Category Archives: Futurism

In BriefThis month has shown that Hawaii may be the U.S.'s mostforward-thinking state. Earlier in June, it became the first stateto formally accept the provisions of the Paris Climate Accord, andnow, the state congress has passed a bill that puts Hawaii on thepath to universal basic income. Eyes on the Future

Innovation and forward-thinking may beHawaiis two biggest exports in 2017. Earlier this month, the state earned the distinction of being the first in the U.S.to formally accept the provisions of the Paris Climate Agreement after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the nation from it, and now, Hawaii is taking the lead in embracing yet another innovative idea: universal basic income (UBI).

Today, Hawaii state representative Chris Lee wrote a Reddit post aboutHouse Concurrent Resolution 89, a bill he says he introduced in order to start a conversation about our future. According to Lee, After much work and with the help of a few key colleagues, it passed both houses of the State Legislature unanimously.

Lee also mentioned the development via Twitter:

The bill has two major provisions. First, it declares that all families in Hawaii are entitled to basic financial security. As far as Im told, its the first time any state has made such a pronouncement, wrote Lee. The second provision establishes a number of government offices to analyze our states economy and find ways to ensure all families have basic financial security, including an evaluation of different forms of a full or partial universal basic income.

The congressman thanked redditors in his post, as he said the site became his first resource in considering UBI, and added a Reddit-standard TL;DR at the end: The State of Hawaii is going to begin evaluating universal basic income.

Under a UBI program, every citizen is granted a fixed income thats not dependent on their status in life. Despite the current focus on the concept, itactuallyisnt particularlynew. In fact, former U.S. President Richard Nixon actually floated the idea back in 1969.

However, the benefits of such a program havebecome more appealing in light of recent technological advances, specifically, the adoption ofautomated systems that could result in widespread unemployment.

Proponents of UBI have highlighted how it would be an improvement on existing social welfare programswhile mitigating the effects of the joblessness expected to follow automation. Critics think that UBI would encourage a more lax attitudeabout workand argue thatfunding such a system would be difficult, if not impossible.

Existing pilot programs, however, seem to indicate otherwise.

Hawaii may be the first U.S.state to pass any sort of UBI-positive legislation, but several countries around the globe are already testing the system. Finland began its two-year UBI pilotin 2016, and Germany has one as well. Canada plans to start trialsin Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Ontario, while India is currently debating the merits of UBI. Several private UBI endeavorsare also in the works, including one that uses blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Of course, the implementation of any major UBI program requires a great deal of political will. As Lee wrote, Planning for the future isnt politically sexy and wont win anyone an election []. But if we do it properly, we will all be much better off for it in the long run.

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Hawaii Becomes the First State to Pass a Bill in Support of Universal ... - Futurism

In Brief Amazon and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos is asking help over Twitter for a new philanthropy strategy that's focused on helping people in the here and now. Though obviously an innovator, Bezos believes he needs to do something more immediate.

Serial entrepreneur Jeff Bezos needs your help. He recently took to Twitter to post a message about a predicament hes currently facing; he is crowdsourcing for a new philanthropic idea.

Im thinking I want much of my philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now short term at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact, Bezos wrote in the tweet. It seems like the Amazon CEO was inspired by the philanthropic work done at Marys Place in Seattle.

Bezos admitted that much of his time is currently occupied by long-term innovation, as can be seen in his work with Blue Origin. His private space company is currently working on improving its rocket technology as it builds the New Glenn, its biggest one yet. The plan, Bezos revealed previously, is to colonize the SolarSystem, which is obviously a long-term endeavor.

Bezos also has projects that bring long-term ambition into the here and now. One example of this is how Amazon is redefining the retail experience with its unmanned stores. Its a product of how Amazon has been usingartificial intelligence (AI), an advanced and quickly developing technology, to influence business in the present.

As for Bezos new philanthropic idea, one can say that whatever positive changes it could make in the here and now could give people a shot at a better future. And hey, you can even get involved and pitch in an idea or two.

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Needs Your Ideas For a New Philanthropic Endeavor - Futurism

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said hes in talks with Indias government to sell electric cars in the country, which is currently the fourth-largest auto market in the world.

Musk said on Twitter Thursday that he is currently negotiating a relief on import penalties until Tesla can build a local factory. This isnt the first time Musk has announced he intends to enter the Indian market Musk said in February he was hoping to launch in the country this summer.

India could become one of the most important markets for Tesla given the countrys massive population size and focus on reducing emissions.

Vehicle adoption in India is expected to growrapidly. At its current pace,the country is set to become the third-largestauto market in the world by 2020, according to a May report by the India Brand Equity Foundation, the Indian governments resource center for economic information.

Indias passenger vehicle segment witnessed the most growth in the 2016 fiscal year, but two-wheelers still secure the most widespread adoption.

But some foreign automakers have so far struggled to increase sales in India, driven partially by a crackdown on diesel vehicles. General Motors putits $1 billion planned investment in India on hold last summer due to poor sales and the regulatory environment, Reuters reported at the time.

What could give Tesla an edge is that India islooking topromote electric and hybrid vehicle sales through its National Electric Mobility Mission Plan. The initiative aims to have 6-7 million electric and hybrid vehicles on the road by 2020 by offering manufacturing and purchasing incentives. The country, however, will need to invest heavily in a charging infrastructure to make that vision a reality.

As Musk explores India, Tesla is also looking to further tap into theChinese car market, the largest in the world, asthe government pushes battery-powered vehicle adoption.

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Elon Musk in Talks to Bring Electric Cars to India - Futurism

In Brief Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have developed a paint that can generate hydrogen fuel from moist air and sunlight. The team expects the technology to be ready for commercial use in five years. Powerful Paint

Powering homes using clean energy is becoming easier thanks to a growing number of innovative technologies and initiatives. Some government programs help homeowners with the financial burden of equipping their residences with energy-generating solar panels, and Elon Musks Tesla has developed roofing tiles that double as solar panels to give solar power generation an aesthetic boost. Now, a new innovation out of Australia is poised to make clean energy even more appealing.

A team of researchers from theRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) has developed a paint that can be used togenerate clean energy. The paint combines the titanium oxide already used in many wall paints with a new compound: synthetic molybdenum-sulphide. The latter acts a lot like the silica gel packaged with many consumer products to keep them free from damage by absorbing moisture.

According to a report on RMITs website, the material absorbssolar energy as well as moisture from the surrounding air. It can then split the water into hydrogen and oxygen, collecting the hydrogen for use in fuel cells or to power a vehicle. [T]he simple addition of the new material can convert a brick wall into energy harvesting and fuel production real estate, explained lead researcher Dr. Torben Daeneke.

Though the paint isnt expected to be commercially viable within the next five years, Daeneke told Inverse he believes the end product will be cheap to produce. He also claims the paint would be effective in a variety of climates, from damp environments to hot and dry ones near large bodies of water: Any place that has water vapor in the air, even remote areas far from water, can produce fuel.

The paint could be used to cover areas that wouldnt get enough sunlight to justify the placement of solar panels, maximizing the capability of any property to generate clean energy. Any surface that could be painted a fence, a shed, a doghouse could be transformed into an energy-producing structure.

When this new material finally makes its way to consumers, itll join the ever-growing list of innovative technologies that are moving humanity away from fossil fuels and toward a future of clean, renewable sources of energy.

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A New Solar Paint Lets You Transform Your Entire House Into a Source of Clean Energy - Futurism

In Brief CEO Elon Musk hinted at a possible target for the next generation of Tesla Roadsters expected to launch by 2019, and it's going to be the fastest one yet. Of course, with all the vehicles Tesla's currently working on, we'll have to wait a while to test it ourselves.

From 2008 and 2012, Tesla actually had a line of electric sports cars called the Tesla Roadster, which was the first-ever highway legal serial production of an all-electric car powered by lithium-ion batteries. Tesla has since discontinued its production, but it was announced three years ago that a second generation roadsteris coming.

CEO Elon Musk plans for this Tesla Roadster 4.0, so to speak, to outdo the first version. It will be capable of a Maximum Plaid performance mode, as Musk would call it in reference to the movie Spaceballs. In a recent tweet, Musk hinted at just how fast this Maximum Plaid would be.

If the first generation, had a Ludicrous mode capable of 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) acceleration in just 2.5 seconds, the Tesla Roadster 4.0 might just hit 97 km/h (60 mph) in under two seconds. That would [be] an interesting target, Musk said in a tweet, replying to a question about the new roadster.

Would, of course, only count if capable of doing so right off the production line with street legal tires, Musk added, which Electreks Fred Lambert considers a possibility for the roadster to be faster with aftermarket components.

However, because Tesla is still busy with launching the Model 3 and perhaps working on the Model Y, and not to mention the highly-anticipated all-electric semi, the roadster is still a few years away supposedly in 2019. But the Roadster still gives Tesla fans who love sports cars something to look forward to.

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Elon Musk: The Next Generation Tesla Roadster May Achieve 60 MPH in Under 2 Seconds - Futurism

In Brief Scientists believe that most, if not all, sun-like stars are born with a twin. Evidence also suggests that our solar system's sun's twin may be responsible for knocking the comet that killed the dinosaurs toward Earth. Stellar Doppelganger

We have long known that the dinosaurs were killed by a catastrophic comet impact with the Earths surface but what if there was some foul play afoot? Astronomers have discovered that our sun may have been born with a twin, and an evil one, at that. One hypothesisstates that every 27 million years, the evil twin, aptly dubbed Nemesis, returns to wreck havoc on the solar system. They believe that the star lobs a few meteors in our direction as it makes its may through the outer limits of the solar system.

Research has lead scientists to believe that most stars are born with at least one sibling. According to UC Berkeley astronomer Steven Stahler, We ran a series of statistical models to see if we could account for the relative populations of young single stars and binaries of all separations in the Perseus molecular cloud, and the only model that could reproduce the data was one in which all stars form initially as wide binaries.

These findings could have implications for our understanding of how stars are formed. Looking into how they maintain or break those familial relationships will give us a deeper understanding of how our Universe came to be what it is today. Stahler said, Our work is a step forward in understanding both how binaries form and also the role that binaries play in early stellar evolution. Stahler also pointed out that this could even lead to a better understanding of how galaxies are formed.

These findings were made possible by the VLA nascent disk and multiplicity survey (VANDAM) which took a census of a group of baby stars merely a half-million years old. Their findings have been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and can be read pre-publication at arXiv.org.

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Astronomers Discover That Our Sun Likely Had an Evil Twin That Killed the Dinosaurs - Futurism