First Blog

With the arrest of a man for quadruple homicides in Washington DC this week, having been found first by his DNA signature leading to a name,and then tracking his cell phone traffic*, we are confronted with the issue of whether all citizens should have on file a DNA record.  One's DNA signature is absolutely unique. Of course, when there is an issue, there is a controversy.  Should we or shouldn't we have such records?  The one group claims individual rights while the other claims the greater good.  Samo, samo. In this note we argue in favor of DNA typing.  Here are some reasons. a. Clearly when a perp leaves DNA floating about, he/she becomes more easily identifiable.  Just as in the early days of finger printing.  Now no self-respecting perp leaves those about anymore.  b. Having a DNA signature will allow medical researchers in the decades ahead to make dramatic correlations between the DNA and various diseases and other medical conditions.  This could lead to remarkab

Many people know how to handle kindness, love, and charity. For they know how to give these. Other people know how to handle hate, vengeance, and retribution, for the same reason. Love is a curious commodity.  Note the word "commodity.".  It implies capacity, intensity, quality, constancy, and longevity.  Humans vary, and so do their expressions and meanings of love. More importantly is their capacity for love.  Remarkably, many have diminished capacity for love, but unlimited capacity for hate, a mirrored expression of feelings. Soccer is the only sport I know of where the fans regularly sing in chorus.  The songs are filled with joy and enthusiasm. It must be inspiring to the home team.  In soccer, with relegation* the norm, the excitement of games for teams near the bottom are every bit as high as games between the top contenders.  However, it is relatively easy to see large differences in the quality of the play.  *The bottom three teams are relegated

The Police.   There is a strong movement toward which all police officers must wear body cameras.   The claim is that not only will such cameras deter abuse and other conflagrations of the law, but will document the officer’s daily activities.   The camera will create a log of all activities of this officer, and this is becomes a part of the officer’s permanent file.    A few consequences on the pro side include Documentation of abusive actions of the officer.  Clarification of charges made by the officer or by the perpetrator. A strict adherence by the officer to written procedures. These sound like a welcome relief to the critics.   And for about 1% of all police officers, it means that the tendency to abuse must be curtailed.   This sounds good.   However, there is a con side to this. 1.        As mentioned above, the officer’s permanent file containing all encounters will reveal all mistakes made, and there will be these.   2.        The camera will make the o

My dad used to say if you want a serious problem to solve, find one that no one has yet solved. Knowing now that the best minds work on the hardest problems, these unsolved or open problems must be difficult. In this short piece, we talk about time, its elusive meaning, and its close cousin of order. The God Problem.  Is there or isn't there?  Those that believe do believe on faith, an inner sense of knowing.  Those that don't mostly believe it is only a matter of time and the endeavors of science to solve there is no God.  But suppose such a solution is offered?  The universe is this way or that...  But who made the universe is the next level.  But suppose the universe is this way or that?  Then how were the laws created?  And when this is resolved, how did the laws come into place?  In short, what ever is resolved, the next question is "Why's that? Who did that?"  The God Problem is one of infinite regression for the scientist, but solvable by act of faith alone

For years now, various parties both inside the USA and out have been claiming the Iranians are getting close to having sufficient fissionable materials to build a nuclear bomb. From 2012 onwards this party or that has made claims of three months, six months, up to a year or more to reach that milestone.  In the meantime, Iran seems to have increased their numbers of functioning centrifuges - needed to separate the heavier versions of uranium.  Lately, estimates are two-three months, six months, and up to a year or more.  Hmmm... So far, no one has suggested the Iranians already have enough such material. Do the math.  Even accounting for the wildest estimates from 2012 on, it seems certain or certainly plausible the milestone has been reached.  I conjecture Iran is working now toward multiples of critical mass materials.  Of course, they won't tell us, and even if we (i.e. the govt) knows, they won't tell us. Other countries, particularly those with sophisticated intelligenc

Many robots, at the industrial, home, and combat levels now exist.   They are becoming more powerful almost at a Moore’s law rate of doubling capacity every 18 months.   For decades now, many movies have depicted robots at more human levels.   Many of these films and let’s say “philosophers of robotics” suggest robots exceeding human capacity in almost every way.   One recent movie, “The Machine”, illustrates a robot vastly more powerful that humans, intellectually and emotionally, but also more human that humans.   They can pass the Turing test (Imitation game*) easily.   Ray Kurzweil** suggests that computer intellectual capacity will exceed humans by 2050,   easily passing the Turning test, and that by 2099 clear distinctions between humans and machines will no longer exist.   This is a tall order, if only considering the aspects of problems solving.***     Steven Hawking**** suggests that robots may be the next evolutionary step of humanity, and that perhaps humans have co

It may be widely believe that knowledge progresses gradually, in small steps, in gentle increments, or in slight gradations.  It may be not so, even for us as individuals.  New knowledge or understanding often begins with insights.  When you gain an insight, and it is true, it becomes applicable and remains so from then on.     This changes one’s problem solving game. This insight provides a new tool or rule, but importantly   it creates a discontinuity in your problem solving methods.    So, we might ask whether insights can come gradually?   In some cases, probably yes, though examples are difficult to furnish.  The emergence of infinity, often credited to Cantor, took centuries of dancing around the edges by philosophers.  The germ theory of disease so often attributed to Pasteur was anticipated almost with the invention of the microscope.   On the other hand plate tectonics seemed to arise by a simple insight by a single person, Alfred Wegener, in 1912 and took a mere half

Everyone these days is flying up to the cloud, for storage of files (dropbox, onedrive, etc). for transmission of information, for communication.  Yet, I am suspicious.  When posting information to one of these free or even private clouds, there is an organization behind the service, often a free service.  No service is in business to simply "give" to the client a valuable portal toward information transmission of any kind. Once a file is up there on the cloud, someone has access, someone wants to know what you are doing, someone wishes to mine the information for advantage.  Someone wants to and needs to pay their electric bill.  Information must be exchanged for cash, influence, or other value. There is a consequence of payment, whether it be so benign as to determine products that may be of interest, to understand confidential aspects of your life, your family, your company, or your government. Private servers are subject to hacking. Public servers are the same but wit

Utopian worlds.   Now. For millions of people, the world is completely safe (or at least a safe place).   Sure, there are threats, but only distant threats or possibilities of distant threats. These people need not be rich.   Many are poor.   Most have a modest income, with housing, with security, few with challenges either to survive, to succeed, other than to enjoy daily safe living.   The recourse to safety and security is significant.   It is foundational as many have noted.   With it, they may operate with impunity, and without it there come suspicion.  It may be callous to mention that this is precisely the hope promised by most retirement communities.   For the retired, this is a well-deserved world paid for with a lifetime of experience, toil, and savings. It is the dream come true – pardon the age.   It is as near as some get to utopia.   Gone are those cares of their past, of jobs, of homes, including that of survival. Community builders advertise exactly this world,