I'm watching the Sunday morning news shows, and of course, the Iraq crisis is a major source of conversation. One thing I'm hearing over and over again is hand wringing about how much blood and treasure we (the US) have already spent in Iraq. The reasoning appears to be that all that suffering and sacrifice shouldn't be … Continue reading Iraq and the fallacy of sunk costs
The psychology of your future self
Somewhat related to Zach Weiner's cartoon on our continuing death, this TED talk looks at how transitory the self actually is. We seem to have no problem recognizing our transitory our self from ten years ago was, but not how much our current self is. This has big implications for how we make, or should … Continue reading The psychology of your future self
Neil deGrasse Tyson Turns Down Pluto Debate Challenge
And speaking of the outer solar system, it seems that Neil deGrasse Tyson isn't interested in debating whether or not Pluto is a planet. If you were looking forward to seeing astrophysicist and "Cosmos" host Neil deGrasse Tyson debate how Pluto should be classified, don't hold your breath. Tyson says he's done debating. The planetary scientist in charge of … Continue reading Neil deGrasse Tyson Turns Down Pluto Debate Challenge
Life on the Billionth Rock From the Sun | Seth Shostak
Seth Shostak has an article at HuffPost on asteroids. Not the usual we-need-to-prepare-for-incoming, but discussing something I've noted before that the space age needs: an economic incentive. As some of us have discussed, mining asteroids looks like it might be an excellent candidate. These rocks are a resource. The fact that they're in small chunks makes … Continue reading Life on the Billionth Rock From the Sun | Seth Shostak
SMBC: We’re constantly dying
via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Of course, while we're alive, new parts of us are constantly coming into being. But for adults, the child we once were died long ago. That is one of the realizations that I find soothe the fear of death.
This is the amazing design for NASA’s Star Trek-style space ship, the IXS Enterprise – The Washington Post
NASA engineer and physicist Harold White announced a few years ago that he was working on a potentially groundbreaking idea that could allow space travel faster than the speed of light. Yes, like in “Star Trek.” And now, to boldly go where no designer has gone before, Mark Rademaker — who is collaborating with White — has … Continue reading This is the amazing design for NASA’s Star Trek-style space ship, the IXS Enterprise – The Washington Post
Intelligent Crows Flunk Causality Test But Babies Pass
You drop a block onto a box, and a toy pops out. If a baby was watching you, she could deduce that your action caused the happy arrival of the toy, because she understands cause and effect. She’d also realise that she could trigger the same event by placing a block on the box herself, … Continue reading Intelligent Crows Flunk Causality Test But Babies Pass
What does the Turing Test really mean?
The Turing Test is in the news this week, first with a wave of hype about a historical accomplishment, then with a secondary wave of skeptical scrutiny. The Turing Test was originally contemplated by Alan Turing in a 1950 paper. Turing envisaged it as an alternative to trying to determine if a machine could think. … Continue reading What does the Turing Test really mean?
The evidence crisis
I reviewed Jim Baggott's book a while back, saying that I thought he had made many crucial points that I hoped the theoretical physics community would heed. Science, by getting away from evidence, risks entering a kind of Neoplatonic phase. I still say speculation is fine, as long as it's clearly labeled, but when the … Continue reading The evidence crisis
Sam Harris, the fact-value distinction, and the problem with a science of morality
A few years ago, Sam Harris published a book, 'The Moral Landscape', which argued that science could determine moral values. To say that it received substantial criticism, from scientists, philosophers, and others, would be an understatement. Late last year, Harris issued a challenge for people to submit 1000 word essays challenging the thesis of his book. He … Continue reading Sam Harris, the fact-value distinction, and the problem with a science of morality
SelfAwarePatterns 