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Cool new story in the San Francisco Chronicle about the robotics conference. I gave a speech at it yesterday.


At the two-day RoboBusiness Conference, about 2,000 people were serenaded with lullabies and Disney tunes, including “Let It Go” from the hit film “Frozen,” by a human-like robot designed to comfort senior citizens and autistic children.

And next to a man-size robot that can drive a motorcycle 190 mph around a race track, a half-dozen ant-size robots quickly scurried about a miniature factory floor.

“In five years, could you imagine what this conference is going to look like?” Transhumanist Party presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan asked the crowd. “There are going to be 8-foot robots walking all around us, talking to us, some of them maybe being smarter than us.”

The 12th annual conference, which wrapped up Thursday, illustrated how the focus of robotics is shifting from industrial uses to consumer products. That’s especially true at a time when drones, self-driving cars and police robots that carry bombs are making news.

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In a world first, a baby has been born with DNA from three biological parents.

Five-month-old Abrahim Hassan’s Jordanian parents, Ibtisam Shaban and Mahmoud Hassan, were treated by a U.S. team based in Mexico using a controversial technique that allows parents with rare genetic mutations to have healthy babies, the New Scientist reports.

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My new story for VentureBeat on the coming of robot bodyguards. I’ll be speaking about this next week at RoboBusiness 2016, a major robotics conference in San Jose:


I recently consulted with the US Navy on all things “transhuman.” In those conversations about how science and technology can help the human race evolve beyond its natural limits, it was clear that military is keen on replacing human soldiers with both fighting and peacekeeping machines so American military lives never have to come under fire or be in harm’s way.

However, it’s the peacekeeping technology that is particularly interesting for many civilians. While you wouldn’t want an armed Terminator in your home, you might like a robot that travels with you and offers personal protection, like a bodyguard. In a survey by Travelzoo of 6,000 participants, nearly 80 percent of people said they expect robots to be a significant part of their lives by 2020 — and that those robots might even join them on holidays.

The robotics industry is already considering this, and recently debuted some security models. A few months ago China came out with its Anbot, which can taser people and be used for riot control. And South Korea already uses mobile robot guards in its prisons. Even in San Francisco, you can rent out robot guards to protect your businesses and property. However, the rent-a-robot company, Knightscope, recently came under fire for accidentally running over a toddler at the Stanford Shopping Center.

Needless to say, problems are expected as the burgeoning field of robot-human interaction evolves. The good news is, there’s already years of information to draw on. Human-robot interaction and protection have been here in the form of robotic dogs for nearly a decade. There are dozens of different brands and models available — some of which offer motion detector warnings to protect against burglars and can be programmed to bark at intruders. While some will say robot pets are no more efficient than well-placed cameras, microphones, or speakers, they do offer genuine and personal protection for consumers – not to mention a sense of novelty and enjoyment.

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Connecting the dots between transhumanism, veganism, and caring for animals. My new story for Vice Motherboard:


The answer is bewildering—and it probably won’t be satisfying to plant-loving people. Nonetheless, it will inevitably eliminate most human-caused animal deaths. The answer is transhumanism—the movement that aims to replace human biology with synthetic and machine parts.

You see, the most important goal of transhumanism is to try to overcome death with science and technology. Most cellular degeneration—otherwise known as aging and sickness—comes from the failing of cells. That failure is at least partially caused by the daily act of eating and drinking—of putting foreign objects into our bodies which cells have to consume or discard to try to create energy. Paraxdocially, it’s stressful and hard work for cells to endlessly do this just to live. A simple way to eliminate this Sisyphean task—all the steaks, chocolate donuts, bacon breakfasts, and even my favorite, scotch—is to get rid of human reliance on food and drink entirely.

Transhumanists, like myself, want to get rid of it all. We want to strip you of your stomach, your guts, and even your anus—and replace it all with machine parts and bionics. In the future, there will be no eating, drinking, or defecation.

The obvious question: Where will we get energy from if we don’t eat?

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The EFTF Conferences first event in San Francisco. Lots of Lightning Rounds by industry luminaries, and local technologists on the future of technology. Profits from the conference will be donated to a Non-Profit focused using technology to help humanity through the use of new and emerging technology. This conference is about the future of technology, networking and how we can help each other with a holistic approach. Come join the conversation and the futurist trends and technology. There will be an after party but the location is still TBD (tickets for the party are seperate then general admission).

This time we have an exciting device bar and personal technology bar from watchs to cybernetic implants or just to plug in your personal hardware.

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Pentagon accused Russia that the country is working on “enhanced human operation” to create an army of superhuman soldiers. Russia’s Sputnik issues the news.

U.S. Army chiefs are claiming that Moscow is working to create bionic superhuman soldiers with brain implants. And the soldiers will be fuelled by steroids. Usage of steroid will increase the tolerance capability and make the soldiers more resilient. While the brain implant or chip will assist a soldier to fight for a longer time even in extreme warfare. It will also force the soldiers to fight and obey the command at any cost. The sole purpose is to strengthen the soldiers to make them stronger and tougher in battles.

Yet, the U.S. opponent is working to use microscopic technology so that soldiers can cure themselves without any assistance of physicians.

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Fantastic review! I will DEFINITELY be giving this series a go when it premieres very early next month!

This show, like the novel it’s based on, will explore many major transhumanist (and humanist, for that matter) themes. What do you think? Will you be watching too?


Allison Keene reviews the first four episodes of the upcoming HBO drama Westworld, which stars Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, and Anthony Hopkins.

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BILHÕES de estrela mapeada.

Lançada 1000 dias atrás, Gaia iniciou os seus trabalhos científicos em Julho de 2014. Esta primeira versão é baseada em dados recolhidos durante seus primeiros 14 meses de varredura do céu, até setembro de 2015.

“O mapa mais bonito que estamos publicando hoje mostra a densidade de estrelas medidos por Gaia por todo o céu, e confirma que os dados coletados excelentes durante o seu primeiro ano de operações”, diz Timo Prusti, Gaia cientista do projeto na ESA.

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