Lifeboat Foundation

Ever wanted to clone someone — anyone, really — that you might know into an AI girlfriend? You might be able to.

In 2018, just as 3D printing was starting to take off as a construction method, Dubai set an ambitious goal: the city wanted to become the 3D printing capital of the world, aiming for a quarter of its new buildings to be printed rather than conventionally constructed.

Follow-through was swift, with the Dubai municipality building becoming the world’s largest 3D-printed structure in 2019. The city is continuing to make good on its goal—and breaking its own record—with an even bigger building, and the first of its kind: the world’s first 3D-printed mosque will be built there this year. At 2,000 square meters (21,528 square feet), it will accommodate 600 people and have more than twice the square footage of the municipal building.

The mosque is a collaboration between the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) and architectural firm JT+Partners. There will also be a construction company involved, but a name hasn’t yet been released (the municipality building was constructed by Boston-based Apis Cor; the city could be looking to work with them again, or could take a different direction entirely).

SAN FRANCISCO, June 1 (Reuters) — Hackers have stolen data from the systems of a number of users of the popular file transfer tool MOVEit Transfer, U.S. security researchers said on Thursday, one day after the maker of the software disclosed that a security flaw had been discovered.

Software maker Progress Software Corp (PRGS.O), after disclosing the vulnerability on Wednesday, said it could lead to potential unauthorized access into users’ systems.

The managed file transfer software made by the Burlington, Massachusetts-based company allows organizations to transfer files and data between business partners and customers.

Mars Express has been orbiting Mars for the past 20 years, sending back data on the vast landscape of the Red Planet along the way. Slight technical delays have hampered these views, and sometimes the images take hours and even days to transmit to Earth.

[Related: The Mars Express just got up close and personal with Phobos.]

Continue reading “Witness space history” »

The existence of life on planets orbiting stars akin to our sun doesn’t necessarily require these stars to be exceptionally powerful.

Scientists have uncovered a possible “giant planet” orbiting a dying star, which could potentially support life in the future.

Researchers from University College London made the “startling” discovery while studying a white dwarf, the glowing remnants of a star that exhausted its hydrogen fuel. Located about 117 light-years away, this star, known as WD1054-226, features a ring of planetary debris in its habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, where temperatures might allow liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface.

Imagine a world where every conceivable facet of your reality is nothing more than sensory experience devoid of any real meaning; And that your emotions, organs, and even your closest relationships were nothing but pleasurable impulses being transmitted directly into your brain.

This is the hypothesis posited by the Brain in a Vat theory. If an evil scientist (or rich transhumanist, whichever you prefer) were to take your brain, submerge it in a jar or vat of nutrients, in theory, you could be force fed the information you process on a daily basis.

If your neurons were connected to some type of hardware and/or software that could continuously provide the necessary stimuli, you’d be ripe for this process.

The bot plays the video game by tapping the text generator to pick up new skills, suggesting that the tech behind ChatGPT could automate many workplace tasks.

Alright, Apple. Pack it up, show’s over. Mark Zuckerberg just dropped a surprise announcement, unveiling the Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset. The reveal comes just *checks calendar* four days before Apple is set to officially announce its high-end mixed reality headset. So much for Apple’s headset hype, I guess.

All kidding aside, Meta bought its way into virtual reality years ago through Oculus when Zuck’s company was still trading under the name Facebook. Meta certainly has more experience selling VR headsets and throwing VR parties than Apple – for now, at least.

Like the Meta Quest 2, the newly unveiled Meta Quest 3 is also in another universe when it comes to pricing. Apple’s “Reality Pro” headset is expected to carry a price tag of around $3,000. Meta’s higher-end Quest Pro goes for $999, and the new Meta Quest 3 is priced from $499.

The recent design called Proteus by Yves Behar and Fabien Cousteau is a giant under-water research station and habitat. Proteus is planned to be placed underwater, away from the coast of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island.