The Doomsday Machine

Back in 1983, President Regan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, later known as Star Wars. This project was a basic missile defense system that Regan wanted to use as a deterrent against nuclear war and was willing to share the technology with the Cold War nemesis, Russia. However, when the Russians heard about this project, they took it to mean something completely different. The Russians figured that the satellites would not be able to destroy a large barrage of missiles. So the scenario they worked out was slightly different than what Regan was trying to get across. The Russians thought that the US would fire its missiles and destroy most of Russia, and since it was now crippled, Russia would only be able to fire a few, which the satellites would be able to destroy. So the Russians take this defensive announcement to be one of intent and decide that they need to put Perimeter into action.

The Russians had build a large underground bunker deep enough below their soil that it would survive any nuclear attack and a bunch of hardened silos that contained missiles. Whenever a crisis would arise, the leaders of the Soviets would turn Perimeter on and wait. With Perimeter on, a program would run continuously, checking the surface for signs of nuclear attack such as radiation, air pressure and seismic activity. The system has four safeguards, four proposition statements. Such as if it was turned on, then it would begin monitoring the surface status, if the surface seems like it was hit with a nuclear missile then check the lines of communication with the Soviet war room. If communications was down then it would assume that the Soviet General Staff was taken out in one of the attacks. If there was no other signs of attack it and the lines were still up to the war room, it would assume the staff was handling the situation and shut down. With lines of communication dead to the war room, Perimeter would give launch clearance to the person manning the bunker at the time. The person in the bunker would then have final say over launching retaliation missiles.

If the person in the bunker decided to launch, a batch of command missiles would fire first. Once in the air, these missiles would take control of the rest of the process and radio down launch codes to all remaining Russian missiles, which includes every missile in ground silos and even on every sub the Russians had. With this command, every Russian nuclear missile would head straight to the US and finish the war in a single strike, leaving both nations crippled or even dead.

The US had a similar program in effect but instead of underground, their bunker was in the sky. During the Cold War, there was at least one E-4B in the sky every single second. The E-4B is a converted 747 that was made into a flying command base so called Airborne Command Post. There were only 4 made and in a time of crisis, the president and department heads would go up in an E-4 and continue to give commands, even if Washington was destroyed. The following is a clip from the news back in 2007 about during 9/11 a plane was seen over the white house and how it looks strikingly similar to an E-4B and some more facts about the E-4B.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMK5bmdAEHc&NR=1

However, the difference between the US method and the Russian method is that the US told everyone that they had a flying base in case there was a missile strike so their could be retaliation. Again, this is a move to deter aggression. So why would the Russians keep this project for "zombie retaliation" a secret? The most likely idea is that it was not meant to be a deterrent for other nations but themselves. With this program, all the government had to do was turn it on and if they were destroyed, Perimeter would ensure that so would their enemies. With the low resolution radar the Russians had, even a flock of birds could be mistaken for enemy warheads. To make sure that missiles were not accidentally fired first from Russia, they used Perimeter as an assurance of equal destruction. Coincidentally, even the US was nervous about unknowingly launching the first missile so they required every nuclear missile to be locked with numerical codes (Like in WarGames). However, this didn't really work since Strategic Air Command was ticked about this call and simply set all missile codes to a string of zeros.

Even in recent years after the Cold War the Russians still have been secretive about Project Dead Hand (technical name Perimeter). This clip from two years ago can give us a feel for how things might not have changed as much as we would like to believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tDxiPLyrpU

Ironically, around the time that this was going on in 2007 a song and music video was released that seems to acknowledge this issue and I leave you with How Far We've Come.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/matchbox-twenty/172325/how-far-weve-come.jhtml

Works Cited

Diaz, Jesus. "How a Soviet Doomsday Master Missile Looks and Works - Perimeter - Gizmodo." Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide. 25 Sept. 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

"How Far We've Come | Matchbox Twenty | Music Video | MTV." New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Top Stories | MTV. 4 Sept. 2007. Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

Thompson, Nicholas. "Inside the Apocalyptic Soviet Doomsday Machine." Wired News. 21 Sept. 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

"YouTube - Doomsday Plane - the Mystery 9/11 Plane." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 13 Sept. 2007. Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

"YouTube - New Cold War Conflict with Russia?" YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 15 Oct. 2007. Web. 27 Sept. 2009. .

Viral Marketing and Alternate Realities- Changing the Way We Play?

Viral marketing is defined as "any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the message's exposure and influence". For example, if anyone can has ever owned a hotmail email account, especially in the late nineties, at the bottom at every message you sent out there was a little signature that advertised hotmail by stating "Get your free e-mail address today at hotmail.com". Viral Marketing has three very simple goals in mind. The marketing campaign must be low-cost/very cost effective, successfully advertises the product, and adds to a possible fan base/stick out among the rest of the competition.

Financially speaking, you can't go wrong with a viral marketing campaign, especially when the use of the internet is involved. According to Gaebler.com, the average 30-second television commercial costs approximately $350,000.00. Why spend that kind of money when you could buy a domain for $20, host it on the company's server, hire two to three web designers and developers, a few writers and create a possible cash prize for much, much less? The only cons to this plan are a possible lower recognition rate compared to placing your promotion on, say TBS. In the past three to four years, multiple companies have used the viral marketing approach from Doritos to Sun Microsystems to Guinness.

From this idea, a new form of media emerged. Viral media is taking the internet by storm with the newly dubbed Alternate Reality Games. Alternate Reality Games is a form of viral media that can (but it not limited to) promote a product or cause through social networking. For example, in a trailer for the Bungie Studios game Halo 2, at the last second a website flashed at the bottom of the screen in very small text giving a website, www.ilovebees.com. At first glance, the website looked like a site created in the mid-90's about this woman's bee farm. Right after that conclusion was given, however, the site began to change before your eyes. Pictures would blur, random images would pop up and the real story began. The story told of an AI from the future who was using the website as a sort of distress signal and in fear of her messages being intercepted by "the enemy". Players created websites, fan pages, wikipedia articles and social networking means to spread the word about this game. Why just advertise though normal means when you could spend less money and create an experience fans will remember for the rest of their lives? It ensures a fan base and is fun and smart at the same time.

At the same time, however, Alternate Reality Games can be used to promote awareness of certain causes. For example, Dr. Jane McGonigal who is highly revered in the art of viral media, created a project titled World Without Oil. WWO gave players a situation which stated "What if we ran out of oil in the world? Better yet, what would happen if we ran out tomorrow?" The response was phenomenal. Players created videos, comics, blogs and documentaries about the subject. They were only asked to not play a fictional character they create, but play themselves and be themselves. Last year, the British Red Cross created an Alternate Reality Game titled Traces of Hope which was created to show off their family-tracking system, used to track relatives of war-torn families.

Critics of the internet, and the younger generation, like to state that the internet is only isolating people. What I'm proposing is that while that very may very well be, Alternate Reality Games are also bringing people together whether the game is for fun or product or cause. In 2008, Dr. McGonigal, along with McDonalds and the Olympic Committee created The Lost Ring, the first ARG that was played on almost every continent (minus Antarctica) and brought players together from across the globe to compete in games to gain the title of world record holder, just like the olympics were created for.

Viral media is growing exponentially by the year and it makes me wonder if it will become the new norm of media. Videos are posted at the bottom.

Sources:

"Alternate Reality Game." Web. .

“Viral Marketing.” Web. .

Wilson, Ralph, . "The Six Simple Principles of Viral Marketing." Viral Marketing Today (2005): n. pag. Web. 26 Sep 2009. principles.htm>.

"Year Zero Case Study." 42Entertainment.com. 08 January 2008. 42Entertainment, Web. 26 Sep 2009.

"Red Cross Launches Cutting-Edge Family Search Game." Reuters (2008): 7. Web. 26 Sep 2009.

"How Much Do Television Ads Cost?." Web.

Caveman Science Fiction

This is the latest comic from Dresden Codak. I thought it was kind of relevant.

Genetic Prefection

"What if you could have genetic perfection? Would you change who you are, if you could?"This quote from Repo: The Genetic Opera is also a moral dilemma that, chances are, our society will be asking ourselves in the next five to fifty years. This idea begs many questions, the answers of which can be confusing, frightening, and possibly recursive. Should we allow scientists to abnormally extend life? Or what about forced evolution; should or should we not be able to control our own genetic destination? Lastly – and easily the most frightening – should we allow genetic or surgical procedures as a possible fashion statement? With these implications on the horizon, we may just see a revolution in genetics similar to the technological revolution of the eighties.

Before we begin, let us discover what gene therapy is and how it works in a general sense. According to the Human Genome Project, gene therapy is "a technique for correcting defective genes responsible for disease development." When it comes to performing this technique there are several approaches. To quote the project;

A normal gene may be inserted into a nonspecific location within the genome to replace a nonfunctional gene,

An abnormal gene could be swapped for a normal gene through homologous recombination,

The abnormal gene could be repaired through selective reverse mutation, which returns the gene to its normal function,

The regulation (the degree to which a gene is turned on or off) of a particular gene could be altered

Now that we have a basic understanding, let's move on the issues at hand.

Most prominently, gene therapy is advertised to be the cure all of diseases, such as genetic disorders as well as cancer and many others. Recently there have been breakthrough in the cure for AIDS and leukemia using gene therapy. However, one of the side effects of this would be increasing the maximum age level of almost everyone. Wouldn't it be nice to live forever, and be able to tell your great great grand children about life in the late nineties? Well with advent of gene therapy, this may be a possibility. However there's a down side to this; what happens when the population continues to grow and no one is dying. If this is the case there may be a potential crisis on our hands, anywhere from housing to food shortages. Our only solutions would be space colonization or self population control .

Another concern that could be brought about with the advent of gene therapy and the genetic revolution could be forced human evolution. What if you could adjust you genes so that you are specifically good at something? For instance, adjusting your eyes to see at night. Or altering vocal chords to produce a nicer singing voice. These are just the beginnings of things that could be possible if we manipulate our own genes to suit our environment. Right now many scientists believe that humans have stopped evolving,]. If this is true, than in the future in order for our species to continue to survive, this may become a necessity. But when will we know if we have gone too far?

The last, and the by far the most terrifying in my opinion, would have to be gene therapy as a cosmetic procedure. While this may be a quite a way off, seeing as gene therapy is not perfected, but imagine what would happen in our society culturally and physically. Say you were born with brown eyes and wanted blue. Well for a small fee and quick injections it could be yours. Along these lines are the potential for things that humans aren't suppose to have; anything from third arms, to having horns as a fashion statement. This is a very scary use of gene therapy.

In conclusion, gene therapy has much to offer us as a society, and as the human race as a whole. With the advent of curing disease we will be able to virtually eliminate death caused by anything from common ailments to complex disorders . With control of our genes we will be able to continue humanities evolutionary track as we see fit. Finally, we will have complete control over the way or bodies look and behave. So I will leave you with this quote;

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein.

Citations:

· DeNoon, Daniel. "'Major Advance' in HIV Gene Therapy." WebMD - Better information. Better health.. 16 Feb. 2009. 24 Sep. 2009 <http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20090216/hiv-gene-therapy-major-advance>.

"Gene Therapy." Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 11 June 2009. 24 Sep. 2009 <http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml#whatis>.

"Human Evolution." A Relationship Between Evolution, Genetics, Morality, Ethics, Psychology, Education, and Culture. 24 Sep. 2009 <http://www.onelife.com/evolve/manev.html>.

Michael, Michael. "Gene therapy has promise, pitfalls for society - Science." The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. 6 Nov. 2009. 24 Sep. 2009 <http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2006/11/09/Science/Gene-Therapy.Has.Promise.Pitfalls.For.Society-2453688.shtml>.

"Promising Gene Therapy Could Rejuvenate Aging Brain Networks." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 2 May 2000. 24 Sep. 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000501081815.htm>.

Weiss, Rick. "washingtonpost.com: Scienc

e on the Ethical Frontier." washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines. 12 Oct. 1997. 24 Sep. 2009 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/science/ethical/cosmetic.htm>.

Just an interesting video

This video isn't particularly prevalent to anything, and it's a couple years old now, but it's got some very interesting information about society and our trends, so I figured I'd post it.

Invisibility

In an earlier post in this blog and on the FOX News website, an article was shown that in 2007 the British Military made a 60 ton Challenger Tank invisible. According to the article, the tank moved in a field right in front of the observers but not a single person knew a tank was present in the field. No one is entirely sure how this was done, some say it was camera and projector technology at its finest but so far the British government and the scientist related to the experiment, John Pendry denies it ever happened and the government states, "No Comment". Two years have passed since than and other technologies have come into the spotlight, invisibility is a lot closer than we actually think and it could be possible that the British did discover something.

Man has always tried to master ways of stealth and invisibility. Yet, in the beginning we did not have much to use in our attempts except simple trickery and illusion. A great example is of the Japanese ninja's of past who used their enemies own eyes against them. A normal person only has 60 degrees of vision with 100 degrees of peripheral vision. Yet, when the eye focuses on something that vision narrows to a mere 6 degrees, this is key moment they would strike. In addition, they would take advantage of the moving eye. Whenever you look around, you are blind at that time. The motion blur that is occurring is called Psychotic Suppression in which the brain just fills in information by its self, effectively making us blind when our eyes are darting around. For about 40 minutes a day, we technically see nothing because of this.

About 500 years later, during World War II, we see some of the first advances in invisibility. A method called deception camouflage was used to trick the German Luftwaffe into bombing the wrong targets. During the war, Churchill ordered Jasper Maskelyne and his group of followers dubbed the "magic gang" to conceal over 125 miles of land from German air forces. Over night they would a fake port of Alexandria with all the convincing buildings and military points to trick them. In addition, to mask the 120 miles of the Suez Canal, Jasper used search lights with a spinning mirror array within their lights aimed at the canal. This would reflect off the water creating the illusion of cities, towns and a canal that was not even there.

What path to technology only found in science fiction would be complete without its conspiracy theory. During WWII, the Americans took on another project at an attempt to make their ships radar invisible, codenamed Project Rainbow and later known as the Philadelphia Experiment. A letter with a proposal from Einstein was sent to the Navy. They would later take this to the next step and perform a full scale test. The ship was mounted with massive field coils that generated huge EM fields. On October 28, 1943 the test began. Shortly after starting it, a green fog envelops the ship and the ship vanishes along with the fog. They cut power shortly after to discover it reappears a distance away out of the same green fog. Supposedly, people on the ship went crazy, deranged, some disappeared completely and even some men were embedded into the ship itself. (This is not a confirmed event but the letters from Einstein hold some weight toward it)

Its present day and how far have we come since than? The answer is quite far. With the discovery of meta materials, materials that are man made through a combination of other materials to create an effect that otherwise would not be present in nature, such as light bending. Notes made by scientist John Pendry, the same man who denied the tank experiment, show how to make such a material and how it works. David Smith at Duke University has made a material that bends microwaves which would effectively hide anything within the material from radar. Proffesor Shang at the University of California Berkley has created a meta material that bends light at an optical frequency, in other words makes it invisible. In the video below, these technologies are explained in much greater detail. In addition, a 3rd technology known as virtual invisibility is demonstrated which might be the technology used on the British Challenger tank.



The science is there and it is sound. Within the video experiments are run and shown to proof that they due in fact work. The scope of how complex this technology is is indeed staggering yet to produce such items actually costs almost nothing. A personal cloak would be easy and cheap to produce once the "right device" (Smith) is used.

With great power comes even greater responsibility. Invisibility is something that will most likely come to be and it take people in good character to use it wisely. The future of the world will be changed drastically once this technology makes it out of development. Armies can move unseen, weapons undetectable, radar and infrared will be useless. The government could theoretically spy on anyone, cops could be at every street corner and we would not know. Civilians with cloaks could have the potential to ensure disaster. Crimes can be committed much easier and stalkers have a whole new world to explore. Invisibility is something can lead to more bad than good in any respects to it. It has little use except for defensive measures and secret aggressive actions. You can not stop what can not be seen. Most people fear nuclear Armageddon, what about the man they can not see in their room?

That's Impossible - YouTube (In 10 minute parts, automatically moves onto next part)

Sources:
Bland, Eric. "Invisibility Cloak Closer Than Ever to Reality: Discovery News." Discovery Channel : Science, History, Space, Tech, Sharks, News. Discovery, 15 Jan. 2009. Web. 19 Sept. 2009. .
"FOXNews.com - British Defense Researchers Create Invisible Tank - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. 01 Nov. 2007. Web. 19 Sept. 2009. .
"Thats Impossible." Thats Impossible. History Channel. HIST. Www.youtube.com. Www.youtube.com, 05 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Sept. 2009. .

The Motion Sensing Revolution

In the past, games and gamers have always been abstracted from each other. Through awkward little plastic joysticks and controllers, players were tried absorb themselves into games. But, as technology increasingly pushed forward, games and gamers alike began witnessing the advent of the motion sensing revolution.

My First experience with human integration in games was with the Nintendo Entertainment System’s “Zapper” light gun. The Zapper worked by reading the light emitted by a television screen, and it determined whether or not it was pointed at a target. (Baer) Although this wasn’t true motion sensing, I still recognized the amazing mechanic of shooting virtual objects on a television screen with an actual physical object that I could move around, and that this was only a precursor of what was next.

During the 2009 Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), gamers were introduced to one of the biggest revolution in terms of motion sensing technology. All three of the home entertainment consoles introduced a new motion sensing technology to the audience. Nintendo’s Wii’s motion controller was given a precision upgrade, while both Microsoft and Sony unveiled their own versions of motion sensory peripherals. While Nintendo’s motion tracking technology remains the same, both Microsoft and Sony have taken a different approach to technology by introducing more precise tracking sensors. (Nguyen)

Microsoft’s approach to motion sensing was through the apparatus named “Natal”, which could sense where players were moving and interacting. (Nguyen) Sony’s approach was similar, but it required players to use a secondary controller as a prop. This theoretically leads to better motion control and sensing. One of the biggest reasons why motion sensing technology has become a priority for console developers is to draw in people who would never consider themselves gamers and prompt them to buy a console. (Terdiman)

The first source of information that I used for this post came from the website “Übergizmo”, which is a site dedicated to blogging all aspects of emerging technology, news, and gadgets to whoever has an interest in technological goodies. The website and article can be found here. This website has legitimate credentials, and has been invited to cover the events of game expos, such as E3, PAX, and GDC. The main reaction that this article had to the Motion sensing revolution was cautiously optimistic: For every good move that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft made, it also addressed multiple pitfalls and possible downsides.

While researching this topic further, I found a much different article in regards to the so called motion sensing revolution. The website and page can be found here. The article went into detail about the novelty of motion sensing controllers, and how they actually constricted player’s interactions within a gaming environment. The article firmly stated that motion sensing technology was nothing more than a relic of the past, and that modern games are being held back by this limited technology. (Reisinger)

The reason why I chose this article is because it came from an extremely reliable and credible online source, CNET.com. This site is known widely as one on the best review sites in regards to technology, gadgetry, blogs, news, tech tutorials, and downloads. It doesn’t surprise me that this site has a more negative outlook on the motion sensing technology revolution as CNET is also known for being quite blunt when it comes to reviews. In my opinion, that’s a good quality.

When comparing both of these articles, I found the Übergizmo piece to be much more credible and convincing. The reason for this is because Übergizmo address both sides of the argument, rather than siding with one which is evident in the CNET article. Despite Übergizmo being less credible, they did a much better overview of the motion sensing technology, and how it has the potential to truly change gaming.

Here are the Electronic Entertainment Expo Demonstrations of Microsoft's Natal, and Sony's motion sensing controller:

Works Cited

Baer, Ralph H. “Television precision target shooting apparatus and method.” US Patent 4395045. July 26, 1983.

Nguyen, Hubert. "Motion Control - The Art of Motion Control: Beyond the Hype." Ubergizmo, The Gadget Blog. 4 June 2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2009. .

Terdiman, Daniel. "Microsoft's Project Natal: What does it mean for game industry?" Technology News - CNET News. 1 June 2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2009. .

Reisinger, Don. "Is motion-sensitive gaming a gimmick?" Technology News - CNET News. 16 June 2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2009. .

daVinci - Engineer, artist, and now, surgical robot

No, I'm sorry. This article isn't actually about Leonardo daVinci. This isn't even a post about the Renaissance. In actuality, I've chosen to do my "What's news in science" report on robotics in the medical world. Surprise.
The medical term Minimally Invasive Surgery is, as described to me by Wikipedia, a surgical procedure that while not as complex or risky as open surgery, still requires an incision. These new methods are preferred by both doctors and patients because they tend to produce less scarring, while still being just as effective, and have become increasingly popular, particularly in the last decade. However, in order to be so minimally invasive, a tremendous amount of skill and dexterity is required, and any error can easily prove much more grave than the initial action. That's where technology comes in.

Since 1988, robotics have been used to aid in the precision of such surgeries.Because there is always the possibility of human error, the use of robotic assistants can make for a steadier, more precise hand. According to the article "Surgical Robots Operate With Precision" from Wired.com, Brian Daives, of the Imperial College in London, manufactured the first robot assistant capable of removing soft tissue from a patient, and according to the article, "with a fair bit of autonomy."

The latest focus of this trend is a machine called the daVinci Surgical System (see visuals above).

The newest 2009 model, as shown in the picture and video,is comprised of four intricately positionable arms, each with a small pair of grasping pincers, no bigger than human fingers. Three arms carry specialized surgical tools (which are replaced every 12-15 uses to ensure tools are sterile), while the fourth carries an endoscopic camera with which the surgeon surveys their work. Positioned at a console away from the patient, surgeons can control the movements of all arms from a high definition, three-dimensional interface. The arms allow them to do any and all maneuvers necessary - each "arm" has seven degrees of freedom, which according to the video allows for more than even the human wrist - and because of their size can be easily insert through very small incisions. The "stirrups" for the surgeons thumb and forefinger also actively ratio the movements into micro equivalents, allowing for a much smaller chance of dexterous error. Mary Spiro, of Examiner.com, reflects on the remarkable nature of this ability; "Compare this minimally invasive surgical method to more traditional surgical techniques where a large incision is made and flaps of skin and tissue must be pulled aside so that the surgeon can gain direct access and you start to appreciate what the da Vinci has achieved" (Spiro).

So what does technology like this mean for the future? Well, from a medical standpoint, we can confidently say that with increased precision comes increased surgery survival rates. This is great news for patients whose surgeries are often avoided, due the the complexity of certain areas believed to be 'inoperable'. But in the same sense that every issue is a double edged sword (not to be cynical or anything), better medical care will always mean more people surviving in a world that is already dangerously close to overpopulation. However, there is another obvious implication staring us in the face, and that is the eventual superiority of robotic labor and ability. Sarah Pearson is the curator at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which according to Wired.com will be an exhibit concerning medicine and robotics. According to her interview; “Industrial robots appeared in factories in the early 1960s and robots have become an important part of space exploration. But robots have been comparatively slow to be used in medicine because surgeons haven’t felt comfortable with them” (Ganapati). Intuitive Surgical, the company that produces the daVinci, refers to their product as a "mind-slave", that it is a tool simply to assist the surgeon in their duties. The video above makes very careful mention that the systems many "redundant" safety measures ensure that all movement of the machine is dictated by the operator. While this may be true for the future, the ever expanding world of robotics and interest in Artificial Intelligence are powerful omens for what possibilities the future may hold. While it is true that medical treatment is quite a different issue from, say, an automobile assembly line, it is the very nature of technology to lighten the workload of humanity, and from what popular sci-fi culture has been telling us, robot doctors don't seem all that far fetched.

For more information on the daVinci Surgical System, you can visit the Intuitive Surgical homepage.

Ganapati, Priya. " Gadget Lab Hardware News and Reviews Surgical Robots Operate With Precision." Wired.com 11 sept 2009: n. pag. Web. 14 Sep 2009. .

Spiro, Mary. "Surgical robot translates surgeon's touch into precise movements." Examiner.com 09 sept 2009: n. pag. Web. 14 Sep 2009. .

Placebo Power!

I was flipping through my latest copy of Wired magazine when I found a very interesting article about placebos. As I read through the article I found myself intrigued by the neuroscience and medical science that was involved in the studies. It immediately made me think of James Linden’s book “The Accidental Mind”. I knew that Wired is a very credible magazine for cutting edge stories in technology and science. They also market the magazine to interest and intrigue people like myself, who are very interested in the advancements in sciences. They have always been very credible and back up all of their stories with testimonials, research and experts. The amount of information that was being conveyed really opened my eyes to how capable our bodies are at fixing themselves.
The placebo effect. For those of you who are unsure a placebo is a faux drug, something fake with no real substance that is used to trick the mind or body into believing it is taking a real drug. The idea of the placebo has been around for a very long time and has been used for many things. The concept of using a placebo was actually born out of necessity. Although the topic is debated the general consensus says that placebo usage began in World War II. A nurse was assisting an anesthesiologist by the name of Henry Beecher. They were in charge of assisting the wounded who were under heavy German bombardment while storming the beaches in southern Italy. As their supply of morphine began to run shockingly low the Beecher’s nurse replaced her syringe of morphine with a syringe of salt water. She assured the soldiers that they were being injected with morphine and the injection of salt water relieved the soldier’s pain and stopped the onset of shock. After the war Beecher decided to continue his studies in the field of medicine at Harvard University. Using his nurse’s tactics as a backbone for his research he created a method to test new drugs to see whether the medicine was truly effective. Eventually in 1955 Beecher submitted a paper called “The Powerful Placebo” to The Journal of the American Medical Association. Beecher’s focus for the paper was how the placebo was able to destroy the results of over a dozen trials of drugs whose results were actually due to the placebo effect not the medicine itself.
As I said before this is a very old topic so how can it possibly be considered contemporary science? Well new studies are out saying that the placebo response is becoming stronger. This is where the studies become very interesting. The human brain has the ability to release analgesics (painkillers) into the body via opioids. These are typically released under conditions of stress or anxiety to help calm the body. through many years of study and documentation it is found that our body’s natural painkillers can help with much more than just pain, for example they can help modulate heart rate and blood pressure and even relieve depression. Another product in the brain caused by the consumption of placebos is dopamine. This release of dopamine can help with anything from increasing motor skills in Parkinson’s patients, relieve insomnia, cure depression, improve digestive disorders, and also limit the secretion of stress related hormones like insulin or cortisol.
After learning this information I decided to delve further into my topic. I went online and searched for more stories about this and what it means for the world of medicine. I found a great article on the MSNBC website (which can be found here) that goes into detail about how the modern doctor is tapping into the power of the placebo. It also covers how science and technology is using what we know to tap into our body’s own healing powers. This article was written to be informative and for the general public so it is easy to understand and explain and it is backed up by professionals working in the field.
The first page of this article offered the same anecdotal type information about the general practices of the placebo. After that came the very interesting portion about how neuroscientists are examining the brain waves of people under the effects of a placebo to better understand how the brain functions. In the case study cited patients were given placebos for about a week, being told they were antidepressants. They were then switched to more placebo or actual medication. What was found was that the people who got the most benefit from the medication had a specific type of brain wave pattern when they were being treated with the placebos. This is really valuable information to know for prescribing anti-depressants. The article mentioned how they wanted to utilize the data in such a way that they could test patients prior to diagnosing a solution, cutting down on incorrect or mistaken prescriptions. The candidates would only have a specific pattern of brain waves so it would be easy and very functional to diagnose. Furthermore there was a case where a group of people are taking the idea of the placebo to a new level. They are teaching the art of self healing. The old mantra of “if you think you will get better, you will get better” is being employed here. The idea behind the self healing is to get the benefits of a placebo without ever taking the pill. It is tapping into the body’s ability to heal itself without the use of any outside force.
The news in both sources is very accurate and both make great sense. The reporting was done very well and I feel like the two had a similar, journalistic style. The science seems very sound and the studies are remarkable. The results that are being uncovered are simply amazing and I find the information to be both cutting edge and relevant to our studies. The scientists that are cited in the stories are well renowned and the further I delve into the subject the more credible the information becomes. Below there is a link for the Stanford Institute of Medicine about the effects of a placebo and the results are just as interesting. This is becoming a big story and I believe will change the medical field.
This is going to matter to all of us. In relation to this class we started the year by talking about how society reacts to technology. Well this could very well change modern medicine completely and thus change our society. The body is a very capable unit that can heal itself if given the right nudge. If we can grasp how to exactly make our bodies react to a certain placebo essentially eliminating the use of drugs from our culture. With that happening the entire economy, healthcare system and giant pharmaceutical companies will have to completely evolve. Placebos are cheap, easy to make and are just as effective as most brand name drugs. Taking the time to fully understand this can completely evolve our culture and how we heal, can make the economy either tank or bulge depending on how these are marketed and we can overall be a healthier society. When you combine all of those results and realize it is from a simple little sugar pill and some neuroscience that is something pretty revolutionary in my mind.
Other useful links: Wiki, things the pharmacies don't want you to know The Wired Article



Citations:
Silberman, Steve. "The Placebo Problem." Wired Sep. 2009: 129-136. Print.

Carroll, Linda. "Placebo's Power Goes Beyond The Mind." MSNBC. 21 Aug 2006. MSNBC, Web. 13 Sep 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14309026//

Complaining about slow internet?

I have just read an article recently, link at the bottom, that has to the funniest thing I have heard in a while. Generally here at champlain, most of us complain about internet speeds and other such problems like that. In addition, we all know how fast the internet can really be as the country is slowly converting to fiber optic technology. For those of you who do not know what fiber optics are they are simply cables with very reflective fiber core that transmits light as a signal over a large distance at the near speed of light, these signals represent the data being transferred. Yet, while a large majority of advanced nations are using blistering speed internet, all while Africa's leading ISP is having a bandwidth shortage, reportedly:

"A technology company called Unlimited IT was so frustrated with the speed of its email that it hired an 11-month-old pigeon, Winston, to carry data 80 km from Unlimited IT's offices near Pietermaritzburg to the coastal city of Durban. As Winston flapped off the company sent the data down a Telkom line. Two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds later Winston had arrived and was being rewarded with his favourite biscuits but only four per cent of the four per cent of the data had been transferred."(Fudzilla, Nick Farrell) Read Here

It is just amazing how some places are still stuck at certain technological points that were conquered so long ago.

Farrell, Nick. "Putting data on a pigeon is faster than the Internet." Fudzilla. 11 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Sept. 2009. .

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

I just wanted to let everyone know that Dresden Codak's brainchild, Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day, is going on this Saturday, September 12. Although the main event is going to be in Portland, OR, everyone is invited to join in on the fun. Here's a link to Dresden Codak's site for more information, and check this out to see some of what they've done in the past!

iQuench

As I was searching for something that involves technology I started doing what every college student gets caught up doing, one word- youtube. I totally forgot that I was looking for something specific for this blog until I found this video. It was really interesting to me to see such a short time ago, someone made this video thinking of how cool some of these non invented objects were. However, some of them already are invented and just involve really edge cutting technology that in the past people couldn't even dream of. It just goes to show how far we really have come. I mean, some of these things are so out there such as the iQuench... to be honest I don't even understand what it is. BUT :) I know with all the technology we have now and all the resources and knowledge we attain to become more knowledgable within the technological field these things really are possible. That is crazy to thing about. We have the ability to produce so much, especially things that people couldn't dream of! I'm looking forward to seeing that iQuench on the market! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmx2Fonk1JI

ps. I couldn't get the link to work :(

Technology, Entertainment, and the Rise of the Internet

We all know that our advances in technology -and our growing dependence on the internet- have drastically changed the way we find entertainment. Both the music and film industries have seen giant movements in the way music is produced and shared. Today, anyone can go on the internet and usually find what they're looking for- and it doesn't have to come at a price. Torrent websites/clients and other file sharing programs have made it easy for people to download movies, music, games...just about anything, for free. But, if doing stuff legally is more of someone's thing, he or she can also purchase what they want in a digital format, like mp3s on iTunes.

So what about one of the oldest sources of entertainment...books? Books are also seeing a "2.0" kind of future, as mentioned in this article: "Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. 'Loud rooms' that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. Hipster staffers who blog, chat on Twitter and care little about the Dewey Decimal System are edging out old-school librarians."

I love listening to vinyl (a gramophone record). Not only are most of my favorite pieces of music/albums from the 1960s & '70s, but the sometimes scratchy, crackly, vintage sound can give the music authenticity, and shows the listener how it was originally played by people (which I think is wicked cool). Vinyl has become somewhat of a trendy kind of thing nowadays, where there are younger people such as myself wanting to "bring back" an old way of doing something; there are also many independent artists who release their albums (LPs!) on vinyl in addition to a compact disc to keep with the trend. Now, I also love reading BOOKS, too. Reading something on a screen is okay, but it's definitely not something I like to do for hours on end. So I'm curious...will books phase out like a gramophone record? Will the Kindle become the new iPod? What will happen to publishing companies? Personally, I would be devastated if books almost became non-existent. I don't see it happening for a while...but the possibility is always there.

"The future of libraries, with our without books." John D. Sutter. CNN, 2009. Web. 7 Sept. 2009.

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This is a test post to see how to do links

Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life

I found this video on Digg.com it's an animation of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. It's quite good, enjoy!

A Sound of Thunder

If anyone wanted to see it, the movie version of A Sound of Thunder is currently playing on SyFy channel, it just started at 12:30.

In my searching process for something related to the way technology has shaped society I stumbled upon a New York Times article that explained the struggle of raising a child the correct way in a world that is so technologically advanced. In this day in age it seems almost normal to see a child with a cell phone that may many times be their own. What baffles me is their need for such a device where they ultimately develope alternate ways of communicating as opposed to face to face. Instead these children become more comfortable with text messaging a form of communication I find to be quite impersonal. The article goes on to depict other "gadgets" that adults should monitor their children's use of. The internet for example is a key component of technology that should be restricted to children until they are of an appropriate age to search and explore. In all I found this article to be suitable for what this class's main focus is. Check it out!


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/technology/personaltech/12basics.html?_r=1

Invisible TANK YO WOW!!!!!

Doing some research into new sciences, and also talking to my classmate Austin, i have learned that the British, yes the british have began to cloak a full battle tank. The tank can be cloaked completely so that no one can even see it. Quoted from a fox news article,

"This technology is incredible," an unnamed soldier was quoted by the Daily Mail and Sun. "If I hadn't been present I wouldn't have believed it. I looked across the fields and just saw grass and trees — but in reality I was staring down the barrel of a tank gun." This is unbelievable, in my opinion, warfare is taking a huge turn, and millions of dollars are going into it. The reason we can do this is because the citizens of any country want to feel safe, and when you feel a lot safer, i feel completely safe in the USA. Well sort of.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306678,00.html

Works cited

"FOXNews.com - British Defense Researchers Create Invisible Tank - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. Web. 03 Sept. 2009. .

science and human morality

I think the biggest problem that people have now is that we have become so dependent on science that we are willing to do away with our morality for it. We are willing to do just about anything "for the sake of science" because we somehow think that the end will justify the means. We live in a society so dependent on technology that we've come to a point where we can't imagine our lives without cell phones or how in the hell people survived without the benefits of computers. William F. Buckley Jr.'s "Why Don't We Complain" has been drilled into me for years in my formal education and I think it has some bearing here. Buckley argues that technology is continuing to make people more and more helpless and therefore we are less likely to stand up for ourselves because we are becoming a society of "sheep." The thought that we can't fix household appliances or do simple tasks without the benefits of machinery anymore scares Buckley, because he believes we will all soon become to helpless to function anymore. This thought is not uncommon in society. Many people believe that the next generation is more dependent on technology than the previous one and are concerned they won't be able to function when the electricity goes out. Because of this fear people are concerned that technology can be taken to far because everyone will look the other way in the face of questionable science for fear of losing how they get from one day to the next. Because we are so reliant on science our morals tend to go out the door, and the question of whether or not science can be taken to far becomes a valid one because science is no longer controlled by the confines of moral society. It no longer has a set of rules telling what is right and wrong because it falls into a category of it's own and anyone who questions it that isn't also a scientist is considered a conservative wingnut and standing in the way of progress. 

Works Consulted: 

Buckley, William F. "Why Don't We Complain?". 3 Sept. 2009

Society Craves Mobile Technology

November 2001, AT&T launched a groundbreaking addition to the mobile phone community. Text messaging became public and was on the rise to popularity. This new technology opened doorways in the design and capabilities of cell phones. As texting became more popular throughout the years, inventions to aid texters were developed. T9(predictive text) and full keyboards integrated into cell phones made sending messages much easier. As more and more updates became prominent, more options opened up in the world of texting. For example, cameras built into cell phones made it possible to send and receive pictures and videos. The mobile communication field has come along way since text messaging was introduced. Cell phones are now a huge part of human culture. We crave innovation and are always wanting what is cool and trendy in the world of technology.

As of today, a phone with only texting and picture/video messaging is a thing of the past. Smart phones are in demand now. With the full power of the Internet, custom applications, music and your favorite social networking sites at your fingertips, smart phones are becoming a very popular and very useful piece of technology. You can now, post blog updates, send e-mails, and instant message instead of just texting. Mobile technology has become much more advanced in the past few years and it's only going to get better.

Workes cited:
http://cell-phones.suite101.com/article.cfm/cell_phone_history

http://www.usshortcodes.com/csc_history.html

Wireless: More than Just Internet

One day when I was using my laptop here at school, I was thinking about the technology behind wireless internet, and how amazing it is that so much information can pass through the air. Even though the technology is relativity in-expensive and is available for consumers at a reasonable cost, it is truly amazing how we can light up our networks without even a wire. So this got me thinking, if we can rapidly download data through the air on our computers, phones, tv's, ect. What is stopping us from powering our electronics, and even our cities without wires? According to CNN, within a few years we may be able to charge phones, iPods and other electrics without using charges. Check out this article posted yesterday on CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/02/wireless.electricity/index.html?iref=newssearch

The first minute of this video basically shows an example of wirelessly powering devices. If you are interested, you can watch its entirety with specifics about how it works.

Where do you stand?

My topic for the first week of the blog is not so much current events, but rather a question for debate. I found it quite interesting, so I thought I would share it with the rest of you. As many of you probably read, one of my favorite works of science fiction is the webcomic Dresden Codak, by Aaron Diaz. I would like to point your attention to a mini series within the comic, entitled Hob. If you'd like to read the entire series (its about 27 pages) is starts here. However, if you'd rather skip the build-up, you can jump right into the meat of the story, which starts around page 8. But for the sake of this post having some meaning, let me paraphrase:
Time traveler have come from a distant future in which technology has evolved into a single planetary conciousness, a "mother" who humanity worried was slowly stealing both their and their world's prupose of meaning. In order to rewrite this terrible fate, they have sent Hob, a robot containing a guide post for their wormhole travel, to start recolinizing an earth in which A.I. is outlawed. However, protaganist Kimko Ross (devout robotiscist) sees the eventual extinction of humanity as inescapable step in the evolutionary process, and attempts to thwarts the time travelers attempts at destroying Hob's potential links to "mother".
Now, the content of the comic is interesting enough, but the main conflict is a topic which particularly interested me, and is in fact the question I wished to extend to you. If the trends of evolution do eventually point to the end of humanity, and life as we know it, would you fight for your existence, or resign to your genetic destiny? Now this is not suggesting that we simply die out and allow machine to take over. In the story, Kimiko is of the opinion that, as a race, we should sacrifice our humanity to integrate ourselves into the machine world. By contrast, the time travelers see a robotic existence not as a paraigm shift of our race, but a dying out, and struggle to cling to their believed superiority and purity. But what do you think?

Nuclear Fear

The 20th century saw many scientific technological advances, forever changing everyday life for the modern world. One of the most influential inventions was the Atomic Bomb. Ever since the bomb’s creation and use in the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world has been plunged into constant fear of global destruction by nuclear weapons. This fear still exists today as World Powers meet to discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear status. Iran announced it is ready to discuss its "updated nuclear proposal."

“The announcement was made a day before six world powers were expected to hold high-level talks in Germany on what to do about Iran's contentious nuclear program. The West suspects the Islamic state is seeking to build bombs. Iran denies the charge.”

This situation could become very volatile if fear is allowed to consume the judgment of World Leaders, instead of logic and reasoning. Fear was used to convince the world of WMDs in Iraq, and when logic finally caught up, it was too late and a war was waged on false information.




Works Citied

Iran says ready for nuclear talks with world powers. Reuters, 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 2 Sept. 2009. .

A Few Things That Didn't Make the Cut

Here are a few videos that I thought would be fantastic to share, but I couldn't really connect.

Overcoming the Fears

The various videos from the you-tube playlist had a common theme of the destructive nature and terrible power of technology. This can be showcased in the videos of Pinky and the Brain using technology to gain yet more power, the experimentations of Dr. Frankenstein who with the terrible power of science created a monster, and the incredible devastation unleashed by a nuclear bomb. Despite all the fears, modern culture embraces technology every day. While embracing the technology of today, we seem to fear the technology of tomorrow.

However, this has not gotten in the way of huge technological leaps. In November 2008, the world’s largest super collider called the Large Hadron Collider went online. Located on the border between France and Switzerland, it is a ring nearly 27 kilometers long. This expensive machine would allow scientists to study the beginnings of the universe, dark matter, the possibility of parallel universes and several other experiments. Some feared that by activating the device, the experiments would cause a black hole. We have laid aside our fears of the machine though, and it will once again power up after minor repairs this coming November. More information about the LHC can be found at their website http://public.web.cern.ch/public/

"The Large Hadron Collider." Eurpeon Oragization for Nuclear Research. CERN, 2008. Web. 2 Sept. 2009. .