Returning after an extended summer break.
“I poured spot remover on my dog. Now he’s gone.”–Steven Wright
Is your dog gone? Not to worry, it seems that similar technology to human facial recognition might help you find it.
While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Artificial Intelligence/Dogs–If you think being tracked by facial recognition is creepy, how do you think your dog will react to being tracked by its nose prints? A Chinese A.I. company is doing just that–for the expressed purpose of identifying lost dogs.
–If that sounds odd, a group of cognitive biologists and computer scientists wants to grant internet access to higher intelligence members of the animal kingdom like apes, elephants and dolphins. And you thought human tweet storms were crazy?
Transhumanism/Neuroscience–Elon Musk unveiled details of his Neurolink venture, and its plans to interlace the brain with a chip or sensors connected by hundreds of microwires. The initial plan is to help individuals with neurological or sensory impediments; the long range plan is…well…maybe the Matrix? YouTube video of Musk’s presentation here.
–In a somewhat related sphere, Intel reports that its most advanced neuromorphic system now consists of 8 million neurons, and will reach 100 million by 2020. (Compare that, though, to the 100 billion neurons in a human brain).
Space/Moon/Apollo 11–As the U.S. celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a Gallup poll shows that for the first time public opinion swings in favor of a manned mission to Mars. In the mean time, Fast Company reminds us that the Apollo program was unpopular enough, at the time, for Eisenhower to call JFK “nuts.
—The New York Times reported over the weekend that India’s population is “pumped” in anticipation of its first unmanned lunar launch, which was scheduled for this week. Unfortunately, technical glitches have delayed the mission until at least late July.
Ready for prime tme? Image: Boston Dynamics
Robotics–Boston Dynamics’ robots are getting ready to leave the lab. The Verge asks whether the world is ready.
Longevity Extension–While telomeres and telomerase may not turn out to be the holy grail of aging, they certainly have their role in the diseases of aging. Dr. Maria Blasco, one of the presenters at the second annual Ending Age-Related Diseases conference held July 11 and 12 in New York, is seen below in an impromptu news conference, talking about some of her work.
(Video credit: Mark Sackler for Seeking Delphi™)
Coming soon to the Seeking Delphi™ podcast, Matt Ward on disruptors.
Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts,, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook
Seeking Delphi™ 