Okay, so we built an AI computer with general purpose "engineering/programming thinking". First task: improve your software to make a smarter, faster, AI creative/engineering machine; repeat;

Once "we" have created a smart machine, the path to supreme intelligence will be so rapid, we will have to build in "speed bumps" to control progress.

Now I can hit my data cap in less than a minute!

About 50% of the US population does not believe in evolution and celestial mechanics, One could deem this a failure of education, but it is more a failure of parenting - which we are not allowed to blame. Children go to school and 'learn' all the basics, but then their education is undermined by parents telling their children "that ain't true, you can't tell me that my daddy's daddy's daddy was a monkey - that's so stupid." Half of the US population actually thinks the Sun orbits the Earth.

Too many parents encourage by example or direct influence "schadenfreude". This is reflected by "our" appetite of TV reality shows. As long as children are brought up with the right-wing mentality of homophobia, guns-from-cold-dead-hands, "liberal media", christian values, and all of the poor-quality philosophy's that make a nation disruptive, divisive, dismissive, and destructive, we don't have a chance.

The unfortunate truth is "better" parenting cannot be done without better political leadership (but there's a causality loop here - so progress is almost impossible). The current generation of poorly raised parents are raising their children with inappropriate values (which I consider child abuse). We have an enduring thread of poor parenting lead by the "FOX News" marching band.

When we moved to Southern Utah (next to Zion NP), coffee, particularly good coffee was all but impossible to come by (this be Mormon Country). So, I purchased a 50lb bag of un-roasted green beans, and a home roaster.

That was back in 2006. I am now in Bend, Oregon and I still roast my own beans (Six Bean Espresso Blend from Coffeebeandirect.com). It is the best coffee I have ever had, and around $5/pound.

I have a prosumer espresso machine called an Exobar II which is plumbed-in. My wife and I only have one or two cups a day (Americanos). We are now so spoiled with the best fresh-roasted coffee, it is difficult to tolerated anything from any coffee shop.

When I sent a birthday card to my brother in Hawaii from New York, it cost an outrageous $0.46! I mean, a guy stopped by my house. He picked up my outgoing mail. He drove back to the office. They sorted it. Put it on a plane. Got it to Hawaii. Then a puddle jumper to Maui. Then sorted again. Put it on a jeep. Drove it to the other end of the island. Then delivered it to the door. Then the new tenant wrote "no longer at this address: please forward". Then a guy picked it up..... \

The delivery ended up in Lodi, CA. My brother sent me an email "thank you", and gave me his new address.

I mean, seriously? It is outrageous to me that that level of service should cost 46 cents! Should be no more than a quarter.

Years ago, when I signed up for my Gmail account, I was aware that Google "reads" my email and directs ads my way. I don't care.

For Google's services I pay exactly $0.00. What I get from Google: A free phone number with great phone management SW; free phone calls to/from. free text-messages; free turn-by-turn GPS navigation; free education at Google University (Google Search); free secure document storage, and sharing; free entertainment with YouTube; free language translation (used it in Israel and Jordan last year); free GPS track-file maker; free trip planing tools (Google Earth, Google Search, Google Maps, etc.).

I'm stopping now. I think I've covered the low hanging fruit.

I plotted my navigation on my Nexus-7 from Jerusalem down to Eilat in Israel a couple of months ago. Google saved me a lot of frustration and time on navigating the bizarre "spaghetti"-like intersections and roads out of Jerusalem (a "Middle East" pack for Garmin would have cost me a lot more than I paid Google: $0.00, and Google doesn't charge for updates).

Normally, the only time I click on an ad, is when I see one from Microsoft, Apple, or some other company I don't care for. I know in some cases it can cost the advertiser 50-cents to four dollars or more per click. I know it's trivial, but I feel like I am helping pay for all my benefit.

Without a doubt as far as I am concerned, I am getting the better end of the deal, than Google is getting from me "targeting" ads specific to my emails. BTW, Google, thanks for showing me the ad for Linode.com! I have been a happy customer for about a year now.

I have friends in Turkey. Two doctors my wife and I met when we traveled there 12 years ago. They were secular, but bathed in the culture of Islam. I am sure that they are not happy about repressing science.

When we traveled through Turkey the vast majority of people were very friendly and helpful. This is true with the Muslims I met just a couple months ago in Jordan. However, we could not help but notice as friendly as they were, about 1/2 of the population lived as slaves. One vocal male friendly Muslim simply thought my perspective (science and reason) was so misinformed about the world, he just laughed at the "silly" and very misguided nature of Westerners. So much so, that a debate on the subject would be as convincing as somebody attempting to prove the existence of Odin, Thor, Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy to me. It just aint gonna happen.

As for me, I live in the US where reason and science are held in the highest esteem and totally respected.

I live in Bend, Oregon and I have a start-up company with the same mind-set of people who work at a start-up: long hours. Myself and my employees will work for a few hours in the morning, then take off 3 hours around noon every other day and go play. Then come back to work again. Sometimes, I'll do a 5 mile run in the morning, and 3-5 hours of activities after 4pm.

In the winter it's 45 minutes from leaving my terminal to getting on the lift chair at Mt. Bachelor. Or, 30 minutes to free groomed Nordic skiing (classic or skate) at Virginia Meissner Snow Park. In the summer, it's less than 5 minutes to over 200 miles of connected Mountain Biking trails; or trail running in the mountains; or 45 minutes from the desk to the rock of Smith Rock (one of the best rock climbing areas in the West); or road-biking right out the door, where the US Nationals are held every year.

We work everyday, pretty much. Very much like any start-up. But, with all the world-class recreation right outside the door, who needs to be a weekend-warrior?

And then, on Friday's, after work (around 4pm)... we pick a great local brew-pub... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siv2_defWKg

just my $.02 worth ... (btw, we're looking for others to join us!)

How do I change my 80%-100% vote response? I misread "waking time" as "wanking time".

You are 100% right. Sorry, I have nothing clever to add.

I have less concern for cameras because I've watched the Bourne movies. "They" can see you instantly from all the cameras in ATMs, malls, street lights, (just a sec I have to adjust the tin-foil hat I'm wearing so the Gov. can't read my thoughts).

If you don't think that Homeland Security already reads everything being emailed and posted on the popular social networking sites, as well as a general gleaning of all sites, then you live in a world I'd like to be part of. They scan for key phrases, and if it matches an alert level, it gets kicked "upstairs" to a human reader; phrases like "New Clear BOMs"; "Kiel the Press a Dent" and "please vote for Obama" :)

printf("I am over %x, and I am still relevant, and right good code', 50);

The people who don't "get it" will slam me... have at it...

Original Kirk gets my sentimental vote - shoots from the hip
Picard is the sensitive choice
Spock is the logical choice

However, the command of BSG (revisioned BSG) with Adama is what I prefer. The actually had bathrooms on BSG. Multi-season Recurring characters got killed. When somebody got injured, they weren't back to 100% by the next episode. There is one sequence when Starbuck got an injury to her leg, and it was about six or seven episodes later that she finally got to fly again.