Last week, we looked at several crazy – but plausible! – paradigms of the world to come. But there are way more futurist visions than I can fit in a single post, so here are 5 more futures that YOU might end up living in. Which one would you pick, if it was up to … Continue reading
Tag Archives: computers
Remote Control Anything You Can Think Of, With Pinoccio
(That’s Pinoccio without the “h”, for reasons that remain unclear. The reference to the little wooden boy does appear to be intentional, perhaps because it helps your otherwise inanimate objects acquire a life of their own). Anyway, never mind what it’s called. Just what is this wonky little circuit board we’re looking at? It’s a … Continue reading
Boston’s Fueling the Future of Robotics, Hacking and Community
Quick! What do robots, bicycles, art, and the Boston community have in common? If you said “they all need to be made by someone,” you’re right. So wouldn’t it be fun if we could make all those things in one place, together? Well, a startup venture called the Artisan’s Asylum, just a few blocks from … Continue reading
Science Vs. The Future
The systematic, scientific study of the future is impossible. Wait, what? Really? Well, speaking as someone who has deeply internalized the values of science, and who also loves to study the future, the thought certainly leaves me uncomfortable. And yet I’m pretty sure that’s an ironclad statement. I’m not quite about to throw in the … Continue reading
Top 5 Reasons to Plug Your Brain Into a Computer
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Arthur C. Clarke In last week’s post, we looked at the emerging technologies that allow a direct interface between your brain and a computer (or machine) – a BCI. Check out last week’s links if you’re interested in the “how.” Intracranial wiretaps, hands-free driving and monkey-robot … Continue reading
Connect Your Brain to a Computer. Seriously!
The setting: your home. The time: 7:30pm, in the not-too-distant future. Your room is dim and cool, and the hum of a city evening drifts through the open windows. Your computer screen’s high-frequency flicker casts shadows all around. The metal object in your hand resembles an old-school headphone jack. It’s small and surprisingly heavy. You … Continue reading
The Future of Prediction
Today, I’m dusting off two quickie-but-goodie items from my accumulated stash of articles. They’re two different perspectives on the same question, a question that lies at the very heart of this blog: Can we ever know what the future holds? Continue reading
Hologram or Hoax? Part 2
In Part 1, we looked at a concept video for a future phone, packed with amazing technology, and we considered the possibility of virtual “projection” keyboards. In Part 2, we’ll look at the other two features: the thin design, and the holographic display. Continue reading
A Future Battery for Your Future Phone
So you’ve got the latest, greatest smartphone on the market. It downloads movies faster than you can watch them; takes photos at a higher resolution than the human eye can apprehend; connects to every bluetooth, wi-fi device and washing machine within seven miles; and does it all as smoothly as a stick of butter being … Continue reading
Death of the Megabyte, part 2
We’re discussing the world-changing potential of effectively infinite data storage. If you’re just joining us, start with Part 1 to see how we got here. Here’s the question: Supposing we have a hard drive with enough capacity for anything we can imagine – what should we plug it into? There are many incredible possibilities; here … Continue reading
Cosmic Revolutions 