Can space elevators really work?

http://www.kurzweilai.net/can-space-elevators-really-work?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c3ac475f88-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-c3ac475f88-281903081

"David quotes Arthur C. Clarke: “The space elevator will be built ten years after they stop laughing…and they have stopped laughing!”"

Ultra-thin capacitors could acclerate development of next-gen electronics

http://www.kurzweilai.net/ultra-thin-capacitors-could-acclerate-development-of-next-gen-electronics?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c3ac475f88-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-c3ac475f88-281903081

"In addition, the new capacitor has a capacitance density of as high as ∼27.5 μF (microfarads) per square centimeter, which is approximately 2000 times higher than those of currently available commercial products."

Tesla takes the first step toward obliterating the utility companies

Yay, Elon!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-just-took-first-step-232131217.html

Number of verified planets almost doubles today

http://www.universetoday.com/109764/mega-discovery-715-alien-planets-confirmed-using-a-new-trick-on-old-kepler-data/

Kurzweil interview on machine intelligence and his work at Google

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/22/robots-google-ray-kurzweil-terminator-singularity-artificial-intelligence

New wireless technology will enable unlimited number of devices to share the same spectrum simultaneously

Wow, really?

http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-wireless-tech-may-radically-transform-mobile-video-streaming?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=661f9aef81-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-661f9aef81-281903081

Artificial muscles from fishing line and thread are 100x stronger than equivalent human muscle

http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2014/2/21-28701_Researchers-Create-Powerful-Muscles-From-Fishing-L_story-wide.html

Kurzweil claims robots will be smarter than humans within 15 years

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/ray-kurzweil-robots-smarter-humans-3178027

'Tumour monorail' can lead cancers to their doom

This is just bizarre:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26189827

3D printing moving to large scale

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/16/how-these-partners-are-working-to-make-gigantic-10.aspx

Nanomotors controlled inside living human cells for the first time

Another important step:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/16/5417266/nanomotors-controlled-inside-living-human-cells-for-the-first-time

New speed record for big data

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/43171.wss

The universe could be a simulation

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/is-the-universe-a-simulation.html?_r=0

Termite-inspired robots build complex structures

http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2014/02/robotic-construction-crew-needs-no-foreman

Order of magnitude improvement in fusion yield

https://www.llnl.gov/news/aroundthelab/2014/Feb/NR-14-02-06.html#.Uv1A1PldV8E

Research reveals white matter 'scaffold' of human brain

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-02/uosc-hob020614.php

The "Ubi" computer turns your house into a smart home

Still has a lot of features to add, but it's inexpensive and actually does turn your house into a smart home:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/ubi-ubiquitous-computer-beta-test-program-launched?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=8b405031de-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-8b405031de-281903081

Watson tasked with helping fix Africa's problems

The first steps to a cyberocracy!

http://www.kurzweilai.net/ibm-brings-watson-to-africa?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=98cb194be5-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-98cb194be5-281903081

Solar becomes increasingly cost effective and produces more jobs than coal and oil combined

http://www.nationofchange.org/need-jobs-us-solar-industry-provides-employment-more-people-coal-and-oil-combined-1391783404

and

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/06/jobs-in-solar-power-caught-fire-in-2013.aspx

Nanoscale control processor developed

Sounds like a major step forward:

http://www.mitre.org/news/press-releases/mitre-harvard-teams-ultra-tiny-nanocomputer-may-point-the-way-to-further

The first flexible, transparent, and conductive material

http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2014/January/0129RenFoldable.php

New form of graphene allows electrons to behave like photons

Strange stuff:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-form-of-graphene-allows-electrons-to-behave-like-photons?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=536e708bb2-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-536e708bb2-281903081

Cybernetic hand that conveys a sense of touch

This is huge:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/amputee-feels-objects-first-time-decade/?xid=aol_eh-news_11_20140203_&aolcat=HLT&ncid=webmail23

It's a necessary step to get bionics that act just like the real thing.

Having to give the hand back, though, seems rather creepily like amputation to me....

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/02/bill-gates-backs-renewable-battery-startup.aspx