Synthetic Telepathy

US Army paying $4 million for synthetic telepathy research using BCIs:
http://www.physorg.com/news137863959.html

Eventually this could facilitate telepathy for the common consumer..

Solar Power using magnifying lens

IBM uses a magnifying lens to focus 2300 suns onto a centimeter square, which heats up to 1600 degrees Celsius, creating 230 watts. After cooling down to 85 degrees Celsius using microprocessor cooling technology, one is left with 70 watts of power. A way to capture solar power that is 5 times more efficient than current solar farms.

http://physorg.com/news130086323.html

Spooky Doo - the robotic dogs are coming

Filed under "signs of the Apocolypse" - You have to see this to believe it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww

http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

Telepathy underway

Soon we will be able to silently communicate with each other. And perhaps translate our thoughts into other languages.

Thoughts in the form of nerve signals are intercepted by a neckband and translated into words. Currently the system only understands 150 words, eventually it will recognize the full gamut, much like word recognition software. The device could then translate the words into another language prior to transmitting.

The device only picks up thoughts intended to be spoken, so it doesn't read your mind. At least not yet. :)

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13449-nervetapping-neckband-allows-telepathic-chat.html

Use radar to see thru brick walls

While not cutting-edge (this came out in 2006), this is still ground-breaking. Prism 200 provides the ability to see thru brick and concrete walls and display the location of occupants using Ultra-Wideband Radar.

http://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/prism200.shtml

Minority Report interaction coming soon...

The use of cameras, combined with software to interpret gestures will enable a whole new form of interaction between humans and electronic devices. We will advance beyond the constraints of the primitive keyboard and mouse and interact with computers more intuitively in 3-D space...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304200631.htm
http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9873205-52.html?tag=tb

New camera sees through clothing

This amazing device detects the natural electromagnetic emissions of material to distinguish any kind of foreign object carried by a person.

Presumably the claim that the device the device doesn't reveal the body means it's calibrated to ignore the wavelengths emitted by flesh.

Fears of a surveillance society are well-founded. It should be possible in the near-term for completely automated surveillance that is able to log the details of a persons movements and associations over a lifetime, now including ones personal possessions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23554544/

VW introduces 70 mpg diesel hybrid

This looks like a Prius-beater.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/02/vw-unveiling-an.html

Track your travels with geotags

Utilize geotagging to track your travels on Google Earth. A new camera is coming out soon with an integrated GPS that automatically geotags your images...hopefully the camera will be available before the 2008 Olympics. :)

How to geotag:
1) buy a GPS unit and notate the geotag manually
2) buy a special geotag camera add on: here
3) buy a geotag camera in ~September : here

More info about geotagging: here
Example of geotagging: here

Is mass transit obsolete?

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=457882


Do vehicles like the Loremo make the argument for mass transit null?

Consider the following:

150 mpg for a two passenger vehicle equals 300 passenger miles per gallon. That is more than ten times the average passenger mpg of a bus, and three times that of light rail!

An argument for mass transit is the physical space required for personal transit. On the roads, this is currently certainly a valid concern. However, future cars will drive themselves, essentially forming virtual trains as they drive automatically nose-to-tail, inches apart, with no human intervention whatsoever.

As far as parking goes, with some of the small vehicles such as the Smart, I think it's debatable as to how much of an advantage in physical parking space that mass transit will have. Unused trains and unused buses also have to park after rush hour and they consume space and use fuel to get to and from the parking depot. The parking depots are also have a fairly large footprint, while a car parking space can obviously be puny.

In Japan, there are robotic parking garages that achieve incredible passenger vehicle density. VW has invented an even more efficient robotic parker that is 5x more efficient than a conventional garage.






Mass transit has a lot of downsides of course. Criminals are attracted to the passenger loading stations. The stations and the vehicles make an attractive terrorism target.

Mass transit is obviously a good way to spread communicable diseases quickly. If you were writing a movie script for how to transmit a pandemic, it would tend to include mass transit. In the event of a pandemic, mass transit will shut down, either from the fear of the passengers or by direction of the government. An economy that relied on mass transit would be disastrously impacted.

Now despite these drawbacks in my estimation the major argument made for greater population density is the ability to use mass transit!

Remove that incentive and the argument for population density shrinks. The downsides of population density are many. The lack of greenery makes cooling needs massive. Local air quality suffers, resulting in chronic illnesses. Epidemics are more likely. Violence is more endemic. Ironically, valuing the natural environment diminishes as the inhabitants have no appreciation for it. Light pollution. Noise pollution. Stress. Pollution. Drug use. The human cost is great.

The logical question arises, why can't mass transit take advantage of the same technological advances? Well it can, but not at the same rate. It's locked into a procurement-cycle pace of upgrades. Not to mention political interference. Just take a look around at your current mass transit and compare that technology to what is available in your car showroom.

There is no reason to believe the dynamic that leads to that situation will change.

And as technological advancement accelerates (Moore's Law, or Kurzweil's accelerating returns), the sum of time mass transit will spend behind the technological curve will be exacerbated.

City planners really need to consider the acceleration of technology and challenge some based assumptions about transit.

Perhaps suburban villages - with walkability to shops for daily shopping - with advanced personal transportation vehicles for commuting and other personal trips - is the greener and better overall formula.

Next dimension digital:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/tech/personaltech/20070820-9999-mz1b20sidene.html

Flying car

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19499/?a=f

Future cars could be powered by garbage

http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/20056/?a=f

3-D ultrasound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTHtMqHyU4w&feature=related

Salt water as energy source?

http://www.dnronline.com/opinion_details.php?LID=5146&sub=Letters%20to%20the%20Editor

Ion Mask waterproofing

http://www.cnet.com/8301-13639_1-9838467-42.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=MilitaryTech

Night vision monocular

http://www.savvysurvivor.com/itt_6015.htm