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Jun 30, 2016

AI beats top U.S. Air Force tactical air combat experts in combat simulation

Posted by in categories: computing, military, robotics/AI

Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Gene Lee, in a flight simulator, takes part in simulated air combat versus artificial intelligence technology developed by a team from industry, the U.S. Air Force, and University of Cincinnati. (credit: Lisa Ventre, University of Cincinnati Distribution A: Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. 88ABW Cleared 05/02/2016; 88ABW-2016–2270)

The U.S. Air Force got a wakeup call recently when AI software called ALPHA — running on a tiny $35 Raspberry Pi computer — repeatedly defeated retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Gene Lee, a top aerial combat instructor and Air Battle Manager, and other expert air-combat tacticians at the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in Dayton, Ohio. The contest was conducted in a high-fidelity air combat simulator.

According to Lee, who has considerable fighter-aircraft expertise (and has been flying in simulators against AI opponents since the early 1980s), ALPHA is “the most aggressive, responsive, dynamic and credible AI I’ve seen to date.” In fact, he was shot out of the ai r every time during protracted engagements in the simulator, he said.

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Jun 30, 2016

AI fighter pilot wins in combat simulation

Posted by in categories: military, robotics/AI

An artificially intelligent fighter pilot system has defeated two attacking jets in a combat simulation.

The AI, known as Alpha, used four virtual jets to successfully defend a coastline against two attacking aircraft — and did not suffer any losses. It also triumphed in simulation against a retired human fighter pilot.

In their paper, researchers from the University of Cincinnati and defence company Psibernetix describe Alpha as “a deadly opponent”. Reporting on simulated assaults against retired US Air Force colonel Gene Lee, the researchers wrote: “Not only could he not score a kill against it, he was shot out of the air by the reds every time after protracted engagements.”

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Jun 29, 2016

A brief glossary of the ideas behind artificial intelligence

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

AI gets very technical, very quickly, but you don’t have to be an expert to understand the basic ideas.

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Jun 29, 2016

The Next Space Race: Farming Solar Power in the Cosmos

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

Scientists are making the big push to send electricity to Earthlings from the final frontier.

Anna Bitong is a Los Angeles-based journalist who has reported for The Acorn Newspapers and City News Service.

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Jun 29, 2016

How liquid aspirin could help fight brain cancer: Special version of the drug found to be ten times more effective at killing cancer cells than chemotherapy

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

A drink containing liquid aspirin could extend the lives of thousands of brain cancer patients, according to breakthrough research.

British experts have found that the simple drug can cross the ‘blood-brain barrier’ — a hurdle which has so far stopped cancer drugs attacking brain tumours.

Scientists will today announce the results of early tests which show liquid aspirin is ten times more effective than any existing chemotherapy at killing brain cancer cells.

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Jun 29, 2016

Jia Jia the ‘robot goddess’ greets fans in China

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, robotics/AI

Jia Jia stood near the entrance of the exhibition hall that hosted this year’s 2016 Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin, in a major port city in North China.

She was dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit, hairstyle, complete with a classic hairpin, and immediately caught the attention of passers-by.

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Jun 29, 2016

Smart Dining Table

Posted by in category: food

This table keeps your hot foods warm and your cold foods chilled.

Seriously.

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Jun 29, 2016

Will quantum computing be BlackBerry’s Waterloo?

Posted by in categories: computing, internet, mobile phones, quantum physics, security

Definitely could see QC being Blackberry’s achilles heal.


WATERLOO — Advances in quantum computing could present a huge challenge to BlackBerry’s biggest competitive advantage — its vaunted security software that has never been hacked.

This seldom talked-about subject was raised recently by John Thompson, the associate vice-president for research at the University of Waterloo. Thompson was listening to a presentation by Mike Wilson, a senior vice-president and chief evangelist for BlackBerry, at a medical technology conference in Kitchener about a month ago.

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Jun 29, 2016

The surprising thing I learned sailing solo around the world — Dame Ellen MacArthur | TED

Posted by in categories: economics, environmental

Jun 29, 2016

Blockchain World Government Through a DAO

Posted by in category: governance

connected-world-article

Blockchain World Government Through a DAO

Imagine a world of unison, unbridled innovation, and international cooperation beyond our wildest dreams, where democracy reins supreme, with each person a voice in every decision, if they so choose –like an election — except for every measure put into practice by the government. Now, imagine this on a global scale, where a world government comprised of elected officials is run through the blockchain and a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO).

Since the blockchain is a public ledger that can only grow, where the past cannot be changed (just as time cannot be reversed), and this most secure of all technologies allows for a unique private +public key to be associated with every human on the planet (which can be stored offline like a SIN card), all of a sudden, a new era would be upon us. We would no longer be the children waging wars and spats over insignificant issues, or disregarding the ways of diplomacy for unnecessary loss of life and turmoil. Along with a new birth certificate or with proof of 2 pieces of existing identification, we could all have a unique LIFE ID # assigned and voice how such a government would operate. Each decision — instead of the singular election of the decision makers — would be handled by the guardians of the system: each and every human on Earth. With contributions by every country, we could retain our national identity, whilst also recognising the planetary singularity we all share.

Because, after all, when we view the world from space, there are no borders. When we work together on projects like the Large Hadron Collider, we make groundbreaking discoveries like the God Particle, and even invent miniature black holes that evaporate, proving the truth of theories long-since-contested. It may be a scare to some, to have their world turned upside down, in a sense. It might make them feel as if they’re losing freedom, rather than gaining it, when the opposite is the real case. Hence why such a government could combine the voting on issues of a certain nation, and adhere only to those with a LIFE ID # in that geographical region, yet still allow for everyone to vote on issues when it affects the world as a whole. We could still retain our national identities, and the respective pride and voice in them, but we would become stronger as a species, and fund things that truly matter, with the combined wealth of all adding up to immense sums.

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