Lifeboat Foundation

Hmmmm;

In December 2011, Vladimir Putin, then Russia’s prime minister, was positioned to reclaim his role as Russia’s president in the March 2012 elections.

Fittingly, he hosted a lavish banquet at New Century, Moscow’s richest equestrian club, for members of the Valdai Club and distinguished academics and journalists from around the world.

Continue reading “Putin once casually said over dinner that he could destroy America in a half-hour or less” »

The accelerating pace of technological progress means that our intelligent creations will soon eclipse us—and that their creations will eventually eclipse them.

Want to see Dubai’s rainforest?

Most people don’t think of humid temperatures, lush tropical forests, and flora and fauna when they think of Dubai. But the desert destination has big plans for two artificial rainforests, one that opened earlier this month, and another on its way.

Click on photo to start video.

This virtual character can translate speech into sign language when held up to a hearing person.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=VF1rt1-Y6vY

Want to know what it looks like to travel at the speed of sound…in a windowless pod? Well, here you go.

What would it be like to ride on the Hyperloop—the 700 mph (1,100 km/h) propulsion-driven transportation of the future?

Continue reading “Your First Look At What It Would Be Like to Ride the Hyperloop Pod” »

Interesting read.

The Asian superpower is boosting basic research funding in its 13th five-year plan—a boon for this list of scientists and the wider R&D community.

A mattress that makes it easier to cuddle.

In preparation for writing a review of the Unabomber’s new book, I have gone through my files to find all the things I and others had said about this iconic figure when he struck terror in the hearts of technophiles in the 1990s. Along the way, I found this letter written to a UK Channel 4 producer on 26 November 1999 by way of providing material for a television show in which I participated called ‘The Trial of the 21st Century’, which aired on 2 January 2000. I was part of the team which said things were going to get worse in the 21st century.

What is interesting about this letter is just how similar ‘The Future’ still looks, even though the examples and perhaps some of the wording are now dated. It suggests that there is a way of living in the present that is indeed ‘future-forward’ in the sense of amplifying certain aspects of today’s world beyond the significance normally given to them. In this respect, the science fiction writer William Gibson quipped that the future is already here, only unevenly distributed. Indeed, it seems to have been here for quite a while.

Dear Matt,

Here are the sum of my ideas for the Trial of the 21st Century programme, stressing the downbeat:

Continue reading “The Familiarity of the Future: A Look Back from 1999” »

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