People often talk of the 21st century being China’s century, but perhaps when the history books are written it will turn out to be Africa’s century.

Will China shape 2050 Africa more than any other region or country? I’d guess so. It will help provide the renewable energy, electric vehicles, AI, and robotics that will equip that population.

The projected average ages in Africa, China, Europe and the US in 2050 are interesting. 25 for Africa, 42 for America, 45 for Europe, and 50 for China. China’s population will be on course to halve by centuries’ end too.

1.4 billion people with an average of 25? It won’t surprise me if Africa’s the center of world culture in 2050.

Africa’s unprecedented urbanization - against historic normalization

The former MTU student frequently films interviews and videos that he calls "pranks" across Cork and elsewhere in Ireland, with many of those featured in his content unaware that they are being filmed. The Irish Data Protection Commission has previously expressed concern about the misuse of smart glasses. A spokesperson for Meta said: “We don't tolerate harassing content, however it was captured, and have removed the account @rendy_vlad for repeatedly violating our bullying and harassment policies.

Filming people without their consent and publishing it is illegal in many parts of the world. It's why you sometimes see people blurred out on TV. It means the production people didn't get them to sign a model consent form.

But doesn't all Smart Glasses use fall into that category? You could say the same about phone cameras, but at least then, people recording can make the excuse that everyone could clearly see what they are doing.

The other murky area here is monetization. In most parts of the world people automatically own the copyright to their own image. If Big Tech wants to argue they can ignore copyright law, why do they get to be the ones who can ignore the law when they choose?

Instagram removes account of Cork-based influencer 'Rendy Vlad'

The claimed charging times are 10% to 70% of the second-generation Blade Battery's capacity in five minutes, (and full charging in 9 minutes).....A five-minute charging time is close enough to how long it takes to fill up a regular gas-powered car with fuel, which can vary between three and five minutes from a gallon or two to full, depending on the pump.

The downside is that this only happens with BYD's fast chargers which can deliver 1,500 kW of power. There's not many of these yet outside China. Europe is getting 3,000 in 2027, but that's a small number compared to the existing 1.1 million public chargers in Europe.

Still, this is what the future looks like. The global tide has turned against fossil fuel cars, and as Ernest Hemmingway said about bankruptcy; its slow, and then suddenly fast decay ahead for them.

9-Minute EV Charging Has Reached The Mainstream

NASA is moving fast on its plans to build a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface in as little as two years.

I'm a computer science student, and I want to know the perspectives of people who have deeply studied and pondered what I'm about to ask

So I got into this field partly to do something good in tech, playing my part, and partly for money

Now I think I'm getting out of the ignorance that this is all going in the right direction

So I'm actually really confused now, listening to and reading things here and there

Basically, my concern is, how far is technology good for us? What's the future if we speak realistically, and what can we play our part in? And if AI and advanced tech are completely bad, then they should be stopped, and we should go back to basic living as people used to in the past

I need the actual picture, where is the line we draw between good and evil, and where should innovation stop and where should it continue

Also, I'm approaching my last year in computer science, so anyone informed about this field and what I've asked can recommend something I can do for good without being part of the bad side of tech?

See, there's so much literature and stuff here and there on social media, but if someone who spends most of their time studying these things can shed some light on my concerns, I'd appreciate it

Thank you in advance

Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy—the Space Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for advanced programs—said he’s seen the Pentagon’s posture toward cislunar operations and planning efforts change drastically over the past year.

ISRO Chairman says India's space operations will include 4 operational launch pads. He added that the national space agency will not be privatised.

Macro investor Raoul Pal warned that accelerating technological advances could fundamentally reshape jobs, businesses and economic systems over the next four years, while currency debasement continues to erode consumers' purchasing power.

Even after being in use for two decades, self-checkout lanes at grocery stores have not taken over. In fact, they witnessed a modest decline in popularity last year.

Per the WAPO paywalled article, one major survey found that:

"33 percent of supermarket transactions took place at self-checkout last year. Down from 35 percent the previous year."

Quote:

"After two decades of treating self-checkout as the inevitable future of shopping, many are experimenting with how much automation customers and stores actually want."

A bill to bolster the nation’s unemployment insurance program reflects the concern — and the risks — in Washington.

AI does not understand accountability, trust, culture, unwritten rules, ethical trade-offs or fairness, all of which shape reputational risk and ultimately drive revenue growth and profit margins.

The bottom line is that the AI story will be decided in the S&P 493, not the Mag 7, and so far, there is no evidence that revenue growth or margins are improving outside the tech sector.

This matters, as its the assumption the opposite will be true, that is driving the AI stock market bubble.

I've no doubt about AI's ultimate revolutionary potential, but I strongly suspect it will all happen in a post-AI bubble crash world.

No Signs of AI Payoff Outside the Tech Sector

The AI company warns its technology could threaten jobs and even humanity. For investors, those risks create a strange reason to buy in.

An old idea springs anew as a chorus of influential voices predicts that AI may trigger crises of vast magnitude

AI products that have shut down, changed direction, or struggled after the initial hype. The reasons range from high running costs and unreliable performance to larger platforms building similar features into their own services. One interesting point is that a useful feature doesn’t necessarily make a sustainable business. A tool can solve a real problem and still struggle if the same capability becomes available in an app people already use. Will this push the next generation of AI startups to solve more specialized problems, or are we heading toward a future where a few companies provide most of our AI tools? Which standalone AI tools would you still use if your phone or browser offered something similar?