Lifeboat Foundation

This is proof that even technology needs a heart.” #SpaceApps #SpaceAppsPH http://verafiles.org/articles/isdapp-filipino-it-experts-win…-challenge

An app developed by a group of Filipino information technology professionals to assist local fishermen in their daily work has been named one of six global winners in the NASA Space Challenge, an announcement made on Feb. 16 said.

The much-awaited announcement was delayed for weeks because of the U.S. federal government shutdown.

Continue reading “ISDApp: INON: ISDApp represented the country with a simple solution but with a deep purpose, which we believe helped it swim to success” »

The DNA from the spit you submitted to Ancestry or 23andMe might be private for now. But experts warn it’s getting easier to link your DNA to your identity.

When researchers fed mosquitoes a drug used to treat people for obesity, the insects were less interested in hunting for their next human meal ticket. Karen Hopkin reports.

Full Transcript

Believe it or not, mosquitoes don’t bite out of spite. Female mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti need the nutrients present in your plasma to ensure the proper development of their eggs. And though their thirst may seem unquenchable, the ladies actually take time to savor your blood once they’ve sipped their fill.

Continue reading “Human Diet Drugs Kill Mosquitoes’ Appetite Too” »

The melding of humanity with the technology we have created has begun…

Publication: Gloucester Daily Times pages: opinion section: columns story title: Living with artificial super-intelligence author: Anthony J. Marolda date: February 1, 2019.

Note: collected for library archive.

With the development of deep fakes and social media bots, there’s a concern about the use of AI in crime. This paper by Floridi is a great analysis of the possible problems that may arise. From the above mentioned deep fakes to AI copying someone’s social media account into another media and pretending to be them or the use of AI financial bots to gather insider information to use in financial manipulation.

The last idea reminds of the scenes in Transcendence where the AI Will Caster makes a fortune in the markets.

Artificial intelligence (AI) research and regulation seek to balance the benefits of innovation against any potential harms and disruption. However, one unintended consequence of the recent surge in AI research is the potential re-orientation of AI.

Here’s a clip about how we’re helping farmers understand the precise irrigation needs of their crops.

Full interview: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/nasas-bridenstine-on-spacex-…-mars.html

Physicists can’t agree.

Physicists define black holes according to their field’s needs.

Imagine if we could replace fossil fuels with our very own stars. And no, we’re not talking about solar power: We’re talking nuclear fusion. And recent research is helping us get there. Meet the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, or EAST.

EAST is a fusion reactor based in Hefei, China. And it can now reach temperatures more than six times as hot as the sun. Let’s take a look at what’s happening inside. Fusion occurs when two lightweight atoms combine into a single, larger one, releasing energy in the process. It sounds simple enough, but it’s not easy to pull off. Because those two atoms share a positive charge. And just like two opposing magnets, those positive atoms repel each other.

Stars, like our sun, have a great way of overcoming this repulsion … their massive size, which creates a tremendous amount of pressure in their cores … So the atoms are forced closer together making them more likely to collide. There’s just one problem: We don’t have the technology to recreate that kind of pressure on Earth.

Continue reading “China made an artificial star that’s 6 times as hot as the sun, and it could be the future of energy” »