Posts Tagged ‘Computers’

Can we stop the Cybernetic Revolution?

Introduction Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in virtual reality, musician, and currently the lead scientist for the National Tele-Immersion Initiative, worries about the future of human culture more than the gadgets. In his “Half a Manifesto” he...

April 12th, 2010 | Science & Technology | Read More

The Future of War

Cyber-war – the way of the future? Governments are increasingly preparing themselves for an internet-based attack on their essential service infrastructure, say security experts Jonathan Richards from the Times Online The prospect of inter-governmental cyber-war was something for which...

March 18th, 2010 | Science & Technology | Read More

The Predator War – What are the risks of using Drones?

What are the risks of the C.I.A.’s covert drone program? On August 5th, officials at the Central Intelligence Agency, in Langley, Virginia, watched a live video feed relaying closeup footage of one of the most wanted terrorists in Pakistan. Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban in...

December 22nd, 2009 | Social Insight | Read More

The World of Professional Gaming

I came across this documentary on professional video game players or “cyber-athletes” as they like to call themselves. I thought it was an interesting insight into the many manifestations of human obsession, the quest for social validation, and the increasing number of real opportunities...

December 15th, 2009 | Social Insight | Read More

Russia and US in secret talks to fight net crime

Forget missiles, nukes and biological weapons. Many of tomorrow’s battles will be fought in the fog of cyberspace, and as Daniel Nasaw’s article from guardian.co.uk shows, the US and Russia are currently holding secret talks to lay down the ground rules for the conflicts of the future. American...

December 14th, 2009 | Creativity, Science & Technology | Read More

Wikipedia’s Known Unknowns

Back in August there were reports that Wikipedia, everyone’s favourite knowledge resource, was experiencing a slowdown in the number of new articles posted daily. But in the article which follows Mark Graham suggests that while contribution from the developed world may be at saturation point,...

December 4th, 2009 | Creativity, Science & Technology | Read More

Don’t Be Evil? Google Chrome’s Big Brother Potential

John Naughton‘s article (below) originally appeared in the Observer on Sunday 29th November 2009. This is the first article in what I hope to be a long-running technology series on Brainwaving about the power struggle currently taking place between the two most important technology corporations...

December 3rd, 2009 | Creativity, Science & Technology | Read More

Technological Singularity – An Introduction

VERNOR VINGE, who coined the term ‘technological sigularity’ explains the what the concept means, its potential to be realized, and its possible consequences for humanity. 1. What Is The Singularity? The acceleration of technological progress has been the central feature of this century. We are on...

November 5th, 2009 | Big Ideas | Read More