Human colony on Mars 'will make the world a better place'

Teach children to type rather than write, accept that mankind has lost the battle to halt global warming, and establish a colony on Mars for when Earth becomes uninhabitable.

Establish a colony on Mars for when Earth becomes uninhabitable.

These are just some of the ideas proposed by a panel of eminent scientists and intellectuals asked to come up with ways of making the world a better place.

Their suggestions paint a bleak picture of humanity's current plight on a planet cursed by environmental destruction, unequal health care and the money-orientated selfishness of the Western world.

But the thinkers including Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and prominent atheist, Margaret Atwood, the author, and Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin entrepreneur, do find grounds for hope – even if some of the proposals collected by New Scientist magazine sound a little far-fetched.

While Prof Dawkins urges everyone "think like scientists" and Atwood calls for a ban on bottom trawling – a damaging type of fishing – many of their fellow contributors are more ambitious.

"We should establish a self-supporting colony on Mars," suggests J Richard Gott, professor of astrophysical sciences as Princeton University in the US.

"That would make us a two-planet species and improve our long-term survival prospects by giving us two chances instead of one."

As one might expect, his belief in the species-saving potential of space exploration is echoed by Sir Richard, whose Virgin Galactic company plans to offer orbital flight for paying passengers.

"If we are going to survive as a civilisation we need low energy and environmental access to space on an industrial scale," he told the magazine.

Environmental scientists Wallace Broecker, who coined the term "global warming", and James Lovelock, who invented the Gaia theory that the planet behaves like a living organism, agree that urging consumers to reduce their carbon consumption is now not enough to save the world.

Prof Broecker urges greater research into methods of removing CO2 from the atmosphere, while Lovelock says we must begin preparing for a warmer planet. "Our best course of action is to spend at least as much effort adapting to global heating as in attempts to slow or stop it happening," he says.

Many of the experts call for swift action to improve education and health standards in the developing world.

Max Tegmark, a cosmologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that radical changes to the curriculum are necessary to prepare children for a hi-tech future: "for youngsters, learning a global language and typing should trump long division and writing cursive".

Jimmy Wales, the founder of free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, argues that the world will only become a better place when people learn to confront their own prejudices, challenging everyone to spend a month immersing themselves in books and websites opposed to their own world view. "You may find that you were mistaken. And if it turns out that you were right, so much the better."

One of the few voices of optimism in the cacophony of doomsday warnings comes from Elon Musk, the US entrepreneur behind PayPal, the online payment system. His recipe for a better world? Look on the bright side of live, and appreciate your good fortune.

The Shattered World Of 2050 Glows With Unearthly Beauty

The sands of a renewed desert claim the remains of Las Vegas in 2050. It's not a still fromResident Evil 3, it's one of the terrifying future visions from The Age Of Stupid, a new environmental docudrama. Gallery below.

British movie The Age Of Stupid, which opens worldwide in September, takes place in 2050, when environmental catastrophes have overtaken the Earth. One of the poor benighted residents of that future dystopia watches footage of people from 2008 arguing about the environment, and wonders how we could have been such idiots. Here's some more gorgeous future disaster art, including a factory farming complex that could be an evil laboratory from a space-horror film:

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[Age Of Stupid via Civilianism]

Timetranslator delivers world times to your mobile phone

With mobile phone calls become more and more affordable, many people use them to dial internationally. This then begs the question: what time is it there? The Timetranslator is a software solution converts numbers in your phone into the local time at the destination being called.

Compatible with smartphone technology running on Windows CE 5.0 and CE 6, Timetranslator converts all of your dialed phone numbers and saved numbers in your contact list. The software can be downloaded to a smartphone through a PC using an active sync program and once installed the program works independently of the Internet. By simply dialing a number (using the appropriate IDD number for your country, 00 or 011 for most countries or the + sign for all countries, followed by the country code and number), and pressing call or send you will be prompted to press “5” within a 3 second window. At this point the call is paused and the time at your call destination will be displayed. If the time is right for connecting, you press “call” to connect or “end” to disconnect. If “5” is not pressed within a 3 second window, the call will automatically connect without displaying the time.

The program also works for showing time for calls within North America, but users need to dial the 1 before the area code and number to get the prompt. The call is then paused and a visual of the local time appears on screen. It should be noted that calling mobile phones that are outside of their home time zone will not return a proper time result as the software does not know that the phone is roaming elsewhere.

A 30 day trial version is available free of charge from the Timetranslator website, or you can purchase the full version for USD$9.99.

The future of the human-computer interface

A new Australian research facility called the Visual Information Access Room (VIAR) is at the forefront of the coming revolution in human-digital interaction. The current keyboard, mouse and screen configuration will soon be replaced by digital interfaces that utilise touch, gesture and voice control and seek to integrate seamlessly into our environment. Launched by the National ICT Australia (NICTA), the Sydney laboratory looks like a futuristic office, but is in fact a test facility where sophisticated 3D models of complex systems and innovative ways to interact with complex data quickly will be developed.

Speaking at the official launch of the VIAR, NICTA's Chairman Mr Neville Roach AO said, "The world is overloaded with data. Accessing meaningful information from large data sets is becoming increasingly difficult.

"NICTA is addressing the scientific and social challenges associated with processing vast amounts of data through its use-inspired research approach to developing solutions. The economic significance of meeting this challenge is enormous, and is the driving force behind our Interfaces Machines And Graphic Environments (IMAGEN) research program."

Professor Peter Eades, NICTA Program Leader for the IMAGEN Program, said, "To derive meaningful knowledge from the data generated in the digital information age we have to change the way we interact with the information. "Presently, we access information services using a mouse, a keyboard, and a screen. In the future, we will access information through the everyday objects around us. The walls of our homes will become our screens, the arms of our armchairs will be input devices, and we will operate equipment with winks and nods. Through VIAR we are exploring a new world."

At the launch, NICTA researchers demonstrated a traffic management system where critical incident control room operators can use voice and hand gestures to rapidly call up maps, live camera feeds and other information. Operators can thus coordinate emergency responses to car accidents with the nearest police and ambulance services, all without touching the wall-sized display screen or a keyboard or mouse.

The researchers predict that such technology will provide applications where there is a requirement for quicker response times, improved accuracy of human intention, and much higher ease-of-use interfaces.

"Currently, applications read either a human gesture or use speech recognition. Through the use of signal processing and new complex algorithms we are able to fuse the recognition of the physical gestures and the voice recognition to obtain a much higher accuracy rate." said Professor Eades.

The VIAR incorporates multiple display surfaces and novel interaction devices. Some displays allow active participation by one user while others encourage collaboration between multiple users at remote locations. Others display a variety of information in a subtle yet interesting format. Some information displays take the form of smart wallpaper, presenting information on multiple interactive surfaces via computer projection.

Some of the current projects include:

VI Ball

NICTA views information displays as being an important part of transferring data to knowledge. Part of investigating such displays is challenging the traditional computer monitor with mouse and keyboard interface by looking for other methods to provide information and interface. The VIBall is a spherical display that looks at trying to adapt a display to the data structure, rather than trying to fit the data structure to a display. Because of the properties of a sphere, such a surface can have advantages displaying some types of information visualisations. The physically rotatable interface also aims to investigate more natural interactions with the display surface.

Phantom

The human body has five senses, yet information displays are still often utilising only sight and sound to provide feedback to a user. By using a Phantom Desktop haptic device, NICTA is hoping to add a sense of feeling to information displays. By utilising more of the body's natural senses, NICTA hopes to increase the Human-Computer 'bandwidth' so that users can more effectively interact with, and understand the data presented to them.

Geomi

Geomi (Geometry for Maximum Insight) is a visual analytic tool being developed by NICTA for the visualisation and analysis of large and complex networks such as social and biological systems. Such visual analytic tools involve taking advantage of the graphics capabilities of computers to support analysis of the structures of the networks. Using Geomi users can visually explore these networks and hopefully discover patterns and trends that can provide critical insights. Geomi is at the cutting edge of a new generation of visual analytic tools combining network visualisation techniques with network analysis methods.

Future Ships – R/V Aurora Borealis

The most technologically advanced drillship in the world is not on lovaton in the gulf of mexico or in a Korean shipyard. Actually it’s not even built yet. Meet the Aurora Borealis, a dynamically positioned, drillship/icebreaker, arctic research vessel designed for the European Union. The official website tells us;

The Research Icebreaker AURORA BOREALIS will be the most advanced Polar Research Vessel in the world with a multi-functional role of drilling in deep ocean basins and supporting climate/environmental research for the next 40 years.

The new technological features will include azimuth propulsion systems, satellite navigation, ice-management support, deep-sea drilling under a closed sea-ice cover and the deployment and operation of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) from one of the two moon-pools.

The unique feature of the vessel is the drilling rig, which will enable sampling of the ocean floor down to 5000 m water depth and with 1000 m penetration into the seafloor at the most inhospitable places on earth. The drilling capability will be deployed in both polar regions and AURORA BOREALIS will be the only vessel worldwide to undertake this type of scientific investigation.

Technical Details:

• Powerful icebreaker with ca. 55 MW (diesel-electric)
• Highest classification for icebreakers
• Twin hull
• Two moon pools 7 x 7 m each
• Dynamic Positioning System
• Deep-sea drilling under a closed sea-ice cover
• Drilling rig: max. 5,000 m water depth and 1,000 m core
• Riserless drilling technology
• Modularized mobile laboratory systems – mission specific laboratories
Length over all ca. 180 m | Beam ca. 40 m | Personnel (crew + scientists) 120 | Expedition duration 60 days.

For more information on the Aurora Borealis visit the official website HERE or download the presentation HERE. For the oceanography geeks a more detailed study can be foundHERE.

UPDATE: The BBC has just run an excellent article on this vessel which can be foundHERE.

One Vision of Future Human Evolution

We find in much of the literature about the future of human evolution that while there are many predictions about enhancing the uniqueness of future individuals, there is a surprising tendency to envision a rather homogeneous evolutionary path for the human species. We see in this literature advances in technological and scientific disciplines extrapolated to the nth degree and applied to the human race in a wholesale fashion, and discussed in terms of their immediate social implications. We see a different, longer-term vision. We believe that diversity is the future of the humankind. We do not strive for this as a goal so much as we recognize it as a natural outgrowth of existing human nature, advancing technology enabling the acceleration of the evolutionary process, and our soon-to-be-achieved ability to spread beyond the confines of Cradle Earth.

All of the technological themes represented on this website are central to our diversified vision of human evolution. But it is human nature that will dictate how this technology is harnessed and applied to our species. Genetic engineering will be the first of the human advancement sciences to see practical deployment. The 21st century will be marked by the typical protests that accompany new technology along with the associated predictions of doom and the demise of society as we know it. Motivated self interest will prevail and research will continue despite attempts to ban germline genetic engineering. Some human experiments will fail renewing with vigor the religious, moral, and ethical arguments, but enough will succeed such that over the next 100 years we can predictable alter genetic traits to increase longevity, prevent disease, improve intelligence, and promote other characteristics desired by the decision making authority (research teams, foundations, governments, parents, eccentric millionaires, etc.). Some factions of society will categorically reject any genetic manipulation, even for the screening and elimination of 'preventable' genetic disorders.

With respect to the successful genetic exercises, we believe the terms "positive", "negative", "good", and "bad" are only applicable within the framework of today's cultural norms. Individuals with enhanced intelligence who are also perceived as being equipped with the faculties necessary to relate to the rest of society (i.e. possessing empathy, compassion, etc.) will be accepted and will most likely excel and propagate. Those possessing specialized traits (such as mathematical genius or unique physical characteristics) which are valued but whose overall personality and form are not viewed as socially acceptable because recognizable socially acceptable traits are absent or skewed, will not mix their genes to any great extent with the general population. These types of individuals may well coalesce into a social strata and begin to form the basis of a first new cospecies.

If during this next 100 years sufficient advances are not made in space colonization initiatives, growing diverseness in genetically differentiated races and the corresponding social dynamics created by evolutionary acceleration may well provide the impetus. The intelligence unlocked through the genetic engineering process and advances in AI may contribute to the needed scientific advances in physics necessary to make interstellar travel more accessible. Just as those seeking religious freedom or the escape from persecution fled the shores of Europe, analogous groups will seek the shores of distant stars. Genetic manipulation will allow for greater longevity and specialization both for the journey as well as the destinations.

Separate societies will evolve, political ideologies and social orders unique to the members' modified genetic characteristics and space-faring mentality will form. Speciation will occur. Branches of homo sapiens will evolve into being or be created in one generation for specific galactic conditions. Some will flourish, some will become extinct, their remains to be found millennia later by humanoid archeologists who will attempt to create a fossil record of our expansion.

At some point in the not too distant future, the promise of true, sentient Artificial Intelligence will come to fruition. Some of these sentient beings will choose to accompany humanoids on their journey. Some will seek their own path in the universe. There likely will be no doomsday, servant enslaving master scenario played out. Conflicting motivations and competing for limited resources will be archaic notions in this era thanks to the ability of nanotechnology to create sustenance from inorganic matter and valued items from refuse. Circuitry will become sufficiently complex to mirror the humanoid brain, and biological augmentation will be commonplace. Perhaps the entire download of the mind will be accomplished. But however widespread, it will not become the universal model for our species. There will be no universal model. There will be thousands, perhaps millions of variations of our current form spread throughout the galaxy and beyond. This is the future of human evolution, if we can avoid a single catastrophic event to prevent any future at all.

Cruise Ships of the Not Too Distant Future

Is the cruise industry trying to resuscitate its image? The old adage that cruise goers are either, newlywed, nearly dead or over fed is no longer accurate with the creation of the mega liner. In the next eighteen months, over 28 new ships will see their maiden voyage, each with new and improved features and several new-to-cruise-ship amenities. Even the older ships are being refitted with waterslides, adults-only serenity spaces, and nightclubs that push the limits; all pointing to a reinvention of the cruise ship image.

Six of the leading cruise ship lines are vying for the top dog position in mega liners:

Royal Caribbean

The Oasis of the Seas will be the world’s largest ship when it launches

The Oasis of the Seas hosts its inaugural sailing December 2009. What more can I say, but spectacular? Royal Caribbean has outdone itself with this innovative addition to its line. The ship features seven unique neighborhoods each with amenities that wow their guests. The Sports deck has two flow riders for travelers to try out surfing, a zip line across the Boardwalk, a basketball / volleyball court, mini-golf, an aqua park for families, sports pool for laps, the beach pool with a sloped entry, the main pool, 10 whirlpools, plus the tranquil Solarium for adults to relax.

The staterooms are to die for as well, anything from a standard stateroom to two-story loft sky suites are available. Balconies opening to the sea as well as over the Boardwalk expand their balcony staterooms options.

The Rising Tide Bar is another exemplary feature as the bar slowly transitions from the Royal Promenade inside, to the Central Park deck, which is outside. The Oasis itinerary alternates from a Western to an Eastern Caribbean trip leaving out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The second ship in this class, the Allure of the Seas will launch in 2010.

Celebrity

The Equinox’s lawn club will feature real grass

Celebrity’s Equinox will sail the summer of 2009. The Equinox is a sister ship to the Solstice which set sail in late 2008. Their featured lawn club offers a chance to sail the open seas with grass under foot. In an attempt to recreate the country club atmosphere, Celebrity is growing its own lawn and playing yard games on it top deck, patio included. Also check out the glass blowing show! This is a first ever for a cruise line, Corning Museum of Glass hosts enrichment opportunities as a team of glass blowers amaze audiences with their mesmerizing show, creating works of art for all to see.

If a spa setting is more your speed, you can venture out in one of the Aquaspa Veranda staterooms. Special wellness programming, access to the Aquaspa relaxation room and Persian garden, VIP invitations to events are just a few of the amenities offered in these luxurious staterooms. The Equinox will home port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after cruising around Europe starting July 2009. The third ship in this class, the Celebrity Eclipse will launch in 2010.

Carnival

The Lido deck on The Dream will look a lot like this

Carnival is launching the DreamOctober of 2009. The Cove Balconies will be the newest and coolest feature onboard. These balconies will be the closest to the water line providing exceptional views, so close that in case of rough seas, a crew member will close the weather doors on the balcony to prevent water from coming in! If families are interested in traveling in the same suite, staterooms accommodating up to five guests are now available.

On the Promenade deck, travelers can walk a full half-mile in the open air and check out the four whirlpools overhanging the ocean. The Ocean Plaza is an impressive indoor/ outdoor area with live music, a coffee and chocolate bar and dare I say, an ice cream parlor. The Dream will call Port Canaveral, Florida home. The Dream’s sister ship, Magic will launch in 2011.

Norwegian Cruise Line

In a titanic-sized irony, this ship will have an ice bar

The NCL Epic will set sail in May 2010. Did someone say ice please? The Epic has the one and only ice bar afloat. Just like the Scandinavian hotels and super posh ice bars NCL has created a chilly (nothing higher than 17 degrees Fahrenheit) and way cool bar where the guests will don fur coats, gloves, and hats to enjoy the bar’s northern lights show and sip their favorite beverage.

The outside staterooms, all 1,415 of them are balcony rooms. Their new design is very sleek and very modern in a wave shape. The walls curve and flow… totally bizarre, but very chic! Most of their public spaces are multipurpose; during the day a pool, and at night it becomes a dance floor. Their exclusive POSH Beach club starts the morning with yoga as you watch the sunrise, midmorning the POSH Rehab starts with Salty Dogs, Bloody Mary’s, and Mimosas to recover from the evening before. Afternoon brings on the funky beach music and spiked sno-cones, evening brings a true Riviera style party; dancing under the stars, lounging on POSH beds all while enjoying drinks on silver tray service. The Epic will start her service from Miami, Florida.

Costa Cruises

This ship will have its own recording studio

Costa Cruises will actually launch two ships this season in June of 2009, the Pacifica, which fits into the mega liner class, and the Luminosa, which is an extreme luxury class vessel.

The Pacifica, being launched as Costa’s newest flagship, has a music theme; to emphasize this theme, it has its own recording studio where you can create your own trip CD. Moreover, Costa has made arrangements with Sony to put a Playstation (PS3) in each cabin and offer up Playstation nights on the mega screen by the pool… Singstar or Buzz (quiz game) anyone? If you aren’t into singing or quiz games, you can also take advantage of its full-size Grand Prix racecar driving simulator.

Like its sister ships the Concordia and the Serena, the Pacifica will include the Asian inspired Samsara spa complex. Pacifica will sail from Civitavecchia / Rome, Italy throughout the summer 2009 season.

Out of the 1,130 cabins aboard the Luminosa, 772 are Veranda cabins, boasting the largest number of private balconies in her fleet. The Luminosa has all of the standard features found on the Costa line, the Samsara spa, mega screen and PS3 consoles in staterooms. In addition, you will find a top of the line golf simulator as well as putting greens and a jogging / rollerblading path on the outdoor spaces. Her homeport will be Amsterdam starting summer of 2009 with itineraries to the Baltic States and the Norwegian Fjords lasting 11 to 14 nights.

MSC

The future looks relaxing on the Fantasia

The MSC’s Fantasia, the largest ship ever built by a European ship owner set sail December 2008. She embodies pure elegance with luxury amenities at every turn. She is being touted as the most beautiful ship in the world.

The Fantasia’s Yacht Club is the most lavish VIP treatment offered by a cruise line. The outstanding service you receive as a “Yacht Club” member starts at check-in, which takes place in a reserved area directly on the ship. One of their highly trained butlers explains all of the exclusive amenities available in addition to conducting a private tour of the area. Not only do you have access to the spa, private pool, the Top Sail Lounge, and a complimentary mini-bar, the newspaper of your choice can be delivered to your suite every morning. How is that for exceptional service?

The Fantasia also caters to families with an acquapark with 150 fountains in sync with lights and music, a 4-D interactive theater, Formula 1 racing simulator and a teen disco.

Concerned about the environment? MSC proudly boasts the title of ECO ship on its three newest vessels. Everything from water treatment processes to savings in energy and protecting the environment have played a part in the design of the MSC ships. The Fantasia sails from Barcelona, Italy.

The Splendida will launch in the summer of 2009 and the Magnifica will set sail in 2010.