Well, this is pretty huge. We are looking at a powerful, flexible tool for bioengineering that is also controllable and precise.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
CRISPR Just Got More Powerful With an “On” Switch
Jan
23
Jan
22
You can get a basic drone for a few hundred dollars, a good one for about a thousand, one that will follow a…
You can get a basic drone for a few hundred dollars, a good one for about a thousand, one that will follow a cellphone (to act as a camera platform) for a little more.
There hasn’t been consistent regulation, and what there has been is relatively easily ignored; they aren’t hard to build from cheap parts, which gets around any “geofencing” restrictions on where they can fly, for example (even without hacking the commercial versions, which isn’t that hard).
They can’t fly especially fast or carry very much weight, but they could be turned into weapons despite that, and even without weapons they can (demonstrably) sow fear and confusion disproportionate to their cost.
You can defend against them, but so far, people haven’t been, particularly, even though drone attacks are a pretty predictable occurrence.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
Are We Ready for a Sky Full of Drones? Recent Airport Attacks Say No https://suhub.co/2QZ3lxT
Jan
20
“It looks like you’re trying to live life in the 21st century. Would you like some help with that?”
“It looks like you’re trying to live life in the 21st century. Would you like some help with that?”
Jan
19
The smartphone has as good a display as there’s any point in making for it, given the limits of human vision.
The smartphone has as good a display as there’s any point in making for it, given the limits of human vision. But if you could put a screen closer to your eye with the maximum visual precision possible, you could surround yourself with huge virtual screens.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/15/how-the-new-vr-screen-could-end-the-smartphone/
Jan
19
Not even all the way through January, and already three entries on my list for the best of 2019.
Not even all the way through January, and already three entries on my list for the best of 2019. (Note: two of them are not yet published; I read ARCs from Netgalley.)
The Philosopher’s War, sequel to the book that took my top spot in 2017, is urban fantasy in World War I with a conflicted and relatable main character.
The Raven Tower, Ann Leckie’s first fantasy novel, is (of course) extremely well executed, odd, and disturbing, not least in what it does with narrative expectations.
Tess of the Road, a new series in the same world in which Rachel Hartmann set the wonderful Seraphina, won’t be to everyone’s taste (not that the other two will either); it’s a long, slow book in which the inner journey is more important than the outer journey, and in which the protagonist starts out unpromising. I found it worth sticking with.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/941876-mike?page=1&shelf=2019-years-best&view=list
Jan
17
Neuroscience is progressing at a rapid rate, and if we want our mid-future SF to be credible we need to be aware of…
Neuroscience is progressing at a rapid rate, and if we want our mid-future SF to be credible we need to be aware of the advances.
Jan
17
There are things that are hard to talk about because there is no language for them.
There are things that are hard to talk about because there is no language for them.
Originally shared by Winchell Chung
Jan
17
Ohio in 2018. Outright, blatant, pervasive racism. Not even a little bit subtle.
Ohio in 2018. Outright, blatant, pervasive racism. Not even a little bit subtle.
Originally shared by Judah Richardson
All those allegations are detailed in a lawsuit filed against GM in which eight workers say managers at the Toledo Powertrain plant did little or nothing to stop racism.
Jan
16
Aquatic robotics: not easy, but fascinating.
Aquatic robotics: not easy, but fascinating.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
These Smart Seafaring Robots Have a Whole New Set of Skills https://suhub.co/2QVaMpM
Jan
16
The heading is a bit optimistic, but… this is an interesting future to think about.
The heading is a bit optimistic, but… this is an interesting future to think about.
Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe
No More War, Pestilence, & Poverty: How Renewable Energy Will Alter The Global Geopolitical Calculus – A democratization of energy supply is underway
Oil reserves are not distributed equality around the world. Some countries have them, others don’t. Over the past century or so, humanity’s unquenchable thirst for oil has led to wars over who should have access to it — from Japan’s quest for oil to power its nascent economy prior to World War II to the US-led wars in Kuwait and Iraq designed to ensure America an adequate supply of liquid gold.
At the ninth annual conference of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi last week, outgoing IRENA director-general Adnan Z Amin spelt out how renewable energy is thriving and what that will mean for the nations of the world.
The work was funded by the governments of Norway, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, says PV Magazine. “When put together, a fascinating new geopolitical reality … is emerging in front of us,” said Grimsson. The report came to four main conclusions.
1. The high penetration of renewables will result in a new geopolitical map, marking a departure from a century dominated by fossil fuels
2. The new order will feature “enhanced leadership” from China
3. The changeover to renewables will offer many nations increased energy independence
4. A democratization of energy supply is underway.
Along with the democratization of energy thanks to renewables, the report envisions greater cooperation among nations as they find new ways to share the new found bounty of unlimited energy that is all around us, just waiting to be harvested.
We may well still see wars over water in the future but even abundant energy generation could mean cheaper options to desalinate seawater for example. Some countries are seeing where the future lies (especially those without oil) and are taking a lead in the renewables space.
#oil #wars