mbravo

Isn't this mostly a software problem (plus a way to have something to dump the current generated if the battery is full?)

Awesome! Drop me a line at my nickname at acm.org a bit closer to the date, and we'll sync up!

To update, I'm going to hear Mr. Gibson in London on February 4th In case anyone decides to trek it to UK, here are the links for the event in Bristol on Feb 3rd and in London on Feb …

disclaimer: I don't use or own an iPhone. My wife does. For me, iPhones just do not work, I get annoyed approximately 5 seconds after having one in hand. For GMail management - find a PC/Mac/Chromebook, something with a real browser, go to …

I have been a user of various personal trackers for years. Went through a few Fitbits, owned a BASIS watch before they were acquired by Intel and promptly scrapped, etc. For the moment I settled with the cheapest Garmin Forerunner, the 235. My wife …

And if Chris didn't, maybe he can look forward to the Anova's product to ship this year, seems to be nice (I use their original sous vide cooker, and they only improved after being bought by Electrolux).

Couldn't find any mention of packet radio in this conversation, but as a former user of such (ex-UA1AME), I can tell you that the easiest explanation is - imagine an old-style phone modem, which is connected not to a phone, but to an amateur radio …

I feel a stab of bitter irony that Iran has confessed to shooting down the passenger plane in error, even though the timing could not be worse for them, and Russia has not and probably will never take responsibility for MH117 :/

I think there are no "rights", at least as in "natural rights". In my understanding, having some requires at the very least a religion - because an existence of a "right" requires backing, a guarantor, someone or something that would make sure the …

Thanks for thinking of me! I'll pass, though - not that I consider myself a master of scientific (or any other, for that matter) thinking, or communication, but I do feel I have some decent basics in both nailed down and a plethora of other things …

> How about this as a 'state of the AI': It was a decent (though super concise, consumer grade) overview a year ago, and it starts from the very thesis I've been trying to advance - that the "AI" hyped and developed and used everywhere today has …

> And yes, the digitization of brains may well happen first, and I have no idea how to predict the effects of that!* On this I can offer two references of note. One, this talk from …

I also find (even though it seems to be a 2nd degree quotation from Larry Summers?) the usage of the Luddite reference very indicative. I would instead point out that > Despite their modern reputation, the original Luddites were neither opposed …

> this change to AI seems inevitable and imminent. I would be interested to see some things supporting this choice of description. Not being an AI expert in the slightest, I do try to keep an eye on things related, and from what I can observe …

Thing is, this isn't banking. It's not just about one-sided consideration of what the bank's risk is. The upside (the other side) is hundreds of thousands of families living above Arctic circle, and what having a reliable (possibly cheap) …

> So I'm not really interested in debating whether we should develop tech or not. I'd just like to advocate for more thorough analysis of the impacts, and asking that both pundits and consumers be more critical and aware before rushing to praise …

Remembered another book that is not a favourite per se, but has left a deep lasting impression - Synners by Pat Cadigan.

My problem is that I have too many hobbies and not enough time :) and I can't but mention that most of those are or can be in some way tied into the "online" world, both because so much of my social circles are intertwined with "online" and because …

On topic, I'll try to list some - because I'm afraid my list could very quickly grow too long. Some of the SF authors I am very fond of hark back to the ones I read young, most likely in Russian translations, at least initially. Those would …

You probably do know but not sure that everyone here realises that the two SpaceX drone ships that are used to land the reusable first stages of Falcon 9s are named after the Ship Minds from The Culture as well :) - both Of Course I Still Love You …

I wouldn't argue that your point of view is alarmist. It is a valid concern. But I do think that such points of view, or angles of attack, if you will, are themselves based on a sort of metacognitive bias. I'll try to explain. Let's zoom out just …

> I have the standard reaction: just because we CAN do something, it does not follow that we SHOULD. While standard, it is a pretty controversial topic. As a reductio ad absurdum, let's boil it down to The Croods animated movie. If we don't do …

> Those were the days (used to be SysOp on 2:381/110)... I started out as 2:490/20.2011, then 2:50/200 then 2:5030/10 while carrying 2:5030/0 hat, and was effectively also co-sysop at 2:5030/2 Couldn't resist posting the magic numbers :)

Somewhat orthogonal to reading, but I hope you will have a chance to watch Andrei Tarkovsky' "Stalker" movie, which is very loosely based on the Roadside Picnic

Definitely not about anyone being apologists, let's say I just can't find the taste in those works. Somehow it repels me. With rare exceptions, like Pelevin (not everything of his, either). Of the others you mention, I read and enjoyed all of …