Mimicking the Brain in Silicon

November 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

MIT researchers make progress towards a potentially amazing accomplishment: For decades, scientists have dreamed of building computer systems that could replicate the human brain’s talent for learning new tasks. MIT researchers have now taken a major step toward that goal by designing a computer chip that mimics how the brain’s neurons adapt in response to [...]

Filed Under: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Mind, Psychology, Psychology, Science, Science, Technology, Technology Leave a Comment

"Not Everything In Life Is Logical"

October 24, 2011 By 17 Comments

When we rationalists, naturalists, and other assorted atheists insist that no one should form beliefs that disregard logic and evidence, the defenders of faith often tell us that “Not everything in life is logical”, or use some variant of this phrase. What might they mean by this? Where is their confusion exactly and how best [...]

Filed Under: Arguments Against The Existence of God, Arguments Against The Existence of God, Arguments for the Existence of God, Arguments for the Existence of God, Astronomy, Astronomy, Atheism, Atheism, Atheism, Biology, Biology, Epistemic Justification, Epistemic Justification, Epistemology, Epistemology, Evidence, Evidence, Evolution, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Intelligent Design, Metaphysics, Metaphysics, New Atheism, New Atheism, New Atheism, New Atheism, Philosophy, Physics, Physics, Rationalism, Religion, Religion and Science, Science, Science, Secularism, Technology, Technology Tagged With: , , 17 Comments

The History of the Singularity

July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

by Eric Steinhart Many philosophers portray the cosmic process as an ascending curve of positivity. As time goes forward, the quantities of intelligence, power, or value are always increasing. These progressive philosophies have sometimes been religious and sometimes secular. Secular versions of progress have sometimes been political and sometimes technological. Technological versions have sometimes invoked [...]

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Why Can’t God Heal Amputees?

April 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

Because apparently he doesn’t know enough science.  Thankfully UCLA, on the other hand, does: Your Thoughts?

Filed Under: Science, Science, Technology, Technology 1 Comment

The Singularity as Religion

April 11, 2011 By 4 Comments

by Eric Steinhart I think much of the culture and discourse around the singularity is religious. I say this based in part on my reading of David Noble’s book The Religion of Technology and my reading of Robert Geraci’s Apocalyptic AI. Both are fantastic books. And I’ve compiled a long list of articles and books [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Culture, Featured, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science, Pseudoscience, Rationalism, Religion and Science, Science, Technology, Uncategorized 4 Comments

Rachel Maddow Explains The Nuclear Threat In Japan

March 17, 2011 By 2 Comments

This account of how nuclear power works and what the current danger was remarkably clarifying for me: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Dr. Maddow would truly make a superb physics professor (you know, if she actually had as good a grasp of all physics as she has of [...]

Filed Under: News, News Discussion, News Discussion, Physics, Physics, Science, Science, Technology, Technology, World Affairs, World Affairs 2 Comments

Oil From Plastic

August 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The video below is extraordinary and hope inducing, here’s the YouTube description: The Japanese company Blest has developed one of the smallest and safest oil-to-plastic conversion machines out on the market today. It’s founder and CEO, Akinori Ito is passionate about using this machine to change the way people around the world think about their [...]

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Brain Powering

November 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

via Daniel Florien comes this fascinating account of the human brain and the energy required to run it: According to Kwabena Boahen, a computer scientist at Stanford University, a robot with a processor as smart as the human brain would require at least 10 megawatts to operate. That’s the amount of energy produced by a [...]

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YouTube As Naturally Evolving The Future Of Television And How Google Benefits Off Of YouTube

September 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Neat video on how YouTube puts out so much material that we can discover what people actually will choose among a myriad of options and model TV off of it and then on the reach of Google and YouTube’s role in that: Your Thoughts?

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Getting Meat Without Killing Animals

September 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The idea of being able to eat delicious meat without it coming at the expense of poor abused animals is just too good to be true.  Here’s hoping this kind of thing really is our future: A controversial cooker that ‘grows’ meat and fish by heating animal cells in your kitchen claimed first prize in [...]

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