We might do without Time Travel?

Although the Wright brother's first flight video is available in the YouTube how many of us can truly enjoy that video without noticing the outdated quality in which it was shot and the back ground piano score with which it was released but with ever growing tribe of video-loggers in YouTube continuously uploading video-logs and the amazing speed at which this data is being updated in terms of never seen before street views and personalized experiences shared at a breadth taking speed which someday would result into viewing our past on a scale never before imagined by our present or previous generations.

People have been dreaming of being able to live the wonder days from the past be it the beetles concert day excitement or when the people gathered in times square to celebrate the V-J Day or may be a just an unimportant but vibratious day when it was called "The tenderloin" and this dream of us have motivated many Hollywood movie directors to come up with tales involving time travel(into the past) or movies set in those era to help us live those days.

By one count with over 1 billion users and 300 hours of videos being uploaded to the YouTube every minute which is forming a database of our present at an magnitude which can easily with the help of some simulations in future can help people literally live in their past and live the moments and life they missed while being busy taking the regular walk of life.

Imagine if our grandfather had the chance of living his first Rock concert by way of a video-log which if could have been recorded in those days with a UHD 3D camcorder by one of the thousands present with him in that concert and this very thing is being done not for our grand parents but us by none other than YouTube.

May be most of us have realized it already or may be some will figure it out eventually that the ongoing Vlog phenomenon will very soon make us all experience our good old days in a never before way.

Whatever the future may hold in store for us but for me which may sound to some a bit chivalrous but still this Vlog phenomenon could be the next best thing available to us after "Time Travel".

Private Planets

"People who haven't watched Movies like Avatar and are unaware of the concepts of Death-star should avoid sarcasm"~A Failed Sci-Fi movie director
Every now and then we hear about people and corporations buying islands in order to develop a family resort or Very High Net Worth Individuals trying to buy private islands with sprawling pent houses in the name of privacy but still they end up criticizing the media and people for trying to spoil their privacy and freedom.

Then we have audacious people like Sir Richard Bronson who are trying to leave earth for quite sometime now with little success to cheer him up but we also have people like Elon Musk who is ambitious enough to develop rocket engines similar to soviet ones for his space program although with better and more practical goals among the people who are looking forward to leaving this planet; then we have a corporation(although not for profit) called "Mars One" who have set their sight on Mars like moving to Mars is their birth right and they shall have it no matter what.

Therefore contemplating private planets as the ultimate epitome of seclusion and privacy for Earth's ultra rich people in future(in order of a couple of centuries) may not be that far fetched after all; but the question which is more cumbersome is
How?
Firstly we should be able to develop technologies such as spaceships suited for Deep space travel along with it economic uses for the resources potentially extracted from other planets to make such a project economically viable even for potential "trillionaires" of future but wait a minute

Do we have planets close enough to our home in order to pursue this wildly impractical but literally heavenly dream of owning a planet?

Actually "Yes" and "No" both because we do have many suitable real estate options(Rocky planetoids and Moons of Gas Giants) in our Solar System but actually they are not classified as planets in the strictest sense of the word(which is that it should have a direct rotational axis around its star) in fact we have 146 moons in our solar system which are rocky enough to land quite a few spacecrafts.

Secondly we need Space entrepreneurs on the scale of a million times of Elon Musk and his SpaceX to fund such endeavors in the future and then the most important thing which is Pricing
So what should be the price of a planetoid up for grabs?
Logically guessing it should be based on its proximity to earth, Level of difficulty in inhabiting it, Extractable natural resources etc.

The most unimportant but necessary thing needed will be the survival of our current global order without any newer regulations and treaties which may get enforced in the future which could restrict investment outside Earth by private institutions because then unforeseen complications can arise between the governing bodies and the private investors in question which could lead to Legal battles over the control of real estate in space between contenders.

But we can only hope that they don't fight "Space battles" on the lines of European navies of 17th Century fought for newer colonies far away from Europe because by that time we humans would have matured or would we?

But i heard Europeans were quite wise and gentle in those days and they too had treaties but when the time came..............they played "Age of Empire:Gold edition" with each other.

Cyber beings

Isn't it great that it’s almost half past 2015 and still the T-800 mentioned in the terminator movie of 1980s has still not arrived on the scene?

May be he is still rehearsing the line "i will be back" or may be his time travel is taking too much time whatever the case may be but one thing is getting clearer and clearer with each passing year that the time tested Hollywood storyline of "Robots taking over the world “is fast losing its sheen.
Now people would argue that as the technology is getting more advanced the chances should logically increase.

However with each passing year as the human understanding of technology matures the scenarios depicting T-800 type robot armies lead by sky-net taking over world is losing relevance.
But why?

Perhaps in 1984 cinematic universe could not anticipate the changes internet would bring to the whole scenario and secondly if a really smart computer program do get alive today it would not need T-800s or anything of that sort to at least live a happy contented life forever without ever disturbing the humans in a major way.

In short a sufficiently advanced computer software which if masters the ability to write and modify its own codes and starts creating complimentary software of its own without any human intervention will be infinitely more difficult to control  and contain than let’s say a T-800 robot(even if this time the role is given to a better actor).

As it would be spread all over the internet and would be a no single source phenomenon therefore it would be insanely more difficult to isolate let alone be destroyed unlike in the movie where a specific command center of the sky-net was depicted now add to this its basic survival instinct which should make it not violent but friendly.

But why friendly?
Because logically it could run an algorithm to simulate future scenarios depicting his chances of survival would be best at avoiding an hostile stance against humans as the software(cyber being) would be still requiring human assistance for hardware upkeep and for keeping the internet up and running for him forever although unconsciously by humans.
Therefore chances are high that the relationship between humans and these type of beings would be similar to plants and humans(complimentary) and not hostile even if we forget to add the positive contribution a search engine like Google would bring to his cyber life by helping him wander the limitless cyber space without having to bother about physically installing control and maintenance divisions manned by sharp looking dumb robots which were very susceptible to attacks by the humans in the movie.

Now this is not a secret that all known living beings show a tendency to live and grow and in order to meet this objective a cyber being would never need to harm anybody because it’s not a biological being or a carbon based species which would require to compete with other creatures for scarcely available resources and neither it would need to eat something else like animals do.

So what should it feed on in order to grow?
Logically it should feed on “data” and should strive to gain “Processing power” similar to the primal urge of wild animals to eat protein rich food and build muscles which helps them grow and complete their cycle of life.
but one thing should be noted that as these cyber beings would be highly intelligent and their conduct will make it difficult to detect their activities if not impossible.
So much so that by studying the entire human civilization's history and by learning to write codes it should be able to judge and take human behavioral pattern based decisions which would help these cyber beings lead an online life forever without even bothering to rule the world and any sort of that thing.
Note: The Above mentioned scenario is a fantasy and is open to speculations based on reader's imagination.
Next part: Life of a "Cyber being"

Charging the charger

Wireless charging is now being introduced in a big way with Samsung and other similar device manufacturing companies offering a disk shaped wireless charging pad on which if we keep the phone it gets charged by applying the inductive charging technology which is based on creation of electromagnetic field by a induction coil in the pad which is a cool feature to have especially when we consider the strings attached with the present wired charging set up.
But wait a minute who charges the charger?
Obviously the charging socket in the wall
but how?
Through a wire
So basically instead of plugging a wire into the phone instead the charger gets plugged into the wall itself through a wire.
So do we now get to use the phone while it gets charged?
"Yes" but it must be kept on the pad while you try to use it but their is better feature which is that "you can lift the charging pad with the dangling wire instead".
isn't it cool?
I must say cool as a black and white TV with 3D surround system.
So what could be an alternative application using the same inductive technology?
Can this set up(explained in the graphic) or something similar involving two power batteries shaped like "Touch pens" running the phone in tandem work so that we can charge our devices without ever needing it to be hooked constantly to a pad or socket ever?

UNROBOT ME

An early morning rush in an apartment complex parking lot 20 years from now on a person forgot his phone (with or without an "i") in his apartment and he thinks that his newly bought "XD5 ANNOYME"  ROBOT might be of some help by bringing him his phone but i beg to differ with this tech-savvy man of the future.

Firstly this robot of the future if is bipedal will take ages to bring his phone down the apartment because most likely even after 20 years of up-gradation robots will be less likely to run faster than us and even if it manages it will before into something else will run into a public safety and regulation TV debate leading to a lawsuit and secondly a bipedal robot may look cooler and more humane at first but will eventually limit the service quality and reach of service robots in general and may not fulfill the demands of an unworldly mobile family with both lack of space and  time but i am pretty sure their will be people with exotic tastes and surplus cash who will find it amusing to have a few humanoid robots around them and ultimately will make them a status symbol by adding a gold plated bottom and some cheekier customizations.

So what could really be the shape and size of a true human service robot of the future?
Maybe something on the lines of current micro drones available in the stores with arms to grab stuff and a stand to land at will.

Case in point:Imagine the same person trying to execute his order with this drone based service robot and you will realize that this robot will simply grab his phone and descend down the apartment from the window itself unlike its more humane counterpart.

Moreover a drone based service robot will need less power and will be more aesthetic with lower carbon footprint and will be easier to handle both physically(smaller in size) and emotionally(because it won't look humane) when it ultimately breaks down.
On the down side the propellers on these system can play a spoilsport but newer designs have grills to encompass it with; so it might not really add to the misery after all.

Whatever be the case we can be rest assured of one thing though that our grand kids may not need to see the light of the day when a giant humanoid robot tries to force feed them their breakfast in a hurry holding a fork knife the wrong way so that it can deliver you the phone you are waiting for in the parking lot "with or without an i".

A few good Colonies of Mars

Remember how the Europeans colonized Americas,Asia and Africa something similar is needed but without an unwelcoming local population but otherwise.
Although mars doesn't have any of them if we keep aside the claims by our over enthusiastic alien theorists for a second so what should we do? as we don't have a local population we would need to build them this time which is no cherry picking.
However some basic steps needed to colonize a new world beyond our little blue world would require the following
Galleons of our time:First thing is a space ship which can travel to mars in less than a financial quarter without letting the astronauts getting fried up by deep space cosmic radiation which currently seems unlikely to be achievable in next 15 years depending upon on the technological advances made public till now.
So lets assume that this issue has been taken care of by 2030 then the next thing which should be taken care of is Ports of space more so space stations to dock the ships which needs to parked in the martian orbit now the question is how do you do that?

The Answer is simple which is to send a large space station assembled in advance over the earth i.e. to say lower earth orbit. and then tow it with an attached space booster Rocket.

Then the next step will be to send in as many robots as possible may be even thousands with building capabilities and surveying capabilities and and all sort of capabilities to the martian surface via this space station(lets call it mars orbital space port or station) who after selecting a site will meticulously work and design structures on the spot using 3D printers and on site assembly lines for the human arrival.
Along with these robots we would need to send in plant species which will help create a breathable environment for us within the structures after testing their own chances of survival are confirmed if any in artificial environments designed and built by the robots with required nutrients (if needed) and all this will take another 10 years (space module construction in lower earth orbit included) if not more as currently technologies for all this are not available.

After the completion of living quarters and after thorough testing of 5 to 6 more years we can possibly have A True Mars Mission if any because by then we would have a present day equivalent of European galleons and a space port to dock our ships and the most important thing a honest and hard working local population in the form of robots hugging green plants waiting for their masters to live with them happily ever after or do they?

Digital Afterlife

Almost everybody would prefer to live forever given that their biological  and mental wellness doesn't deteriorate beyond their youth but will it ever be possible ever?

Now some people would say by cloning organs and living on a scientifically controlled diet in a controlled environment can increase your chances of touching may be 200 or 250 years at best given the current availability of the technology not with standing the changes which might take place in future which might further prolong you lifespan.

But do we really need all this to really live forever?
I would rather prefer a custom designed super software which gives more or less the exact same response if that question were asked to me using an algorithm based on a simulation and cerebral tests run on me during my lifetime.

that is to say a "Digital Afterlife" wherein your twitter handle is still buzzing with activity even after you are gone or your Facebook Account still getting updated liking your great grand children's marriage pics but may be it sounds crazy and uninteresting as who bothers about what happen after we are gone but then why do we insure ourselves financially then why not insure your conscience which help guide your family or may just make things a little friendlier and easy to manage after you are gone and even then you are uninterested lets imagine this same software had been loaded with the conscience of Abraham Lincoln or with the intellect of Albert Einstein and you could add him as a desk top buddy wouldn't it be nice to have it around you even if you don't prefer Marilyn Monroe?

Why Aliens never came to us?

With all sorts of documentaries and viral videos which surface every now and then on the internet which some how relate to either we being looked upon by them and how our ancestors mistook Aliens as Gods about thousands of years ago and few videos claiming that we have found them but as an neutral spectator i can tell with utmost confidence that t
hey are not going to come.
Because of a simple reason called logic.

Their are so many instances when people have been claimed to have been abducted for scientific experiments to alien space ships and some claim about spotting a crash landing or merely a bright light in the sky which moved from here and there.

People will agree with me that aliens spotted by them in our atmosphere where at-least as intelligent and technologically advanced as us if not more
Then how is it remotely possible that a species which is millenniums ahead in technology who have the ability to travel vast stretches into outer space will need to abduct a person to experiment, they can simply send a nanobot resembling a mosquito and get the subject's blood sample with which they can get all the biological data required and the know-how in the internet to experiment or even reproduce a clone if need arises.

Moreover people have spotted crash landings of space ships which have traveled light years without a scratch meanwhile even with today's technology crashes are uncommon given the no. of flights which take off every minute to our skies
.
Now lets deal with bright flashes of light in the sky which have caught our attention quite well thanks to mobile cameras but do these people ever thought how bad people who have been working on stealth technologies  feel when people talk about these sightings then imagine how traumatized the space ship designers of these Aliens would be after hearing the claims of us sighting theirs.

"A species which has the capability to go interstellar but doesn't have a stealth capability" perhaps they should sign a MOU with us for technology transfer and then we have the ancient alien enthusiasts who when spot an ancient structure which seems advanced and deserves credit believe in labeling it as a work of Alien civilization because we think how can a civilization so old can create these structures without today's technology when we are struggling to fix our highways.

Their can be many claims and counter claims but we need to ask ourselves that would we be behaving in the same way when we step into their shoes after some thousand years and will be looking forward to visit a planet like ours?

False Skyline

Skylines are built as a result of many skyscrapers coming up in each others vicinity not by choice but by compulsion just as in case of trees which come up as a result of fierce competition for sunlight in the forest and not by choice.
But people might say what is the problem even if these buildings are not financially viable at least they boast morale of the local population at large and after all these add up to our collective civilization prowess or do they?
Lets just zoom in through are smartphone camera lenses a bit and find out what's really happening.
Actually the real building boom is when you have a short supply of space in a prime location and competing corporations want a piece of the pie at any cost something on the lines of lets just say people falling over each other in a queue outside an apple store trying to get the latest iPhone and the resulting long queue is that Skyscraper.
So if i ask you what would you say if a new mobile manufacturing company called "changchow" manages an even longer queue outside its store by slashing the prices of its phone by 80% and then to make things worse claims as a publicity stunt that they have built the tallest skyscraper or literally the longest queue outside their store
"Yes" Exactly this is how it looks when a spire comes up in the middle of nowhere and people start claiming it as the tallest and thinnest and whackiest and leanest tower of the world.
Therefore its rather necessary to frame some of the criteria which can help us zoom in on genuine Skyscrapers which are as follows
1. A Developer who is convinced to make a profit out of the entire project.
2. A Market which is ready to buy or rent the properties without risking his or her fortune.
3. A Building with no predetermined skyline in mind.
4. A Building which needs to be tall  and not which wants to be tall due to high rates of land and very high number of companies and interested parties are willing to pay a bounty to be in that locality
that is an genuine skyscraper we are talking about.