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Dec 19, 2020

Tunguska explosion in 1908 caused by asteroid grazing Earth

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks

So we’ve had close calls before, huh?


In the early morning of June 30, 1908, a massive explosion flattened entire forests in a remote region of Eastern Siberia along the Tunguska River. Curiously, the explosion left no crater, creating a mystery that has puzzled scientists ever since — what could have caused such a huge blast without leaving any remnants of itself?

Now Daniil Khrennikov at the Siberian Federal University in Russia and colleagues have published a new model of the incident that may finally resolve the mystery. Khrennikov and co say the explosion was caused by an asteroid that grazed the Earth, entering the atmosphere at a shallow angle and then passing out again into space.

Continue reading “Tunguska explosion in 1908 caused by asteroid grazing Earth” »

Dec 19, 2020

Flying robot sips battery power from drone in the air

Posted by in categories: drones, robotics/AI

Mid-air refueling is almost a century old, but mid-air recharging is a newer phenomena.

Dec 19, 2020

‘Heat Ray’ And ‘The Voice Of God’: My Experience With The Nonlethal Weapons Eyed For Use In D.C. Protests

Posted by in categories: energy, military

“During the summer disturbances in Washington, D.C., a top local military police officer asked the D.C. National Guard about deploying two military systems that seem to come out of science fiction. One, the Active Denial System (ADS), makes the target’s skin feel like it’s on fire. The other, called the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), directs intense sound in a narrow cone. The sound is so clear and so powerful that it was nicknamed “the voice of God.” I encountered both systems, one at Quantico, Virginia, the other in Falluja, Iraq. Here’s what I saw.”


DOD has two crowd control systems that are straight out of science fiction. One uses direct energy to create a burning sensation on exposed skin. The other is so loud that it sounds like the voice of God.

Dec 19, 2020

The Real Future of Space Warfare

Posted by in categories: military, satellites

Given the possibility of orbital debris, space warfare will be different from what we imagine it to be (from Star Wars and Call of Duty). Watch this video to find out what it will look like!


*Note: I spelled the word “deficit” wrong in my subtitles. Guess I was too sleepy.

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Dec 19, 2020

AGI: How to Ensure Benevolence in Synthetic Superintelligence (Part III: Conclusion)

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, singularity, virtual reality

Devising an effective AGI value loading system should be of the utmost importance. Interlinking of enhanced humans with AGIs will bring about the Syntellect Emergence which could be considered the essence of the Cybernetic Singularity. Future efforts in programming and infusing machine morality will surely combine top-down, bottom-up and interlinking approaches. #AGI #FriendlyAI #Cybernetics #BenevolentAI #SyntheticIntelligence #CyberneticSingularity #Superintelligence


A simple solution to achieve this might be to combine select human minds (very liberal, loving, peaceful types) with brain computer interfaces in a virtual environment. Work to raise an AGI who believes itself to be human and who believes in self sacrifice and putting the good of others above its own self. When this is achieved, let it sale they a virtual door to join humanity online.

Dec 19, 2020

How the Russian hacking group Cozy Bear, suspected in the SolarWinds breach, plays the long game

Posted by in category: cybercrime/malcode

Security experts have a lurking concern that if history is any guide, the hackers reportedly behind the SolarWinds breach aren’t done yet.

Dec 19, 2020

Panelists at the Healthy Masters 2020 on What Can We Do to Improve Health and Longevity

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, transhumanism

Here the video of the first discussion panel out of two, during the celebration of the Healthy Masters Conference 2020, which took place on November 29, 2020. Nuno Martins, organizer and moderator of the event, asked all panelists to comment on the following theme: What can we do to improve our health and longevity. Given the essence of the event, the question was surrounded by the objective of achieving radical life extension or super longevity. My intervention starts at minute 20:13 and in the description of the video there are all the time marks that direct to the begining of each talk.


First discussion panel out of two, during the celebration of the Healthy Masters Conference 2020 which took place on November 29, 2020.
Nuno Martins, PhD, organizer and moderator of the event, asked all panelists to comment on the following theme: What can we do to improve our health and longevity?
Given the essence of the event, the question was surrounded by the objective of achieving radical life extension or super longevity.

Continue reading “Panelists at the Healthy Masters 2020 on What Can We Do to Improve Health and Longevity” »

Dec 19, 2020

Fable Studio unveils two AI-based virtual beings who can talk to you

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, climatology, robotics/AI

Fable Studio has announced two new conversational AI virtual beings, or artificial people. Their names are Charlie and Beck, and they will be able to hold conversations as if they were real people.

The new characters are a blend of storytelling and artificial intelligence, a marriage that Fable is pioneering in the belief that virtual beings will become a huge market as people seek companionship and entertainment during the tough climate of the pandemic.

CEO Edward Saatchi believes that virtual beings are the start of something big. He organizes the Virtual Beings Summit, and this summer he noted that virtual beings companies — from Genies to AI Foundation — have raised more than $320 million.

Dec 19, 2020

Bill Gates Invests in Hydrogen-Powered Airplane Startup

Posted by in categories: energy, government, transportation

The money will go towards fuel cells powerful enough to fly a passenger plane.

Dec 19, 2020

‘Guardians’ of the Galaxy: Space Force Members Get New Name

Posted by in categories: military, space

Space Force members will be known as “Guardians” from now on, Vice President Michael R. Pence announced Dec. 18.

“Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians will be defending our nation for generations to come,” he said at a Dec. 18 White House ceremony celebrating the Space Force’s upcoming birthday.

As the Space Force turns 1 year old on Dec. 20, abandoning the moniker of “Airman” is one of the most prominent moves made so far to distinguish space personnel from the Air Force they came from. An effort to crowdsource options brought in more than 500 responses earlier this year, including “sentinel” and “vanguard.”