Happy Holidays

from Newburgh

Catch you in 2008!

"If a man loves the labor of his trade apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him." Robert Louis Stevenson

a2b

Cupola sunset

from the 2 stacks going up in the middle...

CT Typhoon

3M (f)bites the dust at burning man...

What is the Singularity? The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence

The Singularity is the technological creation of smarter-than-human intelligence. There are several technologies that are often mentioned as heading in this direction. The most commonly mentioned is probably Artificial Intelligence, but there are others: direct brain-computer interfaces, biological augmentation of the brain, genetic engineering, ultra-high-resolution scans of the brain followed by computer emulation. Some of these technologies seem likely to arrive much earlier than the others, but there are nonetheless several independent technologies all heading in the direction of the Singularity – several different technologies which, if they reached a threshold level of sophistication, would enable the creation of smarter-than-human intelligence.

A future that contains smarter-than-human minds is genuinely different in a way that goes beyond the usual visions of a future filled with bigger and better gadgets. Vernor Vinge originally coined the term "Singularity" in observing that, just as our model of physics breaks down when it tries to model the singularity at the center of a black hole, our model of the world breaks down when it tries to model a future that contains entities smarter than human.

......

Combine faster intelligence, smarter intelligence, and recursively self-improving intelligence, and the result is an event so huge that there are no metaphors left. There's nothing remaining to compare it to.

The Singularity is beyond huge, but it can begin with something small. If one smarter-than-human intelligence exists, that mind will find it easier to create still smarter minds. In this respect the dynamic of the Singularity resembles other cases where small causes can have large effects; toppling the first domino in a chain, starting an avalanche with a pebble, perturbing an upright object balanced on its tip. (Human technological civilization occupies a metastable state in which the Singularity is an attractor; once the system starts to flip over to the new state, the flip accelerates.) All it takes is one technology – Artificial Intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, or perhaps something unforeseen – that advances to the point of creating smarter-than-human minds. That one technological advance is the equivalent of the first self-replicating chemical that gave rise to life on Earth.

For more information, continue with "Why Work Toward the Singularity?"

...At this moment in time, there is a tiny handful of people who realize what's going on and are trying to do something about it. It is not quite true that if you don't do it, no one will, but the pool of other people who will do it if you don't is smaller than you might think. If you're fortunate enough to be one of the few people who currently know what the Singularity is and would like to see it happen – even if you learned about the Singularity just now – we need your help because there aren't many people like you. This is the one place where your efforts can make the greatest possible difference – not just because of the tremendous stakes, though that would be far more than enough in itself, but because so few people are currently involved.

The Singularity Institute exists to carry out the mission of the Singularity-aware – to accelerate the arrival of the Singularity in order to hasten its human benefits; to close the window of vulnerability that exists while humanity cannot increase its intelligence along with its technology; and to protect the integrity of the Singularity by ensuring that those projects which finally implement the Singularity are carried out in full awareness of the implications and without distraction from the responsibilities involved. That's our dream. Whether it actually happens depends on whether enough people take the Singularity seriously enough to do something about it – whether humanity can scrape up the tiny fraction of its resources needed to face the future deliberately and firmly.

We can do better. The future doesn't have to be the dystopia promised by doomsayers. The future doesn't even have to be the flashy yet unimaginative chrome-and-computer world of traditional futurism. We can become smarter. We can step beyond the millennia-old messes created by human-level intelligence. Humanity can solve its problems – both the huge visible problems everyone talks about and the huge silent problems we've learned to take for granted. If the nature of the world we live in bothers you, there is something rational you can do about it. We can do better with your support.

Don't be a bystander at the Singularity. You can direct your effort at the point of greatest impact – the beginning.

---

Click here: The Singularity Summit 2007

The big ONE. ~A.

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NYC

Greetings from the land of oystars and lobstars!

<-click on it to see theGreatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century....

Miss-tic ;-)

sunrise Plus.

Curtains,
Indiana style.

from the banks of the Ohio

...next stop,

Evansville IN.

ka - ching!

pathos builds muscle....

How do we use technology to create a better future? How do we help people appreciate the awesome process that has produced us? How do we best respond to the fact that humans now wield such enormous power to influence the future? How do we include and connect people who share an interest in creating a better future based upon broad, inclusive thinking?

This website is our answer to these questions. With generous financing from the Foundation for Global Community (www.fgconline.org), an organization with which many of us have been associated, we set out to create an online presence. The alpha site was rolled out in January 2005, the beta site went live in October 2005, and our current iteration was launched in October 2006. With each new revision, participation and interest has increased, giving us all increased hope and energy.

Feedback and collaboration are constantly providing new learning. This site is for you, individuals and organizations alike, who, from a broadening base of thinking, are interested in exploring, connecting and acting on behalf of a better future for all life.

http://www.global-mindshift.org/index.asp

http://picasaweb.google.com/adentex/NYCJune2007

Click here: Technology Review: A Wirelessly Powered Lightbulb

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N2uISwCG3Vw&amp;mode=related&search

"The Engineering byDesign™ Program is
built on the belief that the ingenuity of
children is untapped, unrealized potential
that, when properly motivated, will lead
to the next generation of technologists,
innovators, designers, and engineers."

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Engineering byDesign™ (EbD)
A Standards-Based Model ProgramThe International Technology Education Association's Center to Advance the Teaching of Technology and Science (ITEA-CATTS) has developed the only standards-based national model for Grades K-12 that delivers technological literacy. The model, Engineering byDesign™ is built on Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA); Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM); and Project 2061, Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS).

Built on the constructivist model, students participating in the program learn concepts and principles in an authentic, problem-based environment. A network of teachers (EbD™ Network) has been selected to collaborate and conduct action research in order to better understand the complexities of student learning and to help all students succeed and be prepared for the global society in which they will grow up.

Click here: Green Building System

	Invent Now Challenge
	Enertia® Building System named Grand Prize Winner in the Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge

Michael Sykes' invention, U.S. Patent No. 6,933,016, is technology to turn a piece of wood into a thermal battery. Wood is no longer just a structural member, or just a decorative trim or paneling- it becomes a solar energy storing device, and when the house is properly configured and sited it can heat and cool itself. Obviously, the more wood the better, so the invention is especially applicable to solid wood homes. This energy from a shift-in-time is called "Enertia®" a word, like the word "Laser," that Sykes made up and trademarked to describe the phenomenon.

Click here: :: DrivingGreen.com :: Home Page
Welcome to DrivingGreen.com ▼

Welcome to DrivingGreen.com, the environmentally friendly website that allows you to easily and inexpensively offset the greenhouse gases emitted every time you drive, fly, or throw a party!

Global warming is the #1 environmental problem today, but everyone can effectively fight it by offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions they are responsible for, essentially erasing their carbon footprint and 'undoing' the damage.

Click here: This Moment on Earth, Kerry book, John Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry, environmental books - The Green Guide and then...

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future (Times Books, 2007, $25) by Bill McKibben. To purchase this book, visit the online book store.

Click here: Frankly Green - Environmentally Friendly, Non-Toxic Paint

Natural paints, products, and finishes – the logical choice

Frankly Green only sells natural paints and products made with non-harmful ingredients. Our natural products do not seep harmful substances into the air of your home or business.

We at Frankly Green pride ourselves on creating and sustaining long term relationships to bring eco-friendly products into everyday lifestyles. Whether you are living in, working at, building or designing a space, our goal is to use more Green products and send less waste into the environment.

If you would like to help fulfill our winners' wishes, please use our Contact Form and select "TED Prize."

JAMES NACHTWEY'S WISH:

• I'm working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.

Plan of Execution:

• Gain access to a place in the world where a critical situation is occurring and fully document it with photography.

• Set a date to unveil the pictures and find a series of innovative ways to create powerful impact with them, using novel display technologies and the power of the Internet as well as media.

• Use the campaign to generate resources for organizations that are working to address and transform the situation.

We Are Looking For:

• Diplomatic and logistics help in order to get James to the story location (potential contributors will be given confidential access to the story being contemplated).
• An advisory team of creative mavericks to help conceive the strongest ways of making an impact.
• Offers of large public space worldwide that can be used to display the images.
• Help with plastering the story online with media impressions.
• A partner to provide a solution to project images digitally outdoors.
• A PR and communications partner.
• Media partners.

Questions we're still asking:

• What are creative ways to make the biggest impact in a way that others could use in future?
• How do we best ensure that this effort leads to action to solve the problem?

Return to the winners page »

EO WILSON'S WISH:

I wish that we will work together to help create the key tool that we need to inspire preservation of Earth's biodiversity: the Encyclopedia of Life.

Plan of Execution:

• Join the efforts of key institutions around the world who have begun building momentum to make this happen.
• Build an encyclopedia that lives on the Internet, with an ever-evolving page for every species.
• Ensure that its content does not duplicate existing efforts, but instead incorporates them through linking.
• Open the encyclopedia to allow the contribution of thousands of scientists and free access to anyone.
• Make the world aware of the importance of this initiative to inspire preservation of earth's bio-diversity.

We Are Looking For:

• A major web design effort, to create a powerful, flexible, scientifically credible web environment with a user interface that will appeal to a wide-ranging audience.
• A search technology that can aggregate existing biological information and make it easily accessible.
• Creation of a sustainability model that could invite individuals to "adopt a species" in return for a fee, as a possible funding mechanism.
• Leading scientists to offer their moral and practical support for the project.
• Universities, Museums and other Scientific Institutions, worldwide, to become partners and make available their biological databases.
• Educators who can help use the project to inspire a new generation of biologists globally.
• Photographers, animators, and film-makers willing to contribute work to the project.
• Funders.
• A PR and communications partner capable of telling this story in many countries.
• Media Partners, online and offline, who can get behind this effort.
• Your unique idea on how to realize this vision.

Questions we're still asking:

• How do we persuade the many existing owners of valuable biological databases to get involved?
• How do we inspire the public to really participate in this initiative?
• How do we ensure that underdeveloped countries, where many undiscovered species lie, get involved?
• What are creative funding solutions?

Return to the winners page »

BILL CLINTON'S WISH:

I wish you to help create a better future for Rwanda by assisting my foundation, in partnership with the Rwandan Government, to build a sustainable, high quality rural health system for the whole country.

Plan of Execution:

• Support the Clinton Foundation and Paul Farmer's Partners in Health organization who are both already on the ground in Rwanda.
• Take the lessons learned from the early successes of Partners in Health work and roll it out into a nationwide program.
• Provide free primary health care access and education for the poor, including AIDS prevention and treatment.
• Create community partnerships with the goal of caring for patients and alleviating the root causes of disease in their communities.
• Work alongside the Rwandan Government with the goal of passing over full management of the system within five years.
• Involve the TED community by organizing a special trip to Rwanda ahead of TED Global for those serious about getting involved.

We Are Looking For:

• Philanthropists and corporations willing to consider major involvement, including the Rwandan trip.
• Funding. The plan may cost $4m/year for the next five years.
• Transport solutions: 4x4s, motorcycles, bicycles.
• Site needs: Generators, Solar Panels and Rainwater collection systems.
• Communications: Satellites, cell phones, videoconferencing setup.
• Medical equipment: Lab and operating room equipment, Anesthesia machines, Centrifuges, Ultrasounds, scales, etc.
• Hospital equipment: beds, exam tables, cribs, wheelchairs, linens, industrial food prep equipment and laundry machines, mosquito nets.
• IT equipment: desktops, printers, laptops, networking hardware, touch screens, projectors.
• Services: Satellite internet, cell phone, x-ray, journal subscriptions, recruiting support, financial management system.
• Commodities/ consumables: Food, fuel, medication, infant formula, medical and surgical consumables.

Questions we're still asking:

• What is the most effective way of doing this as a major collaborative exercise involving multiple TED companies and individuals?
• How do we make sure we avoid the mistakes of past assistance projects?

...like anyone read this...

Click here: DailyTech - Navy Heats Up Cold Fusion Hopes

Navy scientists claim that slices of CR-39 plastic, like this one, have recorded the passage of atomic particles emitted during successful cold fusion nulcear reactions. New proof that cold fusion works could fuel additional interest in generating power from low energy nuclear reactions

http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/lineup.html

check out the lineup.... !

Spring has sprung

The grass is ris'

I know where

The robins is!

This is a wizard little reference tool to help identify ways to visually relate information. The examples aren't necessarily the greatest (task: how to embed my favorite version/example of that particular method?) but a way to examine and compare, and especially to SHARE!
http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html
oh, boy! ya gotta see this!!!!!!

Ditch the Pesticides, Bring On the Ducks (from Wired Science)
By incorporating ducks, fish and a nitrate-fixing species of aquatic fern into the growing of rice, Japanese farmers are using fewer pesticides, working shorter hours and cutting their greenhouse gas emissions:
The Aigamo ducklings provide integrated pest management (IPM) services, replacing pesticides and herbicides by naturally controlling predaceous pest populations and digging up or eating competing weeds. The Loache [fish] and Aigamo duck waste, combined with the nitrate fixing properties of Azolla, increase soil nutrition, maintaining levels of productivity comparable to conventional farming operations without the need for costly synthetic fertilizers. The Azolla can later be harvested for animal feed.
A normal organic rice farm would require significant human labor to keep weeds down and maintain soil health, but the ducklings' natural movement aerates the soil and strengthens rice stalks, leaving the farmer with considerable time to invest in other income-producing activities. The alleviation of human effort supported by the process allows farmers to diversify their product base to include organic rice, fish, duck meat and eggs, thus reducing their vulnerability to external shocks such as price fluctuations, and potentially creating price premiums from attractive organic food markets.

April n Westchester Co.

From a friend

And though poor stones have neither
     speech nor tongue,
While active winds and streams both
     run and speak,
Yet stones are deep in admiration.

HENRY VAUGHAN

 

gathering no moss....

but negotiating with Halibuton on invisible moss...

~A.

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See what's free at AOL.com.

after the oysters

About Jugglezine (from Herman Miller)
http://www.jugglezine.com/CDA/juggle/topic_index/0,1513,7,00.html
Isn't there something you ought to be doing? Preparing for a meeting or revising a proposal? Making a dentist appointment? Is that your dog that I hear whining? You really should let him out. And yet here you are, reading (about)Jugglezine. My guess is that our tagline about balancing work and life struck a chord. Perhaps you, like me, believe that there is a better way of achieving that balance. But what is it? Maybe you'd like to design a life that integrates work and family and community more gracefully, so that you're less stressed and more satisfied. That makes two of us. Why are we so busy? Why does life sometimes seem like one big to-do list? Do all the things on the list compose a life? I don't know. I hope not. It's something to think about, though, and giving you something to think about is one of our goals. Helping you find an easy rhythm in life and work is another. We also hope that Jugglezine will serve as a reminder that Herman Miller, Inc., our sponsor, continues to be equally interested in providing good information and healthy workplaces, and we think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how uncommercial our ezine is. Thanks for carving out some time for Jugglezine. If you have any suggestions or comments, send me an e-mail. And don't forget to let the dog out. Editor: Christine MacLean Design: BBK Studio

Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers

3 ways to explore: By theme talk title or speaker.

just sending the view....from the between the storms

wassup?

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See what's free at AOL.com.

re:THE DEATH OF RECYCLING!

THE DEATH OF RECYCLINGe

In this important essay, Paul Palmer argues that traditional recycling has outlived its usefulness. What we really need is a system for designing and manufacturing products with perpetual re-use in mind. We need to recycle the function of products, not just the materials they are made of. This is the true Zero Waste approach.

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See what's free at AOL.com.

How TiSP Works

at anchor again, waiting for the weather... ~C.W.P.

chased away by the full moon...

Mississippi morning 3-30-07
~C.W.P.

Mystic weekend...

Dexigner Design Portal | Design News and Competitions

Dexigner Design Portal Design Directory
Try it!

Picasa Web Albums - Adrienne

Picasa Web Albums - Adrienne

the wysteria...

hacked to a fare-do-well...

love it.

"You can't return to the real world thinking the same thoughts you thought before; you just can't do it."
and...

Anyway, over the next few days, I'll be writing up some of the coolest, most interesting and entertaining talks I heard at TED last week on my blog at nytimes.com/pogue. I'll attempt to limit myself to tech-oriented topics, although with speakers that included Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, James Randi, Lawrence Lessig, Alan Kay, Philippe Starck, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and others, that might not be easy.
In the meantime, here's your homework. Set aside an hour and watch three of the TED talks online back to back.
Then check out these Web sites, whose creators were among the presenters this year:
http://www.bumptop.com (a radical new concept for the computer desktop)
http://www.wefeelfine.org (a visual, real-time emotion meter that depicts the Internet's bloggers)
http://www.bmwworld.com/hydrogen/ (BMW's fleet of hydrogen-powered cars)
This week's Pogue's Posts blog.
Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com.

Shamelesss promotion of one of my favorites!!!!!~A.

yo, Bear...

produce a VISION Statement about your future, then watch/make it happen?!