#1,491 – Space Week: Science Fiction Concept Corpus

You can’t spend a whole week talking about space and not mention Sci-fi.  The two go hand in hand as generations of NASA scientists grow up watching Star Wars, Star Trek and a host of other fare that gets them excited about going where no man has gone before and exploring galaxies that are far, far away.  Discovering non-mainstream Sci-Fi that appeals to you, that appeals to a particular niche interest that you may have, isn’t always easy though.  Thankfully, there’s a new book recommendation engine that can help with that: the Science Fiction Concept Corpus.

As Wired explains, “AI Researcher Bethanie Maples has been reading science fiction since she was given a copy of Dune at 10 years old. Still, two decades and nearly 1,000 books later, the self-described sci-fi fanatic struggles to find books that delve into her most niche interests, like the link between AI and transhumanism. So last year, while working at Stanford’s Human Computer Interaction lab, she teamed up with data scientists Eric Berlow and Srini Kadamati to create a book recommendation tool based on more than 100 salient sci-fi themes, from hyperspace to magical feminism.”

Compiled from plot descriptions, book reviews, and user generated meta data tags the Corpus is capable of scanning a collection of over 2,600 hundred books written since 1900 to make relevant recommendations. But I can do you one better with a recommendation of my own: check out James Corey’s Hugo award winning Expanse series of novels and then check out the show, one of the greatest of all-time, on Amazon Prime!

Is the Science Fiction Concept Corpus the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,490 – Space Week: Seeing Every Possible Future

In Avengers: Infinity War Dr. Strange claims to have seen 14,000,605 possible futures with their only being one future in which our heroes prevail.  It’s this information that Strange presumably uses to his advantage to set events in motion that will result in the Avengers emerging victorious in End Game. But what if instead of only seeing 14,000,605 possible futures he could have seen millions more?  What if he could have literally seen every possible future? Would that extra information give him even more of an advantage against Thanos?

This isn’t merely an interesting thought experiment.  It’s now reality thanks to the creation of a new quantum device allegedly capable of seeing every possible future.  Well, that’s the hope at least.

According to Futurism, “For now, [with] the quantum computer built by Griffith University and Nanyang Technological University scientists can hold two superpositions of 16 different possibilities, according to the research. It also uses less memory than a classical computer would, suggesting it could outperform classical systems at certain tasks.”

Since quantum computing is such a nascent technology it’s really difficult to imagine exactly how things will play out.  Especially since we don’t have a time stone at our disposal.  But if the early indications and researcher’s enthusiasm are to be believed then we could be on the verge of something very special happening.

Is seeing every possible future the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,489 – Space Week: Lunar Library

I just put the finishing touches on a book about the history of innovation that clocks in at a whopping 432 pages!  That’s a lot but it pales in comparison to the 30 million page book that an Israeli startup is sending to the moon!  Known as the Lunar Library the book will serve as humanity’s knowledge backup just in case anything happens to the inhabitants of Earth.

As Futurism puts it, “Right now, a backup copy of humanity’s collective knowledge is on its way to the surface of the Moon.

The lander was built by the Israeli startup SpaceIL. It’s carrying a high-tech disc containing 25,000 books, a full copy of Wikipedia, and information on understanding Earthly languages — the equivalent, all told, of a 30 million-page tome.”

Amazingly, this isn’t the only such archive in the works.

According to CNET, “The AMF [Arch Mission Foundation] also placed a small test archive on Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster that was launched in the direction of Mars aboard the first Falcon Heavy demonstration mission last year. That archive consisted of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy encoded in a disc made of quartz silica glass made to last millions of years as the Roadster orbits the sun. The AMF has also placed a solid-state copy of Wikipedia on board a cube sat from SpaceChain in low-Earth orbit.”

Eventually, the goal is to spread out this information in even more places throughout the solar system and across the cosmos ensuring that humanity will always be covered no matter where we go or what winds up happening to us.

Is a Lunar Library the Greatest Idea Ever?

 

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#1,488 – Space Week: Interstellar Life Form Detector

A few years ago I wrote about a life form detector that I hoped would save me from getting attacked by snakes, scorpions, bears, and all of the other wildlife that I might encounter while hiking.  Sadly, such a life form detector doesn’t exist.  At least not in the form that I’m imagining.  But that may be about to change thanks to a new invention.  One that could one day help us phone home to E.T.

As Futurism puts, “A new scientific instrument with the extraordinary name ‘TreePolspectropolarimeter’ can be used to detect the presence of lifeforms from several kilometers away.

And while right now the device is best used for spotting faraway plants, a high-powered version of the tool could someday serve as the most reliable means of searching for extraterrestrial life…”

That’s right.  We could one day have a device at our disposal that would let us detect life forms wherever they may be residing.  Even if that is on another planet!

Currently astronomers have to use guesswork to infer that a planet could be hospitable to lifeforms.  For instance, if a rocky planet with a stable atmosphere resides in the Goldilocks Zone around its sun (not too close and not too far) then there’s a chance that life, at least life as we know it, could reside there.  But life may be more resilient than that.  It may reside on a planet’s moons or on an asteroid and it may not even be a carbon based life from at all.  Having tools to help us locate life, wherever it may be, it whatever form it may come in, and to do so from a great distance away would be a tremendous breakthrough.  One that could help us to rewrite the history books and answer the question of whether we’re alone in the Universe, once and for all.

Is an interstellar life form detector the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,487 – Space Week: Downloadable Brains

Despite everything that’s going on and the very real fear that our planet is becoming increasingly uninhabitable I would still want to live forever if I could.  And as crazy as it sounds this concept is no longer merely relegated to the realm of science fiction.  Instead it’s becoming a very real possibility thanks to the development of a new quantum material that could one day let us download our brains.

According to Futurism, “The new quantum material, described in research published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, is a ‘nickelate lattice’ that the scientists say could directly translate the brain’s electrochemical signals into electrical activity that could be interpreted by a computer.”

Such technology, once fully developed, could then be used to detect neurological diseases or even retrieve memories.  Obviously we’re still years away from turning this theoretical concept into a viable product but the latest research does go to show that we’re making significant progress on achieving something that would have been unimaginable only a few short years ago.

Is downloading your brain the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,486 – Space Week: Black Hole Image

As we continue to worry about Climate Change, fret about the fate of our favorite characters on Game of Thrones, and shake our heads at the last thing that President Trump tweeted, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that one of humanity’s greatest achievements recently occurred: taking a picture of a black hole for the very first time.  An astronomical accomplishment.

As Science News puts it, “black holes are notoriously hard to see. Their gravity is so extreme that nothing, not even light, can escape across the boundary at a black hole’s edge, known as the event horizon. But some black holes, especially supermassive ones dwelling in galaxies’ centers, stand out by voraciously accreting bright disks of gas and other material. The EHT image reveals the shadow of M87’s black hole on its accretion disk. Appearing as a fuzzy, asymmetrical ring, it unveils for the first time a dark abyss of one of the universe’s most mysterious objects.”

And yet some people were complaining that the image was too blurry! What?! We’re talking about an image of a black hole! One of the most infinitesimal objects in the known universe.  And one that’s more than 50 million light years away to boot!  A feat that we only pulled off by literally turning the entire planet into a giant telescope! To be able to see anything at all is a miracle unto itself.  And yet people complain about the image quality!  Sheesh!

We shouldn’t allow the haters to dampen our enthusiasm for this accomplishment though.  For this is one of the greatest scientific achievements of all-time and just the latest in a long line of recent physics related breakthroughs from the discovery of the Higgs Boson to the detection of gravitational waves.  At our current rate it’s likely only a matter of time before we’ve figured out what Dark Matter is and shined a “light” on all the other mysteries of the Universe.  Making this an extremely exciting time to be alive.  Even if we don’t realize it with everything else that’s going on around us.

For the first time ever a black hole was imaged.

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#1,485 – Space Week: China’s Artificial Ambitions

China is planning on creating both an Artificial Sun and an Artificial Moon in order to generate limitless clean energy and brighten up the nighttime sky.  Surprisingly, the Artificial Sun project may actually be the more realistic of the two projects despite the fact that it involves achieving the elusive goal of generating fusion power.  A long sought after milestone that may finally be within reach thanks to new breakthroughs.

As Futurism reports, “In November, Chinese researchers announced that the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor — an “artificial sun” designed to mimic the nuclear fusion process the real Sun uses to generate energy — had hit a milestone by achieving an electron temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius.

Now, officials are saying they believe they’ll wrap up construction on a new artificial sun this year, and they claim this device will be able to hit a milestone in ion temperature — putting us one step closer to harnessing the power of nuclear fusion.”

But that’s not all.  The Chinese also want to take things one step further and create an Artificial Moon as well.  One powerful enough to light up the night sky.

According to Time, “Scientists are hoping to hang the man-made moon above the city of Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, according to a report in Chinese state media. The imitation celestial body — essentially an illuminated satellite — will bear a reflective coating to cast sunlight back to Earth, where it will supplement streetlights at night.

Scientists estimated that it could be eight times more luminous than the actual, original moon. It will also orbit much closer to Earth; about 500 km (310 miles) away, compared to the moon’s 380,000 km (236,000 miles).”

While I think this idea has merit I also fear that it may create light pollution, hamper astronomy efforts, and further clutter low earth Orbit.  However, China’s other moon related ambitions won’t have such negative side effects.  Quite the contrary.

According to Futurism, “A Chinese rover is currently exploring the far side of the Moon, and an official announced on Monday that the country’s space program plans to launch three more lunar missions — with the goal of laying the groundwork for an international Moon base.”

In fact, China may be specifically looking into whether or not lunar soil would be a suitable material for 3-D printing habitable structures.  The Chinese have also been attempting to germinate seeds away from Earth for the first time, succeeding initially before suffering a recent setback.  But as their overarching space ambition has demonstrated, they aren’t likely to be deterred by some initial failure. Which should make the rest of the world a little bit hopeful and a little bit scared as well.  For a highly motivated China with interstellar ambitions is likely going to be a force to be reckoned with as their Artificial Sun and Moon projects go to show.  Which begs the question: what’s next?!

Is an Artificial Moon the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,484 – Space Week: Photonic Levitation, Lasers, and the Future of Space Travel

The vastness of space combined with the limitations of physics means it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be able to travel to our stellar neighbors anytime soon or within the time-frame of a normal human lifespan.  But a new theoretical breakthrough involving lasers could alter that dire diagnosis making it possible for us to travel through space in a relatively short amount of time.

The key is a new breakthrough form Caltech that would let scientists levitate and manipulate objects while only using light.  This would make it possible to propel a space craft to our nearest neighbor in under twenty years by guiding it with a ground based laser.

Futurism explains how this would work:

“The Caltech scientists devised the so-called ‘photonic levitation and propulsion’ system by designing a complex pattern that could be etched into an object’s surface. The way the concentrated light beam reflected from the etching causes the object to ‘self-stabilize,’ they say, as it attempts to stay inside the focused laser beam.”

In other words, space flight would now be possible without the need for a fuel source, further driving down the cost of a long voyage.  In theory, this could significantly increase the likelihood that we’ll be able to explore other solar systems in search of intelligent life and habitable exoplanets.

Shockingly, this isn’t the only new space travel idea involving lasers.  There’s also the Halo Drive.

According to Futurism,  “Basically, the idea is for a spacecraft to shoot a powerful laser into a black hole. The craft would then catch the supercharged beam as it curves around the super-dense stellar object for a mega speed boost.

New Scientist points out that today’s spacecraft already use a version of the same idea, slingshotting around Jupiter to get a gravity assist into the outer solar system.”

All in all, whether we’re talking about the Halo Drive or Photonic Levitation it’s looking like our future space travel efforts may be closely tied to some pretty far out ideas involving lasers.  Which begs the question: what other crazy ideas should we be considering?!

Is Photonic Levitation the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,483 – Space Week: Project Kuiper

While the Big Four (Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple) continue to battle for control of our personal data and attention spans there’s actually another race that’s going on behind the scenes that could be just as important in shaping the future of the Internet: the race to get people online in the first place.  With a new competitor now joining the fray.

According to the Verge, “Amazon is the latest in a string of companies with plans to use a network of thousands of satellites to offer broadband around the world. Unlike traditional satellite internet, these plans involve the use of satellites in low Earth orbit, which can be operated cheaply and with lower latencies. SpaceX has plans to launch as many as 12,000 satellites as part of its Starlink constellation, OneWeb wants to launch 650 satellites, and Facebook is also developing an internet satellite of its own.

Project Kuiper will consist of satellites at three different altitudes: there will be 784 satellites at 367 miles, 1,296 satellites at 379 miles, and 1,156 satellites at 391 miles. These satellites will offer internet in areas ranging from 56 degrees north (roughly in line with the middle of Scotland) down to 56 degrees south (which is below the southernmost tip of South America). This area, theoretically, covers over 95 percent of Earth’s population.”

Personally, I am a little bit wary of any plan to blanket the Earth in tiny satellites.  Aren’t we just creating space debris that will harm future astronauts and endanger future space missions?  Aren’t we running the risk of blocking our view of the cosmos?  Is ensuring that every human being has access to the Internet really that important that we would willingly take those risks?  The Big Four would obviously say yes but what would the rest of us say? What would you say?

For me, I guess it depends what we’re going to be using the Internet for.  As a tool for education, communication, commerce, and self-expression it is vitally important.  As a time-suck that creates filter bubbles and spreads hate it’s something that I can do without.  Humanity could just as easily be better off with no one having access as everyone having access.  But there’s no going back now.  The world wide web is firmly entrenched in our lives, underpinning most of what takes place in society, our records secured in the cloud, our lives unfolding digitally across social media platforms, our personal data coming to define us more than the lifestyle choices that we make.  In that regard it makes sense to bring the rest of the world online, to ensure that entire regions don’t get left behind in the great digital divide to come.

Is Project Kuiper the Greatest Idea Ever?

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#1,482 – Halo Sport 2

The new Halo Sport 2 from Halo Neuroscience has the potential to change the world by dramatically improving human capabilities, enabling us to achieve peak performance whether we’re working out or learning a new skill.  That is, so long as you don’t mind wearing a device designed to shock your brain into working harder.

As Tech Radar explains, “The idea is to use this device for 20 minutes before an activity to create a state of ‘hyper-learning’ by neuropriming. This means exciting the tissue in your brain artificially before an activity, basically improving your capability to learn and embed new movements.”

Basically, it’s like the plot of Limitless come to life except with a headband instead of a magic pill. But don’t worry.  The headband won’t look too dorky.

As Sports Illustrated describes, “From afar, Halo Sport looks just like a pair of noise-canceling headphones, the silicone electrodes both ideally located over the brain’s motor cortex and discretely hidden by the headband. The latter design feature is a nice one for any athlete not confident enough to get stared at in a public gym environment, or reluctant to have to explain that, Yes, I’m electrifying my brain to get stronger.”

High performance athletes will obviously be drawn to this technology as it enables them to run faster, lift more, and generally perform at a higher level.  But regular folks may wind up being drawn to it as well if it’ll help them learn to play an instrument or acquire new skills in no time at all.

So, what do you think?  Would you be willing to shock your brain into performing better?

Is the Halo Sport 2 the Greatest Idea Ever?

 

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