Otherworldly motoring has come a long way since the original Lunar Roving Vehicle traversed the Moon in the 1970’s.
A subtle mistranslation of Isaac Newton’s first law of motion that flew under the radar for three centuries is giving new insight into what the pioneering natural philosopher was thinking when he laid the foundations of classical mechanics.
The first law of motion is often paraphrased as “objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest.” But the history of this rather obvious-seeming axiom about inertia is complicated. Writing in Latin in his 17th-century book Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Newton said, “Every body perseveres in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by the forces impressed.”
Throughout the centuries, many philosophers of science have interpreted this phrasing to be about bodies that don’t have any forces acting upon them, says Daniel Hoek, a philosopher at Virginia Tech. For example, in 1965 Newton scholar Brian Ellis paraphrased him as saying, “Every body not subject to the action of forces continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line.” But that’s a bit puzzling, Hoek says, because there are no bodies in the universe that are free of external forces acting upon them. Why make a law about something that doesn’t exist?
From the billionaire VC’s hot takes: Slowing AI innovation will kill people, and universal basic income will turn us into zoo animals.
Russian astrophysicists propose the Casimir Effect causes the universe’s expansion to accelerate. Mystery effect speeds up the universe — not dark energy, says study.
The A.I. Dilemma
Posted in biotech/medical, quantum physics, robotics/AI, singularity
We need to ķeep up with china in human enhancement and biotechnology.
Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discuss how existing A.I. capabilities already pose catastrophic risks to a functional society, how A.I. companies are caught in a race to deploy as quickly as possible without adequate safety measures, and what it would mean to upgrade our institutions to a post-A.I. world.
This presentation is from a private gathering in San Francisco on March 9th, 2023 with leading technologists and decision-makers with the ability to influence the future of large-language model A.I.s. This presentation was given before the launch of GPT-4.
Can someone access your device even when it’s turned off? The frightening answer is, yes.
In an age where remote access is increasingly common, understanding the technology that makes it possible is crucial. One such technology is Intel’s Active Management Technology, a hardware-based feature that allows for impressive remote capabilities, even when your computer is turned off. While it’s a boon for IT administrators, it can be a potential risk if not configured correctly. So how does Intel AMT work? How can it be used? And how can you protect against it?
A solar-powered car said to be the first in the world capable of driving off-road over long distances without recharging has completed a 620-mile (1,000km) test drive across Morocco and the Sahara.
The two-seat Stella Terra, designed by students at the Eindhoven University of Technology, completed the journey across a variety of challenging landscapes as part of a final test of its lightweight frame and aerodynamic profile.
Humanity is a type 0 civilization. Here’s what types 1, 2, and 3 look like, according to physicist Michio Kaku.
Is anybody out there? Renowned physicist Michio Kaku discusses we could identify and categorize advanced extraterrestrial civilizations.
According to Kaku, while recognizing intelligence in space is challenging, Quantum computers may be able to help sift through data for signals of intelligence, similarly to how we analyze patterns in dolphin communication.
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NASA has begun it’s mission to 19 Psyche — an asteroid filled with precious (and expensive) metals.