DataPortability

DataPortability - Connect, Control, Share, Remix

This video is a continuation of a previous conversation about Google's Server Farms and how people will store information in the future.

The Future of Color

Soon metal may never require paint. Researchers are now testing high output laser abrasions that refract light to a controllable color. Black or blue gold, aluminum, even multi color. The article suggests one could have their family laser etched on to the hood of the car at the factory. Never requiring paint, polish, or maintenance.

This is good for our environment. While the power requirements are likely energy intensive, diminishing all those toxic paint chemicals would be nice. full story

via shawnblog

iRobot Soldiers Inlist in the US Army

Major contract signals shift from experimental deployment to new use of force. What happens when they become self aware? Deathbots are great when the enemy doesn't have them.

Ray Kurzweil: Futurist

"..we will reach the Singularity, a moment when technology is advancing so rapidly that 'strictly biological' humans will be unable to comprehend it."

I hate it when that happens, wait a minute...what?

Brian O'Keefe gives a good write up on Ray Kurzweil. Inventor of the flat bed scanner, author, and visionary futurist.

Google to Replace Everyones Massive Storage Hardrives

Wired magazine touched on this last year, and noted that the 'Goog had moved it's headquarters not far from where I am along the Columbia river for it's abundant low cost hydroelectric access (needed to power it's massive server farms).

According to a report today from the WSJ Google will be offering mass storage for free and larger amounts at a fixed cost and could be operating within a few months.

I have investigated it and if I spend $100-$250 per year on upgrading my drives to bigger and bigger storage formats I am losing money and have less security than storing on a semi-dedicated server with one of the big company's who offer scalable solutions. This is hard for many people to wrap their minds around as we are so used to physical memory hardware. The other benefit is you can access your info anywhere in the world. Security? You are far more vulnerable at home then at a clean room with armed guards, video surveillance, redundant backups, and a team of technicians and 24 hours support.

The biggest hold-up? Now that broadband is readily available for most it's good FTP software. Firefox seems to have that licked though with it's latest in-browser plugin.

I am now looking at a terabyte as the minimum size drive I would purchase. 1000 gigs just doesn't seem like that much if you consider a DVD is just under a gig. Mind boggling.

Culled from Smartmobs

The Pondering Primate questions the Goog's commitment to service.

Green Cycle Could Catch On

Cool recumbent manga-style electric motorcycle charges in six hours goes 180K before needing recharge. via StrangeThingsFromJapan

banksy

"Satellites could also heat the cloud tops (of hurricanes) by beaming microwaves from space."

Screens Screens Everywhere in your Glasses and in the Air

Many moons ago I blogged about a Seattle start-up that claimed it's new eye-glass monitor would replace all video monitors. The folks at Futursimic have dug up this from Scaler by way of the Pink Tentacle claiming that "in few years" they will be as ubiquitous as earbuds. Hmnnn. I predict rocket packs, eyeglass screens, and watch phones will converge simultaneously when Steve Jobs wants them to. Boom! Your teenagers flying through the air watching videos and talking to thier wrists.

Seriously though, we get it, in the future everything is a display, a processor, connected via internet. Everyman is an engineer, movie maker, journalist, and broadcaster.

Cell Phone Monitor's Health

MyWay reports Japanese company DoCoMo Inc. is protyping a cell phone that monitors your health. The phone has a "sensor that can tell whether you're walking, running, climbing stairs, or resting, and counts the calories accordingly to tally daily totals".

New DVD like disc from Isreal holds 1-5 terabytes of data

See the details.

Thus hastening the "See this grain of rice it has everything I ever saw, and I got it from Bestbuy on clearance for ten bucks." syndrome.

stumbled via ken

Holograms

The last hologram of the man running is the coolest. It is totally all "help me obi wan kanobi your my only hope".

via spinthecat

The Future of Communication

This video has been around for a while but really helps to understand the future. So many are just catching up.

via techtips

European Space Agency is looking for a few good persons

ESA is looking for experimental 'virtuonauts' (terminology mine) to man a virtual mission to mars. Finally a looming solution to migrant worker problems.

Read the full story here.

download application here

Movie Review: Idiocracy

Cory D' talkin 'bout the dumn down and out of the US reminded me of the unsung movie "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge of King of The Hill and Office Space fame. The futuristic movie is somewhat profane and lewd so not recommended for kids or the easily offended. But it is so spot on it is almost worth seeing again for this viewer. After my wife and I saw it we we were watching TV and thought wow we really are being dumbed down. (Wah... we just figured that out? Must get Happy Meal toyz and watch Polize Academeyz again...) The premise is the military freezes the most normal person they can find and then scraps the program, 500 years later he awakens to a world of total idiots and becomes their president. The dystopian part I liked was the proliferation of corporate identity on every day life. Like drinking fountains with Gatorade.

It's the 80's: Where is our Rocket Packs

Cool site if u r from romania

BETTER FASTER LOUDER

Distopian Romanian web site 2020:

choice quotes:

"..Have you learned nothing from Running Man or Total Recall?"

"2020 will make it easier for you to accept cloning, gene-sequencing techniques, food health-scares and space-tourism."

"It offers you the pre-crime departments of tomorrow."

They even claim to have a manifesto although I cannot find it.