Coming to Terms With Humanity's Inevitable Union With Machines

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Joaquin Phoenix in a scene from ''Her'' by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures/Associated Press

By John Havens2014-04-11 12:05:50 UTC

Our robot overlords are already here.

Were just anthropomorphizing our technology in more subtle ways than wed imagined in the past. We stigmatize Theodore Twombly, Joaquin Phoenixs character in the movie, Her, as morally questionable when falling in love with his operating system, yet dont find it adulterous when the last face we look at before falling asleep belongs to our smartphone versus our soulmate.

Its time to come to grips with what it means to be human in a digital environment. That is, a fully digital or virtual environment. We can talk about unplugging from technology, but that behavior is more akin to minimizing an activity window while our relationship continues running in the background of our lives. Sensors in our phones and the innards of our globe monitor ubiquitously, broadcasting our unencrypted consciousness to the world.

Its hard not to get philosophical. Or judgmental Im genuinely struggling with the idea that well soon fully merge with machines.

As technology gains human level sentience, I need to evolve my mindset. What if my daughter wants to marry an algorithm? Can I have dinner with its parents? Can we expect to see anti robot-bullying campaigns soon? Or a reworked cover of Macklemores, SIM love?

I joke because Im conflicted. Im genuinely a bit freaked at the idea that humans and machines are already so inexorably linked. And I firmly believe that things like the wearables industry are simply intermediary technologies to mentally prepare us for our inevitable union with machines. They help reveal the personal data thats currently invisible in our lives while providing a thin, albeit fashionable, buffer between the time devices will be on our skin versus within.

My goal here is to confront my unease with this union while my identity is largely located in my cortex rather that the cloud. Im not anti-robot, as I thought I might be in the past. But the reality of transcendence with technology shouldnt be taken lightly, even if it is inevitable.

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Coming to Terms With Humanity's Inevitable Union With Machines

Transcendence: Johnny Depps Brain Becomes the Internet, Morgan Freeman Has a Question

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Transcendence: Johnny Depps Brain Becomes the Internet, Morgan Freeman Has a Question

Apr 10, 14 by Cherie Saunders Leave a comment

*Morgan Freeman may have played God twice on the big screen, but in his latest film Transcendence, its Johnny Depp who gets to feel like the Alpha and the Omega.

He plays artificial intelligence researcher Dr. Will Caster, striving to create a super computer that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the ability to feel the full range of human emotion, a process he calls transcendence.

His work has a contingent of haters anti-technology extremists who place a target on his back, but inadvertently give the good doctor exactly what he wantsa chance to be the guinea pig who transcends.

Caster no longer in his body, but in the machine starts feeling his omnipresence. His knowledge and power is now as vast and endless as the Internet that his brain has absorbed. And the question inevitably becomes, has technology now officially gone too far? For Caster, it clearly has.

I think Will is dedicated to the cause, and yeah, maybe power when you realize essentially that youre God, Depp said at the films press conference this week. There aint nothing on earth more powerful than you. You can do anything you want. You can transfer every cent from the Bank of England into an account in Syria or whatever. I think Will was just so focused on the cause and its sort of like Che Guevara in a way. You get too far into it.

Morgan Freeman and Johnny Depp in Transcendence

Freeman plays Joseph Tagger, part of a team sent out to mitigate the damage after Casters consciousness is uploaded into the computer. Despite the growing concerns of Casters wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both researchers as well, Caster not only continues his quest for power, but has seemingly achieved his goal of expressing human emotions through the machine or so he thinks.

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Transcendence: Johnny Depps Brain Becomes the Internet, Morgan Freeman Has a Question

Harvard investigation leads to expression of concern on Brigham-led stem cell research

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A major medical journal has published a notice of concern about data included in a paper that found benefits for an experimental stem-cell therapy in a small number of heart failure patients. The concerns were raised during an internal investigation at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School that has already led to the retraction of another paper led by the same prominent and controversial cardiologist.

In an expression of concern posted online Thursday night and first reported by the blog Retraction Watch, editors of the British medical journal The Lancet said Harvard had notified them of an ongoing investigation that has raised questions about the integrity of certain data used in two figures in a 2011 paper overseen by Dr. Piero Anversa at the Brigham.

A notice of concern is issued when a journal learns of potential problems with a paper but is awaiting more information before deciding whether to correct or retract the study.

It alerts our readers to the fact the investigation is going on, a journal spokesperson said Friday.

The Harvard and Brigham investigation has already revealed compromised data in a 2012 paper in the journal Circulation, which described rapid turnover of cells in the heart and was also overseen by Anversa. That paper was retracted Tuesday.

Both papers examined the regenerative capacity of the heart, in an effort to harness cardiac stem cells to repair damaged or diseased heart muscle.

This notice of concern, coupled with the recent retraction, is extremely troubling because of the large number of clinical trials inspired by reports from this group, the many desperate patients potentially affected, and the large amount of federal and private money that has been diverted from other areas of promising research to pursue these ideas, Dr. Jonathan Epstein, a professor of cardiovascular research at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, wrote in an e-mail.

Neither of the journals has been specific about who is at fault or what the nature of the problems are.

The focus of this investigation is on two supplemental figures published online, The Lancet said. As far as we are aware, the investigation is confined to the work completed at BWH.

Anversa has not responded to e-mail or voicemail messages.

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Harvard investigation leads to expression of concern on Brigham-led stem cell research

Former NIH stem-cell chief joins New York foundation

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Nature News Blog

10 Apr 2014 | 22:47 BST | Posted by Sara Reardon | Category: stem cells

Stem-cell biologist Mahendra Rao, who resigned last week as director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), has a new job. On 9 April, he was appointed vice-president for regenerative medicine at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), a non-profit organization that funds embryonic stem-cell research.

Rao left the NIH abruptly on 28 March, apparently because of disagreements about the number of clinical trials of stem-cell therapies that the NIHs intramural CRM programme would conduct. The CRM was established in 2010 to shepherd therapies using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) adult cells that have been reprogrammed to an embryonic state into clinical translation. One of the CRMs potential therapies, which will use iPS cells to treat macular degeneration of the retina, will continue moving towards clinical trials at the NIH, although several others were not funded. NIH officials say that the CRM will not continue in its current direction, but the fate of the centres remaining budget and resources is undecided.

Rao says that he wants to move more iPS cell therapies towards trials than the NIH had been willing to do. He has already joined the advisory boards of several stem-cell-therapy companies: Q Therapeutics, a Salt Lake City-based neural stem cell company he co-founded; and Cesca Therapeutics (formerly known as ThermoGenesis) of Rancho Cordova, California, and Stemedica of San Diego, California, both of which are developing cell-based therapies for cardiac and vascular disorders.

Rao says that his initial focus at the NYSCF will be developing iPS cell lines for screening, and formulating a process for making clinical-grade cell lines from a patients own cells.

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Former NIH stem-cell chief joins New York foundation

Grateful patient donates $6.5 million to Shiley Eye Center

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Doctors perform eye surgery in an operating room at Shiley Eye Center Wednesday. The center recently received a $6.5 million gift to help establish a new stem cell research laboratory.

A $6.5 million donation from an unnamed patient will help the Shiley Eye Center at UC San Diego strengthen its focus on stem cells, which hold the promise of repairing damage done by diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Dr. Robert Weinreb, the centers director and a widely-published glaucoma researcher, said hes conducting a worldwide search for stem cell scientists to come to Shiley, which last year ranked fourth in National Institutes of Health funding among ophthalmology research centers nationwide.

Stem cells are known for their ability to transform themselves into nearly any other type of cell in the body, and scientists are exploring ways to use this Rosetta stone of biology to repair damage caused by cancer, diabetes and a range of other diseases.

Theres also huge potential for stem cells and the human eye.

Were going to use the stem cells to treat retinal diseases including macular degeneration, to rescue the optic nerve in glaucoma, as well as to replace the diseased layers of the cornea in patients with blinding corneal diseases, Weinreb said.

Vision loss is a growing problem as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age.

Paul Kelly, 83, undergoes a test that measures the curvature of his corneas Wednesday at Shiley Eye Center in La Jolla.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 1.8 million Americans have advanced age-related macular degeneration and projects that number to soar to 2.9 million by 2020. In addition, the incidence of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy is expected to grow significantly in the same time frame.

But theres hope.

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Grateful patient donates $6.5 million to Shiley Eye Center

Gene, stem cell therapies trials underway for Parkinson's, but not in Mumbai

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illustration by: Ravi Jadhav

Stem cells and gene hold promising treatment options for Parkinson's Disease, say doctors across the globe, including those in Mumbai.

Eleven trials to test stem cell and gene therapies for treating the disease are currently underway. In Mumbai, however, only two out of these 11 trials were being done resource constraints led to one being canned and regulatory hurdles have put the other one on hold.

Currently, neuro-augmentative therapies, such as usage of drugs or deep brain stimulation (DBS), are being used to treat Parkinson's Disease. "The future holds hope for neuro-restorative therapies like that of stem cells or gene infusion. Stem cells are the very primary kind of cells which can take on the function of any body part's cells after their infusion with that body part. It (the treatment) involves restoration of brain function to normal. In the next five to seven years, this may pave the way for the future," said Dr Paresh Doshi, neurologist at Jaslok Hospital on Peddar Road.

Doshi said trial of Duodopa therapy, which involves infusion of an active ingredient gel called Levodopa in the intestines, has been kept on hold. Jaslok Hospital was the only centre in the whole of Southeast Asia that was running the trial.

"Levodopa gets converted into dopamine in the body. Normal levels of dopamine control Parkinson's Disease," said Doshi.

A trial to infuse stem cells from the patient's body into the patient himself/herself had been underway in a small group of patients in India, but it had to be stopped due to the inability to recruit more patients.

Doshi said, "We could only recruit four patients for two years. However, a similar trial is underway in China and another trial, which explores adipose tissue stem cells, is underway in South Africa."

In January, medical journal The Lancet reported that after 16 years of trials, gene therapy is showing promising results in humans. "Three genes that promote the formation of dopamine-generating cells in the brain were injected in the brain, bound with a viral vector, in 15 patients. ...dopamine... becomes deficient in patients with Parkinson's," The Lancet report stated.

Three patients from the UK and 12 from France in advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease underwent an operation, wherein the virus with the three genes was injected in their brains. The patients, who had become stiff due to the disease, showed a 30% improvement in their movement after the surgery. After four years of follow-ups, they continued to improve and dopamine kept on being produced in their brain, in parts where it was not being produced before.

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Gene, stem cell therapies trials underway for Parkinson's, but not in Mumbai

Reoccurring Master Numbers, Your life Purpose, Numerology AND Spirituality! – Video

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Reoccurring Master Numbers, Your life Purpose, Numerology AND Spirituality!
Pythagoras and his followers believed in the mystical, healing properties of numbers. Learn more. This video explores how numbers can play a significant, dee...

By: Sitara -Expansion

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Reoccurring Master Numbers, Your life Purpose, Numerology AND Spirituality! - Video

Marking Day of Human Space Filght, online astronaut encourages exploration: Always carry duct tape

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11 April 2014 The necessity for international cooperation in space and the universal utility of duct tape were among insights revealed when the United Nations sent a former astronaut into cyberspace today to inspire young people to explore new frontiers on the anniversary of the first human space flight.

Takao Doi, an expert on space applications with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), who was an astronaut prior to joining the world Organization, conducted a Twitter chat to answer questions about his experiences ahead of the International Day of Human Space Flight, celebrated on 12 April.

On that day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union bThe exploration of outer space is a truly global undertaking and I hope that the International Day of Human Space Flight will inspire young people, in particular, to strive towards new frontiers of knowledge and understanding.ecame the first human to go into space. Fifty years later, the UN General Assembly declared the International Day to mark the new era that had dawned and to encourage peaceful uses of outer space that would benefit all people.

Mr. Doi flew in the space shuttles Columbia and Endeavour, in 1997 and 2008, respectively, undertaking a space walk in the first mission and visiting the International Space Station in the second.

Answering questions in todays Twitter chat, he compared the experience of walking in space to swimming in a scuba suit, and said that the space station was much larger than people imagined as big as a football field, lots of live and work space.

Asked if duct tape is ever used to temporarily repair equipment in space, Mr. Doi wrote, All the time! Duct tape is an astronaut's best friend, carry it everywhere.

UNOOSA space applications expert and astronaut Takao Doi (right) works outside the space shuttle Columbia in 1997. Photo: NASA

Takao Doi was aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour mission STS-123 as it blasted off on 11 March 2008. Photo: NASA

On his 2008 mission, Takao Doi visited the International Space Station, above. Photo: NASA

In the gravity-free environment of the Space Shuttle Endeavour the crew gathers for a group photo. Photo: NASA

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Marking Day of Human Space Filght, online astronaut encourages exploration: Always carry duct tape

Astronauts share love of space with students

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Do you think there is life on other planets?

How do you take a shower in space?

What do you know about black holes?

The questions came rapid-fire to astronauts Scott Tingle and Andrew Feustel, who stood Thursday afternoon in front of more than 500 Happy Hollow Elementary School students, fascinated by the Purdue University graduates experiences working for NASA.

Try to avoid them if you can, answered Feustel, who was on the final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, after the black hole question.

The astronauts visit to Happy Hollow was part of the astronaut reunion at Purdue this week. Nine of Purdues 23 astronauts were welcomed back to share their stories and inspire the future of space flight, the Journal & Courier reported (http://on.jconline.com/1qFV91j ).

By the time all of you grow up, youll have more opportunities to get involved in the space program, Feustel told the kids. You can help pave the way.

The astronauts said they are enjoying the chance to reconnect with their old colleagues at Purdue, which has graduated 23 astronauts, including the first and most recent men to walk on the moon.

When I got the letter that said they wanted to plan this, to me its always a chance, sort of a mini reunion of some of the astronaut corps that I worked with very closely when I first was assigned with NASA, said Loren Shriver, who has logged 16 days in space and who helped deploy the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990. Purdue has had so many astronauts graduate. Its an excellent opportunity to reunite with old acquaintances.

Purdues astronaut reunion features several events:

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Astronauts share love of space with students

Red Dawn

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Being hop heads up here, we love our big hop beers, but to me, sometimes they can go a bit overboard.

I like hops in beer just like anyone else, but what I dont care for is the wrenching bitterness that comes from over-hopping a beer just for the sake of getting to put a bigger International Bitterness Unit (IBU) number on the label. One key characteristic of a world-class beer is balance. Sure, one or another aspect of a beer can be featured or highlighted by making it stand out, but the last thing I want to have to do is wash down an over-hopped beer with a glass of water to move on to something else.

One thing I do like is hop flavor. Note that hops do a number of things for beer depending on when in the brewing process they are added. Hops have to be boiled for a certain amount of time to add bitterness, but if theyre boiled for more than a few minutes the flavor they can impart is cooked off. And the first thing to go when the hops hit the brew kettle is aroma. This is why a number of hop additions are used at various times in the boil depending on what aspect of the green stuff the brewer wants to accent. Finally, dry hopping takes place after the beer is boiled and fermented; sometimes hops are put into the conditioning tanks with the beer to impart the freshest aromatic presentation possible. Conditioning is usually the last step before packaging.

There are alternatives to big IPAs when it comes to bold hopping, and red ale is one of them. As the name implies, red ales can range from amber to crimson in color. The color comes from medium malts used in the beers manufacture. The style isnt well defined and really anything goes, but a red ale typically features the beers underlying malt just a bit more than the average IPA. The hops in the beer can be all over the chart as well. The hop presence can be subdued or bold. The beer can be subtle or quite bitter, but I think the better examples are evenly balanced and with the bitterness somewhat in the background. A couple of better-known examples include Redhooks Copperhook, Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale and Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale. Ive had them all and theyre all worthy. So, Im always interested in any new iteration of red ale when it comes to town.

Heres a new one that really makes my socks go up and down: Ninkasi Brewing Companys Dawn of the Red India Red Ale is a true hybrid that sashays between a red and an IPA.

I fell in love with beers from Ninkasi as soon as they came ashore here in Alaska a couple years ago. Ninkasi beers add a unique fresh dimension to mostly hop-forward beers in an IPA loving world. Relatively new, the Eugene, Ore. brewerys been around since 2006. Per the usual story, a couple of beer loving friends who homebrewed got together and dreamed big. Some make it; some dont. Ninkasi was a hit right out of the first fermenter.

The brewery is named after the Sumerian God of fermentation, Ninkasi. The brewery remains true to its roots and sports an unofficial motto of: Believe the Goddess symbolizing the Ninkasi belief in an elevated human experience through the social enjoyment and sharing of beer. I like it. I like it a lot.

The brewerys plant is comprised of a 55-barrel system that cranks out about 95,000 barrels of craft beer a year. Note that a barrel is 31 gallons; the standard half barrel is more familiar as the ubiquitous keg . The beers distributed here, of course, and in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Im sure more states will scramble to get Ninkasis primarily hop-forward beers as the brewery expands (its done so three times already), but Im glad were in the mix.

Ninkasis got some big ones; thats for sure. The big hop-boners in the bunch include the flagship Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Believer Double Red (another favorite of mine) and a bunch of others Ive had since we were lucky enough to get them up here.

I stumbled across Ninkasi Dawn of the Red quite by accident. Sometimes I dont pay attention, even to the brands I love. Me bad, but happenstance aside, Im glad I did. And, I always love a surprise! It was the label that initially caught my eye; Ninkasis always got something creative going on when it comes to packaging their beer, and Im glad it stood out and caught my attention. I wouldnt have wanted to miss this bottled delight.

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Red Dawn