PHLtech

Judge: TorrentSpy Must Preserve Data in RAM

2007-08-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

"A federal judge has upheld a magistrate's decision forcing TorrentSpy to enable server logging so the Motion Picture Association of America can obtain the IP addresses of those connecting to BitTorrent files via the service. There's one small hitch for the MPAA, though. TorrentSpy has decided to block access by US residents, ensuring that the MPAA will find little of interest in the log files and rendering the court's decision mootâat least for this case."

original article>>

"It could, however, have far-reaching ramifications beyond this case. Under this interpretation, any data stored in RAM could be subject to a subpoena, as at a basic level it is a "medium from which information can be obtained" just like a hard drive."

This is too true. What happens when we can decode the signals in our brain that represent sights, sounds, smells, memories? These then would be a "medium from which information can be obtained". Thoughts could be subpoenaed. People could then be convicted of their thoughts, which is a very dangerous position for a government to be in. China is already trying to completely govern what people say. Technology could eventually allow governments to monitor and govern what people think.

The point is that technology is changing very fast and we must try to anticipate our future capabilities so that the laws we make now don't come back to bite us in the future.

Scientist proposes adhesive Spider-Man suit

2007-04-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

"In an upcoming paper, Nicola Pugno, a professor of structural engineering at the Polytechnic University in Turin, Italy, discusses formulas for fashioning carbon nanotubes into superadhesive gloves and boots that could be used to create a Spider-Man-like suit in the near future. He also outlines a theory for using carbon nanotubes to create large invisible cables that could act as human-strength cobwebs."

original article >>

Congress and the Singularity

2007-04-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

"Enhanced abilities to understand and manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic levels promise a wave of significant new technologies over the next five decades. Dramatic breakthroughs will occur in diverse areas such as medicine, communications, computing, energy, and robotics. These changes will generate large amounts of wealth and force wrenching changes in existing markets and institutions."

original article >>

The Promise of Personal Supercomputers

2007-02-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

"Researchers and visionaries are already thinking about how these supercomputer chips can best be used. Intel thinks that recognition, mining, and synthesis (RMS) applications will be key. Put together, these technologies could allow real-time language translation via cell phones, real-time video search by spoken phrase or image, and better recommendation systems for shopping, meal planning, and even health care."

original article>>

Memories are Made of This Molecule

2007-01-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

"How are memories formed? The question has perplexed scientists for years, but now it seems we're a step closer to solving it."

original article >>

Can HP Fool Moore's Law?

2007-01-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

"Researchers from HP Labs plan to publish a paper this month that outlines how it may become possible to substantially increase the performance of certain types of chips, and reduce their power consumption, by replacing the communication wires inside chips with an overhead grid of tiny nanowires. "

original article>>

Inside Seagate's R&D Labs

2007-01-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

"In the next decade, Seagate plans to hit the market with twin technologies that could fly far beyond, ultimately offering as much as 50 terabits per square inch. On a standard 3.5-inch drive, that's equivalent to 300 terabits of information, enough to hold the uncompressed contents of the Library of Congress."

original article >>

Printing Muscle and Bone

2006-12-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

"Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have successfully directed adult stem cells from mice to develop into bone and muscle cells with the aid of a custom-designed ink-jet printer."

original artical>>

Store 256GB on an A4 sheet

2006-11-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

" With new "rainbow technology", devised by Sainul Abideen who has just completed an MCA degree in Kerala, data can be encoded into coloured geometric shapes and stored in dense patterns on paper."

original article >>

Efficiency Jump for White OLEDs

2006-11-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

"In an advance that could hasten the day when energy-efficient glowing plastic sheets replace traditional lightbulbs, a method for printing microscopic lenses nearly doubles the amount of photons coming out of the materials, called organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs."

original article >>

Peak Oil Theory Faulty

2006-11-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

"In contrast to a widely discussed theory that world oil production will soon reach a peak and go into sharp decline, a new analysis of the subject by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) finds that the remaining global oil resource base is actually 3.74 trillion barrels -- three times as large as the 1.2 trillion barrels estimated by the theory’s proponents..."

original article >>

robots better than humans

2006-10-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

The next 10 to 15 years will see more change than in all history of recorded man. Philosophical issues that have been debated for millenia are now having to be settled. When does life begin? What does it mean to be human? How much should we change ourselves? Should we limit the powers we can acquire? etc....

The world is changing. Change is exciting, but history has proven that it's often painful. Prepare to live the best, and worst, days of your life.

"Robot vehicles are increasingly taking a role on the battlefield - but their deployment raises moral and philosophical as well as technical questions, says Pete Warren "

original article>>

Making Water From Thin Air

2006-10-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

"A company that developed technology capable of creating water out of thin air nearly anywhere in the world is now under contract to nourish U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq."

original article >>

Experimental AI powers Robot Army

2006-09-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Science fiction rapidly becoming reality. Creative robots, AI that can learn, imagine and form strategies. Wars will never be the same. Neither will shopping malls.

original article >>

$100 laptop

2006-09-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

"The mission of the initiative, aptly named "One Laptop per Child," is to place a laptop computer in the hands of kids around the world. But why a laptop?"

original article>>

Universe is a Mouse Brain!

2006-08-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what the structure of the universe looked like on a large scale? The answer is not as esoteric as you might think. Lets just hope our universe doesn't get caught in a cosmic mousetrap.

original page >>

Quantum leap

2006-07-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

"The age of computing has not even begun," says Stan Williams, a research scientist at Hewlett-Packard. "What we have today are tiny toys not much better than an abacus. The challenge is to approach the fundamental laws of physics as closely as we can."

original article >>

The Mood Ring

2006-07-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

Remember those mood rings that changed color depending on your temperature? Professor Peter Robinson has created the mood camera, that can analyse a person's emotional state. Automakers, retailers, computer companies and more are interested in the product. Though the device is only 65% accurate in real world situations, improvements are continuing to be made with this device.

What happens when anyone with a camera can analyze your mood. Scary? Exciting? You decide.

original article >>

Interview: How much do we need to know?

2006-07-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

An interview with Bill Joy, founder of Sun Microsystems.

Sorry Bill, but I disagree with most everything you said.
Let me put it this way. Say you have 2 groups of kids with toys. One group has a few kids with nearly all the toys, the other with toys abundant for all. Which will fight more over toys? Which will be more devious in stealing toys and even hurt others to get the toys?

It will be the first group, with only a few kids who control nearly all the toys. Why? Because of the imbalance of control. Those who have more control over others will use it, it's that simple, and technology is control.

When you regulate knowledge and technology, you create an imbalance, and the only thing that nature abhors more than a vacuum is imbalance. Nature favors equilibrium over all.

Want history to prove it? How about America. The colonists had guns, the Native Americans had bows and arrows (in the beginning). Guess what, conflict, war, bloodshed. Or what about Cortes. Cannon and muskets against wooden swords! Outrageous amount of bloodshed.

The Cold War. Two civilizations with almost exactly the same amount of technological gadgetry. No blood and only tension.

The more you try to bottle up the risks, the more devestating they become when they do happen. Policy works only when people know they can't easily beat each other or one party realizes they are hopelessly overpowered.

I think we will find that the more free we are with our technology and information we will take on more risk but less danger. You are giving power to everyone, but you're also giving power to everyone. It's the difference between only bank robbers and cops having guns and everyone having guns. Who's gonna just walk into a market and say, "give me your cash!" then?

If you hoard information you have to worry about access codes, cryptography, keys etc. And no matter what you do, no system is completely secure. On the other hand, if nearly all info is free what is someone going to do, display the info?!

People only attack and/or do criminal things only if they're crazy or feel they have an edge. Remove the edge and you remove 90% of all the junk that goes on (maybe more), then you just have to deal with the people who are completely irrational.

Anybody disagree?

Sizing up Nanotubes

2006-07-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Another step forward in the field of nanotechnology.

original article>>

Printable Robots

2006-06-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

Two of the most impactful technologies of the near future, 3d printing and robotics, now combining.

original article>>

Is It Raining Aliens?

2006-06-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

"...Louis has isolated strange, thick-walled, red-tinted cell-like structures about 10 microns in size. Stranger still, dozens of his experiments suggest that the particles may lack DNA yet still reproduce plentifully, even in water superheated to nearly 600˚F. (The known upper limit for life in water is about 250˚F.) So how to explain them?"

As far as we've come there is still much left to learn and study.

original article>>

13 Things That Don't Make Sense

2006-05-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

There is a fine line between reality and fiction, and the future keeps crossing it.
original article>>

Guns of the Patriots

2006-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a video game slated to come out in 2007. It is set in the near future and portrays the future and philosophy of combat more accurately than any other fiction yet produced. Check out the trailer.

trailer>>

You'll have to navigate to the trailers page, and then to the MGS4 trailer through the events page.

End of the Internet?

2006-05-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have read several articles in the past couple months about this topic. It is only natural that companies should want to make money off of our activities on the web. However, this would mean the destruction of one of the only "utopias" that humankind has ever had.

Right now information and comunication is essentially like air. For a simple fee we can email as many people as we like and see any website we like. What happens when you start having to pay fees for email, and your content access is restricted by the "internet plan" that you get (like gold, silver and platinum access)? You lose the utopia. The information you can access becomes what communications companies want you to access.

original article >>

Order From Chaos

2006-04-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

"According to a computational study conducted by a group of physicists at Washington University in St. Louis, one may create order by introducing disorder."

A surpising and fascinating article. Check it out here.

In a Wired South Korea, Robots Will Feel Right at Home

2006-04-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

"If all goes according to plan, robots will be in every South Korean household between 2015 and 2020. That is the prediction, at least, of the Ministry of Information and Communication, which has grouped more than 30 companies, as well as 1,000 scientists from universities and research institutes, under its wing. Some want to move even faster."

original article>>

I am predicting the coming robotics revolution will be as monumental as the advent of the personal computer. Robotics and computation will work together to make each other ubiquitous, and change every aspect of society, even our views of morality.

I, Nanorobot

2006-03-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

"Scientists are on the verge of breaking the carbon barrier -- creating artificial life and changing forever what it means to be human. And we're not ready."

original article

Software that Learns by Doing

2006-02-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

"Attempts to create self-improving software date to the 1960s. But "machine learning," as it's often called, has remained mostly the province of academic researchers, with only a few niche applications in the commercial world, such as speech recognition and credit card fraud detection. Now, researchers say, better algorithms, more powerful computers and a few clever tricks will move it further into the mainstream."
original article

Hmm... software that can handle programming and engineering problems better than human programmers and engineers. This just goes to show that our current system of government and economics will soon become obsolete.

How can our current economic system survive when humans no longer perform any jobs within the economy, but robots powered by AI instead?

Where's the Cream Filling?

2006-01-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had an idea or prediction that turned out to be true later on? But when it was found to be true you couldn't brag about it because you had no proof that you said it first.

Well, this doesn't directly relate to the philosophy of technology but I'd like to make a prediction about black holes: they don't have any volume, only surface area! So for all you people out there who whant to know what's in the center.... well I hope you're not dissapointed.

I've had this notion for about 2 years now, and I thought I'd let it out.

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with technology. Well, black holes are the densest things we know of and therefore black holes give us a limit as to how much information can exist per unit volume.

Well about a year after I concieved of the idea above I read an article that explained how the information stored in a black hole is not proportional to the volume but the surface area!

Anyway, my idea is that space is at its densest at the event horizon, beyond that there is nothing. It's like having a balloon where the inside doesn't exist (I know that's difficult to imagine but bear with me).

Now if anyone ever makes the claim that black holes have no volume, just remember who said it first :D

Computer Chips Get Under Skin of Enthusiasts

2006-01-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

original article
"With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur based in Vancouver, Canada, opens his front door. With another, he logs onto his computer."

"The computer chips, which cost about $2, interact with a device installed in computers and other electronics. The chips are activated when they come within 3 inches of a so-called reader, which scans the data on the chips. The "reader" devices are available for as little as $50."
This kind of technology is scary, not just because of it's biblical allusions, but also of it's ramifications for everyday life. We are now starting to bond with our technology. We now have to deal with what is part of a person and what is not. If you get a memory chip in your brain, does Intel still have rights over it? If someone disrupts your implants is that property damage or assault on you?

Security is another issue. Of course, there will always be the race of coming up with better security measures and then criminals figuring out how to break them.

Some think that we are more civilized than our ancestors. I do not believe that to be the case. We simply have better tools than them. Technology provides us with tools that multiply the effect of our actions. Perhaps we should be working on morality before we continue to develop tools that multiply the effect of our actions. After all, one person can now destroy a city with a suitcase nuclear bomb. One person can cause tremendous economic damage by tampering with the internet.

In 20 years one person will be able to destroy entire counties, in 30 all of humanity. Do we really think we can get by without an absolute moral standard. Perhaps we do, and the lack of that little thing called morality will be our doom, not some superweapon.

Better Than People

2005-12-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

Japan is the leading country in robotic technology, and they're not about to slow down anytime soon.

"Robots, you see, are wonderful creatures, as many a Japanese will tell you. They are getting more adept all the time, and before too long will be able to do cheaply and easily many tasks that human workers do now. They will care for the sick, collect the rubbish, guard homes and offices, and give directions on the street. "

Check out the full article here.

Peak Oil

2005-12-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Breifly, peak oil is about the diminishing supply of oil. World production of oil has peaked or is peaking and will continually decrease in the future. With increasing demand and decreasing supply, oil prices will skyrocket and "devestate" the world economy. Learn more details here.

Our we facing the end of technological civilization, or just the beginning? If look throughout history we've seen that everytime a paradigm has lost its steam another even better paradigm comes along to replace it. Using petroleum for energy is simply a paradigm. As it runs out companies and individuals will put much effort and time into creating a new innovative energy source. They are even doing it now. After all, the energy business is a multibillion dollar industry. Whoever innovates the new technology for supplying energy inherits this industry.

If you're interested in having a piece of this industry you better start innovating now.

Science Makes Sex Obsolete

2005-12-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

A team at the University of Pennsylvania has managed to grow mouse spermatagonial stem cells, cells that eventually become sperm. They have also been able to change the genetic program of these cells, allowing genetic changes to be passed down. Creation of sperm, programming of genes and fertilization of an egg can now all be done in a lab. Scary? For those who use in vitro fertilization, "designer babies" could be a very literal possibility.

Check out the full article here.

Scooba

2005-11-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

You may have heard of Roomba, the vacuuming robot by iRobot, but have you heard of Scooba yet? It "preps, washes, scrubs and dries" your floors, even wood. Personally I'd like a robot that can tidy up the house and scrub the toilets. I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

As robots and AI become more capable we'll probably see companies more interested in them. It's alot cheaper to have robots retrieve shopping carts and scrub toilets than to hire people. This will make it more difficult for kids to find a summer job though. And eventually it may put alot of the american work force out employment. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

Choices

2005-11-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

Free Will. People have a hard time determining what it is let alone if we have it. The subject can get complicated quickly, but here we will focus on the pragmatic aspects of this subject, namely moral responsibility.

To talk about free will we must put forth a definition of it. In our case we will define free will as the capability of an individual to influence themselves and their enviroment. If a person's decisions are based solely on input from their enviroment, then they do not have free will.

Should people be able to plead insanity as a defense for their actions in a court of law? What person in their right mind would commit serial rape, murder etc anyway?

An increasing excuse people have been using for their actions is genetic predisposition. A person claims they cannot help being a murderer because they have a predisposition towards it.

While our genes do shape our desires and tendencies they do not control us. In the end we still make decisions using our brain. If the justifications above are true then we cannot take credit for anything, good or bad. A philanthropist is that way because his environment and genes made him that way. A rapist is so because his environment and genes made him that way.

People who are lazy and don't want to take responsibility for their actions use that type of reasoning. If you look at any interview or book by a successful person you'll find they always take responsibility for their actions.

People have been debating free will for thousands of years, and the debate will continue; but if you want to live well take responsibility for everything that you do. It will shape the way you look at things and change how you approach life.

Living Online

2005-11-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

It seems we are increasingly living our lives in media. Some people spend nearly all their waking hours in media. It could even be you. Don't think so? Add up how much time you spent on the internet, watching tv, listening to the radio, talking on the phone, listening (or watching) your ipod, playing online games, etc...

The trend is so strong that it's even changing the way businesses operate. Check out this report of how businesses are increasingly orienting their marketing towards online avenues.

Second Life is a virtual online world where you can be nearly and do anything. People are spending and making thousands of dollars each day to spend life inside an online world.

Should we live life online? Or is that even a valid question? Perhaps it is just a matter of time before we are all pulled into a virtual life. Skeptical? Ten years ago (1995) did you even know what a cell phone was? Now can you imagine yourself without it? That's when it's just a phone, think about when it's your whole life.

What is Real?

2005-11-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Ah, the old brain in a vat problem. The most famous modern illustration of this scenario is a movie called the matrix.

By the year 2020 to 2030 we might see technology that allows computers to interact directly with our brains. We could 'download' knowledge, surf the web in a completely immersive environment with all our senses and interact with others.

Is what happens in a virtual world real? Are affairs in a virtual enviroment wrong? Is killing, stealing, or otherwise inapropriate behavior wrong in a virtual world? We already enjoy these things and more through video games, movies and books. In, fact we even prefer these things to be present lest the experience get boring.

What happens when the quality of experience is the same between the virtual and real world? Will people abandon 'real' life so they can have almost unlimited power in the virtual world? Imagine being able to fly, be invisible, teleport, change your appearance to what ever you want, create entire worlds. The possibilities are endless.

Who could resist such an offer? And if we all decided to live there would it be 'real'?

Robotic Nation

2005-11-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

Check out Robotic Nation and its sequals by Marshall Brain.

As machines and AI become more adept we will see more jobs being automated. This will lead to massive unenployment in the near future (AD 2010 - 2015). However it could also lead to major improvements in quality of living. If we have robots do the work and share the products with each other we might revolutionize the economy.

Perhaps economy in the future will be somewhat like our circulatory system. Cells are supplied by the blood stream and freely take what they need. In return, each cell provides support to the body. Could this be the economy of the future?

Exponential Growth of Tech

2005-11-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Technology is growing at an exponential rate; both in capability and in growth. What does this mean? Technology will soon become the dominant force of society. Mathematical exptrapolation of this trend of accelerating technology shows there will come a time when technology changes so fast that humans will not be able to cope with it. Learn more here.

Ray Kurzweil has some radical views, but his analysis of the growth of technology is interesting. Be sure to check out his site.