Chalong Bay | Phuket beaches | Thailand Phuket travel blog [ENG SUB]
Chalong Bay Chalong Bay - one of the most picturesque places in Phuket. Beautiful pier decorated with fresh flowers - the perfect place for an evening stroll and photos. If you want to go fishing...
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Renewables compromise possible
Super v pensions: is the system unfair?
Backbencher's boast: three down, one to go
Chan: 'What does it take to get a second chance?'
Breaking politics: the new wealth divide
Commercial divers in Newcastle were preparing to enter the water on Tuesday when a large shark swam under their boat, as captured in Dustin Besse's video.
Beaches on the NSW north coast have been closed for the third day in a row after a fatal attack by a great white shark on Monday and subsequent shark sightings close to swimming spots.
Aerial patrols spotted two sharks late on Wednesday afternoon - a four-metre shark near Flat Rock and a three-metre shark near Ballina Bar.
All beaches between South Ballina and Lennox Head remain closed and their safety reassessed on Thursday.
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North coast beaches closed after further shark sightings near Ballina
California, you've been robbed. That's my biased opinion of TripAdvisor travelers' ranking of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. announced Tuesday that selected only one in California.
Six of the 10 are in Florida, including top-ranked Siesta Beach in Sarasota and three are inHawaii. California's only entry: La Jolla Cove in La Jolla, placing No. 6.
In 2014, Hawaii claimed seven of TripAdvisor's top beach spots, including No. 1 ranked Lanikai Beach on Oahu. California beaches didn't appear on the 2014 list.
Worldwide, the beach on Sancho Bay (or Baia do Sancho) on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, lays claim for the second year in a row as TripAdvisor's best beach in the world.
Here are TripAdvisor's 2015 Travelers' Choice awards for U.S. beaches:
1. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla.
2. St. Pete Beach in St. Pete, Fla.
3. Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui
4.Waianapanapa State Park in Hana, Maui
5. Pensacola Beach in Pensacola Beach, Fla.
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TripAdvisor users hail Florida's Siesta Beach, snub California beaches
This two-bedroom unit at 11/55 Delmar Parade, Dee Why, sold for $665,000. Photo: Supplied
Domain Group 2015 Prediction: Houses: 5-7 per cent Apartments: 5-7 per cent
The Northern Beaches market is set for a much-needed boost over the next few years as construction of the controversial new hospital at Frenchs Forest gets underway, bringing with it extra infrastructure and spin-off medical businesses.
Angus Raine, executive chairman and chief executive of Raine & Horne, says prices in suburbs such as Forestville, Frenchs Forest and Davidson have risen by 10 per cent since preliminary work started on the hospital last year. "With lower interest rates, we see no reason why this level of growth won't continue in 2015," Raine says.
The 488-bed Northern Beaches Hospital is scheduled to open in 2018.
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Raine predicts Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Davidson and nearby Killarney Heights could produce price growth of 10 per cent or more in 2015.
"This is especially the case with the state government confirming it is going ahead with a road underpass, a road widening on Warringah Road and other upgrades in support of the hospital," Raine says.
Sam Pfafflin from Raine & Horne Forestville/Frenchs Forest says properties near the hospital will be highly sought-after by specialists, GPs and other medical businesses.
The northern beaches was one of the underperformers of the Sydney property market last year, says Dr Andrew Wilson, the chief economist for the Domain Group. "Even though [the Northern Beaches] did record a quite healthy prices growth it wasn't at the same level as the budget areas or the mid-price range areas," says Wilson.
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Astronomy - Ch. 7: The Solar Sys - Comparative Planetology (23 of 33) The Large Moons
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will discuss the seven largest moons in our Solar System. Next video in this series can be seen at: http://yout...
By: Michel van Biezen
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Astronomy - Ch. 7: The Solar Sys - Comparative Planetology (23 of 33) The Large Moons - Video
Maybe it was those Vulcan ears. But news of Leonard Nimoys passing automatically triggered memories of the 83 year-old actors most celebrated role as Mr. Spock both the Starship Enterprises first officer and science officer.
Try as he might to break free of being typecast as the dispassionate half human/half Vulcan we all came to know and love, audiences never let Nimoy forget that it was his role as Mr. Spock that continually got under their skins.
How could such a cool customer like Spock capture the hearts and minds of so many over the last half century?
The short answer may be that Mr. Spock knew how to handle stress and pressure under fire in a decidedly non-human fashion. Spock was never so cold to resemble the Borg, but
Leonard Nimoy (Spock) at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention 2011. Credit: Wikipedia
Yet something else about Spock had great appeal in Star Treks original 1960s-era television incarnation. Simply that in such a tumultuous era, when centuries of gender bias and misogyny were gradually being rectified by the feminist movement, both genders may have secretly found Spocks ability to function above the societal fray refreshing. After all, for a generation or more, a large part of the gender conversation has been about two things how men should handle the everyday stresses and whether they should publicly express their emotional vulnerabilities in ways that their great grandfathers would have never dreamed. Nimoy, as Mr. Spock, avoided all such societal noise.
Although some audiences may like real sweat on their action heroes, Spock evoked cool simply because he was so detached. And while, to my knowledge, the 1960s-era Spock never got the girl, he did teach us all a bit more about the virtues of logical thinking in a pinch a trait thats sorely missing for most of us.
Does this mean that space generations of the far future will need to become dispassionate Spocks to deal with the weeks and months of inevitable boredom inherent in long-duration space travel?
Thats a distinct possibility, particularly on years-long space missions even to and from Mars Mars, but certainly on missions to the outer solar system.
And unless we get a leg up on travel approaching light speed, then Trekkian dreams of missions to to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations will be moot anyway.
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Despite protestations to the contrary, what remains of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will likely never be found. Thats the hard truth that the search crews and the families and friends of the victims have yet to fully embrace, but were getting there and fast.
After nearly three decades of journalism, Ive learned to follow my gut instinct. And theres something thats just off about this whole case. Its not simply a matter of following search arcs. Im just not 100 percent convinced engine ping satellite acquisition signals notwithstanding that this Malaysia Airlines Boeing Boeing 777-200 aircraft ultimately ended up along the primary 7th search arc in the southern Indian Ocean.
As Emirates Airline CEO Sir Tim Clark told Der Spiegel late last year, and as I noted in a previous Forbes column, We have not seen a single thing that suggests categorically that this aircraft is where they say it is, apart from this so-called electronic satellite handshake which I question as well. But nearly a year after disappearing, while carrying 239 passengers and crew en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, nor do I believe that the aircraft was hijacked and then secreted away for some sort of nefarious later use.
The flight deck of the missing Malaysian 777-200 as photographed in 2004. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Although the Australians have run a very professional search operation, their continual optimism about finding the wreckage from the Malaysian 777 at this late date is arguably misplaced. Or at least such optimism should be frequently leavened with the concession that despite their methodical search strategies,
In truth, finding the remains of MH370 is hardly just a matter of covering the remaining 60,000 square km of search area in the manner that one might look for a lost earring in the carpet of a living room floor. There are just too many variables that were used to track the aircrafts putative flight path south into the Indian Ocean not to wonder whether theres simply something very fundamental missing from the search calculus.
As for the Malaysians?
The manner in which the Malaysian government has communicated the facts over the past year has rightly or wrongly created the impression that something is being covered up. This makes fertile ground for conspiracy theorists. But it also seems like more than just a case study in bad crisis management public relations.
As Sir Clark told Der Spiegel last October, We need to know who was on the plane in detail and what was in the hold of the aircraft.
As for the media?
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Fairfax, Va., February 9, 2014 - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) commends the February 5, 2015, decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide coverage for annual lung cancer screening via low-dose CT screening for those at highest-risk for lung cancer.
The final Decision Memo for Screening for Lung Cancer with Low Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) (CAG-00439N) details that there is sufficient evidence to warrant annual lung cancer screening for patients most at-risk for developing lung cancer. The Memo outlines the patient criteria for eligibility as follows: aged 55 to 77; showing no signs or symptoms of lung disease; a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years (one pack-year = smoking one pack per day for one year; one pack = 20 cigarettes); and a current smoker or someone who has quit smoking within the last 15 years.
"CMS has taken a bold step that can potentially reduce the lung cancer mortality of patients at highest risk for lung cancer by nearly 20 percent. We are grateful for the additional opportunities that annual screening provides us to save hundreds of thousands of lives from lung cancer," said ASTRO Chair Bruce G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO. "This year in the United States, it is estimated that nearly 230,000 men and women will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and that there will be more than 160,000 deaths from lung cancer, more deaths than from breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. This highly effective, annual screening is a critical and powerful tool that will enable us to diagnose patients earlier when treatments are most effective, and it will fortify our efforts to battle this destructive disease."
In addition to detailing the patient health status for annual screening, the final decision also enumerates specific facility criteria and requirements, and care steps prior to and following screening. Two valuable care steps include 1) a shared-decision making/smoking cessation counseling session between the physician and patient prior to the first screening, and 2) access to smoking cessation sessions available to current smokers - vital services that encourage current smokers to stop smoking, which directly impacts their treatment outcome. Distinct screening guidelines are also provided: administer CT dose index volume of 3 mGy or less for standard-sized patients (approximately 155 lbs.) with appropriate reductions for smaller patients and increases for larger patients; utilize a standardized lung nodule identification, classification and reporting system; and collection and submission of patient data to a CMS-approved registry for each LDCT screening test.
CMS's decision follows the United States Preventive Task Force's (USPSTF's) December 2013 recommendation that LDCT is a Grade B screening, and which reviewed the results of four randomized clinical trials, including the National Cancer Institute's National Lung Screening Trial, which included more than 50,000 asymptomatic adults aged 55 to 75 who had at least a 30 pack-year history and found a 16 percent reduction in lung cancer mortality for those who received annual screening and thus, earlier treatment.
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ABOUT ASTRO
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with nearly 11,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals that specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes two medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics and Practical Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, http://www.rtanswers.org; and created the Radiation Oncology Institute, a non-profit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit http://www.astro.org.
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
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ASTRO applauds CMS's decision to cover annual, LDCT screening for high-risk lung cancer patients
Fairfax, Va., February 23, 2015--Cancer patients with limited brain metastases (one to four tumors) who are 50 years old and younger should receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) without whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), according to a study available online, open-access, and published in the March 15, 2015 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). For patients 50 years old and younger who received SRS alone, survival was improved by 13 percentage points when compared to those patients 50 years old and younger who received both SRS and WBRT.
This study, "Phase 3 Trials of Stereotactic Radiation Surgery With or Without Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy For 1 to 4 Brain Metastases: Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis," analyzed patient data from the three largest randomized clinical trials (RCT) of SRS and WBRT conducted to-date: the Asian trial (JROSG99-1) by Aoyama et al.[1], published in 2006; the North American trial (MDACC NCT00548756) by Chang et al.[2], published in 2009; and the European trial (EORTC 22952-26001) by Kocher et al.[3], published in 2011. A total of 364 patients from the three RCTs were evaluated for this meta-analysis. Of those 364 patients, 51 percent (186) were treated with SRS alone, and 49 percent (178) received both SRS and WBRT. Nineteen percent of patients (68) were 50 years old and younger, and 61 percent (19) of these patients had a single brain metastasis. Twenty percent of all patients (72) had local brain failure, which is the occurrence of progression of previously treated brain metastases; and 43 percent (156) experienced distant brain failure, which is the occurrence of new brain metastases in areas of the brain outside the primary tumor site(s).
The impact of age on treatment effectiveness revealed SRS alone yielded improved overall survival (OS) in patients 50 years old and younger. Patients 50 years old and younger who received SRS alone had a median survival of 13.6 months after treatment, a 65 percent improvement, as opposed to 8.2 months for patients 50 years old and younger who were treated with SRS plus WBRT. Patients >50 years old had a median survival of 10.1 months when treated with SRS alone, and 8.6 months for those who received SRS plus WBRT.
"We expected to see a survival advantage favoring combined therapy of SRS and WBRT. However, these data clearly demonstrate the benefit for SRS alone to improve survival for our younger patients with limited brain metastases," said lead author of the study Arjun Sahgal, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology and surgery at the University of Toronto, and a radiation oncologist at the Odette Cancer Centre of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. "Furthermore, it was previously thought that the positive effect of whole brain radiation in reducing the risk of distant brain relapse was generalizable for all patients. However, we did not observe this effect in patients 50 years and younger with limited brain metastases. In these patients, the same rate of distant brain failure was observed despite treatment with whole brain radiation. This result, together with our survival result, gave rise to the hypothesis that if patients are treated with whole brain radiation without realizing the benefits of improving distant brain control, then survival may be adversely affected. Therefore, our sub-group meta-analysis has swung the pendulum in favor of SRS alone as the standard of care. These findings also reinforce ASTRO's Choosing Wisely recommendation[4] that states that it may not be necessary to add WBRT to SRS, thus improving patients' quality of life and memory function."
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In addition to being open-access (free to the public), Sahgal et al.'s paper is also available for SA-CME credit at http://www.astro.org/JournalCME.
Drs. Nils D. Arvold and Paul J. Catalano have reviewed Sahgal et al.'s research. Their editorial, "Local Therapies for Brain Metastases, Competing Risks, and Overall Survival," is also published in the March 15, 2015, issue of the Red Journal.
For a copy of the study manuscript and the editorial, contact ASTRO's Press Office at press@astro.org. For more information about the Red Journal, visit http://www.redjournal.org.
[1] Aoyama H, Shirato H, Tago M, et al. Stereotactic radiosurgery plus whole-brain radiation therapy vs stereotactic radiosurgery alone for treatment of bone metastases: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2006;295:2483-2491. [2] Chang EL, Wefel JS, Hess KR, et al. Neurocognition in patients with brain metastases treated with radiosurgery or radiosurgery plus whole-brain irradiation: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol 2009;10:1037-1044. [3] Kocher M, Soffietti R, Abacioglu U, et al. Adjuvant whole-brain radiotherapy versus observation after radiosurgery or surgical resection of one to three cerebral metastases: results of the EORTC 22952-26001 study. J Clin Oncol 2010;29:134-141. [4] ASTRO's Choosing Wisely List. ABIM Foundation. http://www.choosingwisely.org/doctor-patient-lists/american-society-for-radiation-oncology/
ABOUT ASTRO
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Improved survival for patients with brain mets who are 50 and younger and receive SRS alone
Fairfax, Va., March 4, 2015--The International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group (ILROG) has issued a guideline that outlines the use of 3-D computed tomography (CT)-based radiation therapy planning and volumetric image guidance to more effectively treat pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma and to reduce the radiation dose to normal tissue, thus decreasing the risk of late side effects. The guideline will be published in the March-April issue of Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the clinical practice journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Historically, pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients were treated with the same chemotherapy and radiation regimens as adults with Hodgkin lymphoma, which potentially exposes their young, still-growing bodies to more treatment than necessary. Previous radiation therapy guidelines for pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma have focused on 2-D imaging and bony landmarks to define dose volumes for radiation therapy treatment, and treated large volumes of normal tissue in part because of uncertainty about which lymph node areas were involved.
The guideline, "Implementation of contemporary radiation therapy planning concepts for pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma: Guidelines from the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group," describes how to effectively use modern imaging and innovations and advances in radiation therapy planning technology to treat patients with pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma while decreasing the risk of late side effects, including second cancers and heart disease.
The authors describe methods for identifying target volumes for radiation therapy, and how to implement the concept of "involved site radiation therapy" to define radiation target volumes and limit dose to normal organs at risk. According to the guideline, accurate assessment of the extent and location of disease requires both contrast-enhanced CT as well as fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET). The document describes how the evaluation of response to chemotherapy influences the targeting of the lymphoma and the volume of normal tissue treated, by using recently developed capacity to fuse CT and FDG-PET images taken before and after chemotherapy to CT imaging taken for radiation therapy planning.
"The emergence of new imaging technologies, more accurate ways of delivering radiation therapy and more detailed patient selection criteria have made a significant change in our ability to customize treatment for many cancer patients," said David C. Hodgson, MD, associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto in Toronto, a radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network in Toronto and lead author of the guideline. "This guideline has the potential to reduce the radiation therapy breast dose by about 80 percent and the heart dose by about 65 percent for an adolescent girl with Hodgkin lymphoma. This shift in more personalized treatment planning tailored to the individual patient's disease will optimize risk-benefit considerations for our patients, and reduce the likelihood that they will suffer late effects from radiation therapy. We are also excited that these guidelines will be utilized in an upcoming Children's Oncology Group Study of involved-site radiation therapy for high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma patients and eagerly await the study's results."
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For a copy of the study manuscript, contact ASTRO's Press Office at press@astro.org. For more information about PRO, visit http://www.practicalradonc.org.
ABOUT ASTRO
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with nearly 11,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals that specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes two medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics and Practical Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, http://www.rtanswers.org; and created the Radiation Oncology Institute, a non-profit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit http://www.astro.org.
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
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ILROG issues treatment guidelines for pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma
The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Presentation for ICHM 106 Moral and Ethical Studies class... No copyright infringement intended. Educational purpose only.
By: mjw10isICEMAN44
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Discussion | CodeX Fellow Jerry Kaplan on the Law of Artificial Intelligence
On February 19, 2015, CodeX The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics hosted a discussion with Jerry Kaplan, Visiting Lecturer in Computer Science and Code...
By: stanfordlawschool
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Discussion | CodeX Fellow Jerry Kaplan on the Law of Artificial Intelligence - Video
#39;Chappie #39; Review: AI Robot Tale Doesn #39;t Quite Compute
Neill Blomkamp #39;s latest sci-fi tale, "Chappie," could use some additional artificial intelligence, Deadline #39;s Pete Hammond says in this review. http://bit.ly/DeadlineSubscribe.
By: Deadline Hollywood
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'Chappie' Review: AI Robot Tale Doesn't Quite Compute - Video
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) | Exclusive Trailer | HD
With S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed and the Avengers needing a hiatus from stopping threats, Tony Stark attempts to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program with Ultron, a self-aware, self-teaching,...
By: HD MOVIE SOURCE
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Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) | Exclusive Trailer | HD - Video
(173) Free Knowledge-ISA-Specialised Systems(Artificial intelligence)-Part 1-Version 1
Study material of DISA made easy: This is the First part of the Module 4 Chapter 6 "Specialised Systems" wherein "Artificial Intelligence" are explained. This is the Post Qualification...
By: Chandra Shekhar
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(173) Free Knowledge-ISA-Specialised Systems(Artificial intelligence)-Part 1-Version 1 - Video
As man-made robots get smarter, will they eventually outpace man?
A few of the world's smartest technology leaders certainly think so. In recent days, they've taken to sounding the alarm bell about the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called AI "our biggest existential threat" while British scientist Stephen Hawking said AI could "spell the end of the human race." In January, Read MoreMicrosoft co-founder Bill Gates sided with Musk, adding, "[I] don't understand why some people are not concerned."
Read More Think tank: Study AI before letting it take over
Yet on the other side of the argument are people like Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen. In 2013, he founded the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle, whose mission is to advance the study of AI. The man who heads the organization thinks the fears are overblown.
"Robots are not coming to get you," said Allen Institute CEO Oren Etzioni. In an interview with CNBC, he said: "We quite simply have to separate science from science fiction."
Etzioni said Elon Musk and others may be missing the distinction between intelligence and autonomy. One implies streamlined computer functions, while the other means machines think and operate independently.
Etzioni offered two Artificial Intelligence examples. In 1997, IBM's Deep Blue chess computer beat then world champion Garry Kasparov. In 2011, IBM's Watson supercomputer beat two champions on the game show "Jeopardy."
"These are highly targeted savants," said Etzioni. "They say Watson didn't even know it won. And Deep Blue will not play another chess game unless you push a button."
Etzioni said that the machines "have no free will, they have no autonomy. They're no more likely to do damage than your calculator is likely to do its own calculations."
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Artificial intelligence might be smarter than us but it's not as scary.
Peering into the vast unknown before us can be terrifying, and we look to technology and science to light the way. But when Elon Musk says AI is "summoning the demon," Bill Gates says people should be concerned about AI, and Stephen Hawking feels the whole thing "could spell the end of the human race," it's hard not to fear the rise of the machines.
The latest big-budget depiction of AI, Chappie, takes place just a few years in the future in a lawless Johannesburg, where robot police officers are armed with artificial intelligence and heavy firepower. Their creator, Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), has populated his home with smaller, friendlier bots that run on the same level of limited AI as their law-enforcing brethren. But Deon seeks to create true AI via Chappie, a decommissioned police robot that is kidnapped by down-on-their-luck criminals (played outstandingly by two members of South African rap-rave band Die Antwoord, Yolandi Visser and Ninja).
Co-writing and directing Chappie gave Neill Blomkamp a reverence for the spark of life itself. In an interview with PCMag, he said he no longer believes that it's "as simple as running a bunch of electrical currents through a really complex CPU and just having the results of that be consciousness and sentience."
Blomkamp's interest in AI precedes his involvement in Chappie. He spent the past few years going through a rabbit hole of blog posts about AI and emerged from it wanting to do more than just read.
"I'm not classically religious in any sense but I almost would describe how I feel now in a slightly more religious sense because I don't know how else to describe it," he said.
Despite the reverence he developed for the unknowable source of life, he's very critical of what humans actually do with itin Chappie and his other films, District 9 and Elysium. The societies onscreen may be dystopias, but they are nevertheless an accurate depiction of the petty indignities and grotesque brutalities that mankind has perpetrated upon itself. When asked why he went so Mad Max with the city of his birth in Chappie, Blomkamp took a beat and then said, "That literally is just current-day Joburg."
It's humanity that you take a dim view of when you watch the flesh-and-blood characters project onto Chappie their greed, egos, and lust for power. Chappie himself adheres to the rule placed upon him by his creator: "no crimes." If artificial intelligence is programmed to follow our law and not our example, we might be all the better off for it.
There is one scene in the movie in which the character of Chappie plays false and, without giving too much away, seeks revenge. The moment is very much the violent catharsis the audience wants, but does not seem to be something that a machine, even an artificially intelligent one, would find meaningful.
"That's a very interesting thing that was really difficult to balance in the movie because the human audience member wants the revenge and the artificial intelligence may want none of the revenge," Blomkamp said. "On an artificial intelligence basis, things like revenge and violence and anger are biological. Those aren't rational things, they're a hormonal, biological response to something. A non-biological organism that isn't governed by those factors doesn't need to behave that way."
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On March 6Neill Blomkamps movie Chappie adds more high-tech hardware a long list of big-screen robots, continuing our fascination with Artificial Intelligence. Hollywood takes on AI range from 1984s The Terminator, to Steven Spielbergs A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and the recent Scarlett Johansson-voiced Her, just to name a few.
FoxNews.com asked futurist and SeriousWonder.com CEO Gray Scott which cinematic visions got it right and which were way off.
You have to talk about The Terminator if youre talking about Artificial Intelligence. I actually think that thats way off, he said. I dont think that an artificially intelligent system that has superhuman intelligence will be violent. I do think that it will disrupt our culture. We are looking at a system where we could look out into the world and see machines that are smarter than us and weve never really reacted well to that kind of situation before. So, I think Chappie is interesting because its more about how we react to the systems.
Scott notes that the learning process addressed in Chappie also stand out. In Chappie you see this sort of young robot thats learning through maybe deep learning how to see the world really, look out into the world, and learn step by step, he explained. Whats so interesting is that with Chappie youre getting to see how human behavior reacts to artificial intelligence and I dont think its always going to be positive.
The futurist explained where this learning process stands now in real life. We do know that we can set certain algorithms for machines to do certain things - now that may be a simple task. A factory robot that moves one object from here to there, he said. Thats a very simple top down solution. But when we start creating machines that learn for themselves, that is a whole new area that weve never been in before. Were starting to see the preliminary versions of that on the market now.
Aritificial Intelligence is certainly sparking debate at the moment thanks to The Future of Life Institutes open letter outlining the research priorities for beneficial AI, and a recent warning from Stephen Hawking about the technology.
I think its good that were having the conversation now - we dont want this to become a part of our culture without having the discussion first, said Scott. We want to implement, and I think this is what they are sort of saying, I dont think they are saying its going to destroy us, I think what theyre saying is we need to have that conversation now. What do we put in place, what kind of algorithms can we put in place, to keep it from becoming violent if that is in fact where it goes?
He added: I think that kind of conversation because we do have 25-30 years as a lead up to true Artificial Intelligence, the kind thats autonomous. If it even happens that soon. So I think its good that were having that conversation and its coming from people in those arenas.
For more on the future, and how we may one day hear from AI, click the video above for our Tech Take with Gray Scott!
Fox News Entertainment Producer Ashley Dvorkin covers celebrity news, red carpets, TV, music, and movies. Dvorkin, winner of the 2011 CMA Media Achievement Award, is also host of "Fox 411 Country," "Star Traveler," Fox 411 Big Screen," and "Fox on Reddit."
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System will eventually be used to work out complex problems Software can do better than humans on Atari video games from the 1980s
By Associated Press and Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com
Published: 13:19 EST, 25 February 2015 | Updated: 12:30 EST, 26 February 2015
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Computers already have bested human champions in 'Jeopardy!' and chess, but artificial intelligence now has gone to master an entirely new level: 'Space Invaders.'
Google scientists have revealed AI software that can do better than humans on dozens of Atari video games from the 1980s, like video pinball, boxing, and 'Breakout.'
The firm's software was able to learn the game, working out the rules itself in a major step forward.
Google scientists have revealed AI software that can do better than humans on dozens of Atari video games from the 1980s, like video pinball, boxing, and Sapce Invaders.
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Google's AI software can learn 'Space Invaders' without reading the instructions
Hillgrove Secondary School: Applied Learning Programme for Flight Aerospace
Hillgrove Secondary School #39;s Applied Learning Programme (ALP) in Flight Aerospace (F A) aims to deepen students #39; understanding and knowledge, as well as nurture future aviation and aerospace ...
By: MOE Singapore
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Hillgrove Secondary School: Applied Learning Programme for Flight & Aerospace - Video