Appeasing the Muslim lunatic fringe is not a "win" for anyone. We should not apologize for free speech, no matter who it offends. If anything, authorities should have gone the other direction and NOT arrested him despite his parole transgressions, in light of the political statement it creates.
Dynedain's "Contribute How?" post hit the mark, and I have no idea what it is you're really asking. However, having worked in university IT for about a decade I can offer some advice that can be applied broadly: you have an amazing resource at your disposal - smart people - and you should exploit that by developing software to suit your needs.
A lot of universities spend millions on proprietary software like PeopleSoft when they could get much better value and results by hiring competent programmers, work-studies, grad students, postdocs, etc, in-house to create software that does exactly what your institution needs it to do. Your custom software will do whatever needs to be done, it will be infinitely flexible because you have complete control over what it does and how it does it, you will not be at the mercy of any external vendor for support, and the ongoing licensing costs will be $0.
All good points; it's a big project. Mapping is an important, but not the final step.
The sensory deprivation aspect raises an interesting ethical problem -- if the simulated brain is in fact 100% accurate, then wouldn't running it without normal sensory input be the same as torturing a sentient person?
I suspect that part of creating a functional full-brain simulation will have to involve it's being embedded in a robot (or biological body) which can supply the expected sensory environment.
A neural network running a simulation of a human brain would be a Turing-complete strong AI.
Actually, it would need to be severely dumbed-down in order to pass the Turing Test. Electronic circuitry operates millions of times faster than the electro-chemical circuitry of the brain, plus it could have instant access to vast databases of information, and no human has that much and that accurate memory.
Wikis are designed for collaborative writing, and many if not most support version control. I don't know of any that support LaTeX (with rendering), but I would think that it could be added to something like MediaWiki.
I came across a Wordpress plugin that apparently renders LaTeX:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/easy-latex/
Perhaps it's code could be adopted for a wiki. Of course, the user would still have to know LaTeX, but they could copy and paste from their favorite GUI LaTeX editor.
"IBM reckons its 20-petaflops capable Sequoia system will outshine every single current system in the Top500 supercomputer rankings"
So the computer will be ready in 2012, and it will outperform computers from 2009?
These multi-year computer construction projects seem very problematic given the pace of change in technology. Memory changes, CPUs change, and the socket specs change — if it takes 3 years to build, it will be obsolete before it's ready. 2012 could be the year that ATI releases 10-petaflop GPUs, and they ship in iMacs.
It sounds like you are pretty comfortable with technology, but are the rest of the teachers? Do they all want computers as "interactive teaching tools"?
Generally, the larger your IT deployment, the more technical support you will need. Time spent fidgeting with computer glitches will be time lost teaching and learning. Then again, maybe your budget is big enough to have IT staff help prepare every lesson, etc..
I second that. Thin clients offer the best RIO due to their low ongoing operational costs. Basically you'll be paying for a good sysadmin, plus commercial software for the server, if you need that.
Sunrays in particular are good because Solaris is free - you don't have per seat licensing fees (unless you're using them with Windows Server). If you need Windows, however, they can do that too.
Another issue to consider is security and insurance costs. Sunrays are not an attractive target for thieves because they are useless without the server. You don't even need to lock them down. If you go with real computers instead of thin clients, you will have theft, and your insurance costs will be higher.
Aside from a balanced diet and plenty of exercise, you should also supplement your aging mind with the nutrients that it needs to stay sharp. Hang on another 15 years, and there will be more permanent therapies to restore your brain to its prime.
If your resting heart rate is 80bpm, which it probably is if you don't exercise, then your candle is burning brighter, so to speak, than it would be if you were fit and it was only 40bpm. Granted, while you're exercising, maybe its at 170bpm, but that's only for relatively short periods. So really the opposite may be true about burning twice as bright: peak fitness entails a generally dimmer burn, when not exercising, which is the vast majority of the time.
A quick Google on 'exercise and longevity' produced this seemingly informed page:
Excerpt: "Now there is unequivocal data that proves regular vigorous exercise will enable you to live longer. In fact, it has been estimated that there are approximately 250,000 deaths in the United States each year that result from a lack of exercise."
However, my question is not about "some exercise", but rather, peak physical fitness, where an individual seeks to get themselves in optimal physical condition. Also, I'm wondering about de Grey's take on it, since the issue seems to be largely neglected in the "singularity" crowd.
To get to what Ray Kurzweil calls the "First Bridge" -- to live long enough to take advantage of the first generation of longevity-enhancing therapies, in 15 to 20 years from now -- many people must change their lifestyles to stay as healthy as possible, so they're in good shape when the time comes.
The role of physical fitness seems to be given mere lip service in the popular longevity literature. By "physical fitness", I don't mean just the lack of obesity, but rather the ability to run at least a marathon, for example. Evolution has selected bodies for us that are capable of very demanding physical tasks, yet most people sit around with resting heart rates at least double what they could be if they were fit.
Do you know of any serious research efforts into the effects of peak physical fitness on optimal health and longevity?
I took over management of a client's domain that was hosted by Network Solutions, and they are by far the *worst* registrar I have ever had to deal with. Their menus are intentionally misleading in order to try to sell the customer more services, and they employ draconian policies to try to prevent you from leaving.
Once they start finding and pressuring individual ISPs found guilty of "non-neutral" behavior, it will create incentive for customers to leave that ISP and go to a competitor. Sometimes there won't be a competitor, such as in many rural areas.
The logical progression is to encourage consumers to form their own local groups and move to community-owned Internet access. This new NNSquad should expand their mandate to provide resources that help and encourage communities to achieve network independence.
Attributing "money is evil" attitudes to the good people at Craiglist is unjustified. They are probably still expanding their classified ad network, with the aim of reaching a certain level of market penetration before monetizing it further. Or, before accepting buy-out offers that are based on the ever-growing potential that the site has for monetization.
Slashdot Mirror
Silk Road was only down for a month or two, following the arrest of one individual.
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
"On Wednesday morning, Silk Road 2.0 came online, promising a new and slightly improved version..."
Appeasing the Muslim lunatic fringe is not a "win" for anyone. We should not apologize for free speech, no matter who it offends. If anything, authorities should have gone the other direction and NOT arrested him despite his parole transgressions, in light of the political statement it creates.
Google cache version: http://bit.ly/ck4eUh
Dynedain's "Contribute How?" post hit the mark, and I have no idea what it is you're really asking. However, having worked in university IT for about a decade I can offer some advice that can be applied broadly: you have an amazing resource at your disposal - smart people - and you should exploit that by developing software to suit your needs.
A lot of universities spend millions on proprietary software like PeopleSoft when they could get much better value and results by hiring competent programmers, work-studies, grad students, postdocs, etc, in-house to create software that does exactly what your institution needs it to do. Your custom software will do whatever needs to be done, it will be infinitely flexible because you have complete control over what it does and how it does it, you will not be at the mercy of any external vendor for support, and the ongoing licensing costs will be $0.
respect--;
This is silly; mobile devices and "full size" gaming systems have to be considered different markets.
I can write documents on my iPhone, but that doesn't mean I won't be buying word processing software for computers any more.
He's asking for over US$80 for this book! That's insane.
Odds are downright terrible for "intelligent nanobots"...
Knowing what the odds are seems rather problematic. Once beyond-human AI is developed, then it might have a better idea...
You can copy yourself to a computer and then die, but that doesnt sound so cool anymore does it.
Actually, it's still pretty cool. :)
All good points; it's a big project. Mapping is an important, but not the final step.
The sensory deprivation aspect raises an interesting ethical problem -- if the simulated brain is in fact 100% accurate, then wouldn't running it without normal sensory input be the same as torturing a sentient person?
I suspect that part of creating a functional full-brain simulation will have to involve it's being embedded in a robot (or biological body) which can supply the expected sensory environment.
Actually, it would need to be severely dumbed-down in order to pass the Turing Test. Electronic circuitry operates millions of times faster than the electro-chemical circuitry of the brain, plus it could have instant access to vast databases of information, and no human has that much and that accurate memory.
The FBI have become the copyright cartels' gestapo?
It looks like MediaWiki already supports some TeX:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Displaying_a_formula
Wikis are designed for collaborative writing, and many if not most support version control. I don't know of any that support LaTeX (with rendering), but I would think that it could be added to something like MediaWiki.
I came across a Wordpress plugin that apparently renders LaTeX:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/easy-latex/
Perhaps it's code could be adopted for a wiki. Of course, the user would still have to know LaTeX, but they could copy and paste from their favorite GUI LaTeX editor.
"IBM reckons its 20-petaflops capable Sequoia system will outshine every single current system in the Top500 supercomputer rankings"
So the computer will be ready in 2012, and it will outperform computers from 2009?
These multi-year computer construction projects seem very problematic given the pace of change in technology. Memory changes, CPUs change, and the socket specs change — if it takes 3 years to build, it will be obsolete before it's ready. 2012 could be the year that ATI releases 10-petaflop GPUs, and they ship in iMacs.
It sounds like you are pretty comfortable with technology, but are the rest of the teachers? Do they all want computers as "interactive teaching tools"?
Generally, the larger your IT deployment, the more technical support you will need. Time spent fidgeting with computer glitches will be time lost teaching and learning. Then again, maybe your budget is big enough to have IT staff help prepare every lesson, etc..
I second that. Thin clients offer the best RIO due to their low ongoing operational costs. Basically you'll be paying for a good sysadmin, plus commercial software for the server, if you need that.
Sunrays in particular are good because Solaris is free - you don't have per seat licensing fees (unless you're using them with Windows Server). If you need Windows, however, they can do that too.
Another issue to consider is security and insurance costs. Sunrays are not an attractive target for thieves because they are useless without the server. You don't even need to lock them down. If you go with real computers instead of thin clients, you will have theft, and your insurance costs will be higher.
The newspaper is dead. Long live the newspaper!
Aside from a balanced diet and plenty of exercise, you should also supplement your aging mind with the nutrients that it needs to stay sharp. Hang on another 15 years, and there will be more permanent therapies to restore your brain to its prime.
I found it difficult to find free wifi in London. I always ended up having to pay for it. Boo.
If your resting heart rate is 80bpm, which it probably is if you don't exercise, then your candle is burning brighter, so to speak, than it would be if you were fit and it was only 40bpm. Granted, while you're exercising, maybe its at 170bpm, but that's only for relatively short periods. So really the opposite may be true about burning twice as bright: peak fitness entails a generally dimmer burn, when not exercising, which is the vast majority of the time.
A quick Google on 'exercise and longevity' produced this seemingly informed page:
http://www.tfn.net/healthgazette/longev.html
Excerpt: "Now there is unequivocal data that proves regular vigorous exercise will enable you to live longer. In fact, it has been estimated that there are approximately 250,000 deaths in the United States each year that result from a lack of exercise."
However, my question is not about "some exercise", but rather, peak physical fitness, where an individual seeks to get themselves in optimal physical condition. Also, I'm wondering about de Grey's take on it, since the issue seems to be largely neglected in the "singularity" crowd.
To get to what Ray Kurzweil calls the "First Bridge" -- to live long enough to take advantage of the first generation of longevity-enhancing therapies, in 15 to 20 years from now -- many people must change their lifestyles to stay as healthy as possible, so they're in good shape when the time comes.
The role of physical fitness seems to be given mere lip service in the popular longevity literature. By "physical fitness", I don't mean just the lack of obesity, but rather the ability to run at least a marathon, for example. Evolution has selected bodies for us that are capable of very demanding physical tasks, yet most people sit around with resting heart rates at least double what they could be if they were fit.
Do you know of any serious research efforts into the effects of peak physical fitness on optimal health and longevity?
I took over management of a client's domain that was hosted by Network Solutions, and they are by far the *worst* registrar I have ever had to deal with. Their menus are intentionally misleading in order to try to sell the customer more services, and they employ draconian policies to try to prevent you from leaving.
The formation of this group is an excellent idea.
Once they start finding and pressuring individual ISPs found guilty of "non-neutral" behavior, it will create incentive for customers to leave that ISP and go to a competitor. Sometimes there won't be a competitor, such as in many rural areas.
The logical progression is to encourage consumers to form their own local groups and move to community-owned Internet access. This new NNSquad should expand their mandate to provide resources that help and encourage communities to achieve network independence.
Attributing "money is evil" attitudes to the good people at Craiglist is unjustified. They are probably still expanding their classified ad network, with the aim of reaching a certain level of market penetration before monetizing it further. Or, before accepting buy-out offers that are based on the ever-growing potential that the site has for monetization.