Original content

Will sexbots be a curse, a blessing or both?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 03/07/2014 - 10:41

Realdoll Star This picture isn't a woman, it's a Realdoll (NSFW) - a life-sized mannequin designed to feel and weigh like a real man or woman (over 4000 sold in case you're wondering) with all of the right parts in place.

Familial harmony in a minivan with a space next to the park

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 03/05/2014 - 11:35

Vanagon on beach When his grandparents decided to move to the city, they did so for the future of their children. The farm kept them fed and clothed, but the lifestyle seemed stagnant enough to keep their children's children's children poor. It was a growing issue when compared to the rising wealth of the cities, where they decided life offered more opportunity. They moved as a family, three generations together.

Public education is about to rush into the 21st century - what will it look like?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 03/03/2014 - 11:33

Students in classroom with tablets K-12 education has been limping along for some time, strung up between two conflicting political viewpoints and hard up for the money required to create a meaningful and beneficial change to an aging system. As technological advancements are refined, schools will be able to offer new and affordable curricula that will change how, when and where students learn and teachers teach.

Will specialized artificial intelligence be kickstarted from a learning perspective?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 02/28/2014 - 11:49

Robonaut Many highly intelligent humans predict highly intelligent robots as soon as researchers find the programming and/or hardware to make it work. Theories about the technological singularity, the point at which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, are supported by notable figures such as Ray Kurzweil and Vernor Vinge. It's a very attractive advancement, one in which intelligent systems can help move humanity forward faster than we ourselves are capable of managing. Coupling artificial intelligence with robotics would provide devices capable of not only responding to human need, but identifying human need in real time or even in advance of the need - and not only based on human trends, but on the needs of an individual human.

As an aside, we should also note the Terminator series turns artificial intelligence into Skynet and nearly indestructible robots with time travel capabilities. A far cry from helpful butler-bots, life-saving surgical-bots, and wiggly sex-bots.

Will we allow automated robotic law enforcement?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 21:47

Knightscope K5 unit at a mall Automated law enforcement would offer a network of systems capable of identifying a crime and gathering enough information on the law-breaker for human officers to identify and consider charges. This is a hot topic issue that will become hotter as technologies merge towards the point where companies will attempt to retail robotic systems to augment human police forces.

Geoengineering: Are things so bad we need to terraform our own planet?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 18:33

Cloud seeding When scientists present information on global warming or climate change, what they're trying to prove is how mankind is changing the Earth's atmosphere and causing shifts in the planet's weather system in response.

Black Mirror (UK, TV series, 2011)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:25

Black Mirror screen capture Black Mirror is a brilliant 6-episode series, each depicting the social impact of new technologies or social advancement in the future. Showing on Britain's Channel 4, it can be a bit hard to watch in the States, but is worth every effort to see.

Elysium (Film, 2013)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 02/19/2014 - 16:33

A look at the living area of Elysium Set in 2154 (140 years from now), the wealthy have fled an ecologically devastated Earth for the space station Elysium where they live what appears to be a an idyllic life in a pseudo-suburban setting filled with clean air, beautiful vistas, and luxurious homes stocked with miracle health machines.

Where will technology and big data take our future?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 02/18/2014 - 13:16

Technology is slowly infiltrating every area of our human existence. I read Alistair Croll's Race Alongside the Machine today on re/code and it led me to a reflection on how we humans are being changed by the technology we develop and where this might lead in the future.

When I came up with the original idea for a future-focused site, I immediately created a short list I called "aspects of human existence." I've changed them to "elements of how we live" and use them as story tags, a taxonomy vocabulary in Drupal terms, in order to help users find content. After reading Croll's piece, I decided today's exercise would be to look at the (now much longer) list and see what I can come up with for where current trends and predictions will take us as we continue to combine humans, technology and big data.

Can smart gun technology help resolve the current American firearm debate?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 02/10/2014 - 19:15

Smart gun in case

Gun ownership in America is polarizing issue and one that seems to be facing a very slow path to solution. And by solution, I mean finding a way to cut down on gun-related deaths without changing legal gun ownership rights. I can't speak for all moderates, but I'm a firm believer that guns do kill people (which isn't always the issue, but they also tend to kill the people next to the people the shooter is aiming at) and that we do have a right to bear arms.

Something has to give.

When a situation reaches this point, and the industry with the R&D money (the gun industry in this situation) refuse to step up, that industry is ripe for disruption. As we move into the future, these disruptions are really what will create the future and how we'll use, own and feel safer around firearms.