Clipmarks | AcesLucky's Pops

Singularities Enough, and Time

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:57:57 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: A fascinating take by Jamais Cascio, clear headed and to the point

• There may be developed computers that are "awake" and superhumanly intelligent. (To date, there has been much controversy as to whether we can create human equivalence in a machine. But if the answer is "yes, we can", then there is little doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed shortly thereafter.)
• Large computer networks (and their associated users) may "wake up" as a superhumanly intelligent entity.
• Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent.
• Biological science may provide means to improve natural human intellect.

You don't have to believe in godlike super-AIs to see that this kind of intelligence enhancement can lead to some pretty significant results as the systems get more complex, datasets get bigger, connections get faster, and interfaces become ever more useable.

Tags: singularity, technology, future

Louisiana passes first antievolution "academic freedom" law

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:51 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Ignorance now reigns again, in the name of "critical thinking", and "logical analysis". I tried hard, but I could not find an appropriate picture for this. Instead, just close your eyes, and see Darkness...

Clip Source: arstechnica.com

a number of states have been considering laws that, under the guise of "academic freedom," single out evolution for special criticism.

Most of them haven't made it out of the state legislatures, and one that did was promptly vetoed.

But the last of these bills under consideration, the Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA), was enacted by the signature of Governor Bobby Jindal yesterday.

The text of the LSEA suggests that it's intended to foster critical thinking, calling on the state Board of Education to "assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories."

Unfortunately, it's remarkably selective in its suggestion of topics that need critical thinking, as it cites scientific subjects "including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

Tags: evolution, creationism

Democrats Have Legalized Bush's Crimes

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:52:53 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Beyond the breathtaking scope of this new authority, the Bush administration also snuck in a clause that granted forward-looking immunity from lawsuits to communications service providers that assisted the spying.

That removed one of the few safeguards against Bush's warrantless wiretaps: the concern among service providers that they might be sued by customers for handing over constitutionally protected information without a warrant.

In short, the "Protect America Act" made warrantless surveillance legally cost free for a collaborating service provider, tilting the scales even further in favor of the government's spying powers.

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

The Democratic leadership cleared the way for the president and his collaborators to evade punishment for defying the law.

Editor's note: You can read more about Obama backing a FISA "compromise" here.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims that a key positive feature of the new wiretap "compromise" is that the bill reaffirms that the President must follow the law, even though the same bill virtually assures that no one will be held accountable for George W. Bush's violation of the earlier spying law.

In other words, in the guise of rejecting Bush's theories of an all-powerful presidency that is above the law, the Democratic leadership cleared the way for the President and his collaborators to evade punishment for defying the law.

they simply believed they could violate the law without consequence, under the radical theory that at a time of war -- even one as vaguely defined as the "war on terror" -- the President's powers trump all laws as well as the constitutional rights of citizens.

Would Garlic Protect Us From the Courts?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:40:47 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: More insanity from Texas which seems to have more than its share. This superstitious stupidity really needs to end. This religious immunity from critical scrutiny has existed for too long. It's time to begin shinning a light on these barbaric practices practiced by this death cult.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Texas court approves traumatic exorcisms

Well now…if you've had a hankerin' to torture, abuse, and do who knows what else to people at your whim, here's what you do: move on down to Texas and set up a religion. The Texas Supreme Court just ruled on a case in which a young woman was subjected to extreme distress and restraint during a church-run exorcism

The court ruling basically says that because this church carries out this practice all the time, and because adherents of the religion accept it, it's OK to pin people to the floor and scream at them for a few hours.

"The laying of hands" and the presence of demons are part of the church's belief system and accepted as such by its adherents," the ruling said in part.

Hello, world. In the United States, it is not considered unusual to accuse teenagers of being possessed by demons, and we subject them to frightening magic rituals to cast out such satanic forces with some regularity.

Tags: religion, exorcism, superstition, fundamentalism, christian

futbol!

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:02:09 GMT

clipped by: erutter11

Clip Source: wickedchopspoker.blogs.com

How Homophobia Hurts Us All

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:30:12 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: It hurts me that my own Mother wouldn't love me if she knew I was bisexual, but it also helps me to know that through it all some people can love me for who I am. My husband, my youngest daughter, my very best friends, and the support at CM.

Clip Source: www.udel.edu

You do not have to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual, or know someone who is, to be negatively affected by homophobia. Though homophobia actively oppresses gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals, it also hurts heterosexuals.

Inhibits the ability of heterosexuals to form close, intimate relationships with members of their own sex, for fear of being perceived as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB).

Locks people into rigid gender-based roles that inhibit creativity and self expression.

Compromises human integrity by pressuring people to treat others badly, actions that are contrary to their basic humanity.

Inhibits appreciation of other types of diversity, making it unsafe for everyone because each person has unique traits not considered mainstream or dominant. We are all diminished when any one of us is demeaned.

By challenging homophobia, people are not only fighting oppression for specific groups of people, but are striving for a society that accepts and celebrates the differences in all of us.

Tags: thank, you, all

Immortal Invaders Infect World's Oceans

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:20:01 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Just think, if all the other shit happenin doesn't kill us, we may be doomed 'cuz the ocean died of an infestation of tiny jellyfish...

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

The rock star mantra of "live fast, die young" works in reverse too - you can trade off enjoyment for endurance. Don't smoke, drink or eat meat and you can extend your life by decades, though what you're going to do with all that time is another question. Now it seems that an animal has taken this to the logical extreme, and can live forever - the only drawback being it lives forever as a small clump of jelly.

The Hydrozoan, a small predatory sea creature like a jellyfish but without all their well known exciting higher functions, can achieve the dream of millions and become a child again. When adverse environmental conditions threaten death it can collapse into a rugged blob of cells to survive. When it re-emerges, it does so as a child - literally building itself up all over again. Since this isn't just a shell to hide in, but a complete structural restart, it seems possible that it could keep this up forever.

the hardy hitchhiker has spread all over the globe.

The Man's best friend.

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:18:20 GMT

clipped by: Lara Nieberding
clipper's remarks: This is true in an unnerving sorta way.

Clip Source: indexed.blogspot.com

Tags: indexed, jessica hagy, humor, entertainment

Steve Jobs: Great people vs Average people

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:30:00 GMT

clipped by: uiltondutra

Clip Source: www.time.com

I found that there were these incredibly great people at doing certain things, and you couldn't replace one of these people with 50 average people. They could just do stuff that no number of average people could do. So what I learned early on was that if you could assemble a team of these very high-performance people, extremely talented people, a few things happen: number one, unlike what you'd think, they actually all got along with each other. This whole prima donna thing turned out to be a myth with the very best people. Secondly, small and medium-sized teams of these people could accomplish extraordinary things and run circles around large large teams of normal people. And so I have spent my work life trying to find and recruit and retain and work with these kind of people.

Biblical Text-Writing May Have Poisoned Monks

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:03:48 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Damaged Skull

June 27, 2008 -- Medieval bones from six different Danish cemeteries reveal that monks who wrote Biblical texts and other religious materials may have been exposed to toxic mercury, which was used to formulate just one of their ink colors: red.

The study, which will be published in the August issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, also describes a previously undocumented disease, called FOS, which was like leprosy and caused skull lesions. Additionally, the researchers found that mercury-containing medicine had been administered to 79 percent of the interred individuals with leprosy and 35 percent with syphilis.

Since the monks, who were buried in the cloister walk of the Cistercian Abbey at Øm, did not have these diseases but contained mercury in their bones, scientists believe the monks were either contaminated while preparing and administering medicines, or while writing the artistic letters of incunabula, or pre-1500 A.D. books.

Tags: work, safety, was, an, issue

Yoo refuses to rule out "crushing a child's testicles"

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:28:02 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Or raping an infant to exert pressure on a terror suspect. Addington also evades.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

In several public fora heretofore, Yoo has insisted that no law -- neither domestic nor international -- prevents the president from authorizing the crushing of a child's testicles or the raping of an infant as a way of exerting pressure upon a terrorist suspect.

On December 1, 2005, Yoo notoriously contended in a public debate that the legality of crushing a child's testicles "depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that." Yesterday John Conyers tried to ask Yoo point-blank about that claim in that 2005 debate, namely whether Yoo still believes "that the President can order that a suspect's child be tortured in gruesome fashion."

Yoo's hemming and hawing around the question -- and his inability or refusal to say simply no, no, no -- spoke volumes. Addington evaded the question by telling committee members to consult their own in-house lawyers about such "legal opinions" and then refused to talk further about torture because "al Qaeda may watch C-SPAN."

Tags: terrorism, torture

Crazy Phelps Rants On

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:28:47 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Be warned. This is not pretty. This demented hater of the ages spews his venom. And he backs it up with scripture so it must be true!

Clip Source: atheistmedia.blogspot.com

Fred Phelps: George Carlin is now in Hell

[Video]

Tags: hate, christianity, religion, phelps, bigotry

PEW Survey Prompts Questions

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:57:59 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: As I noted in a previous clip the PEW Survey claims that 1 in 5 atheists believes in god. I remarked at that time that this simply doesn't make sense. In this clip (and the appended comments) several people suggest reasons why this might have happened.

Clip Source: newsblogs.chicagotribune.com

Religion survey's God-fearing atheists

The oddest discovery in the survey on American religious beliefs by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is that more than half of people who call themselves agnostic say they believe in God--as do 21 percent of atheists.

I wonder: How many teetotalers drink beer? Americans believe in a lot of different things. Dictionaries must not be one of them.

Tags: religion, atheism, survey

Small Steps Are a Start

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:49:49 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: No one has ever suggested that I am a friend of religion. Yet, for positive progress in the Middle East it apparently needs people that share that mindset to take a positive approach to deal with this issue.

Clip Source: www.jpost.com

Is religion good for peace?

If everything goes well and there are no surprises, as of next week the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) will for the first time be headed by a woman.

Dr. Devorah Weissman, a former professor of Jewish education at the Hebrew University, has since the Eighties been a member of the ICCJ. A modern Orthodox feminist, Weissman is a member of the dovish religious group Netivot Shalom, and for years headed the Kerem Institute for Teacher Training for Humanistic-Jewish Education.

Interestingly enough, Weissman believes her election to the position is not the most important issue at stake. Instead, she highlights the question of whether religion has a largely radicalizing influence or a positive impact on the relations between people. In other words, is religion good or bad for peace?

Tags: religion, middle east, war

Religious charter schools: Follow the money, lose the faith

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:42:42 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

On June 16, seven Roman Catholic schools in Washington, D.C., were transformed into seven public charter schools by a unanimous vote of the D.C. Public Charter School Board. It’s a conversion of sorts — only in reverse.

Other religious communities around the nation are already on the charter bandwagon, opening Arabic charters without Islam and Hebrew charters without Judaism. Not to be left behind, a Protestant minister in Harlem is pressing to start what he claims will be a religion-free charter in his church building.

Strange as it may sound, this is a hot new trend in education: creating faith-based schools without the faith.

With voucher proposals stalled in many state legislatures — or running up against state constitutional barriers — some Catholic dioceses and other religious groups are eyeing charter schools as a funding alternative.

Tags: school, religion, faith