Category Archives: Futurism

An international team of astronomers have detected a violent eruption of light emanating from a galaxy some 570 million light years away that repeats itself like clockwork every 114 Earth days.

The explanation? They believe the repeating flares are caused by a supermassive black hole, about 20 times the mass of the one at the center of our own Milky Way, ripping a chunk out of an orbiting star whenever it gets too close.

The discovery was made using NASA data and a network of telescopes operated by The Ohio State University.

Its really exciting, because weve seen black holes do a lot of things, but weve never seen them do something like this cause this regular eruption of light before, said Patrick Vallely, Ohio State graduate student and co-author ofa study about the discovery due to be published inThe Astrophysical Journal, in a statement.

Its like an extra-galactic Old Faithful, he added, referring to the famous geyser in Yellowstone National park that erupts almost exactly on schedule.

The star approaches the black hole on a highly elliptical orbit, losing about three times the mass of Jupiter every time it gets too close,causing a huge flare visible from Earth.

Usually such events completely destroya star, meaning the discovery is extremely exotic.

The team was also able to spot 17 flares each spaced 114 days apart, a regularity and consistency that has never been observed before.

Knowing the schedule of this extragalactic Old Faithful allows us to coordinate and study it in more detail, Anna Payne, lead author of the paper and a NASA Fellow at the University of Hawaii, said in the statement. The team was able to accurately predict a flare on both September 6 and December 26.

The researchers also found evidence of a second supermassive black hole within the same galaxy, suggesting that two galaxies are in the process of merging, one of the most violent types of interaction in the known universe.

In general, we really want to understand the properties of these black holes and how they grow, Kris Stanek, a co-author and professor of astronomy at Ohio State, said in the statement.

Thanks to the flares predictability, the scientists are hoping to glean insights into the phenomenon.

The ability to exactly predict the timing of the next episode allows us to take data that we could not otherwise take, and we are taking such data already, Stanek said.

READ MORE: Old Faithful cosmic eruption shows black hole ripping at star [Ohio State University]

More on supermassive black holes: A Supermassive Black Hole Is Missing, NASA Say

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A Black Hole Bites a Chunk Out of This Star Every 114 Days - Futurism

Flying in Style

General Motors has shown off two truly wild-looking autonomous vehicle and flying car concepts at this years virtual-only CES. Both concepts fall under the carmakers luxury-oriented Cadillac brand, promising a plush and comfortable vision of the not-so-distant future.

Neither concept, both of are part of Cadillacs Halo portfolio, are meant to go into production any time soon that is, if they ever make it into production at all, since thats not really the point.

As the brand name suggests, the autonomous vehicle is decked out with a sectional-style, plush seating arrangement, allowing you to chat comfortably as the vehicle takes care of the driving.

The car can adjust anything from temperature, humidity and down to the scent being pumped into the car, all based on data from biometric sensors reading the passengers vital signs, as CNET reports.

Voice and hand-based gesture controls largely eliminate the need for any buttons or dials in the interior of the vehicle as well.

Cadillacs electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, on the other hand, looks a lot like other flying taxi concepts we have seen in the past. A single electric motor powers four rotors, allowing it to carry just a single passenger to a nearby destination at 56 mph.

We dont have an awful lot of details beyond just that, which makes sense as this is mostly a design exercise at this point, as The Verge points out.

General Motors also revealed more details about its upcoming ultra-luxury electric vehicle called Celestiq. The car will include a four quadrant smart glass roof as well as a pillar to pillar display that runs the entire width of the car, as Engadget reports.

READ MORE: GM surprises with autonomous Cadillac and flying car concepts [The Verge]

More on GM: Huge Amounts of Money Are Pouring Into the Electric Vehicle Market

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This Is Cadillac's Wild Flying Car Concept - Futurism

A man found himself in the hospital with severe organ failure after grossly misunderstanding how to consume psychedelic mushrooms.

Instead of ingesting the psylocibin, he injected them directly into his bloodstream, according to Insider. And while the man did try to boil the shrooms first, he must not have killed them offentirely, because they started to grow inside his bloodstream, taking hold of his system and causing serious injury including organ failure.

This was, unfortunately, more than merely a trip gone bad. The 30-year-old man had, in the past, been treated for bipolar disorder and came across psilocybin after researching ways to help treat condition online, according to a case report published Monday in the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Preliminary research suggests that he may have been on to something psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, seems to treat depressive symptoms in some patients.

But that assumes that those patients are ingesting the compound not injecting it.

Because the fungi treated the mans veins like any other damp, dark place, they proliferated and he found himself vomiting blood, confused, and unable to speak coherently in the hospital with severe kidney and liver damage. Doctors had to put him on a ventilator and filter his blood over the course of his three-week hospital stay, according to the case report.

All in all, the case report describes a one-off horror story. But it does illustrate how dangerous it can be when people are left to seek out new treatments for themselves without proper support or guidance.

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A Man Injected Himself With Mushrooms and the Fungi Took Over His Blood - Futurism

Residents in Shenyang, China are being tested for COVID-19 by a plastic-wrapped robotic arm, Euronews reports. The goal of the arm, which is being controlled by a health worker from the next room, is to minimize contact and reduce the risk of cross contamination between people.

The disembodied arm is capable of taking a throat swab a routine yet delicate medical procedure. The person being tested simply open their mouth and bites down on a contraption to make sure they remain motionless while the robot does its work.

A robotic voice will even tell the person being tested to say aaah.

The robot, dubbed Lingcai, is part of a greater mass testing campaign to battle an ongoing outbreak in the surrounding Liaoning province, according to Euronews.

Officials are hoping the robot will reduce the risk of cross-infection and even increase the rate of testing. According to Chinese state-owned newspaper the Global Times, the robot can even automatically register the subjects information to both speed up the process and ensure sampling authenticity.

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China Is Using Robots to Administer COVID Tests - Futurism

So, do you look in a crystal ball or something?

Thats one of the most common quips Jim Bottomley hears when he shares that hes a futurist.

The Sooke man is always hesitant to share what he does for a living because hes been perceived as highfalutin or stuck up by some.

Its not about pie in the sky sort of predictions, said the 63-year-old. I want to help people understand the future of humanity.

Simply put, a futurist is someone who helps make predictions and possibilities of the future based on trends, technology and research.

Although predictions are the name of the game, he cant tell you what the interest rate will look like in two to three years. One of the key rules he follows is not giving solid numbers, as he says its destined to be wrong.

Bottomley never imagined that he would end up becoming a futurist, but the stars aligned for him back in the 1980s.

READ MORE: Sooke author short-listed for national writing prize

He was working under the pet foods division of Quaker Oats Co. when his boss asked him whether they should invest more into cat food or dog food. Bottomley conducted interviews and extensive research to give the best presentation to the board. He determined that cats were the leading trend, and the team moved forward with his suggestion.

From that moment on, his path to becoming a futurist was set.

Fast forward, Bottomley has worked with all sorts of clientele, anywhere from political parties to cosmetic companies. He said he enters any conversation with a new client by asking them what they are trying to sell. By their response, he can tell whether theyre headed towards success or failure.

Take the Ford F150, for example, said Bottomley. Some would say, youre selling a truck. Youre selling intimidation. Big protective vehicles seem protective, and customers are always looking for safety.

He pointed out other companies, like Revlon, depend on emotional benefits. While chatting with their marketing executives, he helped their team determine that they werent just selling lipstick. They were selling hope.

RELATED: The long road to recovery will have a few bumps for Greater Victorians

Bottomley said the timeline for how long he spends researching and preparing a presentation to each client ultimately depends on the industrys scope. During his time working for the American dairy industry, the clients felt like their consumers didnt fully understand the effort farmers put into their milk and beef products.

Bottomley helped them navigate the situation by suggesting that the addition of a cow on the cartons side with a farmer might improve public reception.

I had no idea what a futurist was until I met him myself, said Doni Eve, a friend of Bottomleys since 2016 and member of the Sooke Writers Collective.

Hes done a fantastic job carving out a niche for himself, and Im surprised at how much research he does to understand the challenges companies face. Hes just a vibrant and engaging person to be around.

Since the first wave of the pandemic, Bottomley said speaking gigs and interested clients have dramatically dropped.

Trends change, said Bottomley. I have no plans to retire anytime soon, but its hard to predict how quickly business will bounce back and whether it will be as successful as before. But youve just got to take your shot.

Looking ahead, the Sooke man has focused his efforts towards writing Hypnotizing Lions, a psychological thriller novel centred around an escape from a prison psychiatric hospital. Hes been working on it since 1984 and plans to release it later this year.

ALSO READ: Head in the clouds: Sooke resident recalls former career as astronaut training officer

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Sooke man reveals how he made a living predicting the future - Sooke News Mirror

Eyes Up

DARPA, the research and development division of the Pentagon, is working to give bulky night-vision goggles a major overhaul.

The ultimate goal is to make night-vision goggles that look like any other pair of glasses and do away with the giant headgear currently in use, according to a DARPA press release on Monday, citing neck strain and limited fields of view caused by existing gear.

Replacing night-vision goggles array of optical equipment will be tricky. But recent advances by DARPA scientists made it possible to convert infrared thermal vision light to the visible spectrum with a single eyeglass lens, resulting in a much more lightweight and comfortable piece of equipment.

Our warfighters experience significant neck strain from current [night-vision goggles] caused by the weight of the optics extending 4-5 inches in front of their helmets, Rohith Chandrasekar, program manager in DARPAs Defense Sciences Office, said in the press release. If youve never worn [night-vision goggles] for hours at a time imagine wearing a baseball cap all day with a two-pound weight attached to the front of the bill that gives you a small sense of the stress experienced.

According to Chandrasekar, doing away with all the optical equipment inside current goggles will actually make the glasses far more efficient, since they convert infrared to visible light all in one step.

This will further simplify [night-vision goggle] systems by advancing from the multi-step conversion currently used to a single step up-conversion process, Chandrasekar said in the release. Some of these processes even conserve the momentum of photons, which, in theory, could enable night vision without the need for any optics.

READ MORE: With new tech, DARPA aims for night-vision goggles the size and weight of regular eyeglasses [DARPA]

More on night-vision goggles: The Armys New Night Vision Goggles Let Soldiers Look Around Corners

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DARPA Working on Night-Vision Goggles the Size of Normal Glasses - Futurism

The long-term effects of Covid-19, creating an ideal culture and how learnings from other industries can be applied to the legal sector will be among the key themes at this years People in Law Conference, taking place digitally later this month.

People professionals from across the legal sphere will hear from experts including futurist Katherine Templar Lewis, who will discuss opportunities for redefining work and the practical skills needed to navigate 2021; racing driver Charlie Martin, who as a transgender woman has had a unique role in reshaping culture within the sport; and equality campaigner Tiernan Brady, who will share how firms can empower individuals to champion inclusion.

Delegates will also hear how firms including Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Pinsent Masons and Clifford Chance are improving inclusion of ethnic minority workers, while senior figures at Shoosmiths and Willis Towers Watson will discuss the latest trends in remuneration.

The conference takes place over three afternoons from 26 28 January, with a networking session after each day.

Buy your ticket to secure your place now.

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Pandemic's lasting legacy to be key theme of the People in Law Conference 2021 - Personnel Today

Jim Adams, Lil' Zoose, 2008Acrylic on canvas, artist painted frame, 49 x 37 in.Courtesy of the artist and Luis De Jesus Los An...

Luis De Jesus Los Angelesis pleased to announceJIM ADAMS: Eternal Witness, on view through February 27, 2021.The exhibition presents new paintings and sketches completed over the last four years along with a selection of works from the 1990s and 2000s. Philadelphia born Adams has lived in Canada since the 1970's and at age 78, this marks his first solo exhibition in the United States in over 45 years.

The paintings inEternal Witnessdraw primarily fromMythic Sketches, abody of work that Adams has pursued consistently over the past three decades. They manifest as portraits of deities garbed in contemporary clothing, paintings of pyramids, and sketches of the Nubian Express trainand are often accompanied by a vibrant full moon. Drawn from Egyptian and Classical mythologies, Adams use of iconography acknowledges the long historyof artistic representationassociated with his mythic subjects. "For centuries, artists have used mythsboth classicand obscureto depict issues and conflicts that are as significant today as they were in earlier times, says Adams. Jealousy, ambition, hubris, greed and the glorificationof warfare are essentially the same as they were in the age of the classic Greeks or the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe. The only things that have changed are the clothes and the technology we use.

It is tempting to read Adams' art as an expression of Afro-Futurism, given both his own race and his frequent references to Nubia, space, flight, and ancient Egyptian mythology. The recurring portrayal of young Black men and women in the role of classical heroes and deities supports this argument; but it is important to see these aspects within the broader context of his practicein a career spanning five decades.For as many paintings as there are of specific people, places, and times, there are an equal number of ahistorical, dreamlike worlds. Just as much as Adams draws upon current events and geopolitics, so too does he capture the seemingly apolitical: dramatic skyscapes, planetary eclipses, and astral constellations.

In his essay for theexhibition, the Canadian curator Rhys Edwards writes: It is the paradox of the pyramid which underlies the art of Jim Adams. An eternal symbol, it is always more than what it seems. Its cache extends beyond its own history. Likewise, Adams' myths always extend beyond their own precepts; they are never fixed, never singular, never the monoliths they may appear to be.

For further information and inquiries, please contact the gallery at310-838-6000, or emailgallery@luisdejesus.com.

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At 78, British Columbian artist Jim Adams has first solo in U.S. in over 45 years - ArtfixDaily

The cannabis activist group DC Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) says its going to hand out free bags of weed to people who get their coronavirus vaccine at some locations in Washington, D.C.

Both the medical and recreational use of marijuana is perfectly legal in D.C., so DCMJ doesnt expect any legal trouble while it gives out its post-vaccine goody bags, Motherboard reports. The ultimate goal is two-fold: further incentivizing people to protect themselves against COVID-19 and, hopefully, recruiting their grateful recipients into the fight for federal marijuana legalization.

I want people to get the shots and to know they are appreciated for doing so, DCMJ co-founder Adam Eidinger told Motherboard. We also see the vaccination center as a place for education and outreach as well as to mobilize people to let lawmakers know they want to protect and even expand home grow rights in the District and to allow adults to buy and sell cannabis.

We want to end the intense policing of Black communities too as its completely connected to marijuana enforcement to this day, Eidinger added.

The Joints for Jabs campaign will begin as soon as vaccines are available to the general public, according to a DCMJ press release. Along with the free bag, DCMJ will distribute cards with information on how people can call their representatives to fight for legal cannabis.

But the call to arms shouldnt get in the way of a good time, DCMJs other co-founder, Nikolas Schiller, said in the press release.

We are looking for ways to safely celebrate the end of the pandemic, Schiller said, and we know nothing brings people together like cannabis.

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Activists Plan to Hand Out Free Weed at DC Vaccination Sites - Futurism

A pandemic that ravaged the world and accelerated the digital transformation of, well, everything? Not even the best of futurists or Magic 8 ball-shaking psychics could have predicted the year that was 2020. And yet while we may have missed the biggest news, our predictions for what would occur in the tech world held up decently. (OK, fine, we didnt think Quibi would die that quickly.)

Now, 2020 has become the lens through which all our 2021 predictions are glimpsed. As we continue to live in a pandemic-fighting world, innovators will aim tech solutions at our personal and professional lives, from at-home streaming movie debuts to an overdue evolutionary leap of the laptop. But we will also strive to reach a new normal, and youll see technology helping us there, too, from new hybrid work practices to high-tech masks. And accompanying each new product or service: yet another monthly subscription fee.

Now that weve rung in the new year, heres what to look for.

Masks, webcams and sanitizers for our bodies... and our gadgets. The pandemic sparked a reliance on things our 2019 selves couldnt ever have imagined. With marketers keen to capitalize on the new interest (and anxiety), 2021 will likely be full of new gizmos that boldly promise to improve it all.

One key area: better webcams for our constant video calling. Samsung has already announced that its forthcoming Galaxy smartphone, expected in early 2021, will improve video recording and calling. We anticipate laptop makers will do the same and finally ditch their crappy, low-resolution webcams.

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Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2021 - The Wall Street Journal