What We’re Reading and Watching This Week (Through Sept 20, 2014)

In the midst of all the technological progress being made globally on a daily basis, sometimes it's tough to appreciate how we're changing as humans. This week, we've been exploring articles and videos from around the internet that delve into the cultural and societal changes that technology induces.

Enjoy this week's offering from the best of the web!

Don't forget, tonight is the launch of the first 3D printer into space thanks to a partnership between Made in Space and NASA! You can watch the SpaceX launch live here at around 11 PM PST: http://ustre.am/1hi8w 

Fingerprint Words: The verbal tics that make up who we are—and how they spread to others
Matthew Malady | Slate
"In many cases, when we decide to latch onto these sorts of words, it’s because we’re using language to put on a show."

Could Mars Want Independence From Earth?
Think Fact | YouTube

A Grand Quest to Create Virtual Life
Simon Parkin | Technology Review
"'My new creatures have the beginnings of a proper mental life. I’m sure a lively debate will take place among philosophers of mind about these things, but I do think I finally know how to give my creatures the rudiments of an imagination.'"

The biggest trigger for starting your own company is feeling stuck in your job
Bill Synder | Quartz
"Organizational diversity (or the lack of it) may have more to do with the choice of becoming an entrepreneur than the perceived appeal of being one’s own boss."

35 Jobs That No Longer Exist
Mental Floss | YouTube

3D Printing Market Evolving Fast as Print-on-Premises Disrupts Early Leaders
Jonah Bliss | 3d Print.com
"Perhaps no two companies are doing more to bring 3D printing to consumers’ fingertips than Staples and Home Depot. Both recently launched competing print-on-premises plans, which allow anyone to pop into a store with their object on a thumb-drive, and have it quickly printed for them."

The Art Of "Defictionalization": Turning Fake Movie And TV Products Into A Real Business
Jake Rossen | Fast Company
“You’re not actually selling cologne,” Hottelet says of the reverse product placement. “You’re selling the connection people have with the film.”

2030: Privacy's Dead. What happens next?
Tom Scott/dConstruct | YouTube

[Photo credit: James Brook/Flickr]