Why do we need…Robotic pets

Posted 12:14pm Sunday 10th July 2016

Humans have always had a relationship with animals. From practical uses, like seeing-eye “dogs,” to the gimmicky, like courier “pigeons”, this constantly developing sector will alter the course of humanity. Robotic pets are, exactly as the name implies, manmade animals (or Read more...

Abominable Stories

Posted 10:53am Sunday 10th July 2016

Cryptozology is the study of hidden and mainly mythical animals that mainstream science pays little attention to. Mention cryptozoology in a conversation and people automatically deride you, if they know what the word means. When you can be bothered explaining that it is so much more than the Read more...

Why Do We Need...Transhumanism?

Posted 12:20pm Sunday 29th May 2016

Transhumanism is both a philosophy and a movement which explores how technology can be used to enhance people, essentially to better mankind. These enhancements include surgically inputting processors on the brain to increase cognitive function, or replacing lost limbs with vastly improved bionic Read more...

Why Do We Need...Automated vehicles?

Posted 12:48pm Sunday 22nd May 2016

Automated vehicles, colloquially known as self-driving cars, are arguably the greatest technological innovation to date that will have the largest impact on the broadest range of people. Pop culture icons like KITT (Knightrider) have laid the groundwork for an easy transition, and those with Read more...

Why Do We Need...Cryptocurrencies?

Posted 12:51pm Sunday 15th May 2016

Cryptocurrencies are a digital money system which promotes transactions between parties bypassing a central fixed point like a bank. Arguably cryptocurrencies are an updated version of the hawala system of money transferring, where money was passed along until it reached the intended recipient. The Read more...

Why Do We Need...Mars One

Posted 1:15pm Sunday 8th May 2016

Mars One is a not-for-profit venture led by Bas Lansdorp, with the goal of sending people on a one way mission to Mars to establish a human colony by 2024…or 2027ish. The final dates are yet to be determined.  A competition held in 2013 asked for volunteers to go on the one way Read more...

Lightsabers

Posted 12:40pm Sunday 1st May 2016

Described by the revered Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi as an elegant weapon for a more civilised age, the lightsaber is a blade of energy which can deflect blaster bolts, cut through steel and sever the odd limb or two. Fandom website Dorkly ranked the lightsaber as the coolest fictional weapon in a Read more...

Why do we need..augmented reality?

Posted 1:00pm Sunday 24th April 2016

Augmented reality (AR) is where applications on mobile and tablet devices are able to use both the camera lens and a database to add additional information onto a real world scene in real time (or near to). This is different from Virtual Reality. In VR, the scene is created from nothing and fed to Read more...

Why Do We Need.... Artificial General Intelligence

Posted 12:56pm Sunday 17th April 2016

The creation of an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a synthetic self-aware intelligence that is capable of replicating, and ultimately exceeding human thought processes has been both the dream and concern of scientists, programmers, engineers, and futurists for decades. Prominent minds like Read more...

Why Do We Need...drones?

Posted 12:11pm Sunday 10th April 2016

Previously I have mentioned UAVs (drones) used in a military setting. I am not a fan of them. Now my attention is on civilian UAVs, the cute and cuddly version compared to their military brethren. But not really. UAVs have so much great potential. Search and rescue, agriculture, conservation, law Read more...