Reddit isn’t trolling your Google searches; it’s intentional

// Meet the bot that’s changing ice cream forever »

Advertise | Talk to Us | Shop | Unsubscribe

The Futurist is your daily tech, cosmic, and science (both weird or otherwise) newsletter with articles and content curated just for you.

Love The Futurist?
Forward to a friend and have them sign up here!

Video: Largest 3D map of the universe reveals hints of new physics

“Astronomers have produced the largest 3D map of the universe, which can be explored in an interactive VR video. In the process, they’ve uncovered some tantalizing hints that our understanding of physics, including the ultimate fate of the cosmos, could be wrong. … If you feel up for an existential crisis, check out this VR fly-through video and remember that each of these blurry blobs of light is an entire galaxy, each containing millions of stars and billions of planets.”

// New Atlas »

The future of ice cream is coming, and it’s square-shaped

Gone are the days of circular ice cream scoops. Not only are they not cool, they also require a lot of manpower and money that your local ice cream parlor simply doesn't have. Dice Cream is seeking to fix that — with robots. Yes, a fully functional robotic arm that scoops square-shaped ice cream, drizzles fudge, and sprinkles, um, sprinkles. Not only is it a revolutionary way to cut costs, it’s just fun. But seriously, imagine ice cream being served at universities, shopping malls, apartment complexes, and sports arenas in a way that’s not only convenient to the consumer but cost-effective to the vendor. You can join the movement today for as little as $250 per share. Or, invest $1,500 or more for an opportunity for bonus shares. [Ad]

// Invest in ice cream »

The best (and worst) cities for clean transit

“The San Jose, California; New York and San Francisco metro areas reign supreme on a new index ranking cities by the impact of local transportation on greenhouse gas emissions. The Transportation Climate Impact Index, created by transportation intelligence firm StreetLight Data, ranks cities by a variety of transportation-related emissions factors. They include overall vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle fuel efficiency, EV penetration, transit ridership, cycling, walking, truck miles traveled and VMT change over time.”

// Axios »

Google explains why it shows Reddit & forum threads in search so often

“Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, explained that while SEOs hate to see Reddit and other forum threads show up so often in the Google Search results, searchers like seeing them. … ‘If you search for some news event, people generally don't expect to type in the topic and add “news” at the end. They expect we'll show news-related content naturally. Same thing with forum content. If they're looking for help, for example, about why their smart window blinds are disconnecting from an app, they may appreciate both what a manufacturer has to say, what some blogger that has reviewed them might say, as well as what people who have used them and shared on a forum have to say.’”

// Search Engine Roundtable »

Investing shouldn't feel like a gamble

Anyone can invest in the stock market, but not everyone knows what they're doing. Go from feeling kind of iffy about your picks to being pretty damn sure you did your homework and then some. Use code ENJOY20 to save on Tykr, the top-rated stock-screening app and investing sidekick that turns noobs to pros with stock ratings, free webinars, and expert advice. [Ad]

// Get invested »

The emergent complexity of Hexopolis: a strategy game with infinite possibilities

“I recently finished Jesse Schell's book The Art of Game Design. In it, he discusses innate versus emergent complexity in games. Innate complexity comes from long and difficult rulesets (often the type with many exceptions and edge cases) that are essential to the game running correctly. … Emergent complexity can be found in games like Go or Chess where the ruleset itself isn't complex, but the complexity comes from the vast amount of game states and possibilities in each match. Hexopolis is, without a doubt, a game with an incredible amount of emergent complexity. Game developer Andrew Coeytaux has stated that he was inspired by ‘design by subtraction, Occam's Razor, [and] emergent gameplay’ among other concepts, and this comes through very clearly. I was extremely impressed by the potential of the simple game.”

// Boing Boing »