Welcome to the Future

Imagine a world in which you conjure up an idea of something you might like to build or have, and then, moments later, it exists. That reality is closer than you might think.

TechShop is the equivalent of a gym. You wouldn't (can't, most likely) buy all of those machines for your home, but you can pay a monthly fee and share in the expense with other members. Well TechShop is like that, but for your brain muscle. You have access to $1 million worth of production/design/engineering equipment for a $125 monthly fee.

http://gigaom.com/2013/08/06/how-techshop-is-changing-the-way-hardware-companies-are-born/

Notice the lack of .com domain on this one. Those last few letters are of diminishing value these days. It's kind of like how no one knows what your cell phone number is. If they can find you, they don't need to remember it. And so go domain names...

http://www.techshop.ws/

Night Vision

Luxury cars are going to start using infrared to detect pedestrians and other potential dangers on the road, beyond the reach of headlights. That's pretty awesome.


http://www.doyouhavenightvision.com/the-technology-behind-night-vision

The Japanese Pop Star of the Future

I heard about this from WWTDD, who read it on Joe Rogan's Twitter. This is the first I've heard, but apparently there's a 3-D hologram named Hatsune Miku that is now a huge star in Japan. The Japanese are so weird. It's so awesome. I lived there for 3 months in 2002 and it's like being on a different planet. I loved it, don't get me wrong, and people often experience "reverse culture shock" when they return to their home countries after a prolonged stay there. Upon returning to the U.S., I experienced a rather annoying phase during which I would say "you know, in Japan..." about how much better practically everything was over there.

Here is a video of one of "her" performances, along with an enthusiastic crowd. Her singing voice is created with a computer program. I suppose this isn't much different than loving a cartoon character, like Homer Simpson, for example. I have said many times that I wish he were a real person and I were friends with him.

The concert footage of Hatsune Miku sort of reminds me of the Floston, Paradise shows in The Fifth Element.

Space, B*tches

It's official. Time travel is not only possible, but necessary for the survival of the species, according to "world's smartest man," Stephen Hawking. Also, don't talk to aliens.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/08/09/abandon-earth-face-extinction-warns-stephen-hawking/