Pretty amazing - and slightly worrying.

Bloom energy is very interesting and a worthy mention on the list.
Its missing quantum computing which should really be on there as it is a reality right now.
As for bitcoin its the principle that matters more than how its worked out in practice, it has some 'issues' shall we say
I'd personally love to see an alternate non central banking currency but as I mentioned before ages ago on DIF, anytime the bankers choose to do so, they can bring in 100% digital currency and with a virtual stroke of a pen, end the banking 'crisis' so to speak. Whether govts choose to allow competing currencies or enforce legal tender is key really.
Tech is exponential advance for sure now.

Watched a documentary about quantum computing the other day, and it was pretty damn exciting, but by their own admission it's still well in its infancy. It's going to take things to a mind boggling level though!

And yeah, first time I've heard about Bloom technology, but that sounds pretty sweet too.

I absolutely love the idea of 3d printing too.

I've given a developer version of the occulus rift a go with half life btw and it is damn good.
For this to work we're basically waiting on realistic 3d graphics and its surprising how complex it actually is, GPU's are in many ways cutting edge technology, far far more advanced than CPU's ironically enough

I honestly thought VR gaming would have moved on a lot more swiftly than it has though, as I remember going to earls court in the 90's and trying glasses and gloves on and being in a VR world. Granted, the graphics weren't that great, but you could still move around and look side to side and all that.

I'll be getting an Oculus Rift when they're in the shops though

mild_peril wrote:


I went there in 1987 (London at least might not have been earls court) and tried on some wireframe ones and yeah they sucked lol
Cutting edge at the time. I remember it was 1987 as I'd just returned back from Saudi Arabia at the time. VPL I think it was called.

It is basically just down to graphical realism but there are advanced in brain-computer interface tech that is well...downright bloody scary to say the least.

andyh wrote:
VPL's have been around for yonks!

lol @ that

Here's a list of 10 mp, kicks off with brain interfaces and helium hard drives

www.extremetech.com/extreme/173046-the-t...ence-stories-of-2013

Yep Thorium is probably the number 1 game changer, whats more is that its not a 'conspiracy theory' or 'pseudoscience' its total undeniable fact.

The question that needs to be asked is why we're not doing it already and for that answer look no further than the entrenched energy lobby.

andyh wrote:
absolutely, they could solve the worlds energy needs, and the waste is far safer than uranium, the half life is very short and as you say this is technology that has been proven.
The Chinese are building thorium reactors at the moment
https://motherboard.vice.com/blog/china-is-taking-the-lead-on-thorium-reactor-development

It connects to defense as well, thorium reactors don't create weapons grade plutonium or depleted uranium.

Loads of info on thorium here btw- www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/

It can also be used to burn some nuclear waste we currently have.

andyh wrote:
I didn't know that, amazing.
I must contact my MP about this, there's no reasonable excuse not to invest in this technology, although I suspect she doesn't read my e-mails anymore, I stopped getting responses

andyh wrote:
That really rings a bell

I went in the mid to late nineties, and so could only imagine the kind of tech they've got going on there these days.

Never mind all this tosh...

Where is my chuffin' hover-board? Hmmmm?

Ab Origine wrote:

I reckon that vid's a fake. Had they done their research properly, they would know that hoverboards DO NOT WORK ON WATER.

No way is that video fake. They just got enough speed up to get across the water

There should be 2 'V's in hover, regardless of what the OED says.

Brighton & Hove?