Monthly Archives: May 2020

Flare Up

Scientists found something peculiar coming from the center of the Milky Way galaxy: a previously-undiscovered signal they think is coming fromthe supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy.

The team of Keio University researchers think that the signal is caused when the accretion disk around the black hole flares up and give off extremely rapidly-rotating radio spots, according to research published last month in The Astrophysical Journal Letters a glimpse at the unimaginable chaos at the core of our galaxy.

The flickering signals arent entirely new scientists have previously discovered larger and slower flare ups. But thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), now scientists can detect more minute emanations than ever before.

This emission could be related with some exotic phenomena occurring at the very vicinity of the supermassive black hole, Keio University professor Tomoharu Oka said in a press release.

The fluctuations likely come from the dizzying rotationof gas around the surface of the black hole which could help explain why its so difficult to directly observe it.

In general, the faster the movement is, the more difficult it is to take a photo of the object, Oka said.

READ MORE: ALMA spots twinkling heart of Milky Way [National Institutes of Natural Sciences]

More on supermassive black holes: A Supermassive Black Hole Yeeted This Star at 3.7 Million MPH

More here:
Astronomers Detect Signal Coming From the Heart of Our Galaxy - Futurism

A team of researchers from the Higher School of Economics University and Open University in Moscow, Russia claim they have demonstrated that an artificial intelligence can make accurate personality judgments based on selfies alone more accurately than some humans.

The researchers suggest the technology could be used to help match people up in online dating services or help companies sell products that are tailored to individual personalities.

Thats apropos, because two co-authors listed on a paper about the research published today in Scientific Reports a journal run by Nature are affiliated with a Russian AI psychological profiling company called BestFitMe, which helps companies hire the right employees.

As detailed in the paper, the team asked 12,000 volunteers to complete a questionnaire that they used to build a database of personality traits. To go along with that data, the volunteers also uploaded a total of 31,000 selfies.

The questionnaire was based around the Big Five personality traits, five core traits that psychological researchers often use to describe subjects personalities, including openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

After training a neural network on the dataset, the researchers found that it could accurately predict personality traits based on real-life photographs taken in uncontrolled conditions, as they write in their paper.

While accurate, the precision of their AI leaves something to be desired. They found that their AI can can make a correct guess about the relative standing of two randomly chosen individuals on a personality dimension in 58% of cases.

That result isnt exactly groundbreaking but its a little better than just guessing, which is vaguely impressive.

Strikingly, the researchers claim their AI is better at predicting the traits than humans. While rating personality traits by human close relatives or colleagues was far more accurate than when rated by strangers, they found that the AI outperforms an average human rater who meets the target in person without any prior acquaintance, according to the paper.

Considering the woeful accuracy, and the fact that some of the authors listed on the study are working on commercializing similar tech, these results should be taken with a hefty grain of salt.

Neural networks have generated some impressive results, but any research that draws self-serving conclusions especially when they require some statistical gymnastics should be treated with scrutiny.

READ MORE: Artificial intelligence can make personality judgments based on photographs [National Research University Higher School of Economics]

More on AI: Mind-Melting AI Makes Frank Sinatra Sing Toxic by Britney Spears

Excerpt from:
Researchers: This AI Can Judge Personality Based on Selfies Alone - Futurism

Researchers say theyve created a proof-of-concept bionic eye that could surpass the sensitivity of a human one.

In the future, we can use this for better vision prostheses and humanoid robotics, researcher Zhiyong Fan, at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told Science News.

The eye, as detailed in a paper published in the prestigious journal Nature today, is in essence a three dimensional artificial retina that features a highly dense array of extremely light-sensitive nanowires.

The team, led by Fan, lined a curved aluminum oxide membrane with tiny sensors made of perovskite, a light-sensitive material thats been used in solar cells.

Wires that mimic the brains visual cortex relay the visual information gathered by these sensors to a computer for processing.

The nanowires are so sensitive they could surpass the optical wavelength range of the human eye, allowing it to respond to 800 nanometer wavelengths, the threshold between visual light and infrared radiation.

That means it could see things in the dark when the human eye can no longer keep up.

A human user of the artificial eye will gain night vision capability, Fan told Inverse.

The researchers also claim the eye can react to changes in light faster than a human one, allowing it to adjust to changing conditions in a fraction of the time.

Each square centimeter of the artificial retina can hold about 460 million nanosize sensors, dwarfing the estimated 10 million cells in the human retina. This suggests that it could surpass the visual fidelity of the human eye.

Fan told Inverse that we have not demonstrated the full potential in terms of resolution at this moment, promising that eventually a user of our artificial eye will be able to see smaller objects and further distance.

Other researchers who were not involved in the project pointed out that plenty of work still has to be done to eventually be able to connect it to the human visual system, as Scientific American reports.

But some are hopeful.

I think in about 10 years, we should see some very tangible practical applications of these bionic eyes, Hongrui Jiang, an electrical engineer at the University of WisconsinMadison who was not involved in the research, told Scientific American.

READ MORE: A new artificial eye mimics and may outperform human eyes [Science News]

More on bionic eyes: SCIENTISTS PLUGGED A BIONIC EYE DIRECTLY INTO THIS WOMANS BRAIN

Read more:
This Bionic Eye Is Better Than a Real One, Scientists Say - Futurism

Spaceman Simulator

NASA is looking for participants to spent eight months together inside a spaceflight simulator at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems in Moscow.

The goal is to study the effects of spending time in isolation and confinement sound familiar? while on lengthy space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Participants will experience environmental aspects similar to those astronauts are expected to experience on future missions to Mars, reads a NASA statement. They will also have to complete simulated space missions during their stay.

The eight month mission will follow a four-month study last year that simulated a journey to the Moon and back at the same Russian facility. The longest mission, called Mars500, went on for 520 days to simulate a trip to Mars.

According to a call for participants on its website, NASA is looking for healthy participants between the ages of 30 and 55 who have professional experience with science, technology, engineering or math experience. Participants also have to be proficient in Russian and English and of course be willing to be locked up for eight months.

Participants will also be compensated for their time spent inside the simulator, but its still unclear how much theyll get paid.

READ MORE: Love isolation? NASA wants you to spend 8 months locked in a Russian lab [Space.com]

More on space simulators: CHINA OPENS ITS FIRST MARS SIMULATION BASE

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NASA Will Pay You to Chill in a Fake Mars Mission for 8 Months - Futurism

Thar Be Gold

As humanity pushes to settle the Moon, well need to find ways to quickly build shelters and replenish the water supply. As it turns out, the solution to those life-and-death challenges may lie well, within.

When it comes to fulfilling humanitys base needs food, water, and shelter on the Moon, the European Space Agency (ESA) thinks that the secret ingredient could be human urine, Wired reports. According to ESA research, it could serve as a crucial component of the best building material available to lunar settlers.

Wired reports that Moon settlers are likely to build using geomolymer: material made from mashing rocks with liquid to create a sort of clay. In a recent ESA study, building geopolymer rich in urea thats the stuff in your pee made the material stronger and more durable compared to water alone.

Water is very, very valuable on the lunar surface, ESA researcher Marlies Arnhof told Wired. So one of our main goals with this study was to reduce the amount of water necessary to produce a geopolymer.

But there are a challenges to the ESAs plan. The agency is only beginning to study, for instance, whether pee-laden huts would block cosmic radiation. Also, theres the unfortunate reality that pulling together enough urea to settle the Moon would require a herculean community effort.

I dont know if making pee would scale well, University of Central Florida planetary scientist Phil Metzger told Wired. I just dont think youre going to have that many people peeing on the moon.

READ MORE: On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity [Wired]

More on Moon urine: Scientists: Astronauts Could Build Moon Base Using Human Urine

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On the Moon, the Real Gold Might Be Human Urine - Futurism

Cult Futures is a new insight and incubation program launched by Cult, one of the worlds fastest growing independent creative agencies. Their latest white paper, The Creatology Report, explores the future of creativity and technology for brands. The first episode went live this week.

The panel will discuss the sensory internet, which explores how brands can thrive as the relationship between the internet and consumers is becoming so blurred that online interaction and real-world experience are fast becoming one and the same thing.

Laura Chen, head of marketing US at Elvie, and Nora Zukauskaite, global head of marketing UK and US at Ciate, join report collaborator award-winning futurist and author Lucie Greene to discuss the implications of technology that now has the capacity to live, breathe, talk and even read consumers minds.

The free live virtual event, hosted by Cults global managing director Bridey Lipscombe and head of strategy Charlotte Bunyan, starts at 4pm on Thursday 28 May. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

Bridey Lipscombe, global managing director and co-founder of Cult, said: The Sensory Internet explores the increasing shift to more multi-sensory and frictionless ways to engage through digital, and heralds a more human AI experience. As our physical and digital worlds become further blurred, this is the perfect time to be discussing what this means for brands and consumers now and in the near future.

Lucie Greene, futurist: Were at an inflection point in the way we use and think about technology, which has been accelerated even more so with Covid-19. AR, gaming and AI innovations to social platforms are creating a raft of new immersive ways to connect, work and shop. Were seeing a new generation of creatives emerge who are collaborating with technologists, sound artists, developers, and engineers moving the notion of creativity into new realms.

To sign up to the event, please follow the link here.

Read Episode 1 of Cult Futures The Sensory Internet here.

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CULT

Cult's ideas and insight take some of the worlds biggest beauty, fashion, luxury and wellness brands beyond their comfort zone to drive tangible business value. Founded in London in 2012 by Br...

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Cult Futures announces virtual event with global wellness chiefs and futurist Lucie Greene - The Drum

Constant Surveillance

When its complete, a new infrared telescope in Australia will give astronomers an unprecedented glimpse of the universe.

The Dynamic Red All-Sky Monitoring Survey (DREAMS) is expected to be completed early next year, at which point scientists will be able to watch supernovae, star mergers, and other epic cosmic events in real time giving scientists a more detailed understanding of the universe than ever before.

DREAMS camera will be able to map the entire southern sky in surveys that take just three days, allowing astronomers to rapidly find and track cosmic events.

By monitoring the sky continuously and rapidly, we will be able to search for varying and explosive phenomena, Anna Moore, Director of the Australian National University Institute for Space, said in a press release. This real-time astronomy, which allows us to study events taking place over months, weeks or days instead of millions of years, is a window into the great unknown.

In this case, real-time doesnt mean astronomers will see things like an exploding star when the actual explosion happens that light still needs to travel for untold millions of years to reach Earth. Instead, the camera will let them gather more data of the event as its signal reaches Earth, sort of like upgrading from a single photograph to a flipbook.

DREAMS will allow us to see the universe in an entirely new way, Moore added.

READ MORE: New infrared telescope to spot cosmic hidden treasures [Australian National University]

More on astronomy: NASA Telescope Idea Could Spot Vegetation on Distant Exoplanets

Read more:
New Telescope Will Watch Entire Southern Sky in Infrared - Futurism

These are the key areas where jobs are predicted to grow across Australia in the future, as businesses realise the benefits of a broad skill set and ability to adapt.

With Australias employment landscape in for a major overhaul, futurists predict people with a broad range of skills will be favoured over specialists in the new job market.

Futurist Chris Riddell said: Being a specialist in one area now will narrow you into a much more siloed field than being a generalist.

(Choose something) part technology, part interpersonal skills, and focus on emotional intelligence and soft skills as well as functional skills.

Ten years ago being a generalist was a bad career move but now it will serve you well. Things are changing so quickly a better plan is to have a broad set of skills you can use to pivot and adapt.

Experts have also predicted a renewed respect for science, increasing reliance on technology, and newly-discovered gaps in supply chains will create demand in sectors from manufacturing and logistics to medical technology and finance.

Already, Australians are preparing for the post-coronavirus job market by upskilling and retraining.

Exclusive LinkedIn data revealed a 57 per cent increase in time spent on LinkedIn Learning courses since isolation began in March.

Mr Riddell and Ideas With Legs reinvention expert and innovation futurist Nils Vesk shared their predictions for the jobs and skills of the future:

MANUFACTURING

We are going to see an up-swell of manufacturing in Australia, Mr Riddell said.

But I have to put a big caution sticker on that it wont be a return to manufacturing of cars or any of those industries that have left Australia, it will be an uprising of more boutique manufacturing.

I think there is a going to be a general appetite for that swing back and I can assure you governments will throw their weight behind making that as easy as possible.

Mr Vesk said demand would likely centre on advanced manufacturing experts with backgrounds in robotics, mechatronics, automation and quality assurance.

LOGISTICS

Mr Vesk said the need for a stronger domestic supply chain was likely to create roles in logistics and systems analysis.

He predicted people would also not return to face-to-face retail at the same levels as before the pandemic, creating jobs in delivery and warehousing.

People will think Unless you can wow me with a physical experience, I am going back to (online shopping), Mr Vesk said.

Shipping costs are going to come down because there is that much more demand for it, so there will probably be an increase in warehousing and consignment.

HEALTH

Mr Riddell said roles for nurses, doctors and midwives would continue to grow at previous rates, but there would also be added demand for the technology side of healthcare.

He predicted FitBit-style wearables that collected health data would become more widely used and create new work.

Mr Vesk said social distancing regulations had brought teleconsultations into the mainstream and he expected they would remain into the future.

We are finding all kinds of online applications that will continue post-coronavirus, he said.

There will definitely be more jobs looking at teleconsulations.

He also predicted an increase in roles surrounding mental health.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Software programmers and cloud computing experts would be needed as new technologies were introduced to combat workplace safety issues and allow people to work productively from home.

For example, Mr Vesk predicted demand for voice activation technology in hygiene-friendly applications such as contactless entry to work buildings.

IT security is another big one as well, he said.

With so may people working online and predictions for that to continue post-coronavirus, there will be big demand there.

SCIENCE

Mr Vesk said the pandemic had renewed Australias respect of science and this could translate into job growth, too.

People have more of an understanding that science has an important role to play, he said.

Over the last five years with climate sceptics, people have been disrespecting what science is. People in the scientific and technical services will probably find more funding maybe not in all areas of research (but around things like) epidemiology, data, statistics.

FINANCE

As people and businesses reassessed their financial situation amid the pandemic, Mr Vesk predicted a need for professionals who could help.

There will be some personal finance coaches that will get a lot of (business), he said.

There will be a lot more insolvencies and certain businesses bought out so activation on all different levels there.

START-UPS

Budding entrepreneurs could also take advantage of gaps left in the market by the pandemics economic fallout.

Businesses that were OK and established but didnt have huge capital may be wiped out (so) smart operators will set up their own (version), Mr Vesk said.

(Start ups) are flexible, have the technology and can partner with larger companies.

We will find a bit of movement in that so there might be associated work for example, marketing for start-ups.

DELIVERING JOBS INTO THE FUTURE

Drive Yello courier Gustavo Sanches has experienced first hand the increased demand for deliveries since COVID-19 reached Australia.

He originally joined the app-based platform in December to earn extra money on the side of his two other jobs, but these were both in the tourism sector so are now on hold.

I used to do courier jobs complementing my wages but now its my first option, he said.

Its saving me.

Mr Sanches, 32, lives on the Gold Coast but often drives to Cleveland to increase his chances of being assigned delivery jobs.

Usually, I park nearby somewhere I know there is a Woolworths or BWS and wait, he said.

They call me when they need me and if I am around I accept it.

I arrive at the supermarket and they have already put it in the trolley so I just need to handle the trolley and put it in my car.

I think Australians are getting used to ordering online and demand is getting higher and higher.

Drive Yello had a 2000 per cent increase in businesses signing up for its software and pool of drivers since the pandemic.

More than 2000 new couriers also joined but Drive Yello is still seeking about 700 more in areas such as Townsville and Rockhampton in Queensland; Wollongong, Woy Woy and Toronto in New South Wales; Darwin in the NT, and Bunbury in Western Australia.

Founding chief executive Steve Fanale said they were looking for people who wanted flexible work and could supply their own van, car or bicycle.

We are seeing a massive increase in demand on the back of the crisis and lockdowns, but I see that continuing to grow post-COVID-19, he said.

Retailers that have adapted their systems and changed the way they conduct business to cater for this period are not going to just stop doing it.

On the consumer side, once you have a taste for that level of convenience, sometimes its harder to go back to the norm.

We are currently estimating we will see continued growth for the next 12 months that would be higher than we could have expected otherwise.

News Corp, in partnership with recruitment technology provider Shortlyster, is launching the Australian National Talent Registry to connect jobseekers with employers in a new way that recognises their skills and experience and matches them to vacancies as they are advertised.

TO SIGN UP TO THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TALENT REGISTRY, CLICK ON YOUR STATE NSW, VICTORIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND.

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Futurists predict the jobs that will emerge in Australia in the future - PerthNow

Our consciousness is the ability to visualize the future and plan for that future in a methodical and rational way.

(Newswire.net -- May 22, 2020) -- Our consciousness is the ability to visualise the future and plan for that future. Of course; we cant plan for every eventuality but we can anticipate trends and adapt to these changes through initiating effective change management. In fact, it is todays most revered leaders that help not only change their own companies but the industry they work in and even the world; simply because they are able to turn their visions into reality through the use of futurism.

Futurists possess highly creative mindsets that speculate businesss strategies over years and decades. This wide-range vision creates products, processes and services that they can adapt and fit into a long-term vision and so a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy is begun. This story although not yet true, when repeated often enough, will have the effect of acclimatising staff, stakeholders and customers minds to this vision of futuristic growth, which has the positive effect of cementing its actual success.

Fascinating research has revealed that our brains change more when we reflect on the possibilities of the future than they do when we think about the past which, after all, has been and gone. It is our ability to look ahead that actually creates and establishes our personal and business worlds. There can however, be some difficulty for businesses to use futurism effectively in order to bridge the gap between the thoughts of the future and how to make improvements starting today. This is where change management training can be invaluable.

Many businesses think they are adopting a futuristic approach but actually embracing innovation. However, the two approaches are not the same. Innovation is a gradual process that uses existing resources and technology; taking a step by step approach to get ahead of the competition and ahead of the market. Futurists however, anticipate what is to come and then build towards these different scenarios turning their predictions into reality even if they have to amend them during the innovation pipeline. So, one method uses the past to get ahead and one works back from the future instead.

Futurism however, is not an isolated experience where one simply decides to be a futurist and go it alone. Futurists can and do use tools to brainstorm ideas and then consult experts who deal with the field of experience of those ideas to help build the future in mind. A change management specialist can explain and show you how to implement the different tools of futurism which include methods such as Scenario Planning, Environmental Scanning and the Dephi Survey Method.

It is now said we are in the 4th revolution of the industrial/business age which is proving to be far more technologically fast-paced than ever before. This is why futurism and the ability to use this skill effectively is proving to be an essential part in taking responsibility for creating our own successful business futures.

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Futurism and change management what you need to know - Newswire