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In the news this
week...
- Engineering in nature.
- Cars that navigate.
- Hiring Americans to work in India.
- Life coaches for 20-somethings.
- International migration.
- Crop losses and climate change.
- Future threats to civilization.
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We also highlight...
Amartya Sen's book, Identity
and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny... Nobel
Prize-winner Amartya Sen examines the implications
of polarization based on class, cultural and religious
identity, and shows how we need to change our mindset
to move towards world peace.
The website of the Demos think
tank... A website that provides in-depth analysis
of social and political change.
An audio clip from O'Reilly Network's
Distributing the Future... Science fiction
writer Bruce Sterling talks about the new vocabulary
of the Internet of Things, including "spimes"
-- objects that are traceable in space and time.
New on Innovation
Watch...
Gregor Wolbring authors a new
column -- The Choice is Yours -- that highlights
scientific and technological advances and poses questions
he hopes readers will think about. He believes engagement
of the global community in the discourse of science
and technology research and development is essential
if negative consequences are to be avoided.
David Forrest
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SCIENCE
Top
Story: Imitation
of Life: For New Ideas in Materials and Engineering Solutions,
Nature Fills the Bill - [San Diego Union-Tribune] Marc
Meyers is one of many scientists and engineers who study
biomimetics -- a rapidly changing field that looks to nature
for engineering innovations. Mimicking nature is not new.
After all, the grace of a bird in flight inspired Leonardo
da Vinci and the Wright brothers. But
today, scientists' ever increasing knowledge of genetics,
modern computing and advances in materials science is providing
new opportunities to learn from biology and copy it.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
TECHNOLOGY
Top
Story: Outward
Bound for Robots: A New Approach Teaches Objects How to
Navigate Unfamiliar Territory as Humans Might - [Technology
Review] A computer navigation system based on a part of
the brain called the hippocampus has been tested on an autonomous
robotic car. By enabling the robot to take what its creators
call "cognitive fingerprints" of its surroundings,
the software allows the vehicle to explore and remember
places in much the same way mammals do.
Web
watch...
most
recent articles
BUSINESS
Top
Story: Americans
Working for Indian Firms in Reverse Offshoring - [Daily
Times] In a case of reverse offshoring, an Indian software
provider, Infosys Technologies, is to spend $100 million
over the next year to hire and train 25,000 workers and
college graduates from around the world, including some
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard
University, according to the Boston Globe.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
SOCIETY
Top
Story: Haven't
Scored the Good Life Yet? Hire a Coach!
- [Christian Science Monitor] Life coaches are the upbeat
advice-givers known for helping harried CEOs acquire work-life
balance. But today, more of them are playing Dr. Phil for
20-somethings. In some ways, it's
a natural tactic for a generation that grew up watching
their parents pay people to solve their problems.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
GLOBAL
POLITICS
Top
Story: Global
Migrants Reach 191 Million - [BBC] Nearly 200 million
people now live outside their country of origin - up by
about a quarter since 1990, a United Nations report on migration
says. The report by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says
most migrants have gone to rich countries.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
ENVIRONMENT
Top
Story: Climate
Change Could Crush Wheat Yields - [Melbourne Age] Soaring
temperatures and declining rainfalls caused by climate change
could wipe a billion dollars a year off Australia's wheat
industry within 30 years, a study suggests.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
THE
FUTURE
Top
Story: Will
IT Bring About the End of the World? - [Silicon.com]
Is this the way the world ends, not with a bang but an error
message? Experts are warning that IT disasters could be
a threat to the human race.
Web
watch... most
recent articles
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Featured Book:
Identity and Violence: The Illusion
of Destiny
by Amartya Sen
Resource
Page
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Featured Link: Demos
- A think tank that focuses on six areas: public services;
science and technology; cities and public space; people
and communities; arts and culture; and global security.
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Audio Clip: The
Internet of Things - [Distributing the Future]
Bruce Sterling talks about the Internet of Things.
A keynote address from the Emerging Technology Conference.
(March 15, 2006)
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New on Innovation Watch...
Synthetic
Biology 2.0 - Gregor Wolbring writes on the call for
public debate and regulation in the new field of synthetic
biology.
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