Mentatul

Month: September 2016

  • CRISPR. Designer Babies on the Way?

    CRISPR. Designer Babies on the Way?

    It was bound to happen sooner or later. CRISPR^, the acronym associated with a major breakthrough in genetic engineering has just brought us much closer to being able to perform arbitrary changes in living organisms. This is important because it may bring us closer to finding cures for thousands of diseases, create anti-aging treatments and even change features in our unborn children.

    Below, you will find more information along with an easy to understand video about bioengineering and a future the use of CRISPR might create.

    http://www.sciencealert.com/this-video-explains-perfectly-why-crispr-really-will-change-humanity-forever

    I found the video to be a bit on the wishful thinking side. Some years ago we thought very highly about mapping the human genome but the results were seriously below optimists’ expectations. While CRISPR is definitely a step forward in our knowledge about the building blocks* of life, using this knowledge is much more complex than a video-cartoon would like to illustrate.

    I sometimes feel that these videos bank on our wishful thinking. Even worse, they tend to play down the serious ethical concerns resulting from some of the proposed advances (they claim that we already perform pre-selection of fetuses so why not go further? To me, that’s like saying that using a nuclear bomb is fine if we already used a pistol). Will a poor family in Africa afford to genetically improve their children? Also, let’s not forget that our medicine is still quite primitive and life is not actually made of “building blocks”. It’s all much more complex than that.

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  • Trump, in. Musk, out. Escaping to Mars

    Trump, in. Musk, out. Escaping to Mars

    After months of reading the media coverage about the elections in the USA, the Tesla Motors chief has become seriously depressed. Fortunately, after a meeting with his secret team of advisers, Musk came up with a plan^:

    “We realized that there is a fantastic business opportunity here. There are very many Americans who, like me, would prefer to evacuate Earth after the election, regardless of who wins. Therefore, in the coming years, we intend to purchase several mining companies and strip-mine the planet, sending as many people as possible to Mars. For a modest price, of course.”

    Around the world, demonstrators gathered in support of the measure. Apparently, the same feeling is felt in many other countries; the feeling that democracy is a fake and that the options on the menu are controlled by the Establishment^.

    We’ve reached out to NASA for a comment. We got the following statement out of NASA’s administrator, Charles Bolden:

    “We’re really thankful to Elon. Considering that in the following years more and more of our country’s budget will go into buggy fighter airplanes^ and cyber-warfare^, we will probably find ourselves without a job by 2020. We expect that after the elections Elon’s business will… let’s say skyrocket… and he’ll definitely consider hiring us into the sprawling SpaceX empire.”

    Not surprisingly, many personalities have already pledged several hundreds of millions of dollars in order to be on the first boat to leave the backward, dying world.

    “We’ll bring high quality rap to Mars, we’ll make Mars an artist’s paradise”, said Kanye West, donning a cap with a blinged-out racing car wheel with a picture of Mars in the middle.

    Religious personalities won’t be missing either. Here’s what Romanian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Daniel had to say: “We believe that every man, woman and child has the right to spiritual education. Our 21st century educational model is unsurpassed in the entire Europe. Our Sunday School will provide the perfect spiritual nourishment for the home-sick cosmonaut.”

    BREAKING UPDATE: soon after publishing this article, we were contacted by Donald Trump’s campaign HQ with the following statement:

    Donald would like to thank you for publishing what is undoubtedly a truth of the modern world. This state of fact has upset Mister Trump for a great many years, which is partially the reason for his sometimes erratic behavior. However, Donald would like to promise that shortly after he is being elected, he will formally request that SpaceX is given at least as much budget as NASA.

    Also, as a new-found faithful Christian, Donald will take a page from the Bible and send his flesh and blood, his son, lovingly called Donald Trump Junior, as one of the first colonists to Mars. Mister Trump has asked me to forward the following official statement:

    “Donald will sacrifice himself to deliver all Martians from sin. He will work tirelessly from his mansion on top of Olympus Mons to best represent Mars in the colony’s relations with me, Emperor of Earth, Trump the First.”
     

    This text has been published in the “Satire” category for a good reason.
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  • Yonderboi – I Am Cgi

    Yonderboi – I Am Cgi

    Even though it starts with a rather plain guitar, there’s something about those early seconds that betray this song for the chameleon that it really is. Soon enough, all sorts of other rhythms and sounds pop out of nowhere and it becomes harder and harder to slap a genre over this melody.

    And why would we? Genres may be good for helping us find more of the music that we like, but at times, the terminology that we use to categorize works of art becomes the fence that limits the artist’s creativity. The good news is that Yonderboi didn’t allow himself to be limited by anything.

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ToEp7jgfE^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/2ZpK1QsOsIQd0L6lHi8yy4^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/45045191^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01050-YonderboiPassiveControl-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Yonderboi – I Am Cgi’ desc=’Even though it starts with a rather plain guitar, there's something about those early seconds that betray this song for the chameleon that it really is.’]

  • The Internet Is 25 Years Old

    The Internet Is 25 Years Old

    Few discoveries have changed mankind so much in so little time. Even fewer have their future in as much doubt as the Internet. Even though the Internet is still technically open and anybody’s public thoughts can be accessed, it doesn’t mean that worthy information can actually reach the people that need it.

    Search engines have become gate-keepers of sorts while social networks transform themselves into walled gardens. Mobile apps are also filtering out the open web into cute little boxes where companies keep their users enthralled:

    http://www.wired.com/2016/08/25-world-wide-web-still-long-way-reality/^

    Some time ago, I wanted to use Google’s AdWords to publish an advert for one of my articles. I was censored. Why? Because my article was titled “The Virtual Reality Revolution^”. And of course, nobody in the establishment likes to see the world “revolution” printed anywhere, right? Right?

    And while we’re at it, check out this article^ I wrote about 3 months ago regarding social threats to the Internet (as opposed to the ones that are featured in this posting, which I’d classify as economical and technological).

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/00744-TheUncertainFateOfTheInternet-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Internet Is 25 Years Old’ desc=’Is the Web still open? Search engines have become gate-keepers of sorts while social networks transform themselves into walled gardens.’]

  • The Danger Posed by Vehicles with Tinted Windows

    The Danger Posed by Vehicles with Tinted Windows

    Quote: “the need for the eye contact is something hard to do with tinted windows. As a pedestrian, before you step off a curb when you arrive at a four-way stop, the interaction with a driver requires a degree of not just acknowledgment, but trust. I have to know what you intend to do, and I have to know that you’ve seen me. Think of how often you respond differently because you see someone on the phone or texting. You need this information, and dark tinting obscures it.”

    I don’t normally start my recommendations with a quote from the article I’m recommending, but sometimes I make exceptions. This time, the reason is that the quote I started with is exactly what made me feature this article. The same quote also got me thinking about how will pedestrians interact with self-driving vehicles. Food for thought…

    There’s quite a lot of regional information in the article (pertaining to Canada). But once we get thinking about the dangers of tinted windows, a lot of risks will immediately pop into a driver’s mind: dangers of changing lanes in the dark, parking in an insufficiently lit garage and so on. Conclusion? Don’t tint your windows.

    http://driving.ca/chrysler/300/auto-news/news/the-dark-side-of-tinted-windows^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01040-DarkWindowTinting-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Danger Posed by Vehicles with Tinted Windows’ desc=’Window tinting removes trust between driver and pedestrian and brings in more risks.’]

  • Cold Play – Up & Up

    Cold Play – Up & Up

    Sweetness is on the menu for today. And since today is every day for every reader, sweetness is on the menu forever. Oh yes, this beautiful dreamy melody can definitely inspire us to do some thinking about the meaning of life.

    I find myself lacking the words to properly describe this song. Technically, it’s a good rock piece, but really, it’s much more than that. Cold Play’s uplifting song comes along with a beautiful, dreamy, chilled-out video. Make sure you see it; I think it’ll deliver you what I can’t with words.

    “Lying in the gutter, aiming for the moon
    Trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon
    Up and up, up and up

    How come people suffer? How come people part?
    How come people struggle? How come people
    Break your heart? Break your heart?

    Yes I wanna grow, yes I want to feel
    Yes I wanna know, show me how to
    Heal it up, heal it up

    […]

    We’re gonna get it, get it together
    I know, we’re gonna get it, get it together and float
    We’re gonna get it, get it together and go
    Up, and up, and up

    […]

    Fixing up a car to drive in it again
    When you’re in pain, when you think you’ve had enough
    Don’t ever give up
    Don’t ever give up

    Believe in love”

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNTC7uZYrI^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/31L9yLXSj6LpCFupyMV6CR^

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  • China Invests in Quantum Cryptography and Not a Moment Too Late

    China Invests in Quantum Cryptography and Not a Moment Too Late

    In the past years, a steady stream of revelations has shown the extent at which governments spy on us. This shocked nobody in the know. We’ve suspected it all along. When it comes to nation-states, however, it’s a different story. Countries don’t like it when other nations are snooping around in their backyard. Enter quantum cryptography^.

    Edward Snowden along with WikiLeaks and other organizations have exposed parts of America’s cyber-espionage program. Now, we finally see some of the rewards coming from those revelations. China is moving towards ensuring secure and private communications for itself and, I suspect in the near future, for any entity that pays a hefty fee. Large corporations will definitely be interested in having access to a spy-proof communications network:

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37091833^

    Well played China, well played!

    Update 2016-09-21: important new developments in quantum teleportation will undoubtedly pave the way for secure communication: http://phys.org/news/2016-09-quantum-internet-teleport-particle-kilometres.html^

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  • Delerium – Sky (Tears From Heaven) (feat. Kristy Thirsk)

    Delerium – Sky (Tears From Heaven) (feat. Kristy Thirsk)

    A gentle beginning leads the listener to a menacing bass line. But bear with it and be lead to a moment when the song metamorphoses into one of the most beautiful harmonies I’ve ever heard. Kristy truly shines as a singer, following the dualistic construction of the melody to perfection. At times she feels hopeless and depressed, only to arise to ecstasy a minute later.

    The lyrics are wonderful, the music is sublime. I am happy to have lived a life that has led me to appreciate Delerium’s art to its full potential. Songs like this remind me that often, happiness is measured in tears. May we all be forgiven and may we all forgive.

    “Oh, when the lights are low
    Tears from heaven will fall
    On my heart, on my heart
    I can feel them clean my soul
    And take my sadness away
    When the lights are low
    I’m not alone, I’m not alone, no”

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCoT3aD4aIs^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    http://open.spotify.com/track/0rDr8srTDIlMOvAiPPCHbr^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/77573196^

    Full lyrics at:

    http://lyrics.wikia.com/Delerium:Sky_%28Tears_From_Heaven%29^

    This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This project was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

    The original FaceBook review was: This profoundly emotional melody features one of the most beautiful voices known to me, Kristy Thirsk. Collaborating with her was a brilliant decision by Delerium, as she adds a dimension of haunting beauty to the song. This piece is also very powerful on the lyrical side, making it one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy!

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01025-DeleriumMusicBoxOpera-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Delerium – Sky (Tears From Heaven) (feat. Kristy Thirsk)’ desc=’Kristy truly shines as a singer, following the dualistic construction of the melody to perfection. At times she feels hopeless and depressed, only to arise to ecstasy a minute later.’]

  • The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten

    The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten

    The fact that the educational system is flawed is not news. However, one would think that at least we’re working on improving the situation. Well, not quite. Apparently, in some countries they keep cutting into creative classes and replacing them with reading class:

    http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Lecker-The-disturbing-transformation-of-5256686.php^

    Perhaps what’s desired of children by the many countries following this sort of educational paradigm is to be able to read instructions and be nice little drones? Is this some sort of revenge of the support technicians that waste too much time due to users that don’t read the manuals that came with their products? Regardless of the source of this misguided change, it’s probably not going to help, unless the goal is to ruin our children’s creativity and thus, happiness.

    Still, let’s be thankful that at least we have such a thing as an educational system. It certainly has its merits. At least it got us thinking about the system itself. Now let’s continue thinking about it while in the same time act for improving it, because let’s get one thing straight: we didn’t get here as a species by reading instructions, but by being creative.

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  • Photek – Aviator

    Photek – Aviator

    Sometimes a song shows up that is rather straightforward in its arrangement and yet manages to deliver quite the ear massage. The steady percussion is joined by some lonely chords and a set of flying keyboards, waving and meandering all around the place. Simple and addictive.

    You can purchase the song (or album) from Hard Wax. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Photek’s album :).

    https://hardwax.com/63473/photek/aviator/^

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqlQb-nRrDI^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/03xcPS4OJ0ZbGNPSH2nODY^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01015-PhotekAviator-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Photek – Aviator’ desc=’Sometimes a song shows up that is rather straightforward in its arrangement and yet manages to deliver quite the ear massage.’]