It’s a great read about how archeology research was assisted by psychics.

My favorite quote:

“… the statements that psychics basically cannot exist, based on what we understand of the universe, and that therefore there must be some other explanation, really have reached a point where they say more about the critics than the research they are critisizing.”

See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28borker.html?scp=1&sq=A%20Bully%20Finds%20a%20Pulpit%20on%20the%20Web&st=cse

On December 1, Google took notice and changed the way they rank websites so negative reviews wouldn’t raise someone’s profile.

See http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/being-bad-to-your-customers-is-bad-for.html

We were horrified to read about Ms. Rodriguez’s dreadful experience. Even though our initial analysis pointed to this being an edge case and not a widespread problem in our search results, we immediately convened a team that looked carefully at the issue. That team developed an initial algorithmic solution, implemented it, and the solution is already live. I am here to tell you that being bad is, and hopefully will always be, bad for business in Google’s search results.

And now on December 7th, the authorities are taking notice and the abusive seller was arrested.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/business/07borker.html?hpw

…

Other survey results have been grimmer. At the May 2009 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, top political scientists Robert Putnam and David Campbell presented research from their book American Grace, released last month. They reported that “young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of five to six times the historic rate (30 to 40 percent have no religion today, versus 5 to 10 percent a generation ago).”

…

And so it begins, the disolution of old religions.  Soon to be replaced by the modern spirituality…  Stay Tuned.

…For example, one friend has had distinctly postmodern misgivings. When his father learned of his decision to leave the faith, he rushed his son a copy of Mere Christianity, hoping the book would bring him back. But C. S. Lewis’s logical style left him cold. “All that rationality comes from the Western philosophical tradition,” he told me. “I don’t think that’s the only way to find truth.”I also met leavers who felt Christianity failed to measure up intellectually.

Shane, a 27-year-old father of three, was swept away by the tide of New Atheist literature. He described growing up a “sheltered Lutheran” who was “into Jesus” and active in youth group. Now he spoke slowly and deliberately, as if testifying in court. “I’m an atheist and an empiricist. I don’t believe religion or psychics or astrology or anything supernatural.”

Others have been hurt by Christians. Katie, a former believer in her early 30s, had been molested by two members of her childhood church. Her mother occasionally still drags her to church. Once, one of her mother’s friends approached Katie with an intense look of concern. She grabbed Katie by the shoulders: “Katie, you’ve become so hard,” she said.

Katie’s voice faltered as she recalled the encounter. “That affected me,” she said. “I don’t want to be hard.” She paused to regain her poise. “But you have to be hard, or else life will hurt you.”

…

Yes, I did see Tricia Helfer, who played Caprica Six on Battlestar Galactica, in her guest role on Fox’s Lie to Me, Season 3, Episode 4, “Double Blind.” While she is a talented actress, I was more curious about character Cal Lightman’s reference to the Monarch and Viceroy butterflies. So, I looked up how butterflies use mimicry to confuse predators. (Tim Roth plays Lightman)

As explained at Henderson State University in Arkansas, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is the dangerous one, just poisonous enough to make birds ill but not kill them. The Viceroy benefits from mimicking the Monarch’s color pattern, but only taste bad:

Another butterfly, smaller than the Monarch but mimicking its color pattern, can be found in areas inhabited by the Monarch. Compare the left photo of the Monarch to the right photo of its mimic. This mimic, called a Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), does not feed on milkweed and is not toxic. It would be acceptable food for a bird, but if the bird has already learned not to eat a Monarch, the bird will leave the Viceroy alone as well. If a bird ate a Viceroy first, it might not learn that the color pattern is meant to be a warning. That would make the mimicry less effective, so there are fewer Viceroys than Monarchs. Lower numbers of Viceroys increase the chances that the first contact a bird has would be with a Monarch.

…

Elizabeth SanFilippo explains at Gather how this butterfly issue relates to Lie to Me’s “Double Blind” episode.

… (Tricia Helfer’s character) Naomi (is) a Viceroy butterfly, mimicking the poisonous Monarch butterfly so predators stay away. Since Naomi is so skilled at deception and Lightman has difficulty reading her, he realizes it’s in his best interests to stay away, too. Although that doesn’t stop him from giving Naomi time to escape.

“Lie to Me” gets it mostly correct.  Wikipedia has a bit more details on the Monarch butterfly.  Mimicry has more than one form; Mullerian and Batesian.

The elaborate songs of a bird species famed for its wide repertoire of tunes have been decoded for the first time. Scientists have been able to predict the correct sequence of notes and “syllables” in the Bengalese finch’s melodious, but erratic songs.

The team from Pennsylvania State University now believe they can reproduce the bird’s song after studying more than 25,000 melodies recorded from a finch which was kept in a sound-proofed studio on campus for several days. 

The study, carried out by Dr Dezhe Jin is part of a wider investigation into how individual brain cells can control birdsong, which could help to shed light on the complex neural networks involved in human speech.

Earlier work by Dr Jin and his colleagues focused on the simpler songs of the zebra finch – a close relative of the Bengalese version – which has helped to explain how the brain of the bird controlled the complex vocalisation involved when young birds learn to sing the song of their parents.

“Unlike dogs and cats, whose vocalisations are innate and unlearned, songbirds learn a song in much the same way as humans learn a language – through cultural transmission,” said Dr Jin.

“We saw that when one syllable was sung, a specific set of neurons [brain cells] in the clump fired, which in turn caused the next set of neurons to fire and that was associated with the next syllable in the song being sung.

“The sequential bursts of brain activity represent sequential notes in the same piece of music,” he explained.

Both humans and birds arrange sets of learned syllables in a sequence, or syntax, in order to communicate.

The syntax of birds if simpler than that of humans, but scientists believe that understanding it will help the understanding of human speech. The Bengalese finch posed more of a problem than the zebra variety, which learns just one song during its lifetime, because it has such a varied repertoire. The scientists, however, were able to solve the problem of trying to predict its songs by using a variation on a statistical technique called the “hidden Markov model”.

Instead of one-to-one mapping between a syllable in the song and a circuit neural activity in the brain – which has been used to explain the song of the zebra finch – researchers refined the analysis to a “many-to-one” mapping, meaning each syllable of the song was plotted to several neural circuits.

NPR’s decision on Wednesday to fire Juan Williams and Fox News Channel’s decision on Thursday to give him a new contract put into sharp relief the two forms of journalism that compete every day for Americans’ attention.

Mr. Williams’s NPR contract was terminated two days after he said on an opinionated segment on Fox News that he worried when he saw people in “Muslim garb” on an airplane. He later said that he was reflecting his fears after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nine years ago.

NPR said on Wednesday night that Mr. Williams’s comments were “inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices.” According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, Roger Ailes, the Fox News chairman, offered Mr. Williams, who was already a paid contributor to Fox, a new three-year contract worth nearly $2 million in total.

After dismissing Mr. Williams, who was one of its senior news analysts, NPR argued that he had violated the organization’s belief in impartiality, a core tenet of modern American journalism. By renewing Mr. Williams’s contract, Fox News showed its preference for point-of-view — rather than the view-from-nowhere — polemics. And it gave Fox news anchors and commentators an opportunity to jab NPR, the public radio organization that had long been a target of conservatives for what they perceived to be a liberal bias.

…

“Juan.  I am your father”

“Come work for me.  Together we can spread fear for our own selfish reasons.  We will rule the cable news ratings!” – Bill O.

And now cue the false flag operations from the Storm Troopers… I mean the F. News clones.

From http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/business/media/23williams.html?hpw

Of the thousands of complaints that have saturated NPR in the wake of Juan Williams’s firing earlier this week, some of the most telling have been from callers describing themselves as long-time “viewers” of NPR who warn that they are going to “stop watching.”

NPR, of course, does not have viewers, it has listeners. But the public radio organization has come under severe criticism — largely from people who are not listeners, it believes — for having fired Mr. Williams, an analyst who was employed by both NPR and Fox News when he said on Fox that he felt fearful when he saw people in “Muslim garb” on an airplane.

…

Tom Barrack is one of the biggest real-estate deal-makers in the world…

But recently, it turns out, Mr. Barrack has also been doing some soul-searching—…

Bella and Edward Who????
July 02, 2010
Gang,
The last few weeks have been an incredible adventure. Thanks to you, Colony is on fire across the globe and we are conquering new frontiers and new themes on a daily basis in almost every venue in which we conduct our business. You are the A Team and I am deeply grateful and proud of what all of you have “teamed” to our reality.

As you know, I have been caught in a vortex of meteoric movement in every aspect of life and that has intensified on a cosmic scale the last few weeks. My personal goal has always been to feel the wind blow through my hair when standing on the ledge. Well, I certainly found the ledge, if not the hair. It is where I thankfully and excitedly anticipate the scent of excitement and fulfillment the most. I seem to love the edge.

My real job is to act as the Senior Information Officer for all of you and share my points of view, newfound information, instincts, and reactions so that you can incorporate them into a plan of action, which, through sweat and alchemy, becomes profit for our investors as well as ourselves. Today the volatility and uncertainty in the world is at epic proportions and perhaps the most valuable tool that I can share with you is the ability to adapt to, and analyze other points of views. Especially, to understand those points of view which you find truly frightening, disturbing, or life threatening. We all find comfort in crawling into our own “content” of life and with death defying stubbornness refuse to look outside to the “context” in which other people view our “content”. The wars of the world since the beginning of time have been fought over diverging points of view. There is no price too great to defend it. Unfortunately, that inflexibility does not work well for global traders or businessmen. Adaptability and understanding of strange bedfellows becomes a competitive edge.

I am going to share with you a personal breakthrough, which does not relate directly to our business but does reflect upon how we all look at all the “stuff” that drives us on a daily basis. Many of you will think that I have lost my mind or have finally experienced a mystical intervention of “my feminine side”. I promise you, it is neither.

I have had an agonizingly tough couple of weeks and have survived on pure adrenaline in the midst of tumult, controversy, tough negotiations with business counterparts, and a grueling travel itinerary that was challenging even for me. One of the recent meetings was in Turkey with our Mars partners. I made arrangements to have a bit of yacht time with them. When the meeting got cancelled I did the unthinkable for me, have a little down time all to myself. I boarded the gorgeous but stark Turkish Gulet right as the sun was setting. As I made my way into the main cabin I saw something so frightening it left me speechless. There, staring up at me from the ebony coffee table was a book. On the cover was a gorgeous red apple nestled between two soft and caring hands. Between the hands were written the words that strike terror in the hearts of every macho, red-blooded male…TWILIGHT. AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!! Alone, on a boat, with no wifi, no satellite, no magazines, no newspapers, just me and this book. This piece of chick lit, teeny bopper heartthrob stuff. Terror on the high seas! I wanted nothing to do with any of it. Not relevant, not interesting.

As I sat there with nothing to do the book kept taunting me. I began to think that there must be something I don’t understand. What could it be? What is it all about? Women don’t just read these books, they live them. They become each paragraph. I picked it up, but then immediately dropped it like a hot coal. What if someone saw me reading this? My macho reputation would be finished! I would be kicked out of the bench press section of the gym. My polo compadres would send me packing to the pony rides and my surfing buddies would exile me to the kiddie pool.

But it was a long night and there was absolutely nothing, and I mean NOTHING else to do. Long story short – not only did I read Twilight, I read the other two as well!! I was fascinated, captivated even. However, what intrigued me was not the same thing that hooked the millions of women whose lives and had been changed by this series, but something else entirely.

For you male Colonists, here is a brief synopsis. Stubborn teenage girl meets a handsome but moody vampire and against all odds they fall in love.

Here is my macho take – Stephanie Meyer is a total genius. As I flipped through the pages I was startled by the lack of detailed description of Bella and the surgical and illuminating development of Edward. As hard as I tried I could not really picture Bella, but I was grabbed by Edward’s character – gorgeous, super human, super strong, super fast and most importantly encompassing the wisdom of a 109-year-old man in the guise of a 17-year-old boy.

The description of Bella on the other hand, was not moving, or compelling. What I realized is the genius of Stephanie was that she knew that by keeping the character generic, any and every woman could climb inside and picture herself in Bella’s shoes. Thus the fascination and deep emotional reactions to what many (including myself) thought was a foolish teenage trashy novel.

I definitely got that the “anticipation” was much more romantic and sexy than the “consummation” to the woman. Slow, patient, caring, tender…. (guys have you heard those words before?) I found him incredibly appealing as he was taking care of Bella, putting her first, distancing himself from her to protect her and yet never being able to get her out of his mind. The relationship stood the test of time through many years, other men, family challenges and misconceptions of valiant and loving acts. A human relationship with a vampire is challenging on many levels, the least of which being you get older as your partner remain timeless. It was enticing, captivating, alluring…and dangerous. Through it all she believed that she could do it…. change her life… change his life…make it different…in spite of what conventional wisdom dictated.

Every woman longs for the anticipation, the romance, the journey, the taboo, the patience, and the attentiveness. Men, however, are all about the destination, the result, the speed and the outcome. The journey is merely penance to get to the destination. Which is why despite the vampires and werewolves, this book is kryptonite to most men.

In a world of technology these books are unique. There is so little imagination left in most of forms of entertainment today. See it, Google it, play it, do it…there is very little old fashioned make believe anymore. I could go on and on, but I know by now many of you are saying, “what happened to our leader?”… “Maybe Lebanese really is a sexual preference rather than a nationality”. I promise none of the above.

Here is my point. The idea of devoting half a day to reading these books was something that never, NEVER, entered my mind as something I would ever, EVER do. I hated them. I mocked them. It made no difference to me that over 20 million books were sold, movies made, and Team Edward and Team Jacob pandemonium had engulfed the world. I was simply stuck in my point of view.

Once I ventured into the books I learned something. I now understand why some women are emotionally altered from merely reading a book. I have also gained a deeper realization that understanding the circumstances and points of views of those with whom we are negotiating, working, living, loving or fighting is the key determinant factor in an enduring relationship.

In every day business, we think we know it all. We are the captains of our industry and we possess all the global knowledge. That which we don’t understand we push a button and it appears before us. We are lacking creativity…. it is hard for us to dream… harder for us to change our lives… hard to live in a situation that other people view as unconventional. [emphasis added] And for sure, we all have no idea on how to be satisfied with the status quo.

It is time for all of us to become more creative, spend more time outside of the strict arithmetic cadence of our business, and understand foreign points of view. Most importantly we must really find the “moment”. Anticipation is everything. The process of getting to a destination is the objective and the more illumination, color, and vitality we give to the “road” the less important the final destination becomes. It will be what it will be!!! [emphasis added]

On this 4th of July, slow down, take a breath, rediscover your imagination and create some excitement in your life. Take a few days to expand on the qualities of the character you would really like to become. Then live it, do it, become it! The better you are as an individual, the better we will be as a team.

I feel renewed and refreshed, having gotten out of my comfort zone and experiencing something so totally out of my normal realm. I don’t get it…. but I feel it. Taking the agenda-less time to absorb a point of view that I had ignored while loved ones around me relished in it, was an oasis for my soul. Having been unwilling to investigate the cause of such a startling movement until now was ignorant. Move your cheese!!!! Break through the comfort barriers, you can handle it whatever it is. The earth is turning on its axis. Planets and moons and suns are in orbit. Gravity is pulling and tugging, and molecules and quarks are warring inside of us. We need movement to live…

Do it Now!

Tom

The best part was actually the reader’s guide at the end.  Very thought provoking.  You can see it at http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780449912553&view=rg

… What kinds of changes do you think will occur during the twenty-first century–with governments, technology, society, and so on? Do you think America will lose its predominant status in the world?

…Do you think it likely that we will make contact with extraterrestrials at some time in the future? What will the implications of such an event be? … Will such a discovery confirm the existence of God or cause us to question his existence at all?

…In an interview, the author said, “I wanted readers to look philosophically at the idea that you can be seduced by the notion that God is leading you and that your actions have his approval.”

JAY LENO says he is old enough to remember when Detroit was a symbol of America’s prestige and manufacturing might, unlike its image today as a symbol of industrial decay and economic failure.

“In 1963, Chrysler Corporation produced a batch of turbine cars and took them on test drives around the world,” said Mr. Leno, the reinstated host of “The Tonight Show” who is now 59. “In countries where people were still riding bicycles and donkeys, Americans were driving jets.”

Now, Mr. Leno noted dryly, Americans are driving by in Toyotas, a situation that he thinks holds a deeper message — about Americans losing control of their own destiny.

“That is sort of a cheap shot,” Mr. Leno said, flashing his trademark smirk. “It’s probably unfair to Toyota, but everybody’s piling on. I’m just as guilty as anyone, making Toyota jokes now just about every night.”

Actually, Mr. Leno said there’s nothing about America’s battered auto industry that Yankee ingenuity and a can-do attitude couldn’t fix. So Mr. Leno, owner of a vast collection of unusual vehicles, is proud to show off one of his most outlandish creations: the turbine-powered EcoJet supercar concept.

In a nod to their shared technology, he parks the EcoJet next to a 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car in his collection. “It’s the only one in private hands,” he said conspiratorially during a recent tour of his sprawling garage complex here, not far from the studio where his show is recorded.

The EcoJet is the result of a collaboration between General Motors and Mr. Leno’s crew at the Big Dog Garage, as his hangout full of motor-driven toys is called. His collecting tastes run from 150-year-old steam engines to a turbine-powered motorcycle built at his shop.

Technological singularity refers to the hypothesis that technological progress will become extremely fast, and so make the future unpredictable and qualitatively different from today.

Although technological progress has been accelerating, it has been limited by the basic intelligence of the human brain, which has not changed significantly for millennia. However with the increasing power of computers and other technologies, it might soon be possible to build a machine that is fundamentally more intelligent than humans.

If such a machine were built, then the machine itself could build a more intelligent machine. If the machine is more intelligent than humans, then presumably it would be better at building a more intelligent machine. The more intelligent machine would then be better at building an even more intelligent machine. This process might continue exponentially, with ever more intelligent machines making bigger increments to the intelligence of the next machine. (This process is referred to as Recursive self improvement.)

I. J. Good described this as an “intelligence explosion”. It is quite different from normal technological progress because the underlying intelligence is increasing. The term Technological Singularity reflects the idea that the change may happen suddenly, and that it is very difficult to predict how such a new world would operate…

…A flashback character in Ken MacLeod’s 1998 novel The Cassini Division dismissively refers to the singularity as “the Rapture for nerds”, though the singularity goes on to happen anyway.

…