[Futurism News 02.25.14]

• IKEA lets customers virtually arrange furniture (Engadget)
• Philips Hue light bulbs open up a world of color possibilities (Wired)
• Google Fiber may come to San Jose and Silicon Valley (Silicon Valley Business Journal)
• DIY: How you can transform sewage into fresh water (Popular Science)
• 90% of Madagascar's Lemur population threatened with extinction (Scientific American)
• High-tech goggles help doctors pinpoint cancer (Ecouterre)

[Week 06: Tu 25/Th 27]

Week 06: Tu 25/Th 27
Readings: eR—“You Suck at Infographics’ (Wired), “80 Best Infographics on the Web” (Creative Bloq), “What Makes a Great Infographic?” (DashBurst), “Infographics: Separating the Great from the Mediocre" (The Next Web), “A (Very) Brief History of Artificial Intelligence” (AITopics), “The 8 Evil Forms of AI that Gave Robots a Bad Name” (Popular Mechanics)
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Watch—Excerpts from Her (2013), Lecture—“Twelve Essential Grammar Rules to Know”

Upcoming:

Week 07: Tu 04/Th 06
Readings: ABUNDANCE—Part One: Perspective – Part Two: Exponential Technologies
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Library research session (TBA); Writers workshop
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1, BRING 2 COPIES)

[Futurism News 02.17.14]

• CuteCircuit electrifies at New York Fashion Week (Ecoterre)
• Yes, even the common door can evolve (Inhabitat)
• Nike promises Marty McFly's power laces are on their way to you (Gizmodo)
• Scientists make major fusion power breakthrough (NPR)
• Music visualized through technology (Mother Jones)
• Google plans robotics lab for restored Hanger One (San Jose Mercury News)

[Week 05: Tu 18/Th 20]

Week 05: Tu 18/Th 20*
Readings: eR—‘The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu, “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” By Brian Aldiss, “The Best Christmas Ever” by James Patrick Kelly, “Forever Yours, Anna” by Kate Wilhelm
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Watch—“Isaac Asimov” from Prophets of Science Fiction (2011)
Due: REFLECTION 2

*No class Tuesday 2.18

Upcoming:

Week 06: Tu 25/Th 27
Readings: eR—“You Suck at Infographics’ (Wired), “80 Best Infographics on the Web” (Creative Bloq), “What Makes a Great Infographic?” (DashBurst), “Infographics: Separating the Great from the Mediocre" (The Next Web), “A (Very) Brief History of Artificial Intelligence” (AITopics), “The 8 Evil Forms of AI that Gave Robots a Bad Name” (Popular Mechanics)
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Watch—Excerpts from Her (2013), Lecture—“Twelve Essential Grammar Rules to Know”

[Reflection 02: Be Sure to Tune In—The Future of Television]

For most of the history of TV, if you wanted to catch an episode of your favorite show, you had no choice but to be home on the night and time it aired. Miss watching or recording the show and you had to wait until it reran or eventually found its way to VHS (or eventually DVD). Back then, the networks had a far greater say in when and how you, the viewer, watched your favorite shows. But the Internet revolution and technological advancements have changed all that. The power to watch what you want—however and whenever—is now in your hands. In fact, your Millennial generation has radically shifted the television paradigm. Not only do you refuse to watch television in the ways in which previous generations did, you also watch less of it. When you do watch TV, you're as likely to watch it on a device other than a television. What does all of this mean for the future of TV? Are exciting developments in television technology enough to lure you back into traditional viewing patterns?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "The Five Most Futuristic Television Screens" (GeekSuper)
• "Millennials Redefine Television" (Vocus)
• "What is the Future of Television?" (Inc.)
• "How Will We Watch TV in Five Years?" (USA Today)
• "Third of Millennials Watch Mostly Online Video or No Broadcast TV" (Poytner)
• "Six Trends Directing the Future of Television" (Wired)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Works cited 
• Two full pages in length

Due: Th 02.20

[Futurism News 02.10.14]

• Artist transforms cacti into stunning alien landscape (io9)
• Renault concept car can launch a drone from its roof (Wired)
• Bionic hand achieves sense of natural touch (New Scientist)
• In anticipation of the the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, floating hotels designed (MyModernMet)
• Drone deliveries coming to Dubai (Guardian)
• Robots take on opera (NewsHour)

[Week 04: Tu 11/Th 13]

Week 04: Tu 11/Th 13

Readings: eR—“Ancient Engines” by Michael Swanwick, “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” by Mike Resnick, “Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn, “Evil Robot Monkey” by Mary Robinette Kowal

Class: Reading discussion; Presentation sign ups

Upcoming:

Week 05: Tu 18/Th 20

Readings: eR—‘The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu, “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” By Brian Aldiss, “The Best Christmas Ever” by James Patrick Kelly, “Forever Yours, Anna” by Kate Wilhelm

Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Watch—“Isaac Asimov” from Prophets of Science Fiction (2011)

Due: REFLECTION 2