The Freedom Caucus and Strife in the GOP – New York Times

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New York Times
The Freedom Caucus and Strife in the GOP
New York Times
Representative Adam Kinzinger's essay is intended to be an indictment of the House Freedom Caucus. It is as much an indictment of himself. The premise of his essay is that the G.O.P. cannot pass any meaningful legislation unless the overwhelming ...
Rep. Gary Palmer hopes risk-sharing program can help Freedom Caucus 'push the yes button'Washington Examiner
Freedom Caucus chair: Government shutdown isn't likelyPolitico
A Trump-Freedom Caucus alliance is imperative to American prosperityThe Hill (blog)
CNBC -MyDaytonDailyNews -Jackson Clarion Ledger
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The Freedom Caucus and Strife in the GOP - New York Times

Michael Caine: I Voted Brexit for ‘Freedom’ – Breitbart News

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I voted for Brexit what it is with me, Id rather be a poor master than a rich servant, the 84-year-oldGoing in Stylestar told Sky News, adding that his support for Britains independence wasnt about the racism, immigrants or anything, it was about freedom.

Last week, theUnited Kingdomofficially filed to leave the European Union. Caine, a London-born, two-time Oscar-winner, said politics is always chaotic.

In politics youre always going into areas youve never been before, so youre going to get lost and then youre going to find your way, and then itll be alright, he said of Europes historic vote.

Caine is currently promoting his last filmGoing in Style,which follows three lifelong friends who rob a bank after it stops paying out their pensions.

Im playing Brian Reader, who when he did that robbery was 73, Caine said. I knew I was going to get a phone call, I said to my wife heres my next part, I think.

And if you were wondering, dont expect the 84-year-old star to stop acting anytime soon.

People always say are you going to retire? and of course the movie business retires you, Caine said, adding You get paid a fortune for kissing the most beautiful women in the world, not a bad job is it?

Caine isnt the only British celebrity to have revealed he voted for Brexit.

Last month,Roger Daltrey, founder and lead singer of the English rock bandThe Who, reiterated his support for Britains independence from the European Union.

We are getting out, and when the dust settles I think that itll be seen that its the right thing for thiscountryto have done, thats for sure,Daltreytold NME.

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter@jeromeehudson

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Michael Caine: I Voted Brexit for 'Freedom' - Breitbart News

Warrington inundated with freedom campers – Otago Daily Times

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As the Dunedin City Council looks at opening up new areas for freedom camping, to ease the pressure on Warrington Domain, some local residents are begging for relief.

Warrington Domain and Ocean View Recreation Reserve are the only two Dunedin sites which accept non-self-contained vehicles.

Consequently, the number of freedom campers is high, particularly at Warrington, where an average of 75 to 80 vehicles camped each night during February and March.

Recently, The Star was approached by a group of Warrington residents concerned by the volume of freedom campers arriving nightly in the small settlement.

While not fundamentally opposed to freedom camping, the residents have called for numbers to be restricted.

Dunedin City Council recreation, planning and facilities manager Jendi Paterson, who is leading a review of freedom camping, is well aware of the issues for Warrington people.

"Warrington, I think everyone would agree, has been inundated with freedom campers,'' Ms Paterson said.

When the city's Camping Control Bylaw was introduced in 2015, no-one had foreseen the demand that would be placed on Warrington Domain, she said.

Warrington resident Paul Hersey said, despite the cool summer, numbers of freedom campers had "really picked up'' since Waitangi Weekend.

"There have been truckloads of them - sometimes hundreds of people in a night,'' Mr Hersey said.

At times, the reserve's facilities struggled to cope with demand, and it was difficult for locals to use Warrington Reserve for recreation. I'm not against freedom camping at all, but I do feel that its impact on Warrington needs to be limited,'' Mr Hersey said.

Fellow resident Sonia Evers, a senior firefighter and an operational Land Search and Rescue dog handler, used to be a regular user of the domain.

"It was an ideal space for doing play-training with my dogs, but after I was abused by a camper last year, I don't go there any more,'' Ms Evers said.

"I'm not against the freedom campers - I used to quite enjoy it when the numbers were more reasonable.''

Ms Evers urged the DCC to cap the numbers at Warrington Domain, and open up more spots for non-self-contained campers.

"That might leave some room for the locals,'' she said.

Waikouaiti Coast Community Board chairman Alasdair Morrison said that, going back to February last year, the numbers of freedom campers had "caught everyone by surprise''.

Toilet facilities and rubbish collection at Warrington reserve had been inadequate, resulting in hygiene problems, but this had since been addressed, he said.

Numbers were light from September to December, but had picked up from January to March - when there was an average of 75 to 80 vehicles a night.

Ms Paterson said the DCC had upgraded the infrastructure at the domain during the off season, and had surveyed the numbers. With two seasons of data in hand, the council was now well placed to consider amending the bylaw to increase the number of freedom camping sites for non-self-contained vehicles.

"If we are going to amend the bylaw, we want to make sure we are doing the right thing.''

BRENDA.HARWOOD @thestar.co.nz

Freedom camping is a topic of great interest for the citys community boards. The Star reporters spoke with board chairmen and women about the past summer season, and what impact freedom campers have had in their communities.

OTAGO PENINSULA

Changes to freedom camping bylaws have improved the situation on Otago Peninsula, but work remains to be done, Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope says.

While there were still a few "hot spots'' at Tomahawk Beach and other parts of the peninsula, the situation had "changed quite [a] bit'' with the new bylaws.

"We have the odd problem ... but there's been a marked improvement.''

By the end of the two-year Macandrew Bay trial the number of freedom campers in the peninsula area had dropped.

However, as there was still no designated freedom camping area with facilities on the peninsula, the problem with non-self-contained vehicles continued.

"There's always room for improvement.''

SADDLE HILL

Saddle Hill Community Board chairman Scott Weatherall said there had been minimal infringements by freedom campers over the summer and few concerns raised by the Brighton and Ocean View communities.

The use of the Brighton Domain - which is restricted to self-contained camper vans which can process their own waste - had taken the pressure off the Ocean View site, he said.

Positive feedback from members of the community now exceeded concerns.

"They kind of see the benefit of freedom campers - that they provide quite a cool culture within the community.''

Council staff and contractors were managing well in terms of waste disposal, and the council was working with the community to ensure freedom camping did not have a negative impact, Mr Weatherall said.

"What we would ask of the freedom campers visiting our community is that they treat our community with respect.''

MOSGIEL TAIERI

Mosgiel Taieri Community Board chairwoman Sarah Nitis said more freedom campers had been spotted at several sites around Mosgiel over the summer.

Freedom campers had recently been seen in the Seddon Park car park and the accompanying reserve in Wickliffe St, as well as in the Taieri Rugby Football Club and Wingatui racecourse car parks.

There were "about eight'' camper vans in the Seddon Park car park a "couple of weekends ago'', she said.

While that was "event specific'', it did highlight a growing load on existing infrastructure in Mosgiel, she said.

She had "mixed'' feelings about freedom campers and the "change in emphasis'' from private-sector campgrounds towards freedom camping sites, which were now a council and ratepayer responsibility.

WEST HARBOUR

West Harbour Community Board chairman Steve Walker said freedom camping was "not an issue'' in the West Harbour area - probably because it was not on a main route for travellers.

"We occasionally have a few people who stay overnight, but there have been no problems,'' he said.

He sympathised with Warrington residents and those in other areas where freedom camping was popular.

"It can sometimes be difficult to find a balance between encouraging tourism and safeguarding residents' right to enjoy their surroundings,'' he said.

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Warrington inundated with freedom campers - Otago Daily Times

U.S. History of Eugenics Practice – Mercola.com

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By Dr. Mercola

When most people think of eugenics, the practice of "improving" the hereditary qualities of a race by controlled, selective breeding, they think of Nazi Germany and their attempts to exterminate certain ethnic groups.

But not only did the practice begin long before World War II, and end much later, it also was not confined to Nazi Germany.

In fact, eugenics was widely practiced in many countries, including in the United States as recently as the 1980s.

According to the North Carolina Governor's Eugenics Compensation Task Force Preliminary Report:

"The concept of eugenics was created in the late 1800s by British scientist Sir Francis Galton. The mindset at that time was to use genetic selection used in breeding thoroughbreds and other animals to create a class of people who were free of inferior traits. Indiana became the first state in the nation to pass a eugenics law in 1907."

In 1927, a landmark Supreme Court case known as Buck v. Bell gave further fuel to the eugenics movement, as the court actually ruled that the state of Virginia could legally sterilize teenager Carrie Buck, who had been sent to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-minded because her foster parents deemed her a moral delinquent. It was following this ruling that the eugenics movement really took off in the United States.

In all, 33 states operated sterilization programs during the 20th century, at first targeting mostly people in mental institutions. As the years went by, the definition of what was "unfit to procreate" expanded to include not only the mentally ill but also:

Alcoholics

People with epilepsy

People who were blind or deaf, or had other disabilities

Poor people on welfare

Women who were deemed promiscuous

Criminals

People labeled "feeble-minded"

Children who were victims of rape

It's estimated that 65,000 Americans were sterilized under such programs, most often without their consent or knowledge. This may sound incredulous, but at the height of the sterilization program in North Carolina even social workers could make recommendations for who would be good candidates for sterilization, and those recommendations were almost always accepted.

According to the North Carolina Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation:

"North Carolina law during the eugenics period endorsed sterilization of people who had epilepsy, sickness, "feeblemindedness" and other disabilities. Eugenics was a popular movement, especially prior to the World War II, and other states had similar programs.

However, North Carolina was the only state that allowed social workers to petition for the sterilization of members of the public. These local social workers would petition the board to sterilize a person, and the board would make the final decision. Over 70% of North Carolina's sterilization victims were sterilized after 1945 in contrast to other states that conducted the majority of their sterilizations prior to World War II and 1945."

It was not uncommon for poor, often African American, women in rural areas to go to a hospital to give birth and be unknowingly sterilized, often while being told they were having their appendix removed. This happened even to children, including those who had become pregnant by rape.

As ABC News reported:

"In North Carolina, 85 percent of sterilization were performed on women as young as 9-years-old."

The U.S. eugenics practice was not a movement carried out in the back woods or by a few corrupted individuals, it was a government-approved and in some cases suggested procedure. As stated by the North Carolina Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation:

"The concept or term eugenics refers to the intentional and selective breeding of humans and animals to rid the population of characteristics deemed unfit by those administering this practice. In the U.S., eugenics was carried out by individuals, nonprofit organizations and state governments that felt that human reproduction should be controlled.

In the late 1940s, the Department of Public Welfare began to promote increased sterilization as one of several solutions to poverty and illegitimacy. In the 1950s, the N.C. Eugenics Board began to focus increasingly on the sterilization of welfare recipients, which led to a dramatic rise of sterilizations for African Americans and women that did not reside in state institutions. Prior to the 1950s, many of the sterilization orders primarily impacted persons residing in state institutions."

As reported by ABC News, to this day only seven of the 33 states that had sterilization programs have publicly acknowledged or apologized to victims, and only North Carolina has taken steps to compensate victims for damages. While no decision has yet been reached, the suggested compensation for deceptively taking away a person's ability to procreate is floating around $20,000 to $50,000 per living victim.

In 2011, most of the victims have since passed away, but their families are still living with the pain.

How could anyone ever conceive of doing something like this? Well, that question may never be answered, as human exploitation and experimentation at the hands of the government not only existed well into the 20th century, it's still going on today. Right now, virtually everyone reading this is taking part in any number of unethical experiments you are not being told about, involving substances and technologies that stand to seriously harm your health:

These examples may not be as barbaric as forced sterilization, but they are no less deceitful in terms of the impact they can have on your health. You have taken the first step to opting out of these dangerous, population-wide experiments being thrust upon Americans and much of the world and you did that by getting informed. Use your knowledge as your shield to help you make wise choices for you and your family in regard to food, medications and technology.

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U.S. History of Eugenics Practice - Mercola.com

How to Understand the Resurgence of Eugenics – JSTOR Daily

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In 1883, the English statistician and social scientist Francis Galton coined the word eugenics (well-born, from Greek). The term referred to his idea of selectively breeding people to enhance desirable and eliminate undesirable properties. Seen as following Darwins theory of evolution, in the 1920s and 30s eugenics gained important backing in England and the United States. Scientists and physicians spoke and wrote in its support. It influenced U.S. immigration policy, and states like Virginia used it to justify the forcible sterilization of the intellectually disabled.

Todays growing anti-immigrant and white nationalist movements are raising concerns about a return of this long discredited dogma. For instance, U.S. Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa) recently tweeted about a far-right movement in Europe, calling Western culture superior and saying, We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies. King hoped for an America thats just so homogenous that we look a lot the same.

At the same time, we are seeing an advance in methods of manipulating human DNA that, though they present many benefits, could also be used to advance eugenic goals. This combination of a dubious political agenda and the tools to implement it could take us in uncharted directions.

We can find guidance in two classic works about the dangers of modifying people and labeling them as superior or inferiorthe novel Brave New World (1932) and the film Gattaca (1997). Their publication anniversaries in 2017 are sharp reminders of the costs of embracing any kind of twenty-first-century eugenics.

Could gene-editing be pushing us toward a neo-eugenic world?

Eugenics straddles the line between repellent Nazi ideas of racial purity and real knowledge of genetics. Scientists eventually dismissed it as pseudo-scientific racism, but it has never completely faded away. In 1994, the book The Bell Curve generated great controversy when its authors Charles Murray and Richard J. Herrnstein argued that test scores showed black people to be less intelligent than white people. In early 2017, Murrays public appearance at Middlebury College elicited protests, showing that eugenic ideas still have power and can evoke strong reactions.

But now, these disreputable ideas could be supported by new methods of manipulating human DNA. The revolutionary CRISPR genome-editing technique, called the scientific breakthrough of 2015, makes it relatively simple to alter the genetic code. And 2016 saw the announcement of the Human Genome Projectwrite, an effort to design and build an entire artificial human genome in the lab.

These advances led to calls for a complete moratorium on human genetic experimentation until it has been more fully examined. The moratorium took effect in 2015. In early 2017, however, a report by the National Academies of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine, Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance, modified this absolute ban. The report called for further study, but also proposed that clinical trials of embryo editing could be allowed if both parents have a serious disease that could be passed on to the child. Some critics condemned even this first step as vastly premature.

Nevertheless, gene editing potentially provides great benefits in combatting disease and improving human lives and longevity. But could this technology also be pushing us toward a neo-eugenic world?

As ever, science fiction can suggest answers. The year 2017 is the 85th anniversary of Brave New World, Aldous Huxleys vision of a eugenics-based society and one of the great twentieth-century novels. Likewise, 2017 will bring the 20th anniversary of the release of the sci-fi film Gattaca, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, about a future society based on genetic destiny. NASA has called Gattaca the most plausible science fiction film ever made.

In 1932, Huxleys novel, written when the eugenics movement still flourished, imagined an advanced biological science. Huxley knew about heredity and eugenics through his own distinguished family: His grandfather Thomas Huxley was the Victorian biologist who defended Darwins theory of evolution, and his evolutionary biologist brother Julian was a leading proponent of eugenics.

Brave New World takes place in the year 2540. People are bred to order through artificial fertilization and put into higher or lower classes in order to maintain the dominant World State. The highest castes, the physically and intellectually superior Alphas and Betas, direct and control everything. The lower Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons, many of them clones, are limited in mind and body and exist only to perform necessary menial tasks. To maintain this system, the World State chemically processes human embryos and fetuses to create people with either enlarged or diminished capacities. The latter are kept docile by large doses of propaganda and a powerful pleasure drug, soma.

Like George Orwells 1984, reviewers continue to find Huxleys novel deeply unsettling. To Bob Barr, writing in the Michigan Law Review, it is a chilling vision and R. S. Deese, in We Are Amphibians, calls its premise the mass production of human beings.

The discovery in 1953 of the structure of DNA led to the advent of real genetic science that could change people. DNA editing appears in several films analyzed by the film historians David A. Kirby and Laura A. Gaither in Genetic Coming of Age: Genomics, Enhancement, and Identity in Film. The authors single out Gattaca as showing a society that has so much confidence in the predictive power of genomics that their culture revolves around these expectations. The film provides a lesson in the eugenic effects of editing human DNA. Its title combines the first letters of guanine,adenine,thymine, andcytosine, the base pair compounds essential to how DNA transmits genetic information.

The In-valid Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) tries to blend in as the genetically perfected Jerome Morrow in Gattaca (Columbia Pictures 1997).

The social order in Gattaca, set in the not-too-distant future, is far looser than in Brave New World. It is much like todays world with one crucial change: Genetic science has advanced so that a persons genetic makeup can be easily tested, and it is routine to alter the DNA of an embryo to produce a baby with specified characteristics. The result is a society dominated by genetic destiny.

Genetic augmentation is not available to everyone in this society. Only those with means can pay geneticists to implant assets like good looks or musical ability in the DNA of their children-to-be. Although it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of a persons genetic profile, in practice Valids, those with superior genetic credentials, have every advantage and live desirable lives, whereas the less genetically favored In-valids or De-gene-rates are the Epsilons of this society, who push brooms and clean toilets.

In the story, young Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) is a non-augmented In-valid who is projected to develop serious medical conditions. Through sheer grit and refusal to quit, he physically outperforms his enhanced Valid brother, determined to realize his ambition of becoming an astronaut. The closest he can come, however, is to work as a janitor at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, which launches space missions.

Vincent games the system by acquiring the superb DNA profile of Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), a former Olympics swimmer now in a wheelchair because of an accident. After surgery to make himself resemble Jerome (and with Jeromes help), Vincent can pass as a Valid. His passion affects the disabled Jerome, who famously declares: I only lent you my body. You lent me your dream. Now apparently genetically qualified, Vincent is selected for astronaut training. In the final scene, we see him blast off on a mission to Titan, one of Saturns moons.

In a U.S. where medical care is not equally available to all, genetic enhancement will likely be too costly for all but the wealthy.

Any science that professes to predictably change humanity should be carefully weighedor its results may come to haunt us and the new humans we make. Brave New World shows an extremely repressive society whose eugenic system keeps a select group in control. Although such a goal might appeal to the far right, in the near term, at least, it is hard to imagine such a movement gaining the political power to impose a Nazi-like program of gene editing.

Gattaca, however, presents a believable model for the future. It reflects and extends current attitudes toward race and the disabled, and with Americas growing gap between haves and have-nots, its speculations ring true. Buying genetic advantage to give ones child an edge in life would be just a step beyond what parents now dosending a very young child to an expensive private school, for instanceto gain that edge.

In a U.S. where medical care is not equally available to all, genetic enhancement will likely be too costly for all but the wealthy. As in Gattaca, buying enhancement will not be illegal, nor seen as unethical. But it would widen existing health and social inequalities, as expressed in the reactions to the Human Genome Editing report. Those who can afford it would choose mental and physical advantages for their offspring, perhaps including traits such as selfishness or win at all costs personalities that might benefit them but harm society. This would enhance a special group that would not need Francis Galtons selective breeding to make itself superior over time, leaving everyone else as the In-valids.

This approach could also erode Americas racial and ethnic diversity, fulfilling Rep. Kings fantasies. Homogeneity is exactly what would result if a favored group genetically replicates and enhances itself to produce future generations with the same appearance and attitudes, only more so.

In the final analysis, Brave New World portrays a hard eugenics created by a government to suppress human rights, diversity, and opportunities for its citizens. But like the world in Gattaca, our own society could instead display a eugenic element not imposed from above, but arising from our societys dynamics. Unless our society balances the undoubted benefits of gene editing against its equally undoubted risks, the greater danger may come not from authoritarian government but from this soft eugenics.

By: WILLIAM G. LENNOX

The American Scholar, Vol. 7, No. 4 (AUTUMN 1938), pp. 454-466

The Phi Beta Kappa Society

By: Bob Barr

Michigan Law Review, Vol. 108, No. 6, 2010 SURVEY OF BOOKS RELATED TO THE LAW (April 2010), pp. 847-857

The Michigan Law Review Association

By: David A. Kirby and Laura A. Gaither

New Literary History, Vol. 36, No. 2, Essays Probing the Boundaries of the Human in Science (Spring, 2005), pp. 263-282

The Johns Hopkins University Press

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How to Understand the Resurgence of Eugenics - JSTOR Daily

KAUST: Building an HPC Ecosystem – HPCwire (blog)

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April 7, 2017 The University held the seventhHigh Performance Computing Saudi Arabia eventthe premier regional event in the fieldfrom March 13 to 15. The three-day conference aimed to create a space where researchers and industry representatives could meet, share ideas and experiences and discuss cooperation and collaboration. The 2017 event focused on coordinated efforts for the advancement of an HPC ecosystem in the Kingdom. The first two days of the event included keynote speeches, invited talks, lightning talks, poster presentations, a vendor exhibition and an open discussion aimed at drafting an action plan for setting up an HPC ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.

Each plenary session commenced with a keynote talk, with speakers includingSteven E. Koonin, director,NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP);Thomas Schulthess, director,Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS)at Lugano; and Dr. Robert G. Voigt, a senior member of the technical staff at theKrell Institute.

Collaboration is key

In his welcome address,Dr. Jysoo Lee, director of theKAUST Supercomputing Core Laboratory,praised the people behind the computing researchthe people who help create the ecosystems, machinery and technology.

The research we have and the people we have really makes KAUST special, and the Shaheen system is what we can be proud of, Lee said. What we are trying to do is to help and serve both KAUST and the Kingdom. Since you are here in KAUST, I want you to look at the opportunities and what can be done together.

There is a science to be done here

In his opening keynote entitled Better Cities through Data Acquisition and Analysis, Koonin highlighted his work and the work of CUSP in the field of urban science and systems. He described how the center uses informatics to study the operations of urban systems, noting how HPC technology enriches the bustling cityscape that is New York City and how it can contribute to broader global issues.

We need technologies and methodologies to analyze data about citiesthere is a science to be done here. Cities have been one of the most complex things that humans have created. Cities are what matter, and by the end of the century, about three-fourths of humanity will be in cities. Koonin said.

If you want to change the energy system, technology is great, but the social factor is what you have to work on in the long run. Its not just about energy, its about everything else that happens in a city. You need to understand infrastructure, environment and people to instrument a city, he continued.

Cities are built for people by people. You cant understand a city unless you understand its people. You can try understand one dimension of a city or you can focus on just one city and try discover its various dimensions. One of the biggest challenges is fusing different data sources into usable data. If you can take all of this data and analyze it through data-driven models, you can learn many things. We need to own the data by having an intimate familiarly with it, Koonin added.

How to make HPC mainstream

Merle Giles, formerly ofThe National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)and now CEO of Moonshot Research LCC, described how needs differ in research computing. Giles discussed how he harnessed the various methodologies from his previous workplace in his new company.

For 20 years or more, enterprise has treated HPC as a hobbywhat we do in our new company is similar to what we did in NCSA, which is serve others and help others do what they know how to do better, he said.

A valley of death exists in both the academic and industry sectors and nobody funds the middle, which is innovation. We are left to our own practices to move through this middle ground, he added. Some differences between research computing and the commercial side are also the differences between macro and micro economics. There is a big difference between high-level macroeconomics and the company level microeconomics. KAUST is an example of a clustering effect of a macroeconomic policy. The microeconomic effect is down to the level of the firm. I dont know any boardroom that talks about HPCHPC has been in the R&D basement forever.

On tackling the question of how to take HPC mainstream, Giles said, Reducing time-to-impact is essential, and HPC plays a big part in this. The key to success is being obsessed with the customer. The customer wins in this game.

We have to know what goes on in HPC and we have to know about the companies. The HPC community is where we can solve things, and it may be the only way to peek under the hood and know how it works, he concluded. Taking charge of change

Raed Al-Rabeh, manager of EXPEC Network Operations atSaudi Aramco, spoke about how there is a complex plethora of new technologies with new disciplines and modes of operations available to all developers, industry and computing researchers. He discussed how by virtue of this, a whole new plane of possibility in HPC is now attainable that was unthinkable a few years ago. Al-Rabeh also discussed the need to adjust to these changes in the HPC landscape and to adapt to avoid the risk of being left behind.

Its not about changeits about us taking charge of change and making good use of it, he said. In HPC, you have to understand the architecture and go to very low levels of understanding to get the most out of the system. You have to be a scientist with a strong background in computer engineering or an electrical engineer to get the most out of it. The HPC challenges are not that different from the IT challenges, but they go to a different level.

We need to spot opportunities to make good use of our systemsgone are the days when research was funded just for the sake of research. Research is now funded if it drives new opportunities that are close to homethe industry and the society and where we live, not some theoretical question out there in space. Innovation must happen as a regular process, and agility is critical, he added.

Our customers arent interested in becoming computer scientists or experts so they can use products. They expect the products to work. Technology requires resources and the knowledge is not very widespread. We need to spread the knowledge and bring it up-to-speed, and we need to embrace the change and be aware of it to give us the advantage, he noted.

We need alignment between business and research, with research doing what business needs. This kind of alignment fuels the research, and then products of the research are deployable and usable. Especially in the Kingdom, very few companies realize the applications of HPC, Al-Rabeh concluded.

Following on from Al-Rabeh,Sreekanth Pannalafromthe Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)highlighted the role HPC plays in SABIC and how it aids the companys goals and productivity rates for the Kingdom.

We look towards our capabilities from a computing perspectivewe look at novel solutions from an HPC perspective to make things faster, Pannala said.

We must move forward

In his keynote talk, Schulthess reflected on the goals and baseline for exascale computing and how a capable exascale computing system requires an entire computational ecosystem behind it.

Its amazing to see so many people engaged with HPC in the Middle East. Globally, we have to figure out what we want to accomplish in particular areas. Today, the fastest supercomputers sustain 20 to 100 petaflops on HPL, and investment in software allows mathematical improvements and changes in architecture, Schulthess said. I dont know what that architecture will be in five to 10 years, but we must move forward with it.

In his presentation,Muhammad El-Rabaa, an associate professorat theDepartment of Computer EngineeringatKing Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals(KFUPM), outlined how new applications have propelled HPC to the forefront of computing.

New applications have catapulted HPC from narrow scientific applications domain to the mainstreamapplications like the cloud, pocket processing, machine learning, searches, analytics, business logic, etc. Computing platforms have continuously evolved with new platforms continuing to emerge, he said.

He also highlighted the increasing role of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), an integrated circuit that can be configured after manufacturing. Instead of building one chip, you can now have a few chips, as it is more economical. Several hi-tech executives say that FGPAs will constitute 20 percent of data centers by 2020, he added.

A fast-moving world

Jeff Brooks, director of supercomputing product management atCray, discussed the upcoming technology shifts in the marketplace and the implications for systems design in the exascale era.

Systems with millions of cores will become commonplace. We are trying to invest more in data work, make it work better and scale it out. We want to couple analytics with simulation, Brooks said. Another thing that is coming is small, fast memoriessystems with millions of coreswill become commonplace. This is a fast-moving world, but by working together you can solve problems you couldnt do before.

Delivering scientific solutions

Jeff Nichols, acting director of the National Center for Computational Sciences and the National Leadership Computing Facility atOak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), discussed the several scientific areas that require an integrated approach and the effort in creating an exascale ecosystem that enables successful delivery of important scientific solutions across a broad range of disciplines.

We need to think about how were being connected to the data that is generated from the sensors all around us. Our Compute and Data Environment for Science (CADES) provides a shared infrastructure to help solve big science problems. We try to connect our data to our in-silico information from the top down.

We have to think about the type of data we are actually deploying on these systems. This is a very complicated workflow scenario we have to come up with. We have four pillars which are: application development, software technology, hardware technology, and exascale systems. The Oak Ridge leadership computing facility is on a well-defined path to exascale. Were interested in our ecosystem delivering important and critical science for the nation and the world, he said.

Patricia Damkroger,vice president of the Data Center Group atIntel, spoke on the convergence of simulation and data.

At Intel, we look at the whole ecosystem. There will be new systems and new workloads and we will need to figure out what is the underlying architecture and hardware that makes those systems work. Its a question of how can we create a common architecture for data and simulation. The world is changing, and without analytics and AI workloads, we will drown in data, she said.

Educating computational scientists

Voigt opened the final plenary session of the event with his keynote presentation entitled The Education of Computational Scientists. His talk centered on providing a historical perspective of the challenges of educating future computational scientists based on his career experiences.

One might argue that scientific computing began in the 1950s, and in 1982, computational science was recognized. Computational science takes on a discipline of its own, and there is an opportunity to learn about aspects of computational science through exploring multidisciplinary searches, Voigt said.

Computational science involves the integration of knowledge and methodologies. There is now an explosion of data and new areas of science and engineering. There are also rapidly changing computer architectures, he added.

A leading role in HPC

The third day of the conference offered eight tutorials on emerging technical topics of interest, such as advanced performance tuning and optimization offered by Allinea, Intel and Cray; the best practices of HPC procurement by RedOak; and SLURM workload management by SchedMD. The most popular were HPC 101, which offered a step-by-step guide on how to useShaheen II, andNVIDIAs tutorial on the popular topic of deep learning.

A total of 333 people attended the High Performance Computing Saudi Arabia event, making it one of the biggest conferences held at KAUST.

The conference was a great chance to observe significant HPC interests in the Kingdom. There were lots of discussions on ways to enhance the HPC ecosystem in the Kingdom, and it was clear that KAUST can play a leading role in several of them, noted Lee.

Source:David Murphy, KAUST News (link)

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KAUST: Building an HPC Ecosystem - HPCwire (blog)

‘Urgent’ Need to Protect the Arctic’s Ecosystem, Report Says – Newsweek

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This storyoriginally appearedon The Huffington Postand is reproduced here as part of theClimate Desk Collaboration.

As climate change opens up previously inaccessible areas of the Arctic, a leading conservation group is stressing the urgent need to safeguard this fragile region from threats including oil development and shipping.

In a lengthy report presented Tuesday in Monaco, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature identifies seven exception areas in the Arctic Ocean that deserve protection and could qualify for UNESCOs World Heritage list.

The Arctic Ocean plays a crucial role in shaping global climate and hosts a diverse range of species, many of them threatened, said Carl Gustaf Lundin, director of IUCNs Global Marine and Polar Programme, in a statement.

Spanning nearly 5.5 million square miles, the Arctic Ocean is home to some of the planets most magnificent creatures, including grey whales, narwhals, polar bears and walruses. But climate change has led to soaring temperatures and rapidly melting sea ice, opening once-inaccessible areas up to fishing, shipping, energy development and even luxury cruise liners.

Activists protest the Shell Oil Company's drilling rig Polar Pioneer due to plans by Royal Dutch Shell to resume oil exploration in the Arctic. Reuters

These activities have the potential to inflict further stress on Arctic marine ecosystems already straining under the effects of climate change, Prince Albert II of Monaco writes in the reports preface. I believe we have a historic opportunity, and a profound obligation, to do what we can to educate people around the world about the need to protect ecologically important and sensitive ocean habitats in the Arctic for future generations. The need to act is urgent.

Two polar bears feed on decomposing Narwhal remains.

The IUCN report, supported by Natural Resources Defense Council and the World Wildlife Fund, highlights seven important and highly productive marine areas worthy of protection.

The Arctic Oceans beauty and bounty are unparalleled, said Mechtild Rssler, director of UNESCOs World Heritage Centre, in a statement. From the sea life superhighway of the Bering Strait to the breath-taking fjords of Scoresby Sound, this region is unlike any other on the planet.

The IUCNs warning comes roughly three months after a team of international scientists released the 2016 Arctic Report Card, which painted an equally dire picture of the rapidly changing Arctic, where sea ice has reached record lows and temperatures are warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet.

Scientists and environmentalists have grown increasingly worried about increased opportunities for fishing and oil and gas development.

In his preface, Prince Albert II referenced the importance of the Paris climate agreement, in which nearly 200 countries committed to reduce carbon emissionsincluding the U.S. It represented a crucial step addressing global warming and its effects on the Arctic, he wrote. However, he emphasized the need to protect key habitat from human activity in an effort to make the Arctic more resilient.

In December, the Obama administration permanently blocked offshore drilling in large swaths of the Arctic, a move aimed at better protecting the planet in the face of climate change. President Donald Trump, however, has acted quickly to dismantle his predecessors climate legacy, and he appears to have given new hope to those who support oil and gas development in Arctic waters.

Trump has also vowed to withdraw the U.S. from the historic Paris climate pact and dismissed climate change as bullshit and as a hoax.

The extent to which global warming has transformed this part of the planet was on full display in September, when the luxury cruise liner Crystal Serenity completed a 32-day voyage through the Northwest Passagea historically impassable sea route connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Rod Downie of the World Wildlife Fund said at the time it was because the Arctic is in meltdown that this cruise can take place.

Read the full IUCN report here.

Read the original:

'Urgent' Need to Protect the Arctic's Ecosystem, Report Says - Newsweek

Tesla: Building A ‘Green’ Ecosystem – Seeking Alpha

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Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has made headlines this week by passing automaker Ford (NYSE:F) in market capitalization after reporting Q1 vehicle deliveries. This accomplishment caps a sharp recovery in share price from 52-week lows in early December, with TSLA closing Tuesday up a whopping 70% from those lows.

TSLA data by YCharts

Naturally, the Q1 delivery numbers, subsequent stock gains, and passing Ford in market cap set off passionate reactions on both sides of the bull-bear debate. Bulls claimed the delivery numbers were strong and the price increase justified, while bears claimed the bulls are in a state of irrational exuberance about a company that doesn't make a dime of profit. Elon Musk also weighed in on the debate with a tweet reading "Stormy weather in Shortville". Immature? Maybe. Premature? Probably.

I set up this context because so many people seem baffled by just how valuable Tesla has become - why is a car manufacturer that trails substantially in volume, margins, and profits almost the industry's most valuable company? The answer, of course, lies in the future. Musk imagines a future where autonomous Tesla vehicles, powered by Tesla-produced lithium-ion batteries, can drive around the country and recharge at Tesla-owned Superchargers. And SolarCity presumably has a role in charging Tesla vehicles, powering Tesla Powerwall storage devices, and generally offering solar energy to consumer markets.

If it sounds like Tesla has many of the "green" frontiers of the future covered, it's because that is exactly the plan. Musk doesn't want to control a slice of the renewable energy market, he wants to be everywhere. He wants to create an ecosystem where Tesla has significant control over its supply chain and is deeply horizontally and vertically integrated.

First, I think it would be useful to establish just how wide the operating gap between Ford and Tesla is. In 2016, the former sold 2.6 million vehicles and earned $4.6 billion in profit, while Tesla sold 76,000 cars and lost $675 million. Yet we see the following:

TSLA Market Cap data by YCharts

Does this make any sense from an operating results perspective? Of course not. But it's not always about current performance. I think Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) provides a good example of how a company can go from almost no market presence to dominating the entire space in a short time period.

When Apple released its first iPhone model in 2007, it sold 4 million units, which was dwarfed by Nokia's (NYSE:NOK) 435 million and Motorola's (NYSE:MSI) 164 million. Based on current performance at that time, many investors would have written off Apple as a small market player that would be crushed in time by its larger competitors. However, what the market did not see coming was the approaching paradigm shift in cellular devices that would give us the smartphone. Nokia underestimated this shift and played the situation passively, assuming that they could continue to milk their current soon-to-be legacy products and then pivot to smartphones later on.

But it never materialized. Nokia floundered and could not compete with the iPhone considering how far ahead of the curve Apple had gotten. Soon Apple was on top of the industry and now (here's a factoid we've already probably heard many times) earns most of the profits in the smartphone market with only 20% market share. How does this relate to Tesla?

Just as Nokia thought it could easily pivot to smartphones to stay ahead of or keep pace with Apple, Ford also appears content to continue focusing on ICEs (with some electric vehicles, hybrids, and autonomous vehicle research here or there) while Tesla is plunging head-on into autonomous electric vehicles. I think it is fairly apparent who will have the advantage once autonomous and electric vehicle market share goes up for grabs.

In addition to the first-mover advantage and not being burdened down by an ICE business that will soon enter decline, Tesla has the unique advantage of having significant control over many aspects of the production of its vehicles, with more control approaching in the future. On the hardware side, Tesla manufactures the powertrains and batteries for many of its vehicles, with the Gigafactory expected to give the company an even bigger advantage over competitors in the future due to lower battery costs.

On the software side, Tesla is a Silicon Valley company at heart and has top-tier software engineering talent. The company is building its autonomous driving software in-house, which provides yet more control over the production and costs of the final product.

Tesla, and Musk specifically, is trying to establish a monopoly on the most popular markets in the renewable energy space - trying to establish a "green" ecosystem (that works almost too well!) If all goes according to plan, Tesla will have full control over the software in its vehicles, the major components of its vehicles (mainly batteries), the primary and secondary infrastructure for charging its vehicles (home charger and Supercharger respectively), the way many homes receive electricity (solar) and a way to store excess electricity (Powerwall).

It is easy to imagine how, if successful, this type of ecosystem could be worth well over $100 billion. This scheme would be a mesh of criss-crossing horizontal and vertical integrations, which would allow Tesla to keep costs under control and charge a premium if the company so desires. For any investors that have wondered why Musk has pushed ahead so aggressively and so quickly with Tesla's operations instead of waiting for profitability, it's because this ecosystem will be impossible to accomplish with a strategy that is anything but full speed ahead at all times. And so far, it appears to be working.

The Gigafactory will indeed give Tesla a cost advantage over other automakers when it is operating at full utilization, the Supercharger infrastructure is miles ahead of any other competitors, and Tesla has the pieces to make the ecosystem work if it can accomplish one thing: sell cars. Without deliveries and booming success for the Model 3, Tesla will collapse in on itself before even getting close to Musk's dream of a "green" ecosystem.

My argument has always been that the success or failure of Tesla hinges on the Model 3. If it's as innovative and popular as many seem to think it will be, then a wide-reaching "green" ecosystem could be a very likely scenario, which would be hugely beneficial for Tesla and its shareholders. But of course there are also many risks and obstacles that pose a threat to that ecosystem, some of which include:

1) Ford and other automakers convince consumers that its EVs are more desirable

2) Tesla has nagging issues with autonomous vehicle development that hinder its ability to compete

3) The Model 3 is not a blowout success. This, in my opinion, is the most dangerous threat to Tesla. Even a modest success will not be enough to bail the company out of its precarious financial situation.

4) Another company or group of companies develop a "green" ecosystem that is superior to or implemented earlier than Tesla's.

5) Lithium-ion batteries become cheap as heck and the Gigafactory becomes irrelevant to cost advantages. This would put Tesla in a very tight spot.

There are plenty more as well. But the only question investors should be asking themselves regarding Tesla is, as I've been saying for a while now, "will the Model 3 be a significant success?" If you think the answer is no, don't own this stock. Tesla's financial situation is such that it likely cannot survive without this condition. If the answer is yes, then keep an eye on developments regarding the Tesla ecosystem - that's where the real money is.

Traditional automakers with less control over their product, no ecosystem presence, and those not fully prepared for the paradigm shift from ICE to EV (and autonomous vehicles) could very well find themselves trailing Tesla in operating results as well as market cap. There's still a long way to go until we see any of these potentials materialize, but the market certainly already sees the possibilities.

If you want to stay up-to-date on my articles, you can "Follow" me by clicking "Follow" at the top of this page or by going to my author page.

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Tesla: Building A 'Green' Ecosystem - Seeking Alpha

Dana-Farber Chief: Federal Cuts Could Threaten ‘World’s Greatest … – WBUR

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wbur Commentary

April 07, 2017

By Dr. Laurie Glimcher

Dr. Laurie Glimcher, President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told the Boston Chamber of Commerce on Friday that for cancer care, "It truly is the best of times and the worst of times." Research and treatment have been advancing rapidly, she said, but the political climate "threatens to send us backwards," if the Affordable Care Act is undermined and proposed cuts to the federal budget for biomedical research go through.

An excerpt from her remarks as prepared:

For me, personally, this has been a roller-coaster ride.

I was honored to be a member of the blue ribbon panel convened by Vice President Joe Biden to shape his Cancer Moonshoot. In December of 2016, I was present when President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, which included $1.8 billion in new dollars over seven years for cancer research and care.

However, a few short months later, the Trump Administration released a skinny budget that cuts funding to the National Institutes of Health, which is the agency that distributes most federal support for biomedical research in the United States, by more than 18%. And it is unclear how the Moonshot dollars, intended to be additive, fit into the picture.

This more-than-decimation of the NIH budget has to be put into context. Over the last ten years, NIH funding had already dropped by more than 13% in constant dollars a source of great frustration to many physician-scientists, given the incredible potential we see before us in immunotherapy, in genome editing, in more efficient sequencing, in our ability to find insights within massive amounts of disparate data.

Now, to cut NIH funding almost 20% beyond that.... Since much of the NIH budget is devoted to ongoing grants, it is possible that the NIH may not be able to fund any new work at all in 2018.

Meanwhile, other countries particularly China and South Korea have been increasing their investments in biomedical R&D at a scorching pace, and the resulting generation of intellectual property. President Trump says its a bad thing that so many of the things we use are now made in China. Imagine how much worse it would be if they also were invented there.

As we consider moonshots, it is worth pointing out that at the height of the Space Race in the mid-1960s, the United States spent more than three times as much on R&D as a percentage of the federal budget as we do today. That spending funded discoveries that led to commercial lasers, the Internet, GPS, the cell phone, the entire biotechnology industry, and a host of medical advances, including the ones Ive been talking about.

Now, with the stroke of a pen, our innovation engine may grind to a halt.

Even setting aside the lives that could be saved, the foolishness of this is extreme, just in terms of cost-benefits. For example, caring for people with Alzheimers, and other dementias, costs the United States over $200 billion per year, much of that paid for by Medicare and Medicaid. Because of the growth and aging of our population, the bill for Alzheimers is expected to rise to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 and we cannot even treat these patients, because we have not yet discovered an effective treatment.

If we could find a treatment that would merely delay the onset of Alzheimers by five years, we could save $220 billion within the first five years seven times the $32 billion we spent on the NIH in 2016.

Cancer prevalence also rises with aging, and cancer costs are projected to reach $158 billion a year in 2020. Again, if we can turn this into an easily manageable disease, the nation would come out way ahead.

Before I end, I want to consider what this new political climate means for us in the Greater Boston area.

With the worlds greatest ecosystem in biomedicine, we have a lot to lose. Five of the ten largest private employers here are teaching hospitals and three more are research universities. As you would expect, Greater Boston receives more NIH funding than any other city in the country. The nearly half a billion dollars in Massachusetts NIH grants likely to vanish under the Trump budget are a serious concern for our innovation-based economy.

At Dana-Farber alone, we could lose $23 million in the first year. Here is what really keeps us awake at night: the reality that declining federal support for biomedical research is discouraging the next generation of young scientific talent, who are not able to get funding for their projects.

This loss of intellectual capital is going to hurt Boston-based businesses as well. NIH-funded research centers like Dana-Farber are an essential training ground for young physician-scientists, many of whom go on to build careers at pharmaceutical or medical device companies, or who launch new companies of their own.

These early-stage businesses also rely on NIH grants in order to research and develop promising new biotechnologies and survive the valleys of death that could keep important treatments from reaching the market.

This is fuel for the vibrant life sciences startup community in Boston and Cambridge, which adds vitality to every other sector represented in this room restaurants, hotels, real estate, financial services, software, retailing.

We face another threat as well: California. There is a cautionary tale in the way that Route 128 lost its dominance to Silicon Valley in information technology in the 1980s.

Silicon Valley clearly benefitted from more powerful social networks and a more freewheeling exchange of information. And now, our friends on the West Coast are coming for our crown in biomedicine: In 2004, California voters strongly supported a ballot initiative that created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and provided $3 billion for stem cell research.

And the enormous wealth generated in technology means that many California universities and medical centers are awash in philanthropic support for researchincluding major health care initiatives, like one recently launched by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.

In Boston, we are used to being the best. But we cannot be complacent. We need to push forward on everything from digital health care to STEM education. We need to rally all sectors of our regional economy, including both philanthropy and government, to maintain our intellectual leadership.

And we need to join forces, rather than to engage in cutthroat competition, given the degree to which we all gain strength from the biomedical cluster we have created here.

Read more:

Dana-Farber Chief: Federal Cuts Could Threaten 'World's Greatest ... - WBUR

‘There’s no trust deficit in the startup ecosystem’ – Times of India

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In this column, young entrepreneurs ask questions about issues they have encountered while building their ventures, and we get them answered by seasoned entrepreneurs and investors. You too can tweet your questions to @TOIStartups

'Booking holiday packages is the next challenge for online travel'

Question by Mahendra Pyati, founder, AAO hostels, an online aggregator for hostels With large online travel agencies like MakeMyTrip and Holiday IQ in India, is there space for more such companies in the emerging travel market in India? What are your suggestions to small or emerging online travel agencies?

Answer from Karana Mohla, Executive Director at IDG Ventures

Travel was the first area of adoption and growth for the internet/digital economy in India. Over the last 10 years, online travel agencies like MakeMyTrip and Yatra blazed a trail to solve the problems of booking of flight and train tickets and making hotel deals. In doing so, they helped create user behaviour that is online-led (and now largely mobile first) where the traditional issues of price, selection and convenience were addressed.

Online penetration is higher in segments like flights (50%+) and trains (35%+) whereas hotels (7-8%) and holiday packages (5%) are far behind. The next set of online travel companies must try to address user requirements from different perspectives. To give a few examples, Tripoto via its UGC platform, discovery and AI recommendation engine is enabling a new set of digital travellers to book hotels and holiday packages recommended by a trusted online community of fellow travellers. Ixigo, with its metasearch platform, gives customers up-to-date price selection across all channels and allows for the convenience of bookings to be fulfilled on its platform, thereby solving two fundamental needs together.

With growth being driven by a different customer set - largely Tier II and Tier III cities and a younger, mobile-first user with greater spending needs -- the opportunities for online travel companies remain vast. Just FYI, wouldn't call Holiday IQ a large online travel agency (it's part of MMT). Instead, probably, include Yatra along with MakeMyTrip as a large online travel agency.

'There's no trust deficit in the startup ecosystem'

Question by Barkha Sharma, founder of Bash, an HR tech firm

Due to the lack of longevity of a few startups, there seems to be a trust deficit in the startup ecosystem in India. What would be the best response when enterprise clients raise this concern with startups like ours?

Read more from the original source:

'There's no trust deficit in the startup ecosystem' - Times of India

Africa’s Exploding Tech Startup Ecosystem – Visual Capitalist (blog)

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In terms of economic potential and growth, Africa has never been more important on the world stage.

Africa is home to the fastest growing cities, and more than half of the worlds population growth will take place on the continent over the coming decades. By 2050, cities like Lagos and Kinshasa will be global megacities, each holding well over 30 million inhabitants.

Africa is also at the start of a technological renaissance. It was recently reported by WeAreSocial that 7 of 10 of the worlds fastest growing internet populations are in Africa the beginning of a trend that will likely re-shape entire economies as new companies leapfrog established technology, ideas, and infrastructure.

That said, much of that opportunity lies in the future. As of today, internet penetration is just 29% throughout Africa, meaning that the majority of growth and network effects are still to come.

Todays infographic from GSMA shows the 300+ hubs that have emerged in the African tech startup ecosystem. Many of these plan to take advantage of the aforementioned growth potential, including the 360 million smartphone owners expected on the continent by 2025.

Investors are recognizing the potential as well. Last year, it was estimated that African startups raised a record-breaking total of $366.8 million in investment.

Heres that distribution sorted by country:

In what sectors did most of the action happen? According to a separate report by Disrupt Africa, the fintech sector received the most funding in 2016, but the agri-tech sector saw the biggest percentage growth as compared to the previous year.

Other sectors that got substantial amounts of attention include solar, health, e-commerce, entertainment, and e-learning.

Every startup ecosystem is different, and hubs in Africa are no exception.

In particular, the continent has a unique wrinkle that also presents a huge opportunity: according to the African Development Bank, about 55% of sub-Saharan Africas economic activity is informal.

The [informal economy] is a massive commercial space without such services as business enterprise software, small business banking, affordable third-party logistics or internet access. Expect VC-backed startups to attempt scalable applications for nearly every corner of Africas informal economy.

Jake Bright, World Economic Forum

Last year, Africa Internet Group became the first unicorn on the continent after receiving investments from Goldman Sachs, Rocket Internet, AXA Group, Orange, and others.

Its also certain to be just one of many born on the African Savannah.

Excerpt from:

Africa's Exploding Tech Startup Ecosystem - Visual Capitalist (blog)

Trump vs the ecosystem – The News International

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In March, Donald Trump assembled a group of coal miners to serve as the backdrop to his signing of new executive orders on the environment.

These directives allow coal mining to take place on federal lands, and in general prioritize jobs and energy independence over environmental considerations.

Even though Trump hasnt formally signed the United States out of the Paris Accord on climate change he promises to make a decision next month the executive orders will, if successfully implemented, make it very difficult for the United States to meet its commitments under the agreement.

Ecosystems can be quite resilient. They can maintain or regain equilibrium in the case of disruptive events, such as the extinction of a species. It all depends on how critical that species was in the complex interdependency within the ecosystem.

Ecosystems can also adjust to the introduction of invasive species. Honeybees were reintroduced into the United States in the 17th century, and the ecosystem not only adjusted to the newcomers but became dependent on them in a positive way.

On the whole, however, invasive species are bad news, as Nature explains:

Invasive species have contributed directly to the decline of 42 percent of the threatened and endangered species in the United States. The annual cost to the United States economy is estimated at $120 billion a year, with over 100 million acres (an area roughly the size of California) suffering from invasive plant infestations.

A new theory of Easter Islands collapse, for instance, puts the blame on rats that stowed away on incoming canoes and ate through much of the islands palm trees.

Its been common to talk of Donald Trump as an outsider. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call him an invasive species. He is non-native to Washington, DC. He is a super-predator introduced into the international community. His supporters think of him as the Great Pollinator, an example of a positive invasive like the honeybee whose transactional politics will make America bloom again.

But the odds of that are next to nothing. In reality, Donald Trump is kudzu. He is out to strangle anything and everything in his path.

If the global ecosystem were in good shape, it could deal with an invasive species like Donald Trump. But the ecosystem has been compromised by any number of factors. The global economy remains addicted to fossil fuels and over-consumption more generally. Weve seen massive species die-offs. And the human population has yet to plateau.

The bottom line: Were not getting green enough, fast enough, to made a big enough difference on the seemingly inexorable increase in global temperatures. By 2016, the world desperately needed a game changer who could drain the swamp of Big Energy. Instead, it got a reverse game changer.

Trump will be a problem more for what he doesnt do than what he does do. There will be significant opportunity costs connected with his failure to continue much less improve upon Obama-era initiatives. Those who anticipate that judicial and legislative institutions will block much of what Trump wants to do might be right.

But as Jeremy Brecher writes in his critically important new book, Against Doom: A Climate Insurgency Manual, its too late for politics as usual. It will take nothing less than mass, global, nonviolent action to challenge the legitimacy of the public officials in the US and elsewhere who are perpetrating climate destruction.

That movement needs to begin here in the United States in stopping the kudzu known as Donald Trump before he spreads out of control.

This article has been excerpted from: Invasive Species: Trump vs. the Ecosystem.

Courtesy: Counterpunch.org

Link:

Trump vs the ecosystem - The News International

India, Russia to jointly build innovation ecosystem | india-news … – Hindustan Times

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India and Russia on Friday signed a joint declaration to build an innovation ecosystem between the two countries.

The declaration was inked by the Science and Technology, Department of India and the ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation on the margins of a Global R&D summit 2017 in Bengaluru.

As India and Russia are natural partners of innovation, the declaration will take the relations between the people of the two countries to new heights, said Science and Technology secretary Ashutosh Sharma on the occasion.

The declaration envisages the two countries to promote innovation and technology entrepreneurship through cooperation and direct contacts between Russian and Indian clusters and business associations, techno-parks, business-incubators, high-tech firms, start-up enterprises, educational and research institutions.

We need to extend the collaborations in developing innovation capabilities for various sectors in the spirit of India-Russia partnerships, said Russian deputy minister of Economic Development Fomichev Oleg Vladislavovich in a statement.

The two countries also agreed to implement joint projects in innovation and exchange information and best practices in the innovation space.

The National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board of the S&T Department will implement the declaration from the Indian side.

The two-day summit since Thursday was organised by the S&T Department and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).

See more here:

India, Russia to jointly build innovation ecosystem | india-news ... - Hindustan Times

A Mechanical Engineer Spent 7 Months Building an Epic Cyborg Ninja Helmet – Futurism

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In Brief Diego Valdes spent seven months creating a cosplay based off the Metal Gear Solid video game franchise. The partially 3D-printed cyborg helmet is creative in its light fixtures, movable parts, and design.

Diego Valdes is a Mechanical Engineer by day and creative cosplay creator by night. HisYoutube account,diegator,has risen to internet stardom thanks to his most recent creation, the Metal Gear Solid Gray Fox Helmet.

His creation is an homage to the metal gear solid franchise, but even those whoare unaware of the cosplays significance are starstruck by ninja cyborg helmet itself.

The design took Valdes over seven months to complete, and it seems his efforts have paid off. The parts of the masks were 3D printed, while Valdes created his own light fixtures, switches, and facial transitions that can becontrolled and powered by buttons inside the helmet.

Valdes motivation to build this technologically and aesthetically beautiful helmet highlights a trend in our society. We are gradually becoming a community of creators, builders, and innovators. Whether its pushing the envelope of scientific knowledge or investing that knowledge into building what we could previously only imagine, we are coming a long way in building a future ofour own.

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A Mechanical Engineer Spent 7 Months Building an Epic Cyborg Ninja Helmet - Futurism

Cyborgs at work: Employees get implanted with microchips – CBS News

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STOCKHOLM -- The syringe slides in between the thumb and index finger. Then, with a click, a microchip is injected in the employees hand. Another cyborg is created.

What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish startup hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.

Play Video

Lots of pets have them, and now some people do, too -- tiny, implantable computer chips. Enthusiasts say the chips offer convenience and security...

The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.

The biggest benefit I think is convenience, said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys.

The technology in itself is not new. Such chips are used as virtual collar plates for pets. Companies use them to track deliveries. Its just never been used to tag employees on a broad scale before. Epicenter and a handful of other companies are the first to make chip implants broadly available.

And as with most new technologies, it raises security and privacy issues. While biologically safe, the data generated by the chips can show how often an employee comes to work or what they buy. Unlike company swipe cards or smartphones, which can generate the same data, a person cannot easily separate themselves from the chip.

Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do and it was even for me at first, said Mesterton, remembering how he initially had had doubts.

But then on the other hand, I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart, he said. Thats a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices.

Epicenter, which is home to more than 100 companies and some 2,000 workers, began implanting workers in January 2015. Now, about 150 workers have them. A company based in Belgium also offers its employees such implants, and there are isolated cases around the world where tech enthusiasts have tried this out in recent years.

Play Video

Researchers at North Carolina State University are turning cockroaches into joystick-controlled cyborgs for use in search and rescue operations. ...

The small implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the same as in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader a few centimeters (inches) away, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves. The implants are passive, meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves.

Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholms Karolinska Institute, says hackers could conceivably gain huge swathes of information from embedded microchips. The ethical dilemmas will become bigger the more sophisticated the microchips become.

The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone, he says. Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often youre working, how long youre working, if youre taking toilet breaks and things like that.

Libberton said that if such data is collected, the big question remains of what happens to it, who uses it, and for what purpose.

So far, Epicenters group of cyborgs doesnt seem too concerned.

People ask me, Are you chipped? and I say, Yes, why not, said Fredric Kaijser, 47, the chief experience officer at Epicenter. And they all get excited about privacy issues and what that means and so forth. And for me its just a matter of I like to try new things and just see it as more of an enabler and what that would bring into the future.

The implants have become so popular that Epicenter workers stage monthly events where attendees have the option of being chipped for free.

That means visits from self-described body hacker Jowan Osterlund from Biohax Sweden who performs the operation.

He injects the implants using pre-loaded syringes into the fleshy area of the hand, just next to the thumb. The process lasts a few seconds, and more often than not there are no screams and barely a drop of blood. The next step for electronics is to move into the body, he says.

Sandra Haglof, 25, who works for Eventomatic, an events company that works with Epicenter, has had three piercings before, and her left hand barely shakes as Osterlund injects the small chip.

I want to be part of the future, she laughs.

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Cyborgs at work: Employees get implanted with microchips - CBS News

Turning Cyborg. You May be Microchipped in the Future. – Big Think

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You're putting that where?!

A company in Sweden has been putting microchips in their employees in order to improve efficiency. Frustrated by the hassle of finding keys for doors or a debit card for food? Employees as the Stockholm-based Epicenter can literally use their hand. And while having the microchip implant is currently not mandatory for workers there, the prospect of technology inserted into our body sets off someunderstandable Orwellian fears. There is a fine line between efficiency and control with new technology.

Forget apps. In the near future, we may be saying, "There's an implant for that."

So, Why Does This Get Under Our Skin?

On one hand, technology being embedded into our body is nothing dramatically new. Pacemakers, for example, have been used for years to normalize heart rates by sending low-energy electrical pulses. Cats and dogs have also been getting microchipped for quite some time.

On the other hand, microchipping humans is a concept that can easily conjure up images of a dystopian future where everyone is permanentlyconnected to the internet and constantly tracked. There would be no ability to unplug if you are permanently plugged in. And there would be no sense of privacy if you are a perpetual source of data generation. In order to get a full grasp on the issue of microchipping, I reached out to Gerd Leonhard. Gerd is a Swiss futurist and humanist, and author of Technology vs. Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine.

The Implants Are Coming

"This is about Human Augmentation," states Gerd, "and I am afraid it will become as normal as using a mobile phone." In order for that to happen, Leonhard believes that the microchips used will be much more sophisticated. He cites the prospect of general "apps for the body." In the near future, we may have nanobots in our bloodstream formonitoring our health, or perhaps internet-enabled contact lenses.

"Tracking chips will become the size of a pin-head," Gerd continues, "and they will connect to your always-on internetdevicesuch as smart watches orwimaxnetworks in major cities." The futurist believes that the economic incentives behind connecting everything to the internet (internet of things) will make the microchipping inevitable. Gerd sees this as an extension of the Quantified Self movement and what he calls the global brain. While this may be heaven for some, Gerd points out, it could be hell for others.

Quantified Self or Quantified Slaves?

Gerd believes that microchipping could be considered normal after the process is viewed as easier and less evasive. What people are most concerned about, however, is being forced into having technology embedded into their skin by an employer. "Would you rather be wired or fired?," states Gerd, imagining a futurewhere under the guise of efficiency and securitycompanies will require employees to be microchipped.

While microchipping would have some obvious security and efficiency benefits, Gerd mentions the irresistible temptation that employers may have is utilizing the technology to track one's whereabouts, patterns, and perhaps direct datafrom the body (is the employee stressed? Depressed? Sick?). In order to ensure that microchipping technology is not abused by employers, Gerd recommends proactive legislation to consider the privacy concerns and ramificationsof its usage.

Is Microchipping an Upgrade or Downgrade?

"I think we have nothing to gain from a complete symbiosis of man and machine," states Gerd, "and we will everything to lose." What he sees as a folly is our pursuit of trying totranscend humanity, as opposed to agreements on new digital rights. With luminaries such as Elon Musk stating that we need to merge with machines, it is clear to see this will be a hotly contested issue in the years to come.

Gerd's summarizes his positions on technology versus humanity by stating, "embrace technology but don't become it."

Perhaps asserting our humanity is the ultimate upgrade.

===

Want to connect? Reach out @TechEthicistand onFacebook. Exploring the ethical, legal, and emotional impact of social media & tech.

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A Brief Look at Cyborgs in Film – Chapelboro.com

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Ghost in the Shell, a live-action adaptation of the manga and subsequent anime of thesame name,is currently making the rounds in theaters. The film follows the metaphysical exploits of Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg law enforcement operative in the high-tech, low-life fictional future prefecture of Niihama, Japan. The Major, as played by Scarlett Johansson, is the latest in a rich canon of films featuring cybernetic beings. Let us take a moment today to look back at a few great moments in cyborg cinema, as we pay tribute to a few semi-mechanical heroes

To clarify, a cyborg is any combination of a human being and a machine. They can take many forms, from a person with a single robotic part such as the villainous Donald Pierce and his robotic arm in the recent Logan to full robotic bodies with human brains and minimal other parts.

Regardless of their level of humanity, storytellers and audiences alike are fascinated with cyborgs. The earliest fictional cyborg can be found in Edgar Allen Poes short story The Man Who Was Used Up. Written in 1843, the story follows a man injured so extensively in battle that most of his body is made up of elaborate mechanical parts.

Films did not receive their first cyborg until almost a hundred years later in the beloved 1939 film the Wizard of Oz, featuring the Tin Man. While not generally thought of as a cyborg, the Tin Man as detailed in the various Oz books and plays was once a normal man, named Nick Chopper. He was chopped to pieces by an enchanted axe and his damaged body was forced to reside in a heartless metal suit. The Tin Man and his quest to find a heart was the precursor to countless other cyborgs in search of heart and humanity.

One of the most popular settings for cyborg characters is the cold reaches of outer space. Out among the stars, cyborgs have filled every role imaginable, from feckless heroes to remorseless villains. On the side of good we have the likes of Geordi La Forge, from Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987-1994. La Forge and the crew of the Enterprise-D often faced off against a cybernetic hive mind called the Borg, an army of brainwashed cyborgs that think and act as one.

The most famous spacefaring cyborg is unquestionably Darth Vader. Sith lord, estranged father and pop-culture icon. A combination of a robotic suit and fallen hero, Darth Vader is both awe-inspiring and terrifying whenever and wherever he appears. His iconic mask, raspy machine-assisted breath and his booming voice provided by the great James Earl Jones all cement his status as one of the greatest cyborgs in all of fiction.

Arguably the best part of any story in which he appears, the Sith lord has been iconic from the second he strode on screen in 1977. A recent cameo appearances in Rouge One: A Star Wars Story put him squarely back in the limelight after decades of appearances in novels, comics, and more parodies than can be counted. He uttered one of the most famous (and most misquoted) lines in cinematic history, occupies the roles of both villain and tragic hero, and is instantly recognizable to anyone that has had access to a television in the last three decades.

Vader is the last word in cybernetic villainy. Despite his evil appearance and actions, however, Vader still struggles with his lost humanity not unlike the Tin Man.

The protagonist of Ghost in the Shell, Major Motoko Kusanagi, is part of a long-standing tradition of cybernetic law enforcement in science fiction. There are countless cyborg cops, but a few manage to rise above the rest. Detective Spooner, from the 2004 I-Robot, is one such officer. Portrayed by Will Smith, Spooner is a robot-hating detective living in a distant future, where robots are common. He also happens to have a robotic arm. Aside from being a spectacular source of irony, the arm comes in handy during many of the films outrageous action scenes.

Of the many cybernetic law enforcers in popular culture, none are more iconic than RoboCop. Formerly a police officer named Alex Murphy who was killed on the job, RoboCop is the man-made-machine that combines equal parts ultraviolence, emotion and comedic effect for a cyborg that is more than the sum of his parts.

Aside from the original 1987 film by Paul Verhoeven that bears his name (a masterpiece) and its two sequels (not masterpieces), RoboCop has appeared in a number of television shows, both live action and animated, as well as a forgettable remake released a few years ago. Complete with killer catchphrases and an iconic look, RoboCop is ultimately brought to life by an all-time great performance by character actor Peter Weller. The original RoboCop movie remains relevant as a study in both pitch-black satire and over-the-top violence, but its the character of Alex Murphy/RoboCop that retains instant recognition.

Superhero stories have a long history with cyborgs, from villains like Doctor Octopus with his robotic arms to heroes like Iron Man, who walks around wearing a small arc-reactor on his chest. Filmgoers have also recently been introduced to the Winter Soldier, a brainwashed super-soldier with a robotic arm.

November will see the release of Justice League, a super-team extravaganza featuring a cyborg imaginatively named Cyborg. Cyborg has been an important part of the DC Comics universe since he was introduced in 1980. After a horrific interdimensional accident left teenager Victor Stone mutilated, his father outfits his broken body with experimental robotic parts to save his life. When Victor realizes that he cant return to his old life, he takes the name Cyborg and joins the Teen Titans, a team of young heroes and fellow outcasts. In recent years, Cyborg has been upgraded to the Justice League, DCs premier team of super heroes.

Outside of comics, Cyborg appeared in the well-received animated show Teen Titans, as well as its comically-focused successor Teen Titans Go! He is set to make his big-screen debut this fall in Justice League.

Decades after the Tin Man first pined for a heart, Hollywood is still putting out movies featuring part-human, part-robot characters searching for love, acceptance and the occasional criminal/rebel/alien to battle. From television and comics to video games and podcasts, cyborgs are everywhere. They remain relevant for a simple reason: theyre fascinating. They are fascinating because as we march further into the future and cybernetics become more reality than science fiction, cyborgs and their stories force us to ask where the robot ends, where the person begins, and whether the tin men of the future will have hearts.

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How Ghost in the Shell ducks the philosophical questions posed by a cyborg future – The Independent

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How closely will we live with the technology we use in the future? How will it change us? And how close is close? Ghost in the Shell imagines a futuristic, hi-tech but grimy and ghetto-ridden Japanese metropolis populated by people, robots, and technologically-enhanced human cyborgs.

Beyond the superhuman strength, resilience, and X-ray vision provided by bodily enhancements, one of the most transformative aspects of this world is the idea of brain augmentation, that as cyborgs we might have two brains rather than one. Our biological brain the ghost in the shell would interface via neural implants to powerful embedded computers that would give us lightning fast reactions and heightened powers of reasoning, learning and memory.

First written as a Manga comic series in 1989 during the early days of the internet, Ghost in the Shells creator, Japanese artist Masamune Shirow, foresaw that this brain-computer interface would overcome the fundamental limitation of the human condition: that our minds are trapped inside our heads. In Shirows transhuman future our minds would be free to roam, relaying thoughts and imaginings to other networked brains, entering via the cloud into distant devices and sensors, even deep diving the mind of another in order to understand and share their experiences.

Johansson as Major in Rupert Saundersnew film which superimposes the myth of the American all-action hero on a character who is the antithesis of that idea(Paramount)

Shirows stories also pinpointed some of the dangers of this giant technological leap. In a world where knowledge is power, these brain-computer interfaces would create new tools for government surveillance and control, and new kinds of crime such as mind-jacking the remote control of anothers thoughts and actions. Nevertheless there was also a spiritual side to Shirows narrative: that the cyborg condition might be the next step in our evolution, and that the widening of perspective and the merging of individuality from a networking of minds could be a path to enlightenment.

Borrowing heavily from Ghost in the Shells re-telling by director Mamoru Oshii in his classic 1995 animated film version, the newly arrived Hollywood cinematic interpretation stars Scarlett Johansson as Major, a cyborg working for Section 9, a government-run security organisation charged with fighting corruption and terrorism. Directed by Rupert Sanders, the new film is visually stunning and the storyline lovingly recreates some of the best scenes from the original anime.

Sadly though, Sanders movie pulls its punches around the core question of how this technology could change the human condition. Indeed, if casting Western actors in most key roles wasnt enough, the new film also engages in a form of cultural appropriation by superimposing the myth of the American all-action hero who you are is defined by what you do on a character who is almost the complete antithesis of that notion.

The Japanese artistMasamuna Shirowcreated the Manga comic series in 1989(Rex)

Major fights the battles of her masters with increasing reluctance, questioning the actions asked of her, drawn to escape and contemplation. This is no action hero, but someone trying to piece together fragments of meaning from within her cyborg existence with which to assemble a worthwhile life.

A scene midway through the film shows, even more bluntly, the central role of memory in creating the self. We see the complete breakdown of a man who, having been mind-jacked, faces the realisation that his identity is built on false memories of a life never lived, and a family who never existed. The 1995 anime insists that we are individuals only because of our memories. While the new film retains much of the same story line, it refuses to follow the inference. Rather than being defined by our memories, Majors voice tells us that we cling to memories as if they define us, but what we do defines us. Perhaps this is meant to be reassuring, but to me it is both confusing and unfaithful to the spirit of the original tale.

ShirowsManga comic series claimed thecyborg future could be a path to enlightenment(Rex)

The new film also backs away from another key idea of Shirows work, that the human mind even the human species is, in essence, information. Where the 1995 anime talked of the possibility of leaving the physical body the shell elevating consciousness to a higher plane and becoming part of all things, the remake has only veiled hints that such a merging minds, or a melding of the human mind with the internet, could be either positive or transformational.

In the real world, the notion of networked minds is already upon us. Touchscreens, keypads, cameras, mobile, the cloud: we are more and more directly and instantly linked to a widening circle of people, while opening up our personal lives to surveillance and potential manipulation by governments, advertisers, or worse.

Brain-computer interfaces are also on their way. There are already brain implants that can mitigate some of the symptoms of brain conditions, from Parkinsons disease to depression. Others are being developed to overcome sensory impairments such as blindness or to control a paralysed limb. On the other hand, the remote control of behaviour using implanted brain stimulators has been demonstrated in several animal species, a frightening technology that could be applied to humans if someone were to choose to misuse it in that way.

The possibility of voluntarily networking our minds is also here. Devices like the Emotiv are simple wearable EEG-based devices that can detect some of the signature electrical signals emitted by our brains, and are sufficiently intelligent to interpret those signals and turn them into useful output. For example, an Emotiv connected to a computer can control a videogame by the power of the wearers thoughts alone.

In terms of artificial intelligence, the work in my lab at Sheffield Robotics explores the possibility of building robot analogues of human memory for events and experiences. The fusion of such systems with the human brain is not possible with todays technology but it is imaginable in the decades to come. Were an electronic implant developed that could vastly improve your memory and intelligence, would you be tempted? Such technologies may be on the horizon, and science fiction imaginings such as Ghost in the Shell suggest that their power to fundamentally change the human condition should not be underestimated.

Tony Prescott is professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and director of the Sheffield Robotics Institute, University of Sheffield. This article was originally published on The Conversation.

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How Ghost in the Shell ducks the philosophical questions posed by a cyborg future - The Independent

Beaches | GoHawaii.com

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Hawaii Island features some of the most picturesque and varied beach landscapes in the islands. Here youll find not just white sand beaches but black sand and green sand beaches with olivine crystals. And along with beautifulresortbeaches, Hawaii Island also has rugged, off-the-beaten-path sands that are wild, remote and rewarding.

Kolekole Beach Park: Twelve miles north ofHiloon theHamakua Coastyoull find this jungle garden by the ocean, with a nearby stream lined with smooth lava rocks and a waterfall. A banyan tree leans over the river with a rope swing.

Onekahakaha Beach Park: A favorite with locals, this small, shallow sand-bottomed ocean pool just east of the Hilo Airport is one the safest swimming areas along theHilocoast, with tide pools and inlets. Perfect for family snorkeling, it also offers lovely views of Hilo Bay.

Richardson Ocean Center/Lelewi Beach Park: The shallow bay fronting Richardson Ocean Center is the most popularsnorkelingsite on the east side of the island. The center, which is two miles south down Kalanianaole Avenue from Onekahakaha Beach, has picnic pavilions, restrooms, parking and showers.

Punaluu Black Sand Beach: 30 miles south ofHawaii Volcanoes National Parkis Hawaii Islands famous black sand beach and a great place to see honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) basking on the shore. An adjacent campground is popular with local families and fisherman.

Anaehoomalu Beach: This stretch ofKohala Coastbeach next to theWaikoloa Beach Marriottis a place to rent kayaks, hydro bikes and body boards or to snorkel, scuba dive or sunbathe. There is ample parking, along with picnic facilities and restrooms. A historic Hawaiian fishpond also hugs the beach.

Hapuna Beach: The largest white sand beach on Hawaii Island, this world-renowned beach is located adjacent to theHapuna Beach Prince Hotel. There is ample parking with restroom and picnic facilities.

Holoholokai Beach: This small beach park with full facilities near theFairmont Orchid Hawaiiisnt a sandy beach, but its a beautiful place to explore tide pools and snorkel. Its a short walk from thePuako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve, where youll find hundreds of ancient carvings in the lava rock.

Kaunaoa Beach: This near-perfect crescent of sand leading to calm water has been voted among the Top 10 beaches in the U.S. by Conde Nasts Traveler magazine. Adjacent to the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, parking spaces are limited, so its good to arrive early.

Kahaluu Beach: Located just south ofHistoric Kailua Village (Kailua-Kona)in theKeauhouarea, Kahaluu Beach is known for honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) that frequent its shores. This is one of the Keauhou and Historic Kailua Village (Kailua-Kona) areas most popular beaches, great for snorkeling.

Laalao Beach: Also known as Disappearing Sands and Magic Sands, this white sandKonabeach is located on Alii Drive just south of Historic Kailua Village.This popular pocket of sand is great for splashing in the surf, body-surfing and body-boarding. There are restrooms, showers and a lifeguard, but limited parking. This small beach may disappear overnight due to tidal shifts or strong surf, but always returns.

Samuel Spencer Beach Park: Popular among families, thisNorth Kohalabeach, located a half-hour north of Historic Kailua Village (Kailua-Kona), is well protected by an outside reef, which allows for calm swimming and snorkeling waters on most days. The beach park has picnic pavilions, tables and barbeque grills and is within walking distance ofPuukohola Heiau National Historic Site.

Note: Heed all warning signs and be aware of changing conditions, strong currents and reefs. Use your own best judgment to determine whether a particular beach is appropriate for you and your ability level.

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Maui Beaches | GoHawaii.com

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With 120 miles of coastline, Maui boasts over 30 miles of beautiful beaches. On these world famous shores youll find white, black and red sand beaches, renowned surfing and windsurfing spots as well as some of the best beaches in the world to simply swim, snorkel and sunbathe. Many are easily accessible beach parks with lifeguards, picnic facilities and restrooms. Others are undeveloped, "secret spots" found off the beaten path. Discover Mauis world-famous beaches below:

Kaanapali Beach: West Maui's "signature" beach, Kaanapali Beach offers three miles of white sand. Easy walking access from all Kaanapali hotels, this was named "America's Best Beach" in 2003. Puu Kekaa, also known as Black Rock, on the northernmost section of the beach is excellent for snorkeling.

D.T. Fleming Beach Park: This classic Kapalua beach was named "America's Best Beach" in 2006. Facilities include picnic tables, restrooms and lifeguards.

Kapalua Beach: Known to Maui veterans as Old Fleming Beach, Kapalua was the first of Maui's beaches to be named "America's Best Beach" in 1991.

Launiupoko Beach Park: Just south of Lahaina, this local favorite offers a unique natural pool surrounded by a lava rock wall excellent for small children. Picnic tables and restrooms are available.

Puamana Beach County Park: This Lahaina beach provides swimming, picnic tables, restrooms, grills and a grassy park with waves that are excellent for beginning and intermediate surfers.

Kamaole Beach Parks I, II, & III: Ample parking, lifeguards, volleyball courts and excellent swimming conditions make the Kamaole Parks in Kihei local favorites.

Keawakapu Beach: A beachcomber's delight with classic views, this Kihei beach is a half-mile walk to the Wailea Resort.

Kihei Beach: A series of beaches, coves and tide pools along six-miles of Kihei coastline. Some areas offer lifeguards, restrooms and picnic facilities.

Makena Beach State Park (Big Beach): Makena Beach State Park is one of Maui's signature beaches. With white sands extending nearly 2/3 of a mile long, it is one of the largest beaches in Maui.

Polo Beach: This Wailea beach is popular with Maui locals and visitors. Picnic tables and restrooms are available.

Wailea Beach: Named "America's Best Beach" in 1999, Wailea offers excellent swimming with restrooms and equipment rentals. A paved beach walk lets you meander past Wailea's hotels, restaurants and shops.

Kahana Beach Park: World famous for its excellent windsurfing conditions, Kanaha also offers good swimming and diving. Close to Kahului, this beach is a popular spot for locals. Lifeguards, restrooms, showers and picnic tables are available.

H.A. Baldwin Beach Park: This picture-perfect Paia beach with excellent swimming and bodysurfing. Also features a "baby beach" with a lagoon. Lifeguards, restrooms and picnic facilities are available.

Hookipa Beach Park: A world-famous contest venue for professional windsurfing. Winter surf can be massive, with excellent and safe viewing for photography. Picnic tables and restrooms are available.

Hamoa Beach: Author James Michener called Hamoa Beach the most beautiful in the Pacific. This Hana beach was named one of "America's Best Beaches" in 2006. Youll find outstanding swimming and bodysurfing as well as showers and limited facilities on this family-friendly beach.

Hana Beach Park: A favorite with local families, Hana Beach Park is one of the most popular swimming beaches on the island. Many local community events are held here.

Wainapanapa State Park: Excellent camping facilities make Waianapanapa State Park one of Maui's best beaches. Youll find a black-sand beach with good swimming, snorkeling and freshwater pools.

Note: Heed all warning signs and be aware of changing conditions, strong currents and reefs. Use your own best judgment to determine whether a particular beach is appropriate for you and your ability level. View the Maui County Ocean Safety video.

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Maui Beaches | GoHawaii.com