George Rebane

Solar Power Will Rule in 20 Years:  So say a panel of experts and futurists who see the confluence of two of the big three ‘Singularity technologies’ bringing about this milestone in human history.  Ray Kurzweil pointed out that the sun bathes us with 10,000 times more energy than all of us can use, and it will be the rapid advances in nanotechnology and machine intelligence which will make harvesting this energy possible at an ever increasing rate.  Investors, prepare for a massive sector shift.  Activists, don’t screw things up by pushing the dufuses in Congress to hinder this through the joys of socialism.  More here.

Desktop box outdoes medicos on another task.  AI is advancing so fast that every month new applications in diagnostics, prognostication, and treatment design are being developed that out-test human physicians.  These are quietly being incorporated into the healthcare industry.  The future here looks very bright and soon we may even see the death rate from medical mistakes start going down (now almost 100,000/year, but don’t tell anybody), and perhaps, just perhaps, the lawyers and lawmakers (same crowd) will allow healthcare costs to follow suit.  Here is the latest on an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Hello ‘Matrix’, Goodbye Outdoors:  Since 1987 outdoor activities such as camping and hunting have been declining in America.  We like to have our fun more virtually than put up with all those pesky insects, blisters on feet, and poison whatever on our skin.  As the realism of computerized games, worlds, and, yes, even athletics improves, we may have to start closing all those national and state parks, monuments, and forests.  Why drive for hours, stand in line, and then stand shoulder-to-shoulder looking over the edge at the Grand Canyon when you can sit comfortably and pilot your own flyer (F-22, car, helo, …) through and over that beautiful piece of erosion while listening to your favorite music?  Have you picked out the color motif of your personal cacoon yet?  More on this changing mood here.