Lifeboat Foundation

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cars with no steering wheel, no pedals and nobody at all inside could be driving themselves on California roads by the end of the year, under proposed state rules that would give a powerful boost to the fast-developing technology.

For the past several years, tech companies and automakers have been testing self-driving car prototypes in neighborhoods and on freeways. But regulators insisted those vehicles have steering wheels, pedals and human backup drivers who could take over in an emergency.

On Friday, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles proposed regulations that would open the way for truly driverless cars.

Continue reading “Driver-optional cars: Once-reluctant California opens a road” »

Ravioli-shaped moon.

In a stunning set of close-ups, Pan, a diminutive moon of Saturn, looks like a floating ravioli lost in space, or a wrinkled flying saucer.

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft took the photographs Tuesday, passing within 15,268 miles of the moon, which has a diameter of about 20 miles, roughly the size of New York City.

Continue reading “Pan, moon of Saturn, looks like a cosmic ravioli (or maybe a walnut)” »

This is an interesting alternative to traditional burials.

More news on the new #transhumanism book just out: To Be a Machine. http://www.signature-reads.com/2017/03/7-best-books-artificial-intelligence/ & https://undark.org/article/30154-2/ & http://bookforum.com/blog/17478

Decades ago, if you were writing about robots, it was probably in one of two forms: either a science fiction narrative, or something short about the handful of robots that could be purchased for home or recreational use. Now things have changed. Home devices can recognize and respond to speech, prosthetic technology has been dramatically advanced, and our very understanding of what constitutes a robot has significantly changed.

With these advances in technology have come other questions, some pertaining to the nature of intelligence, some relating to the lines between humanity and machines, and still more that use our research into robotics to explore what makes us human. So, with that in mind, here’s a look at a handful of the best books on artificial intelligence, dealing with questions of robots, body modification, the Singularity, and more. Crank up Flight of the Conchords’s song set after a robot uprising and dig in.

Continue reading “Thinking Machines: 7 of the Best Books on Artificial Intelligence” »

A universe-opening theory suggested in issue 3 of the Justice League/Power Rangers comic book series has roots in real physics.

“The industry reports that, for the first time ever, solar was the number one source of new generating capacity, beating out wind and gas.”

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The advantage of Daqri’s chip, the company says, is that it can create holograms without the need for complex optics. On a silicon wafer, a tiny grid of tunable crystals is used to control the magnitude and time delay, or phase, of reflected light shined at the surface of the chip from a laser. Software adjusts the crystals to create patterns of interference in the light, resulting in a three-dimensional light field.

In experiments, the team has used the chip to create solid objects by projecting holograms into containers of various light-activated monomers. It can currently make small objects, such as a paper clip, in about five seconds—a process that could take a normal 3D printer several minutes.

A startup called Daqri has technology that can print solid objects faster and also powers a new kind of head-up display.

Continue reading “This super-fast 3D printer is powered by holograms” »

Rift in Space: ‘Mission: ISS’ Launches Today! http://ocul.us/MissionISS

Now Live — The Kerv contactless payment ring!!