MemeBox FutureBlogger

What's Wrong With Education Today

Venessa Posavec — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:02:00 +0000

A short satirical song by Tom Chapin. Are we losing sight of what the driving forces of education should be?

Category: Education
Year: General
Tags: education, video, funny

Online Apps On the Rise

Venessa Posavec — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:28:58 +0000

As the spirit of Web 2.0 takes hold, there’s a growing trend of companies taking their desktop applications to the web. Just this week, Adobe made the move with the announcement of Adobe Photoshop Express, a free, online photo editing service. There have even been rumors circulating lately that Microsoft may finally offer a web-based version of its Office suite. It seems like a smart move, both for the company and the consumer.

Web-based apps are a cost effective alternative to software that needs to be downloaded, and they’re easily accessible from any computer. A big advantage for an office or productivity product, like Google Docs or Zoho, is the ability to collaborate on a document/project with others in real time, both editing simultaneously. Free versions aren’t as robust as what you get for a few bucks a month, but it provides a good test drive before you commit to a broader range of services, and gives the company exposure they might not otherwise get.

Category: Technology
Year: 2008
Tags: online, onlineapps, webapps

Video-Sharing Gaining Popularity Among Educators

Venessa Posavec — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:58:42 +0000

Academic institutions are usually slow to make changes, especially when it comes to integrating new methods of teaching. We keep talking about how the web will shape education, but school administrations don’t make it easy to take advantage of all the new tools out there. For instance, most schools block access to YouTube, leaving teachers no choice but to roll in the VCR cart every time they want to incorporate a video into a classroom presentation.

Luckily, there are a few sites out there that provide the platform for educators to upload and share media. Most notable is TeacherTube, an obvious YouTube copycat that’s been around for just over a year now. They boast over 15,000 user-generated videos to supplement K-12 education, many of them tutorials for projects or instructional videos. Teachers can upload material and collaborate with other educators around the world, and most schools have allowed access to the site.

It’s been a great way for teachers to generate new and interesting lesson plans, and it allows students to review a concept several times to make sure they understand it. It would also be a great platform for students to share information with each other from different schools or countries, and work on projects together. But, despite its popularity and benefits to both teachers and students, some schools are still wary of allowing video-sharing sites to be used at school.

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Category: Education
Year: 2008
Tags: education, teachertube, webg20

Turning Smartphones into Wi-Fi Hotspots

Venessa Posavec — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:54:23 +0000

National Wi-Fi is a hot topic lately. We’ve recently reported on Google’s plan to make it happen and Intel’s new wi-fi platform. Now, a new product has launched that may satisfy our need for around the clock connectivity.

TapRoot Systems announced it’s WalkingHotSpot software yesterday, which offers a new way to get connected using your handheld device. If you own a Wi-Fi and mobile broadband-enabled cellphone, the software turns it into a Wi-Fi router, effectively transforming your phone into a hotspot.

There are a few kinks to be worked out before this can be widely adopted. The service will be sold to carriers, not directly to consumers, so we’ll have to wait and see who picks it up. Also, only phones based on AT&T Wireless’ service would allow internet access and phone calls to be made simultaneously. To narrow it further, only phones using Symbian S60 or Windows Mobile operating systems are currently supported.

Category: Communication
Year: 2008
Tags: wifi, smartphone, cellphone

Genetic Discrimination: Who Will Protect Us?

Venessa Posavec — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:42:37 +0000

Yesterday we outlined the falling costs of full human genome sequencing, and how it may well hit a magic price point within the next year or two. Now, we’re looking at the implications of mandatory genetic testing by doctors and employers, and what that might mean for insurance and employment.

As clinically available genetic tests become increasingly affordable that brings us to the cusp of the era of personal genomics. It won’t be long before your entire genome can be sequenced for under $1,000, and that service may even get integrated into health care plans. But what happens if the test isn’t optional anymore? There are growing public fears that doctors and employers could enforce testing, and use it as a source of discrimination.

Could poor genetic makeup become grounds for limiting or denying access to insurance or a job? Could we end up living in a Gattaca -like future?

A policy document pushing for federal legislation to protect the public against genetic discrimination was just recently released by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The monograph included six policy positions, which covered the need for uniform state and federal protection, and specific prohibition against genetic testing usage for insurance or employment decisions.

Category: Business & Work
Year: 2008
Tags: work, genetics, job, insurance, acp

Personal Genomics In Our Future

Venessa Posavec — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:02:02 +0000

As genome sequencing costs continue to fall, the personal genomics industry may soon blossom. It could be as soon as next year. I’m hopeful for that, at least, after reading a post on Brian Wang’s blog, Next Big Future. He gave a nice succinct overview of what’s going on in the field, and how quickly it may become affordable for many people.

In order to really be viable as a supplemental health service, the magic price point for a full genome sequencing is said to be $1,000. Here’s a quick breakdown of how drastically the time and money needed to produce that data has been minimized already, thanks to the accelerating rate of computing power and technological progress:

Category: Technology
Year: 2011
Tags: dna, genomics, genome

2008 Marks the Beginning of Flexible Displays

Venessa Posavec — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:16:16 +0000

The market for flexible Active Matrix (AM) displays will finally be open for business this year, according to an iSuppli report. We’ve seen paper-thin prototypes for a while now, but the quality and diversity of products is good enough to get the public’s attention. In fact, the worldwide market revenue is estimated to reach $2.8 billion by 2013, up from $80 million in 2007.

Gamers are already drooling over the new curved monitors that were showcased by Alienware at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January. The first of its kind, the screen is the equivalent of two 24-inch monitors, and promises a richer, more immersive visual experience. Check out the video, then get in line – we should be seeing these on store shelves later this year.

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Category: Entertainment
Year: 2008
Tags: alienware, monitor, flexibledisplays

Anissimov: Safeguarding Humanity Against Extinction Risk

Venessa Posavec — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:34:56 +0000

It would be great to think that the future will be better than the present, and all emerging technologies will be created to do the most good. But, the future holds no guarantees, and we’d be irresponsible and falsely idealistic to cheerlead every new development without looking at its acccompanying risks.

To help us at that task, we spoke with Michael Anissimov, a futurist blogger over at Accelerating Future, and Fundraising Director, North America of the Lifeboat Foundation. He writes extensively on existential risk (or extinction risk), which he defines as “a risk so severe it threatens to wipe out the human race or permanently curtail our potential.” The biggest potential threats come from nanotechnology, biotechnology, and AI/robotics.

Anissimov explained the mission of the Lifeboat Foundation, and gave us his views about how new technologies might impact us in the upcoming years if we don’t plan ahead. Though he’s generally optimistic, he forced us to put down our Future pom-poms for a minute, and really consider the risks that accompany powerful technology.

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Category: Technology
Year: 2008
Tags: michaelanissimov, lifeboat, existentialrisk

China To Take on Mother Nature at 2008 Olympics

Venessa Posavec — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:08:06 +0000

Apparently China has a lot to prove at this year’s Olympics, not just to the world, but to Mother Nature herself. After all, what other city but Beijing can boast a governmental department called the Weather Modification Office? To ensure the event goes off without a hitch, China’s pulling out the technological stops to keep the spectators and skies rain-free.

First, they’ll track the weather using a combination of satellites, radar, and an IBM supercomputer purchased from Big Blue. Then, armed with 7,113 anti-aircraft guns and 4,991 rocket launchers, they’ll shoot the bejesus out of any incoming rain cloud. Weapons are loaded with a variety of fun chemicals like silver iodide, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen, which will work by flushing clouds of rain before they pass over the stadium.

Category: Technology
Year: 2008
Tags: china, weather, olympics, beijing

Super-Insulated Glass To Supply Heat

Venessa Posavec — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:58:07 +0000

Guardian Industries, an architectural and automotive glass manufacturer, recently unveiled a new prototype glass product that could provide some big energy gains when integrated into the homebuilding process. The windows of your house may soon actually supply energy via passive solar gains instead of leak it.

The vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) panel consists of two glass panes, one of which is covered in low-e coating. When vacuum sealed together, the panel effectively eliminates both convection and conduction of heat. The most impressive aspect of the product is its potential level of insulation (or R-value). The higher the R-value, the better the insulation. Most low-e glass comes in between R-2 and R-4, but this revolutionary glass promises a whopping R-12 to R-15 rating – the equivalent insulation of your home’s exterior walls.

Category: Energy
Year: 2009
Tags: energy, solar, windows

Using Tidal Power to Produce Electricity

Venessa Posavec — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:31:55 +0000

Information about new forms of renewable energy seems to come out in waves. A few months ago, solar was everywhere. Now, I’m seeing a lot about energy derived from water. In particular, two projects caught my eye, one in Ireland and the other in South Korea. Both operate on the premise of harnessing the power of fast-moving tidal streams to generate electricity.

In Northern Ireland, Marine Current Turbines is planning to have the world’s first tidal stream device up and running this Monday. The SeaGen turbine is being installed in the mouth of Strangford Lough – one of the fastest tidal flows – giving it the capacity to provide sustainable electricity to about 1,000 homes. The company believes it can improve the technology significantly, so that one turbine could power over 400,000 homes by 2015.

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Category: Energy
Year: 2015
Tags: energy, water, renewableenergy, tidalpower, turbines

Rural Areas To Leapfrog Into the 21st Century

Venessa Posavec — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:48:31 +0000

The push to wire the whole wide world has taken another brave step forward. In a collaborative effort with UC Berkeley, Intel has developed a new wi-fi platform that allows data to be transmitted more than 60 miles away from the transmitter. Their focus is to bring connectivity to remote areas all over the world, and the goal is to make it commercially available in the second half of 2008.

Other methods of bringing wireless to a rural area, like laying cable or using satellite connections, have proven to be impractical and too expensive to implement. Intel’s Wi-fi radio is set to have a $500 price point, and requires so little power that it could be built to run on solar. The technology requires two devices to operate. One is installed on the outskirts of an urban area, wired to a local area network cable. The other goes to the previously unconnected village, and viola!, the first Internet connection is made.

Emerging markets are jumping on board, with devices already installed in India, Panama, Vietnam, and South Africa. The long-term implications for bolstering a rural community are limitless, but the most immediate application is being used to provide better healthcare.

Category: Technology
Year: 2008
Tags: intel, wireless

Who's The Greenest Electronics Company of Them All?

Venessa Posavec — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:49:40 +0000

It’s nice to know there’s a watchdog out there trying to correct the growing problem of e-waste. Environmental group Greenpeace just released the latest edition of their Guide to Greener Electronics, which more or less calls out the leading manufacturers that aren’t taking the measures necessary to eliminate harmful chemical manufacturing byproducts.

The Greenpeace guide ranks the top producers of mobile phones, computers, TVs, and game consoles on a 0-10 scale. Scoring is based on the elimination of hazardous substances and the take-back and recycling of products once they become obsolete.

The results proved generally encouraging, though it appears a few companies have yet to see the light. Due to a lack of any type of public policy on toxics elimination or recycling, Nintendo earned last place, registering a pathetic score of 0.3. It seems like quite a black mark to be rated the worst of all the companies on the list. Hopefully all the unflattering attention will spark a bit more environmental concern from the thriving Wii manufacturer when the next report comes out in June. Notably, Microsoft also scored in the unsatisfactory red zone, due to a poor takeback policy and practice.

Category: Environment
Year: 2008
Tags: green, electronics, greenpeace

Designer Fruits In Our Future?

Venessa Posavec — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:50:54 +0000

Imagine walking down the produce aisle at the grocery store, and deciding whether you wanted to buy an eggplant-shaped apple or cucumber-shaped nectarine. We’re not quite there yet, but the first step towards designer fruits and veggies has been made.

Scientists have identified a gene in tomatoes, dubbed SUN, which is responsible for determining their shape. To confirm their discovery, they turned the gene on or off in a series of plant-transformation experiments. Sure enough, they were able to control whether the tomato would be round or extremely elongated. Their next goal is to find a similar gene that determines the shapes of other fruits and vegetables.

Category: Technology
Year: 2008
Tags: genes, fruit, tomato

Natasha Vita-More's Insights For The Decade Ahead

Venessa Posavec — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:49:47 +0000

During a recent interview, futurist and media artist Natasha Vita-More gave us her forecasts for breakthroughs and trends over the next ten years. She warned that hard and fast predictions are a surefire formula for getting burned. Domains of knowledge advance at different rates, so it’s important to multi-track, or look at various domains simultaneously, when thinking about what’s to come. The world we live in is a massively complex and adaptive system, and how it will evolve is anyone’s guess. That being said, here are Natasha’s insights and hopes for a brighter future:

2008

Wikipedia falls short: “It is unveiled that Wikipedia is run by a few people that dominate its information base. I think that Wikipedia may find itself in a lot of trouble for manipulating knowledge, and presenting itself as a knowledge bowl media source of information, where it’s not such.”

We Will Develop A New Species: “It’s already on the drawing board, and has been happening.”

Investing in Nano: “As far as investing in technologies, I think nanotechnology will be developing more and more patents.”

Hopeful about Space Travel: “I think it would be absolutely fabulous if we actually figured out a way to have space tourism. “

The US Cleans Up Its Act: “That would be my hope, that something extraordinary happens, where the United States quits dictating other cultures of people how to live and how to behave, and we just kind of take a step backwards and become a kinder, more intelligent nation again.”

Category: Technology
Year: 2018
Tags: natashavitamore

What Cities Look Like When Architecture Imitates Nature

Venessa Posavec — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:37:03 +0000

The world may finally be ready for Zaha Hadid. An Iraq-born deconstructivist architect based in London, Hadid has been making waves with controversial and futuristic architectural concepts for over 20 years. Many of her ideas never made it past the drawing board, because the designs were just too…well, different.

Now, she’s gaining steam, and has projects going all over the world. She was recently commissioned to design an Aquatics Centre in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Performing Arts Center in Abu Dhabi, and the spaceship-like Innovation Tower for the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Her buildings are oddly shaped (compared to traditional architecture), but definitely have a very organic feel. For instance, the Abu Dhabi building (pictured above)is complete with windows that look like leaves, and Hadid herself calls it a “biological analogy”.

Category: Culture
Year: 2010
Tags: design, architecture, zahahadid

Michael E. Arth on the Future of Sustainable Cities

Venessa Posavec — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:47:22 +0000

As the human population grows, people are either forced to live further and further from the workplace, or to pay a handsome price for the luxury of location. The resulting sprawl has had a devastating effect on the landscape and eco-systems. Pollution associated with requisite transportation is destroying the environment. Rising energy costs are driving up the cost of living. Longer commutes lessen the hours in a day we can allocate to productivity or leisure.

How can we create cities and towns that can accommodate a community’s economic needs, while improving the general quality of life? This is a question that urban planners, like Michael E. Arth, must ask and answer to the best of their abilities when designing or retrofitting cities to best suit our changing lifestyles.

We spoke with Arth, founder of the urban planning theory of New Pedestrianism, about what the city of the future might look like. His theory, a spinoff of New Urbanism, addresses the social and environmental problems associated with suburban sprawl by creating an urban design plan that places sustainability, beauty, and functionality at its forefront.

“New Pedestrianism is an urban design movement that is a more ecological and pedestrian-oriented branch of New Urbanism. New Urbanism revives and expands upon the old urbanism that was common before WWII, while New Pedestrianism is a reiteration of experiments with more pedestrian-oriented towns and neighborhoods that have been tried over the years,” explained Arth, “In new and old urbanism you have streets in front and an alley in the rear. With New Pedestrianism the alley is replaced with an attractive tree lined street and the street in front is replaced with a car free pedestrian/bike lane. A mixed-use village or neighborhood center is within walking distance with higher density toward the center. Aesthetics and quality of life are very important.”

Category: Transportation
Year: General
Tags: sustainable, michaelearth, cities

Continued Population Growth Leading To An Uncertain Future

Venessa Posavec — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:02:33 +0000

A trends report on world population growth was recently released by the Worldwatch Institute, indicating that insufficient global demographic information is making even the best guesses for future population unreliable.

The most common projection cited by demographers is that population will peak around 9 billion people by 2050. Unfortunately, we don’t have accurate information about how many people are even alive today, let alone regional fertility rates, to know if our estimates may be too conservative.

The growing number of women entering childbearing age, along with increased lifespans due to access to healthcare could result in a world population that is unsustainable.

One of the most urgent global issues is the availability of clean drinking water. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization stated that two-thirds of the world population could face water shortages as soon as 2025. How quickly will this problem spiral out of control when there are billions more mouths to feed?

Category: Environment
Year: Beyond
Tags: 2050, resources, population, sustainability

What Is The Future of Media and Communication?

Venessa Posavec — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:24:39 +0000

How is the digital revolution shaping the way we interact with media? Below is a cool concept video exploring how the internet has already changed the way we consume and share information. It then presents a timeline into the next 40 years, giving us a vision of how content may be consumed in the future.

Traditional information sources like books, newspapers, and even your own experiences may be fully replaced by new interfaces, like electronic paper, simulated reality through virtual worlds, and memory sharing among the masses.

Category: Culture
Year: Beyond
Tags: virtualworlds, media, information, communication

MemeBox FutureBlogger

What's Wrong With Education Today

Online Apps On the Rise

Video-Sharing Gaining Popularity Among Educators

Turning Smartphones into Wi-Fi Hotspots

Genetic Discrimination: Who Will Protect Us?

Personal Genomics In Our Future

2008 Marks the Beginning of Flexible Displays

Anissimov: Safeguarding Humanity Against Extinction Risk

China To Take on Mother Nature at 2008 Olympics

Super-Insulated Glass To Supply Heat

Top 10 Links: How Many Markets Will Google Try To Dominate?

Using Tidal Power to Produce Electricity

Rural Areas To Leapfrog Into the 21st Century

Who's The Greenest Electronics Company of Them All?

Designer Fruits In Our Future?

Natasha Vita-More's Insights For The Decade Ahead

2008

What Cities Look Like When Architecture Imitates Nature

Michael E. Arth on the Future of Sustainable Cities

Continued Population Growth Leading To An Uncertain Future

What Is The Future of Media and Communication?