Sunday, December 29, 2013

2014 Preview


Poll: Americans hopeful for a better year in 2014   Yahoo

Think 2013 was a bad year for health politics? Just wait for 2014   CNBC

Top 10 dumb debt decisions for 2014   CNBC

Top 10 Predictions For 2014   Forbes
2014 is shaping up to be a very interesting year- both politically and economically. A few months ago ...

More political drama ahead at the 2014 Olympics   CNBC

Political stars to watch in 2014   NBC

Predictions for 2014 economy? Here are five.   CSM
Predictions for 2014 economy are generally upbeat, with analysts seeing growing picking up and the bull market in stocks continuing. But the economy won't get back to normal in the new year, despite the positive predictions for 2014.

Military tech in 2014: Lasers, drones, and cyberops   CNET
The Pentagon has plenty of high-tech advances on tap for the coming year. Think drones, of course, but also laser weapons, cyberwarfare, and the ageless B-52.

Amazon: 5 bold predictions for 2014   CNET
How will Amazon top online groceries and delivery drones in 2014? The online retail giant might just focus on getting your attention via some new devices.

New Year's Tech: What to Expect in 2014   Discovery - December 27, 2013
You'll be wearing the hottest thing in technology in 2014, but it won't be Google glasses or a smart watch. The New Year will be all about getting fit and staying healthy.

The ships that could take us to Mars   New Scientist
In September, NASA will launch its Orion capsule on a 4-hour jaunt around Earth. Echoing the Apollo capsules that took humans to the moon, Orion is designed to carry people on long-range space missions. The upcoming tests will showcase Orion's flight worthiness and the ability of its heat shield to withstand a fiery re-entry.

First touchdown on a speeding comet   New Scientist
In 2013, comet ISON flew into our skies. In 2014, we will return the favor when the European Space Agency's Rosetta craft begins orbiting comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko and touches down on its surface. That would mean two firsts for comet exploration plus the most ambitious deep-space landing ever attempted.

The key to surviving climate change   New Scientist
Be prepared for anything. That will be the message of the next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), its first attempt in seven years to forecast the impact of climate change on specific geographical regions. Due out in March, it will emphasize versatility over any fine-tuned mitigation measures.

First million-year-old genome   New Scientist
The oldest animal genome sequenced so far is 700,000 years old. It came from the fossil of a horse found in north-west Canada and was published in June this year. That was a huge advance on the 110,000-year-old polar bear genome published in 2012. So what will grab the million-year-old crown? The big prize would be a distant human ancestor, such as Homo erectus, which emerged about 2 million years ago.

Lost world under Antarctica uncovered   New Scientist
Last year a Russian team finally drilled into Lake Vostok, a subglacial body of water over 500 metres deep, buried under 4 kilometres of Antarctic ice. The samples they brought up are laced with DNA, which is now being analyzed to determine whether there is life in Vostok. Next year we will discover just what, if anything, lurks within the lake. Contamination from the drills could be an issue, but should researchers discover life unique to Vostok, what it looks like will be of most interest.