A Weekly Snapshot of Life-Changing Technology
Happy Friday!
It’s never too late to become a technologist. One great way to learn about how things work is to build them yourself. There are tons of maker kits on the market for robots, computers, and toys. Now there’s one on Kickstarter for a DIY Makerphone.
Have you seen any interesting DIY Maker kits? Send us a link and we’ll buy it and build it. Challenge accepted.
Now on to the Wonder.
Supernet
Groundbreaking new technology could allow 100-times-faster internet by harnessing twisted light beams to carry more data and process it faster.
Andrew’s Take: Just when you think fiber optics couldn’t get any cooler, scientists go and twist the light! This, of course, meant nothing to me until I looked it up – turns out traditional fiber optics are only using light rays from the part of the spectrum that we can see with the human eye. There’s a whole lot more light available in the rest of the spectrum that is untapped. Twisting the light unlocks these new channels
Darius’s Take: There’s no doubt about it – internet speeds and streaming quality are on a collision course. We’re already experiencing a capacity crunch on existing fiber optics technology. This breakthrough doesn’t just improve the speed – it unlocks a whole new tier.
Foldable Phones
Samsung and Google are working together on a phone with a foldable display.
Andrew’s Take: For years now, we’ve waited patiently for the return of the flip phone – the peak of human mobile technology! Now it’s back and better than ever. Think about where this could go. Foldable phones mean larger mobile screens. The foldable laptop will probably follow. These devices will make it easier to work remotely or be on the move, which opens up all sorts of possibilities in lifestyle design.
Darius’s Take: Not since the iPhone has a phone had a chance to have such a big impact on the industry. A foldable phone could have all of the advantages of a large tablet, while still being compact enough to carry in your pocket.
Nanoinjections
Houston Methodist scientists have developed a nanodevice to deliver immunotherapy directly into a tumor.
Andrew’s Take: I hope we never need to use this, but I’m glad it exists. The applications don’t stop at cancer, either. Couldn’t we apply this same technology to hyper target antibiotics to prevent harm to gut microbiota? Or how about hyper targeting of painkillers to the injury site to keep doses low and reduce addiction? In other words, maybe we don’t need to use a cannonball to kill a fly.
Darius’s Take: Super targeted injections reduce side effects and the need for several IV treatments. The trouble is, they have to be ‘installed’. Imagine down the road when these nanobots can maneuver throughout the body and deliver microdoses of various medicines whenever and wherever they are needed.
Stephen Hawking's Last Paper...
…Stephen Hawking, who died last March, published his final paper posthumously. The subject: how to escape from a black hole. The paper is an ode to memory, loss, and the desire for transcendence.
Thanks for reading! We’ll see you next week.
-Andrew and Darius
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