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Here Comes Tomorrow

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Here Comes Tomorrow

"The future will be better tomorrow." - Dan Quayle

Every so often, a story comes along that reminds you that some very smart people are working on a pretty weird tomorrow. Flying cars? Cloning? Robot sex? Hey, it's the 21st century, anything's possible.

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 71

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August 2008
- Computer Hard of Hearing? Try This Software
  
  New York Times | Aug 7, 08 2:37 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The latest incarnation of Dragon NaturallySpeaking “takes voice control unmistakably closer to that holy grail of computing,” David Pogue writes in the New York Times —being able to talk directly to your computer. Version 10 is better than 99% effective at transcribing speech, and upgrades make correcting, italicizing, and even Web search much speedier. More »
- In 200 Yards, Tell Your GPS to Shut Up Already
  
  Washington Post | Aug 5, 08 5:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - GPS voices, for all their helpfulness to drivers, are still obnoxious and humorless. Now, after years of focusing on packing “navbots” with information, developers are realizing that friendliness counts, too, the Washington Post reports. “Personality, from an engineering perspective, is still an afterthought,” one says. “But every day it's becoming more and more important.” More »
- Koreans Clone 5 Little Boogers
  
  Times (UK) | Aug 5, 08 9:38 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - South Korean scientists have made the world’s first commercial clones, creating five copies of a heroic pit bull named Booger, the Times of London reports. The little Boogers were ordered and paid for—at an introductory rate of $50,000—by Hollywood screenwriter Bernann McKinney, owner of the now-departed original. McKinney says the first Booger saved her life after she was horribly mauled by her pet mastiff. More »
July 2008
- GM Developing Futuristic Windshield
  
  Associated Press | Jul 17, 08 5:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - America’s driving population is aging, and GM aims to do something to help older motorists: develop a high-tech windshield that compensates for declining eyesight, the AP reports. The system, now in the research phase, uses lasers and infrared sensors to identify hazards in the road—or perhaps the edge of the road itself in bad weather—and projects them onto the windshield. More »
- New Swimsuits Unfair; Stick to Birthday Suits
  
  Bloomberg | Jul 8, 08 8:08 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - No sporting record lasts forever, but these days, writes Bloomberg columnist Scott Soshnick, athletes are demolishing them with almost ridiculous frequency. At the US Olympic swimming trials this year, no fewer than nine records were broken or equaled—a function less of talent than of technology. Perhaps it's time to return to the old Olympic tradition of competing nude, which would level the playing field—not to mention boost ratings. More »
- Upgrade Will Boost Hubble Vision
  
  Washington Post | Jul 7, 08 2:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Spectacular images from the Hubble telescope are about to get even more awe-inspiring, thanks to a $900-million upgrade during an upcoming space shuttle mission—the fifth and last mission to the orbiting observatory. Two new high-tech instruments and a series of repairs will make Hubble able to probe even deeper into space and see farther back into time for its last 5 or 6 years in operation, reports the Washington Post . More »
- Digital Pens Becoming Ever Mightier
  
  New York Times | Jul 3, 08 10:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Though the Pulse digital pen has won hearts of gadgeteers looking to transcribe written notes to their PCs, David Pogue, in the New York Times , finds the special paper needed to use it limiting, and turns to a pair of pens that can write anywhere. In a side-by-side comparison, "the Dane-Elec ZPen makes the Iogear Mobile Digital Scribe look like an amateur." More »
- Hero Dog Wins Cloning Contest
  
  Globe and Mail | Jul 3, 08 4:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A retired Canadian rescue dog who helped find the last survivor in the rubble of the World Trade Center has been chosen as the world's most clone-worthy dog, the Globe & Mail reports. A California genetics company chose 15-year-old German shepherd Trakr to be cloned after reading an essay from his owner. Trakr—who now needs a dog wheelchair to get around—will meet his clone later this year. More »
June 2008
- Qualcomm Aims to Unseat Intel in Low-Power Chip Battle
  
  New York Times | Jun 30, 08 6:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Qualcomm might be looking to unseat industry top dog Intel with its new Snapdragon chip—which uses half the power of Intel’s new Atom, will likely be cheaper, and is due out next year. As personal computers and mobile Internet devices continue to converge, the need for speed has shifted to a need to power-sip, reports the New York Times —and Intel is falling dangerously behind More »
- Army to Speed High-Tech Gear Into Combat
  
  Popular Mechanics | Jun 27, 08 2:33 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US Army has moved up the timetable for its high-tech weapons program, hoping to get new devices into the field by late 2010, 5 years ahead of its original schedule, Popular Mechanics reports. It’s also shifting focus away from conventional warfare tech like tanks and artillery and toward the communications and unmanned vehicles, including robots, infantry in Iraq and Afghanistan covet. More »
- 'Wearable' Gadgets Respond to Body Movements
  
  Associated Press | Jun 26, 08 4:37 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Someday, you may be able to tap your fingers to control your DVD player or roll your eyes to pump up your music player’s volume—if technology under development by Japan's top mobile carrier comes to fruition, the AP reports. A cell phone shaped like a large ring that wearers can hear by sticking their fingers in their ears is another of NTT DoCoMo's inventions. More »
- Photos Tell Who, What; New Card Can Tell Where
  
  New York Times | Jun 26, 08 2:11 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Add geotagging to the list of must-have features for digital photo buffs. Yep, David Pogue writes in the New York Times —no more need to note where you took pictures. The newest Eye-Fi memory card—a WiFi-enabled sliver that uploads pictures automatically—also tags photos with a location. The downside: Coverage is limited to big urban areas in the US and Europe. More »
- Chill Chips May Take Heat Off Computers
  
  ComputerWorld | Jun 25, 08 3:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Researchers have developed a tiny refrigeration system to keep computers cool, an invention that will do away with the clunky fan currently used—and potentially lead to much smaller and faster devices, Computerworld reports. The team at Purdue University expects the technology to be ready for installation within 2 years. More »
- McCain Offers $300M Prize in Assault on Car Batteries
  
  The Hill | Jun 23, 08 3:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - John McCain today offered a $300 million reward to the American who builds “a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.” He said government had wasted energy money on special interests and failed to punish manufacturers who ignore or abuse fuel efficiency standards, the Hill reports. More »
- Home Is Where the Robot Is
  
  Economist | Jun 21, 08 5:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A kinder, gentler, smarter Frankenstein may soon be mowing your lawn and folding your unmentionables. Manufacturers are developing a new generation of metallic humanoid that will not only carry heavy objects, but pull their weight around the house and at work, the Economist reports . These new-age robots can touch, see, and may even respond to commands. More »
- Get Ready for Some Hot Robot Lovin'
  
  AFP | Jun 15, 08 5:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Human-robot love is no longer the stuff of science fiction, AFP reports. At least one researcher predicts that 40 years from now, robots will tell you stories, make you laugh, and swear that they love you. As for sex, robots will be capable of it in 5 years: It's "a sort of an upgrade of the sex dolls on sale now," one expert said. More »
- Prize Philanthropy: A Winning Concept
  
  Portfolio | Jun 12, 08 12:53 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - When the X-Prize foundation offered $10 million to anyone who could develop a viable commercial spacecraft, it didn’t just send innovators scurrying, and it didn’t just grab headlines. It also began the next big trend in philanthropy. Donors are in love with prize philanthropy, Portfolio reports, and causes are ditching grants in favor of open contests, hoping to spur innovation. More »
- Would You Mind If This Wasn't Mined?
  
  Smithsonian | Jun 12, 08 12:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - De Beers might like you to think a “diamond is forever,” but try this on for size: “A diamond is for everyone.” In a secret Massachusetts lab, Apollo Diamond is using novel technology to grow diamonds virtually indistinguishable from their mined cousins, the Smithsonian reports. Unfortunately for consumers, the synthetic gemstones cost about the same as Mother Earth's—for now. More »
- Google's Brin Books Flight to Space Station
  
  New York Times | Jun 11, 08 9:03 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Google co-founder Sergey Brin is turning space tourist, plunking down a $5 million deposit with Space Adventures for passage to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in 2011, reports the New York Times . Space Adventures is planning to buy two of the three seats aboard the mission, whose sole agenda would be tourism. More »