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Jun 29, 2016
The Next Space Race: Farming Solar Power in the Cosmos
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: solar power, sustainability
Scientists are making the big push to send electricity to Earthlings from the final frontier.
Anna Bitong is a Los Angeles-based journalist who has reported for The Acorn Newspapers and City News Service.
Jun 29, 2016
How liquid aspirin could help fight brain cancer: Special version of the drug found to be ten times more effective at killing cancer cells than chemotherapy
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience
A drink containing liquid aspirin could extend the lives of thousands of brain cancer patients, according to breakthrough research.
British experts have found that the simple drug can cross the ‘blood-brain barrier’ — a hurdle which has so far stopped cancer drugs attacking brain tumours.
Scientists will today announce the results of early tests which show liquid aspirin is ten times more effective than any existing chemotherapy at killing brain cancer cells.
Jun 29, 2016
Jia Jia the ‘robot goddess’ greets fans in China
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: cyborgs, robotics/AI
Jia Jia stood near the entrance of the exhibition hall that hosted this year’s 2016 Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin, in a major port city in North China.
She was dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit, hairstyle, complete with a classic hairpin, and immediately caught the attention of passers-by.
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Jun 29, 2016
Will quantum computing be BlackBerry’s Waterloo?
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: computing, internet, mobile phones, quantum physics, security
Definitely could see QC being Blackberry’s achilles heal.
WATERLOO — Advances in quantum computing could present a huge challenge to BlackBerry’s biggest competitive advantage — its vaunted security software that has never been hacked.
This seldom talked-about subject was raised recently by John Thompson, the associate vice-president for research at the University of Waterloo. Thompson was listening to a presentation by Mike Wilson, a senior vice-president and chief evangelist for BlackBerry, at a medical technology conference in Kitchener about a month ago.
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Jun 29, 2016
The surprising thing I learned sailing solo around the world — Dame Ellen MacArthur | TED
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: economics, environmental
Jun 29, 2016
Blockchain World Government Through a DAO
Posted by Michael Paton in category: governance
Blockchain World Government Through a DAO
Imagine a world of unison, unbridled innovation, and international cooperation beyond our wildest dreams, where democracy reins supreme, with each person a voice in every decision, if they so choose –like an election — except for every measure put into practice by the government. Now, imagine this on a global scale, where a world government comprised of elected officials is run through the blockchain and a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO).
Since the blockchain is a public ledger that can only grow, where the past cannot be changed (just as time cannot be reversed), and this most secure of all technologies allows for a unique private +public key to be associated with every human on the planet (which can be stored offline like a SIN card), all of a sudden, a new era would be upon us. We would no longer be the children waging wars and spats over insignificant issues, or disregarding the ways of diplomacy for unnecessary loss of life and turmoil. Along with a new birth certificate or with proof of 2 pieces of existing identification, we could all have a unique LIFE ID # assigned and voice how such a government would operate. Each decision — instead of the singular election of the decision makers — would be handled by the guardians of the system: each and every human on Earth. With contributions by every country, we could retain our national identity, whilst also recognising the planetary singularity we all share.
Because, after all, when we view the world from space, there are no borders. When we work together on projects like the Large Hadron Collider, we make groundbreaking discoveries like the God Particle, and even invent miniature black holes that evaporate, proving the truth of theories long-since-contested. It may be a scare to some, to have their world turned upside down, in a sense. It might make them feel as if they’re losing freedom, rather than gaining it, when the opposite is the real case. Hence why such a government could combine the voting on issues of a certain nation, and adhere only to those with a LIFE ID # in that geographical region, yet still allow for everyone to vote on issues when it affects the world as a whole. We could still retain our national identities, and the respective pride and voice in them, but we would become stronger as a species, and fund things that truly matter, with the combined wealth of all adding up to immense sums.
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Jun 29, 2016
Sweden debuts the world’s first ‘electric highway’
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: energy, transportation
Underground wireless charging will be a better idea!
Fossil fuels are bad for the planet, and freight haulage is one of the more carbon-intensive activities that operate today. That’s why Siemens and Scania have teamed up to trial what’s being called the world’s first “electric highway.” Much like an electrified railroad, the 1.2 mile stretch has a series of wires hanging overhead that a pantograph-equipped truck can connect to. Then, the vehicle can deactivate its fuel-burning engine and coast along on that delicious, dirt-cheap electricity, switching back when the wires stop.
Scania official Claes Erixon has said that the project is “one important milestone on the journey towards fossil-free transport.” Cleantech Canada quotes an unnamed Siemens representative, who says the move could cut energy consumption in half. As it stands, this is the culmination of a two-year project to develop this test track, with more work to be done to determine if it could be rolled out across the country. That is, unless, an alternative freight-transport network that’s even more energy-efficient and speedy, can make its case to governments across the world.
Jun 29, 2016
Terrifying Laser Bazooka Is Like a Handheld Death Star
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: electronics, energy
Ah, science. wink
In the right hands, broken electronics can be turned into something useful again. But useful isn’t the best way to describe Drake Anthony’s 200-watt laser bazooka made from a bunch of old DLP projectors he bought off eBay. Words like incredibly dangerous, do-not-try-this-at-home, or “are you crazy?” seem more appropriate.
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