Diet (food preparation and preservation)

The rise of the quanitified self

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 11/06/2014 - 13:25

Two minute video providing a view into the idea behind the "quantified self" movement and the benefits for humanity by collecting a massive database of health data.

Grossout (nasty fun with 3D food printing)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 10/31/2014 - 13:00

Each printed meal offered four bites per player. When you were targeted, you had to eat two bites and hold it down for one whole minute and then eat the last two bites before another minute had passed. Some items were so nasty the minute made the player realize he never wanted to eat the stuff again and then couldn't wolf it down before the rest of the time ran out - even if they were willing to try!

Soft Apocalypse

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 10:53

As atmospheric carbon rises towards 450 units per million and the pitch of climatologists reach higher levels of alarm, Soft Apocalypse offers a worst-case scenario of what a slow collapse of society might look like from the inside. Where McIntosh's Bridesicle/Love Minus 80 revolved around a misuse of life-saving technology, Soft Apocalypse is an avalanche of Hell unleashed on our planet. It is futurehorror without a Freddy or Michael, where the bad guys numbered in billions around the globe. Many of them bad guys who live among us today, but who haven't been forced to show their true natures as long as the distractions of civilization keep them in check.

This story could easily be the world outside as everything unraveled in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Watching the slow collapse of society through Jasper's narrative, we see humanity returning to its fierce roots as the veneer of civilization is slowly stripped away. Soft Apocalypse is a message you live through as you read it.

Futurepath: 3D printing

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Sat, 10/11/2014 - 21:29

3d printer setup If you pay any attention to the tech world, you realize 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is the next big thing as dozens of startups are racing to get their product to market ahead of the competition. Everything from toys to guns, shoes to pizza - there are printers being developed to print anything we buy.

Surrogates (Graphic novel and 2009 film)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 08/06/2014 - 11:08

The Surrogates is a 2005 comic series that explored a future society where humans control robots from the comfort and safety of their own homes. These robots provide what appears to be perfect telepresence by connecting the owners to the outside world - without risk to their physical bodies.

The series was made into a motion picture in 2009, titled Surrogates, with a slightly altered storyline in which humans can be killed through through the Surrogate interface. In both works, investigators (police in the graphic novels and FBI agents in the film) attempt to solve a series of crimes involving attacks on surrogates, with the investigation taking them deep into societal issues between a modern world and a militant group who refuses to interact with surrogates.

They are both engaging stories exploring extreme telepresence and the positives and negatives that come with the technology. The graphic novels are thoughtful and very well written with a lot of believability. The film is science fiction as an action film, though Surrogates takes time to explore additional elements not included in the graphic novels, adding to the plot and in the background of the main storyline. It's an intelligent movie behind the gunshots and car chases.

Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 07/11/2014 - 11:15

In Abundance, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler present trends taking us towards a better future - one in which individual needs are met on a global scale. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a foundation, they explore technology will find ways to improve efficiency by fostering cooperation, providing access to clean water, producing enough food for a planet of nine billion, and even enabling equality as limitations dissipate.

Many projections offer a future half empty. Here, we get a lesson on how our biases enable close tracking of negative trends, whether serious, global issues or personal issues threatening a comfortable ideal we would not wish to give up. Yet, data show the world is improving. As an example, Bill Gates' annual letter from this past January presents how effective support of poor economies is stabilizing population, improving health, and helping develop economies capable of supporting human rights and freedom.

The point of Abundance is that we can both thrive as a race, free of draconian measures to tame our needs, and solve our problems going forward, using new methods and technologies to empower humanity. Why settle for half empty or half full, when the future can be filled to the brim?

The Martian

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 05/16/2014 - 10:33

A Martian storm forces Mark Watney's crew to end their mission just a few days into their 31 days on Mars. Separated from his crew, Watney is left behind to find ways to survive with slim hope of a rescue. An engaging novel from page one, The Martian provides detailed engineering and scientific realities as Watney, a botanist and engineer, overcomes a range of issues in his quest to survive as the lone occupant of the planet.

I'll make no bones about it, The Martian is the best novel I've read in years. Weir picks up right at the beginning of Watney's realization his crew has abandoned him, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. In addition to Watney's perspective, he includes the workings and politics of NASA, and presents a world where all of Earth is rooting for one of our own stranded alone. Weaving it all together offers the reader a roller coaster full of science and engineering that will teach as much as it entertains.

Futurepath: human food sources and preparation

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 04/25/2014 - 13:00

Diet pyramid Food is one of our most basic needs, yet it represents culture, history, and individuality through our choices. Furthering our individuality, each person has medical and gastronomical limitations that add another layer of complexity to how we select what we eat. As such, it is a multilayered issue when you look at the future of food and how we might raise and prepare our food, with perhaps consumption being the only practice set in stone (unless they find a way for us to inhale our food, which doesn't sound very interesting to me).

In this futurepath, we'll look at the history of the human diet, current research on eating practices, and current food issues in order to identify how our food culture might change in the future.

Fresh, Handmade, and Printed

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 04/25/2014 - 12:35

A burrito Gabe set her tortilla on the printer bed and shut the door. Ready to build the burrito, several systems came online at once. The printer began to heat the tortilla while printing the artificial chicken from proteins and dehydrated chicken broth directly on the bread. Another system prepared the rice, force hydrating each kernel with a mixture designed to taste like cilantro and lime. The kidney beans were printed around the chicken once those protein pieces were completed and warming. The guacamole was a special selection, frozen in small dots and extruded through a tube from the freezer. The cheese, given Jenn's issues with dairy, was printed from a non-dairy material.

Is this accurate of our past and, if so, should it define our future?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 03/20/2014 - 15:39

Man on trash mountainMan by Steve Cutts is a visceral animation depicting the history of mankind...ahem...bleeding into a possible view of our future. He focuses on our destructive nature, highlighting choices we've made some find cruel and wasteful and leading towards a demise by...well, you can see the ending yourself. Just 3:35 and worth the time.