So yes, eating dairy products may indeed lead to strokes... Still, 5% or so of strokes from burst blood vessels (as opposed to blocked ones) might be prevented with arterial plaque from dairy etc., so you want to skip the added salt, too, to help keep blood pressure down into your 90s. See Dr. Joel Fuhrman and "Eat to Live" for more details.
If we had to choose eating well (and other lifestyle issues) vs. the pharmaceutical industry, we'd be better off eating well. See: http://www.bluezones.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/autism-research-discovery_b_794967.html Not to raise false hopes, but from there: "The causes of mitochondrial dysfunction are well known, specifically as it relates to metabolism and the brain, and I have documented them in my books "UtraMetabolism" and "The UltraMind Solution." They include environmental toxins (iv) -- mercury, lead and persistent organic pollutants(v) -- latent infections, gluten and allergens (which trigger inflammation) sugar and processed foods,(vi) a nutrient-depleted diet(vii) and nutritional deficiencies.(viii) These are all potentially treatable and reversible causes of mitochondrial dysfunction that have been clearly documented. I found all these problems in Jackson, and over a period of two years we slowly unraveled and treated the underlying causes of his energy loss which included gut inflammation, mercury, and nutrient deficiencies. Over time, the tests for his mitochondrial function and oxidative stress (as well as levels of inflammation and nutrient status) all normalized. When they became normal, so did Jackson. He went from full-blown regressive autism to a normal, bright beautiful six-year-old boy."
Vaccines may still be involved in a couple of different ways, for kids who are having problems dealing with various heavy metals, where they may be struggling before, but the hevay metals or other issues with the vaccines pushed them over the edge (especially in a vitamin D deficient child, since vitamin D is used in creating glutathione, the brain's master antioxidant). One doctor being discredited doesn't prove that some vaccines can't have side effects in some especially sensitive individuals.
... The problem is that once you fuck up herd immunity, you've fucked it up for everyone, including the very young, the very old, and those with compromised immune systems.... In short, and pardon my directness, but speaking as a parent, fuck those who don't get the shots for themselves and their kids right in their entitled, self-centred, arrogant asses. They and their spawn should be given the choice to get them, and then airdropped on a remote island with all the rest of the assholes who think that the chance of their precious little snowflake having a disability is more important than the life of other people's so they can't screw it up for the rest of us.
And what about all those parents who spread disease by sending their children to day prisons so they can work, rather than homeschooling? http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/734486
Should they and their "spawn" be airdropped on a remote island with all the rest of the "assholes" who think that the habit of feeding their precious little snowflake junkfood or putting them in school for convenience is more important than the life of other people's so they can't screw it up for the rest of us?
"While we like to think of ourselves as the protectors of the earth, the reality is humans are without a doubt the most evil of all species."
By chance, this morning I read something I had jotted down almost thirty years ago, related to something Mother Theresa said. Essentially, she said, if she was so good it was because she could see the evil inside herself so clearly and she was doing what she could to make up for it.:-)
Even if we lose the battle someday over good and evil in ourselves or our society, we can at least do what we can now to prepare for that future with good deeds done today (where of course, people don't completely agree about what "good" is -- part of the problem).
Still, I'd think a shark or a lion probably gets some pleasure out of killing, and an elephant probably gets pleasure from eating plants (which are killed in the process), and plants shade each other and bacteria may crowd or eat each other, and all have feedback systems related to those behaviors. The issue of "evil" in relation to living is in that sense is fundamental to this universe, and ultimately a deep issue for thought and understanding as part of the mystery we are part of, as I suggest here: http://www.pdfernhout.net/a-rant-on-financial-obesity-and-Project-Virgle.html "... I agree with the sentiment of the Einstein quote [That we should approach the universe with compassion], but that sentiment itself is only part of a larger difficult-to-easily-resolve situation. It become more the Yin/Yang or Meshwork/Hierarchy situation I see when I look out my home office window into a forest. On the surface it is a lovely scene of trees as part of a forest. Still, I try to see *both* the peaceful majesty of the trees and how these large trees are brutally shading out of existence saplings which are would-be competitors (even shading out their own children). Yet, even as big trees shade out some of their own children, they also put massive resources into creating a next generation, one of which will indeed likely someday replace them when they fall. I try to remember there is both an unseen silent chemical war going on out there where plants produce defense compounds they secrete in the soil to inhibit the growth of other plant species (or insects or fungi) as a vile act of territoriality and often expansionism, and yet also the result is a good spacing of biomass to near optimally convert sunlight to living matter and resist and recover from wind and ice damage. I try to recall that there is the most brutal of competition between species of plants and animals and fungi and so on over water, nutrients (including from eating other creatures), sunlight, and space, while at the same time each bacterial colony or multicellular organism (like a large Pine tree) is a marvel of cooperation towards some implicitly shared purpose. I see the awesome result of both simplicity and complexity in the organizational structure of all these organisms and their DNA, RNA, and so on, adapted so well in most cases to the current state of such a complex web of being. Yet I can only guess the tiniest fraction of what suffering that selective shaping through variation and selection must have entailed for untold numbers of creatures over billions of years. To be truthful, I can actually *really* see none of that right now as it is dark outside this early near Winter Solstice time (and an icy rain is falling) beyond perhaps a silhouette outline, so I must remember and imagine it, perhaps as Einstein suggests as an "optical delusion of [my] consciousness".:-) "
The thing that makes robots/computers different is that a lot of our morality is based on limitations of hour human body, death, memory, individuality. With robots/computers you don't have those limitation, you could copy their memories, transfer them to another device, manipulate them at will, basically a lot of crazy stuff that would kind of break our normal morality system. You could also freely wire their emotions how you like, what a human might consider slave labor, might be the most fun a robot can have.
Basically when we or the robots ever go post-singularity, morality will be a very interesting topics, as a lot of base assumptions will no longer hold true.
Except that humans ARE animals, so certain animals ARE human, but not all animals eh.
In other words, like it or not, humans are a species of animal.
Anyway it's only a matter of time before there are "alien" intelligences such as dolphins or certain squid species (or of course certain members of the ape families) - and mankind will perhaps either go crazy (all those fanatics who believe in very strange and childish things, wanting to slaughter what they don't understand), or mankind might sigh in relief with the awareness that we finally aren't so alone..
Hmm?
Imagine if you will that one day mankind makes contact with some alien species (or even your supernatural being of choice), how would we be judged based on how we interact with a fellow intelligence? If dolphins were considered pre-intelligent, as in on the way to developing intelligence, and we treated them like crap.. Why.. mankind would come off as a barbaric species who keep slaves and slaughter their neighbors at will, leading to us being very undesirable as far as inter-stellar neighbors go!
Think it through. If it took bigger brains to actuate bigger muscles, how do you explain dinosaurs or alligators having small brains? Consider: http://alligatorfur.com/alligator/alligator.htm "A giant alligator is like an armored battleship protected by a shield of horny plates on his back, fierce teeth in the bow and propelled by a powerful tail capable of breaking the legs of prey or intruders. The only weakness is a brain the size of a lima bean that limits thinking to eat, bite, fight, mate and start all over. After 8 feet the only real threat to an alligator is another alligator or man."
So, why don't elephants have brains the size of lima beans instead of brains much bigger than human brains, with a cortex (granted, not a neocortex) bigger than the entire human brain? Why would nature waste all that energy and material?
Consider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_intelligence "Elephants are amongst the world's most intelligent species. With a mass just over 5 kg (11 lb), [adult human brains weight about 3 lbs] elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal, and although the largest whales have body masses twentyfold those of a typical elephant, whale brains are barely twice the mass of an elephant's brain. The elephant’s brain is similar to that of humans in terms of structure and complexity - such as the elephant’s cortex having as many neurons as a human brain[1], suggesting convergent evolution.[2] A wide variety of behaviors, including those associated with grief, learning, allomothering, mimicry, art, play, a sense of humor, altruism, use of tools, compassion, self-awareness, memory and possibly language[3] all point to a highly intelligent species that are thought to be equal with cetaceans[4][5] and primates[6][7]. Due to the high intelligence and strong family ties of elephants, some researchers argue it is morally wrong for humans to cull them.[8] Aristotle once said that elephants were "The beast which passeth all others in wit and mind"[9]."
Why do you assume I've only thought about this for "five minutes"? I read that book by John Lilly about thirty years ago.
Intentionally or not, many people repeat speciest bunk of various sorts used to justify human agression to other species, including the agression of destroying their habitats. Or also to justify mistreatment in agriculture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_rights
Essentially, between welfare, social security, and schooling, the USA spends about US$800 per person per month. Why not just give that money equally to every citizen as a basic income? A family of four would earn enough to get by through homeschooling, or could send their kids to private school.
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/16a.htm "Try to see that an intricately subordinated industrial/commercial system has only limited use for hundreds of millions of self-reliant, resourceful readers and critical thinkers. In an egalitarian, entrepreneurially based economy of confederated families like the one the Amish have or the Mondragon folk in the Basque region of Spain, any number of self-reliant people can be accommodated usefully, but not in a concentrated command-type economy like our own. Where on earth would they fit?"
Code Monkey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Wy7gRGgeA Brought some tears to my eyes for the truths there about submission to authority to earn a living -- even, and especially, when you are a good developer...
That's what I've been doing with my "spare" time instead of building the "The Future Soon" and perfecting a warrior robot race::-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDiDK_yBCw0
And my cell phone is "smarter" than Deep Blue because it has a better computation-to-mass ratio, too.:-)
People just make this stuff up to justify enslaving and kiiling other species. Neanderthals had a better ratio, even by that standard, but homo sapiens probably killed them off anyway, too.
There are many different ways of being in this world...
I vaguely recall that John Lilly, dolphin expert, said this was bunk in one of his books, too (but I may be mistaken).
I guess since US Americans are now prooably the fattest humans on the planet, that makes them dumbest. Sounds, about right, actually, so maybe there is something too this, what with all the money watsed on wars, killer robots, junk food, torturous medical procedures, campaign donations for legalized corruption, and so on?:-(
I know, there is a section in the Wikipedia article n "Brain to Lean-Body Mass ratio". Epicycles on epicycles... Even in the chart there small birds have a much better ration than humans. Oh, but then it doesn't count if it is small birds, right? Too small, plus a lot of people want to eat them. Who said "Reason is great for justifying that which you want to do anyway"?
Slashdot Mirror
Please see my other comments to this thread, including mentioning Mark Hyman's work and others. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/autism-research-discovery_b_794967.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/autism-research-discovery_b_794967.html
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/autism/vit-D-theory-autism.shtml
Look into iodine deficiency too:
http://theiodineproject.webs.com/addadhdautism.htm
http://www.coffetoday.com/child-autism-associated-with-iodine-deficiency/903216/
A comprehensive approach to nutrition:
http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Proof-Your-Child-Feeding-Right/dp/0312338058
If I have a stroke while walking to the store for some milk, I suppose you'll be asking "if you could do it all over, wouldn't you give up milk?"
Three videos on how excess animal product consumption along with eating refined and processed foods is related to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and dementia:
http://www.ravediet.com/preview.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPiR9VcuVWw
http://ahealthykitchen.com/nutrition/dr-michael-klaper/
So yes, eating dairy products may indeed lead to strokes... Still, 5% or so of strokes from burst blood vessels (as opposed to blocked ones) might be prevented with arterial plaque from dairy etc., so you want to skip the added salt, too, to help keep blood pressure down into your 90s. See Dr. Joel Fuhrman and "Eat to Live" for more details.
If we had to choose eating well (and other lifestyle issues) vs. the pharmaceutical industry, we'd be better off eating well. See:
http://www.bluezones.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/autism-research-discovery_b_794967.html
Not to raise false hopes, but from there: "The causes of mitochondrial dysfunction are well known, specifically as it relates to metabolism and the brain, and I have documented them in my books "UtraMetabolism" and "The UltraMind Solution." They include environmental toxins (iv) -- mercury, lead and persistent organic pollutants(v) -- latent infections, gluten and allergens (which trigger inflammation) sugar and processed foods,(vi) a nutrient-depleted diet(vii) and nutritional deficiencies.(viii) These are all potentially treatable and reversible causes of mitochondrial dysfunction that have been clearly documented. I found all these problems in Jackson, and over a period of two years we slowly unraveled and treated the underlying causes of his energy loss which included gut inflammation, mercury, and nutrient deficiencies. Over time, the tests for his mitochondrial function and oxidative stress (as well as levels of inflammation and nutrient status) all normalized. When they became normal, so did Jackson. He went from full-blown regressive autism to a normal, bright beautiful six-year-old boy."
If you do only one thing, check vitamin D:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/autism/vit-D-theory-autism.shtml
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/another-autism-case-report.shtml
Vaccines may still be involved in a couple of different ways, for kids who are having problems dealing with various heavy metals, where they may be struggling before, but the hevay metals or other issues with the vaccines pushed them over the edge (especially in a vitamin D deficient child, since vitamin D is used in creating glutathione, the brain's master antioxidant). One doctor being discredited doesn't prove that some vaccines can't have side effects in some especially sensitive individuals.
A new way of eating that in six weeks your family would like as much as how you eat now:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/foodpyramid.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Proof-Your-Child-Feeding-Right/dp/0312338058
At the very least, you'll probably live longer on that plan to help your kid longer.
We try to eat more that way, and take our vitamin D, and so on...
... The problem is that once you fuck up herd immunity, you've fucked it up for everyone, including the very young, the very old, and those with compromised immune systems. ... In short, and pardon my directness, but speaking as a parent, fuck those who don't get the shots for themselves and their kids right in their entitled, self-centred, arrogant asses. They and their spawn should be given the choice to get them, and then airdropped on a remote island with all the rest of the assholes who think that the chance of their precious little snowflake having a disability is more important than the life of other people's so they can't screw it up for the rest of us.
In short, and pardon my directness, but speaking as a parent, what about those who don't breastfeed their children for at least two years and beyond (WHO advised), and who don't get enough vitamin D, and who don't read about nutrition and "disease proof" their children?
http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Proof-Your-Child-Feeding-Right/dp/0312338058
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/treatment.shtml
http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/index.html
And what about all those parents who spread disease by sending their children to day prisons so they can work, rather than homeschooling?
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/734486
Not to mention the socio-psychological fallout:
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/prologue.htm
Should they and their "spawn" be airdropped on a remote island with all the rest of the "assholes" who think that the habit of feeding their precious little snowflake junkfood or putting them in school for convenience is more important than the life of other people's so they can't screw it up for the rest of us?
How many people would that leave in the USA? 1%?
"While we like to think of ourselves as the protectors of the earth, the reality is humans are without a doubt the most evil of all species."
By chance, this morning I read something I had jotted down almost thirty years ago, related to something Mother Theresa said. Essentially, she said, if she was so good it was because she could see the evil inside herself so clearly and she was doing what she could to make up for it. :-)
Even if we lose the battle someday over good and evil in ourselves or our society, we can at least do what we can now to prepare for that future with good deeds done today (where of course, people don't completely agree about what "good" is -- part of the problem).
Still, I'd think a shark or a lion probably gets some pleasure out of killing, and an elephant probably gets pleasure from eating plants (which are killed in the process), and plants shade each other and bacteria may crowd or eat each other, and all have feedback systems related to those behaviors. The issue of "evil" in relation to living is in that sense is fundamental to this universe, and ultimately a deep issue for thought and understanding as part of the mystery we are part of, as I suggest here: :-) "
http://www.pdfernhout.net/a-rant-on-financial-obesity-and-Project-Virgle.html
"... I agree with the sentiment of the Einstein quote [That we should approach the universe with compassion], but that sentiment itself is only part of a larger difficult-to-easily-resolve situation. It become more the Yin/Yang or Meshwork/Hierarchy situation I see when I look out my home office window into a forest. On the surface it is a lovely scene of trees as part of a forest. Still, I try to see *both* the peaceful majesty of the trees and how these large trees are brutally shading out of existence saplings which are would-be competitors (even shading out their own children). Yet, even as big trees shade out some of their own children, they also put massive resources into creating a next generation, one of which will indeed likely someday replace them when they fall. I try to remember there is both an unseen silent chemical war going on out there where plants produce defense compounds they secrete in the soil to inhibit the growth of other plant species (or insects or fungi) as a vile act of territoriality and often expansionism, and yet also the result is a good spacing of biomass to near optimally convert sunlight to living matter and resist and recover from wind and ice damage. I try to recall that there is the most brutal of competition between species of plants and animals and fungi and so on over water, nutrients (including from eating other creatures), sunlight, and space, while at the same time each bacterial colony or multicellular organism (like a large Pine tree) is a marvel of cooperation towards some implicitly shared purpose. I see the awesome result of both simplicity and complexity in the organizational structure of all these organisms and their DNA, RNA, and so on, adapted so well in most cases to the current state of such a complex web of being. Yet I can only guess the tiniest fraction of what suffering that selective shaping through variation and selection must have entailed for untold numbers of creatures over billions of years. To be truthful, I can actually *really* see none of that right now as it is dark outside this early near Winter Solstice time (and an icy rain is falling) beyond perhaps a silhouette outline, so I must remember and imagine it, perhaps as Einstein suggests as an "optical delusion of [my] consciousness".
What have I missed?
To begin with, you missed that I did not write the article or compose the challenge at the first link whose words you are attributing to me...
The thing that makes robots/computers different is that a lot of our morality is based on limitations of hour human body, death, memory, individuality. With robots/computers you don't have those limitation, you could copy their memories, transfer them to another device, manipulate them at will, basically a lot of crazy stuff that would kind of break our normal morality system. You could also freely wire their emotions how you like, what a human might consider slave labor, might be the most fun a robot can have.
Basically when we or the robots ever go post-singularity, morality will be a very interesting topics, as a lot of base assumptions will no longer hold true.
Good points...
On your last point, a lot of psychopathology may emerge out of the social systems we have constructed around ourselves:
http://listcultures.org/pipermail/p2presearch_listcultures.org/2009-November/005506.html
http://www.bullies2buddies.com/Columbine-Explained-The-Solution
Change the systems and motivations, and the behaviors may change...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Except that humans ARE animals, so certain animals ARE human, but not all animals eh.
In other words, like it or not, humans are a species of animal.
Anyway it's only a matter of time before there are "alien" intelligences such as dolphins or certain squid species (or of course certain members of the ape families) - and mankind will perhaps either go crazy (all those fanatics who believe in very strange and childish things, wanting to slaughter what they don't understand), or mankind might sigh in relief with the awareness that we finally aren't so alone..
Hmm?
Imagine if you will that one day mankind makes contact with some alien species (or even your supernatural being of choice), how would we be judged based on how we interact with a fellow intelligence? If dolphins were considered pre-intelligent, as in on the way to developing intelligence, and we treated them like crap.. Why.. mankind would come off as a barbaric species who keep slaves and slaughter their neighbors at will, leading to us being very undesirable as far as inter-stellar neighbors go!
Great points. We can probably generalize them eventually to robots and simulated entities, too:
http://www.rfreitas.com/Astro/LegalRightsOfRobots.htm
http://www.simulation-argument.com/
Se my other replies to this article, too.
Think it through. If it took bigger brains to actuate bigger muscles, how do you explain dinosaurs or alligators having small brains? Consider:
http://alligatorfur.com/alligator/alligator.htm
"A giant alligator is like an armored battleship protected by a shield of horny plates on his back, fierce teeth in the bow and propelled by a powerful tail capable of breaking the legs of prey or intruders. The only weakness is a brain the size of a lima bean that limits thinking to eat, bite, fight, mate and start all over. After 8 feet the only real threat to an alligator is another alligator or man."
So, why don't elephants have brains the size of lima beans instead of brains much bigger than human brains, with a cortex (granted, not a neocortex) bigger than the entire human brain? Why would nature waste all that energy and material?
Consider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_intelligence
"Elephants are amongst the world's most intelligent species. With a mass just over 5 kg (11 lb), [adult human brains weight about 3 lbs] elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal, and although the largest whales have body masses twentyfold those of a typical elephant, whale brains are barely twice the mass of an elephant's brain. The elephant’s brain is similar to that of humans in terms of structure and complexity - such as the elephant’s cortex having as many neurons as a human brain[1], suggesting convergent evolution.[2] A wide variety of behaviors, including those associated with grief, learning, allomothering, mimicry, art, play, a sense of humor, altruism, use of tools, compassion, self-awareness, memory and possibly language[3] all point to a highly intelligent species that are thought to be equal with cetaceans[4][5] and primates[6][7]. Due to the high intelligence and strong family ties of elephants, some researchers argue it is morally wrong for humans to cull them.[8] Aristotle once said that elephants were "The beast which passeth all others in wit and mind"[9]."
More on this:
http://www.elephantvoices.org/elephant-basics/elephants-are-intelligent.html
Why do you assume I've only thought about this for "five minutes"? I read that book by John Lilly about thirty years ago.
Intentionally or not, many people repeat speciest bunk of various sorts used to justify human agression to other species, including the agression of destroying their habitats. Or also to justify mistreatment in agriculture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_rights
Similar sorts of arguments used to be made to explain why Native Americans or African people could not be intelligent, too, to justify their destruction and enslavement for various profit-making reasons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_racism#Craniometry_and_physical_anthropology
No doubt the same arguments will be used against AIs and robots and simulated creatures as time goes by.
http://www.rfreitas.com/Astro/LegalRightsOfRobots.htm
Something I like to think about:
http://djterasaki.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/lila-watsons-quote-well-sort-of/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilla_Watson
"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
Human slavery demeaned and harmed both the slaver and the slave, though in different ways.
Hu
Because they are ignoring exponential technological change and breakthroughs in nutrition.
"Eating for Health"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPiR9VcuVWw
"[unrev-II] Singularity in twenty to forty years?"
http://www.dougengelbart.org/colloquium/forum/discussion/0126.html
Thanks for your insights.
Some general health care advice links I've found useful myself, to the extent any of it might help in keeping on an upward spiral of healing:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1692444&cid=32644166
http://books.google.com/books?id=hM_JDjq6V-kC
Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals by Thomas Moore
That fallacy is a fallacy... http://www.economist.com/comment/336777#comment-336777
My comments on moving beyond the general issues of limited demand, increasing productivity, and centralization of wealth:
http://econfuture.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/robots-jobs-and-our-assumptions/#comment-392
http://econfuture.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/robots-jobs-and-our-assumptions/#comment-402
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income
Essentially, between welfare, social security, and schooling, the USA spends about US$800 per person per month. Why not just give that money equally to every citizen as a basic income? A family of four would earn enough to get by through homeschooling, or could send their kids to private school.
More ideas: http://knol.google.com/k/paul-d-fernhout/beyond-a-jobless-recovery#Four_long(2D)term_heterodox_alternatives
http://www.pdfernhout.net/recognizing-irony-is-a-key-to-transcending-militarism.html
"Military [or police] robots like drones are ironic because they are created essentially to force humans to work like robots in an industrialized social order. Why not just create industrial robots to do the work instead?"
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/16a.htm
"Try to see that an intricately subordinated industrial/commercial system has only limited use for hundreds of millions of self-reliant, resourceful readers and critical thinkers. In an egalitarian, entrepreneurially based economy of confederated families like the one the Amish have or the Mondragon folk in the Basque region of Spain, any number of self-reliant people can be accommodated usefully, but not in a concentrated command-type economy like our own. Where on earth would they fit?"
Alternatives: http://econfuture.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/robots-jobs-and-our-assumptions/#comment-392
Second link should be: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6200005.stm
http://www.rfreitas.com/Astro/LegalRightsOfRobots.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6200005.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6200005.stm
Something else to think about related to simulated entities' rights: http://www.simulation-argument.com/
Killer fats with toxins too: http://www.ravediet.com/preview.html
Alternative: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/foodpyramid.aspx
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
http://www.johnrobbins.info/blog/the-pig-farmer/
Code Monkey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Wy7gRGgeA
Brought some tears to my eyes for the truths there about submission to authority to earn a living -- even, and especially, when you are a good developer...
How to build a world that works for everyone, even would-be code monkeys:
http://knol.google.com/k/paul-d-fernhout/beyond-a-jobless-recovery#Four_long(2D)term_heterodox_alternatives
That's what I've been doing with my "spare" time instead of building the "The Future Soon" and perfecting a warrior robot race: :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDiDK_yBCw0
On creating and using killer robots, btw:
http://www.pdfernhout.net/recognizing-irony-is-a-key-to-transcending-militarism.html
And my cell phone is "smarter" than Deep Blue because it has a better computation-to-mass ratio, too. :-)
People just make this stuff up to justify enslaving and kiiling other species. Neanderthals had a better ratio, even by that standard, but homo sapiens probably killed them off anyway, too.
There are many different ways of being in this world...
I vaguely recall that John Lilly, dolphin expert, said this was bunk in one of his books, too (but I may be mistaken).
I guess since US Americans are now prooably the fattest humans on the planet, that makes them dumbest. Sounds, about right, actually, so maybe there is something too this, what with all the money watsed on wars, killer robots, junk food, torturous medical procedures, campaign donations for legalized corruption, and so on? :-(
How to eat to live and get rid of obesity, btw, for those humans not dumbed down too much by fat already: :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPiR9VcuVWw
I know, there is a section in the Wikipedia article n "Brain to Lean-Body Mass ratio". Epicycles on epicycles... Even in the chart there small birds have a much better ration than humans. Oh, but then it doesn't count if it is small birds, right? Too small, plus a lot of people want to eat them. Who said "Reason is great for justifying that which you want to do anyway"?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/autism-research-discovery_b_794967.html
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/autism/vit-D-theory-autism.shtml
MIght be of interest...
See also: http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Proof-Your-Child-Feeding-Right/dp/0312338058
http://oscomak.net/ could go far for half a billion US dollars (my site).