The Changing World Order
Drones are the new bombs, code the new currency, chips the new oil, and AI the new everything. Technology has reshaped geopolitics forever and a new world order is being carved in silicon
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The Golden Dome should be built — just not the way Trump imagines
President Trump’s headline-grabbing Golden Dome proposal can serve as the spark for a more realistic homeland defense upgrade.
This conservationist is trying to bring extinct species back to life
Ryan Phelan, co-founder of Revive & Restore, talks about the future of conservation at Freethink’s Great Progression event.
The AGI economy is coming faster than you think
The impact of AGI on the economy will be big, it’ll happen fast, and it’ll be disruptive. Here’s how the disruption could play out.
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You can now track your mail-in ballot like an Amazon package
At least 46 states now offer free ballot tracking, letting voters follow their mail-in ballots from the printer to the election office.
Delivery drone breaks flight record for transporting an organ
A MissionGO delivery drone carried a human kidney a record-breaking 10 miles, demonstrating how the devices could facilitate organ transplants.
Underwater data center could lead to a more reliable internet
After spending two years on the ocean’s floor, Microsoft’s underwater data center had a much lower server failure rate than land-based data centers.
Walmart and Zipline launch a 1-hour drone delivery service that will parachute-drop your purchases
Walmart’s drone delivery service will deliver wellness products to customers within a 50-mile radius of their headquarters in Arkansas.
The most advanced digital government in the world
Estonia was the first country to hold a nationwide election online, and the first to declare internet access a human right. Will other countries follow suit?
Amazon drone delivery gets approval to launch from FAA
Prime Air, Amazon’s drone delivery service, has secured a key FAA certification, clearing it for the next phase of testing in the U.S.
Google announces cheaper alternatives to college degrees
Google’s new certificate program provides alternatives to college degrees that are cheaper to obtain, but potentially worth the same in the job market.
How thread became critical in a pandemic
Tech giants have teamed up to help innovate the PPE supply chain and lessen the risk of future shortages, starting with the world’s leading thread supplier.
Loon is beaming balloon-based internet to Kenya
The Loon balloon-based internet platform looks to bring connectivity to those without it. The first commercial deployment is taking place high above Kenya.
Starlink internet to begin beta testing
SpaceX’s Starlink internet project promises to use satellites to improve internet access. Beta testers will get the chance to try it later this summer.
With US clothing sales in a freefall, Walmart sells secondhand
Consumers can now purchase secondhand clothing from a new resale store in the largest retailer – Walmart.
Singapore to give all residents wearables for contact tracing
Singapore is testing the ability of wearables for contact tracing to prevent an increase in coronavirus infections as it lifts lockdown restrictions.
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Challengers
Healthy fast food start up takes on the McDonald’s empire
This LA-based business wants to radically alter the fast food industry by selling healthy fast food at the same low cost as competitors like McDonald’s.
Fighting child exploitation with big data
Last year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 18 million reports of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. Now, they’re using a new technology to confront this issue with the force necessary to eradicate it.
First autonomous air taxi terminal to open in 2020
Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle company EHang plans to build the world’s first air taxi terminal in Hezhou, China, before the end of 2020.
Ghana uses drones to speed up coronavirus testing
In Ghana, Zipline is helping speed up coronavirus testing by using drones to deliver test samples, and it wants to bring the service to the U.S.
Apple and Google join forces on coronavirus tracking project
Apple and Google are collaborating on a coronavirus tracking project they hope will eliminate the privacy concerns surrounding contact-tracing apps.
Contact-tracing apps could help end coronavirus lockdown
A new University of Oxford study found that contact-tracing apps could help bring the coronavirus pandemic to an end without violating citizens’ rights.
New app uses location data to track the coronavirus
Researchers from MIT and Harvard have created a smartphone app to track the coronavirus, and it puts a premium on user privacy.
Minecraft players built a massive library for censored news
Minecrafts’s Uncensored Library is exploiting a loophole in surveillance technology to sneak the news past government censorship.
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