Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. Startup Siluria is building demonstration plants for a catalytic process it says can convert methane and oxygen to ethylene, which can then be converted to gasoline for half the price of petroleum-derived gasoline, at least at today’s bargain natural gas prices. Science magazine…
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Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. More than 200 US colleges are offering their students the opportunity to take an SAT-style test after graduation, to demonstrate their acquired thinking and communication skills to potential employers. Separating the the pricey educational credential from the cheap employment credential may…
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Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. An article in the New Republic says that older parenthood–including aging fathers, not just mothers–may be a key factor in the rising rates of autism, Asperger’s, and other neurological disorders in the US. A new Brookings Institution study examines Chinese science and technology policy,…
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Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. A new Pew poll finds that Americans are skeptical of extending the lifespan through artificial means — though it is unclear if they were being asked about extension of a healthy lifespan. IBM unveils today a new computer architecture designed to work more like the human…
DetailsHere are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. The Serval project offers free software to enable cellular phones to exchange calls and text messages without a cellular network. Serval is seeking crowdfunding for its “Mesh Extender,” a device that would extend the ad hoc mesh networks created by…
DetailsHere are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. Wired’s Clive Thompson calls for supplementing the Maker movement with a Fixer movement that would promote the skills needed to fix “broken” goods and pressure manufacturers to improve the repairability of their products. Bank analysts are warning that China may be reaching a “Minsky…
DetailsHere are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. Using “big data” to evaluate the productivity of individual scientists may have unintended consequences. A recent editorial in Science argues that any automated scoring of an individual’s publication output discourages “risky and potentially groundbreaking work” and tends to steer scientists towards highly populated fields…
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Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative will be led by NIH, DARPA, and NSF, with a proposed budget of $100 million in the next fiscal year. According to President Obama the new project will give “scientists the tools they…
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Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. A group of DIY biologist and entrepreneurs are attempting to develop plants that glow, in research to be conducted in a citizen biotech lab and funded by Kickstarter. The plants might eventually serve as useful light sources; in the shorter term…
DetailsHere are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today. Highlighting different ways to look at information and organization, San Francisco artist Chris Cobb created an installation at a book store in which he cataloged 20,000 books by color. (Click the link, it is a wonder to behold.) Ford is…
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