Wired 8.04: Why the future doesn't need us. Why the future doesn't need us. Our most powerful 21st-century technologies - robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech - are threatening to make humans an endangered species. From the moment I became involved in the creation of new technologies, their ethical dimensions have concerned me, but it was only in the autumn of 1998 that I became anxiously aware of how great are the dangers facing us in the 21st century. I can date the onset of my unease to the day I met Ray Kurzweil, the deservedly famous inventor of the first reading machine for the blind and many other amazing things. Ray and I were both speakers at George Gilder's Telecosm conference, and I encountered him by chance in the bar of the hotel after both our sessions were over. While I had heard such talk before, I had always felt sentient robots were in the realm of science fiction. It's easy to get jaded about such breakthroughs. Kaczynski's actions were murderous and, in my view, criminally insane.
WHEN NOVELISTS SOBER UP Writers who drink are old hat. But what about writers who quit drinking? Tom Shone has been studying them for his new novel ... From INTELLIGENT LIFE Magazine, Summer 2009 John Cheever was most unhappy to be picked up for vagrancy by the cops. “My name is John Cheever!” He was the first American author of his rank to do so. Writing involves fantasy; alcohol promotes fantasy. There is good reason to be suspicious of this: one could as easily come up with a similar list for firefighters, or nannies, the only real difference being that writers are more vocal about it—their denial more pithily expressed. In America William Faulkner and Scott Fitzgerald were the Paris and Britney of their day, caught in the funhouse mirror of fame, their careers a vivid tabloid mash-up of hospitalisations and electroshock therapies. In fact none of these authors would write much that was any good beyond the age of 40, Faulkner’s prose seizing up with sclerosis, Hemingway sinking into unbudgeable mawkishness.
s Gravity Probe B confirms two Einstein theories Artist concept of Gravity Probe B orbiting the Earth to measure space-time, a four-dimensional description of the universe including height, width, length, and time. Stanford and NASA researchers have confirmed two predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, concluding one of the space agency's longest-running projects. Known as Gravity Probe B, the experiment used four ultra-precise gyroscopes housed in a satellite to measure two aspects of Einstein's theory about gravity. The first is the geodetic effect, or the warping of space and time around a gravitational body. The second is frame-dragging, which is the amount a spinning object pulls space and time with it as it rotates. After 52 years of conceiving, building, testing and waiting, the science satellite has determined both effects with unprecedented precision by pointing at a single star, IM Pegasi, while in a polar orbit around Earth. The findings appear online in the journal Physical Review Letters. 0 Stumble
Romance is still alive: Portal 2 proposal wows Web COMMON MISTAKES MADE WHEN WRITING A BOOK IN MICROSOFT WORD When writing your book you should separate the writing from the formatting. Write first, format later. However, there are some steps you can make when writing that will make the job of formatting easier and help prevent errors in the formatting process. Below are some of the most common issues I see in documents sent to me to be formatted. Extra spaces or tabs used to create an indent for the first line of each paragraphTwo or more paragraph breaks between paragraphsTwo spaces between sentences instead of oneManual line breaks at the end of each line of text in a paragraphTwo line breaks inserted at the end of a paragraph instead of a paragraph breakUsing tabs at the end of a paragraph to create a new paragraphCreating complex tables, charts, graphs at a page size larger than your book sizeUsing only a paragraph break to create a scene break between paragraphsA series of paragraph breaks (created by hitting the enter key) to force text onto the next page 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
more-money-for-struggling-homeowners-smartmoney: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance A new federal program is offering aid with a sweet kicker: It doesn't need to be repaid. For the roughly four million homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments, the federal government is offering yet another remedy: free money to catch up on their loans. The effort, called the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program, is the latest in the federal government's efforts to slow down the flood of foreclosures a necessary step to a meaningful recovery in the housing market, says a Department of Housing and Urban Development official. The goal, says HUD, is to offer short-term aid to people who look like they'll be back on their feet soon. Rolled out by HUD and the nonprofit housing advocacy group NeighborWorks America, the program is making loans with far better terms than anything on offer at a local bank. But some critics say that's where help for consumers ends. Others say the program doesn't go far enough. Popular Stories on Yahoo! • 10 Dirtiest Cities in America
Interview Cheat Sheet Relax -- a cheat sheet is not really cheating. It's a checklist to make sure you stay focused before, during and after the interview. Creating a cheat sheet will help you feel more prepared and confident. You shouldn't memorize what's on the sheet or check it off during the interview. You should use your cheat sheet to remind you of key facts. In the Days Before the Interview Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. Prepare Your Interview Answers Be ready to answer common interview questions such as these: Before You Go to the Interview Do you look professional? Carry these items to the interview: Several copies of your resume on quality paper.A copy of your references.A pad of paper on which to take notes, though notes are optional.Directions to the interview site. Upon Arrival During the Interview After the Interview