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"Over the last five years, technology has been rapidly changing and expanding in every field imaginable. Smart phones are now capable of acting as standalone computer devices that can take pictures, search the Internet, send emails and text messages and yes, they even make phone calls. While it might seem that the technology of today has reached its limits, it is still actually spreading its proverbial wings. Only twenty or so years ago, personal computers were becoming small enough and affordable enough for families to buy them for home use. Since then, the world of technology has shown no signs of slowing down and practically every device available today is somehow tied to computer technology. It seems hard these days to fathom the original size of computers and how small they have become in the last ten years, but within the last five years they have become even smaller and somehow more powerful and faster than ever before! The Internet allows people to connect with family, friends, and work colleagues from across the globe in the push of a button. Communication options have literally exploded in the instant avenues of text and video based chat as well as the near instantaneous method of email. Gone are the days where one had to post a letter and wait a week or more for a response and long distance phone calls are unnecessary for anyone with a computer, a webcam, and a speedy Internet connection. Automobiles are now being manufactured with standard GPS and emergency call features for the convenience and safety of drivers and their passengers, making the days of carrying a map completely unnecessary and improving the peace of mind of anyone who must travel the roads alone or at night. Computerized cars are now potentially at risk in much the same fashion as a personal computer as a moderately skilled hacker can theoretically take over basic functions of a vehicle - including its engine. Yes, technological advancement has changed our lives completely, and not al

"Every twenty years or so since the Industrial Revolution, a group of new technologies has had a major impact on economic life. Steam power, canals, railroads, telegraph and telephone, electricity, road transport, radio, air transport, pharmacology, television, computers and information technology. Some of these have been general enabling technologies (such as steam power or electricity) which change the way production is organised; some (such as television) create new consumer goods which command a large fraction of household time or expenditure. Enabling technologies transform business life. Consumer technologies transform domestic life." This is talking about how technology can be used for wealth. This also says how every twenty years we get new technology.

"SAN FRANCISCO - 3-D printing, used to construct everything from art to toys to spare parts for the space station, may one day produce human organs at a hospital near you. click image to enlarge A 3-D printed prosthetic nose and ear are displayed at an industry show in London in November. The technology may eventually help reduce organ shortages. Bloomberg News photo by Chris Ratcliffe Select images available for purchase in the Maine Today Photo Store The 20-year-old technology uses liquid materials that become hard as they print out three-dimensional objects in layers, based on a digital model. Current medical uses are in dentistry, for hard-material crowns, caps and bridges, as well as prosthetics. Last year, a 3-D printer was used to create a structure from moldable polymer that replaced more than 75 percent of a patient's skull. Now, Organovo Holdings Inc. is using 3-D printers to create living tissue that may one day look and act like a human liver, able to cleanse the body of toxins. Drugmakers and cosmetic companies already plan to use 3-D printed human tissue to test new products. Eventually, the technology may help reduce organ shortages and cut transplant rejections as patients receive new organs constructed from their own cells. "3-D printing is like a new tool set," said Organovo Chief Executive Officer Keith Murphy. "You can make a living tissue you can grow outside the body. That's the core of our technology. How can you be smart about doing that?" Organovo already is preparing to sell strips of liver tissue to drugmakers this year to be used to test toxicity of potential treatments, Murphy said in a telephone interview. The San Diego-based company's five- and 10-year goals are first to use a patient's own cells to print tissue strips that can be used to patch failing organs, and finally to be able to create entire new organs. The first 3-D printer was produced in 1992. Since then, a variety of materials have been used as the t

"It is now widely accepted that the developing world needs to invest in science and technology or risk falling behind as the technology gap between the North and South widens. However, these investments must be balanced by continued investment in basic population-wide services, such as healthcare and water supply and sanitation. Achieving this balance is a matter of ongoing debate in policy circles, and leaders and policy-makers in developing countries often have to make difficult decisions that pit investment in new technologies and capacity-building in science and technology against basic population-wide services such as healthcare and water supply and sanitation." This is about how technology and science is used for wealth.

Getting some resources off of a government website was a good find and should provide some viable information to use. It will also help us connect with how science and technology is related to wealth.

"Thanks to technology, people can create more wealth now than ever before, and in twenty years they'll be able to create more wealth than they can today.  Even though this leads to more total wealth, it skews it toward fewer people.  This disparity has probably been growing since the beginning of technology, in the broadest sense of the word." This is about how technology is used for wealth. It also talks about 20 years from now.

Michio Kaku says in his book that all technological revolutions are leading to the creation of a planetary civilization. "The planetary phase of civilization is a concept defined by the Global Scenario Group (GSG), an environmental organization that specializes in scenario analysis and forecasting. Proponents of the planetary phase of Civilization State that it refers to a current historical transition from a world of capitalist states and consumerist societies to a world of increased global connectivity with new global institutions (like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization), new information technologies, environmental change in the biosphere, economic globalization, and shifts in culture and consciousness. Although the concept is hotly debated in some circles, most reputable scientists give little credence to the theory and assert that current global economic interconnectedness is a function of advanced technology rather than the emergence of anything new in cultural or sociological terms."

"Electronic paper, e-paper and electronic ink are display technologies which are designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper.[1] Unlike conventional backlit flat panel displays which emit light, electronic paper displays reflect light like ordinary paper, theoretically making it more comfortable to read, and giving the surface a wider viewing angle compared to conventional displays. The contrast ratio in available displays as of 2008 might be described as similar to that of newspaper, though newly developed displays are slightly better.[2] An ideal e-paper display can be read in direct sunlight without the image appearing to fade. Many electronic paper technologies can hold static text and images indefinitely without using electricity. Flexible electronic paper uses plastic substrates and plastic electronics for the display backplane. There is ongoing competition among manufacturers to provide full-color ability. Applications of electronic visual displays include electronic pricing labels in retail shops, and digital signage,[3] time tables at bus stations,[4] electronic billboards,[5] mobile phone displays, and e-readers able to display digital versions of books and e-paper magazines."

nanotechnology is an interesting concept. many world governments have invested billions in research for nanotechnology. "Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology[1][2] referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. This definition reflects the fact that quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale, and so the definition shifted from a particular technological goal to a research category inclusive of all types of research and technologies that deal with the special properties of matter that occur below the given size threshold. It is therefore common to see the plural form "nanotechnologies" as well as "nanoscale technologies" to refer to the broad range of research and applications whose common trait is size. Because of the variety of potential applications (including industrial and military), governments have invested billions of dollars in nanotechnology research. Through its National Nanotechnology Initiative, the USA has invested 3.7 billion dollars. The European Union has invested 1.2 billion and Japan 750 million dollars."

"Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale" Nanotechnology is really a manipulation-nanotechnology doesn't happen naturally.

Pretty good facts on this, I just do not know how reliable this page is, given that it is off of wikipedia. It is interesting to find out just how much countries have invested in nanotechnology. Just may want to check credibility to this page.

" Quantum "processors" could possibly one day replace silicon chips, just as the transistor replaced the vacuum tube." This is an example of how technology has changed-a comparison of the past to a comparison of the future.

"Dying patients could someday receive a 3D-printed organ made from their own cells rather than wait on long lists for the short supply of organ transplants. Such a futuristic dream remains far from reality, but university labs and private companies have already taken the first careful steps by using 3D-printing technology to build tiny chunks of organs. Regenerative medicine has already implanted lab-grown skin, tracheas and bladders into patients - body parts grown slowly through a combination of artificial scaffolds and living human cells. By comparison, 3D-printing technology offers both greater speed and computer-guided precision in printing living cells layer by layer to make replacement skin, body parts and perhaps eventually organs such as hearts, livers and kidneys."

"In the field of medical device development there are a number of factors generally recognised as being important for success. Among these are the biocompatibility, sterility, reliability and adaptability of materials to their surroundings. Without a suitable approach to these issues, the majority of medical devices will not be as successful as they could be. Biocompatibility of materials, in particular, is a critical factor in the development and application of permanent and temporary implants and other devices such as catheters and tubes that are to be used in and around the body. Coating technology is the obvious and ideal solution for separating the bulk properties of a material or device from direct interaction with its surroundings. The independent modification of surface and bulk properties widens the range of features that can be incorporated into products. Bulk properties are responsible for characteristics such as mechanical strength. A suitable coating will enhance the interaction of the device with its surroundings. For example, it will provide drug-elusion (stents), anti-fouling and antibacterial properties, and a hydrophobic self-cleaning surface, referred to as lotus coating.1 The lotus effect in material science is the observed self-cleaning property found with lotus plants. A coating with this effect will make surfaces self-cleaning and will decrease the need for active cleaning of the subsequent surface; it may even enhance the sterility of surfaces. Recently there have been some interesting developments in materials and coatings based on organic and inorganic components, which are responsible for current state-of-the-art devices. Examples include coatings for stents that provide multiple therapeutic effects in thinner layers and coatings with better adhesion to device surfaces. The future holds the promise of even greater functionality for medical coatings."

the term nanotechnology was coined back in the 80s by K. Eric Drexler. I'm sure at the time it wasn't much more than a science fiction dream, but now it is a very real technology. "When K. Eric Drexler (right) popularized the word 'nanotechnology' in the 1980's, he was talking about building machines on the scale of molecules, a few nanometers wide-motors, robot arms, and even whole computers, far smaller than a cell. Drexler spent the next ten years describing and analyzing these incredible devices, and responding to accusations of science fiction. Meanwhile, mundane technology was developing the ability to build simple structures on a molecular scale. As nanotechnology became an accepted concept, the meaning of the word shifted to encompass the simpler kinds of nanometer-scale technology. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative was created to fund this kind of nanotech: their definition includes anything smaller than 100 nanometers with novel properties."

"A basic definition: Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. This covers both current work and concepts that are more advanced. In its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high performance products." This is the definition of what nanotechnology is-building something from almost nothing.

"Q: You believe that within about two decades, nanotechnology will replace the computer industry as the field of the biggest technological innovations, right?"

This article is useful because it explores the profound advantages of modern space technology. Several factors limit the depth of space exploration for humans. Astronauts would be able to travel further if they had better space suits. A single fault in any type of space suit is fatal, as the vast climate of space is so much different from the atmosphere of Earth and therefore completely nonsupporting of a human without full insulation and protection. High-tech space suits could not only provide better comfort to astronauts, but they could also provide more convenience and productivity, resulting in higher overall performance. Not only could improved, futuristic spacesuits enable astronauts to support themselves for an extended period of time, enabling them to travel further distances, newer technology might even be able to bring humans to places that have been far too hostile to travel before-- like Mars.

This is similar to the Corning inc. A Day Of Glass. This version however I feel is a little more descriptive and seems to blend into more of the adult workday and daily routine instead of going though the girls day at school in the Corning video. I especially think that we could focus on her car and all of the features it had including the windows. This also reminded me of Michio Kaku's sub-topic in the computing chapter about driver less cars.

This video is a good oversight of wearable technology and it covers many points within the topic such as; water proof gear, wrist worn tech, and bulky vs sleek. This would be a great video to start out our research with because of the possibilities it lays out for us.

I Wikipedia page for Technological Singularity

"The Oculus Rift is an upcoming virtual reality head-mounted display. It is being developed by Oculus VR, which has raised US $91 million, of which $2.4 million was raised with crowdfunding via Kickstarter.[4] The company was founded by Palmer Luckey and Scaleform co-founders Brendan Iribe and Michael Antonov,[5] as well as Nate Mitchell. id Software co-founder John Carmack was later hired as its Chief Technology Officer.[6]"

This page summarizes Chapter 3 (Future of the Medicine). "Kaku discusses robotic body parts, modular robots, unemployment caused by robots, surrogates and avatars (like their respective movies), and reverse engineering the brain. Kaku goes over the three laws of robotics and their contradictions. He endorses a "chip in robot brains to automatically shut them off if they have murderous thoughts", and believes that the most likely scenario is "friendly AI", in which robots are free to wreak havoc and destruction, but are designed to desire benevolence.[1]"

"Nanotechnology: Everything from Nothing?"

"Unlike conventional chemical rockets which use Newton's third law of motion, solar sails take advantage of radiation pressure from stars. Kaku believes that after sending a gigantic solar sail into orbit, one could install lasers on the moon, which would hit the sail and give it extra momentum. Another alternative is to send thousands of nanoships, of which only a few would reach their destination. "Once arriving on a nearby moon, they could create a factory to make unlimited copies of themselves," says Kaku. Nanoships would require very little fuel to accelerate. They could visit the stellar neighborhood by floating on the magnetic fields of other planets."