Messages

46

Literate Chaotic / Re: Very Short Stories (3 sentences)

« on: July 06, 2019, 08:42:13 pm »

A despondent young man left his home in search of enlightenment. After a long, perilous journey, the young man met a Discordian. The Discordian made fun of him.

47

Principia Discussion / Re: ITT: Famous Last Words

« on: July 06, 2019, 05:45:23 pm »

I didn't start it, he did.

48

Techmology and Scientism / Re: A math equation that predicts the end of humanity

« on: July 05, 2019, 11:30:32 pm »

couldn't you use this technique to predict the end of numbers, themselves? 

"i've counted 10,000 numbers, so there's probably, like, 10,000 more"

As per the article:

“The Copernican principle is normally uncontroversial when applied to an observer’s location in space. Gott’s idea was, why not apply it to a location in time?”

So, if the Copernican principle can be applied to a location space, and extended to a location in time, why not extend it once again to a location on a number line? After all, a number line is kind of a dimensional, spacey thing, isn't it?

49

Techmology and Scientism / Re: A math equation that predicts the end of humanity

« on: July 05, 2019, 09:52:20 pm »

That's a rather optimistic estimate

That thought also occurred to me, upon reading it for the first time.

50

Techmology and Scientism / A math equation that predicts the end of humanity

« on: July 05, 2019, 06:02:59 pm »

How much longer till we all die off? 760 years, give or take.

As per the article:

'The most mind-boggling controversy in the contemporary philosophy of science is the “doomsday argument,” a claim that a mathematical formula can predict how long the human race will survive. It gives us even odds that our species will meet its end within the next 760 years.

The doomsday argument doesn’t tell what’s going to kill us — it just gives the date (very, very approximately).

When I first came across this idea, I thought it was absurd. A prediction must be founded on data, not math! That is by no means an uncommon reaction. One critic, physicist Eric J. Lerner, branded doomsday “pseudo-science, a mere manipulation of numbers.”'

Here's the link: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/6/28/18760585/doomsday-argument-calculation-prediction-j-richard-gott

Gott, the creator of the prediction technique, calls it  “the Copernican method.” 

That's a damn good name to build a marketing campaign around, and I would normally dismiss something like this out of hand, except for the lulz possibilities. But, Gott did get his prediction technique published in the prestigious journal Nature.

51

Techmology and Scientism / Re: The Tech Forum

« on: July 05, 2019, 05:47:35 am »

Unraveling The Nazi Origins Of The American Space Program

I'll post this here, as it is part of the history of Space Techmology.

This article contains an excerpt from the book MOONBOUND: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm. The article is difficult to quote, as it is done in graphic novel format. And, as I'm certain the graphic panels are copyright protected, I'm not going to copy and paste any of them here. Still, the article really is of historical interest.

Here's the link: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/nazi-origins-us-space-program-moonbound

52

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Weekly Science Headlines

« on: July 05, 2019, 05:39:16 am »

Now that I've once again read Dr. Sakaguchi's statement about consciousness, as transcribed by the author of the original article, I realize he actually made no attempt to define consciousness. He simply said something about consciousness, as he believes it applies to his subject matter.

The entire quotation from the original article is as follows:

“For those who worry that the mini-brains might possess human-like qualities (and so pose ethical dilemmas), there's no question that the organoids are incapable of sophisticated function, because they lack input from their surrounding environment, Sakaguchi said. Consciousness requires subjective experience, and that comes only when information is received from probing, sensory tissues -- those of the body.” 

I have no reason to disagree with Dr. Sakaguchi's statement. And, although it is an interesting subject, I see no need for him to have given a robust, comprehensive definition of consciousness when talking about its relationship to his subject matter.

And, as his subject matter is a collection of disembodied brain cells, that have always been disembodied, I'm pretty sure that even the ol' Garbage In = Garbage Out has no meaning in relation to them. I see what's going on with his disembodied brain cells as a Nothing In = Nothing Out = Nothing Going On situation.

So, I ask again, why does the definition of consciousness bother you more than a future that will undoubtably include “floating disembodied conscious brains?”

53

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Weekly Science Headlines

« on: July 04, 2019, 05:17:16 pm »

Speaking for no one but myself, a society of floating disembodied conscious brains would have a much harder time being shitty to others. Easier to be completely open and honest about your thoughts than not, when you have to build a machine that can translate between them, and if you aren’t communicating at all, well, it’s harder to fucking be a shithead to anyone, right? And a lot harder to randomly decide to beat someone with a wrench without arms. If you assume exoskeletons, the bar is raised on what constitutes dangerous violence. Without, you don’t get monkey violence at all. Sounds good to me.

Floating disembodied conscious brains, flying disembodied conscious brains, conscious brains in disembodied heads, and even conscious AI brains in disembodied heads are a perfectly good science fiction trope. You are not going to ruin this for me.

Now, please excuse me while I search for a high quality copy of Fiend Without a Face.

54

Techmology and Scientism / Re: The Origins of the Philistines May Soon Be Known

« on: July 04, 2019, 05:01:31 am »

Ancient DNA sheds light on the origins of the Biblical Philistines

As per the article:

“An international team led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the Leon Levy Expedition have retrieved and analyzed genome-wide data from people who lived during the Bronze and Iron Ages (~3,600 to 2,800 years ago) in the ancient port city of Ashkelon, one of the core Philistine cities during the Iron Age. The team found that a European-derived ancestry was introduced in Ashkelon around the time of the Philistines' estimated arrival, suggesting that ancestors of the Philistines migrated across the Mediterranean, reaching Ashkelon by the early Iron Age. This European genetic component was subsequently diluted by the local Levantine gene pool over the succeeding centuries, suggesting intensive admixture between local and foreign populations. These genetic results, published in Science Advances, are a critical step toward understanding the long-disputed origins of the Philistines.”

Here's the link: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-ancient-dna-biblical-philistines.html

And, here's the link to the original scientific paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaax0061

Unfortunately, the latest research goes no further than identifying “a European-derived ancestry” as the origins of the Philistines. I do not believe this finding was in the realm of unexpected results. However, more work will need to be done to narrow their origins down from that large group of possible ancestors. It looks like this is going to take a while. 

55

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Weekly Science Headlines

« on: July 04, 2019, 03:32:41 am »

The assertati9n "Consciousness requires subjective experience, and that comes only when information is received from probing, sensory tissues -- those of the body." seems like it's mincing words; they seem to be defining consciousness as "awareness of one's surroundings", which at best is stretching the definition of the term

I do not claim any special expertise on the subject, other than I believe I know when I am conscious, and I believe I usually, consciously know when I am dreaming. However, the simplest definition of consciousness, as per Wikipedia, is as follows:

'Consciousness is the state or quality of awareness or of being aware of an external object or something within oneself. It has been defined variously in terms of sentience, awareness, qualia, subjectivity, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood or soul, the fact that there is something "that it is like" to "have" or "be" it, and the executive control system of the mind. Despite the difficulty in definition, many philosophers believe that there is a broadly shared underlying intuition about what consciousness is. As Max Velmans and Susan Schneider wrote in The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness: "Anything that we are aware of at a given moment forms part of our consciousness, making conscious experience at once the most familiar and most mysterious aspect of our lives." You become aware that your actions have an effect on other people.'

Here's the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness

It appears to me that Dr. Hideya Sakaguchi's statement is consistent with the very first sentence of the Wikipedia definition.

So, how does your definition of consciousness differ from Dr. Sakaguchi's, and that of Wikipedia?

And, why does the definition of consciousness bother you more than a future that will include “floating disembodied conscious brains?”

56

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Weekly Science Headlines

« on: July 03, 2019, 12:50:37 am »

Mini-brains grown from stem cells don't think, but they do show 'complex' neural activity, researchers say

As per the article:

“Evidence of dynamic activity, in individual and synchronized neurons, was seen across a network of cerebral organoids grown from stem cells in a preliminary study published Thursday in the journal Stem Cell Reports.
 
Dr. Hideya Sakaguchi, study co-author and postdoctoral fellow at Kyoto University (currently at the Salk Institute), explained in an email that the important thing here is not just the creation of a mini-brain but that a tool was developed to detect nerve cell activity. Someday, this new calcium ion analysis tool may help researchers better understand complex brain functions and neurological disorders.”

Here's the link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/27/health/mini-brain-activity-study/index.html

My first reaction, upon reading the article's title, was not all that many full-size brains do much thinking either.

I suspect, one day soon, we'll actually be able to add “floating disembodied conscious brains” to the list of things like climate change apocalypse, rogue AI, unsanitized telephones, etc. that may will eradicate us killer apes primates from the face of the earth. But then, it is the apocalypse. Try to have fun.

57

Literate Chaotic / Re: Very Short Stories (3 sentences)

« on: July 02, 2019, 04:58:12 pm »

She cast her gaze in my direction with those wide, seductive eyes, and gave me her sultry, patented, come hither look. Throughly enthralled, I approached and gently kissed her succulent, offered lips. Then, she crossed her legs and broke my glasses.

58

Principia Discussion / Re: Answers Only

« on: July 01, 2019, 04:25:31 am »

That's what she said.

59

High Weirdness / Re: Alien Abduction Historical Marker Dedication

« on: July 01, 2019, 03:42:27 am »

To be fair, have you SEEN the freakish thing that supposedly took them? Best alien sighting ever. (Okay, the Flatwoods Monster was pretty crazy too.)
It’s a gibbon with elephant skin and a face like a spiked mace. The nose and ears were just solid spikes! It’s practically a Silent Hill monster, from the GOOD games.

No, I didn't know a sketch of the alien(s) and their craft existed. I'm almost afraid to ask, but where did you find it?

Oh, I see it now, as I utilize your post as a quote! Thanks.

60

High Weirdness / Alien Abduction Historical Marker Dedication

« on: July 01, 2019, 12:35:42 am »

The legend of Pascagoula’s alien abduction now has a permanent spot in the city

As per the article:

“More than 45 years ago, two Mississippi Coast men, Calvin Parker and Charles Hickson, claimed they were abducted and examined by aliens in a UFO and returned to the banks of the Pascagoula River that same night.
 
The story reached the press the next day, in October 1973, and soon brought national attention to Pascagoula.

The city now has a permanent reminder of the extraterrestrial tale after officials on Saturday dedicated a historical marker next to the Lighthouse Park boat launches. The plaque describes the account and notes it is one of the best-documented cases of an alien abduction, with two witnesses.”

Here's the link: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article231901653.html

I realize Mississippi has been a dull place since the Civil War ended, but still …