Category Archives: Singularity

At the heart of New Delhi, the capital of India, sits a Mughal-inspired monument that houses the seat of the Indian parliament. Built by the British architect Edwin Lutyens between 1911 and 1931, the parliament buildings and their grand roadways and water channels follow the form established by the Islamic rulers of Iran and elaborated by the Islamic sultanate of Samarkand and the Mughal rulers of India.

Lutyens designed perhaps the most important Islamic-inspired edifice of modern times. The buildings quote architectural emblems from Hindu temples and palaces, but the grand plan follows the design of Mughal-Islamic landscape with a light nod to Roman triumphalism. It is, in my view, the greatest set of government buildings anywhere in the world.

Unsurprisingly, the Islamic origin of these buildings offends the current regime in Delhi. It is why the tyrant Modi and his henchmen are destroying it. As I write, the destruction is under way. It is an abomination that Modis hate-filled campaign to de-Islamify India is allowed to continue via the destruction of a world-class monument. Astonishingly, the UN heritage forum is silent and world heritage bodies have kept their mouths firmly closed. Are they afraid of Modi, or do they not care what happens in India?

Modi has appointed third-rate Bimal Patel as his architect. Patel will design its replacement much in the way that Albert Speer followed his Fhrers lead, but, of course, Patel does not have an iota of Speers talent.

This ideologically driven, hate-filled destruction follows the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992 and the vandalism of Islamic and Mughal monuments all over India. Modi appears to want nothing less than the obliteration of all the Islamic monuments of India and the removal of the 200 million Indian Muslims. Let us not forget that he has already forcibly taken away Indian citizenship from many millions of Indian Muslims and rendered them stateless a crime for which he has not been brought to book, even though India is a signatory to the UN declaration of human rights, of which citizenship is a central tenet.

The pretence that the destruction of this grand vista is justified by a lack of space for parliament is flimsy. The National Museum of India, which is housed in one of the buildings to be demolished, is to be moved to a space inadequate for its marvellous collections, putting at risk many invaluable and fragile works of art. All this will be done at breakneck speed in order to have the work finished before the end of Modis term in office. The Indian courts have been pressured to acquiesce to this idiotic scheme and journalists and other commentators have been intimidated.

Tragically, Covid-19 ravages the country but uncaring ideology makes sure that the central vista project has $2bn in funding while hundred of millions of Indias poor and destitute have to fend for themselves. They are dying by the hundreds of thousands. Modi is building a vulgar monument to himself on the corpses of invisible and unnamed citizens.

I draw a comparison here with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who in the 17th century destroyed Hindu monuments and temples all over India in fervent religious hatred. Modi is an Aurangzeb for our times. His regime bears comparison with the Taliban in Afghanistan, who also attempt to rule with ideological fervour.

Modis Hindu Taliban needs monuments to itself in order to establish cultural acceptance and domination. Like all fascist-leaning politicians, Modi hopes that by controlling the images at the heart of the nation, he will form a new vision of his India, which places him at the centre alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.

The ego displayed in this and other of his vainglorious projects puts Indian democracy at huge risk. Modi recently opened a cricket stadium named after himself, in laughable mimicry of Kim Jong-un in North Korea. He erected a monumental statue to Vallabhbhai Patel, the Hindu-Gujarati freedom fighter. It is four times bigger than the Statue of Liberty, unimaginably vulgar and cost over $400m. These are edifices for ultra-nationalist Modi Talibanists to rally around.

The British civil servant John Strachey declared in a lecture given at Cambridge University in 1884 that there is no such country as India and this is the first and most essential fact about India that can be learned. Seeking unified religion, culture and tradition in India, he could not find them. What he failed to see is Indias capacity for diversity, Indias inescapable multi-layered complexity, Indias refusal of singularity. He could not see India as forming a cohesive whole without a shared language or tradition. His nation-state mindset could not see unity and diversity living side by side.

British colonial endeavours to force Indians into one system led to famine and slavery. It forced Indians into cultural inferiority so Christian morality could dominate and British business interests could flourish. I believe the fascist government in India today is doing what the British could not. Modi and his neo-colonial henchmen are forcing Hindu singularity on the country.

The destruction of the parliament buildings represents the taking-over of the Indian psyche by a fascist regime. Its ultra-nationalist vision is of Hindu dominion over all Indians at any price, and Modi as its architect will rule India with his right hand raised in salute, palm open, mimicking the Hindu god Vishnu among others.

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Modis bulldozing of parliament shows him as the architect of a Hindu Taliban - The Guardian

A booming space industry is making it easier than ever to get into orbit, but Japan is betting that it could revolutionize terrestrial travel, too. The countrys science ministry has unveiled a plan to develop intercontinental passenger spaceships by the early 2040s.

The idea of using spaceships to travel from one point on the Earths surface to another has been around since at least the 1960s, but the cost and complexity of the idea have meant its been little more than a pipe dream.

In principle, the approach isnt that different from the one used by intercontinental ballistic missiles. A rocket is used to blast the payload, be it a nuclear weapon or a passenger spaceship, on a big looping trajectory into space before re-entering the atmosphere on the other side of the planet.

The approach could make it possible to travel between continents in under an hour, and now Japan has outlined its vision for how to make the idea a reality. In a roadmap unveiled at an expert panel earlier this month, its science ministry put forward a two-phase plan it predicts could support a 5 trillion yen ($46 billion) market for spaceships departing from and arriving in Japan.

Local reports on the strategy are light on detail, but it seems to rely on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) achieving dramatic reductions in the cost of launching vehicles into space.

The countrys next-generation H3 rocket, which is due for a maiden flight this year, costs roughly five billion yen, and the roadmap predicts that tactics like reusing rocket parts will allow them to halve that cost by 2030, and get it down to as low as 10 percent by the early 2040s.

They will then rely on private companies to develop transport vehicles that can carry passengers. They envisage two different kinds of spaceships: a spaceplane similar to the space shuttle that can land on a runway like a normal aircraft, and one that lands vertically like SpaceXs reusable rockets.

The Japanese arent the only ones becoming increasingly bullish about the prospect of intercontinental spaceflight. Back in 2017 Elon Musk suggested that SpaceXs Starship could be used to travel anywhere around the planet in under an hour, and in 2019 he speculated that the vehicle could carry as many as 1,000 passengers per trip.

NASA also recently announced a partnership with Virgin Galactic to develop a new vehicle for high-speed civilian air travel, which is likely to refer to the companys oft-stated goal of using its sub-orbital space planes to transport people across the globe.

If these ideas get off the ground, theyre likely to be incredibly expensivebut dont expect any first-class treatment. Musk compared the approach to an intercontinental ballistic missile traveling at Mach 25 that lands, and said the flights were likely to be all coach, with no toilets or food and the kind of restraints one might expect on a rollercoaster.

Others think the problems will go further than the lack of a drinks trolley, though. Humans simply arent built for the kind of acceleration and G-Force an intercontinental ballistic missile undergoes, Brian Weeden, from space advocacy organization Secure World Foundation, told The Verge, and could easily be killed on launch or re-entry.

Even if our bodies hold together, the vehicles themselves are far from reliable at present, and the safety of space travel is a long way from the rigorous standards set by commercial air travel.

The Space Shuttle program had two fatal disasters in 135 missions, which is a 1.5 percent failure rate, and both SpaceX and Virgin Galactic have had high-profile mission failures. In contrast, commercial aviation experienced just one fatal crash every 3.7 million flights last year.

The colossal cost of spaceflight compared to standard aviation also means it is likely to be difficult to achieve the kinds of passenger volumes required to justify the investment in vehicle development, spaceports, pilot training, and all the infrastructure required to support an entirely new form of travel.

On the flip side, though, many of the same arguments could have been made about the early aviation industry, which took its time to become a mainstay of our transportation networks. It may take some time to come to fruition, but dont be surprised if most peoples first trip to space comes on their way to their vacations.

Image Credit: SpaceX

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Japan Wants to Build Intercontinental Passenger Spaceships by the Early 2040s - Singularity Hub

While Covid-19 has reshaped many aspects of our lives, one thing that hasnt changed is the desire to learn and stay entertained while juggling our many day-to-day obligations. To make sure were doing our part to keep you up-to-date and inspired, Singularity is relaunching our world-ranked podcast network: Singularity Radio.

For those of you who may not already be subscribers, the first season of Singularity Radio met with great success, placing in Apples Top 25 Tech podcasts in the world thanks to conversations with the likes of Annaka Harris, Douglas Rushkoff, and Donald Hoffman.

As we embark on Season 2, weve decided not to mess with a good thing. Singularity Radio will continue to bring you a variety of inspiring shows and audio experiences, with several shows curated in one podcast feed. Our signature show, The Feedback Loop, is leading the way, with brand new episodes every week featuring interviews with compelling thinkers and doers.

The conversations we feature on The Feedback Loop focus heavily on the human side of technology, on understanding how technology is reshaping individuals and culture. Using a psychological lens, well explore everything from personal development and well-being to the sociopolitical and economic impacts of technology.

The podcasts namesake is inspired by the concept of ontological designwhich is our capacity to actively play a role in shaping reality, being, and existence itself. As explained by John Culkin (although commonly attributed to renowned media theorist Marshall McLuhan), We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.

In other words, as new technologies are created and become the norm, the way we live as humans and our ability to create even more complex technologies is forever altered. So we must ask ourselves: How is humanitys rapid technological transformation changing us?

To better understand this question, the show features interviews with a variety of experts, most often academics and authors. Each episode strives to provide educational and inspirational conversations that promote personal empowerment and help listeners increase their capacity for creativity, productivity, and impact.

The Feedback Loop isnt just a cool name; its also part of our approach to building a community-driven podcast. If youre interested in asking our guests questions of your very own, or even being invited to join the podcast for community panel discussions, be sure to join our Global Community, where more than 25,000 innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders from around the world come together to learn, network, and help change the world for the better.

Be sure to subscribe on your listening platform of choice to be notified of new episodes: Apple, Google, Spotify, and more.

Editors Note: This promotional post was written by Singularity University, Singularity Hubs parent company. The Singularity Hub editorial staff was not involved in its creation, but signing up through links in this post helps support the work we do here.

Image Credit: Pawel Czerwinski / Unsplash

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Singularity Is Relaunching the 'Singularity Radio' Podcast Network - Singularity Hub

Black holes are one of the most tremendous destructive forces in the universe. And while opposites in magnetism attract, the concepts of creation and destruction aren't conventionally adjacent when it comes to black holes. But what if black holes created something really, really big?

A team of scientists has proposed a new theory where they do: Black holes might not only bend space and time into a singularity of extremely high density. They may also induce "a continuous transition between the inside of a black hole and the beginning of a new universe," according to a study recently shared on a preprint server. In other words, the study suggests black holes might actually burrow into a kind of multidimensional object called a brane, and give birth to an entirely new universe in another colossally big bang.

However, this idea relies on string theory, a body of ideas with aims to unify all forces in nature. So it's a big "maybe." But the idea alone highlights the intriguing mystery which the unknown internal happenings of black holes presents us. And, barring a magic spacecraft that can take us through a black hole's event horizon (alive), we can still try to approach it with mathematics.

Einstein's vacuum field equations for gravity lead us to a singularity, where the fabric of space-time curves away from the plane. And in black holes, this curvature extends far beyond what we expect in ordinary gravitational fields surrounding stars or planets. It's a place where the laws of classical physics (from Sir Isaac Newton's time) begin to break down. But according to the study, this "breakdown" in classical physics also happens within big bang conditions, when a universe is being born.

Jumping forward a few hundred years, quantum physicists hoped to find a way to integrate Einstein's theory of gravity into a quantum schema. But any attempt to unify all physical theories under quantum physics would also have to give an account for singularities like black holes and big bangs. This is what the recent study purports to do. "[W]e propose a way to simultaneously resolve black hole and cosmological singularities by the addition of a single object to the effective field and theory description of space, time, and matter," said the researchers in their study.

"This object is a[n] S-brane, a relativistic object which occupies a co-dimension one space-like hypersurface of space-time and carries positive tension but vanishing energy density," added the researchers. "This object violates the usual energy conditions and hence enables a resolution of space-time singularities." Using two mathematical representations of the big bang and black holes called the Penrose diagrams of expanding cosmology, and the Penrose diagram of the Schwarzchild black hole, respectively the authors attempt to bring the "wavy" singularity of both diagrams together, like a patch. If this is possible (and it's a big "if"), they would create a theoretical description of a black hole, whose singularity leads to a new universe.

Obviously, this isn't the first time a scientist has proposed that a black hole might birth a new universe beyond its event horizon, but many of these rely on Einstein's General Relativity to bring the two Penrose models of the big bang and black holes together, which runs into problems. In an attempt to circumvent this, the researchers suppose superstring theory which hints at the possibility of a unified theory of all forces in nature may do the trick that General Relativity and quantum physics alone have yet to do.

In string theory, instead of particles in space, we view the universe as extended objects: strings existing in ten space-time dimensions (we live in three, and experience the fourth: time). One object that shows up in the math of string theory, called a brane, is multidimensional. When scientists find new ways of describing branes, they often lead to new advances in string theory as such. Here, the study proposes a specific type of multidimensional object called an S-Brane coming into existence within the impassible horizon of a black hole, at the singularity, which could serve as a means of transit between a black hole and the birth of a new universe. "This provides simultaneous resolution of both the black hole and Big Bang singularities," reads the study.

Admittedly, a lot of high-order mathematics is required to fully grasp the complexities of the researchers' study, which again has yet to receive peer review. And, while this absolutely does not mean that black holes are actually gateways to young universes being born out of the destruction and collapse of stars in our universe we have to consider all theories to advance our scientific understanding of the cosmos. In other words, we still don't know what happens inside of black holes, but string theory gives us a unique perspective into what might happen beyond the event horizon.

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Scientists Say Black Holes Might Lead to the Birth of New Universes - Interesting Engineering

Before he was Finn in the latest Star Wars trilogy, John Boyega hit the big screen as Moses in the British sci-fi comedy/horror movie Attack the Block. The movie premiered in 2011 and though it was never a box office hit, the movie did find a faithful fanbase, establishing it as a cult classic in the science fiction genre.

Attack the Block is a 2011 movie directed by Joe Cornish; it is set in South London and revolves around a street gang of teenagers who find themselves fighting an invading force of dangerous extraterrestrials. Though the movie did not perform well at the box office, critics and viewers alike had an overall positive response to the movie.

A few years later, Boyega would go on to act in his largest role as Finn in the 2015 movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The actors career has moved beyond the Star Wars universe, with Boyega scoring starring leads in movies like Pacific Rim: Uprising, Detroit, and Naked Singularity.

According to Deadline, one of Boyegas next upcoming projects will be reprising his role as Moses in Attack the Block 2. Joe Cornish will return to direct and write the sequel. A decade has passed since the original movie premiered, and it remains unclear how the sequel will evolve the storyline in light of that.

Unfortunately, Attack the Block 2s plot hasnt yet been revealed. We do know that Boyega will return as Moses and that hell once again perhaps with some other returning cast have to face off with predatory aliens in London. The sequels release date remains unclear, but Boyegas IMDb filmography currently lists it as in pre-production.

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Attack the Block sequel will have John Boyega return as Moses - SlashGear

Lotus will be celebrated as the Central Feature marque at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Norfolk car maker will be the subject of the Festivals annual artistic display in the grounds of Goodwood House.

It will mark the public debut of the brands new Emira sports car.

Each year the Central Feature celebrates the greatest achievements of a manufacturer or milestone through art.

Lotus was last selected as the Central Feature marque in 2012, with a 3D infinity loop sculpture that celebrated the singularity of purpose of a Lotus race car. This years sculpture is being created using an entirely new design philosophy and is set to be more interactive and accessible for those joining from home.

Owner of the Goodwood Estate The Duke of Richmond, said: "We are delighted that Lotus will star as the Central Feature at this year's Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. Lotus cars raced with great success at Goodwood throughout the 1950s and 60s, including setting the ultimate lap record in 1965, and this years Central Feature will serve as a fitting landmark to their past, present and future achievements.

The sculpture looks set to be one of the most dramatic and futuristic yet, bringing in elements of interactivity for modern audiences that align with Lotus future-facing attitude and outlook.

The new Lotus Emira will make its public dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year. Its an all-new model, developed as part of the ongoing transformation of Lotus.

Lotus says the Emira will set new standards of technology, comfort, functionality and everyday useability. It goes into production later this year at an all-new manufacturing facility at Hethel, Norfolk the home of Lotus since 1966.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed will take place on July 8-11, 2021.

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Lotus to be celebrated at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2021 - AM

There is no position in sports quite like quarterback.

The singularity of the role, pressure of the spotlight and scarcity of opportunity all combine in some magical, unknown equation that makes us obsessed with the men behind centre.

There are numerous ways to play the position and endless different ways to become a pro football quarterback, but the reality is that being atop a depth chart, to be known as QB No. 1, comes with a certain sense of accomplishment.

RELATED OLeary: Some would-be training camp thoughts Asian History Month: A powerful discussion with Chiu, ChunghSteinbergs MMQB: Feeling optimism in the air

You dont have to be a math major to understand that thousands of athletes who do what you do are being produced every year with the goal of taking your job. The natural life cycle of quarterbacking is worthy of a David Attenborough narrated Netflix special.

Watch here, as the young buck full of promise and often unwarranted self belief observes the savvy veteran from afar, stalking his prey until the time is right and he must pounce to feed his family.

The facts of quarterbacking include, but are not limited to:

So the question becomes, what happens when you evolve from the hunter to the hunted?

To answer this I went to one of the great young hunters, perhaps a hungrier predator than weve ever seen before who came, claimed, and has been standing at or near the top of his kingdom for nearly a decade now.

When Bo Levi Mitchell arrived in the CFL he was a skinny kid from Eastern Washington by way of SMU and Katy High School. He had veteran Kevin Glenn and incumbent starter Drew Tate ahead of him on the depth chart and quickly told then Head Coach John Hufnagel, Im coming for him.

Let the hunt begin.

In his search for wisdom, Mitchell asked around to other young arms about the tricky dynamic of working within a quarterback room while trying to conquer it. What he found was an answer that shaped his opinion of how starting quarterbacks should operate in this chaotic civility.

I talked to other QBs from other teams that had legends on their team and I wont mention names but Id ask, hey, how was it working with him? And theyd say, he wouldnt help you, he wouldnt even talk to you if youre a rookie,' said Mitchell. I remember that moment and who that was about and I was like, okay, Im never going to do that. When Nick Arbuckle came a couple years ago, he got cut then Dave fought for him to come back and the first time he was here I didnt pay much attention but if he asked me a question Id help or what not.

When he came back I was like, okay Dave obviously sees something in this guy so I need to change my mindset of what I think of him. Hes asking questions like, Hey Bo, what time do you get to the stadium? (and Id say) You know I leave the house at 4:30, get there at 5:00 and the next day hell be there at 4:50. At first I was like, ugh, Nick dont be that guy, but then I was like, if thats you, be you. Thats whats most important. I had to change my mindset about how I thought of Nick and I said I was never going to be that guy to not help so I need to help this guy as much as I possibly can. Look at him now, not to my credit, to Dave and (Ryan) Dinwiddie and what Nick has done for himself, his story is amazing.

Anyone who watched Bo and Nicks on-field interactions in 2019 could see the competition came from a genuine place of wanting to be their respective best at the game they love, but the respect they gave each other is what separates the situation from so many others weve seen.

Icy press conferences, awkward sideline moments and reported rifts are all standard parts of a quarterback competition when two personalities that dont mix well get thrown in the same room with the promise to both lead the team.

How Head Coach Dave Dickenson and then Calgary Offensive Coordinator Ryan Dinwiddie manoeuvred the Arbuckle and Mitchell year reads like a Bill Walsh handbook on maximizing talent without creating tension.

If you look around the CFL in 2021 there are predominately veteran quarterbacks who at face value here in mid-May appear unchallenged for their starting role.

Dane Evans helped lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the 107th Grey Cup after Jeremiah Masoli suffered a season-ending injury (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

Mike Reilly, Trevor Harris, Bo Levi Mitchell, Zach Collaros and Matt Nichols all have lesser known backups with limited experience standing behind them in pre-game introductions while Cody Fajardo, Nick Arbuckle and Vernon Adams Jr. have themselves on solid footing despite having considerably less time at the helm of a CFL offence.

This season, the situation most comparable to Mitchell and Arbuckle in 2019 is undoubtedly in Hamilton where the Ticats house two starting caliber quarterbacks in talented upstart Dane Evans and battle-tested veteran Jeremiah Masoli, but dont expect any fireworks.

When Manziel was a Tiger-Cat it was Evans, not the Heisman trophy winner, who spent early mornings and late nights at Tim Hortons Field. If youve ever been to a Hamilton game early, its Masoli and Evans working through a particularly scripted warm up progression, each taking turns playing receiver for one another.

The respect is there, the competition is invited, but the reality remains there is only one job available. Theres nothing quite like it in a normal year but add in a pandemic-shortened season in a year Hamilton hosts the Grey Cup?

All thats left to do is sit back, put the nature channel on each week and enjoy the hunt of Evans and his fresh-faced contemporaries as they attempt to claim what they believe to be rightfully theirs: a chance to lead a CFL franchise like Bo Levi Mitchell has so successfully for nearly ten years.

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Ferguson: Nothing like a heated quarterback battle - CFL.ca

When you think of business, do you think of stuffy suits and boring meetings? But maybe thats just a pose. Organizational science studies what makes businesses survive, thrive and die. The description makes businesses sound more like living, vulnerable animals, doesnt it?

There is even a widely accepted subfield called organizational ecology, founded by Michael Hannan and John Freeman (19442008), which applies evolution theory to businesses. In 1989, Harvard University Press published their very influential book on the topic.

Organizational ecology applies a specifically Darwinian form of evolution theory to businesses. That is, the main driving force of change for businesses is seen as natural selection. The ecology part of organizational ecology is the idea that the ever-changing business environment selects the fit businesses and removes the unfit ones.

But an environment that selects must have something to select from. Where do the different forms of business fit or otherwise come from? Darwinian theory is not just survival of the fittest, as often thought. Rather, natural selection acting on random mutation is thought to produce the entire history of life. In the same way, organizational ecology proposes that the emergence of different types of business is essentially random. While the individuals inside a business push and pull one way or another, on the whole, they are thought to move randomly. Thus, the dynamic Darwinian duo of natural selection and random variation also explain all the diversity that we see in the business world.

Charles Darwin would be proud. A theory that began as a naturalistic explanation for the diversity of animal forms is now applied to the very different field of business. Yet, at what cost?

One cost is that organizational ecology misses the non-random fundamental driver of business, which is entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is the activity of thinking individuals as the source of economic change and disruption through their initiative and creativity. Creative individuals are not passively shaped by their environment.

In fact, many economists consider entrepreneurship and innovation to be the driving force of the economy. The well known venture capitalist Peter Thiel goes so far as to say (in purposefully controversial terms) that business success comes through intelligent design, not through Darwinian forces, in his book Zero to One.

We can see the dilemma here. On the one hand, the popular academic explanation for new developments in the business world is a form of Darwinian evolution. On the other hand, real business people describe their world in terms of purpose and design. Sound familiar? Organizational scientists would do well to read a page or two from intelligent design theorists like Michael Behe, design theorist William Dembski, and Steve Meyer if they want to study how a system infused by intelligence evolves.

You may also wish to read this piece by Eric Holloway:

Are we facing the next, very rapid stage of evolution, via AI? Prof. Mark Alan Walker: Person-engineering technologies will make it possible to accomplish in a matter of years what evolution would take thousands of millennia to achieve. No, the Singularity wont happen. The Second Law of Thermodynamics eviscerates any technology we might invent.

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Can Darwinian Theory Explain the Rise and Fall of Businesses? - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

The price of 8K televisions has been falling all the time, and now we've reached a point where, if you need a new TV, there isn't really any reason not to buy one.

There are several definitions of the technological singularity. The more apocalyptic versions are along the lines of we will have reached the singularity when machines become more intelligent than us. At that point the robots will just make better and better machines without human intervention and in the time it takes to say twenty picofarad capacitor we will have lost our status as the dominant species on the planet to our silicon overlords.

But my favourite definition is more prosaic. It is that we will have reached the singularity when the curve of technological process against time is vertical from our perspective. In other words, things change so fast, that we have lost the ability to predict when they will happen.

I dont think were quite there yet, but I am beginning to think that were in the foothills. One symptom of this is that we are starting to see developments which take us by surprise. And by us I mean people like you and me who are familiar and current with technology. If something seems unexpected to us, then we have indeed been deceived by the steepness of the curve.

Both of my eyebrows skidded to the back of my head when I heard that the new Apple Silicon powered iPad Pro was 1,500 times faster than the first iPad 10 years ago. Like a lot of statistics used for marketing purposes, this is likely to be a bit selective - its hard to figure out the exact basis of the comparison, but, even so, theres more than a little truth in it. And even if its out by a factor of five, its still pretty remarkable and even though I knew the performance curve was steep, I didnt know that it was this steep.

I had a similar surprise when I was looking for a new TV to buy. Its quite enjoyable for me because I actually know what Im talking about in this area.

I found a TV I liked the look of - a 55 QLED Samsung 4K model. QLED is a good technology. Its obviously named to look a bit like OLED, but uses Quantum Dots instead to give extra brightness to the pixels. I know from previous models Ive reviewed that its a good technology. Priced at 1,199, (US$1,670) the set was 700 (US$975) cheaper than when it was on sale only in January this year.

It was only when I was trawling through the specifications that I noticed it is actually an 8K TV. That took me completely by surprise. It was an 8K TV for the price of a 4K set.

At that point, why would you buy anything else?

Actually there are plenty of reasons. You might not want an 8K TV, and Id understand if you didnt. 55 is a bit small for an 8K screen. You wont get the full benefit, and, certainly, if youre price conscious, you can buy 55 4K Samsung TVs for 479 (US$668) - although the QLED ones that same size cost 999 (US$1,392), which makes the 8K version look like even more of a bargain, if not a pricing mistake.

I have to say, though, that you certainly can tell the difference between good 8K and good 4K on a 55 screen, and while there isnt much 8K around to view at the moment, the Samsung even includes AI-based upscaling from HD and 4K to 8K. Ive seen this in action and it really does work, even though it does sound a bit like marketing woo.

Honestly, Im very tempted by this. If you can buy an upper mid-range 8K TV for the price of an upper mid-range 4K set, why wouldnt you? At the very least youll be ready for 8K when its finally available to watch without having to search YouTube for 8K demo footage.

So, does this mean that the technological singularity is here? I think its a sign that its approaching.

Just nine years ago I was at the IBC show in Amsterdam when 8K was a science experiment. 4K was just starting to roll out to expensive consumer outlets: you had to be wealthy to afford the typical 25,000 (US$34,836) list price. Only around three years after that, you could only buy 4K sets in the shops. I think were on the way to that situation now with 8K. I predict that in 3 years the majority of TVs on sale will be 8K and in 5 years, you won't be able to buy 4K sets any more. Soon, it simply wont make sense to buy 4K TVs at all.

There will be plenty of people who will disagree with me, and thats fine, but I would also say that if youve been around as much 8K as I have, there are some distinct advantages to adopting the higher resolution. These are not obvious like the way that HDR looks great even to non technical people, and theyre not as apparent as the stunning improvement that Full HD is over SD. Instead theyre all about subtlety.

High resolution video is not merely a matter of how sharply you can define the edges of an object. Its all about smoothness. Its the lack of aliasing (stepping) on a gentle curve. Its about seeing the microshadows that signal the texture of a face. Its about the ability to show digitally reproduced video as though it were not digital at all. Its about making the digital world look analogue again.

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8K TVs at everyday prices signal that theres far less reasons not to buy 8K - RedShark News

Gene therapy has shown promise in recent years for treating a range of diseases, including sickle-cell anemia, hemophilia, various forms of inherited blindness, mesothelioma, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A new success story may soon be added to this list, with the publication yesterday of the outcomes of a clinical trial that used gene therapy to cure a rare immune system disorder in infants.

The study, described in the New England Journal of Medicine, was carried out by researchers from UCLA and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London over the course of five years, beginning in 2012.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme found in a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, which are primarily active in the brain, GI tract, and thymus gland. Lymphocytes make antibodies and attack infected cells, so theyre pretty crucial to the immune system.

ADAs job is to convert a molecule thats harmful to lymphocytes into a non-harmful version of itself. If ADA cant work its magic, that molecule starts to build up in lymphocytes, becoming toxic and ultimately killing the cellsand leaving the immune system virtually defenseless, highly vulnerable to invaders like viruses and bacteria.

Mutations in the ADA gene mean the body doesnt make enough of the enzyme to successfully do its job. This deficiency of ADA leads to a condition called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Those suffering from SCID can not only get sick very easily, but conditions that would be neutralized by a normal immune system quickly become deadly for them.

SCID was more commonly known as bubble boy disease after David Vetter, a boy born in Texas in 1971, spent 12 of his 13 years of life enclosed in a plastic bubble to protect him from germs.

About 20 different genetic mutations can cause SCID; ADA-SCID refers to immunodeficiency caused by lack of the ADA enzyme: severe combined immunodeficiency due to adenosine deaminase deficiencya bit of a mouthful. The worst part of ADA-SCID is that it occurs in babies; most are diagnosed with the condition before theyre even six months old, and without treatment they typically dont live past age two.

ADA is rare, estimated to occur in about 1 in 200,000 to 1,000,000 newborns worldwide; both the mothers and the fathers ADA gene must have mutations for the child to end up with this condition.

The first step in the gene therapy treatment was to collect hematopoietic stem cells, which are those that manufacture blood cells, from the patients. The researchers then inserted an intact copy of the ADA gene into the stem cells using an RNA virus called a lentivirus (the most well-known lentivirus is HIV).

The altered cells were re-injected into the patients, where they started producing ADA normally, yielding healthy immune cells.

Out of 50 total patients30 in the US and 20 in the UKwith ADA-SCID, 48 appear to have been rid of their condition thanks to the gene therapy, with no complications reported. The two patients who didnt have success with the therapy went back to traditional treatment methods, and didnt experience any adverse effects as a result of having tried the therapy.

If, or hopefully when, gene therapy becomes the go-to treatment for ADA-SCID, it will be a welcome reprieve from traditional options, which are neither pleasant nor cheap: patients need weekly injections of ADA until a bone marrow transplant can be done, and absent a donor, they must consistently receive injections, take antibiotics, and undergo antibody infusions for life.

If approved in the future, this treatment could be standard for ADA-SCID, and potentially many other genetic conditions, removing the need to find a matched donor for a bone marrow transplant and the toxic side effects often associated with that treatment, said Dr. Claire Booth, co-author of the study and a consultant in pediatric immunology and gene therapy at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Theres no mention of the cost of the therapy, nor whether this could be a prohibitive factor to making it a viable option. Nonetheless, the study is encouraging not just for its potential to revolutionize treatment of ADA-SCID, but as a harbinger for the promise of gene therapy for a multitude of genetic conditions.

People ask us, is it a cure? Who knows long term, but at least up to three years, these children are doing well, said Dr. Stephen Gottschalk, who was not involved in this study but performed a similar gene therapy on kids with SCID at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis. The immune function seems stable over time so I think it looks very, very encouraging.

Image Credit: liyuanalison from Pixabay

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How One Round of Gene Therapy Fixed 48 Kids' Immune Systems - Singularity Hub