Matrix-Style
Virtual Worlds 'A Few Years Away'
by Colin Barras, New Scientist
Are supercomputers on the verge of creating Matrix-style simulated
realities? Michael McGuigan at Brookhaven National Laboratory in
Upton, New York, thinks so. He says that virtual worlds realistic
enough to be mistaken for the real thing are just a few years away.
In 1950, Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science,
proposed the ultimate test of artificial intelligence a human
judge engaging in a three-way conversation with a machine and
another human should be unable to reliably distinguish man from
machine.
A variant on this "Turing Test" is the "Graphics Turing Test", the
twist being that a human judge viewing and interacting with an
artificially generated world should be unable to reliably
distinguish it from reality.
"By interaction we mean you could control an object rotate it, for
example and it would render in real-time," McGuigan says...
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Teleportation,
Time Travel and Aliens - A Vision of Tomorrow Today
Even the most outlandish science fiction
could become fact, says professor
by James Randerson, Guardian.co.uk
Einstein gave hope to scientists chasing the most outlandish
theories when he famously declared: "If at first, the idea is not
absurd, then there is no hope for it."
He then proved the existence of black holes and the notion that time
passes more slowly the faster you travel.
Now one of the world's most distinguished physicists has scrutinised
some of science fiction's other concepts, such as teleportation and
forcefields, and is convinced that they too can become reality.
Professor Michio Kaku, of City University in New York, has ruled out
time travel for at least a few millennia, but believes invisibility
cloaks and telepathy could be possible this century...
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'Regional' Nuclear
War Would Cause Worldwide Destruction
by Alexis Madrigal, Wired
Think you might escape the aftereffects of a limited nuclear war
that happens on the other side of the globe from you? Think again.
Imagine that the long-simmering conflict between India and Pakistan
broke out into a war in which each side deployed 50 nuclear weapons
against the other country's megacities. Karachi, Bombay, and dozens
of other South Asian cities catch fire like Hiroshima and Nagasaki
did at the end of World War II.
Beyond the local human tragedy of such a situation, a new study
looking at the atmospheric chemistry of regional nuclear war finds
that the hot smoke from burning cities would tear holes in the ozone
layer of the Earth. The increased UV radiation resulting from the
ozone loss could more than double DNA damage, and increase cancer
rates across North America and Eurasia...
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UFO Enthusiast Chases Truth, Seat in Congress
Libertarian plans to seek
1st District seat; claims that outer space phenomenon ignored
by Thomas Burr, The Salt Lake
Tribune
WASHINGTON - A
typical campaign kickoff doesn't resemble an X-Files convention. Nor
is there usually discussion of UFOs crisscrossing the night sky or
of government programs to conceal extraterrestrial technology.
And most politicians yearning for office avoid banners proclaiming,
"It's not about the lights in the sky, but about the lies on the
ground."
Joseph Buchman, however, announced his candidacy for the 1st
Congressional District of Utah under that banner, and his official
announcement was book-ended by talk of the news media ignoring signs
of extraterrestrial visits and the military's blockade of
information about outer space visitors.
"I don't mind being seen as a wacko because to me, the world looks
completely wacked," said Buchman, the Libertarian nominee for the
seat of Republican Rep. Rob Bishop. Buchman wore a black tie covered
in planets and stars and galaxies to the news conference at the
National Press Club in Washington.
It may not be the most politically expedient place to launch a
congressional bid for a Utahn, but the Park City resident pressed
on. He called on Congress to revoke any secrecy oaths the government
has forced on military personnel or private contractors so they can
talk openly about what they have seen regarding extraterrestrial
activity.
And he wants Congress to hold open hearings on the subject...
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How Does Aspartame Damage Your
Brain?
ENN
Consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the
ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally, according
to a new review by scientists from the University of Pretoria
and the University of Limpopo.
The review found that high doses of the sweetener may lead to
neurodegeneration. It has also previously been found that
aspartame consumption can cause neurological and behavioral
disturbances in sensitive individuals...
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