We need a new philosophical framework for problem solving and global conflict resolutions or we will be finished as a species.
Jeffrey Sachs Interview — Resentment and Nuclear Threats.
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AI singularity refers to the future point where artificial intelligence becomes so advanced that it surpasses human intelligence and undergoes rapid, unpredictable self-improvement, leading to an exponential increase in capabilities. At this stage, AI could potentially reshape society, science, and civilization in profound and transformative ways, and its behavior might become difficult for humans to comprehend or control.
The AI alignment problem refers to the challenge of ensuring that artificial intelligence systems are designed and programmed to act in accordance with human values, goals, and intentions. It involves developing AI systems that align with human interests, do not produce harmful outcomes, and operate transparently and predictably, so they can be trusted and reliably controlled. Addressing the AI alignment problem is crucial to avoid potential risks and negative consequences associated with AI development and deployment.
BERLIN, Aug 7 (Reuters) — Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC’s (2330.TW) board of directors on Tuesday will decide in favour of building a factory in the German city of Dresden, the Handelsblatt daily reported, citing government sources in Germany.
The German government will provide 5 billion euros ($5.49 billion) to support the construction of the factory, Handelsblatt’s report said on Monday.
The German economy ministry declined to comment on the report, as did the government of the eastern state of Saxony, where Dresden is located.
In the fascinating landscape tech realm, quantum computing stock opportunities could prove to be incredibly lucrative over time. The notion of quantum computing, born over two decades ago, is now gaining solid traction on The Street. Moreover, the technology, rooted in the mysteries of quantum mechanics, aims to boost computing speeds significantly.
The advancements in quantum computing are impossible to ignore, with continuous improvements and decreasing development costs. Moreover, the sector’s convergence with cloud computing opens doors for broader accessibility among researchers and software developers.
Furthermore, as the digital economy and artificial intelligence sectors grow, global spending on cloud computing is expected to reach a whopping $1 trillion annually within the next decade. Quantum computing appears to be on the cusp of becoming a game-changer, and it might be the most opportune time to load up on affordable quantum computing stocks.
However, this perspective warrants reevaluation. It is very flawed.
The seismic shift towards a post-work society does not signify an end to human productivity or purpose. Instead, it presents an opportunity to redefine ‘work’ and untangle our identities from traditional employment as we see it today.
Work has transformed over the centuries from being a matter of survival to becoming an economic imperative. The next evolutionary leap could reshape work as a channel for self-expression and fulfillment. The dawn of a post-work era could herald a liberation from simple tasks and a celebration of qualities that make us uniquely human: creativity, empathy, innovation, and complex social interaction.
Sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries and solid-state batteries have both been in the news recently. Why? Because the need for battery storage is growing rapidly as the global economy seeks carbon-based energy alternatives in pursuit of the goal to achieve net-zero emissions by the mid-century.
Na-ion Battery News
In April I wrote about BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, that is using sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery packs instead of lithium-ion (Li-ion) in some of its models. In its latest report, IDTechEx, out of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, states that although Na-ion batteries are not the answer to all battery-power applications, they do provide a complimentary addition to battery packs used not just in EVs but also for backup power within utilities and factories.
A number of entrepreneurial groups have shared their strategies to turn the moon into a hustle and bustle world of marketable services.
It won’t cause long-term job losses, McKinsey says—instead it will lead to a wholesale redistribution of the workforce.
The rising prevalence of antibiotic resistant microbial pathogens presents an ominous health and economic challenge to modern society. The discovery and large-scale development of antibiotic drugs in previous decades was transformational, providing cheap, effective treatment for what would previously have been a lethal infection. As microbial strains resistant to many or even all antibiotic drug treatments have evolved, there is an urgent need for new drugs or antimicrobial treatments to control these pathogens. The ability to sequence and mine the genomes of an increasing number of microbial strains from previously unexplored environments has the potential to identify new natural product antibiotic biosynthesis pathways. This coupled with the power of synthetic biology to generate new production chassis, biosensors and “weaponized” live cell therapeutics may provide new means to combat the rapidly evolving threat of drug resistant microbial pathogens. This review focuses on the application of synthetic biology to construct probiotic strains that have been endowed with functionalities allowing them to identify, compete with and in some cases kill microbial pathogens as well as stimulate host immunity. Weaponized probiotics may have the greatest potential for use against pathogens that infect the gastrointestinal tract: Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridioides difficile. The potential benefits of engineered probiotics are highlighted along with the challenges that must still be met before these intriguing and exciting new therapeutic tools can be widely deployed.
The discovery and application of antibiotic drugs is among the most significant accomplishments of medical science. Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin (Fleming, 1929) and subsequent discovery and development of multiple classes of natural product antibiotics have been transformational to modern society. These compounds have yielded cheap and effective treatments for diseases caused by common bacterial infections that would previously have proven fatal. The advent of effective antibiotic drugs has made it possible to survive complex surgical procedures like open heart surgery and organ transplants and extended the average human life-span (Riley, 2005; Kaviani et al., 2020). The benefits of readily available antibiotic drugs have extended into agriculture and aquaculture, making it possible to increase productivity of farmed animals (Park et al., 1994; Patel et al., 2020).
