From Wired Top Stories:
MileHiCon, a sci-fi/fantasy gathering in Denver, hosts a truly epochal moment in the history of geekdom: the birth of robot battles.
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Paper-Based Sensor Detects Explosives
From Discovery News - Top Stories:
A new device utilizes standard ink-jet printer technology and special "inks" to create small, ammonia-sensing detector.
Read the whole article
DIY Small Block Teardown
In this episode, Chris Duke from Motorz TV shows you how to tear down a junk yard small block Chevy 350 engine to prepare it for rebuild. The engine was purchased online for less than $100. They are a good choice because they're common, cheap, and easy to work on. Parts and information are readily a
Caption This for 10/28/11
This week's image:
Be sure to vote for your favorite caption!
October 28, 1793 – Cotton Gin Patent Application Filed by Eli Whitney
On this day in engineering history, Eli Whitney applied for a patent for an invention that would double the yield of raw cotton each decade. The cotton gin automated the separation of cotton seeds from raw cotton. It reduced the number of man-hours required to perform this task and made cotton produ
Diesel Love: 2012 Volkswagen Golf TDI
Ah, the four-banger diesel. I don't know what it is, but once you hear the thrum of one of these little babies firing up and burbling at idle, you're hooked. It happened to me the first time I coaxed my diesel Escort to life, after painstakingly cleaning out all the unfiltered vegetable oil some pr
Are Your Maintenance Procedures on Paper?
Maintenance professionals typically know their jobs by doing them; they aren't known for sitting at a computer to write up processes and procedures. But, would your plant benefit from developing a standard procedure book? Do you send your technicians to continuing education classes and then check th
How Will the Communication Revolution change Your Life?
Disruptive communications technologies are moving society beyond tradition constructs. The business models and operating practices of fundamental institutions in publishing, advertizing, banking, and retail are being transformed by technologies such as personalization, content-aware widgets, and loc
Safety Problems for Biomass?
An explosion at the University of South Carolina's heating plant has raised concerns about the safety of biomass-based boiler systems. While biomass is gaining ground as a viable fuel source for industrial processing, is the technology tried and tested enough to ensure its safety? And, are biomass-b
Commercial Spaceflight Federation Forms Partnership with Nationally Recognized Aerospace Communications Firm
Griffin Communications Group joins CSF as partner and Associate Member
Washington, D.C., Wednesday, October 26, 2011 – Officials with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) today announced that the Federation has partnered with Griffin Communications Group to help increase awareness of the benefits and importance of commercial spaceflight among the public, media, government and other stakeholders. As part of the partnership, Griffin Communications Group has joined the CSF as an Associate Member.
Griffin Communications Group will provide ongoing expertise to put “best practice” communications tools and processes in place to better serve the mission of the Federation and its members.
CSF Executive Director John Gedmark said, “Griffin Communications Group is well-known throughout the commercial spaceflight industry for its deep understanding of this sector. We look forward to our partnership with this organization as the industry continues to advance.”
“We consider ourselves stakeholders in this industry as much as service providers,” said Jeff Carr, Griffin Communications Group’s Vice President, Aerospace Communications. “We share a strong desire to help advance the state of the space industry. We believe that lending our talents and experience in strategic communications and marketing to industry leaders who are shaping the marketplace is the best way for us to contribute.”
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The CSF’s member companies – which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers and service providers – are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.
About Griffin Communications Group
Griffin Communications Group is a global, full-service firm specializing in strategic communications programs for its clients, with a primary focus on aerospace. For more than a decade, the firm has helped its clients develop, communicate, protect and expand their brands in a complex, global marketplace. The agency was founded by Gwen Griffin in 1997 and is headquartered in Houston with team members located in Los Angeles, Indianapolis and central Florida. Her career in marketing and PR spans 25 years, serving in a variety of key corporate and agency roles. A 30-year veteran in the space industry with NASA and United Space Alliance, Jeff Carr heads up Griffin’s aerospace communications practice. Griffin senior counsel Bruce Hicks, a former VP of Corporate Communications for Continental Airlines, is a recognized expert in crisis communications and issues management in the industry.
Virgin’s delays hardly surprising (and not necessarily as long as WSJ claims)
Here are the first two paragraphs of a Wall Street Journal article about Virgin Galactic, published last night:
Sir Richard Branson’s space-tourism company won’t start passenger flights for at least two more years and operations will ramp up significantly more slowly than previously anticipated, according to its chief pilot.
In an interview, David Mackay said Virgin Galactic, the venture controlled by the British billionaire, likely won’t begin commercial flights until 2013.
First of all, the two paragraphs are at least potentially contradictory. Starting commercial flights in 2013 doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t start “for at least two more years”, given it’s October 2011: it’s entirely possible that they could start in early 2013, which would imply a delay of a little over one year, not at least two years. (They could, of course, start in late 2013, which would be closer to two years, but Mackay doesn’t provide a specific enough date to make the conclusion in the article’s lede.)
The second issue is that this delay should not be considered a surprise. Pronouncements in recent weeks and months indicated that commercial service would start, at best, in late 2012, with 2013 as a more likely date. For example, Virgin Galactic president and CEO George Whitesides said at the beginning of this month that the company would “try to get to some definition of space by the end of next year”, implying that they would still be performing test flights at the end of 2012.
What is true is that Virgin’s announced date for the beginning of commercial service has been a moving target, one that has been regularly moving to the right. When Virgin’s partnership with Scaled Composites was announced on the eve of Scaled’s X PRIZE-winning flights in September 2004, Virgin was expected to begin commercial flight by2007, a date that has gradually slipped to now 2013. That delay likely has several reasons, including the decision to develop a larger SpaceShipTwo as opposed to a version of the original SpaceShipOne, the July 2007 engine test accident in Mojave that killed three Scaled employees, and usual development delays. (Funding, presumably, has been less of an issue, given Virgin’s resources and outside investment from Aabar.) However, should those schedule slips continue, there will be new questions about Virgin’s ability to follow through on its commercial suborbital plans, and those delays create new opportunities for competitors, like XCOR Aerospace, to close the gap and even begin flights before Virgin.
Excalibur Almaz gets an unfunded CCDev agreement
The ranks of companies with Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) awards from NASA has quietly grown by one. The charter for a hearing on the program today by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee reveals that NASA has signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement with Excalibur Almaz on October 17. There are no other details about the contents of the agreement, including what work it covers and over what schedule.
Excalibur Almaz is now the third company with an unfunded SAA, after NASA signed similar agreements with United Launch Alliance in July and with ATK in September. Both of those were greeted with press releases by NASA and the companies, as well as press conferences. There has yet been no formal announcement about this new agreement by either NASA or Excalibur Almaz.
15% off at Tuscan Hills Villa, Free spa/pool heating
A Traveler’s delight would be to vacation or voyage to one of the world’s most popular tourist spot, maybe Florida, Hawaii, California etc. What would even delight them more is to get a luxurious accommodation at discounted rates and now they all get this great opportunity to book this amazing villa called Pretty Mediterranean Style Villa at Tuscan Hills.
This is a 3 bedroom 2 restroom villa which can accommodate 6 persons. One of the major advantages this villa gives you is to save travel time as the major attractions in Florida like Disney word, SeaWorld and Universal Studios are just 15-35 mins away.
The villa also gives you a lot of luxuries like swimming pool, spa, games room etc. There will be free spa/pool heating for renters visiting between 1st October and 31st March. You can get 15% discount if booked with 8 weeks of arrival date.
Enjoy vacations booking this villa at discounted rates. Find worldwide vacation rentals for any vacation to any place in the world.
Mexico Vacation Rental: Stay for 7 nights Pay for 6
Location: Puerto Vallarta, VILLA PARAISO
No of bedrooms: 6
No of restrooms: 6.5
Sqfeet: 13000
No of persons: 14
Unarguably this is one of the paradise villas, as you will have 12 staffs pampering you to the core. You can enjoy the ocean view watching the delightful dolphins or venture deeper with your scuba gear. It boasts of a lot of facilities be it the surround system, the alarm system, swimming pool or its disable friendly features.
All these luxuries and more come to you for a rate of $1638 from April-Dec 15 during the low season and soars up to 2587 afterwards. You can make availability of the discount by booking for 6 nights and getting 10% off or book for 7 nights and get one day free.
The villa may seem a touché expensive but it’s worth its weight in gold. It’s truly one of the paradises on earth.
Book Mexico vacation rentals or any other vacation rental around the globe with exciting offers/discounts and enjoy your vacations.
PETA to sue SeaWorld under US slavery law
I tend to have a love/hate relationship with PETA. The hate part, I'd say, stems from their often outlandish, sensationalistic and highly inappropriate campaigns.Their tactics often hint at a rather underdeveloped and unsophisticated approach to animal welfare. Can it truly be said that PETA has made a difference to animals?
Regardless, every once in a while PETA does something that makes me realize that I can't stay mad at them for long, and this is one of those times: PETA is accusing SeaWorld of enslaving orca whales—and they're using the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution to enforce their claim. According to the PETA website:
In the first case of its kind, PETA, three marine-mammal experts, and two former orca trainers are filing a lawsuit asking a federal court to declare that five wild-caught orcas forced to perform at SeaWorld are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The filing—the first ever seeking to apply the 13th Amendment to nonhuman animals—names the five orcas as plaintiffs and also seeks their release to their natural habitats or seaside sanctuaries.
The suit is based on the plain text of the 13th Amendment, which prohibits the condition of slavery without reference to "person" or any particular class of victim. "Slavery is slavery, and it does not depend on the species of the slave any more than it depends on gender, race, or religion," says general counsel to PETA, Jeffrey Kerr.
The five wild-captured orca plaintiffs are Tilikum and Katina (both confined at SeaWorld Orlando) and Kasatka, Corky, and Ulises (all three confined at SeaWorld San Diego).
"All five of these orcas were violently seized from the ocean and taken from their families as babies. They are denied freedom and everything else that is natural and important to them while kept in small concrete tanks and reduced to performing stupid tricks," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "The 13th Amendment prohibits slavery, and these orcas are, by definition, slaves."
This is all sorts of awesome, particularly the language being used—namely the language of nonhuman personhood. I am absolutely on board with this suit. The orca whale, along with other cetaceans, are most certainly persons (see What is a person?). Furthermore, I'd say the same consideration should be given to other nonhuman persons, including elephants and all the great apes (which would have implications for zoos and circuses).
I'm also excited to see that the US Constitution is being interpreted and applied in this way. Because the 13th Amendment makes no mention of human persons per se, it can be assumed that all persons, regardless of species, should be included. Personally, I don't think this is a trick of language or omission; I believe it's within the spirit of the law.
And at the heart of the matter, of course, is the issue of animal exploitation—the suggestion that highly sapient and emotional creatures are being used as slaves. As I've written before (see Putting an end to dolphin exploitation at aquatic theme parks), these nonhuman animals are capable of exhibiting their discontent and dissatisfaction with their conditions—whether it be through their body language, disobedience, or the expression of sheer emotional defeat. That an animal rights group is working to protect their interests with an existing body of law is exciting. It's exactly what we're trying to do at the Rights of Non-Human Persons Program, which is to give these nonhuman persons the same legal protections that humans have.
Now all this said, PETA and company have their work cut out for them. Just because I agree with their interpretation of the Constitution doesn't mean that the courts will. In fact, the courts will likely err on the side of prejudice and ignorance, and proclaim that PETA's claim is not within the "spirit" of the Constitution, or some other unimaginative drivel like that.
Indeed, a quick scan of the media's coverage of PETA's lawsuit is discouraging. Most outlets are using disparaging language to describe PETA's efforts and are lumping it in with their other "outrageous stunts" (see TIME's coverage).
It's also obvious that the lucrative aquatic theme park industry will not go down without a fight. As highlighted in the documentary, The Cove, this is big business with global reach.
And regrettably, there is already a segment of the population that is taking great offence to this issue. Take the response of David Steinberg, a professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, who called the suit "patently, absolutely frivolous":
The 13th Amendment abolished the abhorrent, despicable practice of the slavery of human beings. PETA is demeaning the integrity and humanity of people who were owned as slaves. That is outrageous.
Steinberg's contention, that we shouldn't recognize nonhuman persons as slaves because it would demean those whose ancestors were once held as slaves, is deeply problematic. It is this exact sentiment that must be addressed, combated, and ultimately destroyed if the supporters of this issue wish to succeed. Nothing is preventing the furthering of animal rights more than this idea—and it's the same idea that has prevented the broadening of rights throughout human history. It's the seemingly endless reprise of the situation in which the "in" group, for whatever reason, is reluctant to expand the circle of rights and include the "out" group because it would somehow lessen or threaten what it means to be in the "in" group. What it is is patent nonsense.
Steinberg's comment is particularly pernicious for three reasons.
First, it's the seductive and easy response—the one that appeals to most people's conservative nature and their reluctance to think too deeply about instigating change. Most people don't like to upset the apple cart.
Second, it represents the exact opposite of what would actually happen. Protecting and broadening the rights of minority groups can only increase the dignity and integrity of both those who grant them and those who would benefit from them. It's what makes an enlightened and progressive society exactly that—it's what endows our species with the integrity and humanity that Steinberg claims is under threat.
Third, the claim that some people might feel lessened or demeaned by the suggestion that some nonhuman persons are slaves still doesn't make it right or invalid. People get offended all the time. We can't let that stop the correct course of action. Taking offence to something, or feeling "demeaned" by a piece of legislation, is not the fault of the legislation. Rather, it's the fault of the person allowing themselves to feel that way. It's a kind of "yuck factor ethics", which is not really ethics at all. Furthermore, granting rights to nonhuman persons would in no real or tangible way lessen what it means to be human. We'll retain our humanity and our rights regardless of whether or not we grant them outside the species.
My suspicion is that the fear driving this sentiment is that we'd lose our exalted human place on top of the food chain. Well, to that I say: Too bad. Rights and protections need to be granted to those who both deserve and need them.
Best of luck to PETA as they move to push this law suit forward.
Automation Nation: Will Robots Take Our Jobs? [video]
Check out this conversation between Robin Hanson and Martin Ford on the future of the American economy and the role of intelligent computers and robots. The primary question tackled: Will rapid technological innovations aid American workers, or will it render large numbers of American workers obsolete?
Nice quote from Hanson:
"When machines are really powerful and can do lots of things you only need to own a few machines to be able to own a lot and survive and be prosperous and wealthy. So, once machines are so good that people can't compete with them we will have a vastly [more] prosperous world where we have all these productive machines and owning some of these machines will be enough. We need to make a smooth transition so that people start to buy capital so that they can own these machines and be productive and wealthy."
The episode is from the PBS show, "Ideas in Action", which in this segment features a half hour discussion about information technology -- in particular robots/AI -- and its impact on the future job market and economy. The show will air on PBS stations beginning this Sunday, but is available online now.
NYT: More Jobs Predicted for Machines, Not People
The New York Times has published an article about how robotics, automation and information technologies are increasingly impacting on the dwindling job market. The article was posted in consideration of a new book titled Race Against The Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee. Excerpt from the NYT article:
Technology has always displaced some work and jobs. Over the years, many experts have warned — mistakenly — that machines were gaining the upper hand. In 1930, the economist John Maynard Keynes warned of a “new disease” that he termed “technological unemployment,” the inability of the economy to create new jobs faster than jobs were lost to automation.
But Mr. Brynjolfsson and Mr. McAfee argue that the pace of automation has picked up in recent years because of a combination of technologies including robotics, numerically controlled machines, computerized inventory control, voice recognition and online commerce.
Faster, cheaper computers and increasingly clever software, the authors say, are giving machines capabilities that were once thought to be distinctively human, like understanding speech, translating from one language to another and recognizing patterns. So automation is rapidly moving beyond factories to jobs in call centers, marketing and sales — parts of the services sector, which provides most jobs in the economy.
Here's a description of the book:
Why has median income stopped rising in the US?
Why is the share of population that is working falling so rapidly?
Why are our economy and society are becoming more unequal?
A popular explanation right now is that the root cause underlying these symptoms is technological stagnation-- a slowdown in the kinds of ideas and inventions that bring progress and prosperity.
In Race Against the Machine, MIT's Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee present a very different explanation. Drawing on research by their team at the Center for Digital Business, they show that there's been no stagnation in technology -- in fact, the digital revolution is accelerating. Recent advances are the stuff of science fiction: computers now drive cars in traffic, translate between human languages effectively, and beat the best human Jeopardy! players.
As these examples show, digital technologies are rapidly encroaching on skills that used to belong to humans alone. This phenomenon is both broad and deep, and has profound economic implications. Many of these implications are positive; digital innovation increases productivity, reduces prices (sometimes to zero), and grows the overall economic pie.
But digital innovation has also changed how the economic pie is distributed, and here the news is not good for the median worker. As technology races ahead, it can leave many people behind. Workers whose skills have been mastered by computers have less to offer the job market, and see their wages and prospects shrink. Entrepreneurial business models, new organizational structures and different institutions are needed to ensure that the average worker is not left behind by cutting-edge machines.
In Race Against the Machine Brynjolfsson and McAfee bring together a range of statistics, examples, and arguments to show that technological progress is accelerating, and that this trend has deep consequences for skills, wages, and jobs. The book makes the case that employment prospects are grim for many today not because there's been technology has stagnated, but instead because we humans and our organizations aren't keeping up.
New podcast episode available
The latest episode of the Sentient Developments podcast has been posted.
This week I discuss bulletproof coffees, my visit to Occupy Toronto, Propaganda 2.0 and the rise of narrative networks, Ray Kurzweil's response to Paul Allen, and the potential link between ETI's and time travel.
iTunes people can subscribe here. Or you can just subscribe to the RSS. You can download the episode directly here (mp3).
Are Stars the Origin of Organic Life? [Space]
Our Sun's energy is the source of all life on the planet, sure. But what if it was also the source of the first organic compounds that gave rise to life itself? A team of Hong Kong researchers believe they've proved just that. More »
HP May Be Killing Off WebOS [Rumors]
HP's Computer Division has been spared the guillotine but WebOS may not be as lucky. The Guardian is reporting today that HP may soon kill off the OS designed for the short-lived and now-dead TouchPad tablet. Well, that's a $1.2 billion investment down the tubes. More »
