Thoughtleaks

by Joann S. Lublin, Amir Efrati and Spencer E. Ante via WSJ

Yahoo has agreed to pay $1.1 billion for Tumblr, a six-year-old company with more than 100 million users but very little revenue, a deal that highlights the shifting balance of power in the technology business.

Veterans like Yahoo have shown they have staying power—and they have cash to spend. But companies like Yahoo's target, a blogging site, have something valuable as well: the rapt attention of fast-growing communities of users. That has pushed up the price tags as more established companies fear getting left behind as people's online habits evolve.

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by Eric Niler for Discovery News via http://Mashable.com/

In the new techno-thriller Upload, a young computer scientist with a sketchy past and distrust of society decides to take the ultimate leap forward by scanning his brain and uploading his memories, personality and consciousness into a simulated world of his own making.

Raymond wants to live forever, controlling his environment and interactions with other humans as a god-like being.

The novel by author Mark McClelland is set in the Michigan of 2070 about the time that futurists like Ray Kurzweil predict that “singularity” will be reached, the moment when machine learning will surpass human intelligence. It’s not the first science-fiction tale to explore human-computer hybrids (see “What are Little Girls Made Of” in the first season of the original “Star Trek” series) or even the perils of virtual reality becoming too real (see the “Matrix” triology). But it does posit some questions that real-world researchers are just now tackling.

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Can a person disappear in plain sight? That’s the question Liu Bolin‘s remarkable work seems to ask. The Beijing-based artist is sometimes called “The Invisible Man” because in nearly all his art, Bolin is front and center — and completely unseen. He aims to draw attention to social and political issues by dissolving into the background.

by Ross Brooks via psfk.com

Design agency Dezien have released images of a concept bike called Levitation, that can charge its rider’s mobile phone – as well as their house and car.

The bike features an integrated battery that can be charged while you ride – and an LED screen that can keep you updated on the progress of your ride, including how much charge the battery currently has. Wi-Fi is also available, which could allow various data services to be streamed to the bike as well.

Design-wise, the bike is made from what looks like a Tron-inspired plastic called Hi-Macs, which claims to be both lightweight and strong.

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by David Fischer via Highsnobiety.com

Lamborghini has celebrated its 50th anniversary these last weeks and for the occasion presents the new Egoista concept sports car. Unveiled at the last stop of the Grande Giro d’Italia tour, the car is powered by a 600 hp V10 engine.

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The co-founder of Field String Theory explains why the universe has 11 dimensions rather than any other number.

This video crated by Jason Silva offers his interpretation of Strange Loops of Self Reference, recursion, and the emergence of consciousness and self-awareness: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_loops... Cool Stuff!

via disclose.tv

Studies have found that upon entering an office, people behave more competitively when they see a sharp leather briefcase on the desk, they talk more softly when there is a picture of a library on the wall, and they keep their desk tidier when there is a vague scent of cleaning agent in the air. But none of them are consciously aware of the influence of their environment.

There may be few things more fundamental to human identity than the belief that people are rational individuals whose behavior is determined by conscious choices. But recently psychologists have compiled an impressive body of research that shows how deeply our decisions and behavior are influenced by unconscious thought, and how greatly those thoughts are swayed by stimuli beyond our immediate comprehension.

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Internet Rising is a digital documentary film investigating the evolving relationships between Internet and collective consciousness of humanity.

Internet Rising is a labor of love comprising a rapid fire mashup stream of live webcam interviews all conducted within the web sphere. The film’s participants include many profound personalities and key internet influencers ranging from professors, corporate academics, futurists, researchers, writers, bloggers, media creators, activists, gamers, educators, scientists, artists, innovators – real humans, all of whom provide tremendous insights into how our state of the world is changing and transforming via various forces of economic, social, geographic, political, philosophical development… all centered around technology’s transformative and generative power.