Category: Zeitgeist

Should we fear AI? Neil deGrasse Tyson’s answer is the right one.

HuffPost has an article up with quotes from various people on the dangers, or non-dangers of artificial intelligence.  They include the usual suspects: Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, etc.  Most of them express concern about the dangers.  But I think Neil deGrasse Tyson's is the only answer from this group worth listening to. There are … Continue reading Should we fear AI? Neil deGrasse Tyson’s answer is the right one. →

Stephen West and Massimo Pigliucci discuss David Hume

Stephen West, on his Philosophize This! podcast, interviews Massimo Pigliucci on David Hume.  This was a big win for me.  Two of my favorite podcasters discussing one of my favorite historical philosophers!  It provides some good insights into Hume's skeptical and empirical philosophy. One of the questions Stephen asks Massimo is what he thinks Hume's … Continue reading Stephen West and Massimo Pigliucci discuss David Hume →

Yep, Mars One appears to be a scam

I've written critically about Mars One before, just evaluating their claims at face value.  But it appears that I wasn't nearly skeptical enough.  Mars One appears to be a scam.  A Mars One "finalist" candidate explains why: Mars One Finalist Explains Exactly How It’s Ripping Off Supporters — Matter — Medium. “When you join the ‘Mars One … Continue reading Yep, Mars One appears to be a scam →

Just in case you’re not there yet, homeopathy doesn’t work

As I've discussed a few times, I've been dealing with shoulder pain for the last few months.  As I've been fighting through this, one of the things I've been reminded of is how many purported breakthrough or unconventional cures are offered out there, that promise to avoid the often frustrating limitations and ambiguity of evidence based medicine.  For … Continue reading Just in case you’re not there yet, homeopathy doesn’t work →

Alien search won’t doom planet Earth, say scientists who want to contact ET

It's interesting how these related stores seem to come in batches: Alien search won't doom planet Earth, say scientists who want to contact ET | Science | The Guardian. Fears that a major program to contact alien life could spell disaster for planet Earth were dismissed as “paranoid” on Thursday by scientists who hope to beam … Continue reading Alien search won’t doom planet Earth, say scientists who want to contact ET →

Subsurface oceans everywhere and the possible pervasiveness of life

Well, it now looks like Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons, has a subsurface ocean. Ganymede's great distinction among moons - apart from its size - is that it has its own magnetic field. Hubble has managed to track that field's behaviour by watching how it draws in and excites space particles, generating a glow of … Continue reading Subsurface oceans everywhere and the possible pervasiveness of life →

The Milky Way May be 50 Percent Bigger Than Thought

Sometimes it's amazing how much settled science, even something as longstanding as the size of our galaxy, can get called into question: The Milky Way May be 50 Percent Bigger Than Thought : Discovery News. A ring-like filament of stars wrapping around the Milky Way may actually belong to the galaxy itself, rippling above and below … Continue reading The Milky Way May be 50 Percent Bigger Than Thought →

Three conditions are necessary for SETI to succeed

Tom Hartsfield has a post up at Real Clear Science criticizing both the Drake equation and SETI: If you like science fiction, you're probably familiar with the Drake equation. This famous one-line formula solves for the number of intelligent alien civilizations within our galaxy with whom we might be able to communicate. Supporters of the … Continue reading Three conditions are necessary for SETI to succeed →