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
Featured
2.6 billion people don’t use the internet. What’s stopping them?
One-third of the world still isn’t online. Here’s how the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is working to close the digital divide.
The next big tech trend will start out looking like a toy
In “Read, Write, Own: Building The Next Era of the Internet,” investor Chris Dixon explains why the biggest trends often go overlooked.
Constitutional warning shot for social media “deplatforming” laws
Can the government tell private websites what they have to publish?
More
Crypto and traditional art are merging — and the result is fantastic
The addition of a physical component could help crypto art go mainstream.
Facebook robot winds fiber-optic cable around power lines
A Facebook robot that wraps fiber-optic cables around power lines could help bridge the digital divide by expanding internet access.
This drone footage from inside a hurricane is wild
Saildrone and NOAA have teamed up to collect footage and data inside a category four hurricane. And they shared the stunning footage online.
Series|
Make It Count
How vertical farming can save the planet and feed the world
Vertical farming is a radical new way to feed our growing population sustainably. But can it replace traditional farming?
Series|
Make It Count
How biomaterials could save the planet
By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. But biomaterials may be the solution.
Drone ambulances race to help cardiac arrest victims (Updated)
Drone ambulances deliver defibrillators to suspected cardiac arrest victims more quickly than traditional ambulances in a Swedish study.
US Airman, missing in action, located by underwater drones
Project Recover has located the remains of an airman declared missing in action during the Vietnam War using a fleet of underwater drones.
Autonomous boat maps seafloor from San Francisco to Hawaii without a human crew
The Saildrone Surveyor could change how we understand the ocean.
New search and rescue drone listens for human screams
To help first responders find people during disasters, researchers are training a search and rescue drone to listen for human screams.
Volcanoes to power bitcoin mining in El Salvador
Now that bitcoin is legal tender in El Salvador, the nation is working to power bitcoin mining facilities with geothermal energy harnessed from volcanoes.
Series|
Ramen Profitable
This startup is bringing same-day shipping to everyone in the world
The tech behind automated drone delivery is still being developed, but with advances like these, next-generation shipping methods are just on the horizon.
Remote Work Is Reversing the Brain Drain
Rural economies can now lure top talent away from big cities and affluent countries — could this be the reverse of the brain drain?
Google unveils “magic window” for 3D video chat
Google’s Project Starline is a new 3D video chat technology designed to make online communication feel more like real life.
Bat-inspired sound location tech could allow drones to fly solo
Inspired by bat’s ears, researchers at Virginia Tech have created a device capable of pinpointing sound location more accurately than other tech — or our ears.
Drone light show creates scannable QR code in the sky
A drone light show staged in celebration of the “Princess Connect! Re:Dive” video game ended with the drones forming a scannable QR code in the sky.
Series|
Catalysts
Research grants, the silicon valley way
What if there was a way to fast-forward innovation? An economist and tech billionaire recently joined forces to make research grants available within 14 days.
Underwater gliders could soon run off of the ocean’s changing temperatures
California company Seatrec wants to bring their temperature-harnessing generator technology to underwater gliders.
Series|
Coded
The strange story of Venezuela’s failed cryptocurrency
The world’s first state-backed cryptocurrency was a revolutionary idea that could’ve saved Venezuela’s economy. Here’s what went wrong.
Giant rocket launching drone will take satellites to space
The world’s biggest drone is designed to launch satellites into orbit while airborne.
Dropping drones into volcanoes can help us predict eruptions
The ratio of sulphur to carbon dioxide being released can be an indicator of imminent volcanic eruptions. Researchers are using drones to gather that data.
Subscribe to the newsletter