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
Ready for more end-of-the-world scenarios? If you missed the first half of the list, click here. Otherwise, let’s start with number 5, which kicks off the more speculative portion. And if you’ve got a favorite that’s not included here, be sure to add it in the comments. Happy apocalypse hunting! 5. Artificial black hole. Back … Continue reading
We’ve all wished for a little more brain power at some point. Maybe it was while trying to make sense of credit default swaps, or wrestling with an especially intractable Sudoku puzzle. Well, what if someone offered you a machine that could boost your cognitive capacity without effort? Would you use it? Would you want … Continue reading
Today, for a limited time only, I’m putting the Cosmic back into Cosmic Revolutions. And that means we need to scale up! Normally I talk about the future on a human scale. Technology we’ll see in our lifetimes, say, or maybe a few generations later. The wildest, most speculative ideas might push that envelope out … Continue reading
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
Automated systems grow more sophisticated every day. They’re now poised to take on many tasks that we would’ve considered “human-only” just a few years ago. We’ve discussed that trend here several times, from robot nurses and lawyers to robots that drive your car. While these developments are fascinating on their own, today I want to … Continue reading
Cosmic Revolutions 