Atheism: Irrational and Absurd (Part 1) | Brian Schwertley – Video

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Atheism: Irrational and Absurd (Part 1) | Brian Schwertley
Brian Schwertley gives a Biblical refutation of atheism, while debunking the New Atheists like Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris. This video is part of the #39;Atheism:...

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Atheism: Irrational and Absurd (Part 1) | Brian Schwertley - Video

Humans: The Next Platform

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Editors note:Geoffrey Woo and Michael Brandt are cofounders of Nootrobox, an e-commercenootropics company.

Biohacking and transhumanist advances (including nootropics, extended longevity, cybernetic implants, better behavioral and genetic self-understanding) will materially advance our quality of life and productivity in the coming decade, but we need to be thoughtful about the potential social and ethical pitfalls as we transform. Google Trends shows a marked uptick in searches for nootropics and related biohacking fields, so now is the time to have the conversation about the direction were headed.

Digital products and companies are not just changing the way we live our lives, but also playing larger and more influential roles in public policy and governance. This trend of the technology industry driving broader social policy will perhaps be even greater with biohacking companies as their product innovations begin to alter and transform what it means to be human.

Biohacking is simply the next frontier in the drive to better ourselves. People will enhance themselves physically to have better bones, better eyesandbetter resilience to disease, as well asattain an overall better standard of living. More people will have access to their full potential.However from an ethics perspective, theres already worrying concerns about the widening socio-economic gap around the world today; theres an argument that when only the wealthy have access, it further separates the haves from the have-nots.

Bill McKibben, a prominent critic of a hyper-segregated, Gattaca-esque version of the future, cautions that biohacking technologies like genetic enhancement would take the gap in power, wealth, and education that currently divides both our society and the world at large, and write that division into our very biology.

From a technology perspective, this bifurcation story just hasnt played out. Over and over again, weve seen new technologies popularize and achieve economies of scale, and then quickly drop in price and diffuse across all levels of society. Increasing market demand leads to new research and production techniques that in the long run drive down the price of fundamentally useful new devices and technologies. 23andMe initially provided genetic reports for $299, and within several years were able to cut itsprice by two-thirds.

Research into nootropics and other biometric and bio-enhancement technologies requires significant R&D investment and innovative new methods of production and distribution. The cutting edge of any tech is expensive, but prices come down with time. Biohacking companies should follow the examples of Google Loonand Facebooks Internet.org, bringing basic technologies to the world as a service to society, democratizing access and encouraging participation in the commerce of the future.

If a tool or technology provides a positive return for society at large, government subsidy may be a viable option, similar to how national and local governments provide baseline health and vision care, free education, computers in libraries, and Internet access in public spaces.

New forms of functional ingestables, including meal replacement products like Soylentand nootropic stacks produced by Nootroboxand DIY resources like Longecity and Peak Nootropics, as well as quantified self-tracking tools like Fitbit, Android Wearand the Apple Watchare already enabling us to better quantify and manage the way we spend our 24 hours each day.

Technological advancement is expanding beyond our current digital sensors and interfaces, and as we apply the hacker ethos to our own bodies and minds to develop safe, cheap and accessible technologies, we will see this value-per-worker ratio continue to rise.

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Humans: The Next Platform

Images showcase how Hubble telescope is transforming our knowledge of space

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Images include theHorsehead Nebula, which is a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust 1,500 light years away Another remarkable image is of NGC 130, one of Hubble's largest images ever made of a complete galaxy Some of the most striking images beamed back from Hubble were created during the death throes of stars

By Ellie Zolfagharifard For Dailymail.com

Published: 20:30 EST, 17 March 2015 | Updated: 10:05 EST, 18 March 2015

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More than any other telescope in orbit, Hubble has expanded the frontiers of human knowledge.

For 25 years, astronomers have used it to peer deep into distant galaxies with unrivalled clarity, revealing the breathtaking beauty of our universe.

In the April issue of National Geographic, some of the most stunning images beamed back for the telescope have been revealed.

The Horsehead Nebula is a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust, silhouetted against the bright nebula IC 434. The bright area at the top left edge is a young star still embedded in its nursery of gas and dust.The nebula is relatively close at 1,500 light years from Earth

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Images showcase how Hubble telescope is transforming our knowledge of space

Jupiter's Moon Ganymede Has a Salty Ocean with More Water Than Earth

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The ocean there is thought to extend to 10 times the depth of Earth's oceans

Scientists have also found that Ganymede's surface shows signs of flooding. Credit: NASA/ESA

A salty ocean is lurking beneath the surface of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have found.

The ocean onGanymedewhich is buried under a thick crust of icecould actually harbor more water than all of Earth's surface water combined, according to NASA officials. Scientists think the ocean is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) thick, 10 times the depth of Earth's oceans, NASA added. The new Hubble Space Telescope finding could also help scientists learn more about the plethora of potentially watery worlds that exist in the solar system and beyond.

"The solar system is now looking like a pretty soggy place," Jim Green, NASA's director of planetary science, said during a news teleconference today (March 12). Scientists are particularly interested in learning more about watery worlds because life as we know it depends on water to thrive. [See amazing photos of Ganymede]

Scientists have also found that Ganymede's surface shows signs of flooding. Youngparts of Ganymede seen in a videomap may have been formed by water bubbling up from the interior of the moon through faults or cryo-volcanos at some point in the moon's history, Green said.

Scientists have long suspected that there was an ocean of liquid water on Ganymedethe largest moon in the solar system, at about 3,273 miles (5,268 kilometers) acrosshas an ocean of liquid water beneath its surface. The Galileo probe measured Ganymede's magnetic field in 2002, providing somedata supporting the theory that the moon has an ocean. The newly announced evidence from the Hubble telescope is the most convincing data supporting the subsurface ocean theory yet, according to NASA.

Scientists used Hubble to monitor Ganymede's auroras, ribbons of light at the poles created by the moon's magnetic field. The moon'saurorasare also affected by Jupiter's magnetic field because of the moon's proximity to the huge planet.

When Jupiter's magnetic field changes, so does Ganymede's. Researchers were able to watch the two auroras "rock" back and forth with Hubble. Ganymede's aurora didn't rock as much as expected, so by monitoring that motion, the researchers concluded that a subsurface ocean was likely responsible for dampening the change in Ganymede's aurora created by Jupiter.

"I was always brainstorming how we could use a telescope in other ways," Joachim Saur, geophysicist and team leader of the new finding, said in a statement. "Is there a way you could use a telescope to look inside a planetary body? Then I thought, the aurorae! Because aurorae are controlled by the magnetic field, if you observe the aurorae in an appropriate way, you learn something about the magnetic field. If you know the magnetic field, then you know something about the moon's interior."

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Jupiter's Moon Ganymede Has a Salty Ocean with More Water Than Earth

Russian Submarine Drills NATO says Russian exercises could be used for seizure of territory Low – Video

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Russian Submarine Drills NATO says Russian exercises could be used for seizure of territory Low
News of Ukraine today,Ukrainain crisis news The latest news of Ukraine If you notice a video that infringes your copyright, please contact us. Ukraine News today show terrible shots of the...

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Russian Submarine Drills NATO says Russian exercises could be used for seizure of territory Low - Video

Nato 'not distracted' by Russia crisis

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"It (Russia-Ukraine conflict) has bought cyber even more into the thinking of the alliance," he said, during a session at tech fair CeBIT in Germany.

"When you look at the events that have unfoldedcyber is prominent. We, at NATO, look at this phenomenon and we realise you have to deal with a range of capabilities also taking cyber into the account."

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been rumbling on since 2013. Crimea was annexed last year, and battles between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine have continued ever since.

During the conflict there have been a number of cyberattacks reported. Last year, computers in several Ukrainian government offices were infected with cyberespionage tools which appeared to be linked to Russia, while an attack on the German government's website earlier this year was attributed to a pro-Russian group.

In addition, North Korea was accused of carrying out a major hack on Sony, highlighting the increasing amount of state-backed cyberattacks.

Last year, Nato said that a cyberattack on a country could come under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which means it would be seen as an attack against the whole organization. This essentially treats a cyberattack the same as a traditional military assault.

Nato has been criticized in the past for being irrelevant, but Liflander refuted such claims, saying the organization was prepared to deal with hackers.

"When it comes to time, place and the specific tool that can be used, (Nato's) range is quite wide in order to deescalate the situation," he added.

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Nato 'not distracted' by Russia crisis

NATO allies come to grips with Russias deceptive hybrid warfare

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In this Friday, May 9, 2014 file photo Russian bombers Tu-22M3 fly in formation during a Victory Day Parade, which commemorates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany in Moscow, Russia. Russia plans to station state-of-the art missiles to its westernmost Baltic exclave and deploy nuclear-capable bombers to Crimea as part of massive war games intended to showcase the nations resurgent military power amid bitter tensions with the West over Ukraine. AP

RIGA, Latvia NATO allies are scrambling to protect vulnerable Baltic partners from the threat of hybrid warfare, a Russian tactic that officials and experts say is based on deception rather than formal declaration of war.

Russian President Vladimir Putins use of anonymous little green men to slice Crimea away from Ukraine last year sent alarm bells ringing throughout the three small Baltic NATO and EU members.

They endured decades of Soviet occupation after the Red Army rolled in during World War II.While a full-scale invasion is improbable now, hybrid meddling and destabilization tactics designed to test NATOs commitment to collective defense are not.

Putins brand of hybrid warfare also relies on misinformation, bribery, economic pressure, which are designed to undermine the nation, according to Latvian Defence Minister Raimonds Vejonis.

Trojan Horse

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite did not mince her words when she said: The first stage of confrontation is taking place I mean informational war, propaganda and cyber attacks. So we are already under attack.

According to James Sherr of Britains Chatham House think-tank, hybrid warfare is designed to cripple a state before that state even realizes the conflict has begun.

Its a model of warfare designed to slip under NATOs threshold of perception and reaction.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow has called it a modern example of the ancient Trojan Horse tactic.

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NATO allies come to grips with Russias deceptive hybrid warfare

NATO meets Russian aircraft

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Story highlights Russian military aircraft are intercepted by NATO jets NATO says the military aircraft weren't on a flight plan Russia is conducting military exercises

Estonian radar detected the aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday night, NATO said. Other than the lead aircraft, NATO said, none of the other Russian military aircraft was on a flight plan.

NATO sent jets to identify the planes and later reported that the military aircraft flew on into Russian airspace.

NATO didn't say how many Russian aircraft were involved. The flights come as Russia's Northern Fleet has been placed on full combat alert for military exercises involving nearly 40,000 troops and 50 warships.

The exercises have rattled nerves in nearby NATO states, including Latvia, where U.S. troops and equipment recently arrived for NATO training, and where fears are growing about Russian President Vladimir Putin's next move.

At the same time on Wednesday, Putin joined a celebration in Moscow's Red Square, where Russians celebrated the one-year anniversary of the annexation of Crimea.

NATO has condemned the annexation as an illegal territory grab and is boosting its troop presence in the region in what officials say is an effort to discourage Putin from encroaching into other countries.

Putin describes the annexation as a "reunification," saying that Crimea's residents overwhelmingly voted to be part of Russia.

CNN's Don Melvin and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

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NATO meets Russian aircraft

NATO intercepts Russian planes

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Story highlights Russian military aircraft are intercepted by NATO jets NATO says the military aircraft weren't on a flight plan Russia is conducting military exercises

Estonian radar detected the aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday night, NATO said. Other than the lead aircraft, NATO said, none of the other Russian military aircraft was on a flight plan.

NATO sent jets to identify the planes and later reported that the military aircraft flew on into Russian airspace.

NATO didn't say how many Russian aircraft were involved. The flights come as Russia's Northern Fleet has been placed on full combat alert for military exercises involving nearly 40,000 troops and 50 warships.

The exercises have rattled nerves in nearby NATO states, including Latvia, where U.S. troops and equipment recently arrived for NATO training, and where fears are growing about Russian President Vladimir Putin's next move.

At the same time on Wednesday, Putin joined a celebration in Moscow's Red Square, where Russians celebrated the one-year anniversary of the annexation of Crimea.

NATO has condemned the annexation as an illegal territory grab and is boosting its troop presence in the region in what officials say is an effort to discourage Putin from encroaching into other countries.

Putin describes the annexation as a "reunification," saying that Crimea's residents overwhelmingly voted to be part of Russia.

CNN's Don Melvin and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

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NATO intercepts Russian planes

iPhone Encryption 'Petrified' NSA: Glenn Greenwald

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Stronger encryption in Apple's iPhones and on websites like Facebook has "petrified" the U.S. government because it has made it harder to spy on communications, Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first reported on Edward Snowden's stolen files, told CNBC.

Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden caused major shockwaves around the world in 2013 when he unveiled the surveillance body's wide ranging spying practices, which included regularly attempting to snoop on data held by major technology companies.

Greenwald, the man who helped Snowden publish the documents, said that Silicon Valley companies have bolstered the encryption on their products, thereby making it harder for governments to eavesdrop.

"They (Apple) are now starting to put serious encryption technologies in their new iPhones in their new releases and this has really petrified governments around the world," Greenwald told CNBC in an interview at tech fair CeBIT in Germany.

Read More from CNBC: Don't want NSA to spy on your email? 5 things you can do

Apple, Google, Facebook and Yahoo are some of the major companies that have been in the spotlight after Snowden's revelations. Information from Snowden documents released earlier this month detailed how the CIA had been trying for a decade to crack the security in Apple's products. And last year, Yahoo revealed that it was threatened with a $250,000-per-day fine if it didn't hand over data to the NSA.

The tech giants have been taking major steps to make sure their communications are safe from spying, a move Greenwald -- who won a Pulitzer prize for his reporting on the topic -- said was motivated by the fear of losing customers rather than care for data privacy.

"I don't(think) they suddenly care about privacy," Greenwald said.

"Ifyou're a Facebook executive or an Apple executive, you're extremely worried that the next generation of usersare going to be vulnerable to the pitch from Brazilian, and Korean and German social media companies where they advertise and say don't use Facebook and Google because they'll give your data to the NSA."

First published March 18 2015, 1:59 PM

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iPhone Encryption 'Petrified' NSA: Glenn Greenwald

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Crapo: Ban on Firearm Possession on Corps Land A Clear Violation of the Second Amendment – Video

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Crapo: Ban on Firearm Possession on Corps Land A Clear Violation of the Second Amendment
Legislation offered by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo to restore American #39;s fundamental right to bear arms on lands managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is being included as a part...

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Crapo: Ban on Firearm Possession on Corps Land A Clear Violation of the Second Amendment - Video