An interesting post on whether we can avoid a digital apocalypse by Sam Harris (http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/can-we-avoid-a-digital-apocalypse).
Can We Avoid A Digital Apocalypse?
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Tag Archives: science
Emotional Investment Or Negative Transaction: A Guest Post By Emma Tomlinson
Thank you to Emma Tomlinson for the below guest post. For Emma’s blog please visit https://creative5word.wordpress.com/ and for Emma’s previous guest post on newauthoronline.com please click here, http://newauthoronline.com/2014/11/24/primal-a-guest-post-by-emma-tomlinson/.
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Emotional Investment or Negative Transaction?
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A bit of deepness for the day…
How much do we invest in things and people and how much do we see in our returns?
When we pay for goods with our money, we expect to see material evidence of this transaction or indeed a memorable experience to file away. But what if
we made a transaction and checked our account to see a big fat zero?
I’m sure many of us would be seeking clarification and feeling rather cheated.
Yet, we invest in everything in life to varied degrees and we don’t always receive the booty.
How many times have you emotionally invested and been left with a big bag of nothing and perceived injustice?
But we continue to do this.
Why?
Emotional investment is indeed a gamble. We automatically invest in our families and reap the benefits from support mechanisms and security but what about
when we invest in friendship and relationships?
What do we do if the cheque continues to bounce??
Do we feel justified in seeking clarification and interest on our emotional transaction? Is it a weakness or a strength to expect a credit statement? To
expect to see our emotional interest rates increasing?
Personally I seek this from my significant other. I expect my balance to remain in credit and I believe that this theory works both ways. I do expect a
return in friendships and to see a mutual healthy transaction taking place. We attend our jobs and expect a salary in return. We invest our time in our
passions and reap the positive emotions. We gain knowledge and gain personal achievement and development. So are we allowing ourselves to be ‘ripped off’?
Self-awareness and integrity is an important part of sustaining a good ‘credit’ history. To enable a healthy profit, we also need to remain vigilant and
consider the ratio of risk to healthy investment. Financially… we do. Emotionally and psychologically we often don’t.
How many times do we support friends and give to others only to feel unappreciated and disappointed?
A satisfactory transaction is a two way process and we need to keep our expectations high. Who wants faulty and non – returnable goods? If we expect less,
surely we will receive less.
The link to our psyche is surprising yet logical. Our psychological interpretation impacts on our emotional stance and how we perceive our external world.
This affects the value we put onto ourselves.
Make every transaction worthwhile… or simply ask for a refund.
The mind of a deep thinker…or complete rubbish…it is all down to interpretation and perception…
The Dark Net By Jamie Bartlett
The internet is, for most of us a place where we shop, interact with other like-minded individuals via social media and pursue a variety of other activities. We use search engines such as Google and even when our browser’s cookies are cleared they can, by a person with a fairly rudimentary knowledge of computers be restored enabling browsing habits to be ascertained.
In his book “The Dark Net”, Jamie Bartlett deals with the so-called dark net, a world in which anything is possible, however malign the intentions of the user. Guns, child pornography, all are available to those who know how to navigate the Dark Web.
Apart from criminals the Dark Web is also used by political dissidents wishing to avoid the attentions of authoritarian regimes. It is, in short the wild west of the internet. The Dark Web is, in brief a tool which can be employed for good or evil and is, like all technology neither good or bad, dependent as it is on the motivations of those who avail themselves of it.
For Bartlett’s book visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dark-Net-Jamie-Bartlett-ebook/dp/B00K0M6JQC
50percent Of Occupations To Disappear In The Next 15 Years A New Report Predicts
A new report suggests that 50 percent of occupations will disappear in the next 15 years and lists those likely to perish together with those which will survive. The report’s author’s are optimistic that people will find new more interesting occupations to replace those which perish.
I note that authors don’t appear in either list. Not sure what one draws from that! For the article please visit http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2826463/CBRE-report-warns-50-cent-occupations-redundant-20-years-time.html
Such Things As Dreams Are Made Of
An article in today’s Daily Mail (5 November) speculates that within 15 years we may have a machine with the capacity to record dreams.
On the one hand, imagine what new vistas this could offer for authors. With the invention of such a machine writers could take their dreams and construct amazing tales. Indeed some dreams might require no tailoring being perfect examples of ready-made stories.
On the other hand, imagine the possibilities for hackers. Mr Smith has experienced a particularly salacious dream about a lady (not his wife) and Jo Bloggs, a hacker threatens to release the recording to his partner unless a large sum of money is paid by Mr Smith.
Of course the above can be dismissed as so much science fiction. Perhaps it is, perhaps not. For the article please visit http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2821686/Could-soon-record-DREAMS-Headset-uses-brainwaves-viewers-snapshots-subconscious-mind.html
A Brain Surgeon Visits Heaven
The vision of heaven related by the brain surgeon in the above article reminds me of Hardy’s poem, “The Oxen”. In it the poet hints that he is sceptical about the existence of god however, where he to be asked to visit the barn, on a christmas eve to see the oxen kneel he would go, “hoping it might be so”.
“Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
“Now they are all on their knees,”
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearthside ease.
We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.
So fair a fancy few would weave
In these years! Yet, I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
“Come; see the oxen kneel,
“In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
Our childhood used to know,”
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.”
Automation
On Tuesday 23 September I picked up my home phone (landline) to make a call. The cordless handset produced only static and I was unable to dial out. I tried an experiment with my mum calling me to ascertain whether it would be possible to receive incoming calls. The phone failed to ring. It did, however make a slight noise and on picking it up the sound of ringing, but no mum’s voice could be heard.
On Wednesday morning I contacted my Internet Service Provider (ISP) who also provide my phone service, to report the fault. I fully expected to be asked 20 questions by the automated system prior to being privileged to speak with an actual flesh and blood person. However from start to finish I had no interaction with a breatheing entity.
An automated voice asked me to explain my problem (my inability to make or receive calls using my home phone). I was then asked whether I would like to divert calls to my mobile while the fault was being investigated. I answered “yes” and was asked to say my number. The system then repeated it back to me and asked me to confirm that my number was correct by saying “yes” or “no”. It wasn’t and I then had to enter my number using the buttons on my telephone.
Over the next few days I received regular texts updating me on progress. The first one confirmed that tests indicated that there was, indeed a problem with my line while the last one, received on Friday 26 September informed me that everything should now be working and asked that I confirm the position by text. I picked up the phone and joy of joys was able to make a telephone call. I texted my ISP confirming that the phone was now working and my interaction with a robot was at an end.
The whole interaction with Mr or Mrs robot was surprisingly painless and efficient. Other than the automated system not understanding the mobile number which I relaid using voice, everything worked smoothly. I have visions of an android engineer twiddling with dials, checking connections until, finally my telephone connection was restored to working order. Of course there was no android diligently working on restoring my telephone connection. It was a living, breatheing human being but, in the future who knows.
I must confess to having been sceptical as to whether the automated system would relay messages regarding my phone problems correctly. Surely something would go wrong? Well it didn’t and I admit to being impressed with the automated system employed by my ISP.
In theory at least the automation of tasks such as resolving faults should enable organisations such as my ISP to free up resources for customer services so when I have a query about my account which can not be answered by the online system, an actual person will pick up the phone, in double quick time and deal effectively with the query. Well I can live in hope!
Dogs Prefer Physical Contact To Verbal Praise Study Claims
A study has concluded that our four legged friends prefer being petted to verbal praise and being fed over petting. Now there’s a surprise. I never, in my wildest dreams would have guessed that dogs prefer food over strokes or pats! To be fair this is a summary, in the Daily Mail of what is a rather complex piece of research and I am sure, as is often the case, that the press have simplified the findings. None the less I (along with millions of other dog lovers) could have told the researchers that canines prefer food to a good old fashioned fuss.
For the article please visit http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2744762/Don-t-bother-talking-Fido-PET-Dogs-prefer-physical-contact-vocal-praise-study-claims.html
Superintelligence By Nick Bostrom
Nick Bostrom’s “Superintelligence” sounds as though it will make for interesting and perhaps, at times somewhat heavy reading. The author, an Oxford Professor, looks at the future of artificial intelligence and what will happen when (he thinks that it is inevitable) machines attain greater levels of intelligence than we humans. Will they still want us around and what (if anything) can people do to mitigate against the potential dangers of superintelligence.
For Bostrom’s book please visit http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199678111?pldnSite=1
Richard Dawkins: Immoral Not To Abort If A Foetus Has Downs Syndrome
Scientist and author Professor Richard Dawkins has caused considerable controversy by stating that it is immoral not to abort a foetus with Down’s Syndrome, http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/aug/21/richard-dawkins-immoral-not-to-abort-a-downs-syndrome-foetus. I have scant knowledge of Down’s Syndrome. I am, however disabled so have a highly personal interest in Dawkin’s comments. Having been born fully sighted I lost the majority of my vision at around 18-months-old as a result of a blood clot on the brain. I have gained a MA in Political Theory and live independently although I must confess to employing a cleaner which stems from my dislike of cleaning rather than the inability to perform household tasks.
As stated earlier, I have scant knowledge of Down’s Syndrome. Due to my lack of understanding I wouldn’t dream of advising women carrying a foetus with Down’s regarding whether the pregnancy should proceed. I most certainly wouldn’t advise a lady facing such a difficult and highly personal decision that they should opt for an abortion as to carry the foetus to term would, in the words of Dawkin’s be “immoral”. The fact is that many parents with Down’s Syndrome children love and cherish them and the danger with Professor Dawkin’s comments is that they can be construed as devaluing people with Down’s Syndrome.
A civilised society should value all people irrespective of disability. Individuals with Down’s will not become leading scientists or world leaders but they are non the less human because of this.
As a disabled person I am used to people making erroneous assumptions regarding my life. I well recollect passing by 2 elderly ladies and hearing one remark “He’s blind” to which I aught to have responded, had I been on the ball “but he isn’t deaf”.
The above comment demonstrates the “pity” which many in society feel towards people with disabilities. In effect such people are putting their own fear of becoming disabled onto people with disabilities. I have, on several occasions had individuals say words to the effect of “I admire you. I don’t know how I would cope in your situation”, failing to realise that I and many other disabled people cope extremely well.
The fear of disability causes people to believe that the lives of Down’s Syndrome individuals and other disabled persons are a constant trial rather than realising that, in many instances our lives are fulfilling.
As stated above I am not an expert on Down’s Syndrome and I am sure that parents of children with Down’s face many issues. However I wouldn’t be arrogant enough to presume to tell potential parents of a Down’s child that they aught (or aught not) to give birth to a baby with the condition. I most certainly wouldn’t tell potential parents that they should abort a foetus with Down’s on the grounds that to carry the pregnancy to term would be “immoral”. Professor Dawkins is a great scientist but ethics and science do not necessarily meet.
K Morris - Poet 