Lifeboat Foundation

“We will implement a comprehensive plan to boost strategic emerging industries,” said Premier Li Keqiang in his delivery at the annual parliamentary session in Beijing over the weekend.

“We will accelerate research & development (R&D) on, and the commercialisation of new materials, artificial intelligence (AI), integrated circuits, bio-pharmacy, 5G mobile communications, and other technologies.”

One analyst now projecting industry in China to grow by more than 50 per cent in value to US$5.5 billion by 2018.

Continue reading “Artificial intelligence given priority development status” »

The real, and only, reason the US government suddenly has a fire lit under its ass to get back to the Moon.

Beijing (AP) — China is developing an advanced new spaceship capable of both flying in low-Earth orbit and landing on the moon, according to state media, in another bold step for a space program that equaled the U.S. in number of rocket launches last year.

The newspaper Science and Technology Daily cited spaceship engineer Zhang Bainian as saying the new craft would be recoverable and have room for multiple astronauts. While no other details were given in the Tuesday report, Zhang raised as a comparison the Orion spacecraft being developed by NASA and the European Space Agency. The agency hopes Orion will carry astronauts into space by 2023.

Continue reading “China Developing Advanced Spaceship That Can Land on the Moon” »

A burger-flipping robot has just completed its first day on the job at a restaurant in California, replacing humans at the grill.

Flippy has mastered the art of cooking the perfect burger and has just started work at CaliBurger, a fast-food chain.

The robotic kitchen assistant, which its makers say can be installed in just five minutes, is the brainchild of Miso Robotics.

Continue reading “Burger-flipping robot replaces humans on first day at work” »

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cars with no steering wheel, no pedals and nobody at all inside could be driving themselves on California roads by the end of the year, under proposed state rules that would give a powerful boost to the fast-developing technology.

For the past several years, tech companies and automakers have been testing self-driving car prototypes in neighborhoods and on freeways. But regulators insisted those vehicles have steering wheels, pedals and human backup drivers who could take over in an emergency.

On Friday, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles proposed regulations that would open the way for truly driverless cars.

Continue reading “Driver-optional cars: Once-reluctant California opens a road” »

Ravioli-shaped moon.

In a stunning set of close-ups, Pan, a diminutive moon of Saturn, looks like a floating ravioli lost in space, or a wrinkled flying saucer.

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft took the photographs Tuesday, passing within 15,268 miles of the moon, which has a diameter of about 20 miles, roughly the size of New York City.

Continue reading “Pan, moon of Saturn, looks like a cosmic ravioli (or maybe a walnut)” »

This is an interesting alternative to traditional burials.

More news on the new #transhumanism book just out: To Be a Machine. http://www.signature-reads.com/2017/03/7-best-books-artificial-intelligence/ & https://undark.org/article/30154-2/ & http://bookforum.com/blog/17478

Decades ago, if you were writing about robots, it was probably in one of two forms: either a science fiction narrative, or something short about the handful of robots that could be purchased for home or recreational use. Now things have changed. Home devices can recognize and respond to speech, prosthetic technology has been dramatically advanced, and our very understanding of what constitutes a robot has significantly changed.

With these advances in technology have come other questions, some pertaining to the nature of intelligence, some relating to the lines between humanity and machines, and still more that use our research into robotics to explore what makes us human. So, with that in mind, here’s a look at a handful of the best books on artificial intelligence, dealing with questions of robots, body modification, the Singularity, and more. Crank up Flight of the Conchords’s song set after a robot uprising and dig in.

Continue reading “Thinking Machines: 7 of the Best Books on Artificial Intelligence” »

A universe-opening theory suggested in issue 3 of the Justice League/Power Rangers comic book series has roots in real physics.

“The industry reports that, for the first time ever, solar was the number one source of new generating capacity, beating out wind and gas.”

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