February 2012

10 Tips for Your Blogging Success: Socrates Gets Riled Up at Podcamp Toronto

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for 10 Tips for Your Blogging Success: Socrates Gets Riled Up at Podcamp Toronto

Last Sunday I spoke at Podcamp Toronto. Since I never considered myself to be a successful blogger or podcaster, I wanted to simply introduce people to the concept and ideas behind the technological singularity and transhumanism. That was the plan. But few things get me riled up more than ignorance posing as true knowledge. So, given that many of the sessions I attended put forward information which I found to be not merely wrong, but outright detrimental for those who choose to follow it, I had no option but to step up to the plate and set the record straight. Looking at the video now, I regret to admit that my impassioned near-impromptu presentation may have been a bit too long, too frank and too emotional to be as good as I wanted it to be. But it was genuinely [...]

Read the full article →

We Are The Gods Now: Prometheus Director Ridley Scott’s 2023 TED Talk

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for We Are The Gods Now: Prometheus Director Ridley Scott’s 2023 TED Talk

Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade. Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow. Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott. Who is Peter Weyland? Sir Peter Weyland was born in Mumbai, India at the turn of the Millennium. The progeny of two brilliant parents; His mother, an Oxford Educated Professor of Comparative Mythology, his father, a [...]

Read the full article →

George Dvorsky on Singularity 1 on 1: Specialization is for Insects

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for George Dvorsky on Singularity 1 on 1: Specialization is for Insects

This is my second interview with George Dvorsky. The first time I had George on Singularity 1 on 1 we ended up talking for 1h 14 minutes. I am afraid that I enjoy his company so much that this time we talked for almost 1h 40min. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: Dvorsky’s agonizing decision to stop being vegetarian and embrace the Paleo diet; cross-fit training, organic farming and the cost of food; the seeming contradiction between transhumanism and paleo/cross-fitness; animal enhancement (aka animal uplift), human-equivalent non-person rights and the list of candidate species; mass extinction and the Fermi paradox; SETI and the Dysonian approach that George and co are suggesting; the potential for and implications of friendly and unfriendly alien intelligences. This interview is long but if you are interested in the above topics, then, it is very much worth [...]

Read the full article →

Are Kites the Future of Wind Power?

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for Are Kites the Future of Wind Power?

California-based startup Makani Power believes the future of clean, sustainable energy is in the skies. The company is developing kite technology they say harnesses wind power far more efficiently and at half the cost of current wind turbines in use today. Transcript: 400 metres above the ground, the Makani wing is undergoing a flight test. It may resemble a giant kite, but according to its designer Corwin Hardham, it’s the future of wind power. Hardham says the wing works on the same principle as a conventional turbine, converting the kinetic energy of wind into electricity by spinning rotors. The electricity generated is sent to a base station via a power line that doubles as a flexible tether for the wing. Corwin Hardham, CEO of Makani Power: “We can produce power at a much lower cost than conventional wind turbines both [...]

Read the full article →

The First 3D Printed Jaw Implant

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for The First 3D Printed Jaw Implant

Belgian researchers have created a 3D-printed titanium lower jaw implant which has transformed the life of a pensioner whose jawbone had been completely destroyed by disease. The 83-year-old woman suffered from a severe infection known as osteomyelitis but now, thanks to modern technology, she has a new jaw and a new lease on life.   Video Transcript: This titanium jaw implant promises to revolutionise bone replacement surgery. In a surgical first, Belgian doctors say an implant like this was used on an 83-year-old woman last summer. The woman’s lower jawbone had been destroyed by osteomyelitis infection but within hours of the four-hour operation she was able to eat and talk. Doctors from Belgian company Biomed, the medical research unit of Hasselt University, used an MRI machine to scan a copy of her jawbone. Metal manufacturers LayerWise fed the image through [...]

Read the full article →

Eric Boyd on Singularity 1 on 1: DIY Transhumanism

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for Eric Boyd on Singularity 1 on 1: DIY Transhumanism

Last week I went to visit Eric Boyd at HackLab.TO. While visiting I took the opportunity to interview Eric for my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast. Eric is the president of HackLab.TO, one of the co-founders of StumbleUpon and a regular public speaker on topics such as cyborg, transhumanism, electronic jewelry and hacking. In the past, I have lacked the proper equipment to do an on-site audio or video recording without having to borrow it from my friends or my very generous brother-in-law. Fortunately, though, last week I got the biggest anonymous donation ever received at Singularity Weblog. (Thank you anonymous donor.) The money allowed me to purchase a brand new Canon VIXIA HF G10 (aff) camcorder as well as a Fujifilm X10 (aff) photo camera, and thus equipped I headed to HackLab.TO. During our conversation we discuss issues such as: Eric’s early interest in technology; his [...]

Read the full article →

HackLab.TO: Toronto’s Hacker Collective

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for HackLab.TO: Toronto’s Hacker Collective

When Eric Boyd invited me to visit HackLab.TO I got very exited. I have always had a fascination with hackers and love visiting their creative space because these guys are always pushing the envelope and often point the way for things to come. In the past, I have lacked the proper equipment to do an on-site audio or video recording without having to borrow it from my friends or my very generous brother-in-law. Fortunately, though, last week I got the biggest anonymous donation ever received at Singularity Weblog. The money allowed me to purchase a brand new Canon VIXIA HF G10 (aff) camcorder as well as a Fujifilm X10 (aff) photo camera, and thus equipped I headed to HackLab.TO. About HackLab.TO HackLab.TO is a community space with a diverse membership, including artists, computer programmers, web designers, and hardware hackers. It is inspired by the [...]

Read the full article →

Robotic Octopus Arm: the First Step on the Way to Soft-Robot Revolution

by Socrates
Thumbnail image for Robotic Octopus Arm: the First Step on the Way to Soft-Robot Revolution

From Reuters, Feb. 17: A soft-bodied robotic octopus arm has been created by scientists in Italy. The waterproof limb is designed to mimic an octopus appendage as a model for underwater rescue robots of the future. British surgeons believe the technology could also be applied to an endoscope that can perform surgery. Report by Jim Drury: Transcript: This robotic octopus arm isn’t just a fancy gadget. It’s part of a project to create a full-bodied synthetic sea creature which could be used to save people trapped underwater. The arm was built by scientists at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna near the coast of Tuscany. Professor Cecilia Laschi heads the team. Cecilia Laschi, Associate Professor of Biorobotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna: “The usual robotic vehicles that you use in the sea cannot usually go very close to the bottom. Instead the [...]

Read the full article →
Page 1 of 3
1
2
3