In December 2001, American environmental activist Jim Puckett traveled to the town of Guiyu in southeast China to look for old computers. He’d learned that electronic waste from the West was finding its way to Guiyu, and the place apparently wasn’t what it used to be. For centuries, residents of Guiyu’s four villages had scratched out a living farming rice along the Lianjiang River. When Puckett arrived, one of the first things he saw was a man riding a bicycle stacked 15-feet high with computer keyboards. Puckett followed him to a village and, like Alice tailing the white rabbit through Wonderland, he discovered an upside-down world almost cartoonish in its horrors. Towering piles of monitors, printers, and fax machines lined streets and occupied front yards. In a neighboring village, women cooked circuit boards curbside in woks, and children played atop ash heaps. There were piles of burning wires, clouds of noxious fumes, and fields of gooey sludge. Puckett met people blackened head-to-toe with printer toner.
This tiny computer clips onto your ear and lets you scroll through a menu by winking or pause a song by scrunching your nose. The Samantha Stevens-ification of human interaction has begun.
It looks like we’re one step closer to becoming cyborgs with little chips implanted in our skulls. Researchers in Japan are currently developing the “Earclip wearable PC,” a tiny computer that clips onto your ear. It weighs all of 17-grams (0.59 ounces), but manages to house a GPS, compass, gyro-sensor, battery, barometer, speaker and microphone, and its functions are controlled by your facial expressions: the blink of an eye, a raise of an eyebrow, a click of the tongue. As inconspicuous as a hearing aid, it’s less dorky-looking than Google Glass.
“We have made this with the basic idea that people will wear it in the same way they wear earrings,” creator Kazuhiro Taniguchi, an engineer at Hiroshima City University, told AFP in a recent interview.
By Chris Gayomali — Fast Company For big tech companies, drones are a shining, whirly emblem of the future. Amazon and Google say they would like to use them to deliver things to your doorstep, and now Facebook wants to use them to create Internet infrastructure.
Facebook reportedly has plans to buy Titan Aerospace, a company that makes “near-orbital, solar-powered drones which can fly for five years without needing to land,” for $60 million, according to TechCrunch. The basic idea is that these unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, would buzz over “the parts of the world without Internet access, beginning in Africa.”
Today we wish a very happy 116th birthday to Misao Okawa who was born in Japan in 1898, making her the world’s oldest person. When she was young, Einstein hadn’t yet grasped the mysteries of a relative universe, cars were becoming affordable and were thought as the saviour of horse-polluted cities and the telephone was the next big thing in communication.
More than a hundred years later, we oft cite Einstein’s famous equation of relativity without understanding it. Cars are tools of pollution and most cities tax their presence. And a great many people shun voice communications for instantaneous texts. A lot has changed in our understanding of the universe, technology and our morality over the past century. But when it comes to living longer lives, we seem to collectively forget some basic biology.
Mind the generation gap. Itsuo Inouye/AP
The media obsesses over the inevitable “secret” that centenarians (and super-centenarians, like Okawa, who live past 110) reveal as the reason for their exceptionally long life. In the case of Okawa, lots of sushi and eight hours sleep a day. Scientists study centenarians and their families to isolate the causes for longevity – so that we may be able to distribute it to everyone.
But centenarians are not the key to unlocking the mysteries of health and longevity – on the contrary, they epitomise our fears of growing old.
Centenarians and Tithonus’ curse
In Greek mythology, mortality was the distinguishing feature between gods and men; gods were immortal while men suffered from death (that, and the whims of the gods above them). In the story, Eos, the goddess of the dawn falls in love with a mortal man called Tithonus. Eos cannot bear the thought that Tithonus will die, so she asks Zeus to make him immortal, to which he agrees. The only problem is that she forgot to ask for eternal youth. Tithonus cannot die, but he progressively suffers from all the ill health and frailties of old age.
Centenarians are the living embodiment of Tithonus’ curse. Contrary to what the media would like to portray (and some studies), many centenarians suffer ill health and frailty associated with old age, which can also affect research. Most are wheelchair or bed-bound, many suffer from dementia, muscle loss, hearing loss, eyesight loss and lack control of their orifices.
When given the choice between healthy life and long life with ill health, most people choose the former. Centenarians are not a mystery of nature; they are old people who happen to suffer the damages of ageing a bit longer than others.
Mortality law and the lifestyle delusion
Like the rest of us, centenarians are governed by the “law of mortality”, which simply states that no matter who you are or where you live the chances of you dying double every eight years.
This doubling of our mortality rate starts from the moment we are conceived until our inevitable demise. And with each eight-year period we accumulate more damage generated by the process of sustaining our life (our metabolism). Initially, during youth, the damage is limited and doesn’t affect our health and well-being but as we get older the damage starts to accumulate and our probability of dying from any given disease of ageing increases exponentially.
We certainly know how to decrease our mortality rate by using vaccines and antibiotics and by not smoking. But unfortunately the converse is not true, we know of nothing that can reduce our rate of mortality. Lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise do not significantly reduce the mortality rate of a normal person.
Another way to think about this is to imagine we are all born with a certain number of chips that we can spend during life, and when the chips run out, we die. So in this thought experiment, I’m born with 2,048 chips while Anders is born with 8,192 chips.
Applying the law of mortality, we remove double the chips every eight years, so two chips go on my eighth birthday, four on my 16th, eight on my 24th and so on.
I’ll die when I run out of chips on my 88th birthday, while Anders will be around until his 104th birthday. Although Anders is born with many more chips than me, in the later years of his life he uses ever more chips to remain alive. These chips are analogous to genetic inheritance. Centenarians are born with better genes which help them maintain their frail state a little bit longer compared to the average Briton who lives to about 80.
By the time someone has reached 90 or 100 years of age, they will have accumulated a lot of damage as a by-product of their metabolism. Their biological systems teeter at the edge of systemic collapse and each additional year brings with it the probability that something will tip it over the edge. This may help explain the fact that although the total numbers of centenarians are increasing, the numbers of super-centenarians like Okawa have remained constant.
Male mortality in England and Wales over the last 160 years. Avi Roy, CC BY-SA
Regenerative powers
If we are to grow old and remain in good health, we have three options. We can try to improve our metabolism such that it generates less harmful byproducts or we can find a way to clean these up these byproducts. Or, we can deal with the consequences of this accumulation of damage over time. Medicine has mainly focused on the third option, dealing with the consequences of ageing disease such as dementia, cancer and diabetes. But though we may have added few years to our lives, we certainly haven’t added life to our years.
We have tried to understand how to improve our metabolism by studying longevity genes in worms – in one experiment, increasing the life of nematode worms five times – rodents, and centenarians. But these studies rarely generate consistent results and we still do not know how to implement the finding in humans. Improving our metabolism to mimic those of long-lived mammals such as bowhead whales (thought to be the oldest living mammal) is certainly an interesting avenue of research, but won’t be clinically useful for a very long time.
The field of regenerative medicine is trying to hedge our bets. Instead of waiting until we can overhaul our metabolism, it aims to clean up the damage we accumulate in our cells, tissues, and organs. There are several current projects to grow organs from one’s own stem cells or even skin cells. There are patients around the world with trachea and cartilage replacements made using this technique. Soon, regenerative medicine will target therapies beyond organs and at the cellular level. If our cells are always in tip-top shape we may not need to replace our organs.
But as it currently stands, the best chance for you to reach 100 years of age, with all the baggage of that it comes with, is to have parents and grandparents who are centenarians. Sushi, sleep, a whisky a day is unlikely to make the difference besides improving life quality. But for our money, regenerative medicine will be what finally cures the old of the Tithonus curse, where we might live to ripe old ages but in much better health.
I have no conflicting interests related to this topic (besides being subject to ageing).
Avi Roy does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
The concept of special economic zones to assist the development of a new industry is common worldwide. So why isn’t there one yet for Bitcoin?
Despite the collapse of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, digital currencies are one of the fastest growing, disruptive technologies of the past several decades.
But the only places in the United States that are speaking up about Bitcoin are those who want to add additional layers of regulations and red tape. Remarkably, it’s the two states that would benefit most from this innovation and from greater adoption of Bitcoin: the nation’s financial center (New York) and the hub of innovation (California).
New York’s top financial cop, Benjamin Lawsky, has railed against Bitcoin because of concerns about usage by criminals. He said that it is better to stop all possible money laundering before one knows it really exists than to let “1,000 flowers bloom on the innovation side.”
That line was immediately mocked by Bitcoin fans with analogies like “it’s better to let 500 car companies die than to let one car be used in a getaway”.
By Harry Corlett — SpaceNews Neil Armstrong is dead. The space shuttle program is no more. The Constellation program has been canceled, and the main spacecraft is a wheezy 50-year-old Soyuz. Our cosmic escapades feel distant. All those memories of daring men and women of “The Right Stuff” will soon be lost in time, like tears in rain, unless as a species we recognize the urgent need to venture to the stars.
On Jan. 31, NASA honored all the members of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia who perished while “furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.” Surely they would be devastated that their bravery and sacrifice might have been in vain as the great American pioneer flame gutters in the winds of political expediency.
LIST OF UPDATES (MARCH 03 THROUGH MARCH 10/2014). By Mr. Andres Agostini at The Future of Scientific Management, Today! At http://lnkd.in/bYP2nDC
Making nanoelectronics last longer for medical devices and ‘cyborgs’ http://www.kurzweilai.net/making-nanoelectronics-last-longer-for-medical-devices-cyborgs
Are you ready for the Internet of Cops? http://www.kurzweilai.net/are-you-ready-for-the-internet-of-cops
Moore’s law and neural networks collude to address grand challenge http://www.kurzweilai.net/moores-law-and-neural-networks-collude-to-address-grand-challenge
Emerging market risk and reward http://www.todayszaman.com/news-341033-emerging-market-risk-and-reward.html
Crisis in Crimea: What Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the EU Should Do
10 Top Trends in Social Media http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/24/10-top-trends-in-social-media/
Did Sherlock Holmes Believe in God? http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2014/03/03/did-sherlock-holmes-believe-in-god/
Daniel Wolpert: The real reason for brains
Report Calls for Better Backstops to Protect Power Grid From Cyberattacks
East Ukraine aflame as Russia poised to strike http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/03/odessa-russia-ukraine/5969249/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=206567
Buffett: I’d love to see minimum wage at $15 an hour http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/03/news/economy/buffett-minimum-wage/index.html
Gates reclaims Forbes title of world’s richest billionaire http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/03/news/companies/forbes-billionaire-rich-list/index.html
Here’s Why Scientists Are Shooting Rockets at an Aurora http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/rockets/heres-why-scientists-are-shooting-rockets-at-an-aurora-16441412?src=spr_TWITTER&spr_id=1457_46466698
How NASA Is Trying to Help California Survive Its Water Crisis http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/water/how-nasa-is-trying-to-help-california-survive-its-water-crisis-16544122?click=pm_latest
How to Annex Another Nation’s Territory: The Crimean Invasion in 6 Steps http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/how-to-annex-another-nations-territory-russia-crimea-ukraine-16545791?click=pm_news
Richard Branson on Why Leading Means Listening http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231826
Web-Enabled Toothbrushes Join the Internet of Things http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304360704579415161522531046?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304360704579415161522531046.html
WhatsApp Founders Make Last-Minute Addition to Forbes’ Billionaires List http://mashable.com/2014/03/03/whatsapp-founders-forbes-billionaires-list/
Ukraine Crisis May Thwart Obama Plans From Iran to China http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-03/ukraine-crisis-may-thwart-obama-plans-from-iran-to-china.html
No, American Weakness Didn’t Encourage Putin to Invade Ukrain http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/03/no-american-weakness-didnt-encourage-putin-to-invade-ukraine/284168/
Confirmed: Facebook’s $19-billion WhatsApp deal is Jaw-Dropping http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-confirmed-facebooks-19-billion-whatsapp-deal-is-jawdropping-20140302,0,5388152.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Ftechnology+%28L.A.+Times+-+Technology+News%29
Quantum physics could make secure, single-use computer memories possible http://phys.org/news/2014-01-quantum-physics-single-use-memories.html
When Will Elon Musk Start Making Solar Panels? http://www.techzone360.com/topics/techzone/articles/2014/02/28/371766-when-will-elon-musk-start-making-solar-panels.htm
In Search of a Stable Electronic Currency
Ion Proton™ Sequencer designed to sequence human genome fo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aatk7CMZQtE&feature=youtu.be
Art vs. Engineering? Art + Engineering? http://www.engineering.com/Education/EducationArticles/ArticleID/7243/Art-vs-Engineering-Art-Engineering.aspx
Is “Designed” in China the Next Big Thing? http://www.engineering.com/DesignSoftware/DesignSoftwareArticles/ArticleID/7236/Is-Designed-in-China-the-Next-Big-Thing.aspx
Rolls Royce and the Autonomous High Seas http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/7238/Rolls-Royce-and-the-Autonomous-High-Seas.aspx
Undergrads Aim to Lower Bio Printing Costs http://www.engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/7227/Undergrads-Aim-to-Lower-Bio-Printing-Costs.aspx
Tiny, Cheap, Foolproof: Seeking New Component to Counter Counterfeit Electronics http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/02/24.aspx
DARPA Seeking Automated Decision Aids for Pilots and Battle Managers in Contested Environments http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/02/21.aspx
Big Mechanism Seeks the “Whys” Hidden in Big Data http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/02/20.aspx
ARES Aims to Provide More Front-line Units with Mission-tailored VTOL Capabilities http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/02/11.aspx
Molten Salts Might Provide Half-Price Grid Energy Storage http://www.technologyreview.com/news/525121/molten-salts-might-provide-half-price-grid-energy-storage/
Stem cells repair and strenthen muscles in aged mice http://www.impactlab.net/2014/03/01/stem-cells-repair-and-strenthen-muscles-in-aged-mice/
Enhancing the human race: augmented reality http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/health/scientific-breakthroughs/10523379/augmented-reality-medicine.html
It slices, it dices, and it protects the body from harm: 3-D structure of enzyme that helps defend against bacteria http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140228210604.htm
Robots in 2020 / Vision of Future — Humans Life Jointly Humanoid
The End of Education As We Know It http://designmind.frogdesign.com/articles/radical-openness/the-end-of-education-as-we-know-it.html
The Case for Connectivity http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alec-ross/the-case-for-connectivity_b_4839486.html
SNOPA: A Privacy Win-Win for Social Media Age http://insights.wired.com/profiles/blogs/right-to-digital-privacy-will-be-protected-by-the-social#axzz2uv9naa6B
Pill could help humans live longer http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/10666532/Pill-could-help-humans-live-longer.html
Ten Things I Remember About the Future http://markrvickers.com/2014/03/01/ten-things-i-remember-about-the-future/
Why Daydreamers Will Save the World http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140224153333-10842349-why-daydreamers-will-save-the-world
NASA’s CT-2 Preps for Larger Deep Space Launches http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/7178/NASAs-CT-2-Preps-for-Larger-Deep-Space-Launches.aspx
Professors, We Need You!
In the Future Little Robots will Outnumber the Big Ones
Dyson Invests in Robotic Vision Research http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/7133/Dyson-Invests-in-Robotic-Vision-Research.aspx
NASA Research Aims to Print Wood in Space http://www.engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/7132/NASA-Research-Aims-to-Print-Wood-in-Space.aspx
NASA Develops Star Trek-Inspired Gadgets That Can Heal Injured Astronauts and Eliminate Animal Testing http://inhabitat.com/nasa-develops-star-trek-inspired-gadgets-heal-injured-astronauts-and-eliminate-animal-testing/
The ISS to Be Home to NASA’s Cold Atom Lab http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/7096/The-ISS-to-Be-Home-to-NASAs-Cold-Atom-Lab.aspx
Climate Change and U.S. National Security: a Geoeconomic Approach
The Future of Military Force http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2014/02/24/the_future_of_military_force_107102.html
Boundless Natural Gas, Boundless Opportunities: Interview with EIA Chief http://blog.cleantechies.com/2014/02/24/boundless-natural-gas-boundless-opportunities-interview-with-eia-chief/#sthash.MkOf1qt2.dpuf
Henry Ford Gave Innovators The Wrong Message About The Value Of History http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnowrid/2014/02/21/henry-ford-gave-innovators-the-wrong-message-about-the-value-of-history/
No Longer Science Fiction: Start-Up Unveils Radical Consciousness Technology http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregory-weinkauf/no-longer-science-fiction_1_b_4688935.html
Machine Consciousness: Fact Or Fiction? http://footnote1.com/machine-consciousness-fact-or-fiction/
3D bioprinting the human body — infographic http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/gadget/newsid=34156.php
Extremism and terrorism are the other price that humankind pays for successful Silicon Valley startups http://man-as-media.com/2014/01/08/extremism-and-terrorism-are-the-other-price-that-humankind-pays-for-successful-silicon-valley-startups/
The Internet of Things and CIA concern http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Homeland-Security-Today-4364804?trk=my_groups-b-grp-v
The Science Behind Procrastination http://bigthink.com/big-think-tv/the-science-behind-procrastination
It’s Official: Microsoft Is Going Down http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140228214728-64875646-it-s-official-microsoft-is-going-down
The Internet Of Things Is Going To Bring A Plethora Of Challenges http://www.informationsecuritybuzz.com/internet-things-going-bring-plethora-challenges/#.UxS_hIjAt-c.twitter
Eterni.me will create a computer version of you for when you die http://www.gizmag.com/eterni-me-death-avatar/31053/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=twitterfeed
New 3D-image modelling technology enables anyone to have a 3D digital doppelgänger http://www.mpg.de/7975368/bodylab-3D-modelling-technology
“Think before you speak“ http://www.mpg.de/7959561/temporal_coordination-thinking_speaking
New drug against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s on the way http://www.mpg.de/7955496/anle138b_alzheimer_parkinson
Searching for Earth’s twin http://www.mpg.de/7957207/PLATO
Royal Society and US National Academy of Sciences release joint publication on climate change http://royalsociety.org/news/2014/climate-change-evidence-causes/
Mystery of marine mammal stranding solved http://royalsociety.org/news/2014/whale-standings-atacama/
Science in court: Disease detectives http://www.nature.com/news/science-in-court-disease-detectives-1.14775
Alternative lengthening of telomeres in cancer stem cells in vivo http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/onc2013603a.html
Evidence for quantum annealing with more than one hundred qubits http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v10/n3/abs/nphys2900.html
Next Generation: Seeing Brain Tumors http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/39302/title/Next-Generation–Seeing-Brain-Tumors/
Engineered Molecules for Smarter Medicines http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2014/2/engineered-molecules-for-smarter-medicines
The Challenge of Manufacturing Between Macro and Micro http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2014/2/the-challenge-of-manufacturing-between-macro-and-micro
Simulating Star Formation on a Galactic Scale http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2014/2/simulating-star-formation-on-a-galactic-scale
Twisted Math and Beautiful Geometry http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2014/2/twisted-math-and-beautiful-geometry
Electronic Floor Sensors Turn Whole Rooms Into Immersive Touchscreens http://gizmodo.com/electronic-floor-sensors-turn-whole-rooms-into-immersiv-1531835835
Interactive Virtual Reality In 3-D, The Newest Learning Tool http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026765/interactive-virtual-reality-in-3-d-the-newest-learning-tool
Drone Cargo Ships Will Make the Real World Work Like the Internet http://www.wired.com/business/2014/02/drone-cargo-ships-will-make-real-world-work-just-like-internet/
6 Industries That Will Profit From Global Warming http://www.wired.com/business/2014/02/climateprofiteers/
Tooth Regeneration Now Possible with New Stem Cell Research
Key trends from the world’s biggest mobile technology show http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/27/tech/mobile/mobile-world-congress-top-trends-smartphone/index.html
The Internet of Things Space is being enhanced by Cisco http://marketeyewitness.com/internet-things-space-enhanced-cisco/
Smartphone-Piloted Drones Could Support US Troops on Front Lines http://www.livescience.com/43545-darpa-cargo-drone.html
No Hands! Mind-Controlled Helicopter Flies On Brainwaves http://www.livescience.com/43250-mind-controlled-quadcopter.html
Can Gadgets Really Tell The Future? http://www.fastcodesign.com/3026853/can-gadgets-really-tell-the-future
Can Quantum Communication Work For Underwater Vehicles and Sensors? http://www.technologyreview.com/view/525166/can-quantum-communication-work-for-underwater-vehicles-and-sensors/
Why The New American Workforce Wants Better Consumption, Not Just More http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026869/why-the-new-american-workforce-wants-better-consumption-not-just-more
How Growing Buildings Underwater Could Fight Climate Change http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026694/how-growing-buildings-underwater-could-fight-climate-change
Images Of New York City in 2017 As An Unequal, Hellish Surveillance State http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026737/images-of-new-york-city-in-2017-as-an-unequal-hellish-surveillance-state
Multinationals See Reputations Eroding from Tax Planning http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/Multinationals-Reputations-Eroding-Tax-Planning-69850-1.html
Willis Study: Tech Firms Point to Dependence on Outsourced Vendors as Cyber Threat http://www.marketwatch.com/story/willis-study-tech-firms-point-to-dependence-on-outsourced-vendors-as-cyber-threat-2014-03-03?reflink=MW_news_stmp
Why Teens Are the Most Elusive and Valuable Customers in Tech http://www.inc.com/issie-lapowsky/inside-massive-tech-land-grab-teenagers.html?cid=sf01001
A DYSTOPIAN FUTURE: POPULATION SIZE http://elizagreenbooks.com/2014/03/02/a-dystopian-future-population-size/?utm_content=bufferc0730&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Technology: Rise of the replicants on.ft.com/1gNlGWz
The CIO: More Than a Network Steward http://simplifywork.blogs.xerox.com/2014/03/03/the-cio-more-than-a-network-steward/
QUOTATION(S): “…The mind that is anxious about the future is miserable…”
CITATION(S): “…If you plot the basic measures of the price to performance and capacity of information technologies (for example, computer instructions per second per constant dollar, bits of memory per dollar, or the total number of bits being moved around over the Internet), they follow remarkably smooth — and foreseeable — trajectories. This observation goes well beyond Moore’s Law (which says you can place twice as many transistors on an integrated circuit every two years); in the case of computation, it goes back to the 1890 American census, long before Gordon Moore was even born .… What’s predictable is that these measures grow exponentially, not linearly, though our intuition about the future is linear, which is hard-wired in our brains. This makes a remarkable difference. Thirty steps linearly gets you to 30, whereas 30 steps exponentially (2, 4, 8, 16…) gets you to a billion .… And it’s not just electronics and communications that follow this exponential course. It applies as well to health, medicine and its related field of biology. The Human Genome Project, for instance, saw the amount of genetic sequencing double and the cost of sequencing per base pair come down by half each year .… A computer that fit inside a building when I was a student now fits in my pocket, and is a thousand times more powerful despite being a million times less expensive .… In another quarter century, that capability will fit inside a red blood cell and will again be a billion times more powerful per dollar…”
NEWEST, PRACTICAL PRINCIPALS (TENETS) TO SEIZE SUSTAINABLE PROFESSIONAL, MANAGERIAL AND BUSINESS SUCCESS TENTES: (25) Correlate everything else with the ignored and unthinkable ‘else’ of everything else forever.
BOOK(S): The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. ISBN-13: 978–0316346627.
N.B.: Quotations, Citations and Success Tenets are by the Futuretronium Book.
Regards,
Mr. Andres Agostini Risk-Management Futurist and Success Consultant http://lnkd.in/bYP2nDC
Brian Armstrong — TechCrunch Mt.Gox is gone. The one-time biggest Bitcoin exchange closed its doors this week and filed for bankruptcy this morning. Questions about the future of Bitcoin have once again been up-leveled to the headlines of nearly every major media outlet.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a string of issues in the Bitcoin space, from the transaction malleability bug that ultimately closed Mt.Gox’s doors to a corresponding distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that delayed transfers on multiple exchanges and services. These attacks, along with recent phishing scams and money-laundering arrests, have cast doubt on the Bitcoin space and caused consumer panic — which is fair.
But what hasn’t been communicated well is how those who are truly invested in the future of Bitcoin remain totally confident, because with every attack, breach, and arrest, Bitcoin is getting stronger and proving to consumers and businesses it is not going away.
Here is what is not being said about Bitcoin that should be.
More than 70 individuals with a combined wealth of $200bn (€145bn) are investing in space projects including travel, Knight Frank said ahead of its release of The Wealth Report 2014 on Wednesday.
A suborbital trip from London to Sydney will take about two hours and 12 minutes or one-tenth the time of flying by plane.
“New commercial space will be one of the most exciting investment sectors in the next 20 years,” Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, was cited as saying in the statement.
Silicon Valley sprung up on big open stretches of land where military installations had once been. Early semiconductor and computing businesses needed the space. But as Moore’s law progressed and mobile computing became the thing, the tech industry crept up into the seven-by-seven mile peninsula that is San Francisco. The city’s South of Market district is now nearly a strip mall of tech startups.
But tucked away in one of the neighborhood’s utilitarian office buildings is a technology company that harkens back to the early days of Silicon Valley: Planet Labs, founded by former NASA engineers, which builds satellites to photograph the Earth. Even so, the company doesn’t need a ton of space: Its satellites are about the size of a breadbox. The company recently recruited a batch of Stanford University students and built 28 satellites in 17 days in its cramped SoMa offices (pictured above).
For big tech companies, drones are a shining, whirly emblem of the future. Amazon and Google say they would like to use them 
