(via kateoplis) Huxley vs. Orwell
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Whuffie (Longform Blog)
“ The centennial edition of the book ranked number 4 on the seller’s [Amazon] “movers and shakers list,” as of Tuesday afternoon. Book sales increased by more than 6,000 within the last 24 hours, jumping to the 123rd spot on book sales overall, from it’s spot at 7,636 the previous day.
Sales of Orwell’s ‘1984’ up over 6,000 percent after NSA news - TODAY.com (via brooklynmutt)
(via evangotlib)
(via quicklime)
If Companies Had Realistic Slogans
The era of corporate indifference, and economic sadomasochism.
Justices say police can take DNA upon arrest
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major victory for law enforcement agencies, a divided Supreme Court on Monday ruled that police can take a DNA sample from someone who has been arrested and charged but not convicted of a serious crime.
*facepalm*
(Source: thinksquad, via everyonehatedmyoldtheme-deactiv)
Scientists Create World’s Tiniest Bunny Using New 3D Shaping Material
“Scientists in Japan recently used a promising new 3D printing material to create objects so small that they are the size as a single bacteria. The researchers were able print shapes that are measured in mere micrometers, including the world’s tiniest rabbit. While the demonstration may be playful, the application certainly isn’t – this new technology may someday be used to print cells and micro-electrodes for medical purposes.”
(via seattle-gadgets)
Military Drones to Police Civilians at Brazil World Cup. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
iRobot announced today $7.2 million in contracts to provide Brazil with military PackBot robots for security at the 2014 World Cup.
…As part of the deal, Brazil will get 30 PackBot 510 units, which usually cost about $100,000 to $200,000 apiece. The contracts include services, spares, and associated equipment.
The camera-equipped, remote-operated robots can give users a close-up look at suspicious objects, or explore dangerous environments, while keeping operators safe from harm.
The PackBots will be working alongside thousands of soldiers deployed to each of the 12 host cities in Brazil. To spot troublemakers, Brazilian police will be equipped with facial-recognition camera glasses that reportedly can capture 400 facial images per second, storing them in a central database of up to 13 million faces.
The country reportedly purchased four Israeli-made drones to help with security for the FIFA Confederations Cup next month. It is spending $900 million to boost its security forces ahead of the World Cup, including surveillance equipment and helicopters, in a bid to make it “one of the most protected sports events in history.”
(via iRobot military bots to patrol 2014 World Cup in Brazil | Crave - CNET)
Police can now innocently standbye while you are abused by a robot.
Cities Of The Future, Built By Drones, Bacteria, And 3-D Printers
As complex ecosystems, cities are confronting tremendous pressures to seek optimum efficiency with minimal impact in a resource-constrained world. While architecture, urban planning, and sustainability attempt to address the massive resource requirements and outflow of cities, there are signs that a deeper current of biology is working its way into the urban framework.
Innovations emerging across the disciplines of additive manufacturing, synthetic biology, swarm robotics, and architecture suggest a future scenario when buildings may be designed using libraries of biological templates and constructed with biosynthetic materials able to sense and adapt to their conditions. Construction itself may be handled by bacterial printers and swarms of mechanical assemblers.
(Source: azspot, via notational)
