Things in the news

Taliesin · Jun 9, 2014

A "super computer" has duped humans into thinking it was a 13-year-old boy to become the first machine to pass the Turing test, experts have said. Five machines were tested at the Royal Society in central London to see if they could fool people into thinking they were humans during text-based conversations.
The test was devised in 1950 by computer science pioneer and second world war codebreaker Alan Turing, who said that if a machine was indistinguishable from a human, then it was "thinking".
No computer had ever previously passed the Turing test, which requires 30% of human interrogators to be duped during a series of five-minute keyboard conversations, organisers from the University of Reading said.
But "Eugene Goostman", a computer programme developed to simulate a 13-year-old boy, managed to convince 33% of the judges that it was human, the university said.
Professor Kevin Warwick, from the University of Reading, said: "In the field of artificial intelligence, there is no more iconic and controversial milestone than the Turing test. It is fitting that such an important landmark has been reached at the Royal Society in London, the home of British science and the scene of many great advances in human understanding over the centuries. This milestone will go down in history as one of the most exciting."
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Computer simulating 13-year-old boy becomes first to pass Turing test | Technology | theguardian.com

Taliesin · Jun 9, 2014

People watching a video feed of a woman playing an online game in the US called authorities to report seeing a home invasion taking place in the woman's apartment.
Police Lt Michael Pooley said a friend of the victim watching the video on Monday morning saw two men with guns break down the 28-year-old woman's apartment door while she was playing the game."From behind her, the doors gets kicked in. Two guys come in with guns," Pooley said, describing what was reportedly visible on the video feed.
One man was still in the apartment when officers arrived
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Viewers of online game save US woman | SBS News

Taliesin · Jun 10, 2014

A US organisation is hoping a plan to create cities which float on the ocean will see them not only produce their own food but establish their own governments.
The Seasteading Institute says it hopes the floating microcountries will allow for experimentation with new ideas which current governments are too large to try.Seasteading communication director Joe Quirk says the floating cities create room for "start-up governments".
"When you consider that nearly half the world's surface is a blank slate, unclaimed by existing governments, you see the potential in creating a thousand start-up governments in the sea," he said.
"Seasteading comes from a very Silicon Valley perspective, that basically we don't think 193 national governments represent the range of ideas that 7 billion creative people have produced.
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US seasteading group plans floating 'microcountries' with 'start-up governments' - Australia Network News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Taliesin · Jun 10, 2014

And an update on yesterdays AI story...

This past weekend, the University of Reading managed to convince the press that a chatbot had, for the first time ever, successfully passed the Turing Test by fooling judges into believing it was human.
It's fitting that the software that allegedly trumped the Turing Test, an influential measure of machine intelligence, was designed to mimic the conversational capabilities of a 13-year-old boy from Ukraine. Teenage boys can be squirrelly, and so are the University of Reading's claims.
The software's alleged victory is more of a consensus on the intelligence of the media than the intelligence of machines, both of which underperformed. The "Eugene Goostman" chatbot may have passed the University of Reading's version of the Turing Test. But other artificial intelligence experts say it's no Turing Test they recognize.
"Eugene Goostman proves the power of fakery; it's a tour de force of clever engineering, but a long way from genuine intelligence," Gary Marcus, a professor of cognitive science at New York University, wrote in an email
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Don't Believe The So-Called Turing Test Breakthrough

Taliesin · Jun 15, 2014

Australia may have already entered into the early stages of an El Nino weather pattern, increasing the possibility of drought and lower-than-average rainfall, an expert says.
Climatologist Roger Stone is warning Australia should brace itself for drier conditions as an El Nino weather pattern looks increasingly likely.
"Exactly how that manifests itself over the next couple of weeks will be critical to not only Australia's climate patterns but climate patterns all over the world," Professor Stone told Landline.
An El Nino event refers to a prolonged period of warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific that can lead to drought in Australia.
"The sea temperatures are already 1 or 2 degrees above normal, and right along the South American coast, perhaps 2 or 3 degrees above normal," Professor Stone said."That's the telltale sign of an early stage to an El Nino event."
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El Nino weather pattern already partly formed, climatologist warns drier conditions on the way - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Taliesin · Jun 25, 2014

The Federal Court has upheld a finding against Channel Seven that it provoked "intense dislike, serious contempt or severe ridicule” based on ethnicity in a 2011 report about a Brazilian tribe.

The Australian broadcast regulator, the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA), ruled in 2012 that journalist Tim Noonan breached the broadcast code in his report for the Sunday Night program.
The report portrayed the Suruwaha tribe as a suicide cult that condoned the murder of disabled babies.
Justice Lindsay Foster rejected an application by Channel Seven to have the ACMA findings of factual inaccuracy against the program and two others struck out.
UK advocacy group for indigenous peoples, Survival International inititated the complaint to the ACMA after Channel 7 refused to issue a correction to its report.
“Tribal peoples have been accused of ‘savagery’ since the first European colonists arrived and sought justification for the brutalities of imperialism,” said Survival’s director Stephen Corry in a statement.“It is right and proper that this ruling has been upheld. There is no excuse for such extreme prejudice in the media today.”
ACMA found Channel Seven in breach of clause 1.9.6 of the Commercial Television Code of Practice that the report could “provoke or perpetuate intense dislike, serious contempt or severe ridicule against a person or group of persons on the grounds of age, colour, gender, national or ethnic origin, disability, race, religion or sexual preference”.
The regulator also found the program breached clause 4.3.1 by failing to present some factual material accurately.
Channel Seven has been ordered to pay costs and can appeal the decision.
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Court upholds race slur finding against Channel Seven | SBS News

Taliesin · Jul 8, 2014

Doctor Who scripts leaked online, BBC apologises to 'devastated' fans of TV series - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Oh no!

The BBC has apologised to fans of long-running TV series Doctor Who, after five scripts from the upcoming season were leaked online.
Doctor Who's upcoming season is keenly anticipated because it will mark the first appearance of the new Doctor, played by Scottish star Peter Capaldi.
But now the BBC is in damage control after the scripts for the first five episodes were leaked online.
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Taliesin · Jul 8, 2014

US officials are investigating how vials of smallpox made their way into a storage room at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lab near Washington DC.
Smallpox is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease that has been eradicated after a worldwide vaccination program.
The last case in the US was in 1949 and the last global case was in 1977 in Somalia.The vials were labelled "variola", another name for smallpox, and appear to date from the 1950s, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement.
They were found in an unused portion of a storeroom in an FDA laboratory, located on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
There is no evidence the vials had been opened, and "onsite biosafety personnel have not identified any infectious exposure risk to lab workers or the public", the CDC said.
The vials have been moved to a high-security lab at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Discovery of vials of highly contagious smallpox in a US storeroom prompts investigation - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Street Pattern · Jul 8, 2014

Taliesin said: ↑

The vials have been moved to a high-security lab at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Now there's an interesting logistics problem: just how were those vials transported to Atlanta?

If by car or truck, huge risk of an accident that might break the vials. And who's driving? And who's watching the vials?

If by plane, what if there's a crash? What if the vials are compromised in the compressed atmosphere of the cabin while the plane is aloft?

Japchae · Jul 9, 2014

Street Pattern said: ↑

Now there's an interesting logistics problem: just how were those vials transported to Atlanta?

If by car or truck, huge risk of an accident that might break the vials. And who's driving? And who's watching the vials?

If by plane, what if there's a crash? What if the vials are compromised in the compressed atmosphere of the cabin while the plane is aloft?
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I just had this image of Rick riding a horse into Atlanta...

Borla · Jul 9, 2014

Very generous/cool move by the outgoing owner of the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA).

Outgoing Bucks owner Herb Kohl takes care of club employees on way out door | ProBasketballTalk

He also gave $100,000,000 away to help finance a community effort to keep the team (and the jobs/tourism from it) in the city.

grumpyolddude · Jul 22, 2014

George Harrison memorial tree killed by beetles | The Sideshow - Yahoo News

George Harrison memorial tree killed by beetles
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Words fail me.

jillymayr · Jul 23, 2014

any news on that missing plane?

Taliesin · Aug 14, 2014

A Melbourne hospital has been left red-faced after it incorrectly sent out notifications to doctors saying 200 people had died, instead of telling them they had been discharged.
It has been revealed Austin Hospital advised a number of GPs on July 30 their patients had passed away while in hospital.They were supposed to be told the patient had been released the day before.
Austin Health apologised for the mix up, blaming it on human error.
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Austin Hospital mistakenly tells doctors 200 patients have died - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

------------------------------------

jillymayr said:

any news on that missing plane?
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There is a whole thread on MH370 over here Jilly,
How do you lose a plane? | The TFP

Taliesin · Aug 23, 2014

Australian spiders may live happily in the bush, but a new study has found that at least one species also thrives on city life and grows bigger in urban areas.
The University of Sydney's Elizabeth Lowe said while research showed invertebrates were sensitive to urbanisation, not all species were negatively affected by living in cities.
In fact, golden orb-weaving spiders, which are common in both urban and natural environments in Sydney and its surrounds, were getting fattest in those built-up areas with the most concrete, roads and buildings.
"We found that they were bigger in the city and particularly in areas with lots of hard surfaces and less vegetation," Lowe told AFP on Saturday.
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Australian spider grows bigger in city: study | SBS News

Street Pattern · Aug 23, 2014

In fact, golden orb-weaving spiders, which are common in both urban and natural environments in Sydney and its surrounds, were getting fattest in those built-up areas with the most concrete, roads and buildings.
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No wonder TISM (Australian band) mentioned them in a song!

TISM said:

All loves have to die - of that there's no help;
My favourite way to end em'
Is the orb-weaver spider's, whose pedipalp
Enters the female pudendum,

Then dies on the spot, his corpse there still stuck,
Left for his rivals to curse it.
He would rather die than not get to fuck:
Personally, I reckon it's worth it.
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Taliesin · Aug 28, 2014

Experts believe some female pandas have figured out how to game the system and are faking hysterical pregnancies to obtain special treatment such as air conditioned rooms and extra rations.
Hopes that tiny panda paws would be seen in the world's first live-broadcast cub delivery were dashed Tuesday when Chinese experts suggested the "mother" was likely to have been focusing more on extra bun rations than giving birth.
The slated star of the show, giant panda Ai Hin, had last month shown signs of pregnancy at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre, according to state news agency Xinhua.
A live broadcast of the event was planned, but things got awkward for organisers after her "behaviours and physiological indexes returned to normal", according to Xinhua citing experts saying she experienced a "phantom pregnancy".
The breeding centre, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan, commonly moves pandas which are thought to be pregnant into single rooms with air conditioning and around-the-clock care.
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Pandas faking 'hysterical pregnancies' to get special treatment, extra rations | SBS News

Taliesin · Sep 2, 2014

Astronauts Just Found Life In Outer Space – Scientists Ponder How It’s Possible | Collective-Evolution

In what is a cool mainstream find, Russian cosmonauts have discovered LIFE clinging to the outside of the International Space Station. This is the first time living organisms have been found on the space station and scientists are not sure how it got there.
The creatures were found during a space walk to clean the surface of the space station. The organisms seem to be a type of sea plankton and how they remained alive in space is what seems to be troubling scientists. According to Sploid, Russian scientists are both “shocked by [the] discovery and can’t really explain how [it] is possible.”
“Results of the experiment are absolutely unique,” Russian ISS Orbital Mission ChiefVladimir Solovyev told the ITAR-TASS News Agency. “This should be studied further.”
Some scientists believe that the organisms were carried from the ocean by uplifting air currents. Since the organisms are not native to Baikanour, Kazakhstan where the vessel took of, many don’t believe they were brought up during flight. This makes it very difficult to answer the question: “How did they get there?”
The organisms found on the vessel have a mouth, limbs, digestive tract, muscles, and a nervous system! They are aliens! Just not in the typical sense we may picture when thinking about life in space. Known astardigrades, these little creatures are amazing at enduring harsh conditions, which is why drawing the conclusion that they could have originated in space isn’t so tough.
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Taliesin · Sep 14, 2014

The Federal Government is sending 600 Australian troops to the Middle East in preparation for military action against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.
Mr Abbott said around 200 troops would be sent to the United Arab Emirates shortly, including a Special Forces contingent "that could act as military advisers to the Iraqi armed forces or to the Peshmerga".
They would be followed by around 400 Air Force personnel, up to eight super hornets, an early warning and control aircraft and an aerial refuelling aircraft.
"Again I stress that this is essentially a humanitarian operation to protect millions of people in Iraq from the murderous rage of the ISIL movement," Mr Abbott said, using an alternative name for IS.
"Again I stress that this movement is neither Islamic nor a state. It is a death cult reaching out to countries such as Australia.
"This is about taking prudent and proportionate action to protect our country and to protect the wider world against an unprecedented terrorist threat."
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Islamic State: Australia to deploy military force to UAE to prepare for international action against militants in Iraq - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

There is a video through the link. Our PM Tony Abbott making the announcement.
He calls ISIL a death cult in one breath and says it's not about religion in the next.

redux · Oct 2, 2014

I received an email today from an acquaintance at Starbucks Global Policy Division announcing a Concert for Valor on the National Mall to honor veterans on Veteran's Day.

I'll be there!

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Last Veterans Day, Starbucks committed to hiring 10,000 veterans and active duty spouses by the end of 2018. We are well on our way toward this goal, having hired more than 1,000 military veterans and their spouses into our partner ranks since then. But we recognize we can do a great deal more to support the brave young men and women who have served our country. With more than one million veterans transitioning back to civilian life from military service over the next five years, Starbucks believes we have a responsibility to do all we can to bridge the divide between our military and civilian populations.

As part of this commitment, today Starbucks and HBO announced we will host THE CONCERT FOR VALOR, a first-of-its-kind concert to honor the courage and sacrifice of America’s veterans and their families.

The concert will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. this Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11. Mark your calendar and plan to attend if possible. HBO will also be open up its signal and broadcast the concert live at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, so tune in if you are unable to make it in person. Feel free to forward this message to your network and encourage colleagues, friends and family to participate.

The concert will feature a broad array of talent from the worlds of music and entertainment, including Eminem, Jamie Foxx, Dave Grohl, Metallica, John Oliver, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band, as well as special appearances by Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, among many others. THE CONCERT FOR VALOR will provide a national stage for ensuring that veterans and their families know that their fellow Americans’ gratitude is genuine. Millions of people are expected to watch the free concert in person or on television, with the goal of raising awareness for veterans service organizations dedicated to education, wellness, reemployment and reintegration.

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