source site - Woody Norris invents amazing things | Video on TED.com

Woody Norris shows off two of his inventions that treat sound in new ways, and talks about his untraditional approach to inventing and education. As he puts it: "Almost nothing has been invented yet." So -- what's next?

Woody Norris is a serial inventor of electronics, tools and cutting-edge sonic equipment -- such as the LRAD acoustic cannon.

The acoustic cannon he invented seems like a real cool device. can be quite scary hearing voices in your head that nobody else does...

We all want to make the world better -- but how? Jamais Cascio looks at some specific tools and techniques that can make a difference. It's a fascinating talk that might just inspire you to act.

Jamais Cascio follows the threads of civilization's intended (and unintended) consequences into an unpredictable future, bringing back glimpses of a green world wired beyond our wildest dreams.

Jamais Cascio of worldchanging.com highlights some of the things we already have today to make the world a better place. the real challenge is whether humanity's leadership can pull this all together to realise some of these ideas?

source site - The Boy With The Incredible Brain

Daniel Tammet is a boy with extraordinary mental abilities and one of the world’s few savants. He can do calculations to 100 decimal places in his head, and learn a language in a week. This documentary follows Daniel as he travels to America to meet the scientists who are convinced he may hold the key to unlocking similar abilities in everyone. He also meets the world’s most famous savant, the man who inspired Dustin Hoffman’s character in the Oscar winning film ‘Rain Man’.

source site - Fasten Your Seatbelts - washingtonpost.com

When the present promises only economic hardship and political upheaval, what does the future look like?

source site - Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Experience: Mind-Shattering Novels of Philip K. Dick

As we look forward to another new year, it is a good time to reflect on some of the many people who wrote about the future. Philip K. Dick was one of them:

Philip K. Dick was abducted by... his own mind, and wrote about it for as long as SF industry would publish it. Which is extremely lucky for millions of his fans, me included.

Unless you are a particle physicist (for whom nothing is as it seems anyway), you're not likely to meet as many convoluted and unpredictable ideas and storylines as in Philip K. Dick's science fiction (the requirement, of course, is that it all still has to make coherent sense, otherwise we could just switch on Douglas Adams' Improbability Drive and publish the outcome).

PKD was a one-man factory of apocalyptic "What-ifs?", staggering in their scope and suggested outcomes. His stories are often dark in tone, but intensely satisfying: crammed with concepts and ideas, tightly written and pretty much unforgettable.

source site - Scientists plan to ignite tiny man-made star - Telegraph

While it has seemed an impossible goal for nearly 100 years, scientists now believe that they are on brink of cracking one of the biggest problems in physics by harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, the reaction that burns at the heart of the sun.

source site - John Hodgman's brief digression | Video on TED.com

Humorist John Hodgman rambles through a new story about aliens, physics, time, space and the way all of these somehow contribute to a sweet, perfect memory of falling in love.

John Hodgman ("I am a PC") gives his humourous take on whether we are really alone... aliens are not real. are they?? For all the seriousness that is in this world, this is a bit of a light relief.

source site - Autocar - BMW's green supercar

BMW is exploring a plan to build what a senior company official calls "a breakthrough green supercar" by the end of 2012.

The new car would rival the Audi R8 and forthcoming Mercedes SLC, and has been described by company insiders as ‘a puristic two-seater that draws on all the very latest BMW technology and lightweight build processes.’

source site - 10 sci-fi technologies that just might happen | Geekend | TechRepublic.com

My buddies at SFSignal pointed me towards this Top 10 list of sci-fi tropes and technologies that will never come true. Well, being a contrarian who likes a challenge, I’ve decided to postulate circumstances wherein each of these ideas could come to fruition, if only to poke the hornet’s nest. Here we go:

source site - Google Calendar: How to Sync Any Desktop Calendar with Google Calendar