Lifeboat Foundation

By Emily Siner — VPR

Thanks to new research out of MIT, you might one day be able to subtly manipulate your picture to make it more memorable — meaning that people should be more likely to remember your face.

According to the research article: “One ubiquitous fact about people is that we cannot avoid evaluating the faces we see in daily life … In this flash judgment of a face, an underlying decision is happening in the brain — should I remember this face or not? Even after seeing a picture for only half a second we can often remember it.”

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Written By: Cameron Scott — Singularity Hub

After years running on the fumes of hype, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are beginning to hit the road.

Toyota made a big splash when it announced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show that it would market such a car beginning in the 2015 model year. Hyundai has also committed to roll out a fuel-cell vehicle next year. And Honda has already begun leasing its hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity to customers in California.

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Rob Wile — Business Insider

Last week we told you how Texas Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) became the first sitting elected official in Washington to accept Bitcoin for his 2014 campaign against Sen. John Cornyn.

Dan Backer is going to make sure Stockman is not the last.

Written By: Cameron Scott — Singularity Hub

Even the most adamant techno-optimists among us must admit that new technologies can introduce hidden dangers: Fire, as the adage goes, can cook the dinner, but it can also burn the village down.

The most powerful example of unforeseen disadvantages stemming from technology is climate change. Should we attempt to fix a problem caused by technology, using more novel technology to hack the climate? The question has spurred heated debate.

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By Sam Maggs — GeekOSystem

We’ve all seen the clip from James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens, where Sigourney Weaver (as eternal badass Ellen Ripley) puts the smack-down on an alien queen while wearing a strength-enhancing exoskeleton. Looks like the folks over at Panasonic have seen it too, because they’ve manufactured their own version – and are going to start mass-production.

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Dick Pelletier — IEET

What can we expect when machines surpass humans in intelligence; a point in time that futurists predict could become reality by 2045.

The concept for the Singularity goes something like this: researchers are convinced that technology will eventually supersede human intelligence creating an amazing world filled with ‘smart’ machines. These machines will not only defeat us in chess and games like Jeopardy, but will also drive cars, write books and replace humans in customer service, and one day, emulate consciousness.

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By Michael Molitch-Hou - 3D Printing Industry

In preparation for 2014, Gartner released a report outlining its top predictions for the next six years or so titled “Gartner Top Predictions 2014: Plan for a Disruptive, but Constructive Future”. The report makes some rather startling predictions about the future of our world, often veiled in elliptical phrases reminiscent of the Oracle at Delphi. As the title suggests, from now until 2020, we’ve got a bumpy road ahead of us thanks to such technologies as 3D printing.

While Gartner also focuses on The Internet of Things, digital business and smart machines in the report, it is 3D printing that makes it relevant to us at 3DPI. According to the report, 3D printing will have a huge impact on intellectual property, saying, “At least one major Western manufacturer will claim to have had intellectual property stolen for a mainstream product by thieves using 3D printers who will likely reside in those same Western markets, rather than in Asia, by 2015,” and, “The global automotive aftermarket parts, toy, IT and consumer product industries will report intellectual property theft worth at least $15 billion in 2016 due to 3D printing.” How to solve such a problem? The report’s author suggests that CEOs take a look at how to prevent forgeries via 3D printing and methods for consumers to ensure the validity of their goods.

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By Andrew Couts — Digital Trends

The rise of Dogecoin and the soon-to-launch Coinye West (yes, it’s named after the rapper) made it seem as though almost anyone can create a Bitcoin competitor. Now, with the launch of a clever and simple tool, that is actually true.

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