As we prepare for the emergence of the next generation of apocalyptic weapons, it needs to be acknowledged that the world's democracies are set to face their gravest challenge yet as viable and ongoing political options. The continuing presence and increased accessibility of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) are poised to put an abrupt end to politics as usual. Technologies that threaten our very existence will greatly upset current sensibilities about social control and civil liberties. And as a consequence, those institutions that have worked for centuries to protect democratic and humanistic values will be put to the test – a test that may ultimate result in a significant weakening of democracy, if not its outright collapse. Join discussion...

Future technologies seem so impactful and fabulous that it is easy to jump to incorrect conclusions about what things would be like with their advent. Fallacy #1: Molecular assemblers will have a worldwide overnight rollout The conventional assumption is that once humans are able to make one molecular assembler, it will be able to self-replicate, and therefore within twenty-four hours everyone worldwide will have one. It is far more likely that a molecular assembler would follow the usual s-curve adoption pattern of any other newtech; early versions are expensive and clunky with minimal functionality, continued improvement iterations make the newtech more relevant and usable. The first molecular assemblers may be like a next generation 3d printer, printing the T-shirt a friend sent as an email attachment. Only early adopters will have the utility (read: money and interest) to purchase the first molecular assemblers. Also, the first molecular assemblers will not be able to self-replicate as the intricate molecular manufacturing processes will need to be conducted at special facilities. Join discussion...

Improving the delivery of healthcare is arguably the greatest challenge facing the United States and the global community particularly with regards to aging populations. Next generation healthcare services also represent one of the largest growth sectors for applied information and communication technologies that improve access and quality while reducing costs for patients and healthcare institution. Is Healthcare 2.0 preparing for prime time? This notion of applying advanced technology systems is not new, but widespread applications might be much closer to mainstream adoption than is currently reported. This notion of next generation healthcare services has been explored by a number of forward looking physicians such as Dr. S. Vincent Grasso who organized a recent symposium at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey titled: ‘Enhancing the Delivery of Healthcare Services to an Aging U.S. Population. Join discussion...

The United States’ leading intelligence organisation has warned that the world is entering an increasingly unstable and unpredictable period in which the advance of western-style democracy is no longer assured, and some states are in danger of being “taken over and run by criminal networks”. The global trends review, produced by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) every four years, represents sobering reading in Barack Obama’s intray as he prepares to take office in January. The country he inherits, the report warns, will no longer be able to “call the shots” alone, as its power over an increasingly multipolar world begins to wane. Join discussion...

Technology promises radical change in relationships. We are in the midst of a sea of change, in which not only are many traditional relationships failing, but unexpected new arrangements are beginning to appear; gay marriages are becoming increasingly popular, and many people are consciously choosing to live alone. How does technology affect relationships? Telephones, cameras, and camcorders have long been instrumental in bringing people together. Today, many spend time chatting on the phone or the Internet – trying to develop or strengthen friendships. Now technology is entering a bold, but controversial new step. In the UK, University of Redding’s Kevin Warwick, and his wife Irena will soon link their emotions together with chip implants. Tiny silicon chips will enable the couple to “read” each other’s feelings wherever they are. Every feeling – positive and negative – will be shared. Join discussion...

Late yesterday, Google released a very cool new mobile application which employs voice recognition technology. The question is not so much what the technology can do today, the question is what will the technology be able to do in the near future—and how might it change education, health care, and a host of other daily activities? Join discussion...

Here comes an amazing alga harvesting system designed to bring advancement in future Agriculture. Algaster is a harvesting machine with the capacity to harvest 100kg of alga and it stores the loan in ten containers attached on the upper side. The unit is less powerful but is created with more intelligent ideas. The shape of the unit is similar to an insect with four legs. Algae are used for energy production due to the high level of oil content. Algaster helps in the process of water cleaning in polluted areas where algae expansion may go beyond normal conditions. Once the unit stops its storage process then a hot-air-balloon brings it on the surface. Join discussion...

The idea of possessing superhuman strength is a Hollywood staple. It is also a dream that audiences can’t seem to get enough of – witness the £300m-worth of tickets sold worldwide for Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr, over the summer. But while Iron Man’s rocket boots and built-in “repulsor rays” so far remain on the drawing board, a powered exoskeleton able to multiply its user’s strength tenfold has just become a reality. Earlier this month, in a little noticed ceremony in Japan, the world’s first fully functioning robotic exoskeleton was launched. It is called the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) system and will endow the wearer with abilities and strength he or she could previously only have dreamt of. As the scientists said at the launch – we are now officially in the age of the cyborg. Join discussion...

by Patrick Lin Fritz Allhoff Radical nanotech-based human enhancements such as bionic implants and "respirocyte" artificial red blood cells will become technologically viable in the near future, raising profound ethical issues and forcing us to rethink what it means to be human. Recent pro-enhancement arguments will need to be critically examined and strengthened if they are to be convincing. Join discussion...

In the 20th century, people enjoyed material and technological advances that were unimaginable in previous eras. In the US, for instance, gross domestic product per capita tripled from 1950 to 2000. Life expectancy soared and benefits of capitalism spread everywhere. By most standards one would have to say that Americans are better off now than they were 62 years ago. However, if you ask people today how happy they are, you find that they are no happier than they were in 1946 when formal surveys of happiness first began.Life has even become worse for some. Since the 1950s, clinical depression has increased tenfold, and today, people are more anxious, trust government and business less, and get divorced more often. Does money make people happier? Economists Bruno Frey and Alois Stutzer found no correlation between income and happiness. We know that the hungry poor are miserable and they are less so with more money, but happiness does not increase after a certain level of income. Richard Layard, a British economist calculated that $15,000 per-year was the threshold; earning more than that added new worries and did not increase happiness. However, some technologies like healthcare, contribute much to our happiness. Before the Industrial Revolution two of every three Europeans died before the age of 30. Today, life expectancy has climbed past 80 and people are glad to be alive; the longer they live in good health, the happier they feel they are. This explains the growing public interest in futuristic medical technologies such as stem cell research and genetic engineering, which scientists hope will soon replace old and worn out hearts, bones, muscles, and skin; and nanotech miracles that promise to eliminate aging. Join discussion...