Category Archives: Futurism

In BriefBitcoin software company Blockstream announced that its Blockstream Satellite network will transmit the cryptocurrency down from space, enabling people in places with little support for the blockchain network to access bitcoin.

On August 15, Blockstream, a Bitcoin software company, announced the launch of its Blockstream Satellite network that broadcasts bitcoin to people just about anywhere in the world irrespective of their internet connection for free. This will make the cryptocurrency more accessible to almost anyone, even in places where data costs are high and living standards and incomes are low.

The Blockstream Satellite network will transmit the cryptocurrency down from space, enabling people in places where few people are supporting a blockchain network with their computers to access bitcoin anyway. And, because Bitcoin is decentralized, it works as users run full nodes on their computers all over the world. These nodes contribute to community decisions about the blockchain, keep the network safe, and confirm transactions.

While running a full node is easy where the internet is fairly cheap and accessible, it does demand that you have a complete version of the Bitcoin blockchain, with all records of each bitcoin transaction since 2009 on your machine constantly. This task becomes very costly, or even impossible in some areas, either because the internet is too difficult to access, or because the people local to the area do not have 100$ every month so spend on running bitcoin nodes.

With the help of Blockstreams satellite network, it is now possible to receive this cryptocurrency directly from space for free, but only after investing in some fairly expensive hardware. The projects GitHub documentation indicates that to run a bitcoinnode, youll need a computer, a receiver, a TV satellite dish, and a USB stick that allows your computer to pick up radio frequencies.

According to Blockstream, current satellite coverage by the network includes much of the US, Africa, Latin America, and parts of Europe. Blockstream CEO Adam Back told Motherboard Vice that the company plans to extend that coverage to envelope most of the world within a year, although he joked, I guess there might be some research scientists in Antarctica who wont be able to use bitcoin.

Several members of the Futurism team are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

See the original post here:
Bitcoin Now Comes From Satellites in Space. Welcome to the Future. - Futurism

In BriefAustralian company Euclideon has created the first real multi-user hologram table in the world, and it's going to change gaming, business, and so much more. This new tech solves previous problems with holographic images using motion-tracking glasses.

A working prototype of what will be the first real multi-user hologram table in the world has been created by theAustralian company Euclideon. Wearing only a small pair of glasses, up to four people can interact with the tables holographic images and each other, making this a major advancement from the experience provided by current AR technology. The company estimates that in 2018, the table will be up for sale for $60,000 Australian.

The concept of the hologram table in film and science fiction is hardly new, but because of the many technical difficulties inherent to executing the concept, the idea has yet to be realized. This difficulty originates from the fact that holograms are computer-generated stereo images, dependent on the perspective of the viewer. When a group of people in different positions look at a hologram, the illusion breaks as they dont get the same perspective on it and it doesnt change as they move. Computer-generated holograms work by tracking the viewer but which viewer does the computer track when theres more than one?

Euclideon has solved this riddle in a worlds first without a gigantic helmet that no one wants to wear, which is the fatal flaw of many multi-user VR/AR systems. After all, its hard to interact with your friends if youre all inside helmets.

The Unlimited Detail (UD) 3D graphics processing engine is what first brought Euclideon renown in the gaming community. The UD engine made it possible for users to be immersed in huge, amazingly detailed, 3D virtual environments, without special graphics cards or high-end computers. And while it didnt excel with the dynamic motion of objects or physics, its strength in geospatial imaging forms the basis for the new table.

Euclideons table requires that users wear only a small, light pair of motion-trackable glasses, which look and feel a lot like 3D glasses. These are much more practical for meetings and social events than huge VR/AR helmets, not to mention more comfortable. As users wear the glasses, the table tracks their eye positions, building a custom image for a potential total of eight user eyes. The table itself is a screen, and the device is made up of projectors that rest beneath a unique film which is sandwiched between two pieces of glass. The result is a mass of mixed up, colored images that the glasses separate out for users, enabling them to see binocular stereo holograms specific to their location.

The glasses themselves have special crystal film layers over them, which can change the frequencies of light waves. When users wear the glasses, the computer can tell which light waves belong to which users. The glasses have small boxes at the temples which contain tiny microcomputers and microchips similar to the VR headsets tracking jiggers, signaling the users position to the table.

Euclideon is currently about to begin the manufacturing process and expects their tables to be ready in February of 2018.

Link:
The First Truly Applicable Hologram Tech is Here - Futurism

In BriefToyota is developing a device that would allow objects to turn invisible, or at least transparent. The Japanese car maker recently received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a device meant to improve the visibility of drivers.

From cloaking devices that conceal spaceships, to Harry Potters hand-me-down disappearing blanket, or even the One Ring and its power to conceal its wearer, invisibility is a staple in science fiction and fiction in general. Scientists have been hard at work, however, to bring such a technology into reality. Joining the research and development of cloaking technology is Japanese car manufacturer Toyota.

The company recently acquired a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for Apparatuses and methods for making an object appear transparent, which Toyota filed last June 17. Seems exciting, especially since its a car maker working on an invisibility tech or cloaking device. It actually is interesting, but not because its meant to turn Toyotas cars invisible well, at least not all of them.

The patent describes a cloaking device designed to turn vehicles A-pillars to the left and right of the cars dashboard invisible, improving road visibility for the driver. Seems ironic that a cloaking technology would improve visibility, right? Toyota thinks that its the way to go, especially since A-pillars have become rather large following crash-safety standards. The wider they are, the more they end up obscuring a drivers vision.

According to Toyota, such a technology is already possible like the Rochester Cloakbut it would require video cameras and other expensive equipment for it to work in cars. This cloaking device, on the other hand, would be a less expensive solution. It would use mirrors to bend visible light around the A-pillars to allow the driver to see through them. This would give drivers a wider view of the road and their surroundings. It also benefits pedestrians, as drivers would see them better.

Light from an object on an object-side of the cloaking device [i.e., facing the road] is directed around an article [the A-pillars] ]within the cloaking region and forms an image on an image-side of the cloaking device [i.e., facing the drivers seat] such the article appears transparent to an observer looking towards the object, according to a description of the device in the patent.

Making things invisible is all about manipulating light. The other invisibility technologies currently being developed do the same thing, albeit using different methods or materials. For instance, researchers from the Max Planck Institute are working on mimicking the biology of moths eyes to turn lenses and glass invisible. Meanwhile, a group from the University of California, San Diego is controlling how light reflects on objects using a thin carpet cloak made form Teflon and ceramic particles.

All of these studies bring us closer to a working invisibility cloak, or at least a technology which allows us to see through objects by making them bend light like Toyotas device. We will have to wait and see.

Follow this link:
Toyota Just Patented a Cloaking Device - Futurism

In BriefResearchers from UCLA have found a way to successfully reactivate stem cells in dormant hair follicles to promote hair growth in mice. Through this research, they've developed two drugs that could help millions of people worldwide treat conditions that lead to abnormal hair growth and retention.

Researchers have already explored ways to use stem cells totreat everything from diabetes toaging, and now, ateam from UCLAthinks they could potentially offer some relief for people suffering from baldness.

During their study, which has beenpublished in Nature, the researchers noticedthat stem cells found in hair follicles undergo a different metabolic process than normal skin cells. After turning glucose into a molecule known as pyruvate, these hair follicle cells then do one of two things: send the pyruvateto the cells mitochondria to be used as energy or convert it into another metabolite known as lactate.

Based on these findings, the researchers decided to see if inactive hair follicles behaved differently depending on the path of the pyruvate.

To that end, the UCLA team compared mice that had been genetically engineered so that they wouldnt produce lactate with mice that had been engineered to produce more lactate than normal. Obstructing lactate production stopped the stem cells in the follicles from being activated, while more hair growth was observed on the animals who were producing more of the metabolite.

No one knew that increasing or decreasing the lactate would have an effect on hair follicle stem cells, co-lead on the study and professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology William Lowry explained in a UCLA press release. Once we saw how altering lactate production in the mice influenced hair growth, it led us to look for potential drugs that could be applied to the skin and have the same effect.

Based on their study, the researchers were able to discovertwo different drugs that could potentially help humans jumpstart the stem cells in their hair follicles to increase lactate production.

The first is called RCGD423, and it works by establishing a JAK/STAT signalling pathway between the exterior of a cell and its nucleus. This puts the stems cells in an active state and contributes to lactate production, encouraging hair growth.

The other drug, UK5099, takes the opposite approach. It stops pyruvate from being converted into energy by the cells mitochondria, which leaves the molecules with no choice but to take the alternate path of creating lactate, which, in turn, promotes hair growth.

Both of the drugs have yet to be tested on humans, but hopes are high that if tests are successful, they could provide relief for the estimated 56 million people in the U.S. alonesuffering from a range of conditions that affect normal hair growth and retention, including alopecia, hormone imbalances, stress-related hair loss, and even old age.

However, as undoubtedly pleased as many of those people would be to stimulate their hair growth, the potential relevance of this research stretches far beyond hair loss. The new knowledge gained regarding stem cells, specifically their relation to the metabolism of the human body, provides a very promising basis for future study in other realms.

I think weve only just begun to understand the critical role metabolism plays in hair growth and stem cells in general, noted Aimee Flores, first author of the study and a predoctoral trainee in Lowrys lab. Im looking forward to the potential application of these new findings for hair loss and beyond.

Follow this link:
We Just Figured out How to Activate Stem Cells to Treat Baldness - Futurism

In BriefSouth Australia has announced plans to construct the world's largest single-tower solar thermal power plant in Port Augusta. The plant will use technology developed by SolarReserve to store energy in molten salt, giving it the ability to operate 24 hours a day.

The government of South Australia has announced plans to construct the worlds largest single-tower solar thermal power plant in Port Augusta. California-based solar tech company SolarReserve will be responsible for both the build and upkeep of the facility.

The Aurora Solar Energy Project is based on plans that weredeveloped as part of the Rice Solar Energy Project in California, which stalled as a result of changes to tax credits related to renewable energy.

Once built, arrays of heliostats will focus solar energy onto a central tower, which uses molten salt technology to store that energy as heat. These molten salts will provide 1,100 megawatts of energy storage capacity, which equates to eight hours of full load storage. This will allow the facility to generate electricity during the night as well as during the day when sunlight is shining down.

Aurora is projected to have an output of 150 megawatts and an ability to generate 495 gigawatt hours of electricity each year. The station will be able to service 90,000 homes and is expected to be able to cater to around five percent of South Australias total energy needs. Construction on the $650 million plantwill begin next year, with the expectation that Aurora will be producing electricity by 2020.

The Aurora Solar Energy Project wont be the first major renewable energy project for South Australia. In July, the local government inked a deal with Tesla to install a Powerpack system that will work alongside the Hornsdale Wind Farm.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been very clear about the potential for solar to help the U.S. meet its own energy needs,assertingthat the entire nation could be powered by an area measuring 25,600 square kilometers (10,000 square miles) filled with solar panels.

Despite these claims and the assertions of other experts, however, U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to try to revive the coal industry.

That hasnt slowed the adoption of renewable energy in other parts of the world, though. Morocco is currently building the worlds largest traditional solar plant, Chinas massive floating solar power plant just went online, and Indias record-holding solar farm can power 150,000 homes.

Despite a lack of federal support, individual states and cities within the U.S. are committing to fossil fuel alternatives as well just this month, Orlando, Florida, became the fortieth city in the country to make a commitment to completely transition to renewables within the next several decades.

A primary contributor to this increased adoption is cost. For a long time, a mainargument against renewable energy sources has been their high cost when compared to fossil fuels.

Now, the solar panels that weve become accustomed to seeing atop residential homes have dropped in price significantly, and building a new commercial solar plant is also cheaper than building a plant thats powered by fossil fuels. Experts are predicting that solar energy will actually be cheaper than coalwithin the next four years.

This increased affordability will no doubt lead to the creation of more projects like the one in Port Augusta, and that will go a long way toward helping the world meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and stem the damage weve done to the planet through the use of fossil fuels.

Continued here:
Engineers Are Building the World's Largest Single-Tower Solar Thermal Plant - Futurism

The Machines Will Win

Late Fridaynight, Elon Musk tweeted a photoreigniting the debate over AI safety. The tongue-in-cheek post contained a picture of a gambling addiction ad stating In the end the machines will win, not so obviously referring to gambling machines. On a more serious note, Musk said that the danger AI poses is more of a risk than the threat posed by North Korea.

In an accompanying tweet, Musk elaborated on the need for regulation in the development of artificially intelligent systems. This echoes his remarks earlier this month when he said, AI just something that I think anything that represents a risk to the public deserves at least insight from the government because one of the mandates of the government is the public well-being.

From scanning the comments on the tweets, it seems that most people agree with Musks assessment to varying degrees of snark. One user, Daniel Pedraza, expressed a need for adaptability in any regulatory efforts. [We] need a framework thats adaptable no single fixed set of rules, laws, or principles that will be good for governing AI. [The] field is changing and adapting continually and any fixed set of rules that are incorporated risk being ineffective quite quickly.

Many experts are leery of developing AI too quickly. The possible threats it could pose may sound like science fiction, but they could ultimately prove to be valid concerns.

Experts like Stephen Hawking have long warned about the potential for AI to destroy humanity. In a 2014 interview, the renownedphysicist stated that The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. Even more, he sees the proliferation of automation as a detrimental force to the middle class. Another expert, Michael Vassar, chief science officer of MetaMed Research, stated: If greater-than-human artificial general intelligence is invented without due caution, it is all but certain that the human species will be extinct in very short order.

Itsclear, at least in the scientific community, that unfettered development of AI may not be in humanitys best interest. Efforts are already underway to begin to formulate some of these rules to ensure the development of ethically aligned AI. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers presented their first draft of guidelineswhich they hope will steer developers in the correct direction.

Additionally, the biggest names in tech are also coming together to self-regulate before government steps in. Researchers and scientists from large tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, and Facebook have already initiated discussions toensure that AI is a benefit to humanity and not a threat.

Artificial Intelligence has a long way to go before it can get anywhere near advanced enough to pose a threat. However, progress is moving forward by leaps and bounds. One expert, Ray Kurzweil, predicts that computers will be smarter than humans by 2045 a paradigm shift known as The Singularity. However, he does not think that this is anything to fear. Perhaps tech companies self-policing will be enough to ensure those fears are unfounded, or perhaps the governments hand will ultimately be needed. Whichever way you feel, its not too early to begin having these conversations. In the meantime, though, try not to worry too much unless, of course, youre a competitive gamer.

See the article here:
Elon Musk Reminds Us of the Possible Dangers of Unregulated AI - Futurism