Astronomy – Ch. 17: The Nature of Stars (9 of 35) Difference Between Luminosity and Power – Video

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Astronomy - Ch. 17: The Nature of Stars (9 of 35) Difference Between Luminosity and Power
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will explain the difference between luminosity and power. Hint: There is ...

By: Michel van Biezen

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Astronomy - Ch. 17: The Nature of Stars (9 of 35) Difference Between Luminosity and Power - Video

NVIDIA Volta, IBM POWER9 Land Contracts For New US Government Supercomputers

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The launch of Oak Ridge National Laboratorys Titan Supercomputer was in many ways a turning point for NVIDIAs GPU compute business. Though already into their third generation of Tesla products by that time, getting Tesla into the worlds most powerful supercomputer is as much of a singular mark of making it as there can be. Supercomputer contracts are not just large orders in and of themselves, but they indicate that the HPC industry has accepted GPUs as reliable and performant, and is ready to significantly invest in them. Since then Tesla has ended up in several other supercomputer contracts, with Tesla K20 systems powering 2 of the worlds top 10 supercomputers, and Tesla sales overall for this generation have greatly surpassed the Fermi generation.

Of course while landing their first supercomputer contract was a major accomplishment for NVIDIA, its not the only factor in making the current success of Tesla a sustainable success. To steal a restaurant analogy, NVIDIA was able to get customers in the door, but could they get them to come back? As announced by the US Department of Energy at the end of last week the answer to that is yes. The DoE is building 2 more supercomputers, and it will be NVIDIA and IBM powering them.

The two supercomputers will be Summit and Sierra. At a combined price tag of $325 million, the supercomputers will be built by IBM for Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory respectively. They will be the successors to the laboratories respective current supercomputers, Titan and Sequoia.

Both systems will be of similar design, with Summit being the more powerful of the two. Powering the systems will be a triumvirate of technologies; IBM POWER9 CPUs, NVIDIA Volta-based Tesla GPUs, and Mellanox EDR Infiniband for the system interconnect.

Starting with the CPU, at this point this is the first real attention POWER9 has received. Relatively little information is available on the CPU, though IBM has previously mentioned that POWER9 is going to emphasize the use of accelerators (specialist hardware), which meshes well with what is being done for these supercomputers. Otherwise beyond this we dont know much else other than that it will be building on top of IBMs existing POWER8 technologies.

Meanwhile on the GPU side, this supercomputer announcement marks the reintroduction of Volta by NVIDIA since going quiet on it after the announcement of Pascal earlier this year. Volta was then and still remains a blank slate, so not unlike the POWER9 CPU we dont know what new functionality is due with Volta, only that it is a distinct product that is separate from Pascal and that it will be building off of Pascal. Pascal of course introduces support for 3D stacked memory and NVLink, both of which will be critical for these supercomputers.

Speaking of NVLink, as IBMs POWER family is the first CPU family to support NVLink it should come as no surprise that NVLink will be the CPU-GPU and GPU-GPU interconnect for these computers. NVIDIAs high-speed PCIe replacement, NVLink is intended to allow faster, lower latency, and lower energy communication between processors, and is expected to play a big part in NVIDIAs HPC performance goals. While GPU-GPU NVLink has been expected to reach production systems from day one, the DoE supercomputer announcement means that the CPU-GPU implementation is also becoming reality. Until now it was unknown whether an NVLink equipped POWER CPU would be manufactured (it was merely an option to licensees), so this confirms that well be seeing NVLink CPUs as well as GPUs.

With NVLink in place for CPU-GPU communications these supercomputers will be able to offer unified memory support, which should go a long way towards opening up these systems to tasks that require frequent CPU/GPU interaction, as opposed to the more homogenous nature of systems such as Titan. Meanwhile it is likely though unconfirmed that these systems will be using NVLink 2.0, which as originally announced was expected for the GPU after Pascal. NVLink 2.0 introduces cache coherency, which would allow for further performance improvements and the ability to more readily execute programs in a heterogeneous manner.

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NVIDIA Volta, IBM POWER9 Land Contracts For New US Government Supercomputers

Magic tricks created using artificial intelligence for the first time

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Researchers working on artificial intelligence at Queen Mary University of London have taught a computer to create magic tricks.

The researchers gave a computer program the outline of how a magic jigsaw puzzle and a mind reading card trick work, as well the results of experiments into how humans understand magic tricks, and the system created completely new variants on those tricks which can be delivered by a magician.

The magic tricks created were of the type that use mathematical techniques rather than sleight of hand or other theatrics, and are a core part of many magicians' repertoires. The tricks, details of which are published today (Monday) in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, proved popular with audiences and the magic puzzle was put on sale in a London magic shop. The card trick is available as an app called Phoney in the Google Play Store.

Co-creator of the project, Howard Williams, explains how a computer can aid trick creation: "Computer intelligence can process much larger amounts of information and run through all the possible outcomes in a way that is almost impossible for a person to do on their own. So while, a member of the audience might have seen a variation on this trick before, the AI can now use psychological and mathematical principles to create lots of different versions and keep audiences guessing."

The magic jigsaw involves assembling a jigsaw to show a series shapes, then taking it apart and reassembling it so that certain shapes have disappeared using a clever geometric principle. Creation of tricks of this kind involve several simultaneous factors such as the size of the puzzle, the number of pieces involved, the number of shapes that appear and disappear and the ways that the puzzle can be arranged. Something this complex is ideal for an algorithm to process, and make decisions about which flexible factors are most important.

The mind reading card trick involves arranging a deck of playing cards in a specific way then, based on a few seemingly innocuous pieces of information from the audience, identifying a card that has been seen selected from the deck and using an Android app to reveal the card on a mobile phone screen. The computer was used to arrange the decks in such a way that a specific card could be identified with the least amount of information possible. The program identified arrangements for the deck that on average required one fewer question to be asked before the card was found than with the traditional method. The app simply avoids the magician having to remember the order of the cards.

Professor Peter McOwan, part of the QMUL team who worked on the project, added: "Using AI to create magic tricks is a great way to demonstrate the possibilities of computer intelligence and it also forms a part of our research in to the psychology of being a spectator. For example, we suspected that audiences would be suspicious of the involvement of technology in the delivery of a trick but we've found out that isn't the case."

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZiqkoaCaic

Jigsaw puzzle: http://qmagicworld.wordpress.com/the-twelve-magicians-of-osiris/

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Magic tricks created using artificial intelligence for the first time

How do atheism and agnosticism differ? | Dictionary.com Blog

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A recent survey on religion caused a stir when it revealed that many Americans lack some basic knowledge about their own religious faiths. Another provocative finding indicated both atheists and agnostics are surprisingly knowledgable about a variety of religions.

This prompts us to address a commonly-asked question: What is the difference between someone who defines themselves as atheist and a professedagnostic?

There is a key distinction. An atheist doesnt believe in a god or divinebeing. The word originates with the Greek atheos, which is built from the roots a- without + theos a god.

(You may also be interested in our explanation of what amen, one of the key words of faith and prayer, literally means. The answer is here.)

However, an agnostic neither believes nor disbelieves in a god or religious doctrine. Agnostics assert that its impossible for human beings to know anything about how the universe was created and if divine beings exist.

Agnosticism was coined by biologist T.H. Huxley and comes from the Greek agnostos, which means unknown or unknowable.

To complicate matters, atheists and agnostics are often confused with theists and deists.

A theist is the opposite of an atheist. Theists believe in the existence of a god or gods.

(One place where science and spirituality intersect is the concept of the God Particle. Learn what that means, here.)

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How do atheism and agnosticism differ? | Dictionary.com Blog

Q89. How should parents talk to their children about HIV and AIDS? – Video

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Q89. How should parents talk to their children about HIV and AIDS?
From the HIV Avatar Project, posted by the Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health at the University of Florida hiv-avatar-project.com http://b...

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Q89. How should parents talk to their children about HIV and AIDS? - Video

Q95. Who should parents and guardians tell about a childs HIV infection? – Video

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Q95. Who should parents and guardians tell about a childs HIV infection?
From the HIV Avatar Project, posted by the Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health at the University of Florida hiv-avatar-project.com http://b...

By: UF Behavioral Science and Community Health

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Q95. Who should parents and guardians tell about a childs HIV infection? - Video

Department of Psychiatry – Stanford University School of …

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The vision for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine places importance on Advancing Scienceand integrating this foremost mission with those of Clinical Innovation and Service, Educational Excellence, Community Engagement & Commitment, and Professionalism & Leadership Development. This approach, in my view, will allow us to change future understanding and practices in our fields of science, the health professions, and society at large. It is an approach that stretches the traditional boundaries of an academic department and acknowledges the interdependent nature of the five missions with which we are entrusted. For us, the vision affirms the diverse activities, past successes, and distinct career paths of our multidisciplinary faculty. It establishes a mindset that will help draw our people together to collaborate and combine efforts that are necessary in moving forward this full academic portfolio. Finally, it is a vision that provides an authentic rationale for growth in a number of critical areas arising in fields from basic science to public policy. - Laura Roberts, MD, MA, Department Chairman and Katharine Dexter McCormick and Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor

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Hearing slated for local counselor accused of misconduct

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Posted: Sunday, November 16, 2014 12:00 am

Hearing slated for local counselor accused of misconduct

An area mental health counselor is facing scrutiny by the Iowa Board of Behavioral Science after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a client and then falsifying a document to conceal it from the board.

Amy Jo Murphy of Omaha has been scheduled for a disciplinary contested case hearing at 10 a.m. Feb. 5, 2015, at the Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines.

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Hearing slated for local counselor accused of misconduct

Psaki: We certainly stand by what the OSCE & NATO have said… 12 Nov 2014 (Ukraine) – Video

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Psaki: We certainly stand by what the OSCE NATO have said... 12 Nov 2014 (Ukraine)
Jen Psaki, State Department Spokesperson. U.S. Department of State - Daily Briefing: November.12.2014 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/index.htm SPOT REPORT...

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Psaki: We certainly stand by what the OSCE & NATO have said... 12 Nov 2014 (Ukraine) - Video

Russia and Serbia Hold Joint Military Exercises: 50km from NATO border as Patriarch Kirill visits – Video

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Russia and Serbia Hold Joint Military Exercises: 50km from NATO border as Patriarch Kirill visits
Russian soldiers have parachuted into open fields in western Serbia as part of an unprecedented joint military drill. The controversial exercises were held just 50 kilometres from the NATO...

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Russia and Serbia Hold Joint Military Exercises: 50km from NATO border as Patriarch Kirill visits - Video

Jens Stoltenberg: the new man at Nato who must stand up to Putin and his tanks

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Mr Stoltenberg declines to put a figure on the scale of the Russian deployment, but he is struck by the presence of sophisticated air defences inside the rebel-held enclave in Ukraine. We see a lot of advanced, for instance, air defence systems. This has to come from somewhere and it has to be operated by people who are able to operate this kind of advanced military equipment, he says.

As for who broke the Minsk Agreement, Mr Stoltenberg places the blame firmly on Russia. The developments are going in the wrong direction, he says. The idea with the Minsk Agreement was that Russia should withdraw its forces. But instead of withdrawing them, they are sending in new forces and thats undermining the whole ceasefire and the Minsk Agreement.

So has Russia invaded Ukraine? Mr Stoltenberg, for all his candour, still declines to endorse such a blunt term. There are Russian forces inside Ukraine and there has been a military build-up and thats in violation of the Minsk Agreement, he replies. Its a threat to the ceasefire - and thats the reason why were calling on Russia to withdraw its forces.

What might be the rationale for this Russian build-up? One plausible explanation is that Mr Putin and the rebels are planning a joint offensive to enlarge the pro-Russian statelet by capturing more Ukrainian territory, possibly beginning with the port city of Mariupol.

Ill be very careful on speculating on intentions, says Mr Stoltenberg. But I see what they do: Nato acts based on what we see Russia actually doing. And what they are doing is violating international law, they are violating the whole rules-based system of working together in Europe - which was developed over decades - and they are also using force to change borders in Europe.

In addition, Russia is sending more and more jet bombers and fighters to probe the air defences of Europe. In itself, this is nothing new: exercises of this kind have always happened.

But Mr Stoltenberg points out that Nato fighters have intercepted Russian intruders over 100 times so far this year a threefold increase in the number of incidents recorded in 2013. Moreover, the Russian planes often ignore safety procedures, raising the risk of a catastrophic collision with civil airliners in European airspace.

The problem is that many of the Russian pilots dont turn on their transponders, they dont file their flight plans and they dont communicate with civilian air traffic control, says Mr Stoltenberg.

This poses a risk to civilian air traffic and therefore this is a problem, especially when the Russian activity increases.

In response to Russias new challenge, Nato has taken a series of decisions. Five times as many fighter aircraft have been deployed to protect its Baltic members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and more warships have been dispatched to the Black Sea. Natos armies are creating a spearhead force designed to guard the alliances most exposed members.

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Jens Stoltenberg: the new man at Nato who must stand up to Putin and his tanks