With Drew Brees on mend, Teddy Bridgewater ready to step up as Saints QB – NOLA.com

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SEATTLE Sean Payton feared he was going to lose Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater was an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Miami Dolphins offered him a two-year, $10 million offer.

Payton was vacationing in the Bahamas at the same time as Bridgewater's agent, and the two had a 4-hour conversation.

"We wanted to keep him here," Payton said. "It was important."

Bridgewater, a Miami native, turned down the Dolphins' hometown bid, and signed a 1-year, $7.2 million deal on March 15.

Exactly six months later on Sept. 15, Saints starting quarterback Drew Brees went down in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams with a thumb injury. The significance of Brees' injury was not immediately known, but Bridgewater finished the game.

In relief of Brees, Bridgewater completed 17-of-30 passes for 165 yards for a quarterback rating of 72.2.

I thought he did great in a tough circumstance," Brees said of Bridgewater after the Rams game.

SEATTLE Three New Orleans Saints players have been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks as they recover from injuries.

But now that Brees is out indefinitely after having thumb surgery on Wednesday, it's Bridgewater's time come Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

And after a full week of practice, Payton feels Bridgewater and Taysom Hill, since the Saints aren't naming a starting quarterback is ready.

"Any time you miss a starter, there's that adjustment that takes place certainly at the quarterback position," Payton said. "But, those guys will be ready to go. We will be excited about playing."

Payton knew of Bridgewater's character traits far before the Louisville quarterback landed in Metairie, as Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer clued him in.

Payton believes Bridgewater is a "fantastic leader," adding that he sees the other players looking up to him.

"He's got some of those 'it' things that you look for, those traits that carry onto the field with his teammates," Payton said.

SEATTLE - Sheldon Rankins admits it's been tough standing on the sideline the past two weeks.

One of the things the Saints offensive players have been preaching is communication.

Saints starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who has played 37 total games with Brees in the pocket, said communication "is going to be the biggest" adjustment between Bridgewater and Brees for this week.

We're accustomed to Drew," Ramczyk said. "That is all I have known since I have been here. So Drews demeanor and everything he does in the huddle, out of the huddle, everything is very consistent. Its the same and I think Teddy does a good job of being on kind of the same level."

But it's been a while since Bridgewater started in a meaningful game.

New Orleans Saints quarterbacks Taysom Hill (7) and Teddy Bridgewater (5) before the New Orleans Saints host the Washington Redskins at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ORG XMIT: MER1c16fdca44e9388b824d1360ae28c

Bridgewater started against the Carolina Panthers last season, but the Saints had already wrapped up the NFC South title by then. He also suited up in the preseason for the past two years, but he knows it's not the same.

"It is nothing like being out there during the games when it counts the most," Bridgewater said. "Not saying that the preseason doesn't count. Never take the game for granted, but just to be able to go out there and compete at the high level just brought back memories.

The last time Bridgewater started a game that meant something was during the 2015 postseason.

The Vikings squared off against the Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard round, falling 10-9 as he completed 17-of-25 passes for 146 yards.

When the Saints take the field in Seattle, they'll be decked out in white-on-white and with a track record of success.

But that year as a whole was successful for him, as he earned Pro Bowl honors and led Minnesota to its first NFC North title since 2000.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll remembers Bridgewater's output from that game.

"He just runs the game well," Carroll said. "He's in control, in command. You can count on him. Over time he's a winning quarterback and over time he's got more touchdowns than picks and he's a very reliable quarterback and player.

Bridgewater's been through plenty of adversity since then, as in the preseason ahead of the 2016 campaign, Bridgewater went down with a non-contact injury in practice. He tore his ACL, dislocated his knee joint and sustained other structural damage. His surgeon, who was given permission by Bridgewater to speak with the media, likened Bridgewater's injury to a "war wound."

But three years and two teams later, Bridgewater feels even better than he did pre-surgery.

I can honestly say that this is the best I've ever felt in my six years, Bridgewater said during training camp. And I feel great mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Bridgewater's keying in on many things ahead of his first quality start since before missing nearly two full seasons due to that injury, but one big thing is that he's not Drew Brees.

Living up to Brees' legacy is impossible, as he's a singularity when it comes to the franchise.

"When you think of the Saints, you think of Drew Brees first before anybody else in the history of the Saints," Armstead said.

The motto this week: Teddy Bridgewater is his own man. He's his own quarterback.

"There's only one Drew Brees and we know that," Bridgewater said. "He's the standard, but at the end of the day there's only one Drew Brees.

But there's another question to be asked.

Saints fans know who Drew Brees is, but have they seen the Teddy Bridgewater?

With Drew Brees likely out for six weeks, it's next man up for the New Orleans Saints. And that next man is Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater said, "I don't think so."

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With Drew Brees on mend, Teddy Bridgewater ready to step up as Saints QB - NOLA.com

5 Areas We Should Invest in Now to Survive Climate Change Later – Singularity Hub

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Even if the world manages to keep to the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global mean temperatures to 2C above pre-industrial levels, climate change is coming. The best way to protect ourselves from its effects is to drastically cut our emissions by deploying renewables, electrification, and energy-efficiency measures. But well also need to adapt to the changes that are coming.

Doing so will save money, and it will save lives. Thats the message from a new report from the Global Commission on Adaptation, led by Ban Ki-Moon, Bill Gates, and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva. The report estimates that investing $1.8 trillion worldwide in five areas of climate adaptation during the next decadefor scale, this is what humans spend on efforts to kill each other every yearwill yield $7.1 trillion in benefits.

Beyond cold, hard economics, though, the number of lives that could be improved or saved by adaptation is immense. Over this century, sea level rise and storm surges could force millions from coastal homes; another hundred million people in the developing world could be pushed into poverty as crop yields stall; water security will be threatened for more than a billion people across the world; and extreme weather events will disproportionately impact the poorest and most vulnerable.

Here are the ways we can alleviate that impact.

Early warning systems for extreme weather events such as cyclones, droughts, floods, heat waves, and wildfires need to be improved.

A striking example of the effectiveness of these systems is found in Bangladesh. In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck the low-lying nation with devastating results: at least 300,000 were killed. Since then, Bangladesh has launched a Cyclone Preparedness Program, constructed thousands of shelters, and invested in an early warning system. When Cyclone Mora hit in 2017, the Bangladeshi authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in a death toll of around 10.

While funding emergency services and having rapid response available for natural disasters is crucial, planning for disasters in advance is also important. Advances in climate and weather models allow for scenario planning; finance, information, and other resources can be directed to the communities that are most likely to be hit.

Infrastructure requires investment. In the US alone, trillions of dollars may need to be spent just in order to preserve existing infrastructure. In developing nations, vast building projects and rapid urbanization are constantly accelerating.

If we want to tackle the causes and effects of climate change, this needs to be done well. Building houses to high energy-efficiency standards can prevent billions of tons of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Similarly, building infrastructure that takes into account the likely effects of climate changewarmer temperatures and more extreme weather eventsreduces the probability of large-scale failures.

Bridges, coastal airports, and ports must be resilient to flooding and sea level rise. As the world electrifies, power lines and power plants, often forced to close by heatwaves, must be ready. When infrastructure fails, particularly after natural disasters, food or medical shortages can follow; much of the economic damage arises from these knock-on effects. The report estimates that $4 trillion in savings and benefits could arise from careful infrastructure planning. Yet only 5 out of the 35 OECD developed nations have changed their regulatory standards to account for these climate risks.

We have a choice: lock in infrastructure thats vulnerable to a changing climate and that contributes to the problem by wasting energy, or build and repair our infrastructure with climate in mind.

Climate change is already reducing crop yields in vulnerable regions like sub-Saharan Africa. Higher temperatures reduce water availability and allow pests and diseases to spread across new regions. Extreme weather events can destroy crops and prevent food from being distributed properly. All of this occurs against the backdrop of ever-increasing population and demand for foodas much as 50 percent by 2050.

The scientific innovations of the first Green Revolution headed off the most dire predictions about food availability in the 1950s and 60s, boosting agricultural productivity. Now investment needs to take place in new strains of climate-resistant crops. Diversifying strains and diets will help improve resilience to pests, diseases, and changing climatesand farms with more diverse sources of income are less likely to experience extreme poverty when climate shocks hit. Better agricultural technology and training needs to be shared with the small farmers in developing nations who live off the land.

Agriculture is at the forefront of climate vulnerability, and also plays its part in contributing to emissions, as rainforests are cleared for cattle and rice paddies emit methane. Its crucial that better land management, informed by scientific and technological developments, form part of the solution to climate change. Engagement and investment in this now will save lives.

In vulnerable regions, the length and severity of droughts are expected to grow under climate change. At the same time, flooding can jeopardize supplies of clean water. Competition for water between regions can fuel conflicts.

Rejuvenating the drainage basins that supply rivers and cities through restoration of wetlands and forests that are crucial to preventing runoff is important, as are planning for droughts and ensuring that reserves exist. But as with energy, so much can be achieved if we are smarter in the way we use our resources. Wastewater treatment and desalination can reclaim water thats not usable today. Authorities in large cities should allocate water for the most urgent uses, and repair leaky infrastructure to preserve the supply. Since 70 percent of freshwater is used in agriculture, improving irrigation techniques and using crop varieties that require less water can both help in this.

We might like to think that our technological prowess has made us masters of the natural world, and when you live in a large city, it can often feel like this is the case. But natural processes evolve on huge scales and often provide critical services to people.

Mangrove forests, which thrive in coastal regions, are an excellent example. They protect low-lying coastal communities from storm surges, acting as natural flood defenses. They lock in carbon dioxideup to ten times more than other terrestrial ecosystems. They provide natural habitats for many rare species. But 35 percent of the worlds mangroves have already been destroyed.Careful management of these and other vital ecosystems is necessary to help us adapt to climate change.

We have many of the tools we need to adapt to a changing climate. But whats worth emphasizing is that all of these adaptation tasks are worth completing anyway. Billions of lives could be improved by taking action that preserves natural ecosystems, enhances food and water security, protects us from natural disasters, and ensures resilient infrastructure for the coming decades.

In an increasingly interconnected world, these are everyones problems. There are few better ways to spend moneybut, as the report makes clear, investing now will save trillions in the future. What are we waiting for?

Image Credit: Roxanne Desgagns / Unsplash

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5 Areas We Should Invest in Now to Survive Climate Change Later - Singularity Hub

Big Bang Theory shock: Time had no beginning and eventually reverses towards Big Bounce – Express.co.uk

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An alternative to the Big Bang theory is the big bounce which hypothesises the universe expands until it can expand no more, before crashing back into one infinitesimally small point in a cycle which repeats for eternity. If the Big Bang is true, it would mean that time as we know it started at a single point 13.8 billion years ago. However, if the Big Bounce theory, which is a cyclic model meaning it is part of a broader cycle, is correct then it would mean that time did not have a beginning, but rather has the ability to flow in all directions and has been doing so for eternity.

As the Universe begins to shrink back into itself, some physicists believe time will also run backwards.

This twin Universe, as Louisiana State University physicist Parampreet Singh puts it, existed before the Big Bang where it was a mirror image of our own cosmos and everything ran in reverse.

Mr Singh said: In the universe before the bounce, all the general features will be the same. It will follow the same dynamical equations, the Einsteins equations when the universe is large.

Further, the matter content will be the same, and it will have the same evolution. Since the pre-bounce universe is contracting, it will look as if we were looking at ours backward in time.

In other words, when the Universe expands, time runs forwards, but when it contracts, time runs backwards.

The Universe expands due to dark energy a mysterious substance in the cosmos which effectively counters the effects of gravity.

However, as the cosmos grows, dark energy will become more sparse, which could theoretically allow gravity to win the battle.

At this point the Universe will begin to contract down to an infinitesimal point.

READ MORE:Big Bang theory wrong? Aliens created universe'

Its not clear how exactly to test either of these scenarios.

The Big Bounce theory was first popularised in 1987 when it appeared in German science journals, with physicists using it as a way to explain the problems with the Big Bang, such as where it came from or to remove the problematic singularity.

The only other time in the Universe where a singularity occurs and the laws of physics are thrown out of the window is at the event horizon of a black hole, which is also unexplainable by current scientific methods.

However, other experts believe the Big Bounce theory does not stack up, claiming there is little evidence to support his hypothesis.

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Big Bang Theory shock: Time had no beginning and eventually reverses towards Big Bounce - Express.co.uk

Powerful art accounts for nuance and variance | TheHill – The Hill

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Immigration and the United States are not a new duo. According to the Migration Policy Institute, immigrants made up between 13 and 15 percent of the U.S. population from around 1860 to 1915.

Things changed in 1924 with the passing of the Immigration Act. This resulted in the percentage of immigrants to steadily decline with a nadir of around 5 percent. We saw change once again in 1965 with a new act that reversed that decline the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Immigration rates began to rise once again bringing us to the current day claim that this rise is now becoming historic. Technically we have not yet superseded the immigration population percentage of 1890. Americans are not living in unprecedented times in relation to immigrants.

This concept does not marry well with our national leaders stance on immigration. Blaring headlines calling for the building of a Mexico-U.S. border wall are only one facet of the presidents approach noted for harsh language and extreme policies triggering sentiments of crisis.

So what happens when an exhibition about displacement in the nations capital during this time is shown? Can it be anything other than an agenda for the furthering of a specific political position in relation to its topic? Absolutely. But, not easily.

Such an exhibition, The Warmth of Other Suns Stories of Global Displacement, is currently on view at the Phillips Collection and takes on the issue of displacement with a refreshingly wide lens.

While the co-curators of this exhibition Natalie Bell and Massimiliano Gioni of the New Museum were asked to curate an exhibition about displacement in conversation with the Phillips well known holding of American artist Jacob Lawrences "Migration Series," the exhibition was not to be a deep dive on one specific occurrence of U.S.-Mexico border tensions.

This exhibition was meant to be a panoramic representation of global sentiments towards forced movement.

The Warmth of Other Suns is one of the most ambitious exhibitions to date for the institution, showing the works of 75 artists from across the globe.

Merging the contemporary and the historical the exhibition reveals displacement in conceptual and literal ways, focusing on the journeys of reshaping cultural identities in foreign lands.

Yet, The Warmth of Other Suns did not go unscathed in its political ripple effects. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rejected the ad campaign for the exhibition. In WMATAs opinion, the exhibition and its associated campaign intended to influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions as well as the fact that it intended to influence public policy. That kind of campaign is prohibited by their rules.*

Perhaps WMATA was not far off. Titling his Washington Post review of the exhibition This D.C. exhibition should be seen by everyone concerned about the migrant crisis, Sebastian Smee dove headfirst into propping up his commentary along activist lines. Phillips Collection Director Dorothy Krosinski also said, We are proud to be at the forefront of dialogue around these important and timely issues in the U.S. Words like concerned, crisis, important, and timely synergize to feel fully political.

However, seeing an exhibition out of concern for a social fact, or being at the helm of a public conversation is not equivalent to being a champion for specific policies.

WMATAs choice reveals a one-dimensional understanding about what exactly art can do at any one time and place. An understanding that actively delegitimizes arts ability to deepen societal consciousnesses in relation to timely challenges

WMATAs perspective is founded in an important, and flawed, baseline assumption: The collective context in which an exhibition is held trumps the messages in an individual piece of art.

Powerful art accounts for nuance and variance. Powerful art is not didactic and straightforward. The manifestation of an entire exhibition immediately becomes more than a topical byline. It becomes an occasion for holistic learning that when done expertly naturally crosses any and all kinds of isles.

Both the context of the exhibition and the artworks in the exhibition exert equal agency in shaping a space for learning. The Warmth of Other Suns is a perfect example.

Decision-making based on a sloppy conflation of the individual art object and the context in which it is seen will rob society of experiences for empathy building.

For example, take the video installation piece Don't Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River (Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco-Spain) by Francis Als. To view the work, one must walk underneath a wooden structure with bluish-green lighting that houses two large screens, placed across from one other.

Playing on the two screens is a film showing a line of children holding boats made of shoes and other recycled materials. The children of varying skin tones are walking, single file, into the Strait of Gibraltar. Things seem odd, but fun and innocuous nonetheless. Perhaps a group of schoolchildren are testing out a project they made in school. The water is shallow and the children are all tall enough to safely enjoy themselves.

The film begins at a birds eye view to appreciate the singularity of the entire line of children amongst the limitless teal undulations of the sea. The sleek minimalist composition is gorgeous. As the children continue to walk into the sea, the film switches to eye level. The water soon becomes the dominating force. We can hear the chattering of the children as they continue onwards. The water is rising beyond hip-height and the splashes of the water hit the camera lens. The scene goes in and out of clarity and at this point we can no longer see entire bodies but instead bits and pieces, only as the water allows.

The screens are not synchronized and it becomes chaotic to try and keep up with the images on both. As a viewer, we have to choose where to give our attention. The camera then moves underwater. Silence.

The voices and splashing are gone. Its an eerie sense of peace because while the lack of sound is relaxing and the color of the clear water hypnotic, we know we are underwater where we cant breath. Is this a calming respite, or the end? The camera then reemerges and the chaos returns. We dont know where the children are, or if they are in fact still in a line. Some boats have lost their owners. The film continues on like this rising and falling, loud and soft, left and right.

Through an expert manipulation of time, sound, size, and composition Alys brings us from a place of controllable peace to a place of chaotic helplessness. Through the innocence of a line of children at sea, Alys showcases this sea as a double-faced entity. Tapping into the universal sentiment of beachside relaxation he upends that calm with a surrealist scenes that disintegrates into confusion and loss.

He leaves us to sit in our discomfort, forcing us to embrace it as our new normal. We of course can walk away from this when we want. Perhaps the thought that not everyone can crosses our mind.

Now, these observations are not made to insinuate that critiques of artworks regarding a global crisis fall simply according to creativity points. Many could argue that we should not care so much about the creativity of the piece if it brings awareness to large audiences about a social issue plaguing our time.

It is this nature, as shaped by artistic quality evident in so many of the works shown in The Warmth of other Suns, which will ultimately determine the making of a measurable impact.

JulianaBiondois the assistant curator of the World Bank Group Art Program. With an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art and a BA from Yale. She also lead the development of the Vatican Museums first ever app to combine instant chat technology with art historical learning. She has researched cultural diplomacy for the U.S. Department of State ART in Embassies, and consulted on communications strategies for theInternational Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).

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Powerful art accounts for nuance and variance | TheHill - The Hill

Gitex Technology Week to focus on 5G and AI – Gulf News

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5G in the UAE Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai. The upcoming 39th Gitex Technology Week and 4th Gitex Future Stars will feature the regions largest 5G tech applications, new lifestyle tech and future mobility developments, as well as offer a glimpse into the ways that artificial intelligence and Gen Z will shape the future

Held under the theme, Synergising the Mind and Technology Economy, the event will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 6 to10, and is set to host over 100,000 visitors from across the technology industry.

World-leading AI expert and Gitex keynote speaker, Dr. Ben Goertzel, Chairman and Chief Scientist of Singularity Studio, and CEO and Founder of SingularityNET Foundation, will reveal how AI will merge with blockchain to create deep value for businesses and society, increase human life expectancy and support medical research.

Gitexs new Lifestyle Tech segment will feature sneak peeks at products from the worlds largest tech companies that have yet to launch in the UAE.

Gitex will also host 5Gs most global and prominent names, including China Mobile, Cisco, du, Etisalat, Nokia and STC. A star-studded 5G Countdown conference agenda will feature Osman Sultan, CEO, du; Fadi Pharaon, Senior Vice-President and Head of Market Area, Middle East and Africa, Ericsson; and Dr. Mohamed Madkour, VP, Global Wireless Networks Marketing and Solutions, Huawei.

Gitex 2019 is about showing tomorrow, today. The UAE is among the first countries in the world to launch 5G. This year at Gitex, we will launch our 5G services, Sultan said.

Gitex will also host a panel discussion to review how 5G and IoT will be at the core of powering intelligent industry and manufacturing, featuring Dritan Kaleshi, Head of Technology (5G), Digital Catapult; Jan Rabe, CEO, Consulting, Siemens; and Mario Meir-Huber, Head of Big Data, Analytics and AI CoE, A1 Telekom Austria.

Amy Golding, Opus Talent Solutions CEO, who has also been hailed as the youngest female CEO of a US$100 million company in the UK, will discuss her experience on how to bridge the digital skills gap.

Gitex Future Stars will spotlight the transformative impact of Generation Z with the introduction of its Next Generation, NXG, Stage.

Featuring some of the most influential and successful members of Gen Z in the world, including Akshay Ruparella, the 19-year-old founder and MD of Doorsteps.co.uk, and Benjamin Stern, the creator of a waste-free shampoo tablet in his teens, securing investment on hit US TV show Shark Tank.

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Gitex Technology Week to focus on 5G and AI - Gulf News

The Crossing Brings Evocative Themes To Life In New Recording – WOSU

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The ecstasy of hearing Louis Armstrong play in a New York jazz club. The simple yet otherworldly beauty of palm branches swooping in the breeze. The moment of awe inspired by nature's vastness.

These experiences emerge in American poet Robert Lax's poems and are enrobed in light and shadow and shimmering beauty on The Crossings recent recording of Philadelphia-based composer Kile Smith's full concert-length a cappella choral work The Arc in the Sky (Navona Records).

Classical 101's Jennifer Hambrick interviews Philadelphia-based composer Kile Smith and Grammy Award-winning conductor Donald Nally about The Crossing's new recording of Smith's large-scale a cappella choral work "The Arc in the Sky."

It is fitting that the texts inThe Arc in the Skyare a sort of hodge-podge; Lax's life was a bit of a hodge-podge.

He went about collecting artists and mystics including the poet and Trappist monk Thomas Merton as his close friends, hanging out at Harlem jazz clubs instead of swatting the books during his student years at Columbia University.

He worked as poetry editor at nationally circulated magazines, then toured as a circus juggler, converting from Judaism to Catholicism, drifting from New York to Canada to Paris and eventually to the Greek islands.

Kile Smith, composer of The Arc in the Sky.Credit Courtsey of Kile SmithEdit | Remove

Smith compiled the texts forThe Arc in the Skyfrom among Lax's poems, organizing them in a set that reveals Lax's and Smith's own affinity for jazz, Lax's praise of the power of everyday things and experiences and finally something of the transcendent metaphysics of Lax's mystical spirituality.

The Arc in the Skyopens the door to the work of a distinctive voice in twentieth-century American poetry, shedding light on the poet's life and illuminating aspects of his inner landscape in shimmering music that never quite goes where you think it will.

A thematic view of some of Lax's poems honors this poet's crooked path, the path that let Lax taste so many different flavors of humanity, that nourished his world view, that ultimately led to the resounding singularity of his poetic voice.

I had a chance to speak recently with Kile Smith and Donald Nally, the Grammy Award-winning conductor and founder of The Crossing, about their recording of The Arc in the Sky.

Listen to that interview above, to hear excerpts from The Arc in the Sky and to hear one of today's foremost choral conductors talk about how The Arc in the Sky figures in The Crossing's pathbreaking mission to change the face of choral repertoire.

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The Crossing Brings Evocative Themes To Life In New Recording - WOSU

Robot priests more acceptable to Protestants than Catholics, says professor – ZDNet

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A godsend?

Our faith in almost everything is being tested these days.

Everything is instant, yet nothing seems real.

The news is apparently as fake as people on the take.

Yet we're desperate to believe in someone -- or even something -- that'll help give our lives meaning.

For many -- though, perhaps, a dwindling number -- religion provides answers. Or merely some comfort.

Step into a church, and you hope to be embraced by values and celestial guidance.

Somehow, though, suspicion about God's human (alleged) intermediaries has grown.

I was moved, therefore, by an article in Vox that explored the notion that religion will be "transformed" by artificial intelligence.

Already, a Buddhist robot priest called Mindar is offering its wisdom to worshippers in Kyoto, Japan. It's not powered by AI, but it is empowered to offer Buddhist teachings to a no-doubt rapt congregation.

It's not difficult, though, to imagine a robot priest, bathed in supreme religious wisdom by the power of AI.

Recently, the subject has invoked humor. This is largely thanks to Anthony Levandowski, the former Google and Uber engineer currently embroiled in a lawsuit as to his, well, ethical purity.

A couple of years ago, he announced the creation of a Church of the AI God. At the time, he explained: "It's not a god in the sense that it makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it?"

Um, an annoying know-it-all, perhaps?

Is it possible, though, that some familiar religions might embrace a robot priest, rather than the more fallible kinds the real world seems to produce.

For example, one of the first things that come to many minds if you mention the Catholic Church isthe constant sexual abuse and pedophilia scandals.

Perhaps a non-human priest -- armed with all the holy knowledge imaginable and none of the unholy behavior -- might be the perfect way to renew the faith.

Ilia Delio, a professor of Christian Theology at Villanova University, offered Vox some fascinating thoughts about this.

Instead of trying to persuade Catholic worshippers that priests are somehow divinely consecrated, she said, perhaps the existence of robot priests would offer a new perspective on being a good person to deserve eternal life.

"We have these fixed philosophical ideas and AI challenges those ideas. It challenges Catholicism to move toward a post-human priesthood," she said.

Perhaps some would feel enchanted at being offered spiritual guidance by a robot. Perhaps they'd think this was far better than the same old stuff Father Seamus has peddled for the last 20 years.

(A confession: I was brought up in a severely, manically Catholic household. It was so manically Catholic that I haven't been to confession for decades. Nor, for that matter, to a Catholic Church, save for a couple of funerals.)

Delio jested that robot priests have a better chance of being embraced by Protestants than Catholics. The former tends toward the more stoic and the less soaring than the latter.

There is, though, still one large philosophical problem. Or, rather, a technological one.

As with so much in AI, what matters most is who programs the robot. Elements of faith are -- despite fundamentalist protestations -- open to interpretation. If all robot priests were Bible-thumping fundamentalists, that might deter the faithful.

Moreover, how easy would it be to tamper with their teachings? Imagine an unscrupulous Russian hacking a robot priest to tell Sunday's congregation that they should send their alms to Blessed Putin Fellowship Foundation.

Still, some religions are wising up to the power of AI in a slightly different way than offering robotic holy beings at the altar.

Recently, the Church of England created an Alexa skill so that, at any given existential moment of woe, you can call on your deity just by commanding Alexa to fetch it/him/her.

I know that those in favor of the Great Singularity believe that humans will soon be Gods. Robotic Gods, that is.

Perhaps having a robot priest merely places us halfway to our own personal heaven.

It's artificial, of course.

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Robot priests more acceptable to Protestants than Catholics, says professor - ZDNet

OPINION: Emergency powers or eminent domain – ABS-CBN News

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On the weekend of September 13, a Friday when the moon was at its fullest, I took a daytime road trip the joy and facility of which no one in the Philippines alive today will ever partake of nor savor, while in our country, during their lifetime!

This was in Texas. From San Antonio to Dallas and back. It was 300 miles, each way, driveway to driveway. That translates to 482 kilometers. More or less, that approximates the distance between Manila and Laoag in Ilocos Norte or Manila to Legazpi City in Albay. I comfortably negotiated the distance, each way, in four-and-a-half hours unimpededly, unobstructed and without delay. I was driving almost at a uniform rate of speed practically all throughout the way, just as soon as I hit the freeway from my house!It was like driving from Laoag to Legazpi in under 10 hours, and without cutting through the "gates of hell! which is, of course, EDSA being the major North-South throughway in Metro Manila. In todays Philippines, such is an absurd idea, an impossible proposition.

Such facility, such land transportation infrastructure is possible because in Texas, as in the US, they have the space and they know how best to develop it, to position it and to utilize it. Metro Manila long ago lost the space with she could have alleviated self-strangulation. This is urban tragedy that came to pass because of sheer neglect. The failure of foresight, as naggingly repeated. The need and availability of streets and throughways have simply failed to catch up with population and vehicular growth. In other words, congestion happened because it was unmindfully tolerated!

While driving through the Texas Interstate freeways and its toll sections, enjoying the scenery, marveling at the prowess of U. S. public works pursued with singularity of purpose and with integrity, I was inevitably moved with envy realizing how brazenly crooked we conduct the business of infrastructure development in our country. I was witnessing genuine progress in infrastructure delivery that is uninhibited, unimpaired by the political chicanery so embedded in our pork barrel pilferage, overpricing and surreptitious awards of contracts and such other skullduggeries that our politicians have become adept at.

My thoughts were all about Metro Manila and this hullabaloo about Emergency Powers that the congressional sycophants of Malacanang are currently espousing, bandying it as the panacea that will prevent doomsday from descending upon the national capital metropolis. There I was driving leisurely for hours and never once an episode of stop and go traffic, even while highway maintenance and expansion works were in progress. New loops, turnpikes, overpasses and interchanges were in various stages of development, blazing in apparently strategic locations of unpopulated (or underpopulated) vicinities, all away and apart from the normally heavily travelled highways that traverse highly urbanized communities.

In this regard, let me share an observation. Invariably, economic progress in the United States has also been anchored upon new transportation infrastructure development being intendedly undertaken ahead of population movements and growth. Historically, railroads and wagon roadways opened up territories ahead of the influx of people. Even presently, the network of county roads lace through out much of rural and underpopulated areas in Texas. Improvements, maintenance and development are on-going publicly funded activities. Evidently, public works is not a source of graft and corruption. Although, there may have been a time when it might have been!

The only instance I know of something similar (public infrastructure prior to population growth) ever happening in the Philippines was during the time of General Paulino Santos when he was tasked by President Quezon to develop the road network in parts of Mindanao in preparation for the organized transfer of populations from Luzon during the 1930s Commonwealth era.That was an era of an enviable combination of foresight, planning and implementation! I suspect that to the nations current crop of so-called leaders, such frame of mind may have become alien! The deficiency in the Philippine condition seems to be mired in lassitude that has characterized the national mindset. In other words, we all suffer from the promised paradigm change that never came. Worse yet, with no one available to take the moral lead!

Before I miss the opportunity, let me also tell you about the toll system in place and in use in that part of Texas. And why such effective efficiency will never work in the Philippines! I am certain you will not miss the point.

They do not use manned toll booths to collect road user fees. The vehicular traffic simply flows in and out of the toll zone, unimpeded. As a vehicle operator, one can breeze through, in and out of the toll roads. You will be billed by mail and you pay by mail. Honor system. Vehicular data is captured and administered electronically by way of powerful cameras, backed by computers, beamed at and photographing the registered vehicle license plates. License plates correspond faithfully to the specific vehicle, and the name/current address of the vehicles owner, data which are regularly and periodically collected and collated as registrations are renewed. Fidelity is strictly observed as the soul of the system.

Going back to Metro Manila, I find it truly incomprehensible that to this day, the concerned and relevant political and administrative authorities refuse to see and accept that the existential need of the metropolis is space; that this harshly diminished space was directly and principally caused by uncontrolled overpopulation, and therefore only decongestion and population dispersal will recreate lost space. To top this patent aggravation, a sense of urgency is abdicated while arguments over emergency powers are foolishly wasted.

Now, let us get this straight. Granting emergency powers to the Executive branch will never create the existentially needed space for Metro Manila to survive. The exercise of the States power of Eminent Domain will. That power already exists albeit its exercise will require political will and integrity. Thus, Emergency powers or Eminent Domain!

The power of eminent domain can lawfully expropriate private property and convert these for public beneficial use, as an indispensable complementary companion to a policy of decongestion and population dispersal. Such public beneficial use will be in the form of new streets, thoroughfares, turn around interchanges, as well as footprints/foundations for other infrastructure linkages and interconnections to existing roadways. Eminent domain will enhance citywide mobility.

It is then a good time to remember that when government initiated the use of mass transit people movers (the MRTs and the LRTs), it possessed emergency powers. It was Martial Law and nobody could argue with Imelda! Instead of creating new space elsewhere for the mass transit trains exclusive use, government merely expropriated existing streets, (Rizal and Taft Avenues, Aurora Blvd and EDSA) tight and tightening as they already were, unduly overloading the Citys finite space!. That decision drastically diminished our principal roadways useful capacity.

In so doing, the very concept and objective of mass transit was violated. Mass transportations reason for being is to ferry masses from farther off origins to an inner city destination and back. Mass transit was for long distances! Mass transit was intended also to be aid and inspiration for decongesting the inner city! Instead, our mass transit system, like a carousel, went around in circles within the very same limited area!

The judicious utilization of eminent domain could have created for the new mass transit system, an altogether new space for its exclusive path towards farther off distances of origins and destinations.

Neglecting the beneficence of the States power of eminent domain might as well be the original sin for which Metro Manila is now being punished!

--------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tomas 'Buddy' Gomez III began his professional media career in ABS-CBN's (previously Chronicle Broadcasting Network) DZQL-Radio Reloj in 1957, after which he spent 25 years with the Ayala Group.

In 1986, the then Pres. Cory Aquino appointed him Consul General to Hawaii and later served as her Press Secretary.

During the Ramos administration, he was chairman and president of state-owned IBC-13 Network.

After government service, he became an OFW in the U.S., working as front-desk clerk and then assistant general manager of a hotel. He also worked as a furniture and antique restoration specialist.

He is now retired and lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Disclaimer: The views in this blog are those of the blogger and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABS-CBN Corp.

Blog roll, buddy gomez, cyberbuddy, traffic, edsa, metro manila, urban planning, texas, USA, emergency powers

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OPINION: Emergency powers or eminent domain - ABS-CBN News

Pope to doctors: reject temptation to assist and support suicide and euthanasia – Vatican News

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In a meeting on Friday with representatives of Italys surgeons and dentists, Pope Francis spoke about encountering in their patients, persons who are unique in their dignity and fragility, and not just their illness.

By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Friday urged doctors to reject the temptation to assist and support suicide and euthanasia, reminding them of the Hippocratic oath that calls on them to commit themselves to absolute respect for human life and its sacredness.

Medicine, by definition, is a service to human life, which involves an essential and indispensable reference to the person in his spiritual and material integrity, in his individual and social dimension. Hence medicine is at the service of man, of the whole man, of every man, Pope Francis told some 350 representatives of the National Federation of the Orders of Medical Surgeons and Dentists of Italy, whom he met on Friday in the Vatican.

He told them that illness is not a mere clinical fact restricted to medicine alone, but includes the condition of a person, the sick. In this human vision, he said, doctors are called to relate to the patient, taking into consideration his singularity as a person who has an illness, and not just the case of the illness the patient has.

This is why, the Pope said, it is important that the doctor does not lose sight of the uniqueness of each patient, with his dignity and his fragility. A man or a woman should be accompanied with conscience, intelligence and heart, especially in the most serious situations.

With this attitude, the Pope said, we can and must reject the temptation, also induced by legislative changes, to use medicine to support a possible willingness of the patient to die, providing assistance for suicide or directly causing death by euthanasia.

The Pope said that these are hasty ways of dealing with choices that are not, as they might appear, an expression of the person's freedom, when they include getting rid of the patient as a possibility, or false compassion in the face of the request to be helped to anticipate death.

In this regard, Pope Francis recalled the New Charter for Health Care Workers of the Vaticans Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers that says: "There is no right to dispose arbitrarily of one's life, so no doctor can become an executive guardian of a non-existent right."

He also recalled his predecessor, Pope Saint John Paul II, who pointed to the intrinsic and indispensable ethical dimension of the health care profession of the Hippocratic oath, according to which every doctor is asked to commit himself to absolute respect for human life and its sacredness".

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Pope to doctors: reject temptation to assist and support suicide and euthanasia - Vatican News

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality – Science Times

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(Photo : https://www.pexels.com/photo/app-augmented-reality-game-gps-163042/) Augmented reality is the new virtual reality, and even better. It offers an interaction between the real world and what the cyber world can offer.

A couple of years back, virtual reality had been the trend with people of all ages. Some watch videos while others play using a virtual reality box. Virtual reality is a technological advancement that creates a simulated environment.

In virtual reality, VR boxes or headsets take over your sense of sight which seemingly brings you to another world. The LCD panels of the VR headsets are refracted by lenses that completely block your vision from the outside world and make your vision focus on what is displayed on the screen.

Virtual reality takes you to another world or dimension. It recreates an actual place that has been photographed or an artificial place that has been animated. Virtual reality makes you experience another world even if you are just in the four corners of your room. You can enjoy the beauty of another place even without stepping outside of your home.

Another world within your grasp, Isn't that amazing?

Another way that technology can change the look of the world is through augmented reality. People may think that virtual and augmented reality are the same, but they are two different things. These video enhancing technological innovations aim to provide the best cyber experience for everyone.

But what is an augmented reality?

How is it different from virtual reality?

Augmented reality is the enhancement of your actual surroundings and adding some digital images. While virtual reality takes you to another world, augmented reality keeps you where you are but with added enhancements.

If you are familiar with Pokemon Go, this game pretty much explains augmented reality. When you download the Pokemon Go game, it will take you to go hunting for Pokemon. Pokemon are pocket monsters that Pokemon Masters hunt and collect to help them in battlefields.

Here is where augmented reality comes in. Using your smartphone and your phone's camera, the Pokemon Go app will direct you to where you can go and catch a pokemon. On the LCD of your phone, you will see the same surrounding as where you exactly are, but with an added a pokemon animation, that which you are about to catch. The combination of reality and animation is known as augmented reality.

Now, that's even more amazing!

You can experience the world of animation which you used to see on TV while traversing the real world.

Indeed, the ever-changing world of technology takes us to places with a simple click and they happen within the walls of your home or within the palm of our hands.

Experience the power of computer technology and change the way you look at the world!

Become a part of the animated world with augmented reality!

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Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality - Science Times

Scientists Study Whether Virtual Reality Can Prevent Memory Loss – Voice of America

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For three days a week, Wayne Garcia has been taking part in a nontraditional exercise.

He starts by putting on virtual reality (VR) equipment on his head. He then gets on a specially designed exercise bicycle and starts pushing its pedals. Faster and faster he goes.

Garcia is taking part in a study at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine. Researchers want to see if just a small amount of VR can help prevent memory loss as people age.

Garcia says he remembers how his parents and grandparents all suffered from dementia.

Its very scary that one day that could be me.

Garcia recalls his father once reading a newspaper upside down and almost setting the house on fire by putting a towel on a heater.

Just the sadness you remember what your dad was like, what your mom was like when they were all good, and then the decline now. And now youre taking care of them rather than when they used to take care of you.

Garcia is taking part in the study to see if using virtual reality at the same time as physical exercise can help prevent dementia in the future.

Judy Pa is part of the team of researchers leading the study. She says the actual definition of dementia is when a person is no longer able to take care of themselves, things like paying the bills, driving, cooking for themselves, dressing themselves.

She added that the break down and death of cells in the nervous system take 10 to 20 years.

Pa said that unlike usual games, VR provides a first-person, three-dimensional experience that is important to memory training.

Our goal is to prevent dementia (and) to prevent Alzheimers disease. There are no effective treatments yet. We hope that we will get there eventually, but my perspective and the research that we do in my laboratory at USC is really surrounding prevention.

The VR study exercises the subjects body and brain at the same time, testing the memory and decision-making part of their brain.

Subjects have to pedal on the exercise bike and keep their heart rate up. In the VR experience, they are trying to learn and remember directions while collecting food items, and then feeding the food to some animals.

Understanding changes in the brain that happen with exercise, changes in the brain that happen when youre in an enriched environment and putting those two together, and thats what our intervention is currently targeting.

Even if virtual reality can help, it may not be for everyone. In one study, four out of 40 people withdrew from the research because they reported motion sickness. Pa will be doing more tests over the next year with participants who are 50 to 80 years old to gather additional information.

Garcia is hopeful for what VR might mean for the future.

There might be a place where you could go, and you can get your daily dose of virtual reality and cardio to keep the mind going.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Elizabeth Lee reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________

bills n. documents that says how much money you owe for something you have bought or used

cardio n. any type of exercise that causes the heart to beat faster and harder for a period of time

dementia n. a mental illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly or to understand what is real and what is not real

decline n. to become worse in condition or quality

dress v. to put clothes on yourself

perspective n. a way of thinking about and understanding something such as a particular issue or life in general

towel n. a piece of cloth used for drying things

virtual reality n. an artificial world of images and sounds created by a computer that is affected by the actions of a person who is experiencing it

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Scientists Study Whether Virtual Reality Can Prevent Memory Loss - Voice of America

Study shows virtual reality could improve surgical outcomes – Medical Device Network

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A new study led by UCLA Health in the US has shown that three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality models could improve surgical outcomes by enabling better visualisation of a patients anatomy.

When tested in preparation for kidney tumour surgeries, the models led to shorter operating times, less blood loss during surgery, and a shorter hospital stay following the procedure.

According to the researchers, previous studies focused on the qualitative performance of 3D models. The latest study was conducted for quantitative evaluation of the technologys ability to improve patient outcomes.

The virtual reality models improve the visualisation of a persons anatomy, allowing surgeons to see the structures depth and contour.

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine clinical instructor Dr Joseph Shirk said: Surgeons have long since theorised that using 3D models would result in a better understanding of the patient anatomy, which would improve patient outcomes.

But actually seeing evidence of this magnitude, generated by very experienced surgeons from leading medical centres, is an entirely different matter. This tells us that using 3D digital models for cancer surgeries is no longer something we should be considering for the future its something we should be doing now.

In the latest study, 48 patients were randomised into the control group and 44 into the intervention arm.

For surgery of participants in the control arm, the surgeon prepared for the procedure by reviewing CT or MRI scans.

For patients in the intervention arm, the surgeon reviewed the CT or MRI scan, as well as the 3D virtual reality model. The 3D models were reviewed via the surgeons mobile phones and a virtual reality headset.

The technology leveraged by the study was provided by the company Ceevra.

Shirk noted: Visualising the patients anatomy in a multicolour 3D format, and particularly in virtual reality, gives the surgeon a much better understanding of key structures and their relationships to each other.

The researchers expect that the 3D models can be used for planning surgeries of various type of cancers, including prostate, lung, liver and pancreas.

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Study shows virtual reality could improve surgical outcomes - Medical Device Network

City of Boston and Fundacin MAPFRE Turn to Virtual Reality to Reduce Traffic Fatalities, Injuries – PRNewswire

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BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --In a collaborative effort to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious crashes and collisions among pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists in Boston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Transportation Department have partnered with Fundacin MAPFRE to launch an interactive public action campaign to reinforce critical road safety rules and encourage empathy among those sharing the streets of Boston.

The program, Look Both Ways, Boston,supports the City of Boston's Vision Zero Boston program, which focuses on proven strategies to eliminate fatal and serious traffic crashes in the city by 2030 and urges those who use the city's streets to look at every situation from the other person's perspective. Fundacin MAPFRE, a global nonprofit organization, has long championed initiatives that work to eliminate traffic fatalities around the world.

The initiative, which kicks off at City Hall Plaza on September 19 and 20, features a virtual reality (VR) experience in which users get behind the wheel to navigate three different scenarios that test their safe driving skills. In addition to measuring speed and adherence to traffic rules, the interactive experience uses eye-tracking technology to monitor distracted driving when confronted with increasingly complex driving situations. Following the event, Look Both Ways, Boston will bring the VR experience to college campuses and other locations across Massachusetts.

The event on City Hall Plaza also features several interactive exhibits to demonstrate critical safety issues such as truck blind spots to encourage people to trade places and experience how others see the road, whether on a bike, behind the wheel of a large truck, in a wheelchair, or crossing the street.

"Ensuring Boston's streets are safe for all is the number one priority of the Boston Transportation Department," said Mayor Walsh. "Through Boston's Vision Zero plan, including initiatives such as the implementation of the Neighborhood Slow Streets Program, the incorporation of buffered bike lanes, and the adoption of updated traffic sign and signal technology, we will continue to utilize every resource to ensure to safety of Boston's streets. I look forward to this partnership with Fundacin MAPFRE and encourage residents to learn more about this campaign at Boston City Hall."

"This public safety campaign will further the goals of Go Boston 2030, the city's comprehensive transportation plan to ensure safe, reliable and equitable access to our streets for all users," said Chris Osgood, City of Boston Chief of Streets. "An unprecedented public engagement process influenced the 58 projects and policies outlined in the plan and which Boston's Transportation and Public Works Departments are making significant progress to implement. The new partnership with Fundacin MAPFRE is another opportunity for people to get involved and to promote Go Boston 2030 improvements and, in particular, safe streets."

"Road safety is one of the most critical issues we face as a society," said Alfredo Castello, chief representative of Fundacin MAPFRE in the United States. "We are proud to work with Mayor Walsh and Boston's transportation team on this important initiative that supports our shared Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries and protecting those who use our roadways."

According to a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Fundacin MAPFRE, the most common cause of unintentional injury death among children 1-14 years of age (49 percent) was transportation-related, including children as passengers in cars, on motorcycles and bicycles, and as pedestrians. While the number of transportation-related deaths has been decreasing over time for all ages, they claimed the lives of 21,571 children ages 0-14 nationwide from 20052017.

The kickoff event also will include Boston Children's Hospital's Injury Prevention Program to provide guidance on car seat and bicycle safety; trucks and bicycles to demonstrate blind spots; and AGNES, a suit developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to demonstrate the physical challenges associated with aging.

Please click here for more information on Look Both Ways, Boston.

About Fundacin MAPFREFundacin MAPFREis a nonprofit organization created by MAPFRE in 1975 to promote the well-being of society and citizens across the company's footprint. Active in 30 countries, Fundacin MAPFRE focuses on five areas: Prevention and Road Safety, including fires, mishaps at home and drownings; Insurance and Social Protection; Culture; Social Action; and Health Promotion. In 2018, Fundacin MAPFRE performed nearly 300 activities around the world, benefiting 25.5 million people.

Media ContactsJudy Senechal, Fundacin MAPFRE, 508-599-0898, jsenechal@mapfreusa.com

Mayor's Press Office: 617-635-4461

SOURCE Fundacin MAPFRE

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City of Boston and Fundacin MAPFRE Turn to Virtual Reality to Reduce Traffic Fatalities, Injuries - PRNewswire

Dementia simulators: How virtual reality helps caregivers understand challenges – Considerable

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Virtual reality is huge in the gaming world, and its even making a splash in advertising. But theres one field people might not automatically associate with VR: medicine.

VR has burst onto the medical scene and is assisting with everything from PTSD to simulating difficult surgeries to helping ease pain and anxiety. And now its making waves in dementia care.

There are studies underway to find out how VR can help dementia patients recall memories.

Currently, there are studies being done to find out how VR can help dementia patients recall memories, and plenty of the results have proved to be successful. When it comes to the caregivers in charge of assisting with dementia patients, VR offers even further help.

So how, exactly, is this technology helping dementia caregivers? Essentially, by helping them experience the limitations dementia symptoms impose.

Its nearly impossible for people without dementia to understand completely the frustrations and trials that come with memory loss. Sometimes even the most capable and trained healthcare professionals will unwillingly become impatient with people with dementia but VR is here to help combat that.

The Virtual Dementia Tour was created by Second Wind Dreams, a nonprofit dedicated to changing the perception of aging through educational programs and by offering dream fulfillment.

The Second Wind Dreams tour leads users through an altered experience of everyday life.

The program draws on research conducted by P.K. Beville, M.S., a specialist in geriatrics and the founder of Second Wind Dreams. The tour draws on patented sensory tools to lead users through an altered experience of everyday life. People going on the Virtual Tour are given limiting devices like gloves, glasses, and headphones that simulate some of the physical difficulties that dementia presents like loss of peripheral vision and reduced motor skills. Theyre then asked to complete tasks like folding towels and finding and putting on certain items of clothing everyday necessities that are easy to take for granted, but often extremely difficult for those with dementia to accomplish.

Virtual reality technology has the potential to give caregivers, medical students and others greater insight into what its like to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), age-related vision and hearing loss, or to progress through the continuum of Alzheimers disease, Keith Fargo, PhD, director of scientific programs & outreach at the Alzheimers Association told Considerable.

By experiencing aspects of someone elses journey, individuals may gain a better understanding of, and empathy for, older adults and their struggles with dementia. While more research is needed, technology like this may be useful in expanding awareness about what it is like to have Alzheimers disease and other dementias.

The idea is that by attempting to accomplish tasks with the challenges that dementia patients face regularly, their caregivers will have a greater sense of empathy and understanding about what their patients regularly go through. That way, caregivers will be able to better communicate with their patients about their needs, pains, and struggles.

For me it has changed my attitude, an anonymous caregiver said in a testimonial on the Second Wind Dreams website. I now recognize that there are reasonable explanations for behaviors. The person needs to be understood in the context of their life history, what is important/unique to them.

People need clear simple instructions, breaking down tasks and they need positive reinforcement and understanding. Above all people with dementia need to feel valued and their achievements, even if small, need to be recognized.

The Virtual Dementia Tours destination: a deeper level of understanding and shared experience between patient and caretaker.

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Dementia simulators: How virtual reality helps caregivers understand challenges - Considerable

Virtual reality used to highlight uranium contamination on Navajo Nation – The Durango Herald

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GALLUP, N.M. Activists are using virtual reality technology to focus on areas of the Navajo Nation affected by uranium contamination.

The arts collective Bombshelltoe has collected 360-degree footage of land near Church Rock, New Mexico, to show how people and the land have changed since a 1979 uranium mill spill, the Gallup Independent reports .

The film, titled Ways of Knowing, was directed by artist Kayla Briet.

The project started four years ago after Washington, D.C.-based nuclear policy program manager Lovely Umayam met Navajo activist Sunny Dooley at an event in Santa Fe. Filmmaker Adriel Luis is also a co-producer of the movie.

Sunny asked us during this meeting, Where is your heart? And it caught my along with everyone elses attention, Umayam said.

In 1979, a dam on the Navajo Nation near Church Rock broke at a uranium mills evaporation pond, releasing 94 million gallons of radioactive waste into the Puerco River.

It was the largest accidental release of radioactive material in United States history and three times the radiation released at the Three Mile Island accident.

The radiation contaminated not only water but the food chain. Cattle in western New Mexico later showed higher levels of radiation.

Dooley, who lives in Chi Chil Tah, New Mexico, said she has felt the direct effects of the big spill that went down the Puerco River and contaminated the water and soil in her community.

During a recent presentation of the virtual reality footage, Dooley talked about her daily life of not being able to have running water in her home because it is contaminated.

I have to come to Gallup to get my water and take it back home, she said.

Umayam said the group wanted to use the new technology of virtual reality with the stories to bring a true experience and show the impact of uranium mining.

She said the project is close to being finished, but with every presentation they get more information and make tweaks to the system.

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Virtual reality used to highlight uranium contamination on Navajo Nation - The Durango Herald

Qualcomm Introduces XR Enterprise Program to Fast-Track AR Adoption – Virtual Reality Times

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Qualcomm has this week announced its XR Enterprise Program during the just concluded Enterprise Wearable Technology Summit (EWTS) held in Dallas, TX. The purpose of the program is to bring together XR products and technologies which are based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR platform with the enterprise product providers to allow for collaboration, innovation, synergy and to also help in fast-tracking the adoption of augmented reality and virtual reality across various industries including aerospace, engineering, education, retail, manufacturing, architecture, insurance, transportation and manufacturing.

The Qualcomm XR Enterprise Program will also speed up the adoption of Qualcomms Boundless XR platform for extended reality applications. Boundless XR was launched in early 2019 and splits the processing functions between a remote PC and the chip on the AR/VR headset.

The semiconductor equipment company wants to advance augmented reality into areas where it sees the greatest promise for a broad adoption. Qualcomm hopes its mobile expertise with the Snapdragon processors will also help usher in new possibilities for headset applications.

The company is deeply invested in the smartphone market where its processors power billions of devices and its already looking forward to the future post-smartphone world that will include personal form factors such as augmented reality. The company has been strongly pushing augmented reality applications.

Qualcomm is launching its XR Enterprise Program to support business applications. It is pitching this program to solution providers on the premise that optimizing XR applications for the Qualcomm processors will help with the customer upgrades and migrations as the volatile device vendor landscape and the form factors continue to evolve rapidly.

The vendor landscape is seeing a lot of dynamism with many of the top tech companies and new players slated to release new hardware in the next few years. Microsoft, too, seems inclined to continue developing its own hardware. Its decision to launch the Snapdragon-powered HoloLens was to some extent influenced by supporting early partners, a clear evidence that these collaborations create synergies that can drive the industry forward.

There is, evidently, a strong trend towards the mixed reality market. Most of the advances in the technology have occurred in the enterprise market. This is especially true in the augmented reality market which still has a nascent ecosystem with a limited range of games and apps. The AR landscape is a far cry from the virtual reality market which is already supported by a vast ecosystem to drive consumer adoption and growth.

The Qualcomm XR Enterprise Program will offer inaugural members a global community which will open up access to promotional opportunities, technical support resources, joint planning, business development, co-marketing as well as matchmaking with other members with the aim of helping drive the enterprise XR segment to boost the operational efficiencies, safety, worker satisfaction while also delivering a positive impact on the bottom line.

Its odd 15 or so founding members are active in a vast section of verticals where mixed reality is seeing most currency such as transportation, construction, healthcare, retail and manufacturing.

Participants in the program can have access to a higher level of technical support, business development and co-marketing resources. The matchmaking opportunities allow for synergies to be created within the group while also unlocking new opportunities for seeding and pilot enterprise projects.

The enterprise VR market is growing by leaps and bounds. According to Business Insider Intelligence, the global enterprise VR sales for both hardware and software are expected to hit $5.5 billion by 2023 which will be a 587% rise from 2018.

The slow enterprise adoption so far has mainly been due to the small supporting infrastructure for both virtual reality and augmented reality technology. The Qualcomm enterprise membership program is meant to address that in a small way.

Currently, the pace adoption will be affected by the high hardware costs, the limited range of developed applications as well as the network constraints resulting from latency requirements for both virtual reality and augmented reality.

The companies that have signed up for the enterprise program include XRHealth, Upskill, Pico Interactive, Accenture, Scope AR, ZerolIght, UbiMax, Nreal and STRIVR among others.

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Qualcomm Introduces XR Enterprise Program to Fast-Track AR Adoption - Virtual Reality Times

Brain May Not Need Body Movements to Learn Virtual Spaces – UANews

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Virtual reality is becoming increasingly present in our everyday lives, from online tours of homes for sale to high-tech headsets that immerse gamers in hyper-realistic digital worlds. While its entertainment value is well-established, virtual reality also has vast potential for practical uses that are just beginning to be explored.

Arne Ekstrom, director of the Human Spatial Cognition Lab in the University of Arizona Department of Psychology, uses virtual reality to study spatial navigation and memory. Among the lab's interests are the technology's potential for socially beneficial uses, such as training first responders, medical professionals and those who must navigate hazardous environments. For those types of applications to be most effective, though, we need to better understand how people learn in virtual environments.

In a new study published in the journal Neuron, Ekstrom and co-author Derek Huffman, a post-doctoral researcher in the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, advance that understanding by looking at whether or not being able to physically move through virtual spaces improves how we learn them.

"One of the big concerns or drawbacks with virtual reality is that it fails to capture the experience that we actually have when we navigate in the real world," said Ekstrom, an associate professor of psychology and the study's senior author. "That's what we were trying to address in this study: What information is sufficient for forming spatial representations that are useful in actually knowing where things are?"

The researchers had study participants explore three virtual cities while wearing virtual reality headsets. The participants navigated each city in one of three ways:

Participants spent two to three hours, on average, exploring the virtual cities and locating certain shops they were instructed to find. Once they'd had an opportunity to learn the environments well, they were asked a series of questions to test their spatial memory. For example, they might be asked to imagine they were standing at the coffee shop, facing the bookstore. They would then be asked to point in the direction of the grocery store.

The accuracy of participants' responses did not vary based on which condition they were in.

Participants then underwent an MRI scan while answering a similar set of questions. This allowed the researchers to see what was happening in the brain as participants retrieved spatial memories.

The researchers found that the same areas of the brain were activated for participants in all three situations. In addition, the patterns of interaction between different regions of the brain were similar among the three conditions.

"What we found was that the neural codes were identical between the different conditions," Ekstrom said. "This suggests as far as the brain is concerned and what we were also able to measure with behavior that there is sufficient information with just seeing things in a virtual environment. The information you get from moving your body, once you know the environment well enough, doesn't really add that much."

The findings address a long-standing scientific debate around whether or not body movements aid in learning physical spaces.

"There's been this idea that how you learn might make a huge difference, and that if you don't have body-based cues, then you're lacking a big part of what might be important for forming memories of space," said Huffman, the study's first author. "Our research would suggest that once you have a well-formed memory of an environment, it doesn't matter as much how you learned it."

"We would say you don't need body immersion, and you don't need body cues to form complex spatial representations," Ekstom added. "That can happen with sufficient exposure in simple virtual reality applications."

From a practical standpoint, the research suggests that even basic virtual reality systems may be useful in instructional applications.

"Virtual reality has the potential to allow us to understand situations that we might not otherwise be able to directly experience," Ekstrom said. "For example, what if we could train first responders to be able to find people after an attack on a building, without them actually ever having been to that building?

"Our findings suggest there's promise for using virtual reality even simple applications where you're just moving a joystick to teach people fairly complex knowledge about spatial environments."

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Brain May Not Need Body Movements to Learn Virtual Spaces - UANews

Straight up conversation: Microsoft chief talks augmented reality in schools – AEI – American Enterprise Institute

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Dan Ayoub is the general manager of mixed reality, artificial intelligence, and STEM education for Microsoft. Before that, Dan worked for 20 years in the games industry, most notably as the development lead for the iconic titleHalo. I recently talked with Dan about Microsofts work to bring augmented and virtual reality education to the classroom, and heres what he said.

Rick Hess:Dan, youre general manager of Microsofts education team. Can you say a bit about what that actually involves?

Dan Ayoub:Thanks, Rick! The high-level goal for the team is to empower every learner on the planet to achieve more. Which is a pretty big task! So what that means concretely is we make products and curriculum for educators and learners of all ages, we partner with classrooms to implement technology, and work with researchers on where the puck is going. In addition to what you generally think of when you think of Microsoft, we have tools for collaboration, tools to help students learn to read, gaming like Minecraft, and so on. We have a central education group, and of course a number of people are working on education across the company. It also involves fostering lifelong learning and future skills like cloud, AI, and data science.

Rick:You came to this work from outside of education, after leading the famed Halo game-development team for eight years and after nearly two decades in gaming. What led you to make the jump?

Dan:Its kind of crazy that after 18 years of making games, to do a jump like this. I came to Microsoft to continue working on games about a decade ago; about seven or eight years ago, I got really interested in education from an intellectual standpoint, probably related to having kids. At the same time, working with all of this future tech and working at a big tech company, I started to see where things are headed, and it became really clear that the current way of thinking wasnt preparing kids for the future. So there I am working on Halo at Microsoft but fascinated with this problem and having no idea how to get involved. Then I was offered a role in the mixed-reality team to look at how we could use the technology for helping students, and it just seemed like the perfect intersection of my development background and my interests.

Rick:It often seems like game designers have figured out some things about engaging youths that have yet to show up in educational software. Is that fair?

Dan:Theres a great quote by Marshall McLuhan: Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesnt know the first thing about either. I think its hard to compare when the context is so different, but I think theres a lot of what games do well that make sense in the classroom. Like making the student the center of the experience, gradually giving skills, and building on them. I think games are also great at teaching grit, resilience, and the understanding that failure is a part of success. Games are also increasingly social in nature, which is really interesting to think about in educational scenarios.

Rick:Whats the one big lesson youve brought over from your time at Halo, and how has that affected your work at Microsoft?

Dan:Designing for the user. In this case, the final user is the student, but you need to think about the actual teacher using the tech as the primary user, because if they arent comfortable using the technology, it isnt making it into the classroom, or you need a ton of professional development to make it happen. Id also add that in games we are constantly listening to our customers on how to make their experience better, and this is something I have definitely brought with me. Finally, its all about engagement, and that is really key. Working on Halo gives me incredible cred with students when I go into classrooms.

Rick:Ha, I can imagine! So what have you found to be the biggest bumps, headaches, or disconnects when it comes to designing useful educational softwareand helping educators use it effectively?

Dan:I think two things come to mind. First is the notion of technology as a silver bullet; at the end of the day, its all about the teacher, and if you bring technology into the classroom and use it the same way you used a paper and pencil, and dont adapt, then you arent going to reap the benefits. At the end of the day, great technology will allow a great teacher to do more and help their students to succeed, but that involves changing how they work in the classroom. I think the second is making sure the software is user-friendly to the teachers and helping them to use it effectively through training, support, and so on.

Rick:Can you talk about one or two of the really eye-opening, head-shaking developmental things you all are working on that might truly one day be transformativebut perhaps not for a decade or two?

Dan:I think two of the most transformative, jaw-dropping things coming down the road are augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Both are in very early stages, but there is massive potential for them both. I think both will completely change education forever once they reach scale and the tech is ready.

Rick:OK. Ive heard you talk about the distinction between augmented and virtual reality before. Can you explain the difference for a general audience?

Dan:Understanding the difference can be tricky, for sure. In a nutshell, virtual reality is entirely immersive, so you put on a headset and you are transported to a different world and have no awareness of whats going on around you. The immersion limits your ability to work collaboratively with people near you, though you can co-habit a virtual environment, but that immersion can be beneficial for people who may have challenges focusing and is great for singular experiences. Its also been shown to be great for empathy-building. Augmented reality, like a Hololens, works by creating holograms over your field of vision, so you can still see everything around youthis is great for classes in the same room together.

Rick:So what do we know about how well augmented reality can work?

Dan:We spent a lot of time researching the effectiveness of the technology, and there were a bunch of studies pointing to the potential, but I was really eager to see the practical results. Heres what we know: Some partners are seeing a full-letter grade improvement when using the technology. Others are seeing up to a 60 percent reduction in the time it takes to teach their content. All of this is due to the lower cognitive load required to learn while using the hardware. Outside of the classroom, this tech is being used today in corporate and vocational training and workflows in industries like automotive and design, to name a few.

Rick:How about virtual reality?

Dan:Similar to augmented reality, we are seeing great results in the classroom. VR is also being used in corporate training as well; Walmart is using the tech to help train their employees, and every day I see new cases of the tech at work. Its really quite exciting because its all still so new, and people are crafting some amazing things in the workplace and the classroomI am seeing a bunch of really interesting use cases in vocational education as well. We recently made over 30 hours of standards-aligned content free for educators, and its been great to see the response.

Rick:What are some of the ways that K-12 schooling might ultimately benefit from virtual or augmented reality?

Dan:As time goes on, I have two scenarios I am extremely excited about: first is the potential for distance learning, as you can have students collaborate with other students all over the planet in virtual environments; you can also learn from literally the best people on the planet regardless of where they are and be in the same room with them. The second is as we can weave AI into the experience, we can start to get to the idyllic personalized learning or 1:1 learning scenario for every student. Another area I am extremely excited about is differentiated learningso how do we use this technology to diagnose things like dyslexia earlier through eye tracking or to assist autistic children?

Rick:On a somewhat different note, as someone who comes to ed tech from outside, can you offer some tips as to the pitfalls those making ed tech need to be focused on?

Dan:I have been really vocal that companies focused on the wrong thing in the early days by creating these showcase experiences that focused more on showy visuals than actual curriculum. Our job is to help teachers do their job, so we made a decision to focus on standards-aligned content that would help teachers do what they need to do, and the response to this has been great. Like any educational technology, its a tool that can help students immensely, but it requires thinking about how youll approach it. At the end of the day, its still all about pedagogy.

Rick:In education, we have a long history of getting jazzed about the possibilities of new techonly to be disappointed, time and again. Whats your advice for schools or systems that want to avoid the usual rash of mistakes?

Dan:I think first and foremost, if you just adopt technology and continue to teach like we did during the Industrial Revolution, then ed tech isnt going to fix all your problems. I like to say that you need to be diligent, learn about the tech and how to maximize it, and adapt it to your needs, but also change how you teach. Also, please ask uswe love to talk to educators and we prefer to talk about the problems they are trying to solve rather than just pushing technology. Let us know what youre trying to accomplish and help us to make our products better for you.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Straight up conversation: Microsoft chief talks augmented reality in schools - AEI - American Enterprise Institute

Virtual Reality Has A Lot To Learn, Says Sony Worldwide Studios President – GamingBolt

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I think that the hardware experience will improve the VR experience, says Shuhei Yoshida.

To say that Sony are among the biggest proponents of virtual reality in the games industry would not be an exaggeration. Theyve made impressive strides with PSVR over the last couple of years, and its clear that this is an area that theyre going to continue investing in. But even Sony understands one thing- that VR is still in its infancy, and that those working in this space have a lot to learn.

Recently, speaking in an interview with GameWatch (via Wccftech), SIE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida got to speaking about VR, and said that though this is an impressive piece of technology that has shown great promise, its still got lots to learn. According to Yoshida, as the base hardware of consoles improves, so too will the VR experience that goes alongside it.

I think that the hardware experience will improve the VR experience, said Yoshida. VR has a lot to learn even at companies that have been making games for a long time. I realized that as soon as I started VR. I had to learn a lot because I couldnt do it with normal TV games. But we had to have many guidelines for danger, but with the developers ingenuity, we were able to see how to do it, and VR makes us think about what the human abilities are, and after three years such knowledge is growing.

Its pretty clear at this point that Sony isnt done with VR just yet, and will be focusing on it with the PS5 as well. Theyve confirmed that the PS5 will indeed support PSVR though that doesnt mean we should expect to see a PSVR 2 any time soon.

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Virtual Reality Has A Lot To Learn, Says Sony Worldwide Studios President - GamingBolt

Peterson reflects on passing Jim Brown on the all-time TD list – NBCSports.com

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Week 2 is in the books and rosters are beginning to take shape. Here are the top flex options for Week 3.

For a tiered breakdown of each fantasy football position, click below:

Quarterback Rankings: Week 3Running Back Rankings: Week 3Wide Receiver Rankings: Week 3Tight End Rankings: Week 3Flex Rankings: Week 2

FLEX RANKINGS:

1.Ezekiel Elliott, DAL, RB1, Previous Ranking: 4Opponent: vs. Dolphins2.Christian McCaffrey, CAR, RB2, Previous Ranking: 1Opponent: at Cardinals3.Saquon Barkley, NYG, RB3, Previous Ranking: 2Opponent: at Buccaneers4. Julio Jones, ATL, WR1, Previous Ranking: 8Opponent: at Colts5.Austin Ekeler, LAC, RB4, Previous Ranking: 9Opponent: vs. Texans6. Dalvin Cook, MIN, RB5, Previous Ranking: 10Opponent: vs. Raiders7.Alvin Kamara, NO, RB6, Previous Ranking: 3Opponent: at Seahawks8.Le'Veon Bell, NYJ, RB7, Previous Ranking: 5Opponent: at Patriots9.DeAndre Hopkins, HOU, WR2, Previous Ranking: 6Opponent: at Chargers10. Keenan Allen, LAC, WR3, Previous Ranking: 12Opponent: vs. Texans11.Amari Cooper, DAL, WR4, Previous Ranking: 21Opponent: vs. Dolphins12.Michael Thomas, NO, WR5, Previous Ranking: 7Opponent: at Seahawks13.Chris Carson, SEA, RB8, Previous Ranking: 18Opponent: vs. Saints14.James Conner, PIT, RB9, Previous Ranking: 19Opponent: at 49ers15.Travis Kelce, KC, TE1, Previous Ranking: 20Opponent: vs. Ravens16.Odell Beckham Jr., CLE, WR6, Previous Ranking: 16Opponent: vs. Rams17.Davante Adams, GB, WR7, Previous Ranking: 13Opponent: vs. Broncos18.Derrick Henry, TEN, RB10, Previous Ranking: 33Opponent: at Jaguars19.Nick Chubb, CLE, RB11, Previous Ranking: 27Opponent: vs. Rams20. David Johnson, ARI, RB12, Previous Ranking: 26Opponent: vs. Panthers21. Kenny Golladay, DET, WR8, Previous Ranking: 35Opponent: at Eagles22. Aaron Jones, GB, RB13, Previous Ranking: 34Opponent: vs. Broncos23. Mike Evans, TB, WR9, Previous Ranking: 14Opponent: vs. Giants24.Antonio Brown, NE, WR10, Previous Ranking: 11Opponent: vs. Jets25.Marlon Mack, IND, RB14, Previous Ranking: 25Opponent: vs. Falcons26.JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT, WR11, Previous Ranking: 17Opponent: at 49ers27. T.Y. Hilton, IND, WR12, Previous Ranking: 23Opponent: vs. Falcons28.Mark Ingram, BAL, RB15, Previous Ranking: 31Opponent: at Chiefs29.Kerryon Johnson, DET, RB16, Previous Ranking: 32Opponent: at Eagles30. Sammy Watkins, KC, WR13, Previous Ranking: 15Opponent: vs. Ravens31. Cooper Kupp, LAR, WR14, Previous Ranking: 29Opponent: at Browns32. Joe Mixon, CIN, RB17, Previous Ranking: 24Opponent: at Bills33.James White, NE, RB18, Previous Ranking: 44Opponent: vs. Jets34. Todd Gurley, LAR, RB19, Previous Ranking: 43Opponent: at Browns35. Josh Jacobs, OAK, RB20, Previous Ranking: 28Opponent: at Vikings34.Chris Godwin, TB, WR15, Previous Ranking: 51Opponent: vs. Giants35. Adam Thielen, MIN, WR16, Previous Ranking: 22Opponent: vs. Raiders36. Tyler Lockett, SEA, WR17, Previous Ranking: 49Opponent: vs. Saints37.Leonard Fournette, JAX, RB21, Previous Ranking: 36Opponent: vs. Titans38. George Kittle, SF, TE2, Previous Ranking: 45Opponent: vs. Steelers39. Zach Ertz, PHI, TE5, Previous Ranking: 46Opponent: vs. Lions40. Larry Fitzgerald, ARI, WR18, Previous Ranking: 40Opponent: at Ravens41. Damien Williams, KC, RB22, Previous Ranking: 41Opponent: vs. Ravens42. Sony Michel, NE, RB23, Previous Ranking: 55Opponent: vs. Jets43. David Montgomery, CHI, RB24, Previous Ranking: 56Opponent: at Redskins44.Marquise Brown, BAL, WR19, Previous Ranking: 64Opponent: at Chiefs45. Julian Edelman, NE, WR20, Previous Ranking: 30Opponent: vs. Jets46.D.J. Moore, CAR, WR21, Previous Ranking: 50Opponent: at Cardinals47.Devin Singletary, BUF, RB25, Previous Ranking: 39Opponent: vs. Bengals48. Evan Engram, NYG, TE4, Previous Ranking: 48Opponent: at Buccaneers49. Stefon Diggs, MIN, WR22, Previous Ranking: 53Opponent: vs. Raiders50. Josh Gordon, NE, WR23, Previous Ranking: 37Opponent: vs. Jets51.Alshon Jeffery, PHI, WR24, Previous Ranking: 47Opponent: vs. Lions52.Robert Woods, LAR, WR25, Previous Ranking: 52Opponent: at Browns53. Tyrell Williams, OAK, WR26, Previous Ranking: 61Opponent: at Vikings54. Miles Sanders, PHI, RB26, Previous Ranking: 68Opponent: vs. Lions55. Phillip Lindsay, DEN, RB27, Previous Ranking: 58Opponent: at Packers56. Duke Johnson Jr., HOU, RB28, Previous Ranking: 42Opponent: at Chargers57. Matt Breida, SF, RB29, Previous Ranking: 94Opponent: vs. Steelers58. Devonta Freeman, ATL, RB30, Previous Ranking: 60Opponent: at Colts59. Jordan Howard, PHI, RB31, Previous Ranking: 59Opponent: vs. Lions60. Emmanuel Sanders, WR27, Previous Ranking: 81Opponent: at Packers61. Calvin Ridley, ATL, WR28, Previous Ranking: 65Opponent: at Colts62. Tarik Cohen, CHI, RB32, Previous Ranking: 38Opponent: at Redskins63. Tyler Boyd. CIN, WR29, Previous Ranking: 63Opponent: at Bills64. Terry McLaurin, WAS, WR30, Previous Ranking: 73Opponent: vs. Bears65. Jamison Crowder, NYJ, WR31, Previous Ranking: 66Opponent: at Patriots66. Brandin Cooks, LAR, WR32, Previous Ranking: 54Opponent: at Browns67. Jarvis Landry, CLE, WR33, Previous Ranking: 67Opponent: vs. Rams68. Mark Andrews, BAL, TE5, Previous Ranking: 76Opponent: at Chiefs69. Latavius Murray, NO, RB33, Previous Ranking: 69Opponent: at Seahawks70. Robby Anderson, NYJ, WR34, Previous Ranking: 70Opponent: at Patriots71. Curtis Samuel, CAR, WR35, Previous Ranking: 71Opponent: at Cardinals72. D.K. Metcalf, SEA, WR36, Previous Ranking: 92Opponent: vs. Saints73. John Brown, BUF, WR37, Previous Ranking: 74Opponent: vs. Bengals74. Allen Robinson, CHI, WR38, Previous Ranking: 82Opponent: at Redskins75. Will Fuller V, HOU, WR39, Previous Ranking: 72Opponent: at Chargers76. Vance McDonald, PIT, TE6, Previous Ranking: 97Opponent: at 49ers77. O.J. Howard, TB, TE7, Previous Ranking: 57Opponent: vs. Giants78. Austin Hooper, ATL, TE8, Previous Ranking: 77Opponent: at Colts79. Darren Waller, OAK, TE9, Previous Ranking: 100Opponent: at Vikings80. Marvin Jones, DET, WR40, Previous Ranking: 80Opponent: at Eagles81. Delanie Walker, TEN, TE10, Previous Ranking: 75Opponent: at Jaguars82. Christian Kirk, ARI, WR41, Previous Ranking: 83Opponent: vs. Panthers83. Courtland Sutton, DEN, WR42, Previous Ranking: 84Opponent: at Packers84. John Ross III, CIN, WR43, Previous Ranking: 85Opponent: at Bills85. LeSean McCoy, KC, RB34, Previous Ranking: 86Opponent: vs. Ravens86. Kenyan Drake, MIA, RB35, Previous Ranking: 87Opponent: at Cowboys87. James Washington, PIT, WR44, Previous Ranking: 88Opponent: at 49ers88. Adrian Peterson, WAS, RB36, Previous Ranking: 89Opponent: vs, Bears89. Chris Thompson, WAS, RB37, Previous Ranking: 90Opponent: vs. Bears90. Dede Westbrook, JAX, WR45, Previous Ranking: 91Opponent: vs. Titans91. Mecole Hardman, KC, WR46, Previous Ranking: 93Opponent: vs. Ravens92. Giovani Bernard, CIN, RB38, Previous Ranking: 95Opponent: at Bills93. Sterling Shepard, NYG, WR47, Previous Ranking: NROpponent: at Buccaneers94. Carlos Hyde, HOU, RB39, Previous Ranking: NROpponent: at Chargers95. Frank Gore, BUF, RB40, Previous Ranking; NROpponent: vs. Bengals96. Preston Williams, MIA, WR48, Previous Ranking:NROpponent:at Cowboys97. Deebo Samuel, SF, WR49, Previous Ranking: NROpponent: vs. Steelers98. Randall Cobb, DAL, WR50, Previous Ranking: NROpponent: vs. Dolphins99. DJ Chark, JAX, WR51, Previous Ranking: NROpponent: vs. Titans100. Corey Davis, TEN, WR52, Previous Ranking: NROpponent: at Jaguars

For a tiered breakdown of each fantasy football position, click below:

Quarterback Rankings: Week 3Running Back Rankings: Week 3Wide Receiver Rankings: Week 3Tight End Rankings: Week 3Flex Rankings: Week 2

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Peterson reflects on passing Jim Brown on the all-time TD list - NBCSports.com