Lifeboat Foundation

Meet Amun 3554. Doesn’t look like much, right? Little more than a mile wide, it’s one of the smallest M-class (metal-bearing) asteroids yet discovered. Unless it ever decides to smash into us — a theoretical possibility, but extremely unlikely over the next few centuries — it will continue orbiting the sun, unknown and unmolested.

That is, unless Planetary Resources has its way. Planetary Resources is the asteroid-mining company launched Tuesday in Seattle, with backing from Microsoft and Google billionaires, along with the equally prominent James Cameron and Ross Perot Jr.

Continue reading “This $20 Trillion Rock Could Turn a Startup Into Earth’s Richest Company” »

#CraftYourFandom R2 Builders France R2-Central builders Club R2 Builders Sweden R2 Builders R2NL — Newfoundland R2-Builders #StarWars UK R2 D2 Builders FB Page.

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In the past couple of years, Google has been trying to improve more and more of its services with artificial intelligence. Google also happens to own a quantum computer — a system capable of performing certain computations faster than classical computers.

It would be reasonable to think that Google would try running AI workloads on the quantum computer it got from startup D-Wave, which is kept at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, right near Google headquarters.

Google is keen on advancing its capabilities in a type of AI called deep learning, which involves training artificial neural networks on a large supply of data and then getting them to make inferences about new data.

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Interesting…

According to Steve Jurvetson, venture capitalist and board member at pioneer quantum computing company D-WAVE (as well as others, such as Tesla and SpaceX), Google has what may be a “watershed” quantum computing announcement scheduled for early next month. This comes as D-WAVE, which notably also holds the Mountain View company as a customer, has just sold a 1000+ Qubit 2X quantum computer to national security research institution Los Alamos…

It’s not exactly clear what this announcement will be (besides important for the future of computing), but Jurvetson says to “stay tuned” for more information coming on December 8th. This is the first we’ve heard of a December 8th date for a Google announcement, and considering its purported potential to be a turning point in computing, this could perhaps mean an actual event is in the cards.

Continue reading “Google reportedly planning a ‘watershed’ quantum computing announcement for December 8” »

If the Spitfire is the classic car of a private plane collection then this Valkyrie is an Aston Martin. James Bond’s Aston Martin to be precise.

It’s the stunning new plane from Cobalt Aircraft and not only has the accolade of being of the most beautiful planes we’ve ever seen but being the fastest private plane in its category.

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I had read about Singapore in genetic engineering way back in the 90’s. I think they were 1st or 2nd in making immortal skin cells at the time.

Singapore scientists have unravelled a mystery that could pave the way for turning back the clock on ageing.

A recent study led by Dr Ng Shyh Chang of the Genome Institute of Singapore at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) has found a gene in human egg cells that suppresses an enzyme causing cells to age.

Continue reading “Uncovering the secret of turning back time” »

NASA has released a new image depicting the most “powerful eruption” to have occurred since the Big Bang.

The explosion, which took place ten years ago, is thought to be one of the biggest to happen since the Big Bang.

Although the eruption was spotted in 2005, the latest images exposes the full power of the event.

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Oh Japan, how I love your beautiful insanity. wink

If you’re a fan of virtual musicians with computer-generated bodies and voices, and you live in North America, then do I have news for you.

Hatsune Miku, Japan’s “virtual pop star,” is coming to the US and Canada next year for a seven-city, synth-filled tour—her first tour in this neck of the woods. Miku herself may be a digital illusion, but her unique impact on the music industry is very real.

Continue reading “Hologram Pop Star Hatsune Miku ‘Announces’ 2016 US and Canada Tour” »