How to Build a Working Replica Jet Engine With a 3D Printer (http://bit.ly/iKe5gv). 3D printing will become mainstream. Cheap 3D printers are available and small print jobs can be done at home. Imagine all the spare parts and simple household items being 3D printed. Maybe enterprises will be the first ones to adopt them, or FedEx Kinko's like places to print little gifts, trinkets or modern art forms.
Another article from MIT talks about inter vehicle communication (http://bit.ly/kDWsEp). Combine this with (http://bit.ly/lg9lLD) where the article talks about bicycles will utilize a little laser to project a signal in front of them. This will indicate to other traffic where the bicysle is headed and hopefully avoid collisions of the type where the bike is squeezed between a large vehicle and the curb. Given technologies like these, we can visualize a decent path forward to a future where vehicles talk to each other and avoid collisions and maintain high traffic throughput. Japanese engineers have already tested out similar technology before (http://1.usa.gov/kvvFqR)
On astronomy, I found some dramatic sounding news about our sun. (http://bit.ly/m778t5). When you go through the details, they talk about the sun become 'lazy' in the future due to the subsistence of solar cycles - no worries about fizzling out. we got 4 billion more years.
Continuing on astronomy, the Chinese engineers have done it again. After they wrested the fastest supercomputer away from the US (http://engt.co/btzezj), its time for the biggest baddest radio telescope. (http://bit.ly/l21G9r). The telescope, named FAST, will be functional in 2016 and will be able to detect radio transmissions from a distance of upto 1,000 light years. That is the distance the Star Trek Enterprise will travel in 8 months on warp 9 (http://bit.ly/9ermRD). Not bad I would say.
Implementation of 4G networks finally sees some competitive urgency. (http://bit.ly/mTTrsD). This article talks about Verizon and AT&Ts battle for highest 4G coverage ('there's a 4G map for that'). This I believe will be very important for the future of high speed network access.
Also check out the following news about robot tactility (http://bit.ly/lOTqk8). This article talks about development of a robotic hand which can pick up messy gel material better than a human hand would. Technologies like this will be small steps towards a smart, dexterous robot 'assistant'. I wouldn't go into the moralities of the 'assistant' label here, but goes without saying that research will bring the physical robot closer (and better maybe) to the physical human. On the mental side, we know about the recent IBM Watson jeopardy game (http://bit.ly/hfeStH), although it had another brother in the medical field - the Isabel Healthcare program (http://bit.ly/lj8spy).
Airbus revealed a sneak peek at a future aircraft. Looks very interesting - advance bookings anyone (http://bit.ly/j5KcNM). Talking of flying, here is another prototype (http://cnet.co/mxryUq). This is one of the first that I have come across which looks real enough and cheap enough and easy (maybe?) enough to fly. At $40,000, I am tempted to start saving.
Another topic I have been musing about is the future of reputation. I first read about a reputation stock market in the novel Accelerando (http://bit.ly/hX0TmB). With companies like reputation defender and klout, that will be a big market in future.
Finally, an interesting article on iPhone passwords (http://bit.ly/iHjX6w). Are you going to change yours now?
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