Daily Archives: June 14, 2017

Helping or hacking? Engineers and ethicists must work together on brain-computer interface technology – San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: June 14, 2017 at 4:22 am

Eran Klein, University of Washington and Katherine Pratt, University of Washington

(THE CONVERSATION) In the 1995 film Batman Forever, the Riddler used 3-D television to secretly access viewers most personal thoughts in his hunt for Batmans true identity. By 2011, the metrics company Nielsen had acquired Neurofocus and had created a consumer neuroscience division that uses integrated conscious and unconscious data to track customer decision-making habits. What was once a nefarious scheme in a Hollywood blockbuster seems poised to become a reality.

Recent announcements by Elon Muskand Facebook about brain-computer interface (BCI) technology are just the latest headlines in an ongoing science-fiction-becomes-reality story.

BCIs use brain signals to control objects in the outside world. Theyre a potentially world-changing innovation imagine being paralyzed but able to reach for something with a prosthetic arm just by thinking about it. But the revolutionary technology also raises concerns. Here at the University of Washingtons Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) we and our colleagues are researching BCI technology and a crucial part of that includes working on issues such as neuroethics and neural security. Ethicists and engineers are working together to understand and quantify risks and develop ways to protect the public now.

All BCI technology relies on being able to collect information from a brain that a device can then use or act on in some way. There are numerous places from which signals can be recorded, as well as infinite ways the data can be analyzed, so there are many possibilities for how a BCI can be used.

Some BCI researchers zero in on one particular kind of regularly occurring brain signal that alerts us to important changes in our environment. Neuroscientists call these signals event-related potentials. In the lab, they help us identify a reaction to a stimulus.

In particular, we capitalize on one of these specific signals, called the P300. Its a positive peak of electricity that occurs toward the back of the head about 300 milliseconds after the stimulus is shown. The P300 alerts the rest of your brain to an oddball that stands out from the rest of whats around you.

For example, you dont stop and stare at each persons face when youre searching for your friend at the park. Instead, if we were recording your brain signals as you scanned the crowd, there would be a detectable P300 response when you saw someone who could be your friend. The P300 carries an unconscious message alerting you to something important that deserves attention. These signals are part of a still unknown brain pathway that aids in detection and focusing attention.

P300s reliably occur any time you notice something rare or disjointed, like when you find the shirt you were looking for in your closet or your car in a parking lot. Researchers can use the P300 in an experimental setting to determine what is important or relevant to you. Thats led to the creation of devices like spellers that allow paralyzed individuals to type using their thoughts, one character at a time.

It also can be used to determine what you know, in whats called a guilty knowledge test. In the lab, subjects are asked to choose an item to steal or hide, and are then shown many images repeatedly of both unrelated and related items. For instance, subjects choose between a watch and a necklace, and are then shown typical items from a jewelry box; a P300 appears when the subject is presented with the image of the item he took.

Everyones P300 is unique. In order to know what theyre looking for, researchers need training data. These are previously obtained brain signal recordings that researchers are confident contain P300s; theyre then used to calibrate the system. Since the test measures an unconscious neural signal that you dont even know you have, can you fool it? Maybe, if you know that youre being probed and what the stimuli are.

Techniques like these are still considered unreliable and unproven, and thus U.S. courts have resisted admitting P300 data as evidence.

Imagine that instead of using a P300 signal to solve the mystery of a stolen item in the lab, someone used this technology to extract information about what month you were born or which bank you use without your telling them. Our research group has collected data suggesting this is possible. Just using an individuals brain activity specifically, their P300 response we could determine a subjects preferences for things like favorite coffee brand or favorite sports.

But we could do it only when subject-specific training data were available. What if we could figure out someones preferences without previous knowledge of their brain signal patterns? Without the need for training, users could simply put on a device and go, skipping the step of loading a personal training profile or spending time in calibration. Research on trained and untrained devices is the subject of continuing experiments at the University of Washingtonand elsewhere.

Its when the technology is able to read someones mind who isnt actively cooperating that ethical issues become particularly pressing. After all, we willingly trade bits of our privacy all the time when we open our mouths to have conversations or use GPS devices that allow companies to collect data about us. But in these cases we consent to sharing whats in our minds. The difference with next-generation P300 technology under development is that the protection consent gives us may get bypassed altogether.

What if its possible to decode what youre thinking or planning without you even knowing? Will you feel violated? Will you feel a loss of control? Privacy implications may be wide-ranging. Maybe advertisers could know your preferred brands and send you personalized ads which may be convenient or creepy. Or maybe malicious entities could determine where you bank and your accounts PIN which would be alarming.

The potential ability to determine individuals preferences and personal information using their own brain signals has spawned a number of difficult but pressing questions: Should we be able to keep our neural signals private? That is, should neural security be a human right? How do we adequately protect and store all the neural data being recorded for research, and soon for leisure? How do consumers know if any protective or anonymization measures are being made with their neural data? As of now, neural data collected for commercial uses are not subject to the same legal protections covering biomedical research or health care. Should neural data be treated differently?

These are the kinds of conundrums that are best addressed by neural engineers and ethicists working together. Putting ethicists in labs alongside engineers as we have done at the CSNE is one way to ensure that privacy and security risks of neurotechnology, as well as other ethically important issues, are an active part of the research process instead of an afterthought. For instance, Tim Brown, an ethicist at the CSNE, is housed within a neural engineering research lab, allowing him to have daily conversations with researchers about ethical concerns. Hes also easily able to interact with and, in fact, interview research subjects about their ethical concerns about brain research.

There are important ethical and legal lessons to be drawn about technology and privacy from other areas, such as genetics and neuromarketing. But there seems to be something important and different about reading neural data. Theyre more intimately connected to the mind and who we take ourselves to be. As such, ethical issues raised by BCI demand special attention.

As we wrestle with how to address these privacy and security issues, there are two features of current P300 technology that will buy us time.

First, most commercial devices available use dry electrodes, which rely solely on skin contact to conduct electrical signals. This technology is prone to a low signal-to-noise ratio, meaning that we can extract only relatively basic forms of information from users. The brain signals we record are known to be highly variable (even for the same person) due to things like electrode movement and the constantly changing nature of brain signals themselves. Second, electrodes are not always in ideal locations to record.

All together, this inherent lack of reliability means that BCI devices are not nearly as ubiquitous today as they may be in the future. As electrode hardware and signal processing continue to improve, it will be easier to continuously use devices like these, and make it easier to extract personal information from an unknowing individual as well. The safest advice would be to not use these devices at all.

The goal should be that the ethical standards and the technology will mature together to ensure future BCI users are confident their privacy is being protected as they use these kinds of devices. Its a rare opportunity for scientists, engineers, ethicists and eventually regulators to work together to create even better products than were originally dreamed of in science fiction.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/helping-or-hacking-engineers-and-ethicists-must-work-together-on-brain-computer-interface-technology-77759.

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Helping or hacking? Engineers and ethicists must work together on brain-computer interface technology - San Francisco Chronicle

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Favorable Press Coverage Very Likely to Affect Stryker Corporation (SYK) Stock Price – Sports Perspectives

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Cardinals make first MLB Draft pick: CF Scott Hurst – FOXSports.com

Posted: at 4:21 am

ST. LOUIS After sitting out day one of the 2017 MLB Draft, the Cardinals finally got in on the action and made eight selections on the second day of the draft.

The Cardinals nabbed center fielder Scott Hurst of Cal State Fullerton with their first pick in the third round. Hurst, a left-handed-hitting junior, is batting a team-leading .332 with 12 home runs, five triples, 15 doubles and 39 RBI in 61 games for the Titans. Hurst leads the Big West Conference in runs scored (54) and total bases (141), ranks second in home runs, and third in slugging percentage (.585) and triples.

The Cardinals followed that by picking shortstop Kramer Robertson (Louisiana State University) in the fourth round, second baseman Zach Kirtly[St. Marys (Calif.) College] in the fifth, catcher Zach Jackson [Winter Haven (Fla.) HS] in the sixth, center fielder Chase Pinder (Clemson University) in the seventh, right-handed pitcher Wilberto Rivera (Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) in the eighth, left-handed pitcher Evan Kruczynski (East Carolina University) in the ninth and left-handed pitcher Brett Seeburger (San Diego State University) in the tenth.

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White Sox draft New Mexico CF Luis Gonzalez, Louisville reliever Lincoln Henzman on Day 2 – Chicago Tribune

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White Sox director of amateur scouting Nick Hostetler received the impression that Libertyville product Evan Skoug might take some motivation in dropping to the Sox in the seventh round of the first-year player draft Tuesday.

Skoug, a catcher and left-handed hitter from TCU, was ranked No. 48 on MLB.com's draft prospects list, but Hostetler said a high strikeout rate in his junior season and questions whether he will stick at catcher likely factored into his slip to 207th overall. The Sox think the strikeout rate could be an anomaly, and Hostetler said he also brings with him "undeniable power" and an aggressive belief he can stay behind the plate.

Skoug was hitting .277 with 20 home runs, 67 RBIs, 39 walks and 87 strikeouts over 63 games for TCU, which advanced to the College World Series.

"He's driven right now," Hostetler said. "There's going to be a little chip on his shoulder. I expect to see a pretty impressive College World Series out of him."

The Sox started the day by selecting New Mexico's Luis Gonzalez in the third round. Hostetler said he's a five-tool player with an advanced approach who can stick in center field.

Gonzalez, a left-handed hitter, hit .361 with 22 doubles, eight homers, 58 walks, 32 strikeouts, 14 stolen bases and a .500 on-base percentage over 55 games this season with New Mexico. He also pitched.

Fourth-round pick Lincoln Henzman, a right-handed Louisville reliever, owns a 1.77 ERA and 16 saves over 35 2/3 innings and 25 appearances. He has walked nine and struck out 36. South Carolina right-hander Tyler Johnson and Louisville right-hander Kade McClure joined the club in the fifth and sixth rounds.

Hostetler said the Sox will stretch all three out to be starters.

Skinny on Sheets: On a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning, Sox second-round pick Gavin Sheets, a Wake Forest first baseman, said he watched a lot of Jim Thome video in honing his approach. Sheets, a power-packed left-handed hitter, hit .317 with 20 homers, 81 RBIs and a .428 on-base percentage in 61 games in his junior season.

"We both have open stances, and he hits for a lot of power," Sheets said. "The biggest adjustment this year I made is focusing on hitting the right pitches, not swinging at pitches that I can't do damage with."

Sheets' father, Larry Sheets, played eight seasons in the majors with the Orioles, Tigers and Mariners, and Sheets said he planned to lean on him for advice.

"He has been a huge help, and going forward he's going to be huge for me as a guy who has lived it and gone through the process," Sheets said. "I'll definitely be in his ear a lot."

Wrapping up: The Sox selected high school first baseman Sam Abbott from Washington, who originally had committed to play water polo in college. Indiana outfielder Craig Dedelow and Oklahoma right-hander JB Olson were their final picks of the day.

The draft continues with rounds 11-40 Wednesday.

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White Sox draft New Mexico CF Luis Gonzalez, Louisville reliever Lincoln Henzman on Day 2 - Chicago Tribune

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Trudeau’s Pro-China Policy Might Affect CF-18 Replacements – The Daily Caller

Posted: at 4:21 am

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once declared China to have the economy that he most admired.

His admiration for the authoritarian communist superpower is endangering Canadas relationship with the superpower that its closest to: the United States. The federal government is seeking a bilateral free trade agreement with China and in its determination to accomplish that goal, is allowing China greater access to Canadian markets than ever before.

The recent sale of the Vancouver-based Norsat to China has angered the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, with its chairman Michael Wessel raising the red flag of security concerns and telling The Globe and Mail, that Canadas approval of the ale of Norsat to a Chineseentity raises significant national security concerns for the United States as the company is a supplier to our military.

During Mondays question period in the Canadian House of Commons, Conservative defense critic and Manitoba Member of Parliament James Bezan asked, will the government be purchasing replacements for the CF-18 fleet from its friends in communist China?

The defense minister wasnt in the House and his parliamentary secretary side-stepped the question, merely repeating the pledge from last weeks defense policy review that promises to replace the Cf-18 fleet with 88 advanced fighter aircraft through an open and transparent competition.

Bezan told The Daily Caller that Trudeau might be running out of options. Trudeau nixed Lockheed Martins F-35 join strike fighter as the replacement the previous Conservative and former Liberal governments both approved to as the successor to the CF-18. Now he is refusing to do business with Boeing because the aviation giant criticized Montreal-based Bombardier aircraft for the massive government subsidies it receives from Trudeaus Liberals.

The Chinese are developing a twin-engined, stealth jet fighter. The government continues to sell companies to China and these acquisitions should be going through security reviews. So its not that far-fetched to envision this government going to China for a fighter replacement.

In the interim, Bezan believes the Liberals will fly the CF-18s past their ultimate life-expectancy date, which they will reach in 2025. That will certainly put the lives of the pilots in danger.

Bezan says the government should stick with the F-35, because the decision to do so was made in a non-partisan spirit and because the aircraft will be interoperable with Canadas principle allies: the U.S., Britain and Australia. He points to a CTV interview conducted with the former chief of the defense staff, retired Gen. Tom Lawson, who said the F-35 was the way ahead.

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Lineups: Jarrod Dyson in CF for Game 2 of Mariners-Twins – MyNorthwest.com

Posted: at 4:21 am

Jarrod Dyson will hit seventh and roam in center field for the Mariners on Tuesday. (AP)

Jarrod Dyson will get an opportunity in center field as the Mariners move into the third day of their four-man outfield rotation following Mitch Hanigers return from the disabled list.

Dyson will hit seventh while Guillermo Heredia will be on the bench for the start of Tuesdays 5:10 game against the Minnesota Twins on 710 ESPN Seattle.

Right-hander Christian Bergman (3-3, 4.03 ERA) will take the mound for the Mariners. He has allowed just three earned runs over 18 innings in his last three starts. Kyle Gibson (3-4, 6.52 ERA) will start for the Twins.

Moore: Reasons to believe the Mariners are for real this time

The Mariners would get back to .500 with a win.

Coverage begins at 4 with the pregame show on 710 ESPN Seattle.

Mariners (32-33)

Ben Gamel, LF Mitch Haniger, RF Robinson Cano, 2B Nelson Cruz, DH Kyle Seager, 3B Danny Valencia, 1B Jarrod Dyson, CF Mike Zunino, C Taylor Motter, SS

Christian Bergman, RHP

Twins (32-28)

Brian Dozier, 2B Joe Mauer, 1B Robbie Grossman, RF Max Kepler, CF Kennys Vargas, DH Eduardo Escobar, 3B Jason Castro, C Jorge Polanco, SS Eddie Rosario, LF

Kyle Gibson, RHP

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Reds take Wake Forest CF Stuart Fairchild in 2nd round – Cincinnati.com

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Florida's Dalton Guthries, right, catches a throw from catcher Mike Rivera as Wake Forest runner Stuart Fairchild (4) safely steals second base during the first game of a super regional in the NCAA college baseball championship held at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, June 10, 2017. (Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun via AP)(Photo: The Associated Press)

Just minutes after his college season finished with a 3-0 loss to Florida in the NCAA Super Regional, Wake Forest All-American center fielder Stuart Fairchild was taken in the second round of the draft by the Reds.

The Reds took him with the second pick of the second round, No. 38 overall.

Fairchild, 21, finished his season hitting .360/.439/.636 with 17 home runs, 67 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 63 games for the Demon Deacons.

He's a very talented center fielder, said Chris Buckley, the Reds vice president of amateur scouting. (He) has a chance to be a five-tool player, to be a complete player.

Baseball America ranked Fairchild the No. 11 overall outfield prospect in the draft, noting he has the speed and instincts to stick in center field.

The draft continues Tuesday with rounds three through 10 and concludes Wednesday with rounds 11 through 40.

Weve got a good group, Reds general manager Dick Williams said after Mondays picks. Now weve got to add a little pitching tomorrow, but were in good shape.

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2017 MLB Draft: Astros select Houston CF Corey Julks in the 8th round – The Crawfish Boxes

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The Houston Astros didnt go far to get their eight-round pick. The Astros selected University of Houston center fielder Corey Julks with pick No. 241.

Julks, a junior at Houston, from Friendswood, Texas and played at Clear Brook High School. He batted .335 (72x215) with a .426 on-base percentage in 59 games with the Cougars. Julks had 27 extra-base hits, 45 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.

Julks ranks No. 390 on the Minor League Ball Top 500 list and No. 500 on the Top 500 list for Baseball America.

Julks was an AAC First Team All-American Conference in back-to-back seasons.

Hes shown off his speed this season including, stealing home against Tulane.

This selection seems to be cut from the same cloth as Ronnie Dawson and Derek Fisher. Julks is an outfielder that does a lot of things well but dont necessarily one explosive tool.

Here is a video of him taking some cuts:

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CF Charities 2017 Supercar Show Recap – duPont REGISTRY (blog)

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If you werent in Philadelphia over the weekend, you missed out on a wild event. CF Charities is a Pennsylvania-based organization that helps less fortunate kids get better educational opportunities. We saw photos of their Gala and Supercar show from last year and it looked like a great party, so Tanner Mashburn (@tmashphoto) decided to cover it. Many were there, including the 76ers, Algar Ferrari, and WSFS Bank.

Saturday was a track day at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It was a day of tire destruction and smiles that culminated in the Fueling Bright Futures Gala at the Hilton Philadelphia. Sunday was perfect weather for a car show, and the lineup was one for the ages.

The parking lot of Wells Fargo Center was host to a McLaren P1, Saleen S7, and even a Spyker. Some of the notable attendees were a Ferrari 599XX, Lamborghini Centenario, two LaFerraris, and an SSC Ultimate Aero. Take a look at these photos and tell us your favorite. Click here for more info on the event and stay with us for more event coverage.

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Political correctness is about more than being polite – St. Cloud Times

Posted: at 4:20 am

Adam Ulbricht, Times Writers Group 7:30 a.m. CT June 13, 2017

Adam Ulbricht(Photo: Submitted photo)

One can little doubt the power of language. We learn our vocabularies at a young age and continue picking up phrases and beliefs as we go through life.

Like many things, language is learned beginning with family. As we grow, we attend school. Literature and pop culture eventually lend a hand in expanding our knowledge base.

But language is also susceptible to change. The norms of today are vastly different than in the 90s when I was a young kid. We are currently living in a time of change where political correctness is the prevailing movement.

The notion of political correctness was defended in an editorial on May 27 by Times Writers Group columnist Ben Ament (Relish refusing to be politically correct? Thats just rude). Here, Mr. Ament argued that the PC movement is nothing more than just being polite to one another.

This over-simplified explanation doesnt address the full reality, though. Youll get no argument from me that we should strive to be civil in our interactions with other people. However, this is not whats necessarily playing out everywhere.

Political correctness has played a role on college campuses for around a decade now. Since then, there have been plenty of examples of student groups across the country shutting down speakers in a rather not-so-polite manner. Be it Charles Murray or Milo Yiannopoulous, members of the PC crowd have shown they will act to silence opposing speech.

A free society is dependent on our ability to express ourselves and disagree with one another. Sometimes thoughts, words or ideas that we dislike, or outright reject, are unpleasant.

The recent photos of comedian Kathy Griffin holding a fake severed head of the president serves as a good reminder of that lesson. Although you may disagree with her, she has the right to such expression.

But it doesnt just stop there. Political correctness can also find itself devoid of logic at times. For example, the accepted term undocumented immigrant has replaced illegal immigrant in order to provide greater dignity for those that fall into this category. The problem is that we do document those who are here without legal status. The Pew Research Center says the illegal immigration population remained at a little more than 11 million in 2016 for the eighth consecutive year.

Mr. Ament also touched upon a larger philosophical debate. According to his article, the long held Golden Rule is a bit too self-serving. Instead, he introduced the Platinum Rule in which he wants to treat others as they would like to be treated.

On the surface this may sound pleasant. After all, theres nothing wrong with being respectful to others. However, the idea that you can somehow abandon your self-serving ways is misguided.

Everything that we do is self-serving in some form or fashion. If you give to charity, help a stranger or call someone by the gender pronoun they identify as, do you not receive self-gratification?

What makes the Golden Rule successful is that humans are self-interested. This acts as a powerful incentive when following the Golden Rule. Being self-interested and treating others with respect are not mutually exclusive ideas.

I believe that we can live in a mutually beneficial society based on the belief of individualism. The average entrepreneur serves as a great example. If someone takes the risk and starts up a company that hires employees and provides a product or service of value, are they not serving both themselves and fellow humans? Their success provides employment and a tax base to communities, which reaches to other areas like local schools, libraries or churches.

Will there be people who violate rules? Absolutely. There will always be those who take advantage of others. Im certain that this new Platinum Rule has its own limits, which people will test.

Again, Ill say that political correctness is about a lot more than just being polite. Its a political philosophy as much as its a way to control the meaning of words and language. If language didnt hold such powerful meaning, Mr. Ament and I wouldnt be writing our columns and you wouldnt be reading.

This is the opinion of Adam Ulbricht, whose column is published the second Tuesday of the month.

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