Artificial Intellilgence Warning

A serial artificial intelligence investor is raising alarm bells about the dogged pursuit of increasingly-smart machines, which he believes may soon advance to the degree of divinity.

In an op-ed for the Financial Times, AI mega-investor Ian Hogarth recalled a recent anecdote in which a machine learning researcher with whom he was acquainted told him that "from now onwards," we are on the brink of developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) — an admission that came as something of a shock.

"This is not a universal view," Hogarth wrote, noting that "estimates range from a decade to half a century or more" before AGI comes to fruition.

All the same, there exists a tension between the explicitly AGI-seeking goals of AI companies and the fears of machine learning experts — not to mention the public — who understand the concept.

"'If you think we could be close to something potentially so dangerous,' I said to the researcher, 'shouldn’t you warn people about what’s happening?'" the investor recounted. "He was clearly grappling with the responsibility he faced but, like many in the field, seemed pulled along by the rapidity of progress."

Like many other parents, Hogarth said that after this encounter, his mind drifted to his four-year-old son.

"As I considered the world he might grow up in, I gradually shifted from shock to anger," he wrote. "It felt deeply wrong that consequential decisions potentially affecting every life on Earth could be made by a small group of private companies without democratic oversight."  READ MORE...

James Webb Telescope

 

Hundred Years Left

 

Hydrogen Powered Hyupersonic Jet

If you’ve ever taken a flight from Europe to Australia or the other way around, you’ll know that it’s an arduous 20-hour flight that almost feels like torture. However, there’s a Swiss start-up called Destinus that is currently developing a hypersonic, hydrogen-powered passenger jet that aims to cut that journey time down to just over four hours. “You can reach the other side of the world in three to four hours without compromising on versatility, cost, or noise,” the start-up claims. 

Over the last few years, the company has been testing its prototype Eiger and announced successful test flights at the end of 2022. Recently, Destinus announced that it has been awarded grants for two projects worth a total of 26.7 million Euros (about $30 million) by Spain’s Ministry of Science, as part of the Spanish government’s plans to develop hydrogen-powered supersonic flights.

“We are currently testing a gaseous hydrogen post-combustion jet engine (afterburner) while working to advance other engine technologies using cryogenic fuels such as liquid hydrogen. These technologies will undergo extensive ground testing over the coming year and be integrated onboard our next supersonic prototype, Destinus-3, in 2024,” Destinus added. 

Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial, the agency overseeing the government’s program, selected Destinus’ project as a strategic initiative under its Plan de Tecnologías Aeronáuticas (PTA).

“We are delighted to have been awarded these grants, especially because they are a clear sign that Destinus is aligned with the strategic lines of Spain and Europe to advance hydrogen flight,” Davide Bonetti, VP of Business Development and Products for Destinus, said. “For deep tech companies like us, access to these EU recovery funds is essential to carry out advanced research and accelerate the innovation needed to be competitive on a global scale. With these grants, hydrogen-based solutions for aeronautical mobility will be one step closer to becoming a reality.”  READ MORE...

Situations

 

Be Prepared

 

Hunger

 

I Give As Much as I Get

 I am James Alexander Hutchins, III., the oldest son (second child) of James and Margarite Hutchins, Jr., and probably their biggest disappointment.  I had natural athletic ability and threw it away.  I had natural artistic ability and threw it away.  I had natural musical ability and threw it away.  I had a natural apptitude for math and pursued English...   WHY  DID I DO THIS?  I have no frigging idea.

I started smoking cigarettes at the age of 10 while I was delivering newspapers early in the morning, before the sun came up.  I started drinking beer and alcohol at the age of 13 and had my first sexual experience at the age of 14.  I was very sexually active in high school, along with smoking and alcohol.  I NEVER GOT INTO DRUGS...  not sure why, but it just wasn't my thing.

During my first 23 years of marriage, I had over 20 affairs so it was not much of a marriage at all.  I flunked out of college because I did not have the "BALLS" to tell my parents I did not want to go and listen to their bullshit. 

I earned a BA degree in English and an MBA with a focus in strategic planning and worked in middle to upper management during my 45 year career.  However, I have been fired 10 times during my career because I cannot keep my mouth shut, I don't like following meaningless rules, and I simply don't kiss ass.

My daughter does not want to have anything to do with me and we have not spoken to each other in over 5 years.  My sister does not want to have anything to do with with, nor do her children.  My brother does not want to have anything to do with me, nor does his children.  I have two friends and one of them died 10 years ago.

My personality is INTJ according to Myers-Briggs.  My sign is Scorpio according to astrology.  My body has been well made because I survived a serious heart attack, had 5 stents inserted into heart arteries instead of a triple bypass, have survived cancer for over 14 years, and 9 months ago had 5 lower back disks fused together and have recovered about 90%.  My second marriage of 25 years has been faithfully executed, but has turned into us being roommates instead of soul mates.

At the age of 40, I stopped smoking and drinking, COLD TURKEY, and have not looked back at either one as missing anything, other than all the mney I spent.

I am 75 years old and am pretty much a loner, at least since 2015 when I retired.  I retired because I simply hated working for ASSHOLES, INCOMPETENTS, and INTELLEDTUAL DWARFS...  that does not mean that I am smart or even intellectual...  it just means, I am not like them as I value INTEGRITY more than they do.

My life has been debt free since between the ages of 55-60...  not exactly sure when it actually happened, but I will never get into debt again.  I use a credit card only to the point that I can pay it off at the end of the month.

Over my lifetime, I have written over 42,000 poems, 1,200 articles that were published on LINKEDIN and have completed 7 - 100,000+ word novels and have 2 more that will be finished in a couple of months.  The 10th one will be finished by the end of 2023.  I may or may not look into publishing them on KDP/Amazon.

I enjoy writing but have no idea if I am any good at it or not and not sure if I want to know because it may cause me to stop writing...  and, I don't want to stop since I enjoy it...  somewhat silly motive, but it is what it is.

In 2015, my second wife retired too and said she was no longer cooking, so I have been cooking my meals for the last 7+ years.  I suppose I will continue cooking my meals until I die.  I don't always like what I cook but I eat everything I cook.

My parents raised me Democrat but I lost faith with the Democrats after BILL CLINTON...  My MBA education has pushed me into the direction of the Republicans because of their conservative agendas but I don't vote for either party...  WHY?  Nothing has really changed in America (other than technology) since the 1960s.  We are talking about the same problems today that were talked about back then.  THIS MEANS to me that NEITHER PARTY gives a RAT's ASS about helping the American People.

HISTORY shows that moving towards SOCIALISM is a move towards decline...   and yet, the Democrats want to move towards Socialism...  that makes no sense to me.

I used to like BLACKS but now because of all the BLM/CRT movement bullshit, I'd rather care about Hispanics, Mexicans, and Asians than BLACKS...  In fact, it pisses me off that 12% of our population has so much influence over the other 88%.

Crime and Violence in all of our big cities is going to cause an EXODUS into the SOUTH and into the rural areas of the SOUTH which means NORTHERNERS will soon have a chance to ruin our area now...  after ruining all those areas up north that used to be tourist attractions.  

GP TO TEXAS AND FLORIDA BUT NOT TENNESSEE PLEASE...

I am a lower middle class American and LOVE MY LIFE...  I have exactly what I need and have no desire for more.  I do need to loose about 20 pounds...

Just a Dolphin

 

Mercy

 

Living Energy

 

Earth's Atmosphere Can Clean Itself

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change the way we think 

about air pollution. (CREDIT: Creative Commons)

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change the way we think about air pollution. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have found that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide (OH) by a previously unknown mechanism.


This molecule is crucial in helping to clear the air of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and other chemicals.


The discovery is outlined in a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which suggests that the traditional thinking around the formation of OH in the atmosphere is incomplete. Until now, it was thought that sunlight was the primary driver of OH formation, but this new research shows that OH can be created spontaneously by the special conditions on the surface of water droplets.


“You need OH to oxidize hydrocarbons, otherwise they would build up in the atmosphere indefinitely,” said Sergey Nizkorodov, a University of California, Irvine professor of chemistry, who was part of the research team.


“OH is a key player in the story of atmospheric chemistry. It initiates the reactions that break down airborne pollutants and helps to remove noxious chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide, which are poisonous gases, from the atmosphere.”


The implications of this discovery are significant. It could change the way we model air pollution, as the assumption has always been that OH comes from the air and is not produced in the droplet directly. This means that existing models may need to be revised to take into account this new source of OH.  READ MORE...

Behind the Screen

 

Oldest Paradox

 

Time Swapping - Slits in Time

A new diffracton study sends lasers through 'slits in time' in a novel take on the classic double slit experiment. (Image credit: Thomas Angus, Imperial College London)

In a first, scientists have shown that they can send light through "slits" in time.


The new experiment is a twist on a 220-year-old demonstration, in which light shines through two slits in a screen to create a unique diffraction pattern across space, where the peaks and troughs of the light wave add up or cancel out. In the new experiment, researchers created a similar pattern in time, essentially changing the color of an ultrabrief laser pulse.

The findings pave the way for advances in analog computers that manipulate data imprinted on beams of light instead of digital bits - it might even make such computers "learn" from the data. They also deepen our understanding of the fundamental nature of light and its interactions with materials.

For the new study, described April 3 in the journal Nature Physics(opens in new tab), the researchers used indium tin oxide (ITO), the material found in most phone screens. 

Scientists already knew ITO could change from transparent to reflective in response to light, but the researchers found it occurs much faster than previously thought, in less than 10 femtoseconds (10 millionths of a billionth of a second).

"This was a very big surprise and at the beginning it was something that we couldn’t explain," study lead author Riccardo Sapienza(opens in new tab), a physicist at the Imperial College London, told Live Science. 

Eventually, the researchers figured out why the reaction happened so fast by scrutinizing the theory of how the electrons in ITO respond to incident light. "But it took us a long time to understand it."  READ MORE...

End of an Era

Happy Trails to You, Until We Meet Again - The Happiest Trails

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU — THE END OF AN ERA

The young guns may not understand the meaning of this, but you will.

The Roy Rogers Museum in Branson, MO has closed its doors forever.

The contents of the museum were sold at a public auction.

Roy Rogers told his son, if the museum ever operates at a loss, close it, and sell the contents. He complied.

Here is a partial listing of some of the items that were sold at auction:

Roy's 1964 Bonneville (Pontiac) sold for $254,500. It was estimated to sell between 100 and 150 thousand dollars.

His script book from the January 14,1953 episode of "This Is Your Life" sold for $10,000 (EST. $800-$1,000).

A collection of signed baseballs (Pete Rose, Duke Snider, and other greats) sold for $3,750.

A collection of signed bats (Yogi Berra, Enos Slaughter, Bob Feller, and others) sold for $2,750.

Trigger ’s saddle and bridle sold for $386,500.

One of many of Roy’s shirts sold for $16,250 and one of his many cowboy hats sold for $17,500.

One set of boot spurs sold for $10,625. (He never used a set of spurs on Trigger).

His set of dinnerware plates and silverware sold for $11,875.

The Bible they used at the dinner table every night sold for $8,750.

One of several of his guitars sold for $27,500.

Nellybelle (the Jeep) sold for $116,500.

Bullet (stuffed) sold for $35,000 (EST. 10-15K). He was their real pet.

Dale’s parade saddle, estimated to sell between 20-30K, sold for $104,500.

One of many pairs of Roy’s boots sold for $21,250.

Trigger (stuffed) sold for $266,500.

Do you remember the 1938 movie The Adventures of Robin Hood, with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland? Well, Olivia rode Trigger in that movie. Trigger was bred on a farm co-owned by Bing Crosby.
Roy bought Trigger on a time payment plan for $2,500. Roy and Trigger made 188 movies together. Trigger even outdid Bob Hope by winning an Oscar in the movie Son of Paleface in 1953.

It is extremely sad to see this era lost forever. Despite the fact that Gene and Roy’s movies, as well as those of other great characters, can be bought or rented for viewing.

Today's kids would rather spend their time playing video games. Today it takes a very special pair of parents to raise their kids with the right values and morals.

These were the great heroes of our childhood, and they did teach us right from wrong, and how to have and show respect for each other and the animals that share this earth.

You and I were born at the right time. We were able to grow up with these great people even if we never met them. In their own way they taught us patriotism and honor.

We learned that lying and cheating were bad, and that sex wasn't as important as love. We learned how to suffer through disappointment and failure and work through it.

Our lives were drug free. THANKS BE TO GOD. So, it's good-bye to Roy and Dale, Gene and Hoppy (Hopalong Cassidy), the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Farewell to Sky King (and Penny) and Superman and (Dragnet) Sgt Friday.

Thanks to Capt. Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers, and Capt. Noah and all those people whose lives touched ours, and made them better.

Happy Trails! It was a great ride through our childhood.

P.S. Don't send this to anyone under 60... they just wouldn’t understand.

Freedom

 

Progress

 

It's All About YOUR Future

 I enlisted into the military, not because I wanted to go fight in the Vietnam War, but because I dropped out of college and could not find a job because I did not have my military obligation behind me...  so, I decided...  what the hell...  I might as well get that behind me.  Had I not enlisted, I would have been drafted in the Army/Marines and sent to Vietnam.

Fortunately, I used the GI BIll to pay for my college education which included Graduate School.  I earned a BA and an MBA using my own money and the GI Bill and had NO STUDENT LOAD DEBT.

Had I not gone into the military, I would have continued to work while attended college and graduated with NO STUDENT LOAD DEBT.

Either way...   NO STUDENT LOAN debt...

Working full time and going to school full time is not easy but it can be done.

Does it make you appreciate your education more?  NOT SURE...  But, it makes you appreciate the fact that you DID IT ON YOUR OWN.

Would I recommend a college education?  NO!!!

WHY?

1. It costs too much
2. It is not worth the return on investment
3. Very little knowledge is retained
4. What you learn in college is not really used in the real world

Are the TRADES better?

Not necessarily...  it depends on what you want to do.

Trades might include:

• Welding
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• Heating/Air
• Construction
• Mechanic

And, while they pay high wages now, it still might not be what you really want to do...  plus, it can be dirty work.

You could work in a bank.

You could work as a chef.

You could work as a waiter/waitress.

You could work as a truck driver.

You could manage a restaurant/hotel.

You could be a pilot.

You could join the armed forces.

NOTE:  if you joined the armed forces, I would recommend the air force...

There is also going to a Community College and earing an Associates Degree in 2 years...  not as costly...  and if you are in TN, those 2 years are FREE...

• Dental Assistant
• Paralegal
• Nurse
• Pharmacy Technician
• Massage Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Business/Accounting

There is a local franchise restaurant near where I live called PERKINS...  The owner of the local restaurant started out as a bus boy, became a cook, then a waiter, then assistant manager, then manager, then purchased the franchise...  The only education that he had was high school.

A neighbor of mine is a legal Mexican immigrant who is now a US citizen who quit high school and learned the trade of making cabinets on the job.  From there he went into building homes and a few years later, got his building license, formed a crew and started building houses.  Over the years, he purchased several house and started renting them out.  His rental income has allowed him to retire at the age of 55.

Don't just go to college and acquire debt because someone told you that a white collar job is the best job to have...  First of all, that is not true and very misleading.  Second, it is your life not their life...  as a result, you should decide what you want to do.

FINALLY, if you simply want to find a way to become wealthy and you don't care what you do, then perhaps you should think about moving south and joining the Mexican Drug Cartels.

All wealthy people, except those who simply inherited the wealth, had to pay their dues for 10-20 years before they could claim they were BILLIONAIRES...

Beliefs