May all your dreams come true. … [Read more...] about Merry Christmas: Peace on Earth
Volocopter: Flying Cars No Longer Science Fiction
Once you see Blade Runner 2049, the thought may cross your mind that flying cars (or "hovercars" as Phillip K. Dick wrote in his novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) could only exist in the distant future. Think again. On September 25, Dubai staged a test flight of the Volocopter, a two-seat drone with 18 propellers developed by a German drone firm. Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed even attended the test flight. The United Arab Emirates city has long sought to become a high-tech hub of modern innovation by enticing companies through the elimination of sales and income tax and investing in cutting-edge technology such as holograms and robot police. Right now, the Volocopter is a novelty, flying without remote control guidance for 30 minutes (with backup batteries and rotors as well as parachutes). Eventually, the technology will become practical, opening a Pandora's box of questions. What kind of effect will flying vehicles have on society? Will access to advanced transportation technology be exclusive, further dividing the social stratums? Drones have … [Read more...] about Volocopter: Flying Cars No Longer Science Fiction
A Beautiful Mind: RIP Jim Carrey’s Website
The most amazing website in existence has passed into time like a Tibetan sand mandala. Jim Carrey's riotous and sublime imagination was on full display in a surreal portal which sent the traveler spiraling into alternate dimensions. Loaded with Easter Eggs that opened doors to weird experiences, the actor's site was completely interactive. A traveler could commune with characters from his cannon of films, snap photographs, fly across strange landscapes or follow tunnels to beatific heavens or burning hells. More like a roadside attraction than a website, the labyrinth was built in Adobe Flash, the proprietary system once described by Wired as an "ubiquitous resource hog everyone hates to need." The movement to rid the Internet of this turbulent Flash gained momentum, led by a cadre of heavy hitters like Steve Jobs who penned this scathing letter. Facebook, Mozilla and Google soon followed his lead, calling for termination dates, limiting plugins, or allowing search engines to suspend Flash at will. Basically, all the cool kids took Flash out back and kicked the living crap … [Read more...] about A Beautiful Mind: RIP Jim Carrey’s Website
