Futurism

10 Real Technologies That Look Insanely Futuristic

Why wait for the future when many of today’s technologies look as though they got here in a time machine? Here are 10 real-life technologies that come from the future. A couple of clarification points before we get started. By real-world, I mean any kind of technology that actually, physically exists (no vapourware, no conceptual…

io9 George Dvorsky

Astounding Spaceship Designs From Before The Space Age

Long before we were building spacecraft, we were dreaming of them. And some of our earliest ideas about space vehicles were pretty fanciful, or even downright bizarre. Here are the most astonishing and baffling spaceship designs from before we had spaceships. Plus, as a bonus, a few images from the very early days of the…

io9 Vincze Miklós

Fear and Loathing in the Mobile Entertainment Industry

The economy may be mired in an existential crisis, but there’s one place where the money is flowing: into those fun apps on your phone. As I discovered at a “casual mobile entertainment sector” conference last month, Portland isn’t the only place where the dream of the 90s lives on. At Casual Connect, held in…

io9 Jason Shankel

Scientists teleport information in an electronic circuit

We’re still a far way’s off from being able to beam people through space, but in a science first, physicists have successfully transported information across a solid state system similar to a computer chip. The breakthrough could lead to more powerful processors and highly sophisticated encryption schemes. https://gizmodo.com/human-teleportation-is-far-more-impractical-than-we-tho-988408753 Top image: An ant placed atop the…

io9 George Dvorsky

Breathtaking Concept Art of Elysium‘s Spaceship Hangar and Robot Deck

The coolest thing about Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium was the drop-dead-gorgeous visuals. And the movie could have featured even more eye-popping vistas of the space station. We’ve got an exclusive look at some early concept art from designer George Hull, showcasing the spaceship hangar and other areas. Last week, we brought you some exclusive concept art…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Human test flights begin on extraordinary jetpack, on sale in 2015

Remember how we all thrilled to see this test flight of the Martin jetpack a few years ago? It remained aloft, with a dummy in the driver’s seat, for over 7 minutes. Now humans are going to start testing this jetpack, which the manufacturer says could be on the market as early as 2015. According…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Here’s what to expect from Elon Musk’s Hyperloop super train

Elon Musk is coming out about his Hyperloop. He’s revealed plans for this super train, after teasing the public for months about a revolutionary technology that could send a train hurtling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes. Here’s how it would work. First of all, to make this train cost-effective, it would…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The Moment When Science Fiction Split off From Competence Porn

Science fiction used to be almost synonymous with “competence porn,” stories about smart people who solve challenges by knowing what they’re doing. But lately when it comes to movies and TV, it seems like Americans love competence porn, and they love science fiction… they just don’t love them together. What happened? Consider: Science fiction TV…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Weird Facts You Never Knew About H.G. Wells’ Movie, Things to Come

Did you know the Criterion Collection had recently come out with a deluxe DVD/Blu-ray release of Things to Come, H.G. Wells’ 1936 movie? It includes a restored print that’s way better than any previous release, plus unused special effects footage. And the Criterion site includes some astonishing facts about Things to Come. Top image: H.G.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

New Computer Programming Language Imitates The Human Brain

As we pointed out earlier this week, we’re still far from being able to replicate the awesome power of the human brain. So rather than use traditional models of computing, IBM has decided to design an entirely new computer architecture — one that’s taking inspiration from nature. https://gizmodo.com/this-computer-took-40-minutes-to-simulate-one-second-of-1043288954 For nearly 70 years, computer scientists have…

io9 George Dvorsky

These photos of Shanghai’s cityscape were taken just 26 years apart

If there was any doubt about China’s explosive growth over the past two decades, this unbelievable GIF will most certainly put those suspicions to rest. The first picture, which was taken in 1987, shows Pudong, the area east of the Huangpu river. The second image, taken just last week, reveals the futuristic mega-city that is…

io9 George Dvorsky

Mystery particle could revolutionize personal electronics

A strange, newly discovered particle could shrink a laptop computer’s hard drive to the size of a peanut and an iPod’s drive to the size of a rice grain. The particle, called a skyrmion, is more stable and less power-hungry than its conventional, magnetic cousin. Besides storing data in ultra compact media, skyrmions could lead…

io9 Jesse Emspak – Discovery News

Elon Musk Has No Intention of Building the Hyperloop Himself

Elon Musk, enthusiastic entrepre-nerd that he is, might have gotten a little bit ahead of himself with all the Hyperloop talk recently. On an investor call, he indicated that he has a pretty good idea about the design for the high-speed travel concept, but no plans to move forward with it—at least not with the…

Tech News Mario Aguilar

Audi designed this badass concept car for Ender’s Game

Remember that super-futuristic car that briefly appears in the final Ender’s Game trailer? It comes compliments of Audi, a virtual car they’re calling the Fleet Shuttle Quattro. Yes, please. https://gizmodo.com/enders-game-trailer-shows-the-epic-space-war-our-child-1042024912 Audi specifically designed the “purely virtual” car to suit the look and feel of the film. It’s the first time the German company has ever…

io9 George Dvorsky

LED lighting is already revolutionizing Earth’s fanciest cities

Do you like your cities when they’re even more like graphics-intensive video games? Then you’ll love the trophy cities of the very near future, because LED lighting is already changing the iconic skylines of New York, San Francisco and the shiny new towers of China and the oil emirates. Slums will stay the same. https://architizer.kinja.com/how-leds-will-make-or-break-the-skylines-of-global-citi-975205633

Sploid Ken Layne

New game creates a hive mind out of Google Glass users

By encouraging Glass users to behave and work like virtual ants, a new game called Swarm! is showing the tremendous potential for augmented reality to bring crowdsourcing to the next level — if not to humanity itself. Swarm! is currently under development by Daniel Estrada of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and Jonathan Lawhead…

io9 George Dvorsky

This computer took 40 minutes to simulate one second of brain activity

And it required 82,944 processors, to do it — showing that we’re still quite a ways off from being able to match the computational power of the human brain. Top image: Japan’s K Computer — a massive array consisting of over 80,000 nodes and capable of 10 petaflops (about 1016 billion operations per second). The…

io9 George Dvorsky

It’s official! The world’s first lab-grown burger is “not unpleasant!”

Reviews for the world’s first lab-grown burger are finally rolling in! The consensus? The burger is decidedly… not awful. Um, yay? The burger is the creation of vascular biologist Mark Post, and was years in the making. The five-ounce beef patty was assembled from thousands of teeny-tiny meat strips, cultured from the stem cells of…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Psychedelic Space Station Concepts from the 70s Will Blow Your Mind

Forty years ago, America was still reeling from the astronomical success of the moon mission and high on the idea that space age innovations would keep happening at a breakneck pace. Well, we got the shuttle, and we got the Mars rover(s). What we did not get, however, were mind-bending super space stations capable of…

Space & Spaceflight Adam Clark Estes

What lessons could public schools take from South Korean cram schools?

The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article on South Korea’s hagwons, the for-profit cram schools that nearly three out of four South Korean students attend. What can American public schools learn from a country where top tutors can earn up to $4 million a year? Update: This is one of those posts where the…

io9 Lauren Davis

10 Real Technologies That Look Insanely Futuristic

Astounding Spaceship Designs From Before The Space Age

Fear and Loathing in the Mobile Entertainment Industry

Scientists teleport information in an electronic circuit

Breathtaking Concept Art of Elysium‘s Spaceship Hangar and Robot Deck

Human test flights begin on extraordinary jetpack, on sale in 2015

Here’s what to expect from Elon Musk’s Hyperloop super train

The Moment When Science Fiction Split off From Competence Porn

Weird Facts You Never Knew About H.G. Wells’ Movie, Things to Come

New Computer Programming Language Imitates The Human Brain

These photos of Shanghai’s cityscape were taken just 26 years apart

Mystery particle could revolutionize personal electronics

Elon Musk Has No Intention of Building the Hyperloop Himself

Audi designed this badass concept car for Ender’s Game

LED lighting is already revolutionizing Earth’s fanciest cities

New game creates a hive mind out of Google Glass users

This computer took 40 minutes to simulate one second of brain activity

It’s official! The world’s first lab-grown burger is “not unpleasant!”

Psychedelic Space Station Concepts from the 70s Will Blow Your Mind

What lessons could public schools take from South Korean cram schools?

Leaked Anthropic Model Presents ‘Unprecedented Cybersecurity Risks,’ Much to Pentagon’s Pleasure

Don’t miss out: Bitdefender, One of the World’s Best Antiviruses, Is Now on Sale

The Secret to Better Sperm? It’s Probably Already on Your Schedule

Lego Is Leaning Into Your Marvel Memories With a New Helicarrier Set

Toshiba’s 65-inch Smart Fire TV Now Matches 43-Inch Pricing After 44% Drop on Amazon

Kash Patel’s Email Account Hacked, Iran-Linked Group Takes Credit

Repair Workers Accidentally Stumble Upon Lost Remains of Legendary ‘Fourth Musketeer’

Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum Mop Drops 20% Shortly After Launch in the Spring Cleaning Sale

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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