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Archive for the ‘economics’ category: Page 182

Nov 22, 2016

Electric Cars Are About to Dent Global Gasoline Consumption — By Jamie Condliffe | MIT Technology Review

Posted by in categories: economics, energy, environmental

gasoline

“A new forecast by the International Energy Agency claims that global gasoline consumption for passenger vehicles will decrease in the next five years.”

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Nov 22, 2016

Estonia to host the Startup Nations Summit in 2017

Posted by in categories: economics, governance

The Estonian ministry of economic affairs and Startup Estonia have been selected to host the Startup Nations Summit in 2017; the event, organised annually by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, will continue to explore the rapidly-growing European startup hubs.

The key aim of the summit in 2017 is to explore how digital disruption is changing the world. It is an entrepreneurial highlight during the Estonian presidency of the EU Council, bringing together policymakers and entrepreneurs into a single eventful conference.

“Estonia is among the most forward-thinking governments in the world and we are happy to share our experiences in digital governance,” Liisa Oviir, the minister for entrepreneurship, said. “We are ready to immerse all policymakers in how digital technologies have made a huge difference for entrepreneurs in Estonia. We call startups to expect more from their governments, so they can start and scale faster.”

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Nov 20, 2016

Planetary Resources And The Government Of Luxembourg Announce €25 Million Investment and target 2020 asteroid mining mission

Posted by in categories: economics, finance, government, space travel

Planetary Resources, Inc., the asteroid mining company, announced today that it has finalized a 25 million euro agreement that includes direct capital investment of 12 million euros and grants of 13 million euros from the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the banking institution Société Nationale de Crédit et d’Investissement (SNCI). The funding will accelerate the company’s technical advancements with the aim of launching the first commercial asteroid prospecting mission by 2020.

Planetary Resources’ Arkyd 6 is equipped with the first commercially licensed mid-wave infrared imager, an essential tool for detecting water on asteroids. Two spacecraft are completed and will test this technology on orbit. Planetary Resources’ President & CEO Chris Lewicki and Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider pictured with the Arkyd 6 in Planetary Resources’ clean room facility in Redmond, Washington.

Continue reading “Planetary Resources And The Government Of Luxembourg Announce €25 Million Investment and target 2020 asteroid mining mission” »

Nov 19, 2016

Italy’s Banks Are in a Slow-Motion Crisis. And Europe May Pay. — By Peter S. Goodman | The New York Times

Posted by in categories: economics, finance, policy

20italybank1-master768

“Among policy makers alert for signs of the next financial disaster, Italy’s mountain of uncollectable bank debt is a subject discussed in tones ordinarily reserved for piles of plutonium.”

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Nov 19, 2016

Reviving optimism for regenerative medicine

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, economics, life extension

Progress in real science is steady, follows proper methodology and respects engineering safety. We live in an amazing world where medical progress is advancing rapidly, sadly we also have those willing to jump the gun hawking unproven experimental therapies without sufficient data.


Unproven therapies and people jumping the gun to make a quick buck are a plague in the aging research field. Real science is slow and methodical but ultimately gets results that ensure safe therapies can be deployed in the healthcare arena. At Lifespan.io we are passionate about supporting the progress of science that is conducted properly.

“The life science community should embrace the discrediting of unproven therapies promoted without data for economic gain, and instead focus on the promise of research held to the highest standards.”

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Nov 11, 2016

Bitcoin users relax: Quantum computing no match for SHA-2 encryption

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, economics, encryption, quantum physics

Worried about security for your bitcoin in the face of quantum computing? According to computer researchers, there’s no reason to be.

Source: https://hacked.com/breathe-easy-bitcoiners-quantum-computing…encryption

Quantum mech

Some people assume that once quantum computing comes along modern encryption technologies will be outpowered. But experts are starting to posit that hash functions and asymmetric encryption could defend not only against modern computers, but also against quantum attackers from the future.

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Nov 7, 2016

Elon Musk: “There’s a Pretty Good Chance We’ll End Up With Universal Basic Income”

Posted by in categories: economics, Elon Musk, employment, robotics/AI

In Brief:

  • Experts assert that, in the coming years, robots will take over hundreds of thousands of jobs that are traditionally done by humans.
  • In a recent interview, Elon Musk stated that Universal Basic Income may be the only economic response to this increasing automation and job loss.

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Nov 5, 2016

There’s big money to be made in asteroid mining

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, economics, existential risks

If humans were ever able to get their hands on just one asteroid, it would be a game-changer.

That’s because the value of many asteroids are measured in the quintillions of dollars, which makes the market for Earth’s annual production of raw metals – about $660 billion per year – look paltry in comparison.

The reality is that the Earth’s crust is saddled with uneconomic materials, while certain types of asteroids are almost pure metal. X-type asteroids, for example, are thought to be the remnants of large asteroids that were pulverized in collisions in which their dense, metallic cores got separated from the mantle.

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Nov 4, 2016

Elon Musk: Robots will take your jobs, government will have to pay your wage

Posted by in categories: economics, Elon Musk, employment, government, robotics/AI, space travel, sustainability

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO says that a universal basic income will allow more time for leisure.

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Nov 3, 2016

World’s Largest Floating Solar Test Bed Comes Online in Singapore — By Within Coca | Triple Pundit

Posted by in categories: economics, energy, solar power, water

640px-merlion_and_the_singapore_skyline

“A new floating solar photovoltaic system in Singapore is just one hectare in size and is meant as a prototype. But it could help usher in a new wave of PV placements on water resources globally.”

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