Category Archives: Futurism

LES O'DELLThe Southern

Scott Thorne thinks Carbondale and Southern Illinois University Carbondale are missing out on a great opportunity.

The area businessman and marketing instructor at Southeast Missouri State University wonders why SIU and Carbondale do not recognize and celebrate connections with noted architect and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller.

On his Carbondale Gazette blog last week, Thorne questioned the lack of commemoration of Fullers time in Carbondale. He called Fuller one of the great minds of the 20th century.

Thorne wrote, It has always surprised me that Carbondale does not do more to play up the citys connection to him, and musing, Why not play up the connection they have to one of the few figures of international renown to call the city home?

Fuller was a designer, architect, philosopher, inventor and futurist perhaps best-known for his development of the geodesic dome. In fact, Fuller and his wife Anne lived in a dome on Forest Avenue in Carbondale from 1960 to 1971 during his tenure as a professor of design science exploration at SIU. It is the only dome in which he ever lived.

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The home, which has been painstakingly restored by a not-for-profit organization, is one of several domes in community Thorne noted in his blog post, identifying two picnic-shelter-style domes on the SIU campus, a dome near the Gaia House Interfaith Center and one other geodesic dome residence in southwestern Carbondale.

Still, Thorne thinks there should be more than a few structures to honor Fuller.

If we are looking for some ways to make Carbondale stand out from other communities, emphasizing the fact that this is one of the few places where Fuller actually was a professor would be something, Thorne said.

He suggested further recognition of Fuller.

Id like to see a statue acknowledging him or renaming a building or naming a street after him; some sort of public acknowledgment of arguably one of the greatest thinkers of the last half of the 20th century who spent time and worked here, he said.

Carbondale resident and Fuller fan Brent Ritzel agrees with Thorne. He was one of the organizers of a Fuller Future Festival about ten years ago.

We just need to embrace Fullers legacy, Ritzel said. The bottom line is that the dome home has to be one of the top Bucky assets on planet Earth. We really have an incredibly unique asset here and we need to take advantage of it.

Ritzel said he believes that the dome could potentially draw thousands of visitors to Carbondale annually. He added that he personally has hundreds of Fuller artifacts which he believes would make the beginnings of a future Fuller museum exhibition.

Carbondale architect Thad Heckman, who co-authored Buckys Dome, a history of Fullers Forest Avenue home and its restoration, said he thinks winds of change are bringing Fuller more prominence in the community.

I think in the last number of years, change is really coming into effect, he said. He explained grants from the City of Carbondale have assisted in the resurrection of the dome and he is designing a tribute to Fuller which will be included in Carbondales new Southern Illinois Multi-Modal Station.

I think theres more of an awareness now in a positive way around campus of Bucky and they city is certainly very much aware and supportive of efforts to honor him, he said, adding that SIU now offers a honors class on R. Buckminster Fuller.

I think more needs to happenawareness of Buckminster Fuller, promotion for the domethose kinds of things, he added.

Carbondale City Manager Gary Williams has a photo of Fuller on his desk. He said Fullers history and reputation should be cultivated.

We see the dome as a tourist attraction that has a year-round presence in Carbondale and I think there are more opportunities that the city and university can use to take advantage of Fullers affiliation.

Williams said the city shares the same vision as the R. Buckminster Fuller Dome organization: to fulfill Fullers vision and preserve his legacy.

We absolutely should acknowledge it more and celebrate the unique aspects, he said.

Thorne is taking action to recognizing Fuller. Students from Brehm Preparatory School are painting a geodesic dome mural on the side of his Castle Perilous store in downtown Carbondale. But still, hed like to see more to connect R. Buckminster Fuller and Carbondale.

We paint paw prints every year, so why not do something that calls attention to the communitys link to Fuller? he wondered.

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Businessman urges city to make more of R. Buckminster Fuller ties - The Southern

"Some bankruptcies need to happen."Good Riddance

Fresh off his recent Twitter-buying fiasco, Elon Musk is now claiming that it would be good, actually, if the world went into a recession.

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO revealed that he believes the world is approaching a recession which "is actually a good thing," he says.

"It has been raining money on fools for too long," the world's richest man remarked. "Some bankruptcies need to happen."

His remarks come at a rather odd time, given that Tesla stocks have been plunging over the last couple of weeks, ever since the billionaire CEO revealed plans to buy Twitter for $44 billion.

The comments also shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the fact that Musk has repeatedly railed against the stock market, most recently criticizing the S&P 500's sustainability index for booting Tesla from the list.

In follow-up tweets, Musk argued that the next recession could last "about 12 to 18 months," noting that "companies that are inherently negative cash flow (ie value destroyers) need to die, so that they stop consuming resources."

In other words, his competitors should get off of his turf.

Musk also revealed that he thinks COVID-19 lockdowns made people lazy.

"All the COVID stay-at-home stuff has tricked people into thinking that you dont actually need to work hard," Musk said. "Rude awakening inbound!"

But is Musk really in a position to make these sorts of arguments? Given that he has already lost more than a $1 billion in Twitter stock since he began his cursed bid to buy the social media giant, it seems very much like he could be the one who's in for a rude awakening after all, it's been "raining money" on him for quite a long time.

But then again, people in glass houses sure do love to throw stones.

More on Elon:Elon Musk Speculates About Storing All Human DNA In A Database

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Elon Says a Recession Would Be a "Good Thing" - Futurism

"The doors wouldn't open."Trapped

Tesla owner Jamil Jutha had only owned his Model Y for eight months before it caught on fire Friday and briefly trapped him inside, according to a CTV News report published yesterday.

Jutha was driving in Vancouver that morning when the car completely turned off and lost all power to its electronics.

The doors wouldnt open, Jutha told the British Columbia-based news outlet. The windows wouldnt go down.

The car started to smoke, pouring through the vents into the cab. Naturally, Jutha panicked and says he kicked out a window in order to escape. The man said he felt panicked and immediately called 911 for help. While waiting for them to arrive, local constructions workers at a site nearby safely directed traffic around the mans burning car.

Were very fortunate that this individual had the wherewithal and the strength to kick the window out, firechief Brian Hutchinson of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services told CTV.

An anonymous Twitter user captured an image of the moment thats since gone viral, showing hot orange flames erupting from the cars hood and cab.

Neat feature, the post quipped.

The accident is under investigation and firefighters are trying to figure out what exactly went wrong with the car, and Tesla did not respond to CTVs request for comment.

Jutha, however, says the emergency protocol for opening the door in an electrical failure isnt intuitive and he encourages other Tesla owners to familiarize themselves with what to do should the same happen to them. CTV says the entire door panel is a lever that lifts up in emergency circumstances, and one Twitter used pointed out that a video on how to use it is about ten minutes long.

Its not the first time Tesla vehicles have been involved in dangerous accidents or generally made outrageous, driverless decisions, but were glad the man is safe.

More on Tesla news: After Sexual Allegations, Elon Musk Jets Off to Brazil

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Tesla Driver Briefly Trapped in Burning Car, Kicks Out Window - Futurism

Mind blown.Galaxy Brain

In an extremely cosmic-brain take, University of Rochester astrophysics professor Adam Frank suggests that a civilization could advance so much that it could eventually tinker with the fundamental laws of physics.

Its a mind-bending proposition that ventures far beyond the conventional framework of scientific understanding, a reminder that perhaps we should dare to think outside the box especially as we continue our search for extraterrestrial civilizations.

If a civilization were to be able to change the laws of physics, the very nature of energy itself, with established rules like energy conservation, would be subject to revision within the scope of engineering, Frank, who is part of the NASA-sponsored Categorizing Atmospheric Technosignatures program, wrote in an essay for Big Think.

For instance, as astrophysicist Caleb Scharf argued in an eyebrow-raising 2016 article, an alien civilization could conceivably be behind dark matter, the theoretical stuff that as far as our current understanding of the universe is concerned makes up the majority of mass in the universe.

Frank takes the concept even further, suggesting advanced alien civilizations could mix and match physical laws any way they see fit.

Its all pretty far fetched, and the astrophysicist is the first to acknowledge that, pointing out thatat this point its primarily just fun to think about these things.

Frank concludes that while controlling these laws may be pretty unlikely, its far more likely that they put severe limits on life and what it can do.

So its possible that there simply is no way around the limits imposed by the speed of light, Frank concedes.

But its nice to dream.

READ MORE: Could an advanced civilization change the laws of physics? [Big Think]

More on the laws of physics: Scientists Say the Laws of Physics May Be Changing

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NASA Sponsored Researcher Suggests It Might Be Possible to Change the Laws of Physics - Futurism

The suits are officially off the table until they figure out what went wrong.Watery Grave

The spacesuits that allow astronauts to venture outside of the International Space Station have been declared no-go for upcoming spacewalks.

Thats because the suits helmets keep filling with excess water, a potentially life threatening scenario astronauts have been battling with on multiple occasions, CBS reports.

The massive and unwieldy suits, referred to as extra-vehicular mobility units, (EMUs) arent entirely off the table and could still be used in emergencies, according to NASA.

Until we understand better what the causal factors might have been during the last EVA with our EMU, we are no-go for nominal [extra-vehicular activity], Dana Weigel, deputy manager of the space station program at the Johnson Space Center, told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by CBS. So we wont do a planned EVA until weve had a chance to really address and rule out major system failure modes.

The news comes after several astronauts have had to deal with water flooding their helmets. A 2013 spacewalk had to be cut short,for instance, after European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitanos helmet started filling with excess water.

Parmitano was at a real risk of drowning, with water covering his eyes, nose and ears, according to a NASA report filed at the time.

Since then, NASA has started using sponges called helmet absorption pads in the back of the helmet to keep excess water to a minimum.

While the Parmitano incident has yet to be repeated, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron recently found water inside German astronaut Matthias Maurers helmet after he had performed a spacewalk in March.

Roughly, maybe an eight- to 10-inch diameter circle, a thin film of water on the helmet, Barron reported at the time, as quoted by CBS. And there is water in his vent port at the back of his neck ring.

Officials are now waiting to inspect Maurers suit, which will make its way back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship in July, until they greenlight any future planned spacewalks.

Fortunately, officials havent found anything unusual so far, according to Weigel. Were looking for any obvious signs of contamination or fouling or something else that might have gotten into our system.

Were not seeing that yet, she added.

READ MORE: Spacesuits aboard station declared a no-go pending analysis of recent helmet water leak [CBS]

More on space walks: Guy Snaps Photo of Space Station So Detailed You Can See Spacewalking Astronauts on Exterior

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NASA Alarmed That Astronauts' Spacesuits Keep Filling Up With Water - Futurism

Damn, tell us how you really feel! Big Woof

Dogecoin cocreator Billy Markus apparently doesnt think very highly of the people who invest in cryptocurrencies like,well, his.

In a tweet appearing to respond to the precipitous crash of the Terra stablecoin last week, in which the coin meant to be tied to the worth of the US Dollar lost a whopping 97 percent of its worth, Markus said it appears that large swaths of crypto investors dont even understand the fundamental basics of either crypto or how markets work.

I would guess by reading what people say, the 39-year-0ld Dogecoin founder continued, that at least 70percent have absolutely no clue how crypto actually works.

In a follow-up tweet, Markus added some advice to his griping, suggesting that crypto investors do their own research hype YouTube videos are not research,he cautioned and make decisions using common sense.

Have a plan, he added. Dont invest emotionally.

Its pretty good advice. But given that Dogecoin investors and, presumably, its creators got rich only after Elon Musk kinda-sorta plugged their joke coin via memes, italso seems a bit hypocritical.

More on Doge:Elon Musk Explains Why He is Pro Doge, Not Bitcoin

More on the Terra stablecoin crash:Suicidal Posts Spike After Crypto Project Crashes

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Dogecoin Creator Says That 70 Percent of Crypto Investors Are Complete Morons - Futurism

They're single-celled and ready to mingle. Prehistory

We dont wanna freak you out, but West Virginian scientists may have found a life form more than 800 million years old.

In a new paper published in the journal Geology, West Virginia University geologists say that some of the microorganisms found inside the Browne Formation, an 830 million-year-old rock found in the Australian desert, may still be alive and if they are, it could help us find life on Mars, to boot.

Taking a piece of the Browne Formation, which includes halite salt crystals, the WVU researchers found organic liquids and solids using non-invasive optical techniques. Within those substances, they then found single-celled organisms known as prokaryotes, which have been discovered in the past to survive hundreds of millions of years when trapped inside salt crystals like the one inside that particular ancient rock.

The researchers noted in their paper that although possible survival of microorganisms over geologic time scales is not fully understood, the Browne prokaryotes, if found to definitely be alive, could have huge implications for the search for life on Mars, where rock compounds similar to the Browne Formation are abundant.

While this wouldnt be the first still-living organism found within a hundreds of millions of years old halite crystal that distinction goes to a bacterium extracted by researchers in the year 2000 the Browne Formation prokaryotes would be the oldest living things on Earth discovered so far.

Theres obviously additional research that needs to be done before we figure out if the microorganisms trapped in that ancient crystal are indeed still alive but if and when we discover they are, it will no doubt be a huge freakin deal.

READ MORE:830-million-year-old microorganisms in primary fluid inclusions in halite [Geology]

More single-celled organisms:Europe Just Launched Brainless Blobs of Slime Mold to Space

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Scientists Say Organisms Trapped in This Ancient Rock May Still Be Alive - Futurism

"Its like a scallop disco."Clam-iroquai

Just like your average EDM fan, scallops can, as it turns out, be captured more easily when you turn on the pretty lights for them.

AsThe Guardian reports, a group of fishing consultants (yes, thats a thing) have devised a devious plot to lure unsuspecting scallops by flashing disco lights inside trap baskets, which apparently attracts them.

This technique was actually created by the British Fishtek Marine consultancy to lure in crabs, but to their surprise, it was scallops which, apparently, each have more than 200 eyes that were more into the pretty lights.

Its like a scallop disco illuminate the trap and they come in, Dr. Rob Enver, Fishteks chief marine scientist, told The Guardian. Its astonishing that no one else has discovered this before. Its quite an exciting find.

While its kind of heartbreaking to watch these cute shelled creatures jump to their doom after seeing the same kinds of lights we enjoy in bars and on dancefloors, this technique can apparently help the global over-fishing problem as well.

Most of the scallops caught for human consumption today are captured via dredging, a harmful means of fishing that harms marine life when done at large scale. The more environmentally conscious alternative, the report notes, is done by scuba divers handpicking scallops, but this is obviously much more expensive and time-consuming.

With this new technique, however, fishers can catch scallops much more easily, and in a way much less likely to harm the marine floor, Fishtek toldThe Guardian.

The experiment has made waves in the academic and ecological communities as well, with a new paper published in theJournal of Fisheries Research this week lauding the low-impact potted light scallop-fishing method.

This could be huge for scallop fishing and maybe well give them some music to jam to before theyre taken to their dooms, too.

READ MORE:Accidental discovery that scallops love disco lights leads to new fishing technique [The Guardian]

More on fishing ethics:Critics Horrified by Worlds First Octopus Farm

Read more:
Much Like Hipsters, Scallops Can Be Lured to Their Death by Disco Lights - Futurism

Nice.Wipeout

The net worth of Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fallen by a staggering amount just over $69 billion so far this year, according to Bloombergs Billionaire Index making the wealthiest man in the world substantially less wealthy.

While thats a princely sum, and far more than whats needed to tackle a world hunger crisis, Musk has yet to lose the crown of being the richest of the rich. And, for what its worth, his total net worth of over $200 billion is still significantly higher than Amazon founder and chief social rival Jeff Bezos net worth of $131 billion, according to the Index.

Therearea number of reasons that Musks ventures have had a terrible year so far after all, the vast majority of his net worth is tied up in the various companies he runs, most notably Tesla.

The net worth of the electric car company has plummeted by $49 billion since Musk offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, which has turned into an ongoing media circus of epic proportions, with Musk seemingly getting cold feet as of late. Teslas crash alone wiped out $12.3 billion from the CEOs net worth, according to Fortune.

Its not just his highly controversial and messy bid to take over Twitter causing him trouble. A shocking new report by Insider claims Musks space venture SpaceX had to settle a $250,000 sexual misconduct claim made against Musk by a flight attendant,adding to the general sense that things arent going well for the mercurial entrepreneur.

Musk denied the allegations and pledged allegiance to the Republicans, painting a significant target on his back and potentially driving a wedge between himself and many of his supporters.

While Tesla shares have rebounded slightly, they have yet to recover to anywhere near where they were before Musk announced he wanted to buy Twitter.

The free-spoken billionaire has drawn lines in the sand. The Twitter deal is certainly still on the table, whether Musk likes it or not. The sexual misconduct allegations will only add to making this spring particularly difficult to navigate for the entrepreneur.

But at the same time, the whole crisis seems exacerbated by his own actions.

READ MORE: Elon Musk lost $10 billion in net worth in a single day after sexual misconduct claims emerged [Insider]

More on Musk: Tesla Driver Briefly Trapped in Burning Car, Kicks Out Window

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Elon Musk Has Officially Lost $69 Billion This Year - Futurism

This seems, uh, pretty bad. Exhausting

It looks like the exhaust fumes from SpaceXs Falcon 9 rockets (and others like it, including Blue Origin) are actually toxic to humans and to the planet we call home.

A new paper in the journal Physics of Fluids details how researchers digitally modeled the type of fumes that come from rockets like those made by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other private rocket manufacturers and their conclusions are pretty grim.

We believe that the problem of atmospheric pollution caused by rocket launches is vital, the Cyprus University of Nicosia research team wrote, and needs to be addressed appropriately as commercial space flights, in particular, are expected to increase in the future.

Each launch using RP-1 rocket fuel, like SpaceXs Falcon 9, produces large amounts of carbon gases and nitrogen oxides. Per the modeling done by the Cyprus team, the noxious fumes released by ascending rocket launches would be considered hazardous to human health per guidelines set by the World Health Organization.

In an email statement toBusiness Insider pegged to the study, a Blue Origin spokesperson said its New Shepard rocket is fueled by highly efficient and clean liquid oxygen and hydrogen and only has water vapor with no carbon emissions as a byproduct. Futurism has reached out to SpaceX for comment but has not yet heard back.

The looming issue, of course, is that commercial space companies and particularly SpaceX are working to scale rocket launches up to an astonishing degree. If thats going to pose a major environmental and health issue, better to learn that now.

READ MORE:Atmospheric pollution from rockets [Physics of Fluids]

More on rockets:Journalists Slam NASA for Lack of Transparency Behind Moon Rocket Prelaunch

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SpaceX Rocket Fumes "Hazardous to Humans" and the Climate, Scientists Warn - Futurism