It might be just a little more than just a game changer.
Stop thinking about computers as boxes with wires, screens and disks, and start thinking about building the nervous system of a human being. Our bodies use distributed computing all over the place, with the vagus nervous system for the organs, with their own chemical memories, and feedback loops, the localized muscle memory systems for arms, legs, fingers, locally stored programs that run semi-autonomously.
If you read about memristors on Wikipedia, you can begin to see the possibilities of interfacing with biologic systems, and the newer bioligic chemical sensors within the organs, and appendages. Distribute local semi-dedicated processors with the distributed memory systems, and now we're talking about leaps ahead for automotons, and robotics. Who needs a stupid file oriented operating system, when the information needed for a process is stored locally.
Unix is so yesterday, as well as any other file orientated storage system.
How do you organize your brain? Do you have file cabinets, with tabs, disks? pictures? No, it's some sort of random access sensory system that relates to previously accessed information. Something like the memristors they are talking about.
It's coming down to defining the complete application, before building the actual machine itself.
I imagine early prototypes may be in a metal box with wires, but interface is going to be a new problem. Most likely all fibre connections before connecting directly to sensors and embedding sensory processing at the sensor itself -- -- and so on.
It might be just a little more than just a game changer.
Stop thinking about computers as boxes with wires, screens and disks, and start thinking about building the nervous system of a human being. Our bodies use distributed computing all over the place, with the vagus nervous system for the organs, with their own chemical memories, and feedback loops, the localized muscle memory systems for arms, legs, fingers, locally stored programs that run semi-autonomously.
If you read about memristors on Wikipedia, you can begin to see the possibilities of interfacing with biologic systems, and the newer bioligic chemical sensors within the organs, and appendages. Distribute local semi-dedicated processors with the distributed memory systems, and now we're talking about leaps ahead for automotons, and robotics. Who needs a stupid file oriented operating system, when the information needed for a process is stored locally.
Unix is so yesterday, as well as any other file orientated storage system.
How do you organize your brain? Do you have file cabinets, with tabs, disks? pictures? No, it's some sort of random access sensory system that relates to previously accessed information. Something like the memristors they are talking about.
It's coming down to defining the complete application, before building the actual machine itself.
I imagine early prototypes may be in a metal box with wires, but interface is going to be a new problem. Most likely all fibre connections before connecting directly to sensors and embedding sensory processing at the sensor itself -- -- and so on.
30% of tech support could not pass the Turing test
. Unlike the Section 215 telephony metadata program, which resides on a discrete computer systems architecture, communications acquired pursuant to Section 702 reside within multiple databases contained on multiple systems. Those databases and systems are designed to effectuate FISC-approved minimization procedures that require (with certain limitations) the destruction (purge) upon recognition of certain communications and the age-off of certain raw data within either two years or five years from the expiration of the certification authorizing its acquisition. Halting these purges and age-offs to preserve all Section 702 material, as we understand the Court to have ordered, would require significant technical changes to these databases and systems and would have the effect of forcing NSA into non-compliance with FISC-approved minimization procedures, thus placing the entire program in legal jeopardyIn short: because we're ordered to delete some data by the law to avoid spying on Americans, to now ask us not to delete any data would violate the law that says we have to delete some data. And, to figure out how to do this would be crazy confusing, because the NSA is a giant bureaucratic machine of spying, and you can't just throw a rock into it like that. Or something:
Changes of this magnitude to database and systems architecture normally take months to engineer and test; to comply immediately with the Courts order, the NSA may have to shut down all the databases and systems that contain Section 702 information. Such a shutdown would suspend acquisition of communications pursuant to Section 702 and analyst access to communications acquired under Section 702. NSA would lose access to what would be otherwise lawfully collected signals intelligence information on foreign intelligence targets that are vital to the performance of NSAs foreign intelligence mission. Section 702 is the most significant tool in NSAs arsenal for detecting, identifying, and disrupting terrorist threats to the United States and around the world. The impact of a shutdown of the databases and systems that contain Section 702 information cannot be overstated.After the hearing, the judge sided with the NSA/DOJ, basically saying that the original temporary restraining order blocking the destruction of evidence (from back in March) still stands, but that the issue of whether or not it actually also covers data collected under Section 702 will be briefed at a later date, and until that time the DOJ/NSA are free to continue destroying evidence.
I have a fair amount of confidence that if he were freed, we'd read an article about his sad, untimely death within a couple of years. You know, those strange suicides where they shot themselves 3 times in the head. Maybe a tragic car crash. The powers that be have good resources and plenty of plausible deniability.
I don't think it would take any "powers that be" to do the job.
Those who can, do; those who can't, write. Those who can't write work for the Bell Labs Record.
