Contrary Brin
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Facing a future of technologic wonders: Artificial Intelligence
Don't be demoralized; we've faced waves of anti-science mania before.
Today, let's assume we decide to resume being a boldly confident,
ever-ambitious, scientific and technological civilization, in which
children believe they can be better than their parents... but parents
make that goal hard to achieve, in the best way, because we're improving
too! Okay then, consider some innovations that will
Economics under Trump
Please. We have one hope. That a civilization built by pragmatic
idealists -- who used fact-grounded skills to craft a nation and a
gradually better society -- can somehow use facts to save it. We will
win this on two fronts: (1) by steadily peeling away from the rabid
confederacy more adult Americans, one by one... and (2) by showing
die-hard confeds that their self-interest does not lie with th
Revenge of the Deep State?
" Deep State " is a buzz phrase that's been around. It stands for the
obstinate obstruction that political reformers may face - even when they
win elections - from a nation's civil servants, bureaucrats,
contractors, influential stakeholders and - especially - the security
apparatus. The term was used for many years on the left , citing the
last moderate Republican president, Dwight Eisenhower, w
Feb 22
Trump's Divided America
This reporter tried hard, for a week to live life with no reference to
the President (read Farhad Manjoo in The NY Times ). But this mother of
storms exceeds any combination of known attention storms. Sci fi offers a
simple explanation. He is an attention vampire. However many hate
him... however little he actually accomplishes... an attention vampire
will flourish as ever-more humans look at him
Feb 20
Anticipating upcoming Sci Fi Movies of 2017
Here are my quick takes on 31 sci fi movies to expect in 2017 (as
selected by Bobby Bernstein on NerdMuch ): 1. Underworld: Blood Wars :
Kate Beckinsale is very watchable and there are moments of irony in the
Underworld series, and action. But it betrays the essence of the
lycanthrope - wolfman - mythos, making them just smellier vampires. If
vampires are the aristocratic monsters, and zombies th
Feb 17
Post-election: picking up the pieces
Okay, back to a general post-mortem: let’s focus on the election
itself, starting with two quick dismissals. This was not about working
class pain, or racism. Yeah, yeah, I hear your howls. And sure, maybe a
third of Trump voters have some justified sense of grievance over jobs.
Unemployment dropped dramatically under Obama and his near-record
departing-popularity reflects this. But changes in th
Feb 16
Tech marvels and wonders
Let's do a quick, midweek palate cleaner, and switch to the part of our
nation and civilization that is doing fabulously.... science! And for
starters -- Changing the future of transportation...one of the hyperloop
companies claims to be ready for full-scale tests. An F/A-18 Hornet
releases a swarm of over a hundred mini drones that swarm with
collective intelligence, like birds. Yow. Can we stop
Feb 13
It's a tough world out there: and now a drumbeat for war on Iran.
Papa Heinlein promised us interesting times during what he forecast as
"The Crazy Years." And boy are we in it. I'll have more, later, about
Heinlein's creepy-on-target prescience. But today, let's focus on
International affairs. = The scariest thing == Of course the thing to
dread is misuse of the powers of the state, either turning them against
us or else spasmodically flinging them about in wa
Feb 10
Can cheating be combatted?
As I mentioned, earlier, liberals should start practicing judo. Start
by accepting Trump’s demand for a commission to investigate electoral
fraud . A call that is now echoed in this article from Salon . Watch, as
they scurry to back away from the demand. Indeed. Former Attorney
General Eric Holder has signed on to lead the National Democratic
Redistricting Committee , a newly formed political gro
Feb 07
Is Class War as Inevitable as the Return of Karl Marx?
I've long written how we should envision America as a continuing
revolution against the failed feudal model that crushed human hope in
99% of human societies, across 6000 years. Indeed, our major issues
today have little to do with the hoary, lobotomizing “left-right axis.”
Not when Enterprise, markets, entrepreneurship and national defense all
do vastly better across Democratic administrations,
Feb 03
Start planning the revolution! In real life and in sci fi
First items you all have probably heard by now - news that Donald
Trump's senior staff all use t he same RNC email server that
mysteriously disappeared 22 million messages during George W. Bush's
administration and one that U.S. intelligence services believe was
compromised by the Russians at the same time as the DNC's. The Trump
campaign hammered Hillary Clinton for her using a private email ser
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