Happy Halloween, fellow future hunters! This has always been my favorite holiday, perhaps because it’s the one time of year that we all celebrate mystery and the great unknown. Today, in the spirit of the season, I offer you a glimpse of the ghosts of the future. Hint: chain-rattling is not involved. It starts with … Continue reading
Some parts of being a kid never change. Best friends, schoolyard bullies, and after-school snacks will be around for another century at least (speaking from my experience here in the US). But new technology forces us to adapt, and children are not exempt. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey before my time, … Continue reading
This is Future Bites, your weekly update on the future, now in bite-size format. Check back on Wednesday for your usual Cosmic Revolutions essay. This week, the digital world continues to seep into the real one, with two novel applications of augmented reality. First up, via Singularity Hub, a prototype translator that works in near … 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
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
Cosmic Revolutions 