The Changing World Order
Drones are the new bombs, code the new currency, chips the new oil, and AI the new everything. Technology has reshaped geopolitics forever and a new world order is being carved in silicon
Featured
Why progress was so slow, for so long
Progress was agonizingly slow for most of human history, but the rapid progress of the last few centuries was not a fluke.
America underestimates the difficulty of bringing manufacturing back
Tariffs won’t bring manufacturing back to the US, but there are ways to make it happen — if America is serious about doing so.
Pantheon creator Craig Silverstein on uploading our brains to the internet
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
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Google unveils “magic window” for 3D video chat
Google’s Project Starline is a new 3D video chat technology designed to make online communication feel more like real life.
Bat-inspired sound location tech could allow drones to fly solo
Inspired by bat’s ears, researchers at Virginia Tech have created a device capable of pinpointing sound location more accurately than other tech — or our ears.
Drone light show creates scannable QR code in the sky
A drone light show staged in celebration of the “Princess Connect! Re:Dive” video game ended with the drones forming a scannable QR code in the sky.
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Catalysts
Research grants, the silicon valley way
What if there was a way to fast-forward innovation? An economist and tech billionaire recently joined forces to make research grants available within 14 days.
Underwater gliders could soon run off of the ocean’s changing temperatures
California company Seatrec wants to bring their temperature-harnessing generator technology to underwater gliders.
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Coded
The strange story of Venezuela’s failed cryptocurrency
The world’s first state-backed cryptocurrency was a revolutionary idea that could’ve saved Venezuela’s economy. Here’s what went wrong.
Giant rocket launching drone will take satellites to space
The world’s biggest drone is designed to launch satellites into orbit while airborne.
Dropping drones into volcanoes can help us predict eruptions
The ratio of sulphur to carbon dioxide being released can be an indicator of imminent volcanic eruptions. Researchers are using drones to gather that data.
Bird and Lyft are offering free rides to the polls in 2020
The micromobility industry launched a national campaign to offer free rides to the polls on Election Day.
Barbershops unite to empower voters
One campaign is hoping to increase voter turnout by empowering barbershops as community voter engagement hubs.
How hackers could take down the election… or save it
In an attempt to prepare government officials to manage threats on Election Day, one cybersecurity company has created an immersive simulation exercise called Operation Blackout.
Voting online is here. but is it ready?
Voting online is a debate that pits accessibility against security. For some, it is the only way to participate in elections. But at what cost?
Disinfecting drones to spray stadium after NFL games
Are the disinfecting drones set to fly over Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Atlanta Falcons games useful or just another example of hygiene theater?
Predator drones are using AI to create faster fire maps
The National Guard has used drones to create forest fire maps since 2017. New AI upgrades could make the maps in minutes, not hours.
You can now track your mail-in ballot like an Amazon package
At least 46 states now offer free ballot tracking, letting voters follow their mail-in ballots from the printer to the election office.
Delivery drone breaks flight record for transporting an organ
A MissionGO delivery drone carried a human kidney a record-breaking 10 miles, demonstrating how the devices could facilitate organ transplants.
Underwater data center could lead to a more reliable internet
After spending two years on the ocean’s floor, Microsoft’s underwater data center had a much lower server failure rate than land-based data centers.
Walmart and Zipline launch a 1-hour drone delivery service that will parachute-drop your purchases
Walmart’s drone delivery service will deliver wellness products to customers within a 50-mile radius of their headquarters in Arkansas.
The most advanced digital government in the world
Estonia was the first country to hold a nationwide election online, and the first to declare internet access a human right. Will other countries follow suit?
Amazon drone delivery gets approval to launch from FAA
Prime Air, Amazon’s drone delivery service, has secured a key FAA certification, clearing it for the next phase of testing in the U.S.
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