We need hopeful visions to give us something to work for, as opposed to always working against something.
- Our Planet's Future Isn't Dead
The robots are micro, but the motors are nano--an interesting hybrid.
“Somatechnics” is a newly coined term used to highlight the inextricability of soma and techne, of the body (as a culturally intelligible construct) and the techniques (dispositifs and ‘hard technologies’) in and through which bodies are formed and transformed.
Singularity Institute tarjoaa lisää avoimia työpaikkoja parhaista parhaille.
The Quest for the $1,000 Human Genome
Already, every newborn baby endures its heel being pricked to draw a few drops of blood, which are tested for a handful of enzymic deficiencies. But when genomes can be decoded for $1,000, a baby may arrive home like a new computer, with its complete genetic operating instructions on a DVD.
HP Unveils Revolutionary Wireless Chip that Links the Digital and Physical Worlds
Some of the potential applications include storing medical records on a hospital patient’s wristband; providing audio-visual supplements to postcards and photos; helping fight counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry; adding security to identity cards and passports; and supplying additional information for printed documents.
Nanotechnology: anticipating Vicious Cycles
Email spam is annoying, but still survivable and even tolerable. But what if the spam message sent via the Internet to your personal nanofactory included a blueprint and instructions for the automated building of tiny cameras that quickly filled your home and started keeping track of all your activities? Or, worse, what if a new product “sample” was sent to you that appeared attractive and harmless, but that in fact was a deadly booby trap? (If this sounds too fantastic, you’re not keeping up with how rapidly technology is moving.)
howto: Make an Eyetap - Tee halpa silmälasikamera.
Power Shoes - Virtuaalitodellisuusrullaluistimet.
The Boy Who Sees with Sound - Teknologinen Daredevil.
Completely blind since the age of 3, after retinal cancer claimed both his eyes (he now wears two prostheses), Ben has learned to perceive and locate objects by making a steady stream of sounds with his tongue, then listening for the echoes as they bounce off the surfaces around him. -- While many blind people listen for echoes to some degree, Ben's ability to navigate in his sightless world is, say experts, extraordinary. "His skills are rare," says Dan Kish, a blind psychologist and leading teacher of echomobility among the blind. "Ben pushes the limits of human perception."
Artificial intelligence is 50 years old
"It's not a human civilization and a machine civilization competing with each other," Kurzweil said. "It's a human-machine civilization that's already merged, and that merger is going to get more intimate."
The Joy of Sucking - Häviäminen on hauskaa, surkeus on ihanaa, synkkyys on kaunista ja toivottomuus on kiehtova kokemus. Pelimaailmassa eletään autuuden aalloilla, eri onnellisuusskaalalla kuin reaalimaailmassa.
The Age of the Web Hermit
So in this world where fortunes are made and lost by trading in nothing more substantial than data; where you can choose your friends and acquaintances not just from the people you meet at work or down the pub, but from all over the world; where you can get almost any item from any where delivered to your door without having to leave your desk; we have to ask ourselves - is there anything that we really need good old fashioned Real Life for any more? Is a life of doing things and meeting people as our primitive ancestors in the late 20th Century knew it becoming redundant?
Grūpthink - Kekomielikokeilu.
David Gerrold ennakoi tulevaisuutta.
We're already modifying ourselves with cosmetic surgery, hearing aids, artificial hips, pacemakers, steroids, and organ transplants. These are the bits and pieces of trans-human evolution. We just haven't seen all the synergistic combinations yet. A century from now, we could be a self-designed species.
Made in Eureka - Mukakauppa scifikeksinnöille kuten Cryo-Kennelille.
Touch Messenger - Pistetekstareita näkövammaisille.
Given another few decades, we ourselves will be able to synthesize living organisms out of off-the-shelf chemicals, so, given the inclination, a Transformational civilization will even be able to construct new living planets with their own tailored biospheres. Given even ten thousand years, a Transformational civilization will be able to do just about anything that is possible within the ultimate limits set by the universal laws governing the interactions of mass and energy. The final question, of course, is how do we get from here to there? How do we transcend our Transformation Crisis?
- Norman Spinrad, The Transformation Crisis
"Providing hope is something science fiction should be doing. It sounds arrogant to say it, but if we don't do it, who the hell will? One of the social functions of science fiction is to be visionary, and when science fiction isn't being visionary, it hurts the culture's visionary sense. And when the culture isn't receptive, neither is science fiction. It's a downward spiral."
- Norman Spinrad interview
PopSci: The Future of Medicine
Custom-Made Organs. Precision-Guided Tumor Killers. The Genetic Slicer 'N' Dicer. A single-shot universal vaccine against any strain of influenza. A sewing kit to stitch severed nerve cells back together. Spinal Spark For Paralysis
Gary Gygax, World Dictator?
We're already immersed in a neotenous society, where social adolescence is artificially extended and a lot of people never "grow up' -- that is, never accept the designated "adult" roles and social behaviours. Gaming is a pervasive recreational behaviour; the games industry is probably close to surpassing the traditional motion picture industry in turnover. Play -- historically associated more with childhood behaviour than with adultood -- is a behaviour that is increasingly continued into adulthood. And it has long-term psychological implications. Play is learning tool; young mammals play in order to explore their environment and develop strategies for coping.
BME Encyclopedia - Transhumanism.
Indeed, one of the popular philosophies in transhumanism is that instead of a single species with a single genetic and physical makeup, the species must become a large number of differently-evolved sub-species. In other words, all of the approaches are desirable, since they all (if properly implemented) succeed in humans that are different from the current species. There has always been a strong sense of individuality, and a desire to maintain novelty, among most transhumanists.
Keinotekoista spermaa kantasoluista.
"The same approach could ultimately allow us to control the development of liver cells, heart cells or brain cells...and make treatments for virtually any tissue that is damaged or diseased."
"To choose to do nothing is still a choice, with its advantages, disadvantages and probable sequelae. Unless these have actually been weighed, estimated and compared with alternatives, those who choose not to "play God" are choosing, instead, to play ostrich."
- Robert Ettinger, Man Into Superman (1972)
The Open Prosthetics Project - Rakenna omat keinoraajasi ja jaa mallit muiden kanssa ilmaiseksi.
Industrial production methods are different; they tend to encourage “one size fits most” designs and make customized products comparitively expensive. However, recent advances in computer controlled manufacturing are making custom high-tech parts substantially cheaper.
Self-control is the key to success
The ability to delay gratification, like most skills, correlates with socioeconomic status and parenting styles. Children from poorer homes do much worse on delayed gratification tests than children from middle-class homes. That's probably because children from poorer homes are more likely to have their lives disrupted by marital breakdown, violence, moving, etc. They think in the short term because there is no predictable long term.
R7 - Star Warsin kävelijöiden esi-isä myynnissä.
Zoop - Oranssi kupla-auto.
Maailman terävin neula on tehty.
Joku sika on herätetty kuolleista.
Michel Fournier yrittää hypätä alas stratosfääristä.
Geenimuunneltu bakteerispray tekee hampaista 90% reikiintymättömät. Yksi käyttökerta riittää, ensimmäiset ihmiskokeet ovat onnistuneet, yleisessä käytössä ehkä 3-5 vuoden sisään.
"As a dentist myself, I would have trouble saying you could eliminate the need for brushing. You'll be the same human being, you'll just have a decreased likelihood of tooth decay." -- "I understand the FDA's concern for safety and effect, but if you were to sit down and try to imagine what the worst possible outcome could be, it's hard to think of anything," said Prof Hillman
What Kind of Genius Are You? - Oletko sprintteri vai maratoonari? Ehkä pitäisi miettiä, miten kuolemattomuus vaikuttaisi tilanteeseen. Jos ollaan pessimistejä, sprintterit tekevät parhaat työnsä kaksikymppisenä ja seuraavat miljoona vuotta ovat pelkkää nuoruuden neronleimauksien laimennettua toistamista; ja maratoonarit puolestaan tekevät parhaat työnsä vasta hieman ennen kosmoksen loppurysäystä. Jos optimisteja ollaan, sprintterit pääsevät paistattelemaan varhaisen neroutensa sädekehässä koko loppuelämänsä ja maratoonarit saavat jatkuvia onnistumisen elämyksiä tehdessään aina vain parempia töitä.
Bigelow Aerospacen pumpattava avaruushotellimoduuli Genesis I koelaukaistaan avaruuteen. Jos kaikki sujuu hyvin, Genesis II laukaistaan myöhemmin tänä vuonna ja sen mukana avaruuteen menee myös Fly Your Stuffiin lähetettyjä tavaroita ja valokuvia.
This Is a Computer on Your Brain
The brain emits a signal as soon as it sees something interesting, and that "aha" signal can be detected by an electroencephalogram, or EEG cap. While users sift through streaming images or video footage, the technology tags the images that elicit a signal, and ranks them in order of the strength of the neural signatures. Afterwards, the user can examine only the information that their brains identified as important, instead of wading through thousands of images.
Robotany - Robottipuu.
Sports Vehicle Encyclopedia: strange vehicles - Eksentrisiä kulkuneuvoja.
Mutta Hyanide on konseptiajoneuvoista hienoin. Eikä Sea Orbiter sille paljon häviä.
ButtUgly tuumii yhteisöllistä omahoitojärjestelmää.
But when more and more simplified medical technology reaches the common man, will we see another big boom? What will be the mouse and the World Wide Web of the medical technology? What will push through the barrier and make people discuss "parameters of the human body", much like they discuss which web site gives the best discounts on flight tickets? Does a person have a right to diagnose and treat himself in any way he pleases, even if it goes against the recommendations of doctors?
Mieleeni palautui Dermal Display. Ennen nanoroboteista koostuvaa tatuointinäyttöä olisi tietysti hyvä kehittää vaikka ranneke, josta näkee edes muutaman arvon.
Jos kehon numeroarvot menisivät turvallisten säätöjen ylitse ja ihminen menettäisi tajuntansa, tarkka tieto tilanteesta voisi siirtyä automaattisesti lähimmälle lääkärille. Jos ammattilääkäriä ei olisi lähimailla, tiedot hätätilanteesta siirtyisivät ympäristössä oleville vapaaehtoisille amatööriauttajille, jotka säntäisivät apuun; Global Frequency heräisi eloon ja ihmiset toiselta puolen maailmaa voisivat antaa ensiapuohjeita videokännyköiden välityksellä. Ei olisi enää epätietoisuutta siitä, onko nurmikolla makaavalla miehellä joku hätänä vai onko hän vain päättänyt ottaa nokoset.
Funktionaalisia tatuointeja: Medic alert tattoo, Medical Tattoos, Medical Temporary Tattoo. Lisäksi rintaan voisi tatuoida joko "Do Not Resuscitate" tai "Try To Resuscitate Me One More Time, I Can Take It".
Technology Reviewn SENS Challengen tulos on julkaistu. Voittajaa ei odotetusti löytynyt, mutta puolet rahoista (TechReviewn $10 000) TR antoi täysin palkintoon liittymättömät ylimääräiset $10 000 lohdutuspalkinnoksi parhaalle yritykselle. Näyttää vähän siltä, että toimittajia harmittaa, kun kukaan ei onnistunut kumoamaan SENSiä kaiken heidän näkemänsä vaivan jälkeen. Ja sitten TR:n täytyi vielä muuttaa juttua, koska se ei oikein vastannutkaan todellisuutta, eli täydet $20 000 on edelleen tarjolla.
A majority of the judges also argued that if SENS was not exactly science, de Grey (a computer scientist by training) had described his proposals as a kind of engineering project -- and they upbraided Estep et al. for not considering them on those terms. Rodney Brooks wrote, "I have no confidence that they understand engineering, and some of their criticisms are poor criticisms of a legitimate engineering process."
Quechua "Seconds" tents - Heitä kangasrengas ilmaan ja siitä tulee valmis teltta ennen kuin se laskeutuu maahan. YouTube-video.
IV Plant Pot - Infuusiopussi kasveille.
Bossaball - Sarjassamme pidemmälle kehitettyjä urheilumuotoja vuorossa trampoliini-lentopallo.
TableTopics - Puheenaihekortit. Jos ei itse jaksa keksiä hyviä puheenaiheita (tai bloggausaiheita).
Medicine Man: The Forgotten Museum of Henry Wellcome - Vanhojen lääketieteellisten tavaroiden kokoelma. Rautaisia käsiproteeseja ja muuta kiehtovaa.
All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man.
- Henry David Thoreau
Savukkeet ovat vanhaa ja kuolevaa teknologiaa. Piiput ovat muinaisjäänteitä primitiivisiltä heimoajoilta. Nykyään on jo keksitty tehokkaampia, turvallisempia ja ympäristöystävällisempiä keinoja saada nikotiinia.
nikotiinilaastarit
nikotiinipurukumit
nikotiinipillerit
nikotiinitabletit
nikotiinitikkarit
nikotiini-inhalaattorit
nikotiininenäsumutteet
Tietenkään nämä eivät käy siinä tapauksessa, jos kuvittelee olevansa koolimpi vetäessään savua kuin intiaani, mutta ei kai aikuinen ihminen sellaista enää luule.
Fighting for the Right to Be Frozen - Kryoniikka on edelleen kiellettyä Brittiläisessä Kolumbiassa.
"After contacting many government officials, I discovered that this law was created by one bureaucrat and everyone else just went along with it," says Best via phone. "I think this guy even forgot he'd done this when I contacted him again 10 years later. So it was a pretty slapdash thing, but once in place, hard to change."
Cryo 2006 - Kryobiologian konferenssi Hampurissa 24-27 heinäkuuta.
Streetpianos - Kadulla oleva piano, jota saa soittaa 9-21.
The Development of Supermans Powers - 30-luvun Teräsmies pystyi hyppimään talojen yli, mutta ajan myötä supervoimat ovat vain kasvaneet kasvamistaan. Tällä kehitysvauhdilla Teräsmies ohittaa jumalan joskus 2030-luvun paikkeilla. Kekeke.
What is a gross national product when you don't have a life? A few years ago, the Norwegians found that they were 14 percent more productive than we are. So they elected to take more time off.
- Joe Robinson
Campaigns Wikia - Wikipolitiikkaa alhaalta ylöspäin Wikipedian perustajan johdolla.
Steal This Wiki - Abbie Hoffmanin kirjaa ei tarvitse varastaa, koska se on ilmaiseksi wikimuodossa.
Tweaking Genes in the Basement
"They're not doing it because it's trendy -- people like the Biotech Hobbyist Collective," he said. "They authentically believe in what they're doing."
The Six Most Feared but Least Likely Causes of Death
Joko olet osallistunut elämänpidennyskyselyyn?
Cryonics trend seeing entire families sign up
Last year alone, six couples signed themselves and their children up on the slim chance they could be brought back to share another lifetime together. -- “We’re seeing all of a sudden, as the science is catching up with what we hope to see happen," said Tanya Jones, chief operating officer for Alcor. "More people are taking it seriously as a means of protection for their entire families." -- It's a recent trend in cryonics, which previously appealed mostly to young, educated single men, she said. -- "We had one girl who was signed up on the very day she was born," Jones said. "Her mother had all of the paperwork ready to go, and the day that child was born, she was a member."
Vuosi jolloin miljoonasta ruotsalaisesta tuli rikollisia
Ovatko kansalaiset alkaneet pelätä ja varoa vertaisverkkokäyttöä enemmän? Ovatko asenteet muuttuneet tekijänoikeuksilla rahastavien tahojen toivomaan suuntaan? Ei. Päinvastoin, väestön selkeä enemmistö suhtautuu kulttuurituotteiden jakamiseen Internetissä positiivisesti, ja erilaisten galluppien mukaan noin 70-90 prosenttia kansasta on sitä mieltä, että toiminta pitäisi laillistaa. -- Entä mediafirmojen ja tekijänoikeusjärjestöjen ‘valistus’kampanjat? Sellaisia ei edes yritetä, koska kansalaiset nauraisivat ne maan rakoon. Kiitos Piratbyrånin valistustoiminnan, ‘piraatti’ ei ole ollut Ruotsissa pitkään aikaan negatiivinen sana.
'Bionic' limb breakthrough made
The technique, called Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP), involves securing a titanium rod directly into the bone. -- The metal implant passes through the skin and the artificial limb can be directly attached to it.
The Deepest Cut
“A hemispherectomy is the opposite of everything you are taught in neurosurgery,” Jallo told me. “You are told throughout your residency training to preserve the brain, get what you have to get, do your work, and leave, but with this you have to take out everything along the way.”
'Plasma needle' could replace the dentist's drill
Nitric oxide is also involved in cell messaging, so it can be used to trigger programmed cell death. Using higher-energy doses of plasma, in longer bursts, the team was able to target certain living cells and cauterise the tissue while leaving surrounding cells undamaged. "The plasma needle could be used to excise tumours or skin cancers," says Stoffels-Adamowicz. "It's surgery without cutting."
Sci-fi homes of the future arriving now
"Home entertainment is the key application that will provide traction for the home automation market," said ABI senior analyst Sam Lucero.
Plen - Skeittaava robotti.
Floating Bed - Magneettien avulla leijuva monoliittisänky, hinta 1,2 miljoonaa euroa.
Space Travel=Blasphemy?
I loved this film as a kid, but never realized until today that its plot, in which a general attempts to sabotage a mission to Mars because of his religious beliefs, was based on a 1940s controversy over whether or not the Bible forbade humanity to leave the Earth.
Michael Anissimov vastailee kysymyksiin Wisegeekissä:
How much radiation can the human body safely receive?
What is the Technological Singularity?
What is Friendly AI?
What is a Space Pier?
Cambrian House - Kilpailuta ideoitasi, parhaat ehkä toteutuvat.
If you think you can do a thing
or think you can't do a thing,
you're right.
- Henry Ford
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
- Thomas Edison