Found This Week #15

Photo Of The Week

This week, I travelled with my new wife on the first leg of our honeymoon to London. We’ve been many times before but the sights, sounds and buzz of London is always enjoyable. Blue skies and nice weather help also :-)

Ion Quantum Computing Module

Researchers at the University of Maryland have created a quantum computing module which combines hardware and software into a quantum computing module using programmable ions acting as a 5 qubit quantum computer with a 90% success rate.

First Human CRISPR Trial

The first human CRISPR trial has received ethical approval in China. The trial aims to modify genes that enable an aggressive immune response by lung cancer cells. The trial aims to first test the viability of the approach first with one patient before expanding to ten patients. (Check out Found This Week #11 for more information about CRISPR).

LIDAR On A Chip

LIDAR stands for light detection and ranging and is a much more precise scanning technology than radar. Current high-end LIDAR systems cost between $1,000 & $70,000. Researchers at MIT and DARPA have created a LIDAR chip that costs $10. Mapping 3D space in such a small form factor will allow advances in robotics such allowing a robot hand to precisely scan an object to pick up.

Lessons In VR Content Creation

Sky TV have been experimenting with creating engaging VR sport content such as behind the scenes boxing, Tour de France and Formula 1 VR experiences. This Digiday article lists the lessons they have learnt about how best to create VR content, which include directing the shoot like a theatre production, use proximity as the main attraction and how, at the moment, short form works best.

On a related note, the creators of the Doom VR demo have invented a novel way to mitigate the motion sickness effect of fast movement within VR. By combining bullet time with portal transportation, the VR “player” can move quickly around the game but also slow down and control the speed of the traversal, allowing for some cool interaction while at the same time managing the risk of motion sickness.

Lost Boys Hook 25th Reunion

For those of us that wore out the Hook VHS tape from repeated viewings and know all the words of dialogue to Hook, this may be of interest :-)

The production company 22 Vision, which specialises in movie reunion photoshoots has gathered the actors that played the Lost Boys in Hook to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film’s release. Check out all the photos on the 22 Vision facebook page.

Adapting to a GF Diet

Munster Rugby published a great article about adapting to a Gluten Free diet for athletes, which also applies to us normal people. Although there seems to be no direct benefit (unless you have a gluten intolerance or allergy), the switch to a GF diet generally means switching to a whole food diet also, which is of benefit provided one continues to follow a balanced diet. From my experience, the danger is with some GF free products, which are just processed foods and not that healthy despite being marketed as such.

How Will We Adapt to Self Driving Cars?

This great backchannel article describes some of the practical issues society will face during the transition to autonomous vehicles (AVs). Issues such as congestion, driver unemployment, and tax revenue loss are all discussed. It goes on to describe the changes needed in taxation and how we view unemployment, including how universal basic income will be needed in a world where machines do most of the work. While this change may seem shocking to a traditional employment and transport mindset, planning for and taking advantage of this shift now will yield advantages for everyone.

On a similar note, in his new book The Inevitable, Kevin Kelly describes a future where ownership of vehicles will not be the priority and we will all rent time in a fleet of AVs that are constantly travelling. (I’ll post a book review in a few weeks when I finish The Inevitable). This future is not hard to perceive, Spotify has succeeded with this in the music industry.

How Feasible Is Interstellar Travel?

Assuming warp drive is out of our reach, there are a number of semi-feasible methods that would enable the human race to achieve interstellar travel. These methods, such as nuclear based propulsion, colony ships, suspended animation and embryo cryogenics will be familiar to most sci-fi fans, but this Discover Magazine article describes the practical implications of each and how feasible they are at the moment.

Thought Of The Week: Fixed Vs Growth Mindset

This excellent Brain Pickings article compares a fixed mindset with a growth mindset. It defines a mindset as an interpretive process that tells us what is going on around us. A fixed mindset is one full of constant judgment and evaluation whereas a growth mindset is one full of learning and constructive action.

Regular readers of this blog may recognise this topic from my thought of the week about recognising your inner narrative in Found This Week #10. I continue to work at cultivating my growth mindset and attempt to move away from the fixed mindset of my youth, which at times is difficult but I believe the advantages outweigh the effort. The article describes the advantages of a growth mindset based on research conducted by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, which include the increased capacity for accomplishment and achievement, a higher sense of free will, and ultimately happiness.

Cool Thing Of The Week: Tesla’s GigaFactory

This Quartz article takes us behind the doors of the WIP Tesla Gigafactory. The factory is currently 14% complete and they are already laying the foundations for horizontal expansion wings and vertical expansion floors. The factory aims to produce 35 gigawatt hours of lithium ion batteries each year by 2018.

See you next week :-)