Just Jack Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 How about a robotic lawnmower They're already here, no word on if they'll run over your neighbors hose because you're too busy checking out their wife though.... http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 They're already here, no word on if they'll run over your neighbors hose because you're too busy checking out their wife though.... http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/ I would like to see that tackle my, yes not so big but very tricky, lawn! I suppose, all I would have to do is trim with the weed eater where it missed.
mead107 Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 The next new item on the market will be invented by the great Beerball It will be a helping hand for guys.
Joe Miner Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 There was basically no motion on the technology front from the 40s through the 70s - a tv, a radio, and a phone is what folks had. There were just minor evolutionary changes to those devices for forty years. Then the 80s comes and just destroyed paradigms with respect to invention (Internet, cell phones, video gaming, multi media devices, home computer, etc.). And there have only been incremental improvements on those existing devices for the last 30 years but nothing revolutionary. Have we reached an inventive plateau? From a technology standpoint, can things get appreciably better then they are now? Sure, phones and devices will get faster and more vibrant, but have we peaked as far as "big things" to come out of the technology sector? I don't think your premise from the 40's through the 70's is correct.
Juror#8 Posted July 11, 2016 Author Posted July 11, 2016 You're completely ignoring the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology. Then there's advances in the ultimate technology...general artificial intelligence. Once that one hits who knows where things go In fairness, and I could be setting myself up here, but are there everyday applications of either that would be a technology advancement that has a greater benefit outside of an esoteric group of folks? I don't think your premise from the 40's through the 70's is correct. What do you mean? I think that the transistor was invented in the late 40s (to be fair the basis for all modern technology) but outside of that, tech was relatively stagnant for those forty years. What am I missing? Cold...fusion. Similar to what I responded to Joe. Is there an application that has a benefit to the masses or is it a more esoteric technology that most people will ever utilize the benefits of? Though I've heard the term, I've never heard of it in a pedestrian sense and couldn't tell you what it refers to. Also haven't researched it.
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 In fairness, and I could be setting myself up here, but are there everyday applications of either that would be a technology advancement that has a greater benefit outside of an esoteric group of folks? Like cures for cancers? Grown organs for transplants? Grown protein-type foods to help curb environmental impact? New sources of fuel for vehicles? Biotech promises all that. Like more cures for cancer? Like being able to create anything from the atom up? Like smaller, faster, more powerful computers? Nanothech promises all that. And AI? Well, that's only creating the next step of human evolution.
Juror#8 Posted July 11, 2016 Author Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) Like cures for cancers? Grown organs for transplants? Grown protein-type foods to help curb environmental impact? New sources of fuel for vehicles? Biotech promises all that. Like more cures for cancer? Like being able to create anything from the atom up? Like smaller, faster, more powerful computers? Nanothech promises all that. And AI? Well, that's only creating the next step of human evolution. Cool. I'll admit to being way out of the loop on that stuff. It's something that I've heard mentioned but never really understood the context. I honestly assumed that it was a way to make cell phones more interactive. Edited July 11, 2016 by Juror#8
Doc Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Similar to what I responded to Joe. Is there an application that has a benefit to the masses or is it a more esoteric technology that most people will ever utilize the benefits of? Though I've heard the term, I've never heard of it in a pedestrian sense and couldn't tell you what it refers to. Also haven't researched it. Lockheed-Martin stated they had a cold fusion reactor that could fit on the back of a pickup truck, IIRC. if so, that would definitely help the masses. We shall see though.
Johnny Hammersticks Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Lockheed-Martin stated they had a cold fusion reactor that could fit on the back of a pickup truck, IIRC. if so, that would definitely help the masses. We shall see though. Are those what they keep in those white boob shaped things you can see from the Thruway?
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Lockheed-Martin stated they had a cold fusion reactor that could fit on the back of a pickup truck, IIRC. if so, that would definitely help the masses. We shall see though. It's not cold fusion. But it is fusion.
Joe Miner Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) Here's one website that lists stuff from the 60s. https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/07/six-tech-advancements-from-the.html I think just waving your hand over 40 years and proclaiming that there was no technology invented is a fairly ignorant statement. Some Google searches could help. Not to mention that a lot of the junk you're seeing and using today was built on advancements made during that timeframe. It didn't just spring out of nowhere overnight. Edited July 11, 2016 by Joe Miner
Doc Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Are those what they keep in those white boob shaped things you can see from the Thruway? Those huge soccer ball-looking things? Couldn't tell you. It's not cold fusion. But it is fusion. They claim it's cold. Meaning it produces more energy than it consumes.
Just Jack Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Those huge soccer ball-looking things? Couldn't tell you. Those are Doppler radar units.
Deranged Rhino Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Are those what they keep in those white boob shaped things you can see from the Thruway?
HereComesTheReignAgain Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 I look to the movie Idiocracy to predict the future... "The years passed, mankind became stupider at a frightening rate. Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly the greatest minds and resources where focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections."
Mr Info Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 (edited) I can provide something that may be interesting based on some projects in which I am involved. In 2012, some creative researchers leveraged CRISPR-Cas9 to enable DNA/genome editing. This year, a US federal panel approved the first use of CRISPR in humans to genetically alter immune cells to attack three kinds of cancer. https://www.statnews.com/2016/06/21/crispr-human-trials/ CRISPR-Cas9 (think of crispr as the DNA scissors and cas9 as the protein that is being used to look for the matching target) can be used to modify genomes in plants, animals, and humans. Most everyone would support the use of genome editing for eliminating diseases in embryos causing blindness, cancer, Krabbe's disease, etc. In animals, Church, et al, at Harvard found a way to use CRISPR-Cas9 to remove the retrovirusus from pig organs to address the human organ shortage. Active research is being performed on using CRISPR-Cas9 to genetically modify plants to make disease resistant crops. If this is done properly, foreign DNA is not introduced (new gene-shuttling technique) and the hope is that it would avoid plant GMO classification. For instance, the popular banana cultivar Cavendish may be wiped out by a soil fungus and the only way to save it may be to edit this banana. In this letter dated 13 April 2016, the FDA has decided that it will not regulate a mushroom that has been gene-edited to prevent it from turning brown. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/downloads/reg_loi/15-321-01_air_response_signed.pdf Here is a general article from Nature 2015 pertaining to genome editing: http://www.nature.com/news/genome-editing-7-facts-about-a-revolutionary-technology-1.18869 As stated in the above article, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology "has made modifying DNA so cheap and easy that amateur biologists working in converted garages or community laboratories are starting to dabble." Not certain how accurate that is but govt sponsored programs certainly have the means ($ and resources) to dabble. However, this new technology will present ethical dilemmas. Will this venture from disease curing into genetic augmentation? How will this be regulated everywhere? And I am certain you can think of many others. This technology is different than the IT technology of the past 40 years. Will this new technology have a greater impact? Edited July 11, 2016 by Mr Info
boyst Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 It just seems like technology isn't as inventive as it was 30 years ago. Apple and most other manufacturers seem to be at a place where it's making improvements on the existing user experience rather than an introduction of a new paradigm. Apple used to be about "I'm going to show people what they won't be able to live without" and it seems technology isn't trailblazing like that anymore. Almost as if we hit a plateau. Was wondering if others saw it differently. of course Crapple is slow. They need someone else to develop it before they can either buy it or steal it with their own apple logo.
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Those huge soccer ball-looking things? Couldn't tell you. They claim it's cold. Meaning it produces more energy than it consumes. Nope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion
Doc Posted July 11, 2016 Posted July 11, 2016 Nope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion Yup. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/15/3580379/fusion-power-lockheed-martin-cfr/
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