Bill Nye Wants To Wage War on Anti-Science Politics, Make a Movie—And Save the Planet From Asteroids | Mother Jones

But of his new endeavors, he's likely best known for his politically tinged, no-bullshit talk about science education in America. Over the past few years, he's gained wide attention on social media, the lecture circuit, and television (he's appeared on CNN's Piers Morgan Live and HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, among others) for countering … Continue reading Bill Nye Wants To Wage War on Anti-Science Politics, Make a Movie—And Save the Planet From Asteroids | Mother Jones →

The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence – Adam Grant – The Atlantic

Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side. New evidence shows that when people hone their emotional skills, they become better at manipulating others. When you’re good at controlling your own emotions, you can disguise your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can tug at their … Continue reading The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence – Adam Grant – The Atlantic →

Anti-aging breakthrough? | Machines Like Us

On December 20th, Machines Like Us cited an article from The Guardian called: Anti-aging compound set for human trials. The study, involving Harvard University and the University of NSW, allegedly discovered a way of restoring the efficiency of cells, completely reversing the aging process in muscles. We invited Michael Rae, science writer for the SENS … Continue reading Anti-aging breakthrough? | Machines Like Us →

Determinism isn’t as certain as many assume

Conversation on yesterday's post on free will has me thinking about determinism. First, what is determinism?  According to Merriam-Webster, my favorite dictionary because they seem to be extremely good at cutting to the chase, determinism is defined as: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena … Continue reading Determinism isn’t as certain as many assume →

Isaac Asimov’s Predictions For 2014 From 50 Years Ago Are Eerily Accurate

Fifty years ago, American scientist and author Isaac Asimov published a story in The New York Times that listed his predictions for what the world would be like in 2014. Asimov wrote more than 500 books in his lifetime, including science fiction novels and nonfiction scientific books, so he was well-versed in thinking about the … Continue reading Isaac Asimov’s Predictions For 2014 From 50 Years Ago Are Eerily Accurate →

Free will? Free of what?

The concept of free will is intimately tangled up with the idea of responsibility.  Are you responsible for your actions?  To what degree are your actions predetermined?  If they are predetermined, how can we hold anyone accountable for their actions?  Does the idea of moral responsibility even make sense? Libertarian free will The classic definition … Continue reading Free will? Free of what? →

Termite inspired robots | Machines Like Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFjtRONfae4 Inspired by termites and their building activities, the TERMES project is working toward developing a swarm construction system in which robots cooperate to build 3D structures much larger than themselves. The current system consists of simple but autonomous mobile robots and specialized passive blocks; the robot is able to manipulate blocks to build tall … Continue reading Termite inspired robots | Machines Like Us →

TED and unrealistic expectations

Benjamin Bratton's TED talk appears to be getting a lot of attention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo5cKRmJaf0 The Guardian also has a transcript. It seems to me that Bratton's talk can be summarized as, you're all not thinking hard enough, not making real impacts, and allowing yourselves to be satisfied with too little. I think Bratton has some good … Continue reading TED and unrealistic expectations →