Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Dichotomy? UFOs vs. Our Concept of A.I.
In a blog entry I posted yesterday, we briefly mentioned the potential horrors of artificial intelligence and the distinct likelihood that it would control us, not we it.
Shortly afterwards, I happened to see a Vanity Fair article posted online the same day, March 26, written by Maureen Dowd. Entitled, "Elon Musk's Crusade to Stop the A.I. Apocalypse," the lengthy piece explored the thoughts of giants in the A.I. field, assuming either pro or con positions regarding its ability to serve us or destroy us all.
Musk himself ranks among the worried who fear that artificial intelligence may ultimately pursue human destruction because we'll merely be in its way as it expands its reach and grows ever more brilliant and capable.
Dowd does include some interesting quotes in her article, and I was particularly drawn to the following paragraphs, where she describes and quotes Peter Thiel, also concerned about A.I:
When I went to Peter Thiel’s elegant San Francisco office, dominated by two giant chessboards, Thiel, one of the original donors to OpenAI and a committed contrarian, said he worried that Musk’s resistance could actually be accelerating A.I. research because his end-of-the-world warnings are increasing interest in the field.
“Full-on A.I. is on the order of magnitude of extraterrestrials landing,” Thiel said. “There are some very deeply tricky questions around this . . . . If you really push on how do we make A.I. safe, I don’t think people have any clue. We don’t even know what A.I. is. It’s very hard to know how it would be controllable.”
He went on: “There’s some sense in which the A.I. question encapsulates all of people’s hopes and fears about the computer age. I think people’s intuitions do just really break down when they’re pushed to these limits because we’ve never dealt with entities that are smarter than humans on this planet.”
Hmm. Well. . .
Where are these folks regarding the UFO phenomenon? That is, I don't know about labeling landings extraterrestrial, but the literature abounds with UFO case reports of things landing, leaving ground impressions, burns and more than the slightest hint of intelligence. Yes, Thiel was discussing magnitude, not real UFO incidents, but the opportunity to make the comparison presents itself in Maureen Dowd's article.
Further, Thiel's assurance that ". . .we've never dealt with entities that are smarter than humans on this planet" appears rather a haphazard declaration. How does he know that? Again, we reference the UFO literature, abounding with "close encounters" and UFO occupant cases throughout the world. From most accounts, such "entities" do often seem to reflect a degree of intelligence far surpassing ours (or maybe they're stupid, but good actors!).
My point here, somewhat shattered, laments not merely that here we go again, but here we go STILL: Science and technological sorts throw out words meaning one thing to them and something quite different to those familiar with the evidence of (maybe or maybe not) "extraterrestrial landings" and "entities." And those perched upon the UFO side of the fence bemoan that these folks, acutely intrigued by artificial intelligence, usually can't take 10 seconds to examine decades of UFO evidence with a serious eye. Oh, a few probably do, but so, so many more won't bother. UFOs are just bad science fiction to some.
Of course, we have no idea (and I'm writing this without Internet support, so I can't check at the moment) what Peter Thiel really thinks about UFOs, but we feel a tad curious that he might actually have an opinion. Does it matter? Probably not.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Bits and Pieces for March 2017
Winston Churchill spins in his grave: Once again, radical Islam has bitten Great Britain's stiff upper lip and, per the standard European recipe, Brits are advised by their cowering leadership that they won't be deterred, acts of terror will not be allowed to change their society etc., etc. Keep repeating this utter tripe to families of the dead and injured as extremist Islam continues to creep forward and cow social, education and government systems globally. Ridding the planet of any and all connections to the Muslim Brotherhood would be a great start -- especially where this criminal organization's tentacles are entwined within the U.S. government. England and other countries should also take heed at the international proliferation of universities funded by Saudi Arabian money, as few gifts dropped from the sky of perceived kindness arrive without an agenda.
Even before victims' blood dried on the bridge or near Parliament, those of questionable reasoning ability within Parliament were considering new "hate speech" laws, almost certain to guarantee that words written or spoken against Islam's Neanderthal brutality could bring swift fines or imprisonment. Where in hell are the brains? Where are England's Winston Churchills and other heroes? Who will save Great Britain's culture as Islamic horror takes over through murder, the "peaceful" penetration of educational institutions and government infiltration? How can a nation embrace a political system disguised as a religion disguised as a political system disguised as a religion whose holy book overwhelmingly demands death, barbarous compliance and the destruction of all books and teachings counter to its demands?
And yes, it's absolutely true that the most dangerous tentacle swung by such an enemy is the childbirth "bomb," in which population numbers become overwhelmed by Islamic births planned and carried out in quantities destined to destroy national cultures. Happening now.
Russians riot in the streets, enraged because Vladimir Putin is a criminal holding their destiny in his threatening hands. With the newest assassination in the Ukraine, Putin the coward demonstrates for the Russian people once more his preferred wish to maintain clean hands as minions carry out his personally directed death sentences. Were those jailed and maligned under his rule able to drag this punk into the streets and put a gun to his head, the maggot would cry like a baby.
Deploy the "gay bomb" to North Korea? Though I continue to be mystified by the very concept of "sex offender" lists and registries, there remains a curiously occupied place in my heart for the U.S. Air Force's true-to-life plan -- quickly abandoned a few years ago, unfortunately -- to produce what was termed "the gay bomb." Implementing what could have been a mad scientist's delight, the gay bomb was intended to be dropped near the enemy, its chemical mix swiftly turning even the hetero-est of soldiers gay for his (her?) same-sex military companions. Apparently, according to plan, said soldiers would be so busy exploring one another, if you know what I mean, that duties of war would be secondary. I guess that my Air Force took a tip from the sixties -- you know, that old hippie phrase, "Make love, not war."
If any place on the planet deserves a gay bomb drop, it's North Korea (followed by Iran, of course). Just imagine how crazy the device's widespread effects would make NK dictator Kim Yum Dung Undone (close enough on the spelling), particularly if his own generals immediately treated him like a whorehouse favorite. Maybe it will cost untold millions or billions, but I say -- please, Air Force, bring back the gay bomb. Ya just gotta use this thing.
Lithium ion batteries explode: Perhaps not quite as useful as the gay bomb, lithium batteries certainly assure their place in national news headlines when they start hover-board and laptop computer fires. Shouldn't lithium be reserved for psychiatric patient treatments? Yes, the composition differs, but it's insane enough to have used this stuff in batteries to begin with. We can only assume, crazy is as crazy does. Who first thought up the lithium battery and became enamored with its wonders? Insane people?
Wanna pet my Nobel? How laughable that George Stephanapoulos brought up the name of a Nobel-winning scientist integral to the Paris climate "accord" who condemns new EPA chief Scott Pruitt for his plans to repeal major portions of the agreement. Ever since Obama was awarded a Nobel prize for doing absolutely nothing as he began his first term in Office, we felt that's the only evidence one needs to look upon this idiocy as little more than an exercise in mutual ass-petting among equals. We don't know about Pruitt yet, but we certainly recognize the utter clown show the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony can thrust upon the world. Think of a Nobel as something akin to a walk of fame embedded in Hollywood sidewalks.
Health care: One day after withdrawal of the President's new health care plan, smiles and smarmy looks beamed from national TV media faces, ABC-TV's stable of Democrat hacks not the least among them. Unfortunately, the GOP is like a lazy house cat, pretty much allowing Democrat mice to chew up anything they wish, as only an occasional toothless growl emanates from its half-sleeping self. So now what? We had the greatest health care system in the world before Obamacare fouled the stream, and Republicans, as usual, can barely lift a finger to clean up the mess now. In fact, the possibility that Trump will abandon conservative thinking and lean leftward now burns up that muddled citadel of truth known as the Internet.
Is it true that major insurers such as State Farm and Allstate were excluded from "closed shop" GOP negotiations? Maybe not, but if so this is a major disappointment because, as we've stated before, health care reform should solidly be about competition. Let insurers, all insurers, fight it out over state lines, until choice and affordability rank supreme.
Trump's pronouncement assuring that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi now own Obamacare didn't make it to most, if any, national TV broadcasts perpetrated by the usual suspects. Meanwhile, Democrats gathered to hold an Obamacare love fest, oblivious to the fact that a wealth of Americans are about to get nailed even further by outrageous health care premiums and deductibles, often with a choice of only one provider.
NY Senator Charles "Chuck" Schumer's only evident function these days is to condemn nearly every word the Republicans or conservatives utter. His attempts have made him equivalent to a nursing home resident who spends his days screaming and striking out at invisible insects, and I think we're already at the point where the formerly at least tolerable Schumer has become the boy who cried wolf. He, like many progressive Democrats, just can't get it through his head that the Dems lost the elections, and with his help even more will do so. Defenders of Obama era politics, like alcoholics, simply won't admit to past horrors. May we suggest for Mr. Schumer a physician's prescription of lithium? Nevertheless, watch the health insurance process carefully as Schumer and the bunch do everything but kill to keep Obama's name on the next failure or success. It's the legacy that counts, not you.
Which brings us to the AARP. Burning up the TV screens and radio broadcasts with powerful commercials, the AARP was solidly behind calls for action on defeating Trump's health care plans. Too bad the AARP doesn't take a moment during their ad campaign to remind folks they were solidly behind "Obamacare," whose dramatic faults the AARP owns along with all the other proponents of the failed "Affordable" Care Act. I wouldn't join the AARP -- and I'm obviously eligible -- even if they threw in a lithium-operated gay bomb.
The marriage bed crumbles: We read so many stories about married or unmarried couples injuring and murdering one another. While the American divorce rate continues to hover around 50 percent, this phenomenon of physical harm appears to take its own high toll. We always assumed the reason for couples sharing one bed involved love and commitment, but our unadulterated opinion, subject to change, now suggests that couples keep one another close during the hours of sleep so one or the other can't climb out of bed without notice during the night to grab an argument-settling gun or knife, or to pour antifreeze into breakfast's orange juice container.
When will Congress address tort reform? A Congress stuffed with attorneys probably won't address anything of the sort. And let's not forget who makes out like bandits in easy-money class action lawsuits.
I have my own take on Rep. Steve King's (R-Iowa) comment about "other people's babies" in the U.S. When children are educated during their early years in the madrosas of Islam, where they are taught to hate, kill and destroy other cultures, that's a problem. Madrosas exist in the U.S., and we wonder what is taught to young minds whose families entertain no intention to assimilate, but flirt with every intention to conquer or, at the least, practice Sharia in a country whose Constitution offers no option for such brutality accompanying a religion badly in need of reform.
The ACLU held a meeting in Florida a few days ago, promising to bring action against the Trump administration as often as necessary -- and ACLU reps also instructed people in the art of protesting. Where were these folks the last eight years when criminality was a label begging to be placed upon various actions and officials? I'm not sure why these folks use the word, American in their name, but they surely should be investigated for their own meanderings in the system, because I'm far from convinced that America has much to do with the ACLU's identity.
Hollywood vacancies: Like the rest of society, increasingly dependent upon electronic devices instead of brains, purveyors of entertainment appear more hooked than ever on re-making old TV shows and movies, rather than coming up with something fresh and unique. The wait may be over -- perhaps an infinite number of monkeys sitting at an infinite number of typewriters really are poised to produce a great novel. Or at least Hollywood producers may think so, in lieu of human-generated scripts which only look like something pounded out by keyboard monkeys.
Throughout human history, unless bound into slavery by dictators, religions or circumstances, we've had choices: Drink the water from a questionably poisoned pond or don't; eat the moldy bread or don't; drive to the office or take the bus. But now we hover on a precipice from which there will be no escape, a world of choice engineered absolutely by others. By something else.
An omnipotent freight train known currently as artificial intelligence screams its way down tracks of its own yield, guaranteed to encompass and absorb the human essence, simultaneously and mentally shape-shifting all humans into its own image. We engage with AI as one, acting as our own computer. No longer are we individual beings with choices. Instead, ours become the choices of something else, and everything we do we do because our choices are predetermined artificially.
Extraordinarily troubled times may lie just ahead, because we will have no choice to either accept or deny AI's marriage in our lives -- it will just be an accepted fact of life, a "fact" pushed hard by technical personnel and governments desirous of not only making our lives "better," but also of branding us as property.
Property. Hmm. Charles Fort suggested (warned?) long ago, "I think we are property." Whose property? Their property.
If there remains a functioning, technologically unimpressed brain in the world as AI sweeps its way over the planet, the fight may be on. The crusade to convert us into "pod people" to help quench AI's snowballing quest for more is underway.
Humans involved in enhancing AI may find their very lives in danger from factions which want nothing to do with AI dominance. If computer device-addicted folk can ever divert their attention to their own tenuous humanity, perhaps the realization that everybody's autonomy faces eternal banishment will break through. But don't bet the digital farm on that.
In other news . . .the Penn State child molestation witch hunt continues. . .despite lingering evidence suggesting that things may not always be what they seem. Yet, once begun, witch-burning almost becomes unstoppable.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Breaking News: Lunatics Really CAN Talk to Their TVs!
Remember your dear old Aunt Loopie, the one you worried about, who remained insistent that TV show characters were speaking directly to her -- and that she could converse with them as well? Remember how crazy you thought she was? Well, actually she WAS nuts. But wait -- good news! She was half right! Her vocalizations count.
According to WikiLeaks' hacked CIA documents, all Aunt Loopie needed was a smart Samsung television (just Samsung, we ask?) and the ability to vocalize her concerns to remote CIA agents eager to listen in to her innermost thoughts. Or at least the possibility was reportedly there for them to do so. Unfortunately, they seemingly cannot talk back to Aunt Loopie (even though she may be crazy enough to believe they can, thus settling her mind).
Leaving Aunt Loopie aside, we continue to wonder why Julian Assange isn't releasing highly classified documents from the Russians? Or the Chinese? One would almost think WikiLeaks and Assange are the true Russian puppets.
These CIA document leaks qualify as Deadly Serious Business. If the very thought of the CIA sickens you, try keeping a country like ours without the CIA. Every nation's government is a dirty rotten bastard propped up by the best of the best in intelligence, but I prefer my DRB to any other major country's DRB. The trouble with the CIA is, you can't live with them and you can't live without 'em. What do I know?
It's profoundly unnerving -- though not at all surprising -- to realize the depth of government surveillance opportunities provided by technological breakthroughs. Obviously, the U.S. is not the only nation playing that game. What's the solution? There is no solution, and you can't really black-tape anything on the TV the way you once did to hide the flashing "12:00" on the VCR. So clear your throat, speak up and look pretty: Your TV has brought some new folks to bed down in a secret room, live with both you and Aunt Loopie, and they're great at listening to your problems in their invisibility. Now who's crazy?
Health care in the United States: We don't need to sneak behind closed doors in Washington to know how this works. Health insurance companies are out to get everything they can, and they believe it's their right because that's exactly what they anticipated during negotiations for Obamacare. The fact that things didn't always go their way and expected profits did not materialize means nothing -- they surely assume that "next time" they'll get it right and champagne corks will fly. The crucial thing Trump should do is allow medical insurance sales of numerous varieties across state lines, and with the real, solitary concept of competition on the free market in force, with only the bare essentials of government props, truly affordable group policies and the like could bloom almost magically.
Alzheimer's: A new report estimates that people in the U.S. develop the life-crippling condition at a rate of approximately one every minute, and the most "promising" of test drugs didn't turn out to be The One. Again, we ask, in the future will the autistic care for elderly or less than elderly people with dementia, or will Alzheimer's sufferers be required to care for the autistic? Obviously, I ask this question with tongue in cheek, but we cannot escape growing statistics indicating the trouble we'll be in as healthy minds continue to deteriorate or change beyond retrieval. We wonder how intrusive chemical exposures since, particularly, the 1940s have been to humans and animals? Between possible DNA-altering chemicals and cell phones killing sperm cells among men who carry such devices in their pants pockets, there's no need to believe the genetic road ahead won't be bumpy, if not pockmarked with sinkholes without depth.
Articles I wish I'd referenced previously, but news moves and changes so quickly in this global hell on Earth:
From The Sun of March 1 come additional warnings that robots -- especially hacked robots -- may soon be able to routinely attack humans, kill household pets, rob homes and create chaos in factories. If that sounds bad, wait until robots form unions and entice lawyers into helping them achieve their, um, goals. But AI aside, we sure wish the educational system would de-emphasize digital technology enough to prepare young people for events culminating in long interruptions or total loss of digitally based functions. I would surmise that when teens literally cry or go bonkers over non-working cell phone technology, there's a vast socio-psychological problem brewing under the surface -- an infrastructure collapse of sorts.
I simply went mad for Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, when he stated a few days ago (per Breitbart of Feb. 27) during an immigration rant that the United States "is our country, not theirs." Obviously, this is a man with whom I can work, and I'm going to start by sending him my electric bills so "our," which is he and they, can pay what apparently doesn't belong to "theirs," which would be me.
No surprise here: LifeZette (Feb. 6) offered examples following its headline, 'SOROS FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER ANTI-TRUMP LAWSUITS." The ubiquitous George seems to have his hand in plenty of activities not necessarily welcome among conservatives in the U.S. If the government ever gets around to investigating Soros, and maybe the ACLU, we might become a little better educated on why things are what they are.
From The Daily Mail (UK) way back on Feb. 4: We were impressed that Dr. John Bates of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) blew the whistle on NOAA, reporting allegedly that NOAA fudged, altered and manipulated the report destined to accompany Obama in 2015 when he attended the UN Climate Conference in Paris. Why do we see these alterations again and again and again when money and power are at stake?
After Quebec City endured a shooting rampage (per AFP on Feb. 1), calls went out to punish and/or remove conservative talk radio hosts, who were blamed for inciting hatred. This, of course, was an absurd argument, but leftists have little else in their own "arsenal" to even ambiguously portray themselves as making sense. The old squash-talk-radio outcry emanating from the usual suck-spects is so stupid.
I know February was so way back, but we were quite interested in an article appearing in The Telegraph (UK again. . .and again. . .and again) of Feb. 6, in which the point was made the hundreds of young people seeking asylum in Europe were first recruited by the Islamic State and instructed in relaying radical Islamic terror. And how is this a surprise?
Monday, March 6, 2017
An Obligation to Vomit
So you fix yourself a snack and find a comfortable spot on the sofa, soon engrossed deeply in your favorite TV show or motion picture. Then it happens. Just as you swallow a big mouthful of something tasty, a character in the show has cause to vomit all over the place. Time was, you could only hear the sounds, but now proper etiquette demands a dramatic on-screen spray of colorful chunk-style barf.
The vomit phenomenon entertainment aspect isn't all that new, but the frequency now seems ratcheted up -- or is that retched up? -- as each film director appears dedicated to making the viewer more nauseated than the last (the particularly observant among us may also note an increase in staged instances of noses dripping photogenic with snot, as a character cries or frets).
I bring this up -- oops, sorry -- I mention this because obligatory vomit scenes remind me a lot of the sore-loser Democrats looking to hang anybody of another party they can with a story of Russian/Trump/Sessions/GOP intrigue -- a significant part of which has already been discounted, but major media folk don't seem to care about that.
And the political vomiting doesn't stop. Indeed, we don't see a Trump-Russkie conspiracy at play here, but we sure feel submerged in a concoction engineered by big media players anxious to keep their Democrat Party brethren in the loop and, where possible, in charge.
How curious, too, that radical leftists clinging abundantly to Democrat coattails are exactly the communists alluded to in the Russia story supposedly involving the Trump White House. A good, long look in the mirror is called for at the DNC.
Practitioners of journalism who tend to lean toward rational observations might wish to take a good look at Senator Schumer of NY, truly a case of poor loser-itis, albeit with a little political theater thrown in, whose reputation is in danger of sliding off the rails, thanks to his non-stop attempts to apparently bring the fledgling Trump administration to its knees. We won't even mention Pelosi and the others currently enjoying a similar cruise, though it's high comedy to see the Trump people releasing photos and documentation indicating that these famous Democrats have had their own encounters with Putin and events Russian. Trump's opponents can't afford to allow this political outsider a free-range graze in Washington, where intentions to make Establishment changes via a cabinet of decisive, educated people touting experience rather than leftist agenda run rampant.
The Democrat vomitorium is open 24 / 7 and will remain open as long as the Dem faithful remain working in high government positions or even quite possibly conducting treasonous activities. One wonders, once the foolishness involving Jeff Sessions ends, whether he will pursue a litany of bastards who badly require arrest, trial and conviction, and we would certainly hope that the previous President and his shady associates are first on the list.
Funny, too, how the Democrat press is trying its damndest to make VP Mike Pence's use of a private server as Indiana governor on the same level as what Hillary Clinton did, essentially by putting national security and perhaps American lives at risk. Pence readily noted that his e-mails were properly archived, whereas Hillary's were often "missing." Etc., etc. Nice try, but no similarities here.
And now Trump accuses Obama of tapping Trump Tower? Wow. If this is more than just Trump carelessly blasting from the mouth, we can see a whole world of trouble coming for the Democrats.
What do the Democrats have left in their near-empty can of beans? The mantra: Hillary lost because of Trump's Russian contacts.
The Democrat Party remains angry beyond the boiling point, unable even to comprehend that it is they, not the Tea Party folk, who are all but dead and buried, as they continue to let tax & spend, nonsense and radicals massage their party.
Just wait, we predict as nothin' but human, until next year's elections. Democrats may need to make a lot of extra room in the retirement suitcase when they lose more state seats than the 1200 or so already claimed in 2016 -- thanks to the not-going-anywhere Obama and the run-aground Clinton machine. We Independent voters can no longer put up with the progressive bat poop, and while the GOP owns its own limited stock, the Democrats continue to produce and put more on the shelf. Whatever transpires as days go forward, make no mistake -- these folks remain frantic about next year's elections, and we suspect that's what 90 percent of the current whoop-de-do is all about.
The slow trickle of former Muslim women coming forth and denouncing radical Islam, or even Islam itself, is great, though these women usually end up with jeopardized lives and a price on their heads (a fatwah) in the name of the joke god A-ha. Or is that Aha? Whatever. Thanks ladies, keep writing those books so the world will eventually realize that it is Sharia-infected men, not you, who rank less than dog poop on the human evolutionary scale. Let them wear the hijabs of confinement as you slowly free yourselves. If you ladies are ever given a choice for male brains back in the home country, choose a bearded goat. Goats are pretty smart.
TSA feeler-uppers won't even treat you to dinner first before darned nearly having sex with you at airports. Under new rules of "clarification" TSA screeners doing the hands-on pat-down need to be a little more intimate with air travelers, placing their hands closer to all the places where one may not want them to go. Idea: Why don't they just have sex with all the customers before flights, just to make certain? Surely, TSA representatives would find more hidden grenades, knives, killer tarantulas, Russian spies and semiautomatic weapons concealed in body cavities by taking this approach. No sex, no fly, period.
Rise or fall? ABC-TV's limited series, When we Rise did provide some interesting and accurate history, though too often it just crept along with confusion and mind-screaming boredom for the viewers The question for director Gus Van Sant is, where was central casting? As the major characters grew and aged over the years -- VERY suddenly become older, by the way -- their "adult" selves looked absolutely nothing like their younger selves. Surely, older actors bearing SOME resemblance to the younger crowd could have been employed, or age makeup might have been used all along the way on the same actors (hey, it worked for Roots and The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman, didn't it?). As things stood, aging characters who ended up looking like total strangers to the earlier part of the story offered a befuddled result which could have been avoided, especially with Van Sant's reliable and quirky talents of experience involved.
Why UFO Web Sites? For newer readers, please know that this blog was originally created to deal with UFOs and documents in my files (see the early years). We also created a site to honor the 1956 motion picture, "U.F.O." That's why you'll find a number of UFO-related sites in the link list. How did I then drift off into a political rant? Blame it on my age -- or maybe it's because the UFOs are flyin', but fewer people are carin'. The USA and world are experiencing some powerful changes, and I'm not sure when those whom we need to care, and who have the power and money to do anything, will surface. If you're weeping because Queen Hil' was -- in the minds of some -- going to tell all about UFOs, but couldn't because she lost the presidency, dry your eyes. Right now, it's more important to attempt to stabilize the world,
which has almost become a UFO itself, in social terms. UFOs? Still a mystery elephant on the science sofa. Let's not forget.