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Comment Re:creationism/evolution (Score 1) 391

by hoofinasia (#27983737) Attached to: Scientists Discover Common Ancestor of Monkeys, Apes, and Humans
imho. once you add an omnipotent, omniscient, etc being into the mix, you give up all hope of a rational explanation.

Such a being could have created the universe two seconds ago, and given us all memories, back stories, and slashdot. If he left signs, evidence, or hints, it was by choice. He is, after all, perfect. So to say that there isn't evidence for evolution, or that there IS evidence for creation, is totally irrelevant. We are interpreting what we see, and people who are better educated than most of us (on that subject) have come to a general consensus. So we chose to agree with them, or someone else, based (usually) on personal preference, not any first hand interpretation of evidence. So god put rocks (and other information) in the ground (and other, more biological places) that lead some (with no implication of majority or minority but myself included) to believe we evolved.

If you believe in god, it makes sense, since you believe he created everything: rocks, fossils, and our penchant for scientific discovery. If you believe the scientists, or were lucky enough to have data and methods to interpret yourself, then it makes sense because it follows a largely unbroken chain of reasoning. So you cannot fault someone for interpreting the evidence before them, because it is there. But the presence of evidence and prevailing theories should NOT BE A THREAT to those who have strong faith. After all, they are part of a perfectly designed creation, right?

I'm glad I got to weigh in on this issue.
Biotech

Submission + - Lasers used to induce brain activity in mice (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by hoofinasia
hoofinasia writes: Apparently the combination of lasers, genetic engineering, mice, and a glut of funding can produce brain activity in rodent brains. From the article's most keyword dense section:

The trick for inducing gamma waves was the selective activation of the "fast-spiking" interneurons, named for their characteristic pattern of electrical activity. When these cells were driven with high frequency laser pulses, the illuminated region of cortex started to produce gamma oscillations.
Books

Reading Guide To AI Design & Neural Networks? 266

Posted by kdawson from the open-the-library-doors-hal dept.
Raistlin84 writes "I'm a PhD student in theoretical physics who's recently gotten quite interested in AI design. During my high school days, I spent most of my spare time coding various stuff, so I have a good working knowledge of some application programming languages (C/C++, Pascal/Delphi, Assembler) and how a computer works internally. Recently, I was given the book On Intelligence, where Jeff Hawkins describes numerous interesting ideas on how one would actually design a brain. As I have no formal background in computer science, I would like to broaden my knowledge in the direction of neural networks, pattern recognition, etc., but don't really know where to start reading. Due to my background, I figure that the 'abstract' theory would be mostly suited for me, so I would like to ask for a few book suggestions or other directions."
Networking

New York Times Says Thin Clients Are Making a Comeback 206

Posted by timothy from the dialectic-materialism dept.
One of the seemingly eternal questions in managing personal computers within organizations is whether to centralize computing power (making it easy to upgrade or secure The One True Computer, and its data), or push the power out toward the edges, where an individual user isn't crippled because a server at the other side of the network is down, or if the network itself is unreliable. Despite the ever-increasing power of personal computers, the New York Times reports that the concept of making individual users' screens portals (smart ones) to bigger iron elsewhere on the network is making a comeback.
Graphics

Elcomsoft Claims WPA/WPA2 Cracking Breakthrough 349

Posted by timothy from the it-budget-excuse-par-excellence dept.
secmartin writes "Russian security firm Elcomsoft has released software that uses Nvidia GPUs to speed up the cracking of WPA and WPA2 keys by a factor of 100. Since the software allows them to network thousands of PCs, this anouncement effectively signals the death of wireless networking in business networks; any network handling sensitive data should start using VPN encryption on machines connecting over Wi-Fi networks, or stop using these networks altogether."
Power

"Black Silicon" Advances Imaging, Solar Energy 114

Posted by Soulskill from the same-periodic-table-as-black-gold dept.
waderoush writes "Forcing sulfur atoms into silicon using femtosecond laser pulses creates a material called 'black silicon' that is 100 to 500 times more sensitive to light than conventional silicon, in both the visible and infrared spectrums, according to SiOnyx, a venture-funded Massachusetts start-up that just emerged from stealth mode. Today's New York Times has a piece about the serendipitous discovery of black silicon inside the laboratory of Harvard physicist Eric Mazur. Meanwhile, a report in Xconomy explains how black silicon works and how SiOnyx and manufacturing partners hope to use it to build far more efficient photovoltaic cells and more sensitive detectors for medical imaging devices, surveillance satellites, and consumer digital cameras."
Mars

Mars Rover's Epic Trek For the Crater Endeavor 145

Posted by timothy from the endeavor-endeavor dept.
Smivs writes "The BBC reports that NASA is to send its Mars rover Opportunity on a two-year trek to try to reach a crater called Endeavour. The robot will have to move about 11km to get to its new target — a distance that would double what it has already achieved on the planet. Endeavour is much bigger than anything investigated to date, and will allow a broader range of rocks to be studied. Detailed satellite imagery from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will help pick out the best route ahead; and new software recently uploaded to Opportunity will enable the rover to make its own decisions about how best to negotiate large rocks in its path. Opportunity has just emerged from the 800m-wide Victoria Crater. Endeavour, by comparison, is 22km across."
The Military

US Congress Funds Laser Weapons 423

Posted by Soulskill from the vaporize-ware dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The Washington Post reports that the US Congress is funding laser weapons for use in the near future. Low-power lasers called 'dazzlers' are already being used in Iraq to temporarily reduce a person's vision. High-power laser weapons would allow precision attacks that minimize civilian casualties. From the Post: 'The science board said tactical laser systems could be developed for broader use because they "enable precision ground attack to minimize collateral damage in urban conflicts." The report suggested, for example, that "future gunships could provide extended precision lethality and sensing." The board also proposed using lasers to protect against rockets, artillery, mortars and unmanned airborne vehicles by blasting them out of the sky. Last month, the Army awarded Boeing $36 million to continue development of a high-energy laser mounted on a truck that could hit overhead targets. But deployment is not expected until 2016, even if all goes well.'"
Transportation

Japanese Begin Working On Space Elevator 696

Posted by CmdrTaco from the you-can't-get-there-from-here dept.
thebryce writes "From cyborg housemaids and waterpowered cars to dog translators and rocket boots, Japanese boffins have racked up plenty of near-misses in the quest to turn science fiction into reality. Now the finest scientific minds of Japan are devoting themselves to cracking the greatest sci-fi vision of all: the space elevator. Man has so far conquered space by painfully and inefficiently blasting himself out of the atmosphere but the 21st century should bring a more leisurely ride to the final frontier. Japan is increasingly confident that its sprawling academic and industrial base can solve those issues, and has even put the astonishingly low price tag of a trillion yen (£5 billion) on building the elevator. Japan is renowned as a global leader in the precision engineering and high-quality material production without which the idea could never be possible."

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