BLOGS

All Posts (6487)

Sort by

2017 Nobel Prize Economic Sciences...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 9, 2017 at 2:00pm
Image Source: Scroll.in and NobelPrize.org

Topics: Economics, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2017 was awarded to Richard H. Thaler "for his contributions to behavioural economics".

Integrating economics with psychology
Richard H. Thaler has incorporated psychologically realistic assumptions into analyses of economic decision-making. By exploring the consequences of limited rationality, social preferences, and lack of self-control, he has shown how these human traits systematically affect individual decisions as well as market outcomes.

Link: 2017 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
Read more…

Our Dreams are not Big Enough

Posted by Christopher Love on October 9, 2017 at 12:41pm

It was a sunny hot day. It was an Alabama sunny hot day in August. I sat in the parking lot of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center debating to myself whether I should go thru with this.

 

After several minutes, I decided that I came this far, I might as well go all the way. So over my shorts and T-shirt, I placed the thin aluminum style suit on. Not much people noticed me. When I was done and zipped the suit up, I became very warm and unusually uncomfortable. I placed the other accessories on like an old Army pistol belt and boots. The suit was made to resemble a Mercury silver spacesuit. There were no african-american astronauts that were part of the Mercury 7 team, but a person can still dream. They fueled the imagination of many Americans regardless of race and gender.

As I proudly walked to the entrance of the Space and Rocket Center, I then noticed the stares. Little children were pointing their finger at me. All I could do was to wave back at them with a nervous grin.

 

About sixty years ago, other men wore similar suits like mine. The only difference is that theirs was the real McCoy and they were the real pioneers of this new frontier of space.

 

It started with a dream from individuals like Copernicus, Katherine Johnson and Werner Von Braun. They  had a dream and their contributions helped us to the land a man on the moon.

 

In pursuing their wildest dreams, there are setbacks and sacrifices. Many lives were lost in the launch pad for both the United States and the former Soviet Union.

 

But the dream didn’t die.

 

They learned from their mistakes and paid homage to those we lost who dared to believe.

 

The dream went on. From it, it launched new innovations and sciences. From it, we built a shuttle and then a space station where human beings has spent over a year in orbit. We have sent probes to Mars and to the very boundaries of our Solar system and beyond.

 

Those were big dreams.

 

As I walked through the rocket center taking video I would use later on, people began to come up to me to shake my hand. Some employees, who never saw me thought I worked there also. Every person I saw greeted me with a smile.

 

Soon my nervousness went away and I did what I determined to do.

 

My goal is nothing to compare with landing on the moon. But it’s still worthwhile. To show those that anyone, I mean anyone, can fly on a rocket or have impossible dreams. It becomes possible when you begin to believe that you can do it.

 

I left with a sense of accomplishment and pride.

 

From the video footage I filmed, I was able to craft a science fiction short film called Opportunity 7.

 

Dare to Dream.

 

-Christopher Love

 

Read more…

2017 Nobel Peace Prize...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 6, 2017 at 7:30pm
Image Source: Daily Mirror Original: Ill: N. Elmehed. © Nobel Media 2017

Topics: Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Peace

I can't think of a more timely and apropos prize for the current zeitgeist. I hope it has impact.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2017 was awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) "for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons".

Link: Nobel Peace Prize

Read more…

Food Weaponization Simulated in "Logan"

Posted by AL Bey on October 3, 2017 at 1:14am
Food Weaponization - similar scenario played out in "Logan" film where mutants were killed off from GMO foods! This tense info need not be slept on, as it also details Planned Parenthood genocidal history against Blacks. GODSPEED!!!
Read more…

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 29, 2017 at 6:01am
Image Source: Seminar link below
Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, Education, STEM

I saw Dr. Oluseyi speak at the National Society of Black Physicists, Austin, Texas in 2011 (where I met Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg). I signed up to hear him speak again today, obviously scheduled as a pick-me-up for graduate students before midterms. We could all use it.

And there, at Tougaloo College, you had a breakthrough.

Yes.These three grad students from MIT and Harvard came to Tougaloo, where I was one of two physics students in 1986. They were all black physics students from the Cambridge area – and each of them thought they were the only one! They came to realize that kids from certain communities just have no idea that physics as a career exists. They decided they’d start the National Council of Black Physics Students, to help the most down-and-out kids in the country. So where did they go? Mississippi. They showed up on our campus.

Because of them, I ended up meeting recruiters from Stanford University that ended up accepting me to Stanford for grad school. In all of Stanford’s history, at that time, there were only two black professors in all of the six schools of natural sciences and mathematics. One was my PhD advisor, Art Walker, who was also the PhD advisor of Sally Ride. Just being in his presence showed me a different model of how I could be.

But in the end, Art’s support changed it for me. It was like two different lives. I ended up changing my name from James Edward Plummer to reflect how my life had changed so drastically. I wanted my middle name to reflect how I am. So my middle name is Muata and it means “He seeks the truth.” I wanted my first name to reflect what I want to become. My first name Hakeem means “wisdom.” And my last name is from the West African Yoruba people, and it means “God has done this.”

Rise of a gangsta nerd: Fellows Friday with Hakeem Oluseyi, TED Blog

NC A&T Seminar link: NCAT.edu/oluseyi
Read more…

Evaporation Caveat...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 28, 2017 at 6:20am
Researchers at Columbia University created an evaporation engine, driven by bacterial spores that swell as they absorb moisture from evaporating water. XI CHEN

Topics: Environment, Green Tech, Research

"Caveat emptor is the only motto going, and the worst proverb that ever came from the dishonest stone-hearted Rome." Anthony Trollope

Please note I'm not quoting Trollope (an apropos name for our times as malapropism) as a critique of the study. All science is preliminary, in iterative steps. "Rome was not built in a day," and neither will sustainable energy solutions that will hopefully replace our current fossil model. It is unfortunate that our easy access to information via search engines have made us all attention deficit as a species and unappreciative of process, either political or scientific.

Technology that can tap into the renewable power of natural water evaporation could produce a huge portion of the nation's energy needs—at least theoretically (see "Scientists Capture the Energy of Evaporation to Drive Tiny Engines").

Prototype "evaporation-driven engines" generate power from the motion of bacterial spores that expand and contract as they absorb and release air moisture. If it could be done efficiently and affordably, the devices could provide more than 325 gigawatts of electricity-generating capacity, outpacing coal, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications.

That, however, would require covering the surface of every lake and reservoir larger than 0.1 square kilometers in the lower 48 states, excluding the Great Lakes, with arrays of the devices. Obviously, that would directly conflict with existing economic and recreational uses, and raise a host of serious aesthetic and environmental concerns. Notably, interfering with evaporation on a large enough scale, across a big enough lake, could even alter local weather.

But study coauthor Ozgur Sahin says that the paper is more of a thought experiment designed to underscore the potential of the technology and the importance of advancing it beyond lab scale, rather than any sort of literal development proposal.

Evaporation Engines Could Produce More Power Than Coal, with a Huge CaveatJames Temple, MIT Technology Review
Read more…

Nano Mirror...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 27, 2017 at 5:59am
Credit: Joshua Edel

Topics: Optical Physics, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics

Note: My study group is preparing for midterms next week. I give my apologies for what will be an erratic posting schedule. I'm merging two colloquialisms: drinking from fire hoses and eating elephants one bite at a time. I should resume posting normalcy - as far as grad school goes - the 9th of October, until finals week in December.

From last Friday's posting, it's obvious what I thought of the (lack of) humanity pursuing the deaths of millions to give tax cuts for the few. I'm glad for the moment the Affordable Care Act hasn't met the zombie apocalypse. I have no doubt like the pertinacious walking dead, they will try again.

Surface plasmons—collective, light-driven oscillations of electrons in metal—have given us stained glass, flat lenses, and home pregnancy tests. Now they bring us the mirror–window, a liquid mirror whose reflectivity can be tuned, or eliminated altogether, with an applied voltage.

Developed by researchers led by Alexei Kornyshev, Anthony Kucernak, and Joshua Edel at Imperial College London, the device makes use of gold nanoparticles inside a cell filled with two immiscible electrolyte solutions—one aqueous, the other oily. Dispersed throughout one phase or the other, the nanoparticles interact negligibly with light, and the cell is transparent. But when the particles form a dense monolayer at the liquid–liquid interface, their plasmon resonances couple to each other and they become optically reflective.

Now you see this nanoplasmonic mirror. Now you don’t.A tunable assembly of gold nanoparticles can go from reflective to transparent with the flip of a switch.Ashley G. Smart, Physics Today
Read more…

Tomi Adeyemi’s Debut Novel Heading to the Big Screen in Blockbuster Deal

Posted by Cortez R Law III on September 25, 2017 at 6:10pm

The author could just be the next big thing in literature AND film

BY BRITNI DANIELLE, MARCH 30, 2017|EBONY

Tomi Adeyemi’s novel, Children of Blood and Bone, hasn’t even been released yet and it’s already headed to the big screen, thanks to a blockbuster deal with Fox 2000. Publishers clamored to snap up the 23-year-old’s novel, reportedly resulting in a “whopping publishing deal,” according to Deadline. 

Children of Blood and Bone is the first book in Adeyemi’s fantasy trilogy rooted in African mythology, and has been described by some as “Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Black Lives Matter.” According to the writer’s website, the book follows the Orïshas’ struggle to survive after they’re threatened by a power-hungry king.

Here’s what’s listed so far:

With magic, Zélie’s family could stand against the royal guard.
Her people wouldn’t live in fear.
Her mom wouldn’t have hanged from that tree.
Years after the king wiped magic out of Orïsha, Zélie has one chance to bring it back. To do so, she’ll have to outwit and outrun the crown prince, who’s 
hell-bent on erasing magic for good.

Children of Blood and Bone is the first book in Adeyemi’s highly-anticipated series and could set the young writer up to be the next big thing in young adult fantasy. The film adaptation is being produced by the folks who brought moviegoers Twilight, Maze Runner, and The Fault In Our Stars, and Fox 2000 reportedly paid close to seven figures for the book’s film rights.

At just 23, Adeyemi could be an important new voice in both literature and film. The Harvard grad not only gives tips to bourgeoning writers about honing their craft, but the Nigerian-American author has also said she hopes her work will inspire young Black girls.

“I want a little Black girl to pick up my book one day and see herself as the star,” Adeyemi wrote on her blog. “I want her to know that she’s beautiful and she matters and she can have a crazy, magical adventure even if an ​ignorant part of the world tells her she can never be Hermione Granger.” Something tells me Adeyemi is this close to reaching her goal.

**MY TAKE: Glad to read about Afrocentric book-to-film deals especially in the speculative genres.**

Read more…

Kafkaesque Eugenics...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 22, 2017 at 5:02am
Image Source: YouTube, see embed
Topics: Commentary, Civil Rights, Diversity, Politics

Franz Kafka[a] (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-language novelist and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic,[3] typically features isolated protagonists faced by bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible social-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity.[4] His best known works include "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle). The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those in his writing. Source: Wikipedia

Kafkaesque: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially :having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality - Kafkaesque bureaucratic delays Merriam Webster

Eugenics, the set of beliefs and practices which aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population[2][3] played a significant role in the history and culture of the United States prior to its involvement in World War II.[4]

Eugenics was practiced in the United States many years before eugenics programs in Nazi Germany,[5] which were largely inspired by the previous American work.[6][7][8] Stefan Kühl has documented the consensus between Nazi race policies and those of eugenicists in other countries, including the United States, and points out that eugenicists understood Nazi policies and measures as the realization of their goals and demands.[9]

During the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th century, eugenics was considered a method of preserving and improving the dominant groups in the population; it is now generally associated with racist and nativist elements as the movement was to some extent a reaction to a change in immigration from Europe rather than scientific genetics.[10] Source: Wikipedia

I posted on eugenics this year on 13 February featuring "The Myth of Race" by Robert Sussman. His thesis - as I remember the read - is still sound. The previous election was testament to Ta Nehisi Coates' essay observation on our current resident in Washington, that he does have an ideology: old, vile and ugly like grabbing genitals without permission; blatant in-your-face race-baiting, going from wink-and-nod dog whistles to foghorns. The 2016 election - Russian cum Facebook interference - has emboldened the darkest among us, evidenced by Charlottesville and its aftermath and the sympathies of our chief executive.

The repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known only by its pejorative, is in danger of being repealed yet again. It's to repeal, remove, replace any memory of the achievements of our first and only African American president in the history of the federal republic, all while stating the party is "not racist" with a straight faces and monochromatic instagram posts. The individual mandate in the ACA was a conservative idea originated by the Heritage Foundation - an effort  to counter the expansion of Medicare-for-all (at the time called by the pejorative "HillaryCare"). The KGB/FSB saw "conditions and opportunity" that had not existed since the uprisings of the 1960s when the FBI had COINTELPRO violate the Civil Rights of Americans fighting for...their Civil Rights. Racial animus would serve their purposes of western instability far better.

The conditions were and are our own history we tend to whitewash and give "alternative facts" about. Cultural studies - African American, Hispanic/Latino, LGBT, Women - MUST be opposed, as they give a portfolio of researched facts that counters the official Pollyannaish self-delusional narrative. The only thing "conservative" is the status quo of white supremacy. The fact is, colonization results in indigenous peoples getting replaced by violence: murder, disease, "Trails of Tears." Disparate groups join the red trail, blocked from expressing their power at the ballot box and economically segregated for generations. The equivalent of Confederate generals celebrated in a war of treason would be replications on Hitler and swastikas in Germany and Israel. From cultural studies to science, it is why authoritarians oppose facts. Like Wednesday's post, these are the usual signs that points to diminution of democracy in a republic.

"Grandma-will-die-death-panels" as this repeal is a death panel, as millions of the GOP's supporters currently covered by the ACA will die. Like Hurricanes Katrina to Maria, such natural and political disasters illustrate the inequity of our society and how some well-heeled survive such changes - if you can afford healthcare with CASH, that IS your ACA! Those who cannot afford succumb to Darwinian extinction, a crass "survival of the fittest." Eugenics is what this is. It's what it's always been.
It's as clear as which group boards their property before a storm and starts consulting with architects to recover from the storm, to like many in New Orleans, stranded on roofs, figuratively and literally. Someone once told me "when you point one finger, three fingers point back at you," a hark to obvious, demonstrated hypocrisy. This nihilistic, Kafkaesque eugenics that will hurt "the least of these" should forever redefine us as not a "Christian nation," but a heartless and cruel one. Senator Cassidy has violated his Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm"; his party rejecting all claims to human decency.

Call:

Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121; 202-225-3121

Related link:

The Republicans Aren't Even Pretending This Is About Healthcare AnymoreCharles P. Pierce, GQ
Read more…

Atom by Atom...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 21, 2017 at 4:28am
Fig. 1 Experimental schematic of the hybrid system and ToF apparatus.
(A) A schematic of the experimental apparatus, including the LQT, the high voltage pulsing scheme (shown as solid and dashed lines), and the ToF. (B) An illustrative experimental time sequence that depicts initialization of a Ba+ crystal, production of BaOCH3+ (visualized as dark ions in the crystal) through reactions with methanol vapor, and subsequent MOT immersion. (C) Sample mass spectra obtained after ejecting the LQT species into the ToF after various MOT immersion times, ti, along with an inset depicting a superimposed fluorescence image of an ion crystal immersed in the Ca MOT. (D) Mass spectra of photofragmentation products collected after inducing photodissociation of BaOCa+. The identified photofragments were used to verify the elemental composition of the product.

Topics: Atomic Physics, Modern Physics, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics

LA physicists have pioneered a method for creating a unique new molecule that could eventually have applications in medicine, food science and other fields. Their research, which also shows how chemical reactions can be studied on a microscopic scale using tools of physics, is reported in the journal Science.

For the past 200 years, scientists have developed rules to describe chemical reactions that they’ve observed, including reactions in food, vitamins, medications and living organisms. One of the most ubiquitous is the “octet rule,” which states that each atom in a molecule that is produced by a chemical reaction will have eight outer orbiting electrons. (Scientists have found exceptions to the rule, but those exceptions are rare.)

But the molecule created by UCLA professor Eric Hudson and colleagues violates that rule. Barium-oxygen-calcium, or BaOCa+, is the first molecule ever observed by scientists that is composed of an oxygen atom bonded to two different metal atoms.

Normally, one metal atom (either barium or calcium) can react with an oxygen atom to produce a stable molecule. However, when the UCLA scientists added a second metal atom to the mix, a new molecule, BaOCa+, which no longer satisfied the octet rule, had been formed. [1]

Abstract
Hypermetallic alkaline earth (M) oxides of formula MOM have been studied under plasma conditions that preclude insight into their formation mechanism. We present here the application of emerging techniques in ultracold physics to the synthesis of a mixed hypermetallic oxide, BaOCa+. These methods, augmented by high-level electronic structure calculations, permit detailed investigation of the bonding and structure, as well as the mechanism of its formation via the barrierless reaction of Ca (3PJ) with BaOCH3+. Further investigations of the reaction kinetics as a function of collision energy over the range 0.005 K to 30 K and of individual Ca fine-structure levels compare favorably with calculations based on long-range capture theory. [2]

1. In step toward ‘controlling chemistry,’ physicists create a new type of molecule, atom by atom, Stuart Wolpert, UCLA Newsroom2. Synthesis of mixed hypermetallic oxide BaOCa+ from laser-cooled reagents in an atom-ion hybrid trapPrateek Puri1, Michael Mills1, Christian Schneider1, Ionel Simbotin2, John A. Montgomery Jr.2, Robin Côté2, Arthur G. Suits3, Eric R. Hudson1,*1 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.2 Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.3 Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.*Corresponding author. Email: eric.hudson@ucla.edu
Read more…

Murder on the Eros Star, Planet of Doom and Terror on Telderan on Audible

Posted by Larry Johnson on September 20, 2017 at 9:33am

Murder on the Eros Star, Planet of Doom and Terror on Telderan.
1. Murder on the Eros Star
Not long after hearing about the attempted murder of his assistant Da'Qaun docks aboard the luxury Space cruise ship Eros Star. Shortly after his arrival, the intergalactic detective realizes that his assistant has stumbled onto something huge. A masterful plot of vengeance and murder has already been set into motion. 
With the help of his assistant Jada and a few members of the clandestine Time, Travelver's Guild Da'Quan attempts to stop a new very powerful foe from carrying out his devious plot the will drastically change life in the galaxy and beyond forever. 
Will Da'Quan put the pieces together in time? Will the mastermind succeed in getting his revenge and change the lives of billions of lives across the galaxy? Listen to Murder on the Eros Star narrated by actor James Romick. Mr. Romick has been acting professionally for over 38 years.
2. Terror on Telderan
After breaking away from the Planetary Alliance the planet Otar finds it's self on the brink of ruin. In a desperate move, their leader Rotart makes a foolish attempt to terraform the planet Telderan so that he may claim it and relocate the Otarian race. Ancient oracles have been warning Alliance leaders for years that such an attempt would be made and that it would have catastrophic results for planet Earth billions of miles away. Rayna, High Ruler of the Southern Quadrant of Lazon and J'lore Chief Council of Earth's Guardians have been lifelong friends. Although Earth Guardians are considered outlaws by the government Rayna sympathizes with their cause to save the human race. Earth's Guardians is also aware of the impending disaster for earth but Rayna confirms it. Taz, son of the ruthless dictator of Otar is dispatched to clear Telderan of the handful of inhabitants so that the terraforming process can begin. His harsh and heavy-handed ways do not go down well with the settlers and his father's confrontation with leaders of the Planetary Alliance does not fair any better. Only time will tell if the Planetary Alliance's oracles were right.
3.Planet of Doom
The Planetary Alliance has requested the services of intergalactic detective Da'Quan. His job is to locate the rough Deltorian warriors Dajus and Mallobo who must answer for multiple charges of crimes committed throughout the Spiral Galaxy.  Before Da'Quan could locate the deadly duo his ship (Spirit) was yanked from the sky and crashed landed on a nearly deserted island. With the ship in need of repairs, Da'Quan is trapped on the planet Akanon, a small planet controlled by humanoid androids. He quickly learned that no one has ever escaped from the planet. 
Will the andriods add Da'Quan to their list of kills, will he be the first to escape and complete his mission or will he be forever trapped on the Planet of Doom.
Read more…

Brazil, Reductio Ad Absurdum...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 20, 2017 at 6:19am
Image Source: See link [2] below
Topics: Commentary, Education, Physics, Research

Scientists in Brazil have protested devastating cuts to science that are threatening to close institutes and funding agencies across the country. Earlier this month about 900 people took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro to protest over budget reductions that have hit science this year. Meanwhile, around 80,000 people in Brazil have signed an online petition, set up in late August, calling on Brazil's president, Michel Temer, to reverse the cuts.

Brazil spent around R$10bn (£2.4bn) on science in 2014, but that figure has been steadily dropping. This year the budget was initially planned to be around R$6bn, but the new government that took over in August 2016 following the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff slashed it even further to R$3.4m.

Major scientific agencies are now starting to run out of money. The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, for example, may not be able to pay employees and researchers in October, while other major science and research centres such as the National Observatory and the National Institute for Space Research are also facing restrictions on cash flows. [1]

For empirical evidence of the changing mood, consider the chart above, drawn from a survey released in September by Latinobarómetro, a Chilean pollster. Every year, it asks people across the region whether they agree with the statement: “Democracy is preferable to any other form of government.” In 2016, just 32 percent of Brazilians agreed – a whopping 22 percentage point decline compared to 2015, by far the largest drop of any country in the survey. Only Guatemala – a country so plagued by violence and poverty that tens of thousands of its people flee every year – registered less support for democracy in 2016 than Brazil. Meanwhile, the number of Brazilians who agree that “I don’t mind a non-democratic government as long as it solves problems” rose to 55 percent – defying a downward trend across Latin America as a whole.

The reasons for this shift are fairly obvious. In the minds of some Brazilians, the worst recession in at least a century and the discovery of billions of dollars in graft at Petrobras and elsewhere have discredited not just the entire political class, but “democracy” as a whole. This may sound like an overreaction – and it is – but remember that Brazil’s democracy is barely 30 years old. Most of that period has been dominated by center-left governments of varying stripes which during the 1990s and 2000s successfully brought tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty, virtually eliminated hunger, and consolidated many democratic institutions. But in a “What have you done for me lately?” kind of world, they are now collectively blamed for unemployment above 11 percent, some of Latin America’s highest taxes, seemingly daily revelations of corruption, and a horrifying 58,000 homicides per year. [2]

“Austria. Well then. G’day, mate! Let’s put another shrimp on the barbie!” — Lloyd, Dumb and Dumber

1. Budget crunch hits Brazilian physics, Henrique Kugler is a science writer based in Brazil, Physics World2. Brazil’s Authoritarian Side Makes a Comeback, Brian Winter, American Quarterly
Read more…

THE WORLD ENDS ON SATURDAY!!!

Posted by Matte Black on September 19, 2017 at 8:00pm

Did you hear? On Saturday, we're all dead meat! So, say your goodbyes, Nibiru is on a collision course with Earth and putting plywood over the windows won't help! 

Relax folks, this won't happen for a few reasons. 

-There is no Nibiru. 

-There IS a "theoretical" 'Planet X' (aka Planet 9) but, at its closest pass, it's still about 700AU or 65,100,000,000 miles away - so far away, in fact, that we haven't visually confirmed its existence yet.

-anything THAT big lurking in our inner solar system would've been here before life on Earth, (maybe even before Earth) and noticed a long time ago. If it came from outside, we would've seen it long before it got here, and it would most likely get Deebo'd by Jupiter or Saturn's gravity on its way in.

-last time we were hit by a planet was 4 billion years ago (and from that cataclysmic one-night stand, we got the moon)

-These are just my thoughts, though. What do you guys think?

http://abc7.com/heres-why-some-claim-the-world-will-end-on-saturday/2428453/?sf115016653=1

Read more…

PassGAN...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 19, 2017 at 5:43pm
A new tool in deep learning renders passwords less secure. weerapatkiatdumrong/iStockphoto

Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Commentary, Computer Science

"Locks are made for honest people." Robert H. Goodwin, June 19 (Juneteenth), 1925 - August 26, 1999 (Pop)

Last week, the credit reporting agency Equifax announced that malicious hackers had leaked the personal information of 143 million people in their system. That’s reason for concern, of course, but if a hacker wants to access your online data by simply guessing your password, you’re probably toast in less than an hour. Now, there’s more bad news: Scientists have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to create a program that, combined with existing tools, figured more than a quarter of the passwords from a set of more than 43 million LinkedIn profiles. Yet the researchers say the technology may also be used to beat baddies at their own game.

The work could help average users and companies measure the strength of passwords, says Thomas Ristenpart, a computer scientist who studies computer security at Cornell Tech in New York City but was not involved with the study. “The new technique could also potentially be used to generate decoy passwords to help detect breaches.”

The strongest password guessing programs, John the Ripper and hashCat, use several techniques. One is simple brute force, in which they randomly try lots of combinations of characters until they get the right one. But other approaches involve extrapolating from previously leaked passwords and probability methods to guess each character in a password based on what came before. On some sites, these programs have guessed more than 90% of passwords. But they’ve required many years of manual coding to build up their plans of attack.

The new study aimed to speed this up by applying deep learning, a brain-inspired approach at the cutting edge of AI. Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, started with a so-called generative adversarial network, or GAN, which comprises two artificial neural networks. A “generator” attempts to produce artificial outputs (like images) that resemble real examples (actual photos), while a “discriminator” tries to detect real from fake. They help refine each other until the generator becomes a skilled counterfeiter.

Giuseppe Ateniese, a computer scientist at Stevens and paper co-author, compares the generator and discriminator to a police sketch artist and eye witness, respectively; the sketch artist is trying to produce something that can pass as an accurate portrait of the criminal. GANs have been used to make realistic images, but have not been applied much to text.

The Stevens team created a GAN it called PassGAN and compared it with two versions of hashCat and one version of John the Ripper. The scientists fed each tool tens of millions of leaked passwords from a gaming site called RockYou, and asked them to generate hundreds of millions of new passwords on their own. Then they counted how many of these new passwords matched a set of leaked passwords from LinkedIn, as a measure of how successful they’d be at cracking them.

Artificial intelligence just made guessing your password a whole lot easierMatthew Hutson, Science Magazine, AAAS
Read more…