Go Anywhere On Earth In Under An Hour For The Price Of An Economy Air Ticket

Apart from the technical feasibility, I wonder about the energy usage and environmental cost:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elon-musk-bfr-travel_us_59cddc0ae4b05f005d33550a

Is the Whole Brain Inside a Big, Previously Unnoticed Neuron?

Something else to try reproducing with computer technology:

http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/is-the-whole-brain-inside-a-big-previously-unnoticed-neuron

How Close Is Turing’s Dream of Conversational Machines?

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/27/how-close-is-turings-dream-of-conversational-machines/

Researchers Develop Wearable Solar Thermoelectric Generator

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2017/9/27/researchers-develop-wearable-solar-thermoelectric-generator/

EasyJet says it could be flying electric planes within a decade

I'll bet they have switchable batteries:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/27/easyjet-electric-planes-wright-electric-flights

Dyson to make electric cars from 2020

Yet another hat in the ring. No details yet, though. But if they make the car like their vacuums, it'll really suck!

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41399497

Liz Parrish Is Patient Zero in Her Own Anti-Aging Experiment

She's putting her money where her mouth is, and I look forward to seeing the results:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2016/04/29/liz-parrish-is-an-ceo-and-patient-zero/#.WcwECGhSwaY

Dubai Says They Successfully Tested the First Autonomous Flying Taxi

https://futurism.com/dubai-says-they-successfully-tested-the-first-autonomous-flying-taxi/

New Simple Device Uses Sound Waves to Store Quantum Information

Gettin' weirder:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-simple-device-uses-sound-waves-to-store-quantum-information/

Researchers Claim They Just Invented The “Ultimate” Method for Quantum Computing

If increasing the number of cubits exponentially increases the processing power, then this would be insane:

https://futurism.com/researchers-claim-they-just-invented-the-ultimate-method-for-quantum-computing/

One of China’s Supercomputers Has Nearly Doubled its Power

I don't like China being in the lead on this:

https://futurism.com/one-of-chinas-supercomputers-has-nearly-doubled-its-power/

Physicists Just Quantum Teleported Complex Light Patterns For The First Time

https://futurism.com/physicists-just-quantum-teleported-complex-light-patterns-for-the-first-time/

This Robot Can be Controlled from Thousands of Miles Away

Waldos are growing up! I'm surprised the system doesn't use a glove to match hand motions exactly, though. But it's clear that this is how Russia is going to attack Germany remotely:

https://futurism.com/videos/this-robot-can-be-controlled-from-thousands-of-miles-away/

A Chinese Robot Has Performed the World's First Automated Dental Implant

And so goes the beginning of the end of the surgeon:

http://time.com/4952886/china-world-first-dental-surgery-robot-implant/

Nina Unlocked: A Robot Assassin Goes on a Quest of Self-Discovery

An interesting A.I. robot assassin interview story (low budget yet with some excellent F/X. Well, one):

https://youtu.be/jgfzlc6ymKU

Scientists remove one of the final barriers to making lifelike robots

Three times stronger than human muscle:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/scientists-remove-one-of-the-final-barriers-to-making-lifelike-robots

World's first 'molecular robot' capable of building molecules

Here we go!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170920131744.htm

New system allows near-zero-power sensors to communicate data over long distances

http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-system-allows-near-zero-power-sensors-to-communicate-data-over-long-distances

Imagine how great universities could be without all those human teachers

https://qz.com/1065818/ai-university/

Researchers charge the energy landscape with novel device

Bonus: This is an energy generating device that improves with use:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2017/9/20/researchers-charge-the-energy-landscape-with-novel-device/

Scientists Demonstrate Efficient, Light-Powered Production of Fuel via Artificial Photosynthesis

This not only creates fuel, but reduces CO2 levels as well (although I've no idea whether it's enough to have an effect):

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-demonstrate-efficient-light-powered-production-of-fuel-via-artificial-photosynthesis/

A Material That Throws Heat into Space Could Soon Reinvent Air-Conditioning

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608840/a-material-that-throws-heat-into-space-could-soon-reinvent-air-conditioning/

China Signed a $300 Million Lab-Grown Meat Deal with Israel

Freedom of consumption for ethical eaters:

https://futurism.com/china-signed-a-300-million-lab-grown-meat-deal-with-israel/

Tesla intentionally makes some of its cars worse, and it’s good for everybody

Maybe it's good overall...but I would feel cheated regardless:

https://qz.com/1074721/tesla-intentionally-makes-some-of-their-cars-worse-and-its-good-for-everybody/?mc_cid=8b782b7097&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c

Walking DNA nanorobot could deliver a drug to a precise location in your body

http://www.kurzweilai.net/walking-dna-nanorobot-could-deliver-a-drug-to-a-precise-location-in-your-body

‘Cellular Time Machine’ Slows Aging, Extends Lifespan

https://scitechdaily.com/cellular-time-machine-slows-aging-extends-lifespan/

Solar Energy Just Cleared a Pricing Target Set for 2020

Nice!

https://futurism.com/solar-energy-just-cleared-a-pricing-target-set-for-2020/

Robots will become smarter than humans by 2029, says HP Chief Technology Officer Shane Wall

http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/robots-will-become-smarter-than-humans-by-2029-says-hp-chief-technology-officer-shane-wall/852746/

Solar Power Is Getting Cheaper—But How Do We Overcome Its Limits?

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/14/solar-power-is-getting-cheaper-but-how-do-we-overcome-its-limits

FDA Breaks New Ground With First Approved Gene Therapy for Cancer

Expensive, but those costs will come down:

https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/13/fda-breaks-new-ground-with-first-approved-gene-therapy-for-cancer/

With Revolutionary Battery Tech, We Can Shift Global Energy To Renewables, Says Bill Joy

If this is actually as functional and efficient as this says it is, the game will change very soon:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-battery-technology_us_59aea591e4b0dfaafcf28e20

The First Track of the First Album Composed and Produced by AI

It's going to throw a lot of people for a loop when A.I. starts writing music that's better than anything humans can do (and it will happen eventually), since music is about evoking emotion, something that's supposed to be uniquely human:

http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/the-first-track-of-the-first-album-composed-and-produced-by-ai

New AI can guess whether you're gay or straight from a photograph

A.I. now has better gaydar than humans:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/07/new-artificial-intelligence-can-tell-whether-youre-gay-or-straight-from-a-photograph

I ran pictures of you guys through the system, and it turns out you're all gay. Not surprising, since you were all smiling....

Texas Wind Turbines Went Right on Turning Under Harvey’s Impact, as Refineries Shut Down

Another reason to push for alternative energy sources:

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/09/03/texas-wind-turbines-went-right-turning-under-harveys-impact-refineries-shut-down

IBM Just Committed $240 Million to the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Good to see:

https://futurism.com/ibm-just-committed-240-million-to-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence/

Engineers Develop a Radical New Architecture for Quantum Computing

https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-develop-a-radical-new-architecture-for-quantum-computing/

Here's When Machines Will Take Your Job, as Predicted by AI Gurus

Better save up for retirement!

http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/heres-when-machines-will-take-your-job-predict-ai-gurus

A single-molecule room-temperature transistor made from 14 atoms

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-single-molecule-room-temperature-transistor-made-from-14-atoms

China Is Making a 2,500mph "Flying Train" to Compete With Elon Musk's Hyperloops

This would blow the hyperloop out of the water, assuming it's viable:

http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/china-is-making-a-flying-train-that-can-go-2500-mph-to-compete-with-hyperloops

We May Have Just Uncovered a Serious Problem With How AI “See”

One more problem with driverless cars (for now):

https://futurism.com/we-may-have-just-uncovered-a-serious-problem-with-how-ai-see/

Stop signs can be recognized not just by the word, but also the shape and color. Understanding context is critical; if someone stuck a stop sign out a car window on the freeway, that could cause an instant disaster.

AI is Developing Faster than Experts Imagined. Do We Need a Speed Limit?

https://futurism.com/ai-is-developing-faster-than-experts-imagined-do-we-need-a-speed-limit/

New Report Claims UBI Would Grow the U.S. Economy by $2.5 Trillion

It's hard to see how it could grow the economy, especially this much, but here you go:

https://futurism.com/new-report-claims-ubi-would-grow-the-u-s-economy-by-2-5-trillion/

A Bionic Lens Undergoing Clinical Trials Could Give You Superhuman Abilities In Two Years

Seriously want! This is possibly the first "real" bionic device (in that it improves function with no downsides):

http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/a-bionic-lens-undergoing-clinical-trials-could-give-you-superhuman-abilities-in-two-years

That video is long, but it describes the eye integrating with the digital world.