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Let's consider four distinct scenarios of technological development and transhumanist assimilation that might take place over the next 15 to 20 years.
I'm setting this up in a classic four-box structure, using two axes and seeing how they interact with each other.
On the horizontal axis is Opposition to Transhumanism: Will it be strong, perhaps even getting stronger as transformative new technologies emerge? Or will it weaken, either due to slower than expected tech development or because a large majority of people simply accept transhumanist concepts without much argument?
The vertical axis looks at Emerging Technology Development Pace: How fast will nanotechnology, bio-engineering, machine intelligence, and robotics—among other technologies—continue to develop? Is the pace likely to quicken, or might things slow down a bit, perhaps due to a sluggish global economy or because the work itself is so extremely difficult?
Now we can examine the potential results should any of these four separate scenarios prove closest to what actually takes place.
Tech Pace FAST, Opposition WEAK: Promising but scary
For some transhumanists, this is the ideal outcome. Science and technology race ahead, with new breakthroughs and new developments coming faster all the time, while they who oppose the availability of transformative technologies for human enhancement are scattered, marginalized, disorganized, and unsuccessful.
Other transhumanists, though, see a need for caution and are concerned that rapid development and implementation of emerging technologies without due deliberation might lead to unsafe and unfair outcomes, perhaps creating a backlash. The most pessimistic scenarios in this area foresee dystopian possibilities of runaway AI, out-of-control nanotech warfare, and/or human enslavement by the machines.
Tech Pace FAST, Opposition STRONG: Conflicts abound
This might be the best thing we can hope for. Although clashes between proponents of human enhancement and those who want to stop it could turn ugly, the tensions and debates may in fact result in ultimately safer development. We also might see initiatives (designed to improve their public image) from high-tech powerhouses aimed at reducing poverty and inequality on a global scale. That would be nice.
Tech Pace SLOW, Opposition STRONG: Luddites rejoice
The nightmare scenario for transhumanists. Things don't happen nearly as fast as many have expected and hoped, and when promising new technologies are developed, they are implemented at a snail's pace due to objections from religious conservatives on the right and anti-progress forces on the left.
Tech Pace SLOW, Opposition WEAK: Increasing irrelevance
In my personal view, this is the most likely outcome. Although we will continue to see remarkable new technologies and impressive science, change itself won't occur as disruptively as some might fear (or some might wish).
Moreover, with the actual future not turning out to be as shocking as the movies make it seem, today's "radical" transhumanist ideas may gradually transform to ho-hum as the years go by. I can even imagine a history teacher in 2029 asking students, "Can anyone tell me what transhumanism was?"
We've just opened a new poll for IEET readers so you can give your opinion as to which of these four suggested scenarios will be closest to the reality of the next two decades. Tell us what you think!
UPDATE: The poll is now concluded—see the results here.
:0] @ Mike…
"Can anyone tell me what transhumanism was?"
... IS… Mike… IS!
Fast, Slow, Strong and Weak are subjective terms. Some people would consider too fast a technology development pace that I would consider too slow. I think technology development will be too slow compared to the very fast development that I wish to see, but still uncomfortably fast for others.
In some sense, the "Increasing irrelevance" scenario is the best. It would mean that transhumanism, once revolutionary and disruptive, has dissolved in the fabric of the zeitgeist, and everyone just assumes that human enhancement and transcendence of all limits is good.
Could you explain the objective basis for your analysis of "tech pace becoming or being slow"? Doesn't this go against the historical trend?
Maybe if you lived in a developing country like me, you would have a better understanding of the contradictions of fast and slow.
Let me give you examples. I was largely unfamiliar with the internet until 10 years ago. When I travelled back in the 90s to the metropoles, I would think it amazing to see people talking on mobile phones while walking on the streets.
In 2010, the internet is an indispensable part of my life. I couldn't survive without it. If I was forced to do without it, my quality of life would suffer greatly. I have a friend who is a teacher and she has no computer nor internet. There is a house on my street where the people have no electricity or running water because they cannot afford it. They have very little education as well. They could be living in the middle ages for all intents and purposes, while living close to someone who spends a great deal of his time in virtual worlds interacting with people from all over the world.
Cell phones, once rare where I live, are now common place. Everyone owns one, including the "Middle Ages" house on my street, so I guess they are not quite living in the middle ages.
This is the contradiction of technological development in capitalism - high tech alongside "backwardness". This is the trend for the future, and it won't necessarily be slow.
Thanks for your response Mike.
I get the points that you are making. But I think this issue of accelerating change has to be located in the social and political context within which it occurs.
The power structure of society influences and constrains the direction and pace of technological change. In effect, this is a "fetter" on how technology develops. One thing we can be sure of though, is that there is an intrinsic tendency in the system to replace living labour with machinery, of course, depending on the cost of labour. But the long term trend is clear, we are going to be seeing increasing unemployment in the future.
This situation will create more favourbale conditions for a change in the balance of power through political struggle. If the struggle is successful, we could see accelerating of technological developments in ways that truly liberate humanity.
My bet is on accelerating change.
I find many of the arguments that resource constraints will strongly influence the future to be plausible. This would tend to decrease mechanization. Despite this, I think robotics will develop quickly, but among the technologies that transhumanists are fascinated it is the least interesting, except maybe for it's battlefield applications.
While my husband talks about the liberation of humanity, I fail to see it as coming. I think that getting rid of the diseases of aging or the trauma of childbirth would be very difficult. People I know have been touched by stroke, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and other problems. I think it is easy for young folks in developed countries who are aware of such things only through books to think they are far away phenomena that technology will rescue them from. Middle aged people like myself are either less sure of this or they are whistling in the dark.
I'm not sure progress won't be made, it will just be an uphill battle rather than a downhill run.
@ Grey Cat
Quote : "I'm not sure progress won't be made, it will just be an uphill battle rather than a downhill run. "
As it must be, built upon hard work and mistakes and thoughtful reflection, lest we fall victim to selfishness individualism and apathy and indifference to all those great philosophical minds that have lead us to these freedoms thus far. Sometimes more slowly is faster?
How much will the state of current, proposed and potential federal regulation affect your Tech Pace Slow, Opposition Weak scenario? I see government as opposition strong, not weak.
Mark Thompson made excellent points about the social constraints affecting change and the gaps between 'tech-rich' and 'tech-poor.' Those gaps are actually increasing in many countries - including the US. Have you seen the reports that say the US is behind South Korea - among others - in internet speed? That's especially true in rural areas; but, I have friends here in Kansas City who can only afford to access the internet through libraries.
That gap between rich and poor is actually increasing, and again, it's increasing in the US. We're becoming a Third World in many ways. I think I can safely predict that the current Broadband initiative by the Obama administration will fail spectacularly, unless the issue of the gap between rich and poor is addressed. Actually, that's the gap between the uber-rich and the rest of us. The word for today is 'Plutonomy.' Google that word!
Sorry to be a downer; but, the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us is going to be the main driver in the development of transhumanism, as well as everything else!
Mike, I think you have overlooked numerous very dramatic developments which indicate that progress is likely to be fast with weak opposition. Among them the CRU emails, the current difficulties of the Vatican, and the beginnings of the fragmentation of both the republican and democratic parties. The primary sources of possible opposition appear to be weakening rapidly.
In addition, I think you are overlooking the speed with which developments in stemcell use, nanoelectronics, 3d printing, and especially VR related technologies are advancing, all of which bring with them the very strong probability of massive social change.
However, we will see. This decade is likely to be one which will shape how we progress for the next century.
I google transhumanism every day, mostly scouring the social networks to see what the "buzz" is, and for the most part I do notice that lately most of the non-official transhumanism content being created on the net is not in favor of it.
For instance go through the #Transhumanism twits and you will see that the as of this moment an anti-transhumanism article is making it's round pretty heavily on twitter.
On the youtube front, most if not all dedicated transhumanism channels have been shut down by their respective owners. User:
"TheFutureisTranshuman" the only consistently active youtuber no longer wishes to promote transhumanism, and most of the videos being uploaded to youtube that are tagged with transhumanism are anti * skeptical transhumanism content…
Of course by no means can this be used to gage the overall "opposition" It is just an interesting thing to trend watch.
And I am quite well aware of your anti Transhumanistic biases TransAlchemy, and your pseudomystical leanings. Why should I accept your views as anything but self delusion?
You forget, I have read your rants on H+ forums.
@ TransAlchemy Interesting observations, and well worth keeping a keen eye on.
I still put this all down to the confusion regarding the term "transhumanism", which many folks take at face value and that which at first glance may conjure negative visions of genetic manipulation of humanity and eugenics etc. A term which many may distrust or misjudge and discard at first hand?
Is the term transhumanism now un-trendy? Is it an ugly word? Which prominent parties freely associate with it? Isn't this why the term was changed, (much for the benefit), to humanity+? Humanity plus inspires the embrace of humanity and its aided evolution towards higher ideals, whereas the term transhumanism implies a split or the segregation of humanity?
I check out humanityplus.org, but quite frankly, despite changes in administration, there is not a lot going on there. Is this some kind of esoteric organisation I ask myself? You do not even link to it here from IEET for whatever reasons, be it difference of idealsor of politics etc? This is despite an excellent and informative faq, (yet otherwise little else).
The mission statements inspire widespread embrace, yet in practicality the best way to achieve this is a fully open informational website that encourages a following? And that which encourages widespread understanding of what the ideals of transhumanism and humanity+ stand for.
I hate to say this, but take a peek over at sciencedaily.com and there are so many examples of practical technoprogression and practical transhumanism, indeed sciencedaily.com may even serve to inspire a more practical understanding of transhumanism/humanity+ and the technical innovations now presently taking place in the biological and mind and computer sciences?
Unfortunately there is exactly zero ethical discussions regarding innovations there, which is why sites like IEET can fill this gap perfectly.
While you yourself have become biased of me, it's a shame that you find a need to address everything I say. I am not forcing anyone to accept anything. I'm just a blogger
Please feel free to add something relevant to the conversation or email me directly firstname.lastname@example.com with your complaints over my desire to express myself. If you do email me it will be logged and stored forever I promise
I guess H+ magazine is the part of the humanityplus organisation the website of which gets the frequent updates and new content.
(Though personally I'm not finding the time to really follow said magazine.)
@TransAlchemy: there is no such a thing as bad press. Good press is better than bad press, but bad press is much better than no press. Keep them talking about transhumanism, and regardless of what they say some readers will be intrigued and try to find out more.
Biased against you? Your own writings express how negatively you view most of the concepts of human improvement, from your paranoid rants about the twitter hive mind taking over to your declarations that humanity should not be improved. Nor am I the sole person to see them as such since others have registered complaints about you misrepresenting both yourself and them.
And knowing that, I asked a question, why should I believe you in regards to anti-transhumanistic sentiment? I already know about your penchant for false advertising, so I want to know the "observation" you present has some basis in reality, and is not you crying "wolf" yet again.
@Valkyrie: as I wrote in my earlier comment, even TransAlchemy's anti-transhumanist posts and videos, which are often interesting and well written, can stimulate interest in transhumanism.
I often say that some of the best definition of transhumanism have been proposed by anti-transhumanists. For example, Fukuyama's definition "[transhumanists want*nothing less than to liberate the human race from its biological constraints" is very good, and explains transhumanism much better than the writings of many modern transhumanists, often too cautious and defeatist.
I hope anti-transhumanists will continue writing rants against us, and saying clearly what transhumanism is.
@ Giulio
Is it not better for transhumanists to continually present their positive case and point of view rather than waiting for anti-groups to create negative views and opinions? My point, (as stated previously, I won't go into it again), is that almost all folks, (worldview), would align themselves with transhumanism if folks knew exactly what the term stands for? Say it loud and say proud if you are a transhumanist.
I passed all ten quiz questions for transhumanism at humanityplus.org, does this make me a transhumanist? Well I'm still not too sure if I'm missing something here, some folks do align themselves here as transhumanists and some do not. The way I see it is that ALL Transhumanists must be techno-progressives, and moreover that techno-progression does not stop short of, nor exclude transhumanism, so both must be inclusive : despite the divides, which appear to be merely a matter of details?
Are You a Transhumanist? Ten questions >> http://www.humanityplus.org/learn/philosophy/10qtest
@CygnusX1 - my point is that anti-transhumanists present transhumanist positive cases and points of view much better than transhumanists.
We transhumanists keep talking of risks, caution, the precautionary principle, responsibility etc. We sound like those heretics who want to repent and become more catholic than the pope, and certainly much more boring. Many anti-transhumanists, instead, present transhumanism as the bold, daring, unPC, radical and disruptive woorldview that it should be. I use to enjoy their writings.
At the end of the day we all do share a common goal… To get more of the general public to question and think about the issues associated with transhumanism. Sure I don't agree with lots of it, but who does? Yet with all the different ideas floating about we have to approach all of this with the real world dangers associated with any attempts to ban human enhancement. So while a complete eradication of transhumanist thought is nothing more than a just pipe dream of a luddite my stands has alaws been that all of this that is coming is deeply loaded with philosophical issues, that can be tackled or "seen" from an alchemy paradigm.
And in the process of my own understanding of it all philosophically speaking, I have chosen to use the alchemy paradigm of thought…A quest that is just publicly "shared" not "forced"....
Sure it's a strange approach and not all of will make sense, but there is no "forcing" anyone into anything, and this is what it all boils down to.
If "standards" become so over bearing that it forces people to accept some form of enhancement no matter how small is when we begin to attract real problems.
@Valkyrie Ice
P.s If you are truly concerned…. Then do what most of us here do, Blog! We can honestly say that we have brought awareness about transhumanism to thousands of individuals, can you say the same sir?
What I find much more interesting is the question if there are observable indicators pointing towards the one or the other direction/scenario. E.g. are there "observables" of growing criticism against transhumanism or more support or is the topic mostly ignored by the majority of people, voters and policy makers? How is science and technology developing? Are there signs for support and progress or challenges and difficulties in science and technology areas that may be crucial for realising "transhumanist" technologies? Which "transhumanist" scenario are we talking about (I guess there can be different shades depending on different societal settings and technologies).
We may need a list of what is required from the technological and societal side for the realisation of a certain scenario and then look at what we currently have, what is still needed and how realistic it may be to bridge this gap. Are there "observables" (or "weak signals" if you like) that could make one scenario more likely to happen than another one? I would also suggest this as a methodology for further analysis and assessment.
Maybe we should really start defining the necessary elements for the scenarios as well as for defining "transhumanism" itself in a more detailled way. Then we may come up with a list of (crucial) societal and technological requirements for the scenarios. Upon these we could start with scanning the environment for possible hints from which we may at least develop a rough estimate about which scenario seems to get more likely at time X.
The more people are involved in such an activity, the better the result may get because very different perspective are taken into account and individual "selective perspectives" may be "cancelled out" by the masses.
@TransAlchemy Hummmm, I've had three articles published by R.U. Sirius in the Editor's Blog at H+ mag, and I'm writing a fourth for paid publication, I have also had a very long history on forums. Google my name. Every single entry you find that is not a picture is probably going to be me.
I am one of those supporters of Transhumanistic ideas who does, as Guilio puts it " present transhumanism as the bold, daring, unPC, radical and disruptive worldview that it should be." My main problem is that you misrepresent yourself as a something your writings indicate you are not. Check out H+'s actual magazine site, and you will find I have the exact same problem with Athena Andreadis, who claims to be a transhumanist, but who's every article is about how improving humanity is impossible, AI is impossible, cybernetics is impossible, and who's every word is given as a pronouncement from god.
Being for or against transhumanism doesn't matter, but misleading people is a pet peeve. I know all to well how ill informed the common person on the street is of future developments, but provoking fear and distrust of the future is a poor way to inform people.
I am in full agreement with Guilio, we need more people, both for and against, talking about transhumanism. What we do not need are people misrepresenting who they are and preventing actual debate from occurring through fear and panic mongering.
That being said, I did indeed enjoy your recent interview with Dr. Robert Geraci, and hope you do more of that, and less of trying to promote further xenophobia.
However, none of that actually has bearing on the actual question, is there some real evidence of increasing resistance beyond your personal opinion? Most of the indicators I see point to minimal resistance from the general public, or rather, no real organized resistance, and the institutions which could organize that resistance seem to be suffering disruptions which appear likely to prevent them from being able to do so. I am interested in the actual data which could contradict this view.
"Being for or against transhumanism doesn't matter, but misleading people is a pet peeve. I know all to well how ill informed the common person on the street is of future developments, but provoking fear and distrust of the future is a poor way to inform people."
If you can take a second to let go of your own individual desires and acknowledge the actual potential magnitude this debate can take, you will see that what I say is very genuine.
This philosophy at it's core is extremely dangerous to the prolonged survival of the human race, and regardless of which way you justify it. Engaging further into the development of such technologies could come with consequences, that only the entire species should be allowed to accept.
YOu may wish to continue the progress of the singularity at all cost, while I won't and theres the line.
So by all means twitter comment blog your heart's content, I will do so to, but please don't tell me what I should and should not do, that's ridiculous, and something I would never tell you…
@Transalchemy I have never told you what to do, nor have I dismissed any of the possible implications of transhumanism. I've simply criticized your fear tactics and attempts to misrepresent yourself. One cannot have a rational debate when one side relies on fear and emotion rather than rational thought to make their arguments.
Now, are you ever going to actually answer the question I've asked three times now, or simply continue to justify yourself?
@Valkyrie: perhaps we transhumanists rely too much on rational thought to make our arguments, and not enough on hope and emotions.
Perhaps we should learn to speak also to the emotions, and not only to the rational mind. Perhaps we should learn some lessons from our opponents.
@ MJSL2050 Great comment!
I think it already is the goal of IEET/Humanityplus.org to investigate the most likely new and emerging technologies on the near horizon and extrapolate the ethical concerns and also aim to guide policy changes, correct me if I'm wrong about this? Yet you have some excellent points on why there should perhaps be more focus on how to gauge widespread public opinions through debate and using "observables" and perhaps even using more polls on articles?
For example a simple comment poll to highlight the acceptance, rejection or indifference on each article would give not only a gauge on how many folks are reading, but also how many read yet do not comment, have no opinion either through indifference or merely having nothing more to add?
Quote : "The more people are involved in such an activity, the better the result may get because very different perspective are taken into account and individual "selective perspectives" may be "cancelled out" by the masses."
This should be the crucial and fundamental method, to increase awareness to wider audiences, with the purpose to changing worldview not only concerning the meaning of transhumanism/Humanity+ but also to overcome ignorance concerning any new emerging technologies.
Now it all depends on what IEET/Humanity+ "really want to achieve" : do you "really want" to change worldview, guide ethics, and drive policies? Or do you merely wish to encourage selective audiences and move more slowly? Don't misconstrue this comment as merely cynical, my point is also to highlight problems concerning too much popularity to the point where sites like IEET become diluted and not taken seriously by policy makers.
I guess it all relies on a balance, yet to gauge real public opinion and to change worldview and polices means ultimately to increase awareness. I believe you can do both. You can still network and drive support from academia and professionals and encourage serious fundraising, and you can offer sites like IEET to promote acceptance by wider audiences and dissuade ignorance concerning the techno-progression through to transhumanism, and thus guide to the higher ideals of posthumanity, (longevity and uploading etc).
Quote : " Are there "observables" (or "weak signals" if you like) that could make one scenario more likely to happen than another one? I would also suggest this as a methodology for further analysis and assessment."
There will obviously and hopefully be new emerging technologies driven primarily by market forces, which is no bad thing, as competition drives to higher standards, innovation, equitable access and safety policies etc. The point really is that folks do not necessarily know what they really want, and rarely drive innovations through wants or needs or by design?
For example take the idea of "fluorescent tattoos", a topic which has been lightly discussed previously, (and one which I am personally indifferent to the point of believing as worthless to human evolution). However, this may be a prime example of an emerging technology driven by market forces that hits the consumer market quickly and in the near future? The idea may well prove successful or at least have a market share until it finally becomes unfashionable like most other trends, (traditional tattoos will most likely survive any shocks). Are folks ready for this? Do they really need it or want it? Should we not direct attentions to more important goals? Would the consumer market benefit from this information?
Personally I cannot see any government choosing to change national policies to drive towards goals of uploading or even bio-longevity? How will any government benefit from investments in longevity when they can encourage families and a younger workforce, although the positions for this may change, as more peoples demand it as the innovative technologies do eventually emerge? How can sites like IEET help right now to guide towards public and political awareness of these possibilities? How can they gauge this support and pass this information on to guide policy?
TransAlchemy is correct to encourage debate and I also found interesting his interview article with Dr. Robert Geraci : a piece that would not be at all out of place here at IEET itself!
@Giulio You've read my articles, so I think you should know emotion is not truly the issue. Fearmongering and promoting misinformation is.
When one side relies on facts, and the other side relies on lying distortions and emotional manipulation, to the uninformed, with no knowledge of the subject, how are they to know which side of the argument to believe?
Pro or con doesn't matter, so long as both sides are presenting factual data. I quite agree with TransAlchemy that more debate is needed. But unless that debate is factual, and not based on lies, distortions, and fear tactics, then it's not really a debate at all, merely an exercise in manipulation.
However, it was never my intention to derail the thread into a debate of methods and tactics, but to ask the question, What evidence can Transalchemy present beyond observational bias? I've noticed that despite asking that question repeatedly, it has YET TO BE ANSWERED.
@Valkyrie Ice "What evidence can Transalchemy present beyond observational bias?"
Everything we have published contains some bias, and we never claimed otherwise. Once again, you're trying to force us to say something that will please you.
Actually I'm interested in a future where I can simultaneously express biased AND un-biased views. This reply-based mode of communication is becoming obsolete. What will you say when that happens?
... concerning the debate about emotions: although emotions can be relevant and often guide us, they may not be a good basis for lasting and sound arguments. Rational arguments based on logic and complemented with sources and evidence are harder to refute than those based on emotion and wishful thinking.
With my previous comment I primarily was focussing on developing strategies to better Assess the Status quo and the probability of things to come.
@ Transalchemy
No, I am requesting to see the hard data from a source with a known bias. It's like asking a scientists known for sloppy data collection to document his work.
Since you refuse to provide such data, I am forced to assume you have none, and your statements are based on your personal bias and thus unsupported by evidence.
Emotions are certainly something that must be considered, but I believe that logic and reason must always be the primary tools of scientific debate. Facts must always be at the forefront. If you draw a conclusion, you must be able to explain the chain of reasoning that led to that conclusion, not rely on emotion, intuition, or feelings.
90% of the flame wars that occur in forums is due to people replacing logic and reason with feelings and emotion, and shutting down any possible critical thought processes in favor of gut reactions.
Fear of the future I find usually comes from a failure to comprehend. People fear what they do not understand. And sadly, as Giulio pointed out, often times Pro-Transhumanists fail to promote understanding. They either wrap their explanations in so much techo-garble that it's like they are speaking a foreign language, or they speak as if they are making pronouncements from god, expecting people to listen just because they say so. In this aspect, many Anti-Transhumanists do explain things better.
But in many cases they also promote xenophobia by explaining concepts in the most negative, fear laden means possible, and by presenting misinformation as fact.
Transhumanistic thought has a broad range of concepts, some more likely than others, and some which ignore human behavior altogether. The one thing they all share is that of being visions of future possibilities. Many of them are things no-one would really object to, if people truly understood the full concept, while others are indeed quite alien, because they are based on radical alterations from current life, and many times presented out of context from the developmental trends which could lead to them.
It is these extremes which are then seized upon, and presented as representative of transhumanists as a whole, which is akin to saying all men are women haters and every woman is a man hater. While such extremes exist, they are a small percentage of the overall. By presenting only the extremes, and focusing only on the negatives, the public becomes misinformed, fearful, and resistant to all transhumanistic thought.
The sole way to counter this is by challenging the misrepresentations, correcting the misconceptions, and explaining the science, the developmental stages, and the broader implications to the best of our ability.
@Valkyrie and MJSL2050 Emotions are certainly something that must be considered, but I believe that logic and reason must always be the primary tools of scientific debate.
So do I, but this is not a scientific debate.
Once we agree that transhumanism is something good, we can debate scientific and social issues related to transhumanism with logic and reason.
But no amount of logic and reason will ever change anyone's fundamental value system. To persuade indifferent persons or anti-transhumanists that transhumanism is something good, we need appealing to emotions before logic and reason. And this is a point where transhumanists have not been very effective so far.
@ Giulio.
I see your point, and agree with them to a point. However, because of the fact that much of transhumanism is based on science and technology, it must remain grounded in cold hard fact. Human enhancement is already taking place, insofar as we daily use the internet to expand our knowledge, spell checkers to enhance our literary skills, cell phones to talk to people around the globe.
Are these net benefits or net minuses? It really doesn't matter does it, because it is a fact. Enough people decided they wanted it, that it is no longer even a subject for debate, but I can recall the days when spell checkers were "going to destroy the art of writing."
Hyperbole and misinformation, based on attempts to stir up fear and prejudice are pointless. They do nothing to add to the conversation, and much to impede it.
@Valkrie Ice
Where is the fear in art? If anyone is currently evoking fear, this would be you sir…
Do you fear anti-transhumanisim?
Why don't you Just ignore all the "misinformation" ?
The fear in art comes when it is used to send a message of fear. Transalchemy. If you can name one instance where I have ever sent a message of fear, I challenge you to so do. I do not even tell people to fear you, merely challenge the misinformation you present and provide facts where I may. I do this to everyone, Transalchemy, so if you feel singled out and persecuted, that is solely in your own mind, as are all of your fears of the future.
Bringing this conversation full circle, I agree with Mike on the best possible path for the development of future technologies, may indeed be..
Tech Pace FAST, Opposition STRONG: Conflicts abound
I believe that a balanced approach from the right and the left may lead us towards the most optimal state for all sentient beings on this little planet to cohabit ... Including you
So regardless of what you may think you know about me, my motivations and drives are far more complex than you might think…
"Fear the future".... (silly)
This is the final time I will address your "fears" if you wish to continue this you may, but please add something constructive to the overall exploration presented in this post…
Thanx for the feedback and feel free to email me with more
You still can't cope with criticism can you?
For the record, while Fast progress Strong opposition could lead to optimal development, I still stand by my original statement. I do not see strong opposition developing. Strong opposition requires organization. The most likely sources of that organization, i.e. government, corporate, or religious organizations, currently appear too fragmented to provide that organization. Disorganized opposition could be very strong, but lacking organization to direct it, will be ineffective. This leads to the conclusion that the most probable scenario is Fast, weak.
Is it the best? Irrelevant. That is not the point of the observation. Probability is the sole criteria I am using.
If you disagree, present your reasons, not your desires or fears.
@ Valkyrie Ice
Quote : "Fear of the future I find usually comes from a failure to comprehend. People fear what they do not understand."
There is truth in the cliché, yet is it possible to fear something we do understand?
Quote : "And sadly, as Giulio pointed out, often times Pro-Transhumanists fail to promote understanding. They either wrap their explanations in so much techo-garble that it's like they are speaking a foreign language, or they speak as if they are making pronouncements from god, expecting people to listen just because they say so. In this aspect, many Anti-Transhumanists do explain things better."
If this is so then it is the failure on behalf of certain Pro-Transhumanists and either they have shortcomings in communicating their ideas, or they are simply not trying hard enough? Either way one should put in some effort to correct this, don't you think?
Leaving it all up to other folks to make your case is more than a little lazy, and this doesn't fair well to promote transhumanism to folks that are still trying to get past all the bickering to find out what it really means. It appears that mostly, transhumanists are divided and cannot even agree amongst themselves what this stands for or who is and who isn't, precisely because the term is so general and far-reaching?
For example, if someone has a pace-maker fitted, yet does not really want this, (it is usually a case of necessity), does this make them a transhumanist? Or merely reluctantly H+? Do your transhumanist tendencies begin with your first vitamin supplement? Or your first body piercing? We know this is not the case, so there has to be some benchmark somewhere?
Anyways all this talk of fear is very boring and negative, I fear you, you fear me oh dear, is this all this debate has to offer? The future does not belong to transhumanists or techno-progressives, and if this is all that is on offer then both these terms will soon be redundant anyhow, (although I still deem the term techno-progressive to be a as misnomer).
Are you talking to me, or to someone else? If me, you have sadly misinterpreted my statements. I do not leave promoting Transhumanism up to others, and I have spent considerable time explaining the facts as well as their implications to many people.
Nor do I allow misinformation to stand when I come across it.
Considering that, it leaves me puzzled to whom you meant to address. Perhaps you can clarify?
@Valkyrie Ice
Well it is your quote is it not? I have not misinterpreted your statement. Also if you read my comment again more carefully you will notice it does not point to you does it? This is all in your head, (this is another example of how emotions take control in these articles).
I notice you ignored the content of the comment entirely and only took from it what you wanted? I guess we can all be sensitive to criticism : even where there is none?
Regarding promoting transhumanism, I'm glad to hear it : keep up the good work, and encourage others to do so, (check above comment for clarification).
I read your post five times, and still could not make heads or tails of who you were addressing, which is why I was curious.
I only addressed those parts of it which confused me.
My definition of Transhumanism is thus: It is the belief that mankind is neither perfect, nor the pinnacle of evolution, yet through the use of tools, we have always striven to improve our selves and our world.
Do you believe that we can improve? Then you are Transhuman. Do you believe that humanity cannot improve? That this is as good as we can get? Then you are not.
The methods of improvement don't matter. If someone does not feel a artificial heart improves them in their own mind, then it is not. We each seek improvement in our own way, and no two of us need think any given technology is an improvement.
We can improve ourselves with technology, or we cannot improve ourselves with technology. It's a very simple, clear cut division.
It is no big thing, we both have similar ideals, and I understand your position on transhumanism. My comment which has caused the confusion is in response to your comment, and also regarding my similar comment previously to Giulio upon the reliance on anti-transhumanists to promote understanding of transhumanism, or rather promote a misunderstanding of transhumanism, which I feel is wrong. In other words, transhumanists should definitely not leave the clarification of transhumanist meaning and ideals to others?
Once again, there are many levels inclusive of the term transhumanism, and all of them in some way do include the use of technology, which is why I have so much trouble understanding this purposeful and intentional divide between transhumanists and techno-progressives. The main goal must be to promote understanding of the term transhumanism to a wider audience either through clarification of its meaning and ideals, or through the use of the term Humanity+.
@ Giulio…
I understand your point from both your replies, and you may be correct, yet I still think the pros should lead the way as they should in any promotion of ideals.
I enjoy reading the negative critique as much as the positive stuff here. In fact it would be very one-sided if there was no counter-point highlighted. And that I would find suspicious. If the term transhumanism does indeed have an uncertain future, then so be it. Humanity+ may be the preferred term now, (although it does not really matter to transhumanists). The main thing is to gain attention from wider audiences and make sure the philosophy is promoted.
Technology is advancing fast, and I believe it will continue to do so unless there is some catastrophe, (war and conflict, natural disaster), to slow it. And I believe policies and changes will need to keep up with this pace : so who will be making the decisions? If the wider audience is still oblivious to the ethical discussions, then we only have politicians to decide for us, and trust in their integrity and choices. Who else would there be to rely upon?
Science will always be impartial, as it should be, yet the downside is, science would be cloning humans tomorrow just to see if they could, and we are not quite ready for this yet are we? (of course this example applies to all genetic modifications animal and plant and all types of technologies). The preferred pace would be slower, (not slow), yet we may have passed the point of control long since. We need to get more people aware and thinking about the ethical dilemmas, (that word again!).
Note: the comment above is SPAM. This is one of the new tricks used by spammers - pasting apparently relevant comments to increase the Google pagerank of a linked webpage. Can somebody please delete it and ban the author by name and IP.
If a government owns and controls its currency can it never go in debt.? I have been studying the economy's of the ancient world. I see no reason to fear a financial crisis in The United States of America or any country with a good food source. The only reason Rome fell was due to economic conditions because it didn't control its own currency not because it had a recession. Governments stock pile gold because they don't want it used as black market currency. Our government wants this fake financial crisis. They want less jobs so people will have to go to war to live decently. Robots stole most of the jobs of yesterday. We now have an excess of workers. People sitting around with nothing needed to do. We throw very little money at the arts. Media powerhouses have streamlined the entertainment industry. No one gets in and no one gets out. Our high tech glass and steel buildings of today are stripped of anything of artistic value. They stand like cheep boxes.
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Reviewed by: Editorial Staff
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Île-de-France is a home to 2 tourist attractions in particular. They include Chaalis which can be referred to as a historical museum, and Chateau de Courances; which can be described as a botanical garden.
Hence, one can infer that Île-de-France is best-suited for those interested in history or geography.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Coalition Against Domestic Violence announced it is changing its name to reinforce the group's mission statement. It will now be known as End Abuse Wisconsin.
"Our new name aligns our identity with our mission" Executive Director Pattie Seger said in a release. "As Wisconsin's voice for survivors and a membership organization comprised of advocates from across the state, working towards the end of domestic abuse in Wisconsin is the imperative that drives us."
Gov. Scott Walker called for funding for domestic abuse prevention a top priority in the state budget at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Walker said the spending will help provide support and treatment for abuse victims.
"We've put more than $11 million in this budget for assistance for a number of sites physically to help with shelter as well as providing assistance for other parts of the state," said Walker. "And the budget will include additional grants for victims of domestic violence."
Walker said End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin is not just the name of an organization; it is a frame of mind.
"Because in this Capitol, this is one of the few issues that brings Republicans and Democrats together regardless of party of where you live," said Walker. "This is one of those issues that no matter where you're at, whether you live in a big town or a small town, this is something that makes a big impact."
Domestic violence organization announces new name
Walker: Funding for domestic abuse prevention is a top priority
The Coalition Against Domestic Violence announced it is changing its name to reinforce the group's mission statement. It will now be known as End Abuse Wisconsin.
Copyright 2013 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
May 16 th, 2012 – A top secret military base, Cheshire, UK. Colossal Games, a small indie developer made up of industry vets with almost a century of combined industry experience including a BAFTA award winning sound design team and Chillingo, the leading independent games publisher and a division of Electronic Arts are proud to announce the upcoming release of Commando Jack, a highly addictive game for iOS platforms that combines the tactical Tower Defence genre with the frenetic action of a First-Person Shooter.
It's a widely held belief (it's on Wikipedia, so it MUST be true) that the British Commandos were disbanded at the end of the second world war leaving just the Royal Marine 3 Commando Brigade. The truth is, they were moved to a top secret military base in the heart of Cheshire, given a new name and a new objective. Under the command of Major Jack Garrett, the Super Elite Commando Force Seven Unit were tasked with protecting our planet from the continual threat of alien invasion.
For over 75 years, the Super Elite Commando Force Seven Unit have been fighting the good fight and protecting the Earth from total destruction. However, a fierce battle over the Alaskan wastelands would see the Super Elite Commando Force Seven Unit almost wiped-out; with Major Jack Garrett the sole survivor.
Realising that Major Garrett is still alive, the aliens muster all of their remaining forces for a final assault on Earth. You are Major Jack Garrett, you are the last commando and you are humanity's only hope.
Game Description:
The Alien threat is targeting tourist hotspots around the globe; deploy your defences, upgrade your arsenal and take control of the battle before the alien menace takes over. Commando Jack's arsenal comprises of four defence turrets, one remote control grenade turret, and three guns which can all be upgraded three times each. Add to this a nuclear bomb and a UAV which provides an ariel view like a gunship, and you've got 26 different items to defend the planet. Also, the addition of three perks to use and swap mid-battle allow increasing turret or weapon power or boosting build points earned, adding another layer of strategy. The four difficulty modes dramatically alter the battlefield and provide different strategic challenges.
The nine alien types bring the game alive, with most enemies in the game reacting and changing to the way you play. For instance, the heavy 'Kamikaze alien' walks towards Commando Jack cradling a belt of grenades, but once its nearly dead, enraged, it runs faster towards Jack, with its arms flailing in the air, leaving its grenades open to gunfire!
Game Features:
- Classic Tower Defence combined with First-Person Shooter
- MULTIPLE VIEW POINTS: First-Person, Third-Person and Aerial views
- MULTI-ZOOM: Zoom in and out of the battlefield
- 5 LOCATIONS: Can you save London, New York, Paris, Tokyo & Cairo?
- 4 BESPOKE DIFFICULTY MODES: every level is customised for each difficulty
- 26 WEAPONS: Five defence towers, three guns, both with three upgrades each and two super weapons at your disposal
- IN-GAME PERKS: Increase gun power, turret power or build points
- 5 interactive enemies; target and expose their weak points
- 2 interactive bosses, will you destroy the Mothership's booster jets first, or go for its eye straight away?
- 1 mechanical flying shark (sorry lasers not included)
- 1 sniper
- ENDLESS MODE: How long will you survive?
- SHOP: Buy new weapons, perks etc or upgrade your existing arsenal
- HUGE boss fights
- 20+ HOURS GAMEPLAY: Can you unlock everything?
- 44 Achievements and leaderboards
For information please visit http://www.colossalgames.eu .
Media Contact Colossal Games
Martin Snelling
Media Contact Chillingo US
Carmen Pearson
Media Contact Chillingo Europe
Dan Tausney
About Chillingo
Chillingo is a subsidiary of Electronic Arts and publishes innovative games and software for various platforms. Other hit iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™ titles include Cut the Rope™, Angry Birds™, Feed Me Oil, Helsing's Fire, Predators™, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs™, Minigore, iDracula, and Modern Conflict. For more information about Chillingo please visit http://www.chillingo.com
About Colossal Games
Colossal Games are a small indie developer made up of industry vets with almost a century of combined industry experience including a BAFTA award winning sound design team. The team has worked on a large number of AAA titles including Crysis, Harry Potter, Virtua Tennis, Fable, Buzz and Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. For more information about Colossal Games, please visit http://www.colossalgames.eu


text:
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For further information on this offer or to receive a customized quote, fill in the form below:


text:
For an active offseason for the Oakland Raiders to pay off, they have to start winning games. Since opponents are known way in advance, the 2014 schedule release just sets dates and times. Of course, that doesn't stop the NFL from turning it into an event with plenty of hype.
Things like travel, the bye week and even start times can have an impact on the outcome of games, so a schedule can still be very important. While some schedule impacts will not become clear until more time has passed, there is still plenty to glean from when the Raiders might play a particular opponent.
Teams may be incomplete at this point in the offseason, but they are complete enough for educated guessing. Save a few surprises every year, it's not that hard to predict how a team like the Raiders will fair against their opponents within the framework of the 2014 schedule.


text:
Wordsmith Talk
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#19044 - 02/20/01 03:56 PM Re: Gay
Registered: 11/22/00
Posts: 1289
Re "Queer"
This is not a recent phenomenon. A good many years ago (well, 43 or 44 to be more exact) my mother made friends with a woman she met at work who was an English war bride. She and her husband came to dinner and we found that she had so many strange prejudices about food that there was scarcely anything on the table she could, or would, eat. She started to explain this by saying, "Well, I know I'm awfully queer ..." but never got to finish because my younger siblings all exploded in laughter.
#19045 - 02/20/01 07:08 PM Queer
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/06/00
Posts: 2788
Loc: Seattle, Washington, USA
One of my chums in Lincolnshire reacts to the news that someone has done something remarkably odd by saying "There's not so queer as folk." I think this to be a Cornish expression, but I'm uncertain. It conveys the sense wonderfully.
#19046 - 02/21/01 04:57 AM Re: Queer Folk
Registered: 08/23/00
Posts: 2204
I claim the expression, "There's nowt so queer as folk," for Northern England. Almost certainly Yorkshire, although these days you will hear it in Lancashire as well/ Only among the older denizens, of course. The modern meaning of "queer" is too engrained amonst the younger people for the expression to be usable amongst them. (Also, as it's used by older people, it's "not cool")
Incidentally, I have noticed an upsurge in the use of "queer" to denote homosexuality, after it was relegated to non-PC language and replaced by "Gay." Many of my homosexual friends and acquaintances use it about themselves, these days.
My guess (for what it's worth) is that "Gay" has achieved a pejorative connotation, (as will any word that describes any phenomenon that society in general finds hard to understand and harder to accept) and the homosexual community is trying to rehabilitate "queer" so that it no longer does have that sort of negative association.
#19047 - 02/21/01 07:55 AM Re: Queer
Registered: 03/22/00
Posts: 1981
>"There's nowt so queer as folk,"
I was only thinking of this today. A very popular Northern expression.
Similarly I agree about "Queer" being re-claimed and "Gay" being out of fashion. I've noticed that "You are gay" (and I don't think they mean cheerful) is becoming a popular playground term of abuse here, so perhaps that is one of the reasons for the change.
#19048 - 02/21/01 09:40 AM Re: Queer
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
I too wish the word "gay" had not been dragged into the mud.I have known some people named Gay who were ridiculed when the change happened.I feel compassion for the unfortunates who have "a problem with sexual identification" and deplore the persecution of them which has destroyed so many gifted individuals. But I also deplore their new found aggressiveness.
#19049 - 02/21/01 09:42 AM Re: Queer Folk
old hand
Registered: 01/12/01
Posts: 771
Loc: Portland, Oregon
>My guess (for what it's worth) is that "Gay" has achieved a pejorative connotation, (as will any word that describes any phenomenon that society in general finds hard to understand and harder to accept) and the homosexual community is trying to rehabilitate "queer" so that it no longer does have that sort of negative association.
Well, if I may speak to that as someone who has spent the majority of my career as the token hetero in the theatre... you wouldn't believe what they call themselves (no divisiveness intended by the use of the third person plural). Gay, queer, homo, fag, and far more indelicate things than I'd care to detail in this forum! The question of pejorative seems, as usual, more tied to the inclinations/sympathies of whoever is doing the talking... While I can get away with using said words in playful banter with my gay friends, Jerry Falwell is unlikely to reap the same benefit of the doubt.
#19050 - 02/21/01 10:09 AM Re: Kids vs. children
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13803
This has been one of my projects over the last several many years. The word children is almost extinct in common English usage. From State of the Union speeches to radio interviews of education professionals the ratio of kids to children is about 100 to 1.
#19051 - 02/21/01 10:14 AM Re: Kids vs. children
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 04/03/00
Posts: 10538
Loc: this too shall pass
>This has been one of my projects... the ratio of kids to children is about 100 to 1.
just curious... your project is to count? or to inveigh against?
#19052 - 02/21/01 10:52 AM Re: Queer Folk
Registered: 03/22/00
Posts: 1981
>The question of pejorative seems, as usual, more tied to the inclinations/sympathies of whoever is doing the talking...
Yes, I've often been the only xxx amongst a group of yyy, female/male, white/black, able-bodied/disabled, heterosexual/homosexual - I've learnt to be very, very careful with some of the words I've come across. In most instances words which are OK within a group are strictly not OK if you are not part of the group.
#19053 - 02/21/01 11:31 AM Re: Kids vs. children
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13803
Now, tsuwm, (your project is to count? or to inveigh against?) when have you known me to inveigh against? I, too, grew up learning that kids is not acceptable in formal contexts. This, just from a survey of common usage, seems no longer to be the case.
My project is noticing things like this.
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Jazz on the Brain
March 5, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.Add new comment | Filed under: awe, brain, cecil taylor, forehead, funky butt, invisible button, jazz, Jazz Osmosis, kitchen sink, musical improvisation, musicians, neurological functions, new orleans, orleans writer, poem, prefrontal cortex, rampart street, Real Life Stories, scientists, summation, wwoz, ya
People who know me will tell you I always have jazz on the brain. Guilty as charged. Recently, scientists studied improvising musicians, hoping to unlock the underlying neurological functions of high and low level musical improvisation. A summation of the study is here.
Turns out all you have to do is turn off your prefrontal cortex (can an Idiot's Guide to Turning Off Your Prefrontal Cortex be far behind?).
This study reminds me of a conversation I had with the New Orleans writer, performer, and creator Kalamu Ya Salaam. One night on Rampart Street, at a club called The Funky Butt, I watched in awe as Kalamu performed an original poem in a style similar to the way that pianist Cecil Taylor played his music. Kalamu and I worked together at WWOZ in New Orleans. One night, during his Thursday evening Kitchen Sink show, I asked him how he could do such things.
He said, "There's an invisible button located on your forehead. It controls the part of your brain that says you cannot do something. Turn it off."
The elegance of Eliane Elias
January 18, 2008Add new comment | Filed under: brain, café con leche, desk, Diversions, eliane elias, Encounters, good reason, gray matter, honey, Jazz Alive, jobim, Live Music, morning shift, newscasts, photograph, pianist, smooth man, speakers, special man
I rarely work the morning shift around here. 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. newscasts are Doug Doyle territory and for good reason. It takes a special man to get up at 3:30 a.m. and get here in time to deliver the news at 6 a.m., sharp. Frankly, I ain't that special, man. Those of you who've heard me at that time in the morning, know what I'm talking about.Still, when Doug's out, I get the call. One recent morning, however, I was sitting at my desk, staring blankly at my computer monitor, the written word failing me, when all of a sudden, dripping from the speakers behind me, like honey on a nubile neck, comes Eliane Elias singing Jobim's "Photograph (Fotografia)."
The vocal, so lush and silken, insinuated itself into my soft gray matter and swirled around like the café in my café con leche. I closed my eyes and drank deeply, Eliane inside my brain. MMM. It's just about the only thing that went right that morning.
Eliane Elias is just smooth, man, (as both a singer and a pianist) so if you get a chance, I urge you to join us (yes, I'll be there) tomorrow at J&R Music's Park Row store (23 Park Row, NYC, Second Floor) for a FREE live performance and broadcast of some of the material from her new release "Something For You: Eliane Elias Sings and Plays Bill Evans."
The performance starts at 4 p.m. and, even if you're in Rio, Brasil, you can hear it live. - David Cruz


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Book: A Christmas Carol (upper elementary/middle)
Reading Dicken's classic? Enhance the reading with this unit, featuring vocabulary builders, comprehension questions, and more.
Free > Subjects > Language Arts > Reading > Book Units: Vocabulary Enrichment > Holiday Books > Christmas Books
Similar documents we think you'll enjoy on abcteach...= Member Access


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Welcome to Perry Stone Ministries
One word from God can change your life! The Voice of Evangelism was founded for the purpose of bringing a fresh Word from God to the Body of Christ and winning souls for the Kingdom of God.
God has grown us from a local church revival ministry into an international evangelistic outreach, ministering to thousands around the world.
About the Ministry
Walking into the Future"Then the Lord answered me and said: write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." - Hab. 2:2-3
You have granted me life and favor, and your visitation hath preserved my spirit." - Job 10:12
Civilization's existence revolves around dreams and visions. A single man dreams of having a wife, eventually marries, forming a family. A minister dreams of reaching his community and the seed of his dream, planted in obedience, births a new church. Skyscrapers were etched in the imagination of a visionary. The...
Inside the Ministry Update
Inside the Ministry Update
- Oct 20, 2016
10/20/2016It has been an incredible year at the ministry centers. Recently we hosted our annual Main Event conference at the OCI facilities in Cleveland, TN, and it was a powerful move of God. Lindell Cooley came to Cleveland to lead the worship for the first time, and I have to say that he really pushed me to think about worship differently. He urged the worshippers in the congregation to stop looking and staring at the worship leader as if it is a "praise and worship show", and instead worship with the leader, as this type of worship is what leads us into the deeper places of God. Ke...
Thank you Pastor Perry. Your program about 4 ways to prove the Truth of Christianity has taught me how to boldly talk about my faith at work. 3 of my co workers are now joining me for tea each week and we talk about God and the bible. 2 have already received Christ and we are still praying for the 3rd. Thank you.
Anna Vladivosstok
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Actually, there is a work-around to get CCC to function in Tiger: open CCC by using sudo open in Terminal.
sudo open
My question is about the "clone" capability of Disk Utility. Does using the "Restore" command of Disk Utility to "clone" your boot drive work as well as CCC does to create an identical bootable clone? Are there any drawbacks to using Disk Utility for this purpose?
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Connect for Health Colorado is committed to serving Colorado with their health insurance needs. For us to be successful, we need to connect with as many Coloradans as possible to answer questions, educate about purchasing health insurance, learn more about the barriers to purchasing health insurance and to understand where there are gaps.
For general questions about Connect for Health Colorado's marketplace, call: 855-PLANS-4-YOU (855-752-6749) or 303-590-9675 if you are outside of the United States. The Customer Service Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are hearing impaired, please call our TTY line: 855-346-3432.
To reach Connect for Health Colorado administrative staff, call: 720-496-2530.
For the Appeals department, please call 1-855-492-2420 (303-590-9640), or fax 303-322-4217.


text:
Check out Mobius transformations (also known as linear fractional transformations) of the complex plane. They reflect the entire complex plane across a circle (or a line, which is a circle with its center at infinity). This is done conformally (in a way that preserves angles, so that locally it looks like you're only scaling, rotating, and translating), which I think you want; otherwise, the image of your curve might not bear any resemblance whatsoever to what you started with.
The bad news is that if you need to conformally map the entire plane onto itself (e.g. one side of a curve to the other side, and conversely), then Mobius transformations are all you have to work with.


text:
by Mike Masnick
Fri, Jul 25th 2008 12:42pm
mpaa, torrentspy
While TorrentSpy may have shut down and lost its copyright infringement lawsuit against the MPAA, it's still appealing a separate issue: whether the MPAA broke the law in hiring a guy to break into TorrentSpy's email server and forward emails to the MPAA. The MPAA got away with playing dumb when this issue first came up, claiming it assumed the guy they hired had legitimate access to all of the emails he was handing over -- though, that seems highly questionable.
If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...
- MPAA: EFF Just Jealous It Doesn't Control Copyright Office Like Hollywood Does
- The Reason The Copyright Office Misrepresented Copyright Law To The FCC: Hollywood Told It To
- Documents Show Chicago PD Secretly Using Forfeiture Funds To Buy Surveillance Equipment
- Yes, Police Are Snooping Through Criminal Databases For Personal Reasons All The Time
- Court Says Man Can Sue Maker Of Web-Monitoring Software For Wiretap Act Violations
Reader Comments (rss)
(Flattened / Threaded)
Dan, Jul 25th, 2008 @ 1:08pmI doubt this will get anywhere.
Kyros, Jul 25th, 2008 @ 1:14pm
Lets hopeLet's hope this does get a couple of MPAA goons in jail.
sinrtb, Jul 25th, 2008 @ 2:03pm
an we?can we use that same excuse? oh im sorry mpaa i thought all those seeders had permission to share that movie.
icepick314, Jul 25th, 2008 @ 2:53pmMP/RIAA
Do as we say, not as we do!!!
Anonymous Coward, Jul 25th, 2008 @ 3:13pm
Willful BlindnessAlthough DanC might disagree with me, I think this is yet another example where the legal doctrine of willful blindness should apply.
DanC, Jul 27th, 2008 @ 10:44am
Re: Willful BlindnessActually, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the case. Both the MPAA or the RIAA have shown they aren't above using questionable tactics, but the problem will be proving it in court.
M4dNe55, Jul 26th, 2008 @ 3:15am
Paid to hack??I'll save the MPAA the hassle as being a longtime TorrentSpy user - here's my email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
What a waste.
Good thing I use proxies =P
ScytheNoire, Jul 28th, 2008 @ 10:54amThe MPAA and RIAA consider themselves above the law. They do not need to follow the law, and they can do whatever they want.
We need someone high up to slap this MAFIAA around and put an end to their illegal practices. They are no different from the mob.
Anonymous Coward, Jul 28th, 2008 @ 1:37pm
Re:The MPAA and RIAA consider themselves above the law.
They OWN the law. Bought and paid for.
Airy's Dark, Jan 15th, 2009 @ 7:16am
Re: Re:They OWN the law. Bought and paid forthats y i love australia never heard of mapp or riaa that means they dont egzist here yeah
WG, Jul 28th, 2008 @ 5:08pm
ASSUME"The MPAA got away with playing dumb when this issue first came up, claiming it assumed the guy they hired had legitimate access to all of the emails he was handing over-- You know, when I was in the Marine Corps, I learned that to 'assume' was the equivalent of "..making an ASS out of U and ME." It seems that, here, that on the face of things, the MPAA is simply full of ASSES!
Airy's Dark, Jan 15th, 2009 @ 7:06am
yi loved torrent spy an when it went away it was heard to find all the old movies that only liv in servers or on uther pc. like vhs movies made in to date files. but if they have been doing the wrong thing then yes do what they most. i was a torrent spy user but not a member i left my email ones to help poeple fix problems with ps1 games not working but i all ways sied bying the real thing is ezy an no one gets hert. but copying of date will go on seeing that the net is the biggest an fastest way of getting it. so just wait a nuther torrent engin will appear biger an better. an will c torrent spy all over agen. an y coz no one ownes the net. u can controll it or hack it lol but its ever ones.
p.s stop limewire its full of virues an crap lol XD
(Sir_)Clan laeder out XD
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text: As stated, there are only two lines that don't meet the criteria. One horizontal, the other vertical. Now, you can imagine that if you were to tilt this line just a wee bit, it would pass through the x and y axes, but the hypotenuse relative to the origin would be extremely long. And if we tilted a bit less, longer still, ad in finitum. So, are you sure that we aren't looking for the line with the SHORTEST hypotenuse?


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Being the only female in a college engineering class is an experience familiar to many female engineers. Committing to a major where only 20% of graduates are female and entering a field where only 11% of engineers are female can be a tough experience, according to professor Nadya Fouad of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. A few different fields of study and work are characterized by this underrepresentation of women, and these fields often face a correlated need for a larger work force, she said. The Research"There continues to be an underrepresentation of women in math, science, and engineering careers," Fouad said. She has spent 20 years of her career trying to pinpoint why this occurs. Girls achieve more in technical subjects during elementary school, so the decline begins in middle school, she explained.
The most influential component of the project seems to be the role models, Kekelis said. Techbridge holds training for role models who come in to speak to the girls about their science or engineering careers. From surveys and experience, Kekelis has found that having people from professional backgrounds as role models is a key element to the program, she said. Being a Role Model For GirlsOne Techbridge role model entirely agrees with the importance of role models in expanding the engineering work force. Lyn Gomes, a staff engineer at Carollo Engineers (Phoenix), first became involved in Techbridge approximately 5 years ago. She relates to being the only girl in engineering courses during college and got involved in mentoring to try to increase the number of girls in the field. "I wanted to increase the number of girls in future classes so they wouldn't have to feel as alienated as I did," she said. "We face a shortage of engineers, and I would like to see more people entering the field." Gomes is dedicated to helping girls understand what engineers can do. "I'm really passionate about outreach," she said. "It's a cause that's really, really important to me." For Techbridge, Gomes gives presentations at high school career days by giving a short introduction about herself, sharing her struggles, and conducting an activity, such as taking apart hair dryers. "What I've found is that students don't even come close to the field of engineering, because they have no idea what they do," she said. "I try to demystify what each of the different types of engineers do so that students can identify with one of those disciplines." Gomes also volunteers for the Society of Women Engineers (Chicago) at one of their outreach events and at their weeklong event where girls attend engineering classes at Santa Clara (Calif.) University. At the university, Gomes leads a mechanical engineering activity in which girls design and build their own gearbox to move marbles. One of Gomes' most fulfilling experiences was at this event where a group of girls was struggling and frustrated with their gearbox, she said. "I watched them finally get it, and, to me, they had the best marble mover there," she said. "It was reliable, [and] it used all of the principles we had been giving them. To watch them just get it and grow and learn was a wonderful experience," she said.
Many factors influence girls in science, and there is no single answer, but from their research and experience, Fouad, Kekelis, and Gomes agree that having parents, teachers, and role models providing active interest and support for girls in science, engineering, and math will help reduce the gender differences in these careers. To find a local program promoting girls in technology, see the National Girls Collaborative Project (Lynnwood, Wash.) Program Directory.
As a youth and student, I experienced and observed a lot of turmoil and change. I witnessed the Cuyahoga River burning, witnessed huge advances in technology, and participated in social movements to make the world a better place. So, when I had to choose a profession, it came naturally — I chose what has now become environmental engineering — and when I looked for a professional affiliation, I chose the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.), because I saw WEF as the best source for new ideas and technologies, populated with outstanding leaders championing those ideas and technologies, and people who were making a difference in the environment. Throughout my career, WEF has epitomized these attributes, making a positive impact in providing bold leadership, championing innovation, connecting water professionals, and leveraging knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide. Hence, I am exceptionally proud now to be your president and grateful for a long association.
The position of WEF president is an honor but also a challenge. While we no longer have burning rivers or wastewater spewing from pipes — at least here in the United States — our current problems are more complex, costly, and critical to the future health of society, the economy, and the environment. We have water shortages from California to Florida and widespread aging infrastructure in desperate need of repair and replacement. We have dead zones in Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. We have ecosystem disruption and the collapse of fisheries. All of these issues were not apparent 35 to 40 years ago. Globally, these problems are similar and often worse. We also have 2.6 billion people in this world who have inadequate access to sanitation and safe, clean water to drink. My challenge as president is to continue to place WEF and our members in a leadership role in solving these growing water challenges. I view WEF and our members as the water stewards, the caretakers. As you all know, protecting the quality and quantity of our water is much more than just treating wastewater; it is stormwater management, it is watershed management, and it is sustainability. Solutions must include water reuse, energy recovery, product stewardship, reduction of water footprints, and, most importantly, integrated water resource management.We no longer view ourselves as just wastewater experts, because the lines between water and wastewater and between urban and rural waters have blurred; water is water. Holistic watershed management utilizing integrated water resource management and planning is the only solution. I see WEF and our members as leaders in defining solutions in this new paradigm where we look for integrated watershed solutions. WEF has a reputation of excellence, objectivity, and expertise. We need to leverage this reputation, partnered with other organizations, to promote better policies. An example is our partnership with the Johnson Foundation (Racine, Wis.) and Duke University (Durham, N.C.), where we are conducting a series of workshops next year focused on defining needed improvements to our U.S. clean water strategies and regulations.However, our role also extends beyond U.S. borders. Our footprint in the global discussion of water grows each year as we engage strategically with various international organizations. Most recently, WEF helped launch the international Alliance for Water Stewardship focused on setting industry standards for water use and management. We exemplify our leadership by our actions, our expert objective voice, and our partnerships.Also, I envision WEF members at the center of efforts to reinvent cities and their relationship to watersheds. This has been our historical role, beginning in ancient Roman times, when our professional ancestors built aqueducts. We have been key leaders in urban development for generations and need to continue our leadership role to address modern water issues. So I challenge us to re-examine our cities as they relate to their watersheds. We need to integrate urban and rural watershed management in order to meet our water quality goals. Almost 90% of our water quality impairments are due in whole or in part to nonpoint watershed sources. To restore our waters, we need to focus on the land. We need to stop wasteful uses of water and promote reuse. We need to promote green urban practices and best agricultural practices as solutions to our pollution and flooding problems. Green approaches also will make our cities attractive again as vital centers for growth and activity, and make agriculture more sustainable and even profitable. I encourage our members to learn about these and other ideas and technologies and to talk with our new partners at a WEF specialty conference being held in Boston in March 2010, dually titled Cities of the Future and Urban River Restoration.With climate change, water will take center stage in the decades to come, whether it is with shortages, excesses, allocation, or pollution. Our challenge is to lead society in effective solutions to these problems, which can only be achieved through integrated planning and management. We have technical knowledge and experience, and it is my vision that we use that experience to establish our role as leaders and water stewards. Borrowing from my alma mater's motto, the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), I plan to work hard to ensure that WEF is recognized as the "leader and the best," for we truly are.
WEFTEC.09 was held Oct. 10 to 14 in Orlando, Fla. This year, the largest annual water and wastewater exhibition had approximately 17,722 registrants and 995 exhibiting companies. The conference offered 122 technical sessions, 31 workshops, and nine facility tours. This year's attendees were introduced to a new president, new members of the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Board of Trustees (2009–2010), new committee chairs and vice-chairs, and new Committee Leadership Council leaders.
Fresh, colorful, and user-friendly are terms that can be used to describe the new Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Web site that launched this month. Visitors can expect to see an entirely new design, explained WEF Web Manager Julie Fuller. Fresh DesignThe site's fresh look begins with an increase in Web page resolution from 800 to 1024 pixels, which results in much wider pages. Flash animation on the home page provides a visual identity for the Federation, representing the different aspects of WEF's work, including public health, environmental protection, economic prosperity, public support, and technical training and education. Even though the home page has been shortened, it includes more information than before, Fuller said. Information is broken into boxes with tabs and scroll bars to help users find information more quickly and efficiently.The new site also features multiple "visual cues to help people navigate," Fuller said. Whenever coming to the site from a search engine, users will see a list of links identifying exactly which section they are in and providing a trail back to the home page. Each section has a different color scheme, ranging from the traditional blue to new shades, such as orange, green, and purple. Each section's border and headlines appear in the same color to show users where they are on the site. New ElementsThe goal of the redesign is to improve navigation and make the site more user-friendly. In pursuit of this goal, some content has been added or altered, Fuller explained. Section headlines have been shortened or changed to be more intuitive, Fuller said. A new section titled Online Education compiles information for all of WEF's online learning tools, such as webcasts and the distance learning program. Visitors will find a calendar of events on the home page that lists all WEF and WEF-partner events, with a filter enabling the user to search for different types of events.WEF also has new social media tools and plans to launch a new blog and new member forum. WEF will be looking into expanding its use of these tools in the future, Fuller said. The Access Water Knowledge section introduced last year now includes new categories or "centers," Fuller said. "We have reorganized the centers to better reflect WEF's focus," she noted. Throughout the site, WEF has broken down information so it is easier to find, she added. One of the most important changes is a new search system. Users now have the option of using either a section search engine or a sitewide search engine. Content has been linked through keywords, so when using these search tools, content on the topic being searched will be pulled from different areas of the site. "The way that we are using the content is brand new," Fuller said. WEF hopes that the site's new look and overall organization will make Web visits more pleasant and informative, she said.
The World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) event held in Washington, D.C., this year welcomed 160 students from five schools and an additional 100 attendees. The event, hosted by the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) and the International Water Association (IWA; London), with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and other partnering organizations, featured 21 exhibiting groups and six speakers.
Each year, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) presents a variety of awards that recognize excellence and achievement in the water environment profession. Awards were presented at the WEF Awards and Presidential Celebration Reception during WEFTEC.09. Below is a list of the award recipients. Camp Applied Research MedalRonald W. Crites Collection Systems AwardGary A. Wyatt (presented posthumously) Eddy Wastewater Principles and Processes MedalRemembrance Newcombe, Rebecca Rule, Brian Hart, Gregory Moller, Daniel Strawn, Tracy Grant, and Susan Childers Emerson Distinguished Service MedalRichard D. Kuchenrither Engelbrecht International Achievement AwardJames H. Clark Fair Distinguished Engineering Educator MedalDesmond F. Lawler, University of Texas – Austin Gascoigne Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Improvement MedalBarry Pomeroy Hazardous Waste Management AwardJeffrey L. Pintenich Industrial Water Quality Achievement AwardDuPont Engineering (Wilmington, Del.), Kenneth N. Wood Industrial Water Quality Lifetime Achievement AwardDavis L. Ford Innovative Technology AwardCollection Systems — ADS Environmental Services – Sliicer.com (Huntsville, Ala.) McKee Groundwater Protection, Restoration, Sustainable Use MedalGenxu Wang, Jian Zhou, Jumpei Kubota, and Su Jimaping Outstanding Young Water Environment Professional AwardFran Burlingham Public Education AwardIndividual — Julie Karleskint Member Association — North Carolina Water Environment Association (Raleigh)Other — Western Virginia Water Authority (Roanoke) Rudolfs Industrial Waste Management MedalWilliam C. Hiatt and C.P. Leslie Grady Jr. Water Quality Improvement AwardMilwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District WEF Canham Graduate Studies ScholarshipHector A. Garcia


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Home > News and Articles > Heart Health > October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) claims the life of about 295,000 people every year (American Heart Association, 2012). SCA is a leading cause of death among adults over 40 and it can also affect the under 40 population. More people die each year from SCA than from colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, auto accidents, AIDS, firearms and house fires combined (Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation). Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can effectively treat individuals suffering SCA. By using an automated external defibrillator (AED) prior to medical personnel arriving survival rates can further increase. (American Heart Association, 2012).
An AED is a light weight portable device that analyzes and checks for an electrical disturbance. When appropriate an AED shocks the heart back into a functional rhythm. AEDs are geared for use by non-medical persons. AEDs talk the rescuer through the process of placing the pads of the device on the patient, analyzing the electrical activity and direct the rescuer to push the shock button, if indicated. The shock defibrillates the victim's heart back into a normal heartbeat. AEDs are found throughout our community at gyms, schools, malls, airports, office complexes and many other public places. AEDs continue to be a safe and effective method for increasing the survival rate of victims of SCA.
Early CPR and rapid defibrillation (using an AED) combined with early advanced emergency care can produce high survival rates for victims of witnessed cardiac arrest. Advanced care in the form of the local Emergency Medical Services is initiated by calling 9-1-1. The paramedics bring the advanced treatment to the patient's side; essentially bringing the Emergency Department to you. In some cities with public access defibrillation or "community AED programs," when bystanders provide immediate CPR and defibrillation within 3 to 5 minutes of a witnessed cardiac arrest, the reported survival rates are as high as 48 to 74 percent in these settings. (American Heart Association, 2012)
Causes of SCA include a variety of electrical conduction abnormalities in the heart. SCA is not the same as a heart attack, but a heart attack can lead to SCA. A heart attack is caused by a blockage in one of the blood vessels in the heart. Many, but not all victims of SCA have had some type of heart disease, such as congestive heart failure and/or a prior heart attack. SCA occurs when the electrical problem causes failure of the heart to pump effectively or not pump at all. The most common electrical problem or arrhythmia in cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. Immediate treatment increases the chance of survival. This immediate treatment includes early CPR and early defibrillation. Without the early intervention SCA will lead to death (Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation).
Presentation of SCA
Presentation of a heart attack
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine established the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) in 2004. The CARES Registry has over 30,000 victims of SCA in its registry from October 1, 2005 to December 31, 2010. The CARES Registry reports only a 9.6% survival rate. The highest out of hospital survival rates are seen in recreational/sport facilities, airports, physician offices, educational institutions and public buildings. The lowest survival rates are seen in nursing home/assisted living facilities, home/residence and residence/institutions. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011) The American Heart Association (AHA) reports that 88% of the SCA that occur outside the hospital happen at home (Lifesaver Education, 2012). By initiating CPR, you can make the difference between life and death for someone suffering from SCA by acting quickly. With more people trained to act quickly the rate of survival would increase.
By recognizing the presentation of SCA and learning CPR you can help increase the survival rate of victims of SCA.
After you receive CPR training you are ready to act fast to help a person who is experiencing SCA. When someone suddenly collapses you can jump into action:
So, who is at risk? The following represents people who are at risk for SCA. (Heart Rhythm Society)
Remember saving victims from sudden death due to SCA depends on immediate bystander intervention. You can help prevent sudden death!
Victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest come from all walks of life.
To see if you or a loved one is at risk of sudden cardiac arrest or heart disease follow the links below:
It is up to you to take action:
Last Updated: 1/13/2015