future
Exploring the future of science today, while looking back on the achievements from yesterday. Science fiction is science future.
Is Technology Making Us Dumb?
It won’t be long before computers can think faster and better than humans. Artificial Intelligence exists, and it is getting smarter at an incredible rate. As so many focus on how well machines can think, alarmingly few people are concentrating on how well humans are thinking (or rather, how they aren’t thinking as well as they used to). A side effect of epic proportions has accompanied our ventures into superior technology. We have become inseparable from our computers and, as time goes on, we are relying on them for more and more of our daily cognitive functions. The brain needs exercise. When you don't use it often enough, your abilities deteriorate. The resources at our disposal are enabling us to perform more advanced tasks faster than ever before, but when it comes to plain old thinking, is technology making us dumb? The answer is two sided. On one hand, our ability to locate information is exponentially higher. On the other, we are retaining far less than we ever have.
Chelsea PullanoPublished 8 years ago in FuturismLiu Cixin's 'The Wandering Earth'
In Liu Cixin’s novella, The Wandering Earth, hope is a viscous substance clinging rather tenaciously to the remnants of humanity. At times, it seems as if this is the only theme running an even course throughout the story; however, tucked beneath the surface and erupting later in the story is another powerful theme that speaks to many of our problems today: a distrust of scientists.
The Five Holy Wounds of a Second Coming
9:00 am –– Thursday, April 14th 2033 There wasn't any room for the light. It could echo and bounce with no destination beyond entropic, move along little light. Presenter understood this, he felt most at home in the shadows, and their molesting reach dimming the flesh, dimming the speckled reminders. Pushing his sweat damaged linens off his gaunt frame, Presenter’s now upright body took aim at its beckoning stage. Joints cracked, or were they bones? Doesn't matter. He moved onwards, rising from the bed. The cracked and crusted eye sockets of his pale face were wiped and cleared, christened with the softness of the escaping sunlight. He wet his eyes with a yawn and unburdened himself with a throat clearing cough; reluctant to focus his sight, the parabolic flight of expulsion went unknown. Firmly composed, a blasé pace took Presenter over the refuse and across the threshold; entering the open concept kitchen, obeying his mandate.
Joseph SomersPublished 8 years ago in FuturismBreathe Free
“If you clench your teeth any tighter, they’re going to shatter.” Dory lifted her eyes from the computer screen to see her husband seated across from her, buttering his toast.
Camille NavarroPublished 8 years ago in FuturismFuture of Space Colonization Is Influenced by Artists and Scientists
Space colonization is an iconic and enduring facet of fantastic literature. Driven by expectation, bold prediction, and unrestrained post-industrial optimism, the notion was addressed by scientists as early as 1903, and as is often the case in the history of science. Further exploration of the concept was spearheaded by the imaginations of countless science fiction authors—and brought to life by pulp illustrators.
Can Technology Help Mankind's Moral Compass?
Guide, like most new technologies, began in a billionaire's dream of reason. The PR-generated story of Guide's origin posited it as a passion project of Metra's cofounder and longtime CEO. Its aim was simple, universal: help people act more rationally.
Ken BaumannPublished 8 years ago in Futurism3D Bioprinting is the Future of Transplants
Imagine a world where there was no organ donor waiting list. A world where you would be able to get the organ you needed straight from a printer. According to Quartz, a Philadelphia-based company, BioBots, has released a printer that lets users 3D print human tissue and (potentially) human organs. In May of 2014, BioBots publicly launched at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York and printed a replica of Van Gogh’s ear for everyone to see. Currently, the printer works with a liquid mixture of different cells called “bio-ink.” This liquid is pressed through an extruder and fused together on the printer bed using blue light. A representative from the company told Quartz that the system could print out an object that has blood vessels and organ tissue at once, and the goal is to use this to create livers for drug testing and skins for cosmetic testing. This would eliminate the need for testing on humans and animals. However, BioBots isn’t the only company to create 3D printing for organs.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismBiohacking the Eye to See Infrared
I hate rainbows. Sure, they symbolize many positive things to different cultures: peace, sexual identity, a bridge to heaven. But I hate real rainbows. Every time I see one of those clown-colored frowns in the sky, I’m reminded of the limitations of human perception. Of the vast wavelengths that span the electromagnetic spectrum, humans can see a mere 2.3 percent of it, if measured on a logarithmic scale. Those mocking slivers of light we call rainbows? They’re just a fraction of the real picture.
Best Apocalyptic Books
The apocalyptic theme has captivated the world for many decades, reaching an all-time peak in the 21st century with the rise in fascination of zombie-thrillers, technological-disasters, and "end of the world" survivors. From video games to books to even albums, our society has undeniably been influenced by our own morbid fascination into the potential for apocalypses.
How Pixar’s 'Wall-E' Predicts the Future
Self-driving cars. Humans glued to the screens of their devices. Trash everywhere. One company to rule them all. Sound familiar? Either you just watched the 2008 Pixar hit Wall-E, or you simply looked at the ever-changing world around us. Debuting at a time when the economy hit its lowest point since the Great Depression, the dystopian society surrounding everyone’s favorite hardworking robot scared many with its foreboding predictions. But before humans actually admit that Wall-E predicted the future and director Andrew Stanton’s garbage-covered, humanless Earth of the year 2805 becomes a reality, we must take action for the sake of our planet.
Jake AronskindPublished 8 years ago in FuturismCrops in Space
"The world hunger problem is getting worse rather than better," said a Presidential Commission report on World Hunger from 1980. "A major crisis of global food supply—of even more serious dimensions than the present energy crisis—appears likely... unless steps are taken now... Moral obligation alone would justify giving highest priority to the task of overcoming hunger."
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismRobots in the Workplace
The following article was originally published on The Free Advice Man's website here. The fear of empowering others stems from the fear of the mob. And wealthy people are afraid of a mob of people becoming empowered with the ability to take away that which they own and/or have. And that stems from the fear of being impoverished and poor! Naturally and logically the fear of being poor stems from the fear of being vulnerable to the mob and being at the mercy of the wealthy!
Jean-Pierre FenyoPublished 8 years ago in Futurism