Extraterrestrial intelligence may be slow

One way they can get our attention is to create an infectious and more fatal-than-normal virus and set it loose.   A single virus would self replicate and spread.   The numbers of infected and the severity of their outcomes would definitely get the attention of the leaders.  Watching from afar, they would see who is actually in control, and more specifically who is most productive to interact with.   The message may be encoded cleverly in the statistical variations of outcomes among different sub-populations.

Technology vs Biology

This is just a possible scenario of a synergy between humans and automation technology.   We need technology for its mastery of the time-domain.   Technology depends on us for survival due to our biologic advantages of solving problems in time-volume or in a frequency domain.

Big data challenges mechanical determinism theory of mind

This futuristic dedomenocracy offers a way to falsify the deterministic theory of mind by simple observation of innovative crime that occurs despite the power of the available data. Observations of successful innovative crimes that have unacceptably damaging consequence, or that occur in unacceptably high numbers would be evidence that we lack sufficient data for the deterministic model. However, I am assuming a future where we will have observations of just about everything that is observable. If dedomenocracy continues to experience innovative crimes despite having access to everything that is observable, then there the innovative part of the mind must be accessing something that can not be observed.

Hypothesis DNA basis for Behavior

I have been delighted to watch the rapid progress of understanding of DNA over my lifetime.    I am amazed by the number of different directions for progress: improved technologies for rapid reading DNA sequences, improved understanding how DNA is copied, transferred toward proteins, replicated across generations, etc.   Each of these areas have seen…

Cartwheeling Spiders

I smiled when I saw this article on newly discovered cartwheeling spiders.   The linked video is primarily about a robot, but there is a short sequence of the spider in action.    The best way I can describe my reaction is being proud of the spider.    I really have a high respect for…

Understanding diversity: acknowledging intelligence

I have been thinking about a work-place emphasis on promoting diversity.    What is it that we should be aspiring to achieve? When we get the occasional updates for diversity sensitivity training, it seems always to be presented as some new never-before attempted initiative.   I realize that the training audience needs to include first-year…

Acknowledging Competence and Maturity

In post I wrote yesterday, I discussed my ideas of acknowledging a progression of increasing maturity based on age milestones.   I described the maturity phases in terms of levels of independence we grant to an individual in terms of his commitments to others, starting with in initial level of that only impacts his individual…

Acknowledging Intelligence Growing Up

In earlier posts, I discussed some thoughts about seeing intelligence in others.  In particular, I am interested in how intelligence is recognized and acknowledged without imposing a requirement that the intelligence has to be familiar (such as being human-like or educated intelligence). I also tied this in with the basic respect for others that is…

Crabs attacking a bird

The concept of intelligence is one common element contributing political hazard of losing super-majority consent, education hazards of standardized testing, and the hazards of favoring teamwork over individual initiative to address large problems (such as health care reform). The other day, after observing a YouTube video there was the usual teasers at the end of…