A nation does not necessarily need a large, empowered middle class in order to consume goods at a frightening rate, nor does the formation of a middle class necessarily rely on democracy. This has been the trend, but it is not the rule.

Fair point. I'd like to believe, however, that super-soldiers could use something more low-tech for indirect ballistics, like a grenade slingshot or something.

Of course, but how many Jai Alai cestas can you produce for the cost of one grenade launcher? Probably a hundred, at least. And the grenade launcher is less than 100 times as effective. The comparison to the MG42 is unfair because, let's face it, the MG42 (especially the water-cooled version) is simply the most…

We agree that chi is probably not a type of energy. I disagree that there is no such thing as chi; it is probably an effect rather than a type of energy, most likely a psychosomatic effect. I don't believe there is anything unnatural about it, but I do believe it is distinctly separate from many other types of…

Parasitic power loss is an engineering term usually applied to automotive powertrains; for example, automatic transmissions generate greater parasitic power loss than manuals. It's not any more mystical than Google, which you could have very easily consulted.

'Chi' as an energy source doesn't seem to exist, but the principle definitely applies to something. Shaolin monks don't hit that hard for no reason, and it certainly isn't just physical conditioning. More likely than not, chi is simply a psychosomatic effect that helps to maximize efficiency in the peripheral nervous…

Sorry, I'm not very good at detecting sarcasm. I'd think I was German if I didn't know better. And yeah, I've heard some interesting theories in the origins of (at least certain) Native Americans, but I think it's hard to deny the significant contribution of East Asian migrants to the Native American gene pool.

There are a handful of sources of non-verbal communication; they can easily be learned via observation. The issue isn't one of behavior so much as manufacturing quality. The software is fine; the hardware will be the tricky part.

Native Americans were of Asian descent, and a lot of them look remarkably similar to Southeast Asians. It may seem odd to us because pureblood Native Americans are rare, but look at old photographs/paintings.

EEG interfaces are already more widely available than these. Chances are good that they will be integrated into the design.

Calling this a gun is extremely deceptive. I was expecting some sort of ancient blowgun or something crossbow-esque, not a simple atlatl. Don't get me wrong, the atlatl is awesome, but the ridiculous title turned an otherwise interesting article into a complete let-down.

That is absolutely fascinating! Thank you.

I'm not terribly familiar with genetics, but could the LUA theory be a potential foundation for abiogenesis?

The real question is: how did he rip the flesh from Peter Parker's skull and leave a decent-sized portion of his mask intact? Is that something like pulling the tablecloth off without moving the dishes?

The real question is: how did he rip the flesh from Peter Parker's skull and leave a decent-sized portion of his mask intact? Is that something like pulling the tablecloth off without moving the dishes?

That's truly a shame. I think the best way to make a point is to make a good point for your opponent and then demolish it with a better one for yourself. I think he can safely argue that social media is a double-edged sword, but to trivialize its role in democracy is pushing it.

I would expect this in Arkansas, not New York City. It may be an overpriced, decaying, and largely superficial jumble of ancient and ill-maintained infrastructure, but I always thought NYC was, if anything, open-minded.

Social media has the potential to decentralize the spread of information. This decentralization is key to independent thinking and freedom of expression. It can be abused in many ways, but it's a can of worms that has to be opened.

#8: The idea of engineering life to serve as fuel reminds me of The Gift of Gab, and I easily find it to be one of the more interesting ideas on the list. Throw time-travel into the mix and it becomes suitably wacky enough to be acknowledged across the sci-fi spectrum.

I'm surprised the article made no mention of Communist ideology or tight-knit societies like Japan, both of which are indicative of a society-over-individual hive mind.