Futurism

This helicopter is being controlled by a human brain

What’s cooler than a quadrotor? How about one that can be controlled by human thought alone? On the face of it, this achievement might not sound particularly special. It seems that every day we hear about a new EEG advance in which some kind of gadget is controlled by brainwaves. And in fact, it was…

io9 George Dvorsky

This incredible statistic shows why cities are critical to the future

In the United States, large cities contribute 85% of the GDP. That’s right — the vast majority of economic productivity comes from cities. And this isn’t just true of the US — it’s also the case in China and Europe, too. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-tell-if-your-city-is-dying-5915922 According to McKinsey Global Institute, a management consulting firm: Large US cities, defined…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The World’s First Mind-controlled Exoskeleton!

Wow, is this a taste of the future, or what? Check out MindWalker — an exoskeleton that will soon enable paralysed and locked-in people to walk using only their mind. Ah, who are we kidding — we’re ALL going to eventually want this for ourselves! The groundbreaking device, which is currently under review by the…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Russian Eccentric Who Wants to Make Surrogates a Reality

In preparation for the upcoming Global Futures 2045 conference, the New York Times has put together a quick preview, including a biopic of its ambitious founder, the Russian entrepreneur and ‘immortalist,’ Dmitry Itskov. Armed with the tagline, “Towards a new strategy for human evolution,” GF2045 will be taking place in New York City during the…

io9 George Dvorsky

Finally, a successor to the Concorde takes shape

For something that was developed in the early 1970s, the now-defunct supersonic Concorde jet was the most futuristic-looking airliner the world had ever seen. Until now, that is. This unmanned prototype of a supersonic airplane — a plane which can travel faster than the speed of sound — was unveiled to the media in Utsunomiya,…

io9 George Dvorsky

Women will ‘evolve out’ of menopause

Geneticist Aarathi Prasad recently argued that menopause is on the cusp of extinction — and that women will soon be able to have children at virtually any stage in their lives. Prasad is the author of the book, Like a Virgin: How Science is Redesigning the Rules of Sex. https://gizmodo.com/how-scientists-tried-to-confirm-a-virgin-birth-long-b-5936056 Speaking at the Hay Festival…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Transhumanist Wager and the terrifying struggle for the future

Zoltan Istvan’s The Transhumanist Wager is an epic story of radical libertarianism, its enemies, and the violent global conflict that ensues. It’s a story that Istvan has painted in strong saturated colors, and with little room for intermediate shades and character development. After reading it from cover to cover, and then reading it more carefully,…

io9 Giulio Prisco — Kurzweil AI

Will your job still exist a generation from now?

We all currently live in a system where we get paid for our labor and exchange that payment for goods and bits of information. But what sort of economic system are we going to have in another 20 years, after more improvements in computers and robotics? Will your current job even still exist? Top image:…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

The Lost 1949 Essay That Predicted The Computerized World We Live In

In 1949, the New York Times commissioned mathematician Norbert Wiener to write an essay about the future “ultimate machine age.” He wrote a fascinating look ahead at a world where computers take over many of the tasks then performed by humans. And then the Times asked for a rewrite. And another. And the essay… never…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Google Glass Rival Hires ‘Cyborg’ Steve Mann as Chief Scientist

Wearables pioneer Steve Mann has joined forces with Meta, an ambitious startup that’s currently working on the world’s first entry-level augmented reality glasses. Meta, which has been under development for the past two years, is the brainchild of Columbia University computer and neurological science student Meron Gribetz. His team has developed a prototype that goes…

io9 George Dvorsky

Steve Aoki explores the Singularity in this futuristic new video

This dazzling new scifi-themed music video by electro house musician Steve Aoki looks like it could be made into an actual movie. It features Angger Dimas, My Name Is Kay — and none other than Ray Kurzweil who adds his two cents about the future. You might want to crank the volume — this song…

io9 George Dvorsky

How To Survive the Economic Apocalypse

Even as the U.S. is lashed by hurricanes and tornados, the disaster that most people worry about isn’t a super storm. It’s economic collapse. How do you prepare for a catastrophe like that? We asked a founder of the American Preppers Network, as well as economist Brad DeLong. Surprisingly, they agreed on an answer. I…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI

With much of our attention focused the rise of advanced artificial intelligence, few consider the potential for radically amplified human intelligence (IA). It’s an open question as to which will come first, but a technologically boosted brain could be just as powerful — and just as dangerous – as AI. https://gizmodo.com/how-much-longer-before-our-first-ai-catastrophe-464043243 As a species, we’ve…

io9 George Dvorsky

Paolo Soleri and the Cities of the Future

Paolo Soleri, who died last month at 93, transformed the way people imagine cities of the future. You’ve probably seen some of his concepts without realizing it. He even built an experimental city in Arizona, called Arcosanti. We’ve got a gallery of his drawings and designs, some of which have never been online before. With…

io9 Annalee Newitz

7 Signs We Are Heading for a Mass Extinction

Today, many scientists believe we are on the cusp of a sixth mass extinction which could wipe out most life on Earth as we know it. Here are seven signs that they could be right. Image of Australian wildfires from space, via NASA A mass extinction happens when over 75 percent of all species on…

io9 Annalee Newitz

New Brain Stimulation Technique Makes You Better At Math

After just five days of non-invasive brain stimulation and a bit of cognitive training, researchers at Oxford University were able to enhance people’s high-level abilities, such as mental arithmetic and manual calculations. And remarkably, the effect lasts for months. The discovery was made by scientists working at Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology, and it could…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why does this ‘Google Glass 2.0’ video seem so wrong?

A Toronto-based creative agency has put together its vision of what the next version of Google Glass might look like. There are some really neat ideas in there, but the video also feels a bit… off. What do you think? The video was produced by Playground Inc. as a way to “visualize how heads up…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Most Significant Futurists of the Past 50 Years

Our visions of the future tend to be forged in the pages of science fiction. But for the past half-century, a number of prominent thinkers, activists, and scientists have made significant contributions to our understanding of what the future could look like. Here are 10 recent futurists you absolutely need to know about. Above image…

io9 George Dvorsky

A musical piece that’s part long-term sociology experiment

And when I say long-term, I mean most-of-the-coming-millennium kind of long-term. There is a church in Germany that will be performing one musical piece until the year 2640. What will it mean if there’s an applause as the end? John Cage is best known for his piece, 4’33”, or four minutes and thirty-three seconds. It’s…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Our algorithms can predict future earthquakes — now what?

New sensor technologies and computer algorithms that allow us to predict earthquakes, floods and famines before they happen. So now we’re safe, right? Wrong. The big question is how we’ll use this information, and whether we can warn people in time. Photo by Robert A. Eplett/CAL EMA. Over at Wired, I’ve got an article about…

io9 Annalee Newitz

This helicopter is being controlled by a human brain

This incredible statistic shows why cities are critical to the future

The World’s First Mind-controlled Exoskeleton!

The Russian Eccentric Who Wants to Make Surrogates a Reality

Finally, a successor to the Concorde takes shape

Women will ‘evolve out’ of menopause

The Transhumanist Wager and the terrifying struggle for the future

Will your job still exist a generation from now?

The Lost 1949 Essay That Predicted The Computerized World We Live In

Google Glass Rival Hires ‘Cyborg’ Steve Mann as Chief Scientist

Steve Aoki explores the Singularity in this futuristic new video

How To Survive the Economic Apocalypse

Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI

Paolo Soleri and the Cities of the Future

7 Signs We Are Heading for a Mass Extinction

New Brain Stimulation Technique Makes You Better At Math

Why does this ‘Google Glass 2.0’ video seem so wrong?

The Most Significant Futurists of the Past 50 Years

A musical piece that’s part long-term sociology experiment

Our algorithms can predict future earthquakes — now what?

Elon Musk’s Lawyer Claims Jury’s 420 ‘Joke’ Proves He Didn’t Receive a Fair Trial

‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’ Is a Genre Blending Delight

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

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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