Kategorie: Think!

Posts for education – selfreflection is the first step in the 3rd Millenium.

Carnegie Mellon Lecture: Global Climate Change

Published on 28. März 2008

On YouTube I stumbled upon this actual lecture about Climate Change. It is mainly in three parts:

Facts about climate change from an environmental point of view
Needs and possibilities to master the challenge
Economical views on the subject

The question of why America sends annual 300 Mrd $ to foreign countries for oil, which is answered with Lenin’s quote „The capitalists are so hungry for profits that they will sell us the rope to hang them with.“, and the addition „…and they will send us the money to buy the rope“ is a very typical view for Americans somehow, I think.

Nevertheless, with todays technics our vehicles could be 50 %, buildings 80 % more efficient without change in lifestyle. Acting is not a question of money or ideology, but of intelligence.

What not comes in numbers here is the benefit in public health due to better air and water quality. Nothing is really new here, but the arguments may help you out in the field…

(Dr. Lester Lave, Co-Director Carnegie Mellon Electrical Industry Center; Dr. M. Granger Morgan, Director of the Climate Decision Making Center; Edward Rubin, Professor in Engineering and Public Policy and Mechanical Engineering, 1:15)

If you wanna know it really exactly, watch the following video too, which outlines the research and the process behind the Global Climate Change Report to the Bush administration in 2002. So yes, they know: Global warming is fact, it’s due human activities, without sun activities being a reason etc.

(And yes, this is a very dry one, but gives an excellent overview on the complexity of the matter, if you’d like to be fed with data, numbers and formulas by Ralph Cicerone, Chancellor of the University of California at Irvine, 1:10)

Published inEcology Science

The Blue Brain of Lausanne

Published on 14. März 2008

(Update Nov. 2009): German Article on Zeit Online http://www.zeit.de/2009/21/PD-Markram

On futur:plom I stumbled over a link to an article „Out of the blue“ on seedmagazine which describes the Blue Brain Project (with some nice simulation videos) from Lausanne here in Switzerland. It started in 2005 and aimed in a first step at creating a digital model of a single neuron.

In December 2006 the project reached the goal of simulating 10’000 neurons, which equivalents a 0.5 x 2 mm slice of a rat brain. To get me right: This project is not about emulating a brain by translating brain work into digital code in form of a tamagotchi – this is a supercomputer with 22.8 teraflops to simulate neuron networks on a biological level. The computer doesn’t think like a brain, the computer is acting as a neuron network.

Neuron with simulation data mapped in color.

Next step will be simulating a whole rat brain, then a human brain. The road map of ten years to this point may be a bit scary, but I like the approach because this is not reductionist science. By digitally rebuilding a brain we may get a better understanding of nature, which is more a holistic system than a four-dimensional machine. We may enjoy a paradigm shift in the near future… :please:

Now the really interesting part is about consciousness. Will this computer get one? Today I think possibly yes, because I don’t see consciousness as something mystical – thinking words, imagine pictures and planning strategies is simply an evolutionary advance. But there’s too this kind of consciousness one can reach by hushing the brain. In ordinary words: Will this computer get charity? Mercy? Will it see dying soldiers simply as collateral damage?

I guess so. In fact, from a certain point of view, the individual is not important – only the surviving of the system is. Valuation of individuals is a relatively new phenomena and actually bad for the gen pool.

It depends on what is defined as the system. Is it a tribe or an ethnic group, humanity or the earth, the universe? At this point Stanislav Lem comes to mind, especially his story „Golem XIV„. This technological singularity judged war simply as illogical (By the way: „Golem XIV“ is a must read in many ways!). However, I don’t think such computers will find a benefit in meditation – aside from standby mode.

Since „Out of the blue“ is a nine page read, you can get a small excerpt if you click on read more. And what do you think: Can a technological singularity reach higher consciousness? Speaking in the concept of souls: Can a machine get a soul? Or can humans „bewitch“ machines and get them a soul? Or is anyway everything illusion, including me typing this?

Published inScience

Brattleboro approve Bush-Cheney indictment articles

Published on 7. März 2008

Wanted: Bush and Cheney Wow, it’s definetly true: America is the country of the unlimited possibilities! President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney now may want to think twice about any vacation plans in the Green Mountain state, where the voters of Brattleboro today voted to seek an indictment of the president and vice president and arrest them if they show up in town.

Read more here on michaelmorre.com, globalresearch.ca or boston.com.

Before I was reading this article from Deepak Chopra, «Why Jesus lost Nomination». The first comments are mostly evangelical, I only thought «oh my god, America is lost!». Later one Commenter wrote: To discuss with evangelicals is like kicking a big rock – no move, but your foot hurts. So you better go around and leave it.

How ever, on the other hand, there is now an indictment article on Bush and Cheney in Brattleboro. Nature tries to keep the balance, it seems. I can live with that… :peace:

Published inPolitics

Launchball

Published on 2. März 2008

Just found this very interesting site: Science Museum England. It’s very well done with a great look and feel. This applies also to this beautiful game:

If you loved playing Leco Technic, you’ll love Launchball too! Having fans, batteries, switches, copper, magnets, mirrors, beams, jumppads, heaters, iceblocks, escalators etc. at your hands, you’ll have to guide a ball in its goal. If you like, you can create your own levels and share them with others. Perfect to tinker a little while.

But be warned – CAUTION: If you click this link above, say goodbye for the next two hours. If not, you never were a true Lego master. 😉

Published inFun Think!

games

The Nokia Morph Concept

Published on 1. März 2008

Here’s a small view in our communication future. Imagine a piece of plastic film which fulfills all your needs in every days live:

(Seen on futur.plomlompom.de)

Some thought about this:

body related:
- To have a solar powered smart phone, a palmtop, a mp3-player, an environment and health analyzer, a camera, a memory device, a paycard and eventually a folded flying carpet in a plastic film is a beautiful concept. You don’t have to lock it away if you go swimming.
- I definitely wouldn’t like to have it hardwired to my brain. Unless the hotline to Manitou is integrated too.
- They don’t say anything about the expected SAR-value. Even in five or ten years I wouldn’t like my wrist cooked.
- Nice to have a device to warn me about pollution in the apple I’m about to eat or in the air I’m breathing – but can it act as a mask too?
- I like most the unbreakable touchscreen and the superhydrophobic surface.
- Please no Windows 3000 CE!
mind related
- Such devices should get a overall function lock: To prevent brain degeneration you must enter every day some reflecting thoughts about your life or your surrounding world, play some chess, be creative with it in an artistic way or sit down/meditate quietly for some time – otherwise you’ll get a bluescreen.
- If I ask for time, it should make me guess first to train my intuition.
- If I think of paying my tea – can it send a remark on the waiters to-do-list?
soul related
- If I’m getting angry because the waitress is not coming – can it automatically send a GPS-location from me to her Nokia Morph with an acoustic beep, overriding her bluescreen? Ideally with a navigation path for her.
- I miss the ability to generate an automated playlist depending on my mood.
- If a Morph-wearing child or woman is mistreated, it should inform the next social worker or the police at once.
- The mistreating person should get an electroshock.
- Once an emotional network is established, it can inform me «Caution: Angry racer behind!», «Distracted manager ahead!» or «Grandpa in gateway!» while flying on it.

Seriously, I believe technology can help to save our future – especially with efficiency. Also I believe in the importance to stay in focus with the real problems. What advantage do I have if I’m connected with the whole world but loose the connection to myself.

Maybe it’s evolutions way that we need to play around until it gets boring – so we can turn in searchers for truth again. Hopefully nature gives us enough time.

Published inScience Society Think!

A dollars wondrous journey

Published on 15. Oktober 2007

Hello, today’s Blog Action Day! So here’s my post. Since it’s about environment and I thought there are so many experts better than me out there, I’ll write a nice little tale. Well, finally it got a bit oversized, because I tried to tell this and to tell that too, and those points seems important, and so on. There are no Karl-May-like lengthy descriptions, but our little friend stumbles from one adventure into the next before he reaches his destiny.

So I hope you take your time and enjoy the reading! However, I had fun writing it. And please leave a note. 🙂

A dollars wondrous journey

Once upon a time there was a lonesome Dollar. It was not very beautiful – more the average type of a green printed piece of paper. He was very ambitious and wanted to make more out of his live. So he decided to go out into the big, wide world to see it all – and to become more beautiful, as every dollar wants to be.

By chance he found himself in Indonesia. He remembered that rainforest is considered as a good place to become more beautiful – for the price of only one tree. «There are so many trees» he thought, «nobody will miss it if I’ll take one».

Short time later he felt more beautiful because it had taken the trees beauty and Dollar was very pleased with himself. But, on the other hand, he felt no longer independent. «Doesn’t matter» he told himself matter-of-factly, and was magically drawn along with the tree over the ocean to America.

He never looked behind and so he couldn’t see all the other dollars hunting for beauty in the woods and the trees vanishing one by one. Very quickly the rainforests was cleared of trees – which enhanced neatness and visibility of the environment enormously – and also in making Dollars more beautiful. Problem was, once the forests were deserted, no dollars came anymore. People in now raindesert-countries started to fight each other out of frustration and lack of education to free themselves from their anger. Many times their leaders told them to do so because they feared the powers from the poor. And as long as they fought each other, they wouldn’t fight the leaders.

In America, in the meantime, the tree had ended up as a door case. Our dollar was owned by an international habitation proprietor, now ten times more beautiful. Although he was not free anymore, he had a good life and enjoyed his beauty. To become even more beautiful, he was sent to Germany: There were low cost housings for sale and they promised much beauty. After some home-improvement projects that made the workers sweat, Dollar pocketed his first slice of beauty.

Then the buildings were sold again and our dollar got his second slice of beauty. He returned to America twenty times as beautiful as when he arrived in Europe. Again he didn’t look back and therefore couldn’t see the tears of families which didn’t find a payable flat anymore. And those who could afford high lease prices had to live in energy wasting houses full of toxic materials. It paid the most beauty – for Dollar.

Published inEcology Economy Fun Politics Society Think!

Junkyard Gürbetal

Published on 9. September 2007

This is one where people are of two minds I think. Even my own splits in two here. Can a junkyard bear a historical meaning? And if yes, should it be cleared due to environmental protection?

Junkyard 1

Well, the story is this: In the years from 1933 until 1975, when his son took over his business, Walter Messerli dealt second hand spares. He parked the remaining car wrecks in his backyard, where they are still today. Now a local curt decided that the area has to be cleared because of pollution. Now there’s a pool forming to save this ‚Historical Junkyard‚.

You know, I want cars with combustion engines abolished. I would stand in the first row! But when I see this pictures – there’s something intriguing and I’m sort of glad I don’t have to make the decision. Click ‚continue reading‘ to see more pics and tell me what you think.

Published inEcology Fun

Blog Action Day

Published on 27. August 2007

What would happen if every blog published on the same topic on the same day? Blog Action Day aims to find out. On October 15 2007, bloggers around the world unite for one day to change the conversation. To find out more and get involved visit blogactionday.org.

Please contribute – for the next few years we’ll have only this one spacestation to live on… 😉

Published inEcology Think!Website

Killing fuss

Published on 23. August 2007

In ‚Dying for some quiet: The truth about noise pollution‚ in the NewScientist they state that

«…the WHO’s findings suggest that long-term exposure to traffic noise may account for 3 per cent of deaths from ischaemic heart disease in Europe – typically heart attacks.»

In Europa alone probably half a million lifeyears are lost anually.

Killing fuss Nothing new are the facts that chronical niose pollution cause sleep disorder, hardness of hearing and learning disorders.

But really interesting is this:

A Swedish survey in Munich has shown a 25 % advancement of childrens long-term memory in th area of the airport Riem, after it was closed. Just impressive is the fact of a memory decline in the same degree in the area of the new Munich airport since it started operation.

So, what do we learn? Wearing ear muffs should be obligatory… 😐

Published inHealth Science Society Think!

Growth and exponential functions

Published on 18. August 2007

«The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.»

Watch this dissertation from Dr. Albert A. Bartlett, professor emeritus of physics at the university of Boulder, Colorado (8 parts, each approx. 9 min):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY

Mankind is growing with approx. 1.6 percent a year. This means, in 780 years we’ll have an one-squaremeter-society: on every squaremeter land is one person living. And in 2500 years mankind will weigh the same as the whole earth (dear Albert is a joker for shure).

Albert A. Bertlett Or think of bacteria living in a bottle. It’s eleven o’clock. They double their volume once a minute. What time is it, when they realize that the bottle is half full and they’re getting a place problem? Right, it’s exact 11:59. If they become aware of the fact when the bottle is one eighth full? It’s 11:57. Ok, they start a big search now and can find 3 more bottles by the time when the first is one fourth full, witch gives an amazing amount of space: 16 times the room they use now! Problem solved, you think? Wait until 12:02…

Click above – this is the most important video you’ll ever see! Find out why it seems that most politicians, economists and even scientists are unable to do simple math we all did back in school.

And while you are at it, asking yourselt why we should act today to save our tomorrow, have a quick look at this video (9 min).

Published inEcology Economy Politics Society Think!

Global Dimming

Published on 31. Mai 2007

industry and greenhouse gases

English (deutsch siehe unten)

If you thought it would be nice to have mediterranean temperatures in middle Europe by two more degrees Celsius in 2025, you must know that there is a good chance we’d have an increase of four degrees that year. And with it the dryness of nord Africa.

You ask why? Particulate matter might decrease the effect of greenhouse gases by its half, Nowadays, with all the particle filters, we’ll eventually get a nice burn in the future – simple, isn’t it?

Watch this BBC-documentation on YouTube and spread the word:

Global Dimming
(edit: Updated the videolinks)

Deutsch

Wer dachte, es wäre hübsch, in Mitteleuropa Mittelmeerklima zu haben, indem es 2 Grad wärmer wird, muss damit rechnen, dass es bis dann 4 Grad wärmer geworden ist. Und damit hier so trocken wie in Nordafrika.

Wie das gehen soll? Feinstaub in der Atmosphäre dürfte den Effekt der Treibhausgase um die Hälfte dämpfen. Mit den heutigen Partikelfiltern werden wir uns vielleicht einen netten Sonnenbrand einfangen.

Guck Dir dazu diese BBC-Doku auf YouTube:

Global Dimming Teil 1 | Teil 2 | Teil 3 | Teil 4 | Teil 5

Published inEcology Science Think!

Have a Game

Published on 15. April 2007

Since I didn’t got inspired by something spectacular, I post here some links to little games thar you can play online. Some requires plugins like Shockwave, which you may have to install or update to make fun of it.

The first one is Bubble Shooter. In classical manner you’ll have to hit colored bubbles with another one you shoot. If there are more than three in the same color, they’ll disappear. The goal is to clean the bubbles off the field. Beware: Danger of habit formation!
The second is a classic: Backgammon.
One more is Gold Strike. You’ll be a miner who’s diggin‘ to some Banjosounds. The game principle is somewhat like Bubbles, but with a time limit and the bricks disappear, if there are more than two of the same type neighboring. It’s fun, but the game seems somewhat unfinished…
For a limitet time (until you’ve found the best strategy) is Snow Storm. Free the parking area with your snow plug. The graphics are very nicely done.

Have fun with these and let me know which you like most. On http://www.playit.ch you can find tons of games – most are some kind of stupid… you know 😉 . Also, please post in the comments if you know some good sites for a short break.

Published inFun Think!

games

The Power of Ten

Published on 7. April 2007

Today was a beautiful day and I was out by the river the first time this year with my Lapsteel playing. Looking at the water, this old movie «Power of ten» (YouTube video, 9 min.) from 1977 came to my mind. Read the details on wikipedia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CKd0aPSWe8

Well, this is now 30 years old, so I did some googling and found some more interesting, newer things. First, there’s a newer version of something similar: the Cosmic Voyage (YouTube, 4 min.) from 1996. This is unfortunately only the part of the journey similar to the former Power of Ten, I couldn’t find the whole movie, which is also described on Wikipedia.

Here’s also a slideshow-version from this idea to show the cosmos. I found even a version from the famous Simpsons animation series 🙂 .

There’s also a very interesting dissertation from astrophysicist Mike Norman on Google video (56 min). He takes you on an unprecedented journey across space and time to witness the formation of galaxies and cosmic structure as well as the formation of one of the first stars to shine in the universe.

His dissertation features also this by far the best animated virtual journey (YouTube, ca. 4 min.), calculated with accurate data from the actual cosmic science. So it’s up to date with data and computer rendering technique. Here are some screenshots (click for bigger versions, threy’re the best resolution I could get):

The journey will start at our solar system and the first impressing step is the Orion Nebula (right), 1000 light-years away, with the Horsehead Nebula (middle) in the background.

We then turn around to see a fictive picture of our own home galaxy, the Milkyway. Fictive because we still cannot shoot a picture of our galaxy… 😉 .

Then we will pass through the galaxy M-33 (right) towards the giant Andromeda galaxy with the blue outskirts (top left). In the middle another star forming Nebula in M-33, like the Orion Nebula, but much larger. We’re about 1 million light-years away from home.

What looks like a couple of stars is actually the Virgo Cluster, about 28 mio light-years away, our local cluster of galaxies. Each white dot is a whole galaxy and the destination of this animated journey.

So, finally, if you look at the sky next time, try to imagine the 28 million light-years distance to our nearest galaxy cluster, which is only one of all them out there…

Published inScience

Be tolerant!

Published on 27. März 2007

Just have a look at this picture I’ve found today. Isn’t it great? Although I’m not shure how well the pope is feeling. Anyway, the buddhist monk seems having a great time watching the others find a way to be tolerant… 🙂 !

You can download the original pdf here (link is dead). The campaign «week of the religions» was raised by www.iras-cotis.ch, an interreligious working group of Switzerland.

Published inSociety Think!

Weltproblem Radikalismus

Published on 22. März 2007

(all german)

Das Philosophische Quartett vom 29. Oktober 2006 mit den Gästen Roger Willemsen und Dr. Gunnar Heinsohn. Hier der Link zum Stream:

http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/inhalt/4/0,4070,3998532-0,00.html

Die These

Machen junge Männer Krieg?

Gunnar Heinsohns wilde Thesen – und eine Berliner Studie zur Weltbevölkerung (von Reiner Klingholz)

Der amerikanische Geheimdienst CIA publizierte im Jahr 1995 das Papier Demografische Hintergründe für ethnische Konflikte. Darin ging es um die Frage, ob rasches Bevölkerungswachstum zu politischer Instabilität führen kann. Denn dieses erwirkt zwangsläufig einen youth bulge, eine Beule in der demografischen Kurve, einen Ãœberhang an jungen Menschen, die keinen Platz in der Gesellschaft finden. Die Studie kam zu dem Ergebnis, dass Mord und Totschlag drohen, sobald die Altersgruppe der 15- bis 24-Jährigen einen Anteil von 20 Prozent an der Gesamtbevölkerung übersteigt.

Published inScience Society Think!