• The Environment

    Farming in the Sky

    By Cliff Kuang Posted on 10.16.2008 33 Comments

    9.4.2008 at 04:19pm - Comment by mazingercomics

    Ladies and gentlemen, This is so brilliant, i could not imagine our government allowing it to happen. If this could improve the world, we probably won't see it come to fruition until half of America is dead from starvation. Maybe then someone will notice the pile of corpses and come to the conclusion Soylent Green is a viable option.

  • Science

    Could Robot Aliens Exist?

    By Posted on 8.19.2008 12 Comments

    The existence of a race of sentient alien robots might be not just possible, but inevitable. In fact, we might be living in a "postbiological universe" right now, in which intelligent extraterrestrials somewhere have exchanged organic brains for artificial ones. The driving factor is a pragmatic desire to improve mental capacity. Alien beings may have already reached a point in their evolution where, having exhausted the potential of their biological brains, they have taken the next logical step and opted for robotic brains equipped with artificial intelligence.

    8.30.2008 at 02:16pm - Comment by mazingercomics

    Who is that guy callin a "meathead". Why do we always think that a higher intelligence would find us unimportant or uninteresting. Even if our machines became a billion years advanced, i think with utmost certainty that we would still be relevant to them. I see people who range from five year of age to ninety five, who are completely absorbed with long-extinct dinosaurs. Now could alien robots exist? Sure, but i get the vibe this always comes back to the justification of why we don't see the proof of major happenings goin on out there in the cosmos. Personally i feel that most mainstream scientists as well as the public focus on what is right in front of them. Some of us consider that the reason its so quiet out there is because there maybe far more efficient modes of existence, points of reality where manufacturing and data acquisition may be instantaneous, existence beyond what we can observe at present. The best part, none of this has to do with alien robots. If this kind of thinking appeals to you check out Justina Robson's - Natural History Robert Charles Wilson - Bios The concerns of transferring consciousness from organic to non-organic systems is really redundant. As the wise Buckaroo Banzai once said, "no matter where you go, there you are".

  • Science

    Readers Ask: Where Are Our Mechs?

    By Posted on 8.29.2008 19 Comments

    Reader Nathan asks: "Do you think we'll ever be able to build robot mecha like the Gundams from the Japanese anime series Gundam or the Valkyries from the Japanese anime series Macross?" The comment box is open. Practical? Plausible? What are the obstacles? Submit your science and technology questions to fyi@popsci.com.

    8.30.2008 at 12:14pm - Comment by mazingercomics

    I have to say that really big mechs are out. If you look at all this Quantum technology research and the patents on Q-bits that the military is purchasing. All this big external clunky hardwire is going to be a thing of the past within 25 years. Everything is going to shape shift or transform. The standard deployed tactical unit will be "The Power Rangers".



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