David O. Russell: If NASA Gets ‘Pristine Images From Mars,’ Why Can’t My Monitor? – Video


David O. Russell: If NASA Gets #39;Pristine Images From Mars, #39; Why Can #39;t My Monitor?
The Oscar-nominated director jokes about his frustrations over using monitors on set, saying he instead chooses to stand next to a steady camera. "Half the t...

By: The Hollywood Reporter

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David O. Russell: If NASA Gets 'Pristine Images From Mars,' Why Can't My Monitor? - Video

NASA spies Earth from Mars

Carl Sagan once referred to the Earth as "where we make our stand."

And when seen by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity spacecraft across the vast expanse of space, that pale, blue dot he described suddenly makes sense. It's home -- but just one tiny speck barely visible in the infinite reach of space.

One very important speck, that is:

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there -- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. From Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space."

From the surface of the Red Planet, NASA's rover took a few minutes off from its science mission to gaze back at our planet, capturing a twinkling Earth spinning slowly in the sky.

The view of the twilight sky and Martian horizon shows Earth as the brightest point of light in the night sky -- the planet is a little left of center in the image, and just beneath it, almost invisible in the picture, our moon.

A human observer with normal vision, if standing on Mars, could easily see Earth and the moon as two distinct, bright evening stars, NASA said.

Not everyone was pleased with the view, however; a very sad Tweet from the parody Twitter account @SarcasticRover puts a different spin on the image:

In July 2013, NASA's Cassini craft took a similar image of Earth from over 900 million miles away, as the spacecraft spun around the planet. Researchers called it "the day the Earth smiled," because NASA asked Earthlings to smile and wave back at the spacecraft, knowing the exact moment the picture would be taken.

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NASA spies Earth from Mars

NASA Technology to Help Develop Noninvasive Medical Treatments

NASA has signed two patent license agreements with GRoK Technologies LLC of Houston to help develop novel biotechnology approaches that could have multiple applications in space and on Earth. The agreements are the results of the agency's Technology Transfer Program, which helps opens up NASA's research and technology to the public for use and development.

The agreements grant rights for four patented technologies invented by NASA and GRoK scientists. NASA is interested in the potential these technologies present for regenerating bone and muscle. During long spaceflights, astronauts are susceptible to developing osteopenia, which is a condition arising from the loss of bone and muscle mass and bone density. The patented technologies could help GRoK develop breakthrough products for the research and medical communities and advance our overall understanding of biomedicine.

"Biotechnology research taking place on the International Space Station and at NASA centers around the country continues to push the leading edge of science," said Yolanda Marshall, director of the Strategic Opportunities and Partnership Development Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This partnership will further enhance NASA's ability to share the unique breakthroughs made in space-based research."

GRoK will be able to use these patented methods on two platform technologies the company is developing.

The first platform, called BioReplicates, will allow users to create 3-D human tissue models that can be used to test cosmetics, drugs and other products for safety, efficacy and toxicity with greater accuracy, reliability and cost-efficiency. Additionally, using such models may reduce the industry's reliance on animal testing.

The second platform, called Scionic, could lead to the development of medical devices designed to target musculoskeletal pain and inflammation in humans and animals noninvasively and without the use of pharmaceuticals.

"The GRoK team is delighted we are now a NASA licensee with the opportunity to bring forward into the commercial sector technologies that have the capacity to improve the lives of people everywhere," said Moshe Kushman, GRoK's founder and CEO. "It's not just science fiction anymore. All indications are that 21st century life sciences will change dramatically during the next several decades, and GRoK is working to define the forefront of a new scientific wave."

NASAs Technology Transfer Program ensures that technologies developed for missions in exploration and discovery are broadly available to the public, maximizing the benefit to the nation. Making NASA technologies available promotes commercial activity, encourages economic growth, and stimulates innovation in business and commerce.

For information about NASA's Technology Transfer Program, visit:

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NASA Technology to Help Develop Noninvasive Medical Treatments

NASA Media Accreditation Open for Next SpaceX Station Resupply Mission Launch

Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA's next commercial cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will launch its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket at about 4:41 a.m. EDT Sunday, March 16 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

This will be the company's third commercial resupply mission to the space station, which will deliver several tons of supplies, including new science experiments and technology research.

Prelaunch and launch activities for media will take place at CCAFS and nearby at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials to cover the prelaunch and launch activities by noon Thursday, Feb. 13, in order to gain access to CCAFS for the launch. Accreditation is open until Thursday, Feb. 27, for international media without U.S. citizenship who do not need access to CCAFS. The deadline for U.S. media to apply for credentials is 4 p.m. Monday, March 10.

All media accreditation requests need to be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA also is inviting 50 social media users to apply for credentials for the launch. Social media users selected to attend will be given the same access as journalists. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Registration for social media accreditation is open online. Social media users with U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials by 3 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 19, to qualify. For more information about NASA social media accreditation requirements and to register, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/social

International journalists must submit a scanned copy of their "I" visa and passport. Green card holders must submit a scanned copy of their card. They must send their scanned documents to Jennifer Horner atjennifer.p.horner@nasa.govfor credential request processing.

All media representatives must present two forms of legal, government identification to access Kennedy Space Center. One form must be a photo ID, such as a passport or driver's license. Questions about accreditation should be directed to Jennifer Horner atjennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov, 321-867-6598 or 321-867-2468.

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NASA Media Accreditation Open for Next SpaceX Station Resupply Mission Launch

NASA Announces Fifth Round of CubeSat Space Mission Candidates

NASA has selected 16 small satellites from nine states to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets planned to launch in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The proposed CubeSats come from universities across the country, a primary school, non-profit organizations and NASA field centers.

CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds.

The selections are from the fifth round of the agency's CubeSat Launch Initiative. After launch, the satellites will conduct technology demonstration, educational research or science missions. The selected spacecraft are eligible for launch after final negotiations, depending on the availability of a flight opportunity. The organizations sponsoring satellites are:

-- Boston University, Boston -- Brown University, Providence, R.I. -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. -- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. -- Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, Mass. -- Marquette University, Milwaukee -- NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. -- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, N.M. -- St. Thomas More Cathedral School, Arlington, Va. -- The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, Calif. -- University of California, Los Angeles -- University of Florida, Gainesville -- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor -- Utah State University, Logan (2 CubeSats)

In the previous four rounds of the CubeSat Launch Initiative, 99 CubeSats from 28 states were selected. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats.

For additional information on NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

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NASA Announces Fifth Round of CubeSat Space Mission Candidates

Nanomedicine Market is Expected to Reach USD 177.60 …

Transparency Market Research added new report "Nanomedicine Market (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-infective, and Oncology Applications) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share,Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019" to its database. Browse full report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nanomedicine-market.html

Albany, NY (PRWEB) February 07, 2014

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Nanomedicine Market (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-infective, and Oncology Applications) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share,Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019," the market for nanomedicine was valued at USD 78.54 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach a value of USD 177.60 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2013 to 2019.

Browse the full report with complete TOC at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nanomedicine-market.html

The advent of new applications and technology in the field of nanomedicine will be one of the major growth factors for the global nanomedicine market. In addition, increase of funding aimed at boosting the research activities pertaining to nanomedicine by the government as well as private institutions will expedite the process of commercialization of new products and hence will drive the market. Other driving factors include rising base of geriatric population, presence of high unmet medical needs and rising worldwide incidences of chronic diseases.

The global nanomedicine market by applications was dominated by the oncology market with a market share of approximately 38.0% in 2012 on account of the presence of high number of commercialized products in this segment. Development of nanomedicine products enabling drugs crossing blood brain barrier and targeting the tumor in brain and at other sites in the body will prove to be a significant future growth driver for this market.

Related Report: Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Devices Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/gastrointestinal-endoscopic-devices.html

However, the global cardiovascular market for nanomedicine is the fastest growing application segment. Factors such as the presence of large patient prevalence coupled with rising demand for nanotechnology enabled drugs and devices catering to this segment, attribute to its high growth rate.

North America dominated the market in 2012 and is expected to maintain its market position till 2019. However, theAsia-Pacific market is estimated to grow at a faster pace (CAGR of 14.6% from 2013 to 2019).Europe is expected to grow at a relatively higher rate compared to North America owing to constantly improving regulatory framework and the presence of an extensive product pipeline portfolio.

Some of the key players in the global nanomedicine market include GE Healthcare, Merck & Co Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Inc., Nanosphere Inc., Mallinckrodt plc, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celgene Corporation, Novavax, Inc.; Life Technologies, MagArray, Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc. and others.

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Nanomedicine Market is Expected to Reach USD 177.60 ...

Source: Nano jobs in Albany protected from IBM layoff plans

Albany

IBM, one of the state's largest high-tech employers, is expected to lay off hundreds of workers in the Hudson Valley by the end of the month, union officials said.

It's unlikely that any of the hundreds of IBM scientists and engineers that work at the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany will be included in the layoffs.

IBM told analysts in January that it was planning a worldwide reorganization of its workforce that would cost $1 billion about the same magnitude as a reorganization last year that led to 3,300 U.S. workers being laid off, including 700 in Poughkeepsie and in East Fishkill, home to an IBM computer chip factory.

A main reason for the layoffs is the poor performance of IBM's Systems and Technology Group. IBM recently announced the sale of one of its low-end server units to China-based Lenovo as a way to stem the losses.

Alliance@IBM, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, said the latest round of layoffs are expected to be announced on Feb. 26 for employees in New York and Vermont, home to thousands of workers in the Systems and Technology Group unit. IBM, which does not speak about layoffs typically, did not return a call seeking comment.

Jobs at the NanoCollege are protected, according to a source close to IBM.

"There will not be any layoffs in Albany," the source said.

Many employees support IBM's most innovative computer chip program research that the company does in partnership with the state, such as the Global 450 Consortium, a five-year, $4.8 billion program to develop the next generation of computer chip factories.

The state has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the effort and other programs with IBM at the NanoCollege, which typically have job creation and retention requirements that IBM must meet.

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Was Mourinho's masseur revelation just a bluff about Chelsea title chances?

Bridge Banter: Was Jose Mourinho's Billy McCulloch masseur revelation just a bluff about Chelsea title chances?

12:17pm Friday 7th February 2014 in Sport By Tim Ashton

You never know whats going to happen in this beautiful game.

The Chelsea lads may have arrived in Manchester on a bus (OK, more likely a luxury coach) but it was parked in an allotted space outside the Etihad stadium.

Ask any self-important sports journalist, and they would have insisted that the bus was going to be plonked in front of Petr Cechs goal.

Ask any pundit who graces a comfy chair in a TV studio because he used to play the game, and they would have told you the same.

Ask Jose Mourinho and he just tells you what he wants you to hear.

Then he turns in a performance of such tactical genius that those aforementioned scribblers and bawlers can be found quickly deleting their wayward predictions and whistling an innocuous tune.

Chelsea did not do a containing job on the previously invincible City, because they did not need to.

Straight from the off they went at the jugular and they were unlucky not to score more than Branislav Ivanovics decisively sweet strike.

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Was Mourinho's masseur revelation just a bluff about Chelsea title chances?

Our 10 Favorite Toy Movies

There is nothing that sells movie tickets more than nostalgia, and there are few things moviegoers are more fond of than their childhood toys. With that in mind, it seems a no-brainer that Warner Bros. should be pairing a walk down memory lane with proven comedic talent in The LEGO Movie. Making a film built entirely out of toys demands imagination, and the results are already clear: when appealing to an audiences' inner child, superheroes, wizards, and even presidents can all coexist. But this isn't the first time filmmakers have turned to toys to do the impossible on film. Here is a brief look at Our 10 Favorite Toy Movies. Victor Herbert's operetta Babes in Toyland has been adapted a number of times, but the 1934 film starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy has to be our favorite. Set in the fairy tale land of Santa Claus, Little Bo Peep and the Three Little Pigs, the film is anything but suitable for children. Featuring six-foot-tall wooden soldiers unaware of their own strength or lethality; threats of medieval torture; pignapping, and an army of Bogeyman, the fact that toys come to life is almost an afterthought. Nevertheless, the fever-dream plot and characters are unforgettable. Every child dreams of bringing their toys to life, but few ever dream of their army men or toy soldiers teaching them about 18th Century colonization. Somehow, author Lynne Reid Banks made that seem exciting in the novel The Indian in the Cupboard, adapted to film by director Frank Oz. The story begins a when young boy receives a small cupboard for his birthday, but the potential for 'worst birthday gift ever' is redeemed when he realizes it can bring toys placed inside of it to life. As the title suggests, Omri forges a fast friendship with Little Bear, a small Native American figure. We would experiment a bit more than Omri did, grabbing any chance to see a Transformer or Ninja Turtle stomp around our bedroom... but then Michael Bay would be out of a job. The basic premise of The Last Mimzy seems fairly standard for this list: a young boy and girl are stunned and delighted when their stuffed rabbit turns out to be more than a simple stuffed animal. Where Mimzy differs is the fact that it's not a magical being, but an artificially intelligent creation of future humans, sent back in time to return with DNA uncorrupted by widespread pollution. Also, it turns children into telekinetics and telepaths so it can communicate. That's a heavy story for a young audience - even moreso when the plot is placed under a microscope. Mimzy's young master is needed to save the future, but the plan was never to prevent the pollution in the first place. So the children will be forced to watch humanity stumble, with or without superpowers. The Misfit Toys may not be the star of the stop-motion classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but they are just as well-known as Santa's gifted sled-puller. An addition to the original story, Rudolph discovers the Island of Misfit Toys after leaving Santa's Village, populated by toys deemed unsuitable for giving to children. Ruled over by King Moonracer (a winged lion, because why not?) the island's inhabitants feature an airplane that won't fly, a swimming bird, an ostrich-riding cowboy, and a polka-dotted elephant, to name a few. Seeing them brought to life made every child realize that each toy is deserving of love, whatever their faults. That's a dangerous excuse for hoarding, but memorable nonetheless. Toys often appear in animated children's films, but rarely are they the sole star. When Disney adapted the classic Italian tale of Pinocchio into the studio's second animated film, they had to make some serious changes before it became the classic it is today. The story of Geppetto's marionette wished to be a real boy is one of the most iconic in Disney's history, with many other films on our list owing their existence at least partly to it. To this day, we can't help but wish there was a small, singing, top-hat-wearing cricket sitting on our shoulder, telling us when we're headed for trouble. But if that comes at the price of a nose that grows with every lie, and the chilling run-ins with 'Pleasure Island,' the film is more than enough of an escape. Given its title and subject matter, director Barry Levinson's Toys must be mentioned for this list - as much for its approach to the idea of childlike play as the cinematic riddle it wound up being. The story is simple enough: Leslie Zevo (Robin Williams) is too immature to take over control of his father's toy company, and must wage war against the military toys created by his three-star general uncle. But the overall detachment from reality makes the film more of an abstract painting of a film, sure to confuse almost every viewer at one point or another. Thankfully, the film's third act includes an all-out war between traditional toys and military-grade toy tanks and helicopters - not to mention the enormous (and deadly) 'toys' sprinkled throughout. Toy fans may not love it, but it's one they simply must see to believe. What happens when a toy coming to life turns out not to be a dream come true, but a nightmare made real? That's the case with Chucky, the bloodthirsty star of the Child's Play film series - an everyday 'Good Guy' doll brought to life and infused with the departing soul of "The Lakeshore Slasher." It wasn't the first movie to place an animated doll as its deadly villain, and there have been plenty of imitators since. But whether it's the red hair, the freckles, or the voice work of Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings) that make Chucky remain as unsettling today as when first released, the movie made us forever suspicious of even the cutest dolls (more than we were already). To a child, there's nothing more wondrous than the idea of having your favorite stuffed animal come to life and become the best friend you'd always hoped for. While Seth MacFarlane's Ted featured a talking teddy bear that did just that, it followed the story through to the end, with the titular plushie's persona of 'best friend' aging alongside Mark Wahlberg. It may not be as revered as others on our list, but Ted did what no other 'talking toy' movie ever had: shown adult audiences what it would be like to have a toy for a best friend. For that alone (not to mention the experience of seeing a friendly fistfight between a human being and stuffed bear), the movie is worth some recognition. It's one thing to see your toys come to life, but in Small Soldiers, Alan Abernathy is dropped right into the middle of a full-on toy war. Essentially, gross mismanagement and shortsightedness led a toy company to design toys that would "play back" with the children who owned them. The Commando Elite were outfitted with artificial intelligence, as were their sworn enemies, the Gorgonites. Predictably, the situation spun out of control when the Commandos decided humans would only get in the way of eliminating their Gorgonite foes, and the star-studded cast raised this toy-led adventure up from a simple children's movie. In fact, much of the film is far darker than any kids movie should be - but that doesn't mean older audiences can't appreciate a brutal action-figure massacre. As the name implies, it was Pixar's goal to weave a tale beginning and ending with children's playthings, but in chronicling the adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Toy Story's cast, they proved that animated films could be relevant for an entirely new generation, and crafted one of the best examples in history. For the sake of the other entries on our list, we've grouped together the entire trilogy. There is little the series as a whole leaves uncovered, and for viewers who aged right along with Toy Story's Andy, no film will better capture the love of dolls, action figures, or stuffed animals - and the need to one day leave them all behind. That's just 10 of the many films starring or featuring toys that are far more than simple playthings, but each movie fan is sure to have their favorites. Which toy characters stick out the most in your memory? Is it due to the quality of the film, the strength of the performance, or simply nostalgia? Be sure to mention your own favorites in the comments. _____ The LEGO Movie is in theaters now. Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

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Our 10 Favorite Toy Movies

A Creator of Skynet Ponders Google

After an eight-year detour in which he served as governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to his true calling as a cyborg assassin. Shooting on a new Terminator film reportedly got under way last month in New Orleans and is expected to be released sometime next year. But the resurgence of one of the films main characters, the self-aware computing network Skynet, is already a fait accompli. Skynet is invoked every time a military contractor dispatches a fleet of autonomous vehicles, or a shadowy corporation begins rallying a robot army, or scientists develop a cloud-based hive mind for robots to upload and download information and learn new tasks from each other, completely independent of humans.

With life imitating art, I spent a few minutes discussing our robot overlords with William Wisher, who wrote the original Terminator movies along with James Cameron. (Wisher is not working on the new Terminator movie.) The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Skynet sure gets a lot of attention in recent days. Have you been following along? Wisher: I have, and I cant say Im crazy about it. Terminator 1 and 2 were not how-to movies. They were more cautionary tales. But a lot of that kind of thing seems to be happening, between the NSA spying and Google (GOOG) Glass, which apparently has a new app with facial recognition software, designed to look at you and then your face compared to millions of others in the database, including social networks, and it comes up and tells the person who you are, where you live, and so forth and so on, and all the information thats available to you in the Internet. Here we are, welcome to the future.

What parallels do you see to the Terminator films? I think very general ones. The thing we wrote in the films was about Skynet becoming self-aware. Every program the NSA has is just collecting information. That feedback loop might change, and human beings might become redundant. Terminator was about AI deciding it can operate without human thought. Then the movies start. Im unaware of any private or government program regarding artificial intelligence thats on the verge of becoming self-aware, but what I do see is a rather amazingly fast erosion of privacy in this country.

Are you familiar with the concept of the singularity, which many people in Silicon Valley seem to believe is just around the corner? Oh yes. I know that there are people working on achieving the singularity, and I think it will happen. Its just a matter of application and a few more rungs on the ladder. Does it necessarily mean that it will be a bad thing? Thats an important question.

The tech is just a technology; its just a hammer. You can use a hammer to build a house, you can also use it to crush somebodys skull. Its not the hammers fault. But what do you do with stuff once youve created it? That question is hanging out there. I would imagine that artificial intelligence would reflect the goals, aspirations, personalities, and flaws of the people whove created it. What is AIs personality like?

A lot of this stuff has for decades and decades been an inspiration for people working on real world stuff. That becomes a goal. Theyll go and see a film or read a book and think thats cool, why dont we work on that. I dont mean to say that people like me are responsible for it, but we do have an influence on real-world events, just like we were influenced by trends in the real world. It becomes part of a massive exchange between real-world technology and fictional imagination.

What was the real-life technology you used as a model for the Terminator films? One of my inspirations was Darpa, although I dont know that there was any particular technology. People were talking about what the possibilities were. It was in the air, as more of a general thing, kind of a feeling of where tech industries were heading. We imagined a rather dark conclusion.

Does the stuff happening now plant the seeds of new fiction in your brain? Oh, lots of things. Im working on something right now that has to do with the NSA and the CIA, and a kind of a competition that may indeed be happening right now. I dont want to say much more.

Anything else youve seen in films or media exploring these issues that youve found compelling? Real life, at the moment, is far more fascinating than whats on TV.

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A Creator of Skynet Ponders Google