Tom Hartsfield at Real Clear Science has a nice short piece that explains why your mind isn't involved (at least not directly) in what happens in quantum mechanics: Does the Mind Affect Quantum Mechanics? | RealClearScience. Every measurement that you can name boils down to an interaction. You poke the quantum system with something (light, a … Continue reading Does the mind affect quantum mechanics?
IBM spending $3 billion to rethink decades-old computer design
A reminder that quantum computing isn't necessarily the only way forward in processor technology: IBM spending $3 billion to rethink decades-old computer design - Computerworld. IBM will pour US$3 billion into computing and chip materials research over the next five years, as it rethinks computer design and looks to a future that may not involve silicon … Continue reading IBM spending $3 billion to rethink decades-old computer design
String theory and post-empiricism
Would the World Be Better Off Without Religion?
In a Skeptical Inquirer article that I'm a bit surprised hasn't received more attention, Scott O. Lilienfeld and Rachel Ammirati take a look at this question: Would the World Be Better Off Without Religion? A Skeptic’s Guide to the Debate - CSI. In this article, we address the overarching question of whether high levels of certitude … Continue reading Would the World Be Better Off Without Religion?
Finding platonism
Click through to see the full version. Be sure not to miss the popup bubble on the second page. via The Sighting - Existential Comics.
The Art of Darkness
Why has the idea of hell survived so long?
Kathryn Gin Lum has an interesting piece on hell over at Aeon: Why has the idea of hell survived so long? – Kathryn Gin Lum – Aeon. Chellew-Hodge’s understanding that punishment is an essential feature of religion, and her students’ confidence that it need not be, might seem to represent a simple generational divide. That so many young … Continue reading Why has the idea of hell survived so long?
NASA approves Space Launch System. This is good, despite the problems.
We seem to be getting closer to deep space missions: NASA approves Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever, for deep-space travel. NASA gave the go-ahead to start full production on the most powerful rocket ever. The rocket, known as Space Launch System, is set to blast beyond low-Earth orbit this decade to explore the … Continue reading NASA approves Space Launch System. This is good, despite the problems.
The evolutionary paradox of sex
Megan Scudellar has a fascinating article up at The Scientist Magazine on the mystery of why sexual reproduction evolved to be so pervasive: The Sex Paradox | The Scientist Magazine®. Sarah “Sally” Otto was sitting in a lab meeting of evolutionary biologist Marcus Feldman’s group at Stanford University in 1988 when she overheard a graduate student … Continue reading The evolutionary paradox of sex
Why you are still alive, the immune system explained
A cool video explaining the human immune system, or perhaps more accurately, giving a broad simplified explanation while also giving us a glimpse of just how complicated it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s
SelfAwarePatterns 