Just came across this bizarre story on Nextnature.net: Tired of spending time, money and energy on preparing meals, [Rob Rhinehart] decided to find a new way to survive without actual food. He created a unique mixture called “Soylent”, which contains nothing but the elements the body needs: iron, vitamins, fat, calcium and dozens of other … Continue reading
Picking January 1st to do all the stuff you’ve been putting off for the past year is an enduring tradition, but the actual resolutions change over time. In the early 21st century, losing weight and saving money were the most popular choices. But now that the future is here, there are some new ones in … Continue reading
Three-dimensional printing is getting more flexible and powerful every day. You might have seen the 3D printed guitar, or the 3D printed race car (yes, they actually work). But how about a 3D printed gun? If pro-gun advocacy group Defense Distribution has anything to say about it, you’ll one day be able to create guns … Continue reading
Ever wanted to have cybernetic control over a computer, or communicate telepathically with others? Well, check out the following video of cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick and his “cyber” implant. The implant connects to nerves in his arm, allowing his brain to directly send and receive external signals. In the video he does so not only … Continue reading
NBC’s Future Tech series just picked up this amazing video of Nigel Ackland, who lost his arm in an accident and now uses a carbon-fiber mechanical limb in its place. The arm doesn’t contain a direct brain-computer interface – its movements are controlled by Nigel’s two forearm muscles and his other hand. Which makes it … Continue reading
Wired is reporting the debut of a tracking bracelet called the Larklife. It’s a simple wristband with an accelerometer that can tell when you’re sleeping, exercising or neither. It comes with a connected iPhone app that allows you to add information about your meals, then crunches all the data for you and reports back. This … Continue reading
This may come as a surprise, but the future of transportation has been around for two centuries already. Of course, back when ol’ Baron Karl first put two wheels together and rode them around 1817 Mannheim, he just thought he’d made a kind of a re-usable horse. He certainly had no idea his invention would … Continue reading
The other night, I spent an enjoyable hour watching Gattaca, a 1997 sci-fi film I haven’t seen in probably ten years. Not all of it aged well: Ethan Hawke’s dialogue is cornier than I remember, and it has one of the silliest love scenes ever committed to film. But the core conceit remains compelling: a … 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
Let’s admit one thing up front: genetic mutations are a good thing! They’re evolution’s way of experimenting, so we should thank them for bringing forth lobster claws, orchid petals, and human brains. In fact, without mutations, life on earth would have died out as soon as the environment changed in any way. But from a … Continue reading
Cosmic Revolutions 