Lifeboat Foundation

A few months ago I warned folks about the resettlement and expansion across Siberia; well this was one of the reasons I listed. So, here we are.

Russia has increased its Arctic oil production despite limitations imposed by Western sanctions and a more than two-year plunge in global oil prices, causing angst with environmentalists that warn of serious environmental degradation in case of a mishap.

Russia has begun designing a new super-heavy carrier rocket, which will be made using the accomplishments of the Energy-Buran program. This was reported by Russian newspaper, Izvestia. According to the General Director of RSC Energia, Vladimir Solntsev, it is expected that the existing RD-171 engine will be used.

“At this moment, we are not considering using hydrogen circuits on the first and second stages of this launch vehicle. In the third stage, we hope to use circuits from Angara, which is already flying,” he explained.

The rocket will launch a capacity of approximately 80 tons into low Earth orbit (LEO). Its further evolution, based on RD-171 technology, may make it possible to increase its carrying capacity to 120 tons and, if necessary, up to 160 tons due to changes in the rocket engine layout, and the expansion of the capabilities of the engines.

And, AI gets a new Spin.

From time to time, the Singularity Hub editorial team unearths a gem from the archives and wants to share it all over again. It’s usually a piece that was popular back then and we think is still relevant now. This is one of those articles. It was originally published April 1, 2015. We hope you enjoy it!

Continue reading “The End of Meaningless Jobs Will Unleash the World’s Creativity” »

As for the maximum distance the train could journey, “There is no limit,” Bombardier asserts. He reckons the first ship would shuttle cargo and travelers between Earth and the Moon—a trip that would take roughly seven hours to complete at the ideal speed of 15 km/s. “The Moon will serve as a launching pad for other projects, because it is easier to assemble and build this kind of train in the absence of gravity,” he says. “And Mars seems to be a good candidate for the next phase, especially if we can terraform it.”

Though intriguing, the notion begs many questions, and likely won’t be viable for eons. “Obviously there is a lot to consider,” the designer admits. “The general purpose here is to devise a system to transport minerals, materials, and humans from one place to the other in our solar system. Solar Express is a basic idea, and we would like to know how we could improve it.”

Now, for my friends that luv reading about the truly bizarre or stupid tricks that humans do. 40 knives removed from a policeman today in the Tarn Taran district in India.

In an unusual case, as many as 40 knives were surgically removed from the stomach of a policeman here who claimed that he would feel an “urge” to eat them.

A team of five doctors carried out a five-hour long surgery on Surjeet Singh (40), who is employed with Punjab Police and is posted at Tarn Taran district.

Continue reading “40 Knives Removed From Stomach of a Policeman” »

I see a future in TSA, FBI, CIA, local law enforcement, insurance companies’ fraud units, etc.

Purdue is leading part of an international effort to develop a system for the military that would detect doctored images and video and determine specifically how they were manipulated.

“This team has some of the most senior and skilled people out there in the field, some of whom helped to create the area of media forensics,” said Edward Delp, Purdue’s Charles William Harrison Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, in a press release.

Continue reading “System might detect doctored images and videos for the military” »

Anyone, planning to attend this November? It looks like the who’s who in Drones and Robotics.

The post is also available in: Hebrew :הכתבה זמינה גם ב

The Unmanned Systems and Robotics AUS&R 2016 international convention has been attracting the attention of world’s leading states and defense industries, including the US, India, Germany, DARPA governmental agency and many others, which had already registered to participate.

Continue reading “Prepare to Takeoff – 2016’s AUS&R Unmanned Systems and Robotics Convention” »

Good; glad they are hearing us. Because it is a huge issue for sure especially with some of the things that I seen some of the researchers proposing to use CRISPR, 3D Printers, etc. to create some bizarre creatures. Example, in March to scientists in the UK wanted to use CRISPR to create a dragon; personally I didn’t expect it to be successful. However, the scientists didn’t consider the fallout to the public if they had actually succeeded.

For a few hundred dollars, anyone can start doing genetic editing in the comfort of their own home.

The human body has about 25,000 genes. Researchers already know of 65 genes they believe carry a risk for autism. Now, researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey have identified 2,500 more that could help create the conditions for autism.

The discovery is important because the genes could lead scientists toward finding a cause and, possibly, a treatment.

Autism and … Facebook?