tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post8605658936599505168..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Saving the world: Some billionaires try. Now see your lazy-effective way!David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66020147371308218842012-12-07T11:22:24.669-08:002012-12-07T11:22:24.669-08:00Followup: My friend Lenore Ealey- a sage in the fi...Followup: My friend Lenore Ealey- a sage in the field of philanthropy theory - kindly wrote about my "proxy power" proposal -- that middle class folks can maximize their future impact on the world by joining perhaps a dozen groups/orgs that pool dues and numbers to pursue specific positive goals. Lenore's appraisal compares my approach to those of Boulding and Cornuelle with some Baconian philosophical perspective thrown in! Anlso, she adds a list of favorite NGOs of her own for consideration. Go Proxy Power.<br /><br />http://www.philanthropydaily.com/?p=11590<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58233710750875096452012-12-03T13:29:28.562-08:002012-12-03T13:29:28.562-08:00Carson I won't quibble. You are active and in...Carson I won't quibble. You are active and involved. It does seem there are only three topic areas, though. We'll do better with space and life extension if civilization prospers, too. And helping girls is the top method of birth control...<br /><br />..and ONWARD to the next posting.<br /><br />Spread the word about these two! They aim to save YOUR world!David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31045051706875573212012-12-03T11:51:25.464-08:002012-12-03T11:51:25.464-08:00Two reasons they would want to: human curiosity an...Two reasons they would want to: human curiosity and previous generations made their world possible. I have been doing this since I started my career. Scientific, Research, Development and Education organizations are your best risk/reward ratio. I have supported and joined some of the following and intend to donate to more groups listed below as times passes. <br /><br />SETI, Brain Preservation F., SETI League, H+, SENS, Lifeboat, IEET, Planetary Society, Long Now Foundation, CFI, Tau Zero F. & Icarus Interstellar, Future of Humanity Institute, Richard Dawkins F., Skeptic Society, Singularity I., Foresight, Acceleration Studies Foundation,Carbon Copies, National Space Society<br />Coalition for Space Exploration<br />Space Frontier Foundation, OpenCog, Alcor, Seastead, Project 2045, B612 Foundation,Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, Neurolinx Research Inst, Immortality Institute, National Center for Science Education, Dian Fossey org. & other great apes saving organizations. <br /><br />I would say Life Extension research however there is very little evidence of anything working at the with present biotech. We need more billionaires with a passion for science, technology and LIFE. They do seem to be increasing. Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03870362155053182039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24434703816530348452012-12-03T07:34:02.091-08:002012-12-03T07:34:02.091-08:00David,
Since the "lens" is a giant ball ...David,<br />Since the "lens" is a giant ball of fusing plasma, that seems par for the course. However, one advantage of viewing a rotating object, like a planet, is that it effectively "scans" itself past your instruments for you. Allowing you to reconstruct spatially resolved features, even if you're limited to a distorted signal (as with a gravitational lens).<br /><br />Rob H,<br />You will never get a deal with Israel in Gaza/Palestine that leaves the illegal settlements on the other side of the border. Amongst the young moderates, you might get an attitude of "yeah, screw 'em, they made their bed, let them deal with the consequences". But amongst the Ultra-Orthodox, "abandoning" the settlements is a high betrayal. And the latter are the dominant and growing political power-base in Israel.<br /><br />[The old joke: "The situation with Israel is that a third of the population works, a third of the population pays taxes and a third of the population serves in the IDF. The problem with Israel is that it's the same third."]Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-7403934598700829842012-12-02T20:08:28.989-08:002012-12-02T20:08:28.989-08:00I have a solution to the Jewish Settlements in Pal...I have a solution to the Jewish Settlements in Palestine. My idea is that Palestine remains according to the original treaties. No exchange of property or the like. And in return? The Jewish settlers are allowed to stay. As Palestinian citizens. And have to pay taxes to the Palestinians. You'll see them moving back to Israel so fast it'll cause dust storms.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40579326282641473322012-12-02T17:26:33.267-08:002012-12-02T17:26:33.267-08:00
Pau451 as I depict in EXISTENCE, the gravitationa...<br />Pau451 as I depict in EXISTENCE, the gravitational lens of the sun provides a lot of data but it is not a focal point image. It requires a lot of finesse and accumulation and hunting around from 550 au out to 2000 au to actually image an object that way. Still worth doing.<br /><br />I do like the g-lens network. It might not be visible to us here. Need that mission!<br /><br />Ah... Dr. Memory. Interesting. Provocative. Well-seasoned. And NONE of you is old enough to remember THAT!David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-5501015243881870902012-12-02T15:59:37.328-08:002012-12-02T15:59:37.328-08:00Clone ME, Dr. Memory!Clone ME, Dr. Memory!Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-50262184289892513062012-12-02T11:46:59.353-08:002012-12-02T11:46:59.353-08:00I don't see why we should disagree with the Tr...I don't see why we should disagree with the Tree Lobsters. Is the impulse to believe otherwise, that our actions will make us candidates for simulation, any different than the human appeal for religion?andrew mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-83210042136386067212012-12-02T10:01:41.091-08:002012-12-02T10:01:41.091-08:00From the previous-plus-one thread,
Tom Miller,
Re...From the previous-plus-one thread,<br /><br />Tom Miller,<br />Re: SETI<br /><i>"The most likely explanation for the Fermi Paradox is that interstellar travel and communication is just too resource-intensive to do, leaving each sentient civilization as isolated castaways separated by distances that may as well be infinite."</i><br /><br />Apologies for flogging a dead horse, but I don't think this solves the problem. With roughly current level of technology, if we had the motivation and patience, we could build a telescope at the gravitational lens focal point for our sun. You need one 'scope for each observed star-system, but it's still vastly easier than interstellar travel. And it gives you an amazing resolution. We could crudely map the continents on an Earth-like planet within ten light years, do spectrographic analysis on the atmospheres of planets perhaps a hundred light years out, and listen in to background radio traffic out to at least several hundred, perhaps a thousand light years.<br /><br />But more importantly, <i>they</i> can do that to <i>each other</i>. And the two civilisations closest to each other can likely hear each discussing the other, in effect they are already indirectly communicating. And once you start communicating with one civilisation you can detect, why not another a bit further out? And why not ask them to send a copy of anything they detect from the other side (out of your range, but within theirs.) And so. Some civilisations would opt out, but would enough opt out to prevent the formation of a Sagan Network?<br /><br />And if such a network forms, then our neighbours have been watching us for at least millennia, they know our planet had advanced life. They know we're releasing soot and CFCs and mercury/lead and other industrial pollutants into the atmosphere. By now, it seems likely that a Contact-culture would mean at least one neighbour (and probably several for the thrill of being our "First") would be beaming a direct, narrow focus signal at us, loud enough to detect with planet-based technology, hoping for us to develop radio astronomy soon. None of this requires advanced technology, nor particularly alien psychology/physiology. It just requires time and a statistical averaging (ie, it assumes we aren't special. Copernican Principle. Some will be less communicative than us, some more.)<br /><br />For that not to be true, civilisation must be so rare that they are thousands of light years apart, on average. And in that case, it's the cause of that rarity that is Mr Fermi's paradox, the lack of communication is just a side effect.<br /><br />Since we haven't detected a dedicated signal so far, that probably sets a hard upper limit on the number of possible civilisations in the galaxy. And every increase in our listening power, sans Contact, reduces the number of possible civilisations.<br /><br />[Either that or they know something we don't about broadcasting wildly]Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-11751381444506815232012-12-02T09:40:01.881-08:002012-12-02T09:40:01.881-08:00Paul451 said: "Hastening the rebuilding of th...Paul451 said: "Hastening the rebuilding of the Republican Party into a sane centre-right conservative party"<br /><br />But we already have *that* with the Democrats. :-)zoukboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14626093562535165249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85381854046089970152012-12-02T09:31:05.124-08:002012-12-02T09:31:05.124-08:00Zoukboy,
Re: Libertarian party.
I think the idea ...Zoukboy,<br />Re: Libertarian party.<br /><br />I think the idea is to give rusted-on Republicans an alternative to the current madness. Reducing the power of the Republican Party, adding new factions within the House, hopefully breaking the gerrymandering. Hastening the rebuilding of the Republican Party into a sane centre-right conservative party.<br /><br />Locumranch,<br /><br />Cynicism != skepticism, pessimism.<br /><br />Cynics can be optimists or pessimists, skeptics or believers. The war in Iraq was desired by cynical-optimist-believers. Critics of the war were mostly skeptical-pessimists (and some cynical-pessimist-believers on the far left).Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-55638156826262793302012-12-02T09:02:30.252-08:002012-12-02T09:02:30.252-08:00"Throw in your local library or PBS station, ..."Throw in your local library or PBS station, Planned Parenthood and the Libertarian Party or The Planetary Society and The Skeptic Society.... you get the drift."<br /><br />I was with you until I read the words "Libertarian Party." Really? The same party with a fundamentally dishonest recruitment "test" on its website? If your point is to support independent parties I hear you, but you left out a few... ;-)zoukboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14626093562535165249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91396949376259368532012-12-02T07:48:53.106-08:002012-12-02T07:48:53.106-08:00Apocalypse means different things to different peo...Apocalypse means different things to different people. My opinion is it is related to fear, religion, and panic more than a useful descriptive. Miami is doomed, true. Corn flakes likely also.<br /><br />No one here gets out alive anyway. That doesn't mandate pessimism.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45531037739106967322012-12-02T02:39:04.449-08:002012-12-02T02:39:04.449-08:00All hands are needed at the sails and tiller and s...All hands are needed at the sails and tiller and sounding lines, bringing to action every tool of heart and mind! ...<br />___<br /><br />Again,this is the song of the Grand Academy of Lagado. It assumes that the Captain designate possesses some arcane foresight into the unknown.<br /><br />The optimist expects a favorable conclusion and he is often disappointed; the pessimist emphasises the negative & unfavorable and prepares for the worst; the cynic expects the worst and he is seldom disappointed; and the skeptic doubts, questions, or disagrees with generally accepted conclusions.<br /><br />I put it to you that our ship, its course, our culture, our Earth, is either sound, in jeapardy, or going down. <br /><br />If it is sound, then we should stay the course & just sit tight. If it is in jeapardy, then we should mutiny & seek safe harbour before our captain kills us all. If it is going down, then it's time to scatter & launch the lifeboats.<br /><br />Paint me skeptic.locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61411857480128574292012-12-02T01:08:36.175-08:002012-12-02T01:08:36.175-08:00Interesting parallel, BTW, between antibiotic resi...Interesting parallel, BTW, between antibiotic resistance and the biological response to climate change.<br /><br />When living organisms are confronted with adverse environmental stimuli -- antibiotics in the case of bacteria and CO2 in the case of phytoplankton* -- these living organisms adapt, evolve and thrive at a pace that confounds the human intellect.<br /><br />Those who cannot accept the primacy of single-cell biology are living in the past.<br /><br /><br />Best. <br />___<br /><br />* Fixing and converting CO2, phytoplankton produce between 70 and 90% of our world's oxygen supply.locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48526821003742878792012-12-02T01:05:22.855-08:002012-12-02T01:05:22.855-08:00locumranch, don't confuse 'pessimism' ...locumranch, don't confuse 'pessimism' and 'cynicism'.<br /><br />David wrote:<br /><i>"there are guarded reasons for tense, tentative hope.<br /><br />We're navigating harsh shoals but fair harbors are in sight. That's exactly the time when all hands are needed at the sails and tiller and sounding lines, bringing to action every tool of heart and mind!</i><br /><br />As you point out, pessimists are concerned about security and safety, and see what might go wrong as an opportunity to <i>prevent</i> that from happening. Cynics just think that everything is going to hell and there's no point in trying to change it.gregory byshenkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08565517478782844083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-49282517129578116632012-12-02T00:36:22.159-08:002012-12-02T00:36:22.159-08:00Cynicism is for saps and indignation junkies and t...Cynicism is for saps and indignation junkies and traitors to hope. It is an excuse for laziness ...<br />___<br /><br />Sounds like an advert for the national lottery, or Swift's Grand Academy of Lagado.<br /><br />Putting aside numerous psychological studies that equate self-identified optimism with self-delusion, and self-identified pessimism with an accurate self-assessment, turns out that effective individuals manage to combine the two:<br /> http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/03/17/pessimism-vs-optimism/<br /><br />Optimists were found to have a ‘self-promotion focus’. They preferred to think about how they could advance and grow. Pessimists, meanwhile, were more preoccupied with security and safety.<br /><br />What the results showed was that pessimists performed better when thinking in negative ways. At the same time optimists were more engaged with their task when they were thinking positive thoughts.<br /><br />Begging the following question:<br /><br />Are apocalyptic Climate Change<br />proponents 'Optimists' or 'Pessimists' ??<br /><br />Since a belief in climate apocalypse cannot be said to be optimistic, then they must be saps, indignation junkies and traitors to hope.<br /><br /><br />Best.<br /> locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20849773921465222762012-12-01T16:24:00.403-08:002012-12-01T16:24:00.403-08:00Ian
Not heard of that being tried here in the Sta...Ian<br /><br />Not heard of that being tried here in the States. Closest analog I know of was a while back when Holland and Belgium were facing a big resistant bug issue (I think it was enterococcus, not MRSA). <br /><br />Holland put into place strict rules. Universal handwashing and certain high level antibiotics only to be prescribed by Infectious Disease guys and gals. Next door, Belgium kept up business as usual.<br /><br />In short order there was a dramatic drop in these infections in Holland. Belgium, no change. But of course Belgium is a unique place microbiologically speaking....all those interesting strains of yeast to give us the DisneyLand of brewing!<br /><br />TacitusTacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63303034223154456722012-12-01T14:00:07.463-08:002012-12-01T14:00:07.463-08:00Tacitus, a relatively straight-forward medical/bio...Tacitus, a relatively straight-forward medical/biology question which may be outside your field of expertise as a practitioner: has there been any consideration of withdrawing some of the older antibiotics from clinical use for an extended period so that the frequency of resistance amongst bacteria decreases?<br /><br />(I know that some of the multi-resistant strains have mutations to their cell membranes that are effective against a wide variety of different antibiotics.)<br /><br />The other thing I've wondered about is going right back to the source: expose Penicillium fungii to resistant bacteria and see if they evolve a response.Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01739671401151990700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22970944049996104012012-12-01T11:22:36.128-08:002012-12-01T11:22:36.128-08:00Good old fashioned True Conservative skepticism fr...Good old fashioned True Conservative skepticism from Tacitus.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-12771805240114200592012-12-01T10:14:39.407-08:002012-12-01T10:14:39.407-08:00A small point of order:
I believe it was Scottish...A small point of order:<br /><br />I believe it was Scottish sci-fi author Ken Macleod who coined the term "Rapture of the Nerds" in one of his Fall Revolution novels (The Cassini Division", I think).<br /><br />ArabiaTerra (not the anonymous posting above)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2516476632332977722012-12-01T09:20:43.753-08:002012-12-01T09:20:43.753-08:00Unknown
Hate to interject even a little crabby no...Unknown<br /><br />Hate to interject even a little crabby note to an upbeat post.<br />But penalizing health care systems for things like MRSA infections is going to have some gigantic unintended consequences.<br />MRSA of course exists in two forms. Hospital/nursing home based and community based.<br />If an MRSA infection is going to be a financial hit for your hospital you will do anything to avoid this.<br /><br />Now, since MRSA effectively colonizes all nursing home patients, at least intermittently, your choices are to stop admitting such patients, or to stop looking for MRSA at all. (the high level barrier protection during surgery will of course continue...joint space infections with MRSA are bad, bad ju ju).<br /><br />As to the community acquired version, it occurs in athletes and such, but has a high concentration in disadvantaged communities.<br /><br />So, do you really want to keep the oldest and frailest, the poorest and (by some statistics) the brownest out of hospitals?<br /><br />Of course not. So this provision will be gutted by waivers and watered down by exceptions until it is just another layer of paperwork nonsense. <br /><br />If you really want to deal with antibiotic resistant infections, take strong action on over prescribing of antibiotics. <br /><br />"It's the only way to be sure...."<br /><br />Tacitus<br /><br />ps always good news when useful drugs go generic. But the topic of how many psychotropics are appropriate and for whom, and the related issues of compliance for reasons other than cost.....another time. T2Tacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-47369738787962493972012-12-01T03:07:37.207-08:002012-12-01T03:07:37.207-08:00http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/11/0...http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/11/08/inside-ebay-billionaire-pierre-omidyars-battle-to-end-human-trafficking/<br /><br />http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Optimal_philanthropyNina Leenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21484056374707996562012-11-30T22:00:20.810-08:002012-11-30T22:00:20.810-08:00Is there a word for naïve sarcasm? Since that woul...Is there a word for naïve sarcasm? Since that would describe my outlook on pretty much everything. Knowing how bad in can get, always keeping in mind the likelihood of Murphy screwing it over, and still trudging on.<br />For instance, I use flattr. It's a microdonation service that can be connected to all kinds of stuff one can do on the internet – music, blogs, videos, tweets, software, services – and gives them 1/x with x being the quantity of things I flattred. If I didn't flattr anything, the amount of money I set aside per month will be send to humanitarian services like Red Cross.<br /><br />As for Dr. Brin sending donations to an organization/fund that lowers national debt, I wish something like that would be in place here. <br /><br />Be that as it may, I can see the argument for us being in a simulation. If we assume the basic premise to be correct – sufficiently detailed simulations are physically possible – then it's reasonable to assume it will be done. If it can be done once, it can be done multiple times with consistent or varying starting conditions. So we're left with an increasing number of simulations, but only one reality. Probability favours us being on the simulation side. (interesting short story related to that: <a href="http://qntm.org/responsibility" rel="nofollow">I don't know, Timmy, being God is a big responsibility</a>)<br />That doesn't mean I want that to be true, though.Arenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06646055504329967137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-69091750137595125922012-11-30T17:01:03.326-08:002012-11-30T17:01:03.326-08:00Ian and anon... well said. But ANONYMOUS DUDES! t...Ian and anon... well said. But ANONYMOUS DUDES! try signing off with a "handle." Anything will do. Just create a way to know you.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.com