Wednesday, November 03, 2004
This savage parade
As kids gain greater access to cell phones (they're almost obligatory) and credit cards, the potential for abuse grows alongside. In a highly disturbing article, "This savage parade: in a sane world, we wouldn't allow it", Richard Morrison looks at how young thugs are now using standover tactics to take over other kids phones and bank accounts. Two things stand out in the article: a) That some schools consider this behaviour so commonplace they no longer take any notice; b) that parents' rights to know what's happening to their children are being over-ridden by political correctness on the part of authorities. (And the kids are too intimidated to tell.) Parents are dumped with all the responsibility when things go wrong, but are rapidly losing their rights to the information they need to adequately look after their kids.
As kids gain greater access to cell phones (they're almost obligatory) and credit cards, the potential for abuse grows alongside. In a highly disturbing article, "This savage parade: in a sane world, we wouldn't allow it", Richard Morrison looks at how young thugs are now using standover tactics to take over other kids phones and bank accounts. Two things stand out in the article: a) That some schools consider this behaviour so commonplace they no longer take any notice; b) that parents' rights to know what's happening to their children are being over-ridden by political correctness on the part of authorities. (And the kids are too intimidated to tell.) Parents are dumped with all the responsibility when things go wrong, but are rapidly losing their rights to the information they need to adequately look after their kids.
The boundaries between animal and machine become more blurred
In his 1999 novel Starfish, science fiction writer Peter Watts wrote about "cultured brains on a slab" - a "smart gel - that could pilot a plane as well as a person. Now, (and I am not making this up) University of Florida biomedical engineer Dr. Thomas DeMarse has created a "brain in a dish" that can interact with a computer flight simulation.
The "brain" is a small puddle of 25,000 living neurons taken from a rat's brain and cultured in a glass dish. "It's essentially a dish with 60 electrodes arranged in a grid at the bottom," DeMarse said. "Over that we put the living cortical neurons from rats, which rapidly begin to reconnect themselves, forming a living neural network – a brain."
The multi-electrode grill is connected to a personal computer running a flight simulation program. The individual neurons are distributed randomly at the beginning of the experiment, and are not connected. The aircraft simulation of an F-22 fighter jet feeds data into the grid about flight conditions; whether the plane is flying straight and level or not. The neurons begin to organize themselves, forming connections to each other. The neurons analyze the data and respond by sending signals to the plane's controls.
At first, the simulated plane drifts randomly. But the neural network slowly learns; currently, the brain can control the pitch and roll of the simulated craft in most weather conditions, including storms and hurricane-force winds.
DeMarse calls his soupy creation — which could one day be used to pilot unmanned aircraft — a “live computation device”.
In his 1999 novel Starfish, science fiction writer Peter Watts wrote about "cultured brains on a slab" - a "smart gel - that could pilot a plane as well as a person. Now, (and I am not making this up) University of Florida biomedical engineer Dr. Thomas DeMarse has created a "brain in a dish" that can interact with a computer flight simulation.
The "brain" is a small puddle of 25,000 living neurons taken from a rat's brain and cultured in a glass dish. "It's essentially a dish with 60 electrodes arranged in a grid at the bottom," DeMarse said. "Over that we put the living cortical neurons from rats, which rapidly begin to reconnect themselves, forming a living neural network – a brain."
The multi-electrode grill is connected to a personal computer running a flight simulation program. The individual neurons are distributed randomly at the beginning of the experiment, and are not connected. The aircraft simulation of an F-22 fighter jet feeds data into the grid about flight conditions; whether the plane is flying straight and level or not. The neurons begin to organize themselves, forming connections to each other. The neurons analyze the data and respond by sending signals to the plane's controls.
At first, the simulated plane drifts randomly. But the neural network slowly learns; currently, the brain can control the pitch and roll of the simulated craft in most weather conditions, including storms and hurricane-force winds.
DeMarse calls his soupy creation — which could one day be used to pilot unmanned aircraft — a “live computation device”.
The real issues at stake in the Presidential race
By the time you read this, we may well know the outcome of the US presidential race. (But then again, with thousands of lawyers poised, we may not). Regardless of who wins, though, Melanie Phillips has a penetrating analysis of the basic issues at stake. These won’t change, no matter whether Bush or Kerry wins.
Phillips says the choice being made today by American voters is not just between two rival candidates but between two diametrically opposed views of the world. It is a choice on which the very future of the west and its values may hang. “That is why passions are running so extraordinarily high, not just in America but in Britain and other countries where the nail-biting last throes of the US electoral drama have thrust almost everything else into the shadows.”
By the time you read this, we may well know the outcome of the US presidential race. (But then again, with thousands of lawyers poised, we may not). Regardless of who wins, though, Melanie Phillips has a penetrating analysis of the basic issues at stake. These won’t change, no matter whether Bush or Kerry wins.
Phillips says the choice being made today by American voters is not just between two rival candidates but between two diametrically opposed views of the world. It is a choice on which the very future of the west and its values may hang. “That is why passions are running so extraordinarily high, not just in America but in Britain and other countries where the nail-biting last throes of the US electoral drama have thrust almost everything else into the shadows.”
Monday, November 01, 2004
Marriage amendments all expected to pass
One of the major side issues attached to tomorrow's US Presidential vote which is not given much air time in New Zealand is the fact that 11 states are voting at the same time to amend State constitutional amendments to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The Washington Times says they are likely to pass in all 11 states where they are on the Nov. 2 ballot, making the amendment a factor in the presidential race in three battleground states — Michigan, Ohio and Oregon.
In addition to defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, all but one of the amendments — Montana's — says other marriage-like unions — such as civil unions of same-sex couples — will not be recognised.
Recent polls indicate that the 11 amendments are likely to pass, with support ranging from 52 percent in North Dakota to 77 percent in Arkansas.
One of the major side issues attached to tomorrow's US Presidential vote which is not given much air time in New Zealand is the fact that 11 states are voting at the same time to amend State constitutional amendments to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The Washington Times says they are likely to pass in all 11 states where they are on the Nov. 2 ballot, making the amendment a factor in the presidential race in three battleground states — Michigan, Ohio and Oregon.
In addition to defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, all but one of the amendments — Montana's — says other marriage-like unions — such as civil unions of same-sex couples — will not be recognised.
Recent polls indicate that the 11 amendments are likely to pass, with support ranging from 52 percent in North Dakota to 77 percent in Arkansas.
