The Great A.I. Awakening

This is a very long but great article on how Google's Translator A.I. had a massive improvement in accuracy over a short time period, and how it will affect so much more. This is likely a step in the singularity:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/magazine/the-great-ai-awakening.html

Amazon patent reveals its drone-deploying flying warehouse plan

https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/29/amazon-airborne-fulfillment-center-patents/

Emerging Markets Lead the Way to Cheapest-Ever Solar Energy

https://singularityhub.com/2016/12/29/emerging-markets-lead-the-way-to-cheapest-ever-solar-energy/

Why the Latest AI Wave Will Gain Momentum in the Coming Year

https://singularityhub.com/2016/12/26/why-the-latest-ai-wave-will-gain-momentum-in-the-coming-year/

47% of Jobs Will Disappear in the next 25 Years, According to Oxford University

All the more reason to look into a universal basic income:

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/47-of-jobs-in-the-next-25-years-will-disappear-according-to-oxford-university

Your Smartphone’s Next Big Trick? To Make You Healthier Than Ever

https://singularityhub.com/2016/12/25/your-smartphones-next-big-trick-to-make-you-healthier-than-ever/#.WGP5Xk7Emb0.facebook

Bionic Humans: This Sleek Power Suit Helps Restore Mobility

This is how it starts. People are always fine with technology that helps people overcome a disadvantage, but then it's just a short hop to augmenting humans:

https://futurism.com/bionic-humans-this-sleek-power-suit-helps-restore-mobility/

Watch Tesla’s Autopilot Avoid a Major Accident With Just Seconds to Spare

This is almost spooky:

https://futurism.com/watch-teslas-autopilot-avoid-a-major-accident-with-just-seconds-to-spare/

The video should work on this link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tesla-autopilot-predict-crash_us_5863c7cbe4b0d9a594599df4

Echo And Alexa Are Two Years Old. Here's What Amazon Has Learned So Far

https://www.fastcompany.com/3065179/mind-and-machine/echo-and-alexa-are-two-years-old-heres-what-amazon-has-learned-so-far

Ray Kurzweil’s Mind-Boggling Predictions for the Next 25 Years

https://singularityhub.com/2015/01/26/ray-kurzweils-mind-boggling-predictions-for-the-next-25-years/

The nearest, most impacting effect:

"By the 2020s, most diseases will go away as nanobots become smarter than current medical technology. Normal human eating can be replaced by nanosystems. The Turing test begins to be passable. Self-driving cars begin to take over the roads, and people won’t be allowed to drive on highways."

The Google Assistant Needs You

https://backchannel.com/google-our-assistant-will-trigger-the-next-era-of-ai-3c72a4d7bc75#.rvybnpth7

"This 2016-to-2017 Transition is going to move us from systems that are explicitly taught to ones that implicitly learn.” Think of it as a mini-Singularity."

A Secret Ops AI Aims to Save Education

https://backchannel.com/a-secret-ops-ai-aims-to-save-education-c1c887a56a67#.365fmcwnn

“I haven’t been able to tell,” says Duri Long, a student in Goel’s physical class, to the nods of her friends. “I think if you can’t tell, it’s pretty effective, and I think it’s a good thing, because people can get help more rapidly.”

That's a good sign for passing the Turing Test.

Method discovered to remove damaging amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease

http://www.kurzweilai.net/method-discovered-to-remove-damaging-amyloid-plaques-found-in-alzheimers-disease

Exponential Growth Will Transform Humanity in the Next 30 Years

https://singularityhub.com/2016/12/21/exponential-growth-will-transform-humanity-in-the-next-30-years/#.WFw-lSlBrKo.facebook

Unfortunately, this all assumes Trump doesn't outlaw science....

Laser-Based Propulsion System Could Get Us to Mars in Record Time—Just Three Days

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/laser-based-propulsion-system-could-get-us-to-mars-in-record-time-just-three-days

Mark Zuckerberg Just Unveiled His Newest Creation, an AI Named Jarvis

Watch the video. It's probably not entirely "real," but impressive nevertheless:

https://futurism.com/mark-zuckerberg-just-unveiled-his-newest-creation-an-ai-named-jarvis/

$5.2 Trillion in Investments Pulled From the Fossil Fuel Industry

Nice to see such a seismic shift away from fossil fuel investing:

https://futurism.com/5-2-trillion-in-investments-pulled-from-the-fossil-fuel-industry/

Parkour! Watch This Animal-Inspired Robot Spring Off Walls

This should ultimately be more effective than the big, lumbering Terminators:

https://futurism.com/videos/parkour-watch-this-animal-inspired-robot-spring-off-walls/

The ‘Miracle Material’ Strikes Again. Graphene Can Turn CO2 Into Liquid Fuel

The big question is...can it pull CO2 directly out of the atmosphere?

https://futurism.com/the-miracle-material-strikes-again-graphene-can-turn-co2-into-liquid-fuel/

Sunny Days: Solar is Officially Becoming the Cheapest Form of New Electricity

"Solar power is now around half the price of coal and gas, making it cheaper than wind energy, and ultimately the cheapest form of new electricity."

https://futurism.com/sunny-days-solar-is-officially-becoming-the-cheapest-form-of-new-electricity/

A New Theory of Gravity Just Passed its First Test. Here’s What This Means for Physics

https://futurism.com/a-new-theory-of-gravity-just-passed-its-first-test-heres-what-this-means-for-physics/

Limitless Energy: South Korean Reactor Sets a New Record for Stable Nuclear Fusion

https://futurism.com/limitless-energy-south-korean-reactor-sets-a-new-record-for-stable-nuclear-fusion/

What the F... reeze: MIT Researchers Create Nano-Ice At Scorching Temperatures

Boiling hot ice? What's next? Rational Trump supporters?

http://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/ice-when-there-should-be-fire

A robotic hand with a human’s delicate sense of touch

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-robotic-hand-with-a-humans-delicate-sense-of-touch

Ageing process may be reversible, scientists claim

I hope we are still young enough to take full advantage of this by the time it becomes available:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/15/ageing-process-may-be-reversible-scientists-claim?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

This Is the Holographic AI Servant of Your Dreams…or Maybe Your Nightmares

SO Japanese:

https://futurism.com/this-is-the-holographic-ai-servant-of-your-dreams-or-maybe-your-nightmares/

How Japan’s Radically Different Approach to AI Could Lead to Wild New Tech

http://time.com/4602600/honda-car-emotional-ai-artifical-intelligence-neuv/?xid=newsletter-brief

Self-Driving Uber Blows Through Red Light On First Day In San Francisco

Uh-oh:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/self-driving-uber-san-fran-red-light-video_us_5851c9c5e4b0732b82fedb01

U.S. Sets Staggering Record with 191% Growth in Solar Power Installations in 2016

https://futurism.com/u-s-sets-staggering-record-with-191-growth-in-solar-power-installations-in-2016/

New Method Could Accelerate Graphene Production

http://scitechdaily.com/new-method-could-accelerate-graphene-production/

Scientists Turn Nuclear Waste into Diamond Batteries That’ll Last for Thousands of Years

They're too weak and expensive right now, but if they can be improved, practical nuclear batteries could last thousands of years...without recharging!

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/scientists-turn-nuclear-waste-in-diamond-batteries-thatll-last-for-thousands-of-years

Meet Waymo, Google's self-driving car company

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN142223?ncid=newsltushpmgnews

Automation and Robots Could Permanently Disrupt Capitalism

https://futurism.com/automation-and-robots-could-permanently-disrupt-capitalism/

This Self-Healing Tech Could Let Us Reach the Closest Alien Stars in Just 20 Years

https://futurism.com/this-self-healing-tech-could-let-us-reach-the-closest-alien-stars-in-just-20-years/

A machine-learning system that trains itself by surfing the web

Self-improvement...THE central element of the singularity:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-machine-learning-system-that-trains-itself-by-surfing-the-web

A ‘Star Trek’-like anti-matter engine could power humanity to the nearest star

Light on details, but intriguing nevertheless:

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2016/12/alpha-centauri-anti-matter-engine

Super strong graphene foam

https://futurism.com/sciencenonfiction/graphene/

Nuclear Plant 'Doesn't Fit' In The Future Grid, Utility Executive Says

Nuclear failing for an unexpected reason:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2016/12/07/nuclear-plant-doesnt-fit-in-the-future-grid-utility-executive-says/#4a5bbf8611b1

Supercapacitor Breakthrough Allows Electric Vehicle Charging In Seconds

This would require massively powerful charging stations, but it sounds extremely promising:

http://www.hybridcars.com/supercapacitor-breakthrough-allows-electric-vehicle-charging-in-seconds/

The CRISPR Pioneers: Their Breakthrough Work Could Change the World

I really love the potential of this technology:

http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-crispr-runner-up/?xid=newsletter-brief

The W7-X Is One Step Closer to Creating Nuclear Fusion

The video shows how massively complicated the torus structure is:

https://futurism.com/the-w7-x-is-one-step-closer-to-creating-nuclear-fusion/

How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car?

For some perspective:

https://pluginamerica.org/how-much-does-it-cost-charge-electric-car/

Scientists Target Protein Imbalance In Blood To Slow Aging

https://futurism.com/scientists-target-protein-imbalance-in-blood-to-slow-aging/

Living Forever: What it Means to Have an “Indefinite Lifespan”

https://futurism.com/living-forever-what-it-means-to-have-an-indefinite-lifespan/

Atlas the Life-Sized Robot Just Became a Bit More Human

 Boston Dynamics robots keep getting better and better balance:

https://futurism.com/atlas-the-life-sized-robot-just-became-a-bit-more-human/

Nation's Largest Solar Installer to Open Florida Facility

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/nations-largest-solar-installer-open-florida-facility-43899405

Flexible Muscle-Based Locomotion for Bipedal Creatures

This is old, but it shows a fascinating evolution of bipedal robotic muscle action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgaEE27nsQw