Knowledge does not equal power. It equals potential power.

The singularity is not equal to sentient computers. It's the exponential growth of science and technology that leads to ... who knows what - including cybernetics of some type. Not Terminator type of cybernetics but synthetic parts (hearts) and "cures" for alzheimers and other diseases.

If we've been experiencing exponential growth since 1954 (the birth of transistors) and it's been doubling every 18-24 months then we've now doubled 30 times. One unit of processing power in 1954 is now 1 billion units and will be 1 trillion in 20 years. The capability of best computers in existence today will be trivial in 20 years.

We will have AI tutors / teachers that will radically transform education and many other fields.

So we can stop starvation by sending fat inducing microbes along with food?

Oh - and if you're ever stranded on a desert island one should eat all of one's calories at night just before going to bed. This way you can use less calories and be able to last longer until help comes.

I agree completely. It takes deliberation - critical thinking - to decide what ought to be learned (and of that which must be learned what ought to be memorized).

I hold that the process of memorization is useful. Memorization is a useful tool in learning - and after a while one "knows" the material; and later one forgets some details but the knowledge is so ingrained that finding the less used details is a trivial task. A doctor, 20 years after med school, may no longer remember each bone in the human body - but the process in learning them / memorizing them was useful in his becoming a more skilled practitioner.

Strict constructionalists are concerned about the intent of the law as it was written. Was Sarbanes-Oxley concerned about ALL crime or limited to a particular category? If limited to a particular category - did it include the actions undertaken in the case?

I'm not saying that rote memorization is the end-all-be-all or that it trumps critical thinking. It doesn't. But neither is it unimportant.

Try talking history and not know your dates. You needn't remember exact dates but knowing that Augustine lived around 360-430 and was not a contemporary of Aquinas (1225-1275) who was not a contemporary of Hobbes (born in 1588 - the year of the Spanish Armada) is important when in the field.

Knowing that Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter were not contemporaries is also import. Joe Louis did not fight Muhammad Ali who was not a contemporary of Mike Tyson. All these items (when people lived, when they were active in their respective sport) are facts - not critical thinking. Judging the relative merits of Joe Louis and Mike Tyson takes critical thinking.

Doctors memorize bones and muscles. It's important but rote memorization of these facts will not make them good doctors (and is probably not enough to graduate). Learning how to memorize helps one derive mnemonics - like the phone number 10-4-3-4-1-1-1. (Yes it's not a real telephone number) and then use that to help remember key facts. A US citizen should be conversant with the constitution even if they are not a constitutional lawyer. The Constitution has 7 parts (articles) each with different sections. The first article, which deals with the Legislative Branch, has 10 sections; the second article, which is concerned with the Executive Branch has 4 sections. The mnemonic 10-4-3-4-1-1-1 helps me remember, to mentally categorize key points about the US Constitution.

Will memorizing the constitution make me into a jurist ? No. But the effort of learning involves memorization.

Memorization is to cerebral activities what wind sprints and sit-ups are to athletes. It helps one become better and while sit-ups won't turn me into a world-class boxer or football it is a necessary part of becoming a world-class athlete.

Rote memorization is very important and is seriously undervalued. Try learning an instrument or a sport w/o rote memorization. Memorizing, and developing the capacity to memorize is important. We need more rote memorization, not less.

I could not disagree more. I think a lot of Americans (including myself) who go to the gym regularly are not suited well by the BMI chart. A far better calculation would be a chest to waist measurement (or a caliper measurement of fat around the waist). Both of those would be more time consuming but would be a better judge of obesity.

A 5'10 male is considered over weight at 174lbs(https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmi_tbl.pdf) and obese at 209. I'm 5'10. If I weighed 174lbs I would be cut - competition cut. When I weigh 19 I can flex out my abs. And yet - according to the BMI chart I am borderline obese.

The BMI charts are worthless in my opinion. There is nothing about them that has any validity - especially with a population that values muscles and goes to a gym to add muscle (as opposed to taking off fat). According to the chart - middle of the range normal would be 153. What!!! If I trimmed to 3% body fat I don't think I would be under 170lbs.

So. No. I don't think BMI is accurate measurement of health or obesity.

Interesting !! I noticed (of course) that 42 was 2x 21 but had not heard that WHO declares a country as being ebola-free after two incubation periods w/o new cases.

I heard it somewhere, but I don't think it was Fox (as I rarely even stop there). I think it was the local news channel ( NY1 - the default when you turn on the TV). But that doesn't matter.

True. At least that what I had heard at first. Then some other news / scare outlets started mentioning that the time frame may be twice that (42 days).

It's a combination of many things - including how we work out. A couple of years ago I spent some time in Italy. I came back to my gym and there was this real fat fck. Oh sh*t he's fat. But then he does shrugs with 7 plates. OMG. And then benches with 4. Shit that mutherfck3r is strong.

In 5 minutes I go from thinking he is a fat slob to being super impressed.

To those not into weight lifting saying someone puts on 4 plates is someone putting on 4 45 pound (20 kilo) weights on each end of a 45 pound bar. Four plates is lifting 415 pounds(180 kilos).

I notice my work out habit. If I don't have time I lift and skip the aerobics. I probably have about 15-20 pounds of fat on me. If I chose to run instead of lift on those time-deprived days I would probably be 30-35 pounds lighter (the fat plus less muscle).

Precaution and panic are not identical - especially when the powers that be are inconsistent and contradictory in their warning. Do we truly know when someone is contagious? We know that if the person is vomiting and generally incapacitated he is infectious and that the period from contracting the disease to becoming infectious is 21 days.

But - in each of these cases we don't know when EXACTLY a person contracted ebola; nor is it EXACTLY 21 days to the minute.

So was the doctor who went bowling in Williamsburg a risk to those around him before he fell sick the next morning? There is no oops here. Contracting ebola is pretty much like playing russian roulette with 3 chambers filled.

I'm not saying that doctors have to be in solitary confinement for 3 wks after coming back - but it would be rather easy to isolate them in their own home or in a facility; give them internet. tv, cable, take out food - whatever. The cost to society is minimal compared to scrambling clean-up crews and tracking down people they came in contact with after-the-fact; and the inconvenience to the doctor in having to stay in a hotel room /their own apartment (if they live alone) or where ever is trivial compared to the cost to them if they infected family, friends, others.

Take a look at Mike Tyson circa 1990: 5'10" and 218 pounds. According to BMI metrics he's obese. (31.3)

Proofed it quickly and missed "prey instead of pray." WHACK!!! Another slap on the wrist.