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If you are into the future in a rational way then this magazine will blow you away! It has a ultramodern feel and content that is smack bang up to date.

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The Fantastic Voyage

Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman have put together another breakthought text that anyone serious about living for a lot longer than you first though must read.

Intro:

‘Immortality is within our grasp… In Fantastic Voyage, high-tech Ray Kurzweil teams up with life-extension expert Terry Grossman, M.D., to consider the awesome benefits to human health and longevity promised  by the leading edge of medical science – and what you can do today’s to take full advantage of these starting advances. Citing extensive research findings that surround as radical as the most speculative science fiction, Kurzweil and Grossman offer a program designed to slow aging and disease processes to such degree that you should be in good health and spirit when the more extreme life-extension and life enhancing technologies – now in development – become available. The bridge to the future will enable those who dare to make the journey from century to the next…. And beyond!’

Click here to review.

MaxLife: Where Biotech, Infotech and Nanotech Meet to Reverse Aging by 2029.

On the theme of radical life-extension and age reversal, here’s an interesting website:

MaxLife asks lots of questions and gives some interesting answers to the longevity question. There are plenty of links to within and to other sites on the subject.

Take a few minutes to explore the future of long-healthy-living.

Click here to vistit site.

 How Far Away is Nanomedicine? 

Read Robert Freitas Book: 

‘Nanomedicine Volume I: Basic Capabilities.’

‘The coming ability to carry out targeted medical procedures at the molecular level will bring unprecedented power to the practice of medicine. Within a few short decades we can expect a major revolution in how the human body is healed. Nanomedicine lays the foundations for understanding this revolution and points to where it is taking us.’

E Drexler.

Nanomedicine might seem a little esoteric for an off the shelf read, but I have to say I was over whelmingly surprised to the point where I couldn’t put it down. In fact, for any aspiring medical physicians out there, before or in the early stages of your careers, I strongly recommend it. After all 10 years hence you are going to be up to your neck in this tiny world nanorobots and artificial hemoglobin.

And it’s the same for any future Engineer, Designer, Architect, or anybody who is in the creative-build business; this book will give you untold insights into the future of Nanoscale Engineering and Architecture.

Read the piece on the history of empirical medicine, you’ll see how far we have come today and how far we can go tomorrow.

A PDF version of the book is available by clicking here.

But I would say, get hold of a Hardback copy for a keepsake. After all, it is the world’s first volume on perhaps the most significant medical breakthrough since ‘Hippocratic Corpus (ca. 440-340 BC) the foundation of Greek written medicine, explicitly grounds the art upon a quite different basis — a healing system independent of the supernatural and built upon natural philosophy; and of course Galen of Pergamum (130-200 AD) providing the final medical synthesis of antiquity and the effective medical standard for the next 13 centuries; and of course.’ Now where did I get that?

Click here for preview of Hard Copy Book.

Lean Six Sigma for Service: How to Use Lean Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions, by Michael George

I recall back in 1989, my boss Tony Lawrence (then Design Director at Concord Lighting) and I taking a long winding motorway trip to Lucus Aerospace Systems, Coventry, UK.

Back then, it was a bit of an can-opener to the world of not merely world class quality assurance in new product development; but the commitment to what it takes to achieve a status where literally products have less than 1.3 defects out of one million: yes 1.3 out of one-million units!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with 6-Sigma, it is a fact these days that 1.3 Parts Per Million (PPM) quality assurance is becoming standard. And because of that, customers expect that level of quality in everything, and that includes not just consumer gadgets, but trips on holiday, banking transaction, shopping experience, even hospital treatment and – yes – even YMCA hostels are beginning to look at 6-Sigma.

The good news is that 6-Sigma is now being rolled-out in the service industries too.

In fact, the UK’s Royal Wedding last year was a 6-Sigma occasion (and now you know why it went so smoothly). Now Marks and Sparks, many large scale Law firms, and many of the best practice service institutions such as Bank One (Chase Manhattan) and Stanford University Hospital are adopting 6-Sigma.

The book: Lean Six Sigma for Service: How to Use Lean Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions, really does move all this on. It is practical, insightful and above all, useable with plenty of references to other reverent sources of information.

Click here for free PDF copy. Hurry while stocks lasts @ 1.3 PPM!

Ending Aging, by Aubrey de Grey

Aubrey de Grey is an English author and theoretician in the field of gerontology and the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Rejuvenation Research, author of The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging.

He is perhaps best known for his view that human beings could, in theory, live to life-spans far in excess of that which any authenticated cases have lived to today.

De Grey's research focuses on whether regenerative medicine can thwart the aging process. He works on the development of what he calls "Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence" (SENS), a tissue-repair strategy intended to rejuvenate the human body and allow negligible senescence.

To this end, he has identified seven types of molecular and cellular damage caused by essential metabolic processes. SENS is a proposed panel of therapies designed to repair this damage.

The book ‘Ending-Aging’ is not a technical book at such, but it does have few heavy medicine themes in to. However, de Grey is the one to watch when it come to the end of aging.

Click for to link to review

Life Extension Express 

by David Kekich

The health and anti-aging market is worth Gazillions of Dollars, Pounds and Yen. Yet we are some way from popping pills that will halt the tides of time.

Only there is more here!

Life-Extension Express suggests to the reader that not only is the future of Life-Extension real, but lots of applied science and understanding of the mechanisms of aging is now coming to a point where we are a few decades away from off the self health and longevity!

As the book makes clear, you will age, but at a slower rate for the foreseeable future. But as time rides by your physiological aging will slow faster!

But more?

What about the point when you stop aging, and then even begin to reverse your physical age?

What about the possibility that chronologically you are 70 years going on 35 again?

Well, start planning that career you never got around to achieving; that MegaBusiness; that adventure.

And?... 'Yes she's done it, she wins the GOLD... Yes he's done it - Touch Down!!!  And 'O'dear! It's my Great Great Great Grandson's 21st next week, I'll have to skip the Gym!'

What a world we are beginning to live in!

Intrigued? Click link to review

The author of this book changed his name to FM2030 to represent his passion and belief in the distant future. 

Your name, for example, reflects your ancestry and history. His scribe represents the future. He wrote this futures book while suffering a terminal illness back in the 1970s. 

It is profound, embedded with some big surprises. Dare you read it!

Click this link to review

Printable Organs? Breakthrough: 3D-Printed Stem Cells

Researchers claim that they have cracked the code when it comes to using 3D printing to create stem cells — so what happens next?

Unfortunately, organ donors are few and far between. Even if you have a potential match, after spending a long time on a waiting list, conditions worsen and an organ may not be accepted. The lack of available organs is one that causes hospitals to enter continual battles over the rationing of such resources. As a surgeon I know told me, this can not only strain the relationship between different hospitals, but of course also impact patients.

So what can be done, except finding artificial methods to prolong life until organs become available, or creating substitutes for organs?

A new technique, pioneered by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland in collaboration with stem cell technology company Roslin Cellab, uses 3D-printing technology — otherwise used in robotics, gun manufacture and as a replacement for photography — in the hopes to eventually eliminate the need for organ donation, immunosuppressant drugs and organ transplant rejection.

The new valve-based process takes advantage of the fact that stem cells can now be grown in labs. A printer creates a three-dimensional sphere which contains delicate embryonic cell cultures that float in a liquid medium. These cells are then built up using an adjustable “microvalve” to create layers and encourage cells to spawn.

As stem cells can become any organ in the body, being able to quickly produce them could result in 3D-printed organs specifically tailored to a patient’s body.

Dr. Shu said:

“In the longer term, we envisage the technology being further developed to create viable 3D organs for medical implantation from a patient’s own cells, eliminating the need for organ donation, immune suppression and the problem of transplant rejection.”

The team say this is the first time that cells have ever been printed using 3D-printing techniques. More importantly, the cells survived the experimental process, and in the first stages the breakthrough will be used to develop drug-testing products.

Jason King, business development manager of Roslin Cellab, commented:

“Normally laboratory-grown cells grow in 2D but some cell types have been printed in 3D. However, up to now, human stem cell cultures have been too sensitive to manipulate in this way.

This is a scientific development which we hope and believe will have immensely valuable long-term implications for reliable, animal-free drug-testing and in the longer term to provide organs for transplant on demand.”

Simply klic here for some extraterestrial fun

Fujitsu Hyperinnovative Lifebook Concept unites a laptop, tablet, phone and camera together in one device. Even if we've seen devices that come close, this concept takes the cake when it comes to multi-functionality. Where a keyboard would be, the laptop holds a small tablet. As soon as the tablet is in the slot, the tablet itself becomes a full size touch-based QWERTY Keyboard. You can detach its camera and use it as a digital camera, detach the tablet and use it as such or attach it and use it as the laptop’s keyboard or touch drawing area.

Top 5 Ways to Get Smart

  

What is smart? Some people judge smarts by standard benchmarks like test scores and grade point averages. Others think common sense, problem solving abilities and "street smarts" define intelligence. Standardized testing scores have proven unreliable and biased along racial and socioeconomic lines, and cramming for classes can lead to GPAs that aren't a true indicator of intelligence.

While we can't all agree on a standard for intelligence, we can agree that the human brain is the key to all of them. It has a great capacity to adapt, rewire and grow. Neural networks expand and strengthen through learning experiences. Stimuli make the brain stronger and more vital. This reinforcement of the brain's power affects intelligence across all standards, from street smarts to testing scores. Here are five ways you can increase your brain's capacity to take in and store new data. Or, said more simply, here's how you can get smarter.

     1.      Wakeful exercises for the brain are great and necessary to help improve brain function so you can get smarter. But what about sleep? Not a whole lot is known about sleep, but we know now that scientists were wrong for years with the belief that the brain simply shut down during sleep to recharge. Research now indicates that the brain may actually do a little night time filing during sleep. The information from the previous day is catalogued and put in the proper mental folders so it can make the journey from short-term memory to long-term. Sleeping problems have been known to exacerbate other brain issues, so it makes sense that a good night's sleep can help increase the brain's function and ability to focus. It varies from person to person, but between six and eight hours of sleep for adults is generally recommended.
 
2.      The brain, like many parts of the human body, needs regular exercise in order to maintain strength and vitality. Some more common brain strengthening exercises include fun activities like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and other word and number-based brain teasers. There are other more academic ways as well, like completing math word problems and exercises relating to spatial relationships and geometry. Even simply reading this article gives your brain a slight workout. If these ideas are a little too scholarly for you, try simple things like mixing up your routine. Just brushing your teeth with the opposite hand or walking a different way to work forces your brain to work harder than usual, which is ultimately what you want to do.
 
3.      In June 2010, researchers at The Sage Colleges presented findings that show certain types of bacteria commonly found in dirt made mice ‘smarter.’ The mice given Mycobacterium vaccae performed better in maze tests and showed fewer signs of anxiety and higher levels of serotonin in the forebrain, the area that takes care of higher-order thinking. The bacteria seem to promote the growth of neurons as well. This doesn't mean that we should all go out and start shoveling dirt in our mouths: You can actually ingest it by doing yard work, gardening and even by simply taking a walk through the woods.
 
 
4.      The human body is all connected, so you can't take care of one part of it without benefiting some other part. Physical exercise is important for good health, for both the body and the brain. Simply increasing your blood flow kicks up the oxygen and glucose levels in the brain. The coordination it takes to perform exercises also gives the brain a workout, especially if you're trying something new. Exercise also means you're battling sedentary lifestyle, or one free from mental stimuli. Food is also important. There are many foods that have been associated with brain health, including fish oil, eggs, protein and dark green vegetables. Green tea, herbal tea and nuts are also good ‘brain food.’ Eating right, getting the required amount of sleep and exercises, both mental and physical, are the keys to improving memory and overall brain function.
 
5.      For thousands of years, we've known the benefits of meditation. The practice of meditation can be different for each person, but it generally involves quiet, focused breathing exercises in which the practitioner is able to achieve a state of mental calm. Regardless of whether you believe that this mental calm is an enlightened state of consciousness, no one can deny the benefits of relaxed, focused breathing. FMRI scans have revealed that regular meditation also affects the actual structure of the brain. Researchers believe that memory, function, attention span and focus all benefit from meditation. One study showed that regular daily meditation can even increase the size of parts of the cerebral cortex. Not surprisingly, some of the world's leading and forward-thinking corporations offer meditation classes for their employees.
 

And here's a question: Do you have a friend who's super smart, but when it comes to street smarts he's ... let's say ‘lacking?’ Even the smartest people pull dumb moves sometimes, and for some reason it's extra surprising and disappointing when a smart person screws up. How could that president or general carry on an affair knowing it could easily get out? How did that company CEO think he could embezzle millions and no one would find out?

The truth is that book smarts or business savvy don't make a person perfect. Or streetwise. In fact, smart people seem prone to spectacular lapses in judgment more so than ‘average’ people.

Why? One study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology gave logic problems to people to solve and found that smart people tended to make more mistakes than those of average intellect, because smart people were more likely to take shortcuts or make assumptions due to overconfidence. This is called the bias blind spot [source: West et al].

Of course, overconfidence isn't the only road to a dumb decision. Many of the dumb choices people make are motivated by greed, pride, stress, and even sheer laziness.

Addapted from Charles W. Bryant essay on HowItWorks!

PeePoo Bags Sterilize and Compost Human Waste Where Toilets Are a Luxury

Sometimes we just don't know how fortunate we are!

From PeePoo's site:

'The mismanagement of human waste is a serious health problem for the 2.6 billion people who don't have regular access to toilets. 

In fact, in the slums of Kenya, waste management is so haphazard that residents dispose of feces-filled plastic bags by simply flinging the bags away without concern about where they land. 

And it was discovering those flying sacks of waste that inspired Anders Wilhelmson to invent the PeePoo, a chemically treated toilet bag that sterilizes human waste and converts it to fertilizer, all for only two or three pence.

Peepoo is a personal, single-use, self-sanitising, fully biodegradable toilet that prevents faeces from contaminating the immediate area as well as the surrounding ecosystem. After use, Peepoo turns into valuable fertiliser that can improve livelihoods and increase food security.

The secret of the PeePoo lies with the urea coating on the inside of the bag. Once its filled and buried, enzymes in feces naturally breakdown the urea into ammonia and carbonate. This raises the pH in the bag, killing any pathogens. Once the urea decontaminates the waste, the bag biodegrades, and the remaining ammonia fertilizes the soil.

Most importantly, because these problems affect the poorest 40 percent of the world population, the bag is cheap. By producing the bags so inexpensively, Wilhelmson hopes to both help the world and turn a profit. And considering the market for low cost toilets runs into the trillions of dollars, there is certainly profit to be made.

The lack of sanitation creates tremendous problems worldwide including environmental pollution, great social problems and unsafe surroundings, as well as greatly increasing the outbreak of lethal epidemic diseases such as cholera.

Without toilets, individuals and their environment are at risk from contamination of fresh water and ground water. That’s because human faeces contain infectious and often deadly pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, worms and parasites.

Every year, 1.5 million children die from diarrhea caused by poor sanitation. Through amazingly cheap production and simple design, Wilhemson hopes that the PeePoo won't just save lives, but allow the people suffering through the problem of waste mismanagement to save those lives themselves.

Women, adolescent girls and children are the most vulnerable group suffering from lack of basic sanitation in several ways. One child dies every 15 seconds due to contaminated water from human excreta. 

Up to 50% of all deaths in emergency, refugee and IDP camp situations are caused by diarrhoeal diseases. More than 80 percent of these deaths are children under two years of age.'

Link to PeePoo's site o get a fuller view.

Made to Stick: Why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck.


Link to Amazon for review.

Solidoodle 2: Affordable, Out-of-the-Box 3D Printing

In a world filled with $1,000, $2,000, and even $40,000 3D printers, the Solidoodle 2 is an anomaly.  A 3D printer designed for the homes and desktops of hobbyists, its costs start at only $499!  

At Replicator World, we were curious about the Solidoodle 2’s price and capabilities, so we spoke with Sam Cervantes, the company’s founder and CEO.  First, we asked him about the conception of the Solidoodle 2.  “ When we first designed [it], we set out to create a printer that meets the needs of the majority of people.  We had three things in mind: quality, affordability, and ease of use.”

The Solidoodle 2 has all these qualities and more.  Once you order this mini-desktop factory, you can install its software package, and using Google Sketchup (as Mr. Cervantes demonstrates in the video above), a very intuitive modeling program, you can convert that Sketchup file into a file the printer will understand by sending it through the Solidoodle software.  Compared with other CAD programs many 3D printers utilize, such as Skeinforge, this process is a breeze.    

The original Solidoodle could only print 4X4X4’, but the Solidoodle 2 prints objects that are 6X6X6’. However, as Mr. Cervantes explains, “there are some slight limitations, such as overhangs [and other complex structures] (the limit is about 60 degrees) but aside from that the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.  Our customers are printing toys, new inventions, useful objects for around the house, and nearly anything else…” 

We also asked him about the printer’s phenomenal price: “We’re able to sell the Solidoodle 2 at such a great price [fully assembled] because of the great engineering design.  Using my background as an aerospace engineer, I applied world-class engineering and design principles to create a totally unique printer from the ground up.”

Mr. Cervantes then went on to discuss the sorts of people who would want to buy a Solidoodle 2.  “Our target customer is a designer, dad, or hobbyist who wants a printer at a great price that works well right out of the box…the majority of our customers begin printing in an afternoon.  We expect our future products to be even more efficient and easier to use.” 

And what sorts of things are these designers, dads, and hobbyists going to be printing?  Mr. Cervantes has a great example.  “My personal favorite creation with the Solidoodle 2 is the Star Wars Yoda,…I like it because it’s a great demonstration of what the Solidoodle 2 is capable of.”

Indeed, many of the Solidoodle creations are impressive.  Mr. Cervantes says that “Solidoodle users all around the world are sharing their ideas with each other on our Google group, forum, website, and with each other.  Already we’re seeing new innovative 3D designs emerge organically within our community, and the possibilities are endless.  We see a bright future for 3D printing and the open sharing of digital designs.” 

We at Replicator World couldn’t agree more with Mr. Cervantes.  We look forward to a world where 3D printing, like computers and cell phones before it, “is something that we can’t live without.”

Photos courtesy of Solidoodle.com                       

Measuring Creativity

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - Performance Metrics – Customer Satisfaction Index - Attributes, Variable, Factors, Percentages and Ratios

Have you ever been tasked with designing and implementing a performance measurement management system? If you have or even if you are tasked to adhere to one, you’ll know there are pitfalls, do’s and don’ts.

But when it comes to measuring creativity, say in design or ideation or a marketing campaign; the house of balanced score cards often comes crashing on down.

For instance, I recall a shiny new penny CEO turning up at a rather well known Lighting Product company in the UK; demanding that all company processes be objectly measured. As the metrics came in I was asked to measure my man-hours spent on idea generation and conceptualisation. Then measure how much time on actual engineering development, and how much time spent on prototyping and testing the gadget.

Man months later after an operations review I was pulled in to a meeting to answer the question, ‘why do you keep going over the same sub-process (concept design) again and again? It’s a waste of valuable time.’

I said (in paraphrase), ‘Creativity is often an iterative process, where one hones and refines a design until it meets the technical targets. Then if it doesn’t, you take a day off to refresh the mind and start again on new angle, a different point of view to get to a new solution. And again the iterative process starts. And it’s not unusual to go through this start again process umpteen times.’

‘But that’s inefficient’ I was told by the CEO. ‘You must aim to get it right first time.’ The CEO gave the same edict to the rest of the 30 strong design department.

There is strong evidence that constraints like time pressure and tight budgets improves creativity, but the restraint of right first time, is fallacy. 

For example, I worked on a single design project for a number of years, then right at the last moment, a flash of inspiration took the design not only to a new level, but a completely new vector of design-space.

From that orienation, I won my second British Design Council Award (BDCA).

I went to the gala dinner presentation at the Savoy Hotel, London, with – yes the CEO and his team. At the cocktail party after the presentation the CEO came up to me and said ‘Let’s have look at your award.’ I passed it over and he admired my trophy. He then looked at me and said, ‘have you any more thoughts on how you should measure your time in design young man.’

I looked at the BDCA.

The 3D Advanced Rapid Manufacturing World Tips!

It’s funny really. I recall back in 1986, Charles Hull’s now famous ‘Stereolithography Machine’ being demonstrated on the BBC’s ‘Tomorrow's World’ program. I was just out of my engineering apprenticeship and saw some benefits in early stage prototypes in product design. But to be honest, it didn’t cross my mind unit the mid 1990s that 3D rapid prototyping and manufacturing would be something fundamental to the way we make things.

Then in 2006, I was asked to write a paper and carry the closing key note address at the TCT Rapid Manufacturing Conference, at the Heritage Motor Centre, UK.

That paper brought it altogether. I based my projections out based on empirical trends. In summary I said that:

Year 2012+: Frenzy: Multiplicative RM systems that build components and fully assembled end products comparable to off-tool parts will emerge. 3D printing boutiques will start to hit the high street and shopping mall. Increased sales of low-cost 3D printers take additive manufacturing mainstream to students, researchers, DIY-inventors, entrepreneurs and hobbyists.

Year 2015+: Zap: Yield in terms of cycle-time, precision, resolution, complexity, material performance and component variety will reach a critical point where, quite literally, will come to be known as ‘Instant Production Technology (IPT).’ The first integrated top-down multiplicative production systems appear, purchased by high-end manufacturers and specialist users, enabling engineers to design and test fully functional prototypes in extremely quick cycles: hours instead of days; days in place of months. Integrated component that merge from one materials to another start to emerge. That means electro-mechanical components - say a toroidal choke with integrated yoke produced all in one hit - become viable for the first time.

Year 2020+: Hocuspocus: Arthur C. Clark once wrote ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ And if the likes Hewlett Packard have their way, by 2020 completely assembled consumer durables and other sundry items - that‘s roller-skates, electronic calculators, pens, even TVs and eventually all consumer gadgets and gizmos (including the packaging) - will be designed, manufactured and assembled through so-called hybrid top-down IPT, just like magic. Expect to see seminal hybrid IPT integrating microlasers (sub-micron cut/etch), microminture transfer systems, miniature x-ray lithography, hybrid/smart fusion materials, and automated microscopy inspection. 3G nanofacturing begins. However, vast amounts of money is saved in manufacturing, distribution and warehousing.

Year 2025+: Just Add Water TVs: Complex organic multidimensional molecules - approaching that found in nature’s kitchen - will be created from the bottom-up, instantly. Nanofactories capable of producing high protein vitamin rich synthetic food will give hope to the remaining poverty stricken nations. With such IPT systems, the cost of manufacture is unrelated to the complexity of the product. 

Consumer countertop synthesisers will begin to revolutionise the way house hold objects are acquired. TVs and eventually all small domestic size consumer gadgets are printed out at home. The range of products will be limited far more by human imagination than by technological restrictions.  Products will be revolutionary by today's standards. For example, the capability to pack a supercomputer in a grain of sand will spring forth artefacts of mind-blowing extent. This combined with more capable sensors, displays and actuators will allow remarkable robotic devices produced quickly and efficiently. High performance product design, development and verification will still be very costly; but once designed, units can be manufactured in quantity - that’s Ferraris, SCRAM jets, up to and including beef-steak, milkshake in a glass and fries on the side - all for pennies per kilogram. This is the point where an artefact’s scale, resolution and complexity ceases to have a relative material economic magnitude.

Back to today: 3D additive printing is now a $1.3 billion market. And it will reach $3.1 billion worldwide by 2016 and $5.2 billion by 2020; says the Wohlers’ Report 2012.

The point is, all this begun in 1986 on Tomorrow’s World, with a market worth – well – ZERO at that time!

Below are a string of Posts that confirm my 2012+ forecasts from back in 2006. But I wonder if I’m going to be right again in 2015+; 2020+; 2025+.

If I am even half right, positive changes on scale not witnessed before will happen in every quarter of society. We may even begin to see the end of abject material poverty the world over!

Read on please you must. May the force be 3D with you!