In deep space

Can DNA be linked to future crime?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 03/24/2014 - 12:21

Leatherface with a chainsaw In December 2013 an assault on Sandy Hook Elementary ended with the sad deaths of twenty children and six teachers, after the killer took the life of his own mother and before taking his own. Andrew Solomon gives us a look at the killer's father (I refuse to print his name - infamy should not be gifted on a killer) and the fall out in his life a little over a year after the shootings.

Suicide in an aging world: could it become an industry?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 03/21/2014 - 12:06

Suicide roller coaster The Euthanasia Coaster is a roller coaster concept by designer Julijonas Urbonas. The coaster is designed to generate a steady 10g of force on the riders for long enough to cause cerebral hypoxia. Could death by amusement ride be part of our future or is this just too sci-fi to consider?

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there were 38,000 suicides reported in 2010. From these figures, the age of 85 and over has remained among the two highest categories since 2000 (and before if we notice this demographic was 20% of all suicides in 2000 - 6 points higher than the next demographic). Only since the most recent economic instability has the age 45-64 moved to the top. Before that, the numbers followed a trend from youngest to oldest with greater age equaling greater rates of suicide.

World Science U provides online science education

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 03/17/2014 - 12:39

World Science U course blocks When I was younger, science seemed to be something far away. While we were surrounded by the products of science, we rarely witnessed the creation event of life changing technology or advancement. With the Internet, we see products months or even years before they arrive and can often access media detailing how they were invented, designed and manufactured.

Will our future include bread runs to feed our smart-toasters?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 03/17/2014 - 10:53

Brad the Toaster It'll start out that way, of course. We'll buy these networked, AI driven toasters to pop some bread in which they'll char to perfection every time. There will be toast contests with our friends, an app keeping track of how many slices we consume over time and how many steps it takes to burn the calories - more with butter - even more with jam.

Like most things, the toaster will lose its newness. The shine will wear off as the dust collects. Every so often, it'll let us know how unhappy it is. How unused if feels. That's when we start buying bread just to give it something to do, so it will feign happiness and not annoy us with its app notifications - "It's time for some toast!"

Will we have a future of extreme inequality and bountiful resources?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 10:58

Robot speaking in public They say in every utopia there is a subclass for whom it is a dystopia. In mainstream futuristic media, the story often overlooks the economy unless it offers a political statement supporting their view and/or damning the opposition’s take on things. But the future is beginning to look a bit strange. On one side, the ability to provide ample resources in the first world has some questioning if poverty can even exist in countries like the US, Canada, and the original EU member states such as Britain, France and Germany. An article I recall from some time ago asked the question, “Can you be considered poor if you have a flatscreen TV in your home?”

Science fiction is the new R&D

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 03/11/2014 - 13:17

When I imagined Regarding Tomorrow as a social site, part of it was crowdsourcing member ideas to build towards greater accuracy of what the future might hold - specifically how new advancements might impact our cultures. Always on the lookout for information helping me to better understand what the site needs to offer, I ran across three tweets today, all very close to one another, that struck a chord as I consider my first major site refresh.

The first was from Ali Madad:

Design Fiction is where Science Fiction lives now. —@warrenellis #SXSW #MLSciFi
— Ali Madad (@amadad) March 10, 2014

Can we use inquiry based learning to identify when the Singularity arrives?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 03/10/2014 - 16:21

Red robot Over the weekend, I was listening to This Week in Law's episode from January 31: Deep blue vs The Universe. They started the episode on the topic of the Singularity and James Miller and Stan Liebowitz discussed how we might know the Singularity has been achieved. Each had a different view on how far into the future this event might occur and what capabilities that intelligence should possess to be considered "intelligent." Both viewpoints were informative, but I found Dr. Liebowitz' statements extremely interesting in how he felt a contrast between an artificial intelligence and a human should be used to identify when the artificial process has reached or surpassed a comparable human capability. Dr Liebowitz shared this thought:

@24:25 - I see things computers can do that people can't, but things people can do that computers can't is what we're talking about.

If I get a robot, it better be funny

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 03/10/2014 - 12:10

Hey, marketers. Want me to buy a robot to help around the house? Make it funny. Make it personal. Make it raise my spirits. I can wash my own dishes and mop my own floors. I can get my own mail and cookies (and if I get my cookies, I get how many I want and not how many some @#&%@%$ app says I can eat). Yes, robots can simplify my life by managing regular chores. But can it lift my spirits in real-time?

I can't tell myself jokes or chat with myself about the news. And I'm a bit snarky on a good day - really snarky on a bad day. Of all the robots I could hang with, barring the ScarJoBot my wife will never agree to, Bender would be a hoot (and earned the top spot on this list of funny robots).

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.

Futurepath: 3D printing

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 03/04/2014 - 11:28

Updated 8-7-14 with new content

3d printer setup If you pay any attention to the tech world, you realize 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is the next big thing as dozens of startups are racing to get their product to market ahead of the competition. Everything from toys to guns, shoes to pizza - there are printers being developed to print anything we buy.