Slashdot Mirror

Someone writes in a journal for Atomic Scientists says that competing technologies cannot possibly supply the worlds power needs. And people are surprised about this.

Greentech Media recently had an article on how the feasibility of running just on renewables: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/how-about-99.9-percent-renewables.

PV is becoming cheaper per watt all the time, and they are also figuring out how to get energy on overcast days.

Some of the worlds best minds are busy trying to figure out how to build supercapacitors: http://singularityhub.com/2013/01/29/the-super-supercapacitor/ . Once they get those puppies up and running PV will take the world by storm.

I'm sure it will have a little touchscreen where you input exactly what you want and it'll come out exactly as ordered, every single time.

I'd also like to point out I've been calling this one for a couple of years now as there will soon be no point in hiring people to do most of the low end jobs, the machine never gets tired, never calls in sick, doesn't get benefits or days off, in the end we are ALL John Henry working ourselves to death trying to beat the machine but the machine WILL win in the end.

This is why I truly believe capitalism, like every other ism before it, is doomed. you are playing musical chairs with fewer and fewer ending up with a seat. Even in China where workers are cheap as dirt and there isn't any workers protections to speak of a million workers are gonna be replaced by robots and this is just ONE company.

At the end of the day capitalism can't work if the only ones able to get any capital are those with enough of a fortune to begin that they can buy their own automated factories, what happens to those millions upon millions who weren't lucky enough to be born into wealth? Are you gonna pay them to sit at home and consume? Create megaprisons to house them all? As the record student loan defaults show you simply can't educate your way out of this, so what now?

And if scientists ran government, we would be in China: http://singularityhub.com/2011/05/17/eight-out-of-chinas-top-nine-government-officials-are-scientists/

What was that old quote? "I'd rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory than by the faculty of Harvard."

That quote is from William Frank Buckley, Jr. (November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008)

According to Wikipedia he was a conservative American author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, which had a major impact in stimulating the conservative movement.

He didn't say that because scientist are objectively bad at governance. It was because academia is full of "liberals" and he didn't like liberals. I'm sure Rush Limbaugh would give a similar response if asked. Just like Al Franken or Rachael Maddow wouldn't want the government run by the faculty of Bob Jones University.

Even in China where the pay is pathetic are they seeing more and more automation because even with the pittance they make the machines end up cheaper.

1 Million Robots To Replace 1 Million Human Jobs At Foxconn? First Robots Have Arrived. | Singularity Hub

And if scientists ran government, we would be in China: http://singularityhub.com/2011/05/17/eight-out-of-chinas-top-nine-government-officials-are-scientists/ What was that old quote? "I'd rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory than by the faculty of Harvard."

And if scientists ran government, we would be in China: http://singularityhub.com/2011/05/17/eight-out-of-chinas-top-nine-government-officials-are-scientists/

What was that old quote? "I'd rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory than by the faculty of Harvard."

She has the mental and physical age of a 1 year old. TFA made it sort of sound like she grew to age 5 and stopped growing, but no, she was like a 1 year old at age 5 and stayed there. So says this article, on the same web site as TFA... and Wikipedia agrees....

Well, in one of the articles that's linked to by TFA, it gives the example that her bones seem to be aging slower than a normal person but faster than her appearance. It's in the paragraph below the video of this article.

In any case, it seems she's had quite a few medical maladies and sometimes has shown remarkable power to recover. I bet the doctors working on her case are just salivating over the journal articles they'll be publishing once they figure anything out.

I suspect that there will be a certain reluctance to talk about it too loudly; but any serious human space activity will probably some amount of surgical or genetic modification(or a whole lot of drugs).

It isn't ready to go now; but it wouldn't be particularly hard to imagine our research in using stem cells and biocompatible scaffolds to produce replacement organs being applicable to the production of artificial endocrine glands, possibly even with cute features like optical control interfaces, that could be implanted into astronauts.

Further tweaks(like messing with myostatin to cope with muscle wasting in low gravity, or futzing with bone growth regulation to keep your astronauts from landing with skeletons more brittle than your great-grandmother's would probably also be in order).

For very short missions, mere screening for people who aren't claustrophobic and who have the 'right stuff' may be adequate; but it's far from clear that even exceptional human specimens are prepared to endure the conditions of prolonged space travel...

.. and this happens just weeks after the USA Death Star petition came in the news.

Linked by TFA article, there's another.

The project’s goal is to build powerful lasers — two in Romania and the Czech Republic and a third in Hungary...
...
The project coordinator for the Romanian site, Nicolae-Victor Zamfir, told Bloomberg that each laser will be 10 times more powerful than any laser currently in existence, such as the one at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
...
The expected date for the first laser facility to become operational is sometime in 2017.
These lasers will be intense enough to perform electron dynamics experiments at very short time scales or venture into relativistic optics, opening up an entirely new field of physics for study. Additionally, the lasers could be combined to generate a super laser that would shoot into space, similar to the combined laser effect of the Death Star in the Star Wars trilogy, though the goal is to study particles in space, not annihilate planets.

So... US won't start funding a Death Star project by 2016 while EU will have a Death Star prototype operational in 2017.

And, he got it in one. And it's not really all that niche an idea; even TED has presented talks on the subject. And it's not just the US any more; Foxconn is getting in on the action and replacing workers with a million robots. (Incidentally, this may cause the American lead in precision manufacturing to narrow, or vanish entirely)

But what happens when everyone who is manufacturing anything automates the entire process? Our agricultural system is already hugely centralized and automated. White collar "knowledge work" is on the chopping block next. Why? IBM wants it to happen, and has the ability to make it happen.

We're also making more and more people; nobody really wants to stop screwing. So we've got more people and less work - how do we allocate enough purchasing power so they can pay for food, medicine, and housing? Two ideas spring to mind: A command economy, which is a terrible idea, and make-work, which is merely bad. Bad because it could either be terrible, or if we get really ambitious, we could make work space exploration, asteroid mining, building orbital elevators and ending our dependence on fossil fuels. So, not necessarily terrible. Except some significant portion of that work is going to be automated.

I don't know the answer, but at least I can direct your attention to the problem.

Huh? There is no such AI yet? What are you talking about? Just scale this up and make it mobile, ok?

From 2010:
http://singularityhub.com/2010/12/16/south-koreas-robot-machine-gun-turret-can-see-you-coming-3-km-away/

With stories like this one I wasn't sure if this was about hardware or if there were rodents demanding to be on line.

We already have things that show timeline in images, they are called 'movies', but the pictures that are shown in the linked story do not look like they are actually conveying a time line, they look like they are pieces of different images spliced together somehow, it's not clear how they represent a 'timeline'.

That picture with a woman (or whatever it is) being split into pieces, it doesn't look like a timeline, looks like a broken mosaic.

The most accurate, I think, is the third postcard .
Sure, they say it's video-conferencing, but come on, just look at what it is portrarying:

A guy sitting in a dark room, slouched back in his chair, one hand on the electronic device, the other casually in his lap, looking at a pretty girl...remind you of anything?

+100 points to the artist for deducing the primary usage of this new communications network would be pornography.

Sure it's sort of creepy that there's that other guy in there but hey, you know, they're French! Bonhomme!

What do you suppose the artist who drew this card had on his mind. Oh maybe he thought for just a moment about air travel, but plainly his mind wandered.

521 - a guess.

http://singularityhub.com/2012/03/20/raising-the-mammoth-%E2%80%93-russian-and-korean-scientists-set-out-to-bring-back-the-extinct-giant/

They seem to think DNA is viable in the samples from Russia are good for more than 400,000 years.

I think that biological material will be reconstructable and this 521 years thing is a made up number. It has to do with the initial conditions and how the sample is preserved.

In 2005 Haak et al. sequenced the DNA of 7500yo farmers from a grave in Derenburg, Germany.

So ths 521 thing - not sure what the point is.

http://www.squidoo.com/walkingwhileworking

I have a treadmill workstation set up and walked on it for four hours this morning (at 0.5 mph) while writing email (although according to Dr. James Levine at the Mayo Clinic anywhere from 0.7 to 1.2 mph is a better rate). I have a keyboard resting on a stick and bungee cord across the handles. The treadmill faces the wall where I have three LCD monitors on a shelf at a good viewing height when standing in the treadmill. I use a trackball mouse.

Sadly, I have had various technical issues with the particular treadmill itself (mostly with a poor design of the bracket holding the optical encoder for the motor), requiring repairs over the past five years. When that happens I have gotten out of the habit of turning it on, otherwise I'd have used it more. It really is nice to realizing after a period of writing or programming that you have walked for a couple hours. Exercise is best when built-into daily life; see:
http://singularityhub.com/2009/07/20/blue-zones-places-in-the-world-where-people-live-to-100-and-stay-healthy/

I agree with you that switching positions makes a lot of sense. I alternate walking, standing, and sitting on a tall stool (though some days I don't use the treadmill for whatever reason).

I feel the human body is well adapted to a few positions for extended durations -- walking, lying down (up to ten hours per day), squatting, and swimming. Pretty much any other position is ergonomically problematical for more than a short time (including sitting or standing). The problem with standing by itself, as opposed to walking, is that the blood can pool in the legs. However, you can combat that somewhat by shuffling your feet now and then and taking walking breaks now and then.

I had a standing desk before the treadmill (alternating with sitting on a tall stool), and liked it better than a chair. But I like the treadmill option a lot more. They are not that expensive to set up, especially considering how much time they can get used. (~US$800 plus some carpentry probably.)

That said, we also set a treadmill workstation up for my wife, but she finds she can't type when walking on it (but she likes to use it to watch video). So, her treadmill is essentially a standing desk most of the time. So, YMMV.

A big problem with treadmills is they weigh 200 pounds typically, and people can easily get hurt moving them (especially up or down stairs). That can make it harder to rearrange or move offices. And as above, they may require maintenance. Also, treadmill walking may be tougher on the ankles and knees than walking outdoors on a nicer surface. Also, beware becoming Vitamin D deficient if using the treadmill replaces outdoor exercise in the sun.

All this automation is great and everything but when does it actually translate into a benefit for humanity in general? I'm so glad some business can now churn out more crap to purchase at cheaper prices.

Are custom-made prosthetics for the disabled not 'noble' enough for you?

Ok. Here's something to make housing more affordable.

What else were you complaining about? Oh, yes. Humanity's presence in the solar system. Well, they've printed airplanes, so with a modicum of imagination, you can imagine printing space shuttles.

I'll leave examples of "reducing the environmental footprint" as an exercise for the reader.

We want these if they can be made touch-sensitive

Oh, that's right, this was posted on /. a few years ago: http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/04/29/1516231/a-touch-screen-with-morphing-buttons Heh, same thing was reported on by the same site as the current FA: http://singularityhub.com/2009/08/20/a-flexible-touch-screen-changes-surface-to-match-display/

Sorry, even the best applications of vision in robotics at the top universities and companies in the world are not this accurate.

Um, yes they are.

And funny you should mention the grain of salt since they built a camera that thin.

"High-Speed Robot Hand " http://www.hizook.com/blog/2009/08/03/high-speed-robot-hand-demonstrates-dexterity-and-skillful-manipulation?page=1

Or: http://econfuture.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/automation-links/

And from there: http://singularityhub.com/2012/05/04/better-faster-and-cheaper-these-robots-are-invading-car-manufacturing-plants/

See especially from the last: http://singularityhub.com/2011/04/23/look-out-humans-this-frida-robot-from-abb-will-take-your-factory-job/

The income-through-jobs link that grants the right to consume (for those 99% without significant capital) is about to be severely stretched... Which was predicted decades ago (like in "The Triple Revolution Memorandum" from 1964).

"High-Speed Robot Hand " http://www.hizook.com/blog/2009/08/03/high-speed-robot-hand-demonstrates-dexterity-and-skillful-manipulation?page=1

Or: http://econfuture.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/automation-links/

And from there: http://singularityhub.com/2012/05/04/better-faster-and-cheaper-these-robots-are-invading-car-manufacturing-plants/

See especially from the last: http://singularityhub.com/2011/04/23/look-out-humans-this-frida-robot-from-abb-will-take-your-factory-job/

The income-through-jobs link that grants the right to consume (for those 99% without significant capital) is about to be severely stretched... Which was predicted decades ago (like in "The Triple Revolution Memorandum" from 1964).

News flash. Women want to have children

When we gave women access to contraception, and the ability to get an education and a decent job rather than simply being housewives and mothers, family size dropped to the replacement rate or below. In the US. In Canada. In Europe. And the same trend is very clear in developing countries. Women want to have a reasonable number of children. Population growth happens when women are disempowered.

Contrary to the Malthusian view that population will grow to the limit of however many kids can be fed, in fact parents choose to have enough kids to give them a high chance that several will survive to support them as they grow old.

(Bill Gates/Gates Foundation) (Also relevant: Bill Gates' TED Talk)

Evidence shows tackling high death rates leads to smaller families and the stabilisation of national populations, according to its report, ‘The World at 7 Billion’.

...“In the poorest countries, where parents are often petrified that their children will die and leave them to fend for themselves, it’s understandable that they would choose to have larger families," [Brendan Cox] added.

...Save the Children points to the example of Botswana where three decades ago women had an average of six children. The average is now three, following long-term investment in healthcare which has helped to nearly halve child mortality.

(Trust.org reporting on Save The Children's report)

Healthier and wealthier babies make for smaller families.

(The Solution To Global Population Growth is Saving Children) (Contains two talks by Hans Rosling using stats to show this. Look at the first video starting at 6:30 if you're impatient)

Well-designed programs can bring down growth rates even in the poorest countries. Provided with information and voluntary access to birth-control methods, women have chosen to have fewer children in societies as diverse as Bangladesh, Iran, Mexico, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

...A trial by Harvard researchers in Lusaka, Zambia, found that only when women had greater autonomy to decide whether to use contraceptives did they have significantly fewer children....

(New York Times reporting on a UN report)

Peak oil is a separate issue from AGW. We're not going to run out of energy, as at the very least we will still have plenty of coal when we run out of oil (not that I'm suggesting that we switch to a coal-based economy). As long as we have enough energy, we can produce fertilizers. We don't do so today because it's more expensive than digging oil out of the ground to use in fertilizer, but it's not like chemical fertilizers will go away just because we run out of oil.

That said, the transition could be nasty and lead to a lot of deaths if we don't do something about it now. We should put more emphasis on food security while the going is good as well as move towards an electricity-based transportation ASAP (which will mean that farm equipment can be run on electrical power as well as softening the impact on oil-based fertilizers).

However, unless there is major technical innovation in agriculture and/or energy, there will probably be a fairly serious famine at some point due to peak oil. I hope not, but we may not be able to do anything about it. If that's the case though, then we just can't do anything about it. In all seriousness, what can we do? Oil will run out and increase agricultural prices (due to the need for more expensive synthetic fertilizers or less efficient techniques). Our only hope is a technical solution...more overall energy availability or agricultural advances or both.

I'm fairly confident that there will be a technical solution. For instance, this form of indoor agriculture would solve all of the problems with oil dependence: http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/14/dutch-plantlab-revolutionizes-farming-no-sunlight-no-windows-less-water-better-food/ In-vitro meat could dramatically lessen the cost of meat while simultaneously reducing the consumption needs of livestock. Genetic engineering holds great promise. etc. etc. At the very least, necessity is the mother of invention, and I'm sure that as oil-based fertilizers become more expensive we will see scientists and farmers figuring out how to produce enough food without them.

Also, there's a world of difference between suffering through an inevitable catastrophe and deliberately causing one. Over-reacting to AGW in a silly or extremist way could easily lead to huge numbers of un-needed deaths and lots of other assorted misery. While we should have a plan, we don't need to do anything resembling the dismantling of our current civilization over it.

As for the long run and AGW, I've read the IPCC report and as far as I'm concerned we have about a century before things start potentially getting really bad. Over that timescale, what are the chances that we won't have figured out fusion power and self-contained environments? Perhaps by then we'll be in a better technological and scientific position to engage in terraforming. We should do what we can reasonably now and prepare for the worst of course, but not to the point where it is self-destructive.

It currently costs around $30,000 per sequencing operation. So I'm okay with this first-generation model only reducing the price by more than 300:1.

Well, it depends how much coverage you want but BGI will do a human genome for a few thousand - and, for serious researchers, they'll even do it for free if they get their name on the paper.

It wouldn't be just one. They aren't reusable, so it's going to cost $900 per sequencing operation - apparently, you have to throw away the whole device afterwards.

It currently costs around $30,000 per sequencing operation. So I'm okay with this first-generation model only reducing the price by more than 300:1.

There's a related story showing up at the bottom of the article that is titled "World’s Oldest Person Gertrude Baines Dies at Age 115".

Says it all, I guess. :)

Here's the link: http://singularityhub.com/2009/09/15/gertrude-baines-dies-at-age-115/

"World’s Oldest Person Gertrude Baines Dies at Age 115"
http://singularityhub.com/2009/09/15/gertrude-baines-dies-at-age-115/

At the bottom of this article was a link to someone dying at 115. Oh Well, guess the limit was already broken.

http://singularityhub.com/2009/09/15/gertrude-baines-dies-at-age-115/

there may be one company already making a fuzz about their pocket sized medical sensor.

Ah yes, found the article: http://singularityhub.com/2011/12/24/scanadu-raises-2m-for-medical-tricorder-video/

If a monkey can control a robotic arm with 7 degrees of freedom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnWSah4RD2E
http://singularityhub.com/2010/06/12/monkey-controls-robot-arm-with-7-degrees-of-freedom-video/
http://www.physorg.com/news194796581.html
you would think a brain implant would be a useful thing at this point for him. Yes it is a risk, but really, wouldn't it be worth it?

The main thing is to plan for change. The computer equipment that will be used in five years is not the computer equipment with which you will start. Therefore:

• Try to get furniture that is easily reconfigurable.
• Try to get ergonomic chairs and desks, but on wheels so that they can be moved about to suit changing needs.
• Try to get wall space for data projection etc. Lots of wall space. It won't be too long before displays the size of a wall become available and affordable.
• The students will bring their own devices. You will need to be able to accommodate these.
• Try to get a 3-D printer. This is a good example.
• Try to get a Lego-Mindstorms robotics kit.

I used the word "try" above because I unfortunately have to agree with an earlier post that suggested that your input would be ignored. Unfortunately, I have twice had the experience of being consulted about designs and had my input totally ignored both times. In one case it was a safety issue, quite bad, and that was ignored anyway in favour of the original design. So don't be too disappointed if nothing comes of your efforts–that would be normal.

On the topic of lawyers: http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/04/lawyers-object-as-computer-program-does-job-better/

Here are just a few of the questions explored in this book:
How will job automation impact the economy in the future?
How will the offshore outsourcing trend evolve in the coming years?
What impact will technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence have on the job market?
Did technology play a significant role in the 2007 subprime meltdown and the subsequent global financial crisis and recession?
How fast can we expect technological change to occur in the coming years and decades?
Which jobs and industries are likely to be most vulnerable to automation and offshoring?
Globalization. Collaboration. Telecommuting. Are these the forces that will shape the workplaces of the future? Or is there something bigger lurking?
Machine and computer automation will primarily impact low skilled and low paid workers. True or false?
Will advancing technology always make society as a whole more wealthy? Or could it someday cause a severe economic depression?
What are the implications of advancing automation technology for developing nations such as China and India?
The primary economic trend in the coming decades will be globalization. True or false?
Will a college education continue to be a good bet in the future?
Recent economic data suggests that, in United States, we are seeing increasing income inequality and a dwindling middle class. How will this trend play out in the future?
What will be the economic impact of truly advanced future technologies, such as nanotechnology?
Retail positions at Wal-mart and other chain stores have become the jobs of last resort for many workers. Will robots and other forms of machine automation someday threaten these jobs? If so, what alternatives will the economy create for these workers?
Do we need to adapt our market-based economic system to advancing technology or will the same rules continue to work indefinitely?
What government policies might make sense as technology continues to accelerate?
And much more...

This patents is for the algorithm and the hardware that actually makes it possible. Minority Report contained neither of those things.

The technology depicted in Minority Report is very real. It was designed and developed by MIT's John Underkoffler and is called G-Speak. See MIT article, videos
here and here.

Take for example this one:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/14/dutch-plantlab-revolutionizes-farming-no-sunlight-no-windows-less-water-better-food/

In a hundred years that one is going to be taken for granted.

Just scanning that site for other examples that I have seen elsewhere as well:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/09/in-medical-first-doctors-implant-lab-grown-synthetic-trachea-into-patient/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/08/square-transforms-your-phone-into-a-credit-card-machine-now-handling-4-milllion-a-day/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/26/anybots-ramps-up-to-bring-telepresence-robot-revolution/

Ideas haven't gotten smaller, they have gotten diluted due to the sheer number of them.

Take for example this one:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/14/dutch-plantlab-revolutionizes-farming-no-sunlight-no-windows-less-water-better-food/

In a hundred years that one is going to be taken for granted.

Just scanning that site for other examples that I have seen elsewhere as well:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/09/in-medical-first-doctors-implant-lab-grown-synthetic-trachea-into-patient/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/08/square-transforms-your-phone-into-a-credit-card-machine-now-handling-4-milllion-a-day/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/26/anybots-ramps-up-to-bring-telepresence-robot-revolution/

Ideas haven't gotten smaller, they have gotten diluted due to the sheer number of them.

Take for example this one:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/14/dutch-plantlab-revolutionizes-farming-no-sunlight-no-windows-less-water-better-food/

In a hundred years that one is going to be taken for granted.

Just scanning that site for other examples that I have seen elsewhere as well:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/09/in-medical-first-doctors-implant-lab-grown-synthetic-trachea-into-patient/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/08/square-transforms-your-phone-into-a-credit-card-machine-now-handling-4-milllion-a-day/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/26/anybots-ramps-up-to-bring-telepresence-robot-revolution/

Ideas haven't gotten smaller, they have gotten diluted due to the sheer number of them.

Take for example this one:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/14/dutch-plantlab-revolutionizes-farming-no-sunlight-no-windows-less-water-better-food/

In a hundred years that one is going to be taken for granted.

Just scanning that site for other examples that I have seen elsewhere as well:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/09/in-medical-first-doctors-implant-lab-grown-synthetic-trachea-into-patient/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/08/square-transforms-your-phone-into-a-credit-card-machine-now-handling-4-milllion-a-day/
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/26/anybots-ramps-up-to-bring-telepresence-robot-revolution/

Ideas haven't gotten smaller, they have gotten diluted due to the sheer number of them.

And it is spreading. The other day there was news that Foxconn (yes, that Foxconn) was going to buy a whole lot of industrial robots.

And industrial robots are getting better all the time:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/04/23/look-out-humans-this-frida-robot-from-abb-will-take-your-factory-job/

I recently watched an article on artificial arteries. Here's a hit from a Google search;

http://singularityhub.com/2010/01/05/nanotechnology-creates-artificial-artery-for-clinical-trials/

Interesting stuff.

That's the weirdest part is that there's clear proof that cameras do not deter crime or help solve it. The only other reasons a governmental unit would put them up is control by fear or if there was a lot of dirty money changing hands - neither of which is a good thing.

Why do people tolerate it? Are they just uninformed? Willfully ignorant? Afraid of the boogeyman? What?

He claims 86%.

Got any alternate figures, or some sci-fi authors we can compare to?

I dug through this thread looking for the surely inevitable reply to ask you for actual evidence to back your claim (that Kurzweil's predictions are often wrong), so I could mod it up.

I can't find one, so I sacrifice my option to mod this thread to call you out. Can you back up your claim?

I certainly don't think Kurzweil has been perfect in his prediction, but I think he does quite a good job. Here is my evidence: http://singularityhub.com/2010/01/19/kurzweil-defends-predictions-for-2009-says-he-is-102-for-108/

The predictions criticized in that article are definitely not entirely accurate, but they're also pretty damn good for having been made in 1998. We are close to where Kurzweil says we should be.

Please defend with counterexamples :-)

Great news, almost three times the number of people they have in slave camps!

Eight Out Of China's Top Nine Government Officials Are Scientists:

http://singularityhub.com/2011/05/17/eight-out-of-chinas-top-nine-government-officials-are-scientists/

Other nations elect people that are smart and educated in economic theory or sciences and their nations have excelled during their tenure in office!

(Which probably explains both Russian and Chinese doing so well the past 5 yrs. or thereabouts in those areas as was noted in the post I replied to in regards to Putin's Russia doing so well).

We don't get that here in the states. "Gosh, I wonder why?" (not).

No, instead?? We get the "gladhander" bullshit artists that don't even understand economics and banking theory instead get put into office because their "true masters" (banks and wallstreet) do NOT want truly educated people in office that could challenge their edicts is why.

I mean, hey - If we had someone who DID understand the "Secrets of the Temple" (banks reference to author William Greider) and "the street" (wallstreet)???

Well, I for one, truly suspect we wouldn't be in the mess we are now financially/economically, in allowing a system of ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY (e.g.-> The Federal Reserve, about as federal as FEDEX IS (it's not gov't @ all folks) has NEVER BEEN AUDITED IN ITS ENTIRE HISTORY SINCE 1913!).

The TRUE "powers that be" (corporations, banks, & wallstreet) wouldn't tolerate it.

And all the while, the world public opinion is completely fine with North Korean regime's massive torture and murder in concentration camps, of their own civilian population.

World opinion isn't completely fine with it, however world opinion recognises that using force to free the prisoners will probably result in a vastly greater loss of innocent life than pursuing a course of brinkmanship and slow embargoes with NK.

When does the invasion start? Has the UN already drawn up the paperwork?

Never. Somehow, the politicians of the world have somehow convinced the public that it's A-OK to bomb Libyan troops and hardware for attacking civilians, but it's totally NOT OK to bomb the Syrian troops and hardware, even though they are doing exactly the same things as Libyan troops.

And all the while, the world public opinion is completely fine with North Korean regime's massive torture and murder in concentration camps, of their own civilian population.

"Double standards" doesn't even begin to describe the hypocrisy. We do live in a hugely fucked up world.