The US military is trying to read minds
A new DARPA research program is developing brain-computer interfaces that could control “swarms of drones, operating at the speed of thought”. What if it succeeds?
Paul Tullis | MIT Technology Review
General Dynamics unveils revolutionary weapon system for the first time
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has disclosed the development of Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW). The NGSW is planned for fielding 2021 or 2022. Versions of the weapon are intended to be equipped with sophisticated technologies such as ballistic calculation, intelligent targeting and tracking capabilities, wireless communication and advanced camera-based capabilities.
Press Release | via Defence Blog
Blog Diet: A Starter List For Your RSS Reader
Warren Ellis shares a bit of his active subscriptions list, for those who are looking for things to follow.
via WARREN ELLIS LTD
Paralysed man moves in mind-reading exoskeleton
A man has been able to move all four of his paralysed limbs with a mind-controlled exoskeleton suit, French researchers report.
James Gallagher | BBC
NASA's InSight 'Hears' Peculiar Sounds on Mars
Listen to the sounds of wind, quakes, and instruments on the red planet.
NASA/JPL | NASA News
Introducing Decimal — A new font from Hoefler&Co.
Nearly all wristwatches once shared a distinctive form of lettering. It was confident, and timeless, and it’s almost completely vanished. Decimal examines this style, and explores the things that shaped it, to create a family of original typefaces that transcends its forms to celebrate its ideas.
News from H&Co
Shapeshifter | A Morphing Robot to Explore All Terrains
The revolutionary concept called Shapeshifter is part drone, part boat, part all-terrain vehicle, and part submarine.
NASA 360 takes a look at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) known as Shapeshifter. Researched by a team of engineers at NASA JPL the Shapeshifter concept is a flying amphibious robot that could one day be used to explore the treacherous terrains of distant worlds.
The Drone Databook
Once a novelty, drones have become standard military equipment around the world. In The Drone Databook, a new study released today, the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College presents an encyclopedic catalogue of military drone inventories, units, bases and test sites, training academies, research and development programs, operational experiences, and exports, showing that at least 95 countries now maintain active military drone programs, a 58 percent increase over a decade ago, and that there are likely at least 21,000 military drones in operation around the globe.
The Symbolism Behind Epcot’s Symbols
When designing Epcot Center, the talented minds at WED Enterprises — now known as Walt Disney Imagineering — made sure that every visual element made guests feel as if they were truly stepping into a community of tomorrow.
Michael Crawford | D23
Inside Lockheed Martin’s New Facility for Simulating Space Wars
'Pulsar Guardian' will let governmental and commercial customers run wargames simulating conflict in space.
Sarah Scoles | Motherboard
The Blood-Dimmed Tide
Climate change is poised to alter the face of global conflict.
Emily Atkin | The New Republic
The Game That Made Rats Jump for Joy
Scientists taught rats to play hide-and-seek in order to study natural animal behavior—but it was also fun, for both the researchers and the animals.
Ed Yong | The Atlantic
What Do You Get When You Mix an ’80s Cyberpunk Action Film With Typography?
Robocap is born, a font informed by Robocop’s visions of dystopian futures.
Angela Riechers | AIGA Eye on Design
Water vapor has been spotted on a “habitable zone” planet 110 light-years away
Astronomers have detected evidence of water on a potentially habitable planet outside our solar system for the first time.
Neil V Patel | MIT Technology Review
Drowning in Plastic: Visualising the World’s Addiction to Plastic Bottles
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are commonly used for soft drinks and mineral water, but can also be used in other household or personal care products. Data from Euromonitor International, shows that more than 480 billion of these bottles were sold last year alone. That’s almost 1 million every minute, as shown in the animation at the top of this page. The illustrations below show what that pile of plastic would look like if it was collected over a longer period of time.
Simon Scarr and Marco Hernandez | Reuters
himHallows explores infrastructure with his Brutalist-inspired patterns
Taking cues from the systems that run our cities and our passion for excess, illustrator himHallows creates meticulous repeat designs of industrial objects.
Rebecca Fulleylove | Creative Review
Mankind Will Never Leave the Solar System
Space is empty, cold, hostile and ruthless. We, on Earth, are more fragile and spoiled than celebrities' children. Not even close to be adapted to its environment.
If we are to abandon Earth and survive, we must act quickly. But will it ever be possible for us to reach other stars and solar systems? It seems improbable. The fact that we may be doomed to extinction in our cradle deserves a black metal album.
—Thanatonaut
MIT Researchers Designed this Robotic Worm to Burrow Into Human Brains
Robotics engineers at MIT have built a threadlike robot worm that can be magnetically steered to deftly navigate the extremely narrow and winding arterial pathways of the human brain.
Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo