Menu

Blog

Page 8557

Jun 30, 2018

Informational hazards and the cost-effectiveness of open discussion of catastrophic risks

Posted by in category: futurism

Any thoughts about the problem of open discussion of the catastrophic risks?


TL;DR: In order to prevent x-risks, our strategic vision should outperform technical capabilities of the potential malevolent agents, which means that strategic discussion should be public and open, but the publication of technical dangerous knowledge should be prevented.

Risks and benefits of the open discussion

Bostrom has created a typology of info-hazards, but any information could also have “x-risk prevention positive impact”, or info-benefits. Obviously, info-benefits must outweigh the info-hazards of the open public discussion of x-risks, or the research of the x-risks is useless. In other words, the “cost-effectiveness” of the open discussion of a risk A should be estimated, and the potential increase in catastrophic probability should be weighed against a possible decrease of the probability of a catastrophe.

Continue reading “Informational hazards and the cost-effectiveness of open discussion of catastrophic risks” »

Jun 30, 2018

Biotic replacement and evolutionary innovation as a global catastrophic risk

Posted by in categories: climatology, existential risks, sustainability

Old, but excellent post:


[Image: “Disckonsia Costata” by Verisimilius is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0]

Several times in evolutionary history, the arrival of an innovative new evolutionary strategy has lead to a mass extinction followed by a restructuring of biota and new dominant life forms. This may pose an unlikely but possible global catastrophic risk in the future, in which spontaneous evolutionary strategies (like new biochemical pathways or feeding strategies) become wildly successful, and lead to extreme climate change and die-offs. This is also known as a ‘biotic replacement’ hypothesis of extinction events.

Continue reading “Biotic replacement and evolutionary innovation as a global catastrophic risk” »

Jun 30, 2018

President Trump Meets With Space Council

Posted by in category: space travel

President Trump meets with the National Space Council at the White House. It is expected that the council will discuss the role of private organizations in space travel and exploration.

Read more

Jun 30, 2018

Log In or Sign Up to View

Posted by in category: space

The Philippines is proud to announce the rocket launch of its first cube satellite, MAYA-1, to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 29, 2018.

Watch out for its broadcast on Friday at 5:41 PM (PHT), live from Canaveral, Florida, at the DOST-ASTI FB page!

#sciencejourney60

Continue reading “Log In or Sign Up to View” »

Jun 30, 2018

ISS LIVE: Watch as the International Space orbits the Earth at 17,895 mph

Posted by in category: futurism

Read more

Jun 30, 2018

Will you get sick next flu season?

Posted by in category: futurism

According to new Stanford research, it may depend on how many natural killer cells you have: https://stan.md/2I2IDZx (Photo by Kelly Sikkema)

Read more

Jun 30, 2018

Cleansing thermonuclear fire

Posted by in category: futurism

…” Because unlike Konopinski-Marvin-Teller, it (the paper) actually focuses on those “necessary conditions”: what would need to be different, if you did want to have a self-propagating reaction?


What would it take to turn the world into one big fusion reaction, wiping it clean of life and turning it into a barren rock? Asking for a friend.

Read more

Jun 30, 2018

World’s Biggest Battery Proposed in California

Posted by in category: energy

A California utility is seeking permission to have a company build the world’s largest battery, joining a growing list of power companies investing in storing electricity.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., part of PG&E Corp., detailed plans for four storage projects totaling nearly 570 megawatts in a Friday filing to regulators, including a 300-megawatt battery installation at a natural-gas-fired power plant owned by Vistra Energy Corp.

Read more

Jun 30, 2018

AI Will Thrash the Economy Like a ‘Tsunami,’ Allstate CEO Says

Posted by in categories: economics, robotics/AI, transportation

Much Worse than that. And, thankfully, They are too foolish and greedy to stop.


Artificial intelligence is coming for the service economy, according to Allstate Corp. Chief Executive Officer Tom Wilson.

“It’s going to rip through this economy like a tsunami,” Wilson said Thursday in an interview on Bloomberg TV from Aspen, Colorado.

Continue reading “AI Will Thrash the Economy Like a ‘Tsunami,’ Allstate CEO Says” »

Jun 30, 2018

The future of food may be cooking with chemical compounds

Posted by in categories: food, security

French scientist Herve This, the co-creator of molecular gastronomy, wants the world to cook with chemical compounds, a process that he believes can help improve global food security.

Read more