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Aug 25, 2018

Waymo takes a tiny step into China

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Alphabet’s self-driving car subsidiary, Waymo, has kicked off speculation about its ambitions for the Chinese market by creating a small outpost in Shanghai.

What’s it mean?: If Waymo is aiming to break into China, then this would be a very preliminary step. The new office might also be something less exciting: a means of working with Chinese hardware suppliers for instance.

Auto revolution: T hat said, it would make a lot of sense for Waymo to target China. It is the world’s largest auto market and a hotbed of technology and market innovation. And while Google’s plans to re-enter the Chinese market have proven controversial, the truth is that China cannot be ignored by any tech company that wants to a global force.

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Aug 25, 2018

Mars will be the longest human road trip. This space ‘motel’ will help them get there

Posted by in categories: habitats, space travel

The habitat is designed to form one module of NASA’s proposed Deep Space Gateway, a miniature space station that would orbit the moon and serve as a way station for lunar missions or journeys deeper into the cosmos.

Lockheed’s prototype is the refurbished Donatello cargo container that was originally designed to fit inside the space shuttle’s cargo bay and ferry supplies to and from the ISS. Donatello never flew in space, but its two sister modules made several trips aboard the shuttle. One, dubbed Leonardo, is now a permanent “space closet” attached to the space station.

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Aug 25, 2018

Not just another day at the beach in Maryland: ‘Sea lice’ attack at Ocean City

Posted by in category: futurism

Not true lice, the stinging organisms are thought to be jellyfish larvae, scientists say.

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Aug 25, 2018

Newly Discovered Bones Show Genetic Mix of Ancient Human Relatives

Posted by in category: genetics

Scientists have recently discovered pieces of bone from an ancient female that include genetic evidence that her parents are two different species related to modern humans.

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Aug 25, 2018

10 Strangest Planets You Won’t Believe Exist

Posted by in category: space

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Aug 25, 2018

Space Exploration Splits Trump Administration Moon Mission Vs. Trip To Mars

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Moon? Mars? A trillion over 25 years? Lunar space station? Lunar resources? It’s gonna be interesting to see where this goes. It’s kind of a mess. But a good mess, a driven mess. A mess that is leading to real space exploration.


Space exploration is the latest partisan divide, as the Trump administration backs a moon mission and others, including Elon Musk, push for a trip to Mars. Here’s why it all matters.

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Aug 25, 2018

IBM Files Patent For a Coffee Delivery Drone

Posted by in category: drones

It would know when you need a caffeine boost and fly over with your fancy coffee.

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Aug 25, 2018

Feasibility Study and Practical Applications Using Independent Core Observer Model AGI Systems for Behavioral Modification in Recalcitrant Populations: Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Meeting of the BICA Society

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, ethics, robotics/AI

This years paper that Mark Waser and I did covering our research published by BICA 2018 yesterday with a special thanks to Dr. Jordan from the medical facility in Salt Lake to help with the ‘medical’ related elements of this study, titled:

Feasibility study and practical applications using independent core observer model AGI systems for behavioral modification in recalcitrant populations.


This paper articulates the results of a feasibility study and potential impact of the theoretical usage and application of an Independent Core Observer Model (ICOM) based Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) system and demonstrates the basis for why similar systems are well adapted to manage soft behaviors and judgements, in place of human judgement, ensuring compliance in recalcitrant populations. Such ICOM-based systems may prove able to enforce safer standards, ethical behaviors and moral thinking in human populations where behavioral modifications are desired. This preliminary research shows that such a system is not just possible but has a lot of far-reaching implications, including actually working. This study shows that this is feasible and could be done and would work from a strictly medical standpoint. Details around implementation, management and control on an individual basis make this approach an easy initial application of ICOM based systems in human populations; as well as introduce certain considerations, including severe ethical concerns.

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Aug 25, 2018

Why mining the water on the Moon could open up space exploration

Posted by in categories: habitats, space

Moon-mining enthusiasts were particularly gleeful this week when researchers claimed that they had found definitive evidence that water ice exists on the surface of the Moon. There’s even more water ice than we thought up there, too, and we know exactly where a lot of it is. That may make it even easier to mine this water in the future.

Long before this discovery, researchers have been eager to scoop up any water that may be lurking on the lunar surface. It’s a resource that could be incredibly valuable for future long-term missions on the Moon since water is essential for life to function here on Earth. It could be recycled inside a lunar habitat or used for drinking water or bathing. It could also be used to help plants grow on the Moon, which are needed to nourish future lunar inhabitants.

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Aug 25, 2018

Solar-powered quadcopter drone takes flight

Posted by in categories: drones, engineering, solar power, sustainability

A university in Singapore has conducted one of the first practical flights of a solar-powered quadcopter drone.

The prototype has flown as high as 10 meters (about 33 feet) in test flights using solar power with no battery or other energy storage on board, according to the National University of Singapore (NUS), which announced that an engineering team had conducted the test flight.

“Rotary winged aircraft are significantly less efficient at generating lift compared to their fixed wing counterparts [so] a viable 100 per cent solar rotary aircraft that can take-off and land vertically remains a major engineering challenge to date,” the university said in a statement.

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