Threat From Artificial Intelligence Not Just Hollywood Fantasy

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From the dystopian writings of Aldous Huxley and HG Wells to the sinister and apocalyptic vision of modern Hollywood blockbusters, the rise of the machines has long terrified mankind.

But it now seems that the brave new world of science-fiction could become all too real.

An Oxford academic is warning that humanity runs the risk of creating super intelligent computers that eventually destroy us all, even when specifically instructed not to harm people.

Dr Stuart Armstrong, of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, has predicted a future where machines run by artificial intelligence become so indispensable in human lives they eventually make us redundant and take over . . .

Dr Armstrong envisages machines capable of harnessing such large amounts of computing power, and at speeds inconceivable to the human brain, that they will eventually create global networks with each other – communicating without human interference. (Read more from “Threat From Artificial Intelligence Not Just Hollywood Fantasy” HERE)

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Incredible Discovery: Secret Tunnel Near Dracula’s Dungeon Uncovered

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Archaeologists still aren’t entirely sure where a secret passageway beneath a castle in Turkey leads, but visitors can now explore it for themselves. Not far from where Vlad the Impaler—the inspiration for Dracula—was reportedly held in one of two dungeons inside Tokat Castle, the tunnel stretches for about 100 feet before the path is blocked, reports Hurriyet Daily News.

“We have made progress. Since it has an angle of 45 degrees, it is hard to remove stones and earth,” culture and tourism director Abdurrahman Akyuz says of the tunnel, found during restoration efforts in 2009.

“We think that this tunnel was closed in the past to prevent possible danger.” Earlier this year, Akyuz told the Daily Sabah that “the history books record that this passage comes down to Pervane Public Bath with a stairway of 360 steps.” But for now, “it is a total mystery to where this passage leads.” Experts previously said the king’s daughters may have used the passage to access the bath, but all that’s known for certain is that the tunnel, known as Ceylanyolu or Gazelle Passage, stretches into Tokat’s city center, Akyuz says.

It wasn’t the only finding that popped up during the restoration, which is ongoing. Food preparation areas, a military shelter, and the two aforementioned dungeons have also been found over the years. (Read more from “Incredible Discovery: Secret Tunnel Near Dracula’s Dungeon Uncovered” HERE)

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Parking Your Car by Backing It Into Your Driveway Could Soon Be Illegal in This State

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The city council in Jacksonville, Florida, has taken up a proposal that, if approved, would make it illegal for residents to park their cars in any manner that prevents law enforcement from seeing their rear license plates from the street.

For those who live in single-family homes with off-street parking, such a law would make backing into the driveway to park an illegal act. Florida is among a handful of states that don’t require car owners to display license plates at the front of their cars.

The proposed local bill would also require people who use car covers to figure out a way to make the license plates of covered cars similarly visible.

According to The Florida Times-Union, local officials attribute the need for such a law to code enforcers’ inability to cite owners of abandoned vehicles . . .

The bill doesn’t refer to other law enforcement endeavors that might require an unobstructed street view of parked cars — such as the use of license plate scanners. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2012 whether it uses such devices — and what it does with any data it collects — but has not indicated any response. (Read more from “Parking Your Car by Backing It Into Your Driveway Could Soon Be Illegal in This State” HERE)

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The Horrifying Reason That Your Eyes Go Red in the Pool

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According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s not the chlorine in a swimming pool that makes your eyes red and itchy after a swim – it’s the pee. You may want to think twice about not wearing goggles before swimming in that public pool . . .

There is a common misconception that chlorine immediately gets rid of all the nasties that people swimming in a pool may have. Associate director of the CDC’s Healthy Water program Dr. Michael Beach explains to Women’s Health that “Chlorine binds with all the things it’s trying to kill from your bodies, and it forms these chemical irritants. That’s what’s stinging your eyes. It’s the chlorine binding to the urine and sweat” . . .

Speaking frankly of diarrhea, disease outbreaks from public swimming pools are on the rise, according to Beach’s research. Those that swim while experiencing diarrhea are putting others at risk. They don’t actually have to poop in the pool, but any germs on their body could potentially spread to other people in the same water. This is why the CDC strongly recommends that swimmers shower before jumping into the pool. (Read more from “The Horrifying Reason That Your Eyes Go Red in the Pool” HERE)

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Deemed Racist

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Oh the times we live in where food can be deemed racist. In a move Oprah would be proud of, Principal Verenice Gutierrez, of the Harvey Scott K-8 School in Portland, has labeled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as racist.

Apparently, in a move distinguished by the superintendant of the school, an effort was made to, “improve education for students of color.”

Tell me, how does the lunch selection improve the implementation of education?

This is so far beyond politically correct it’s dumfounding. Gutierrez has determined that the fact that the PB&J is on bread, it leads to cultural sensitivity . . .

The principal states that certain students that belong to minorities, take for example, “Somali or Hispanic students,” may not have culturally eaten bread, but instead used things like torta, or pitas. (Read more from “Peanut Butter and Jelly Deemed Racist” HERE)

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Google Accused of Abusive Conduct in Privacy App Case

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An award-winning company founded by former Google engineers is taking legal action against the search engine giant over claims it has engaged in a “pattern of abusive behavior” and is violating privacy rights on a “massive scale.”

Disconnect, a U.S. firm that designs privacy-enhancing technology, has filed a complaint with European antitrust regulators after its Android app was banned from the Google Play Store. The app was designed to protect smartphone users from invisible tracking and malware distributed through online advertisements.

The complaint was submitted earlier this month, but the full allegations were not made public at the time. The Intercept has obtained a copy of the 104-page complaint, which attacks Google over its claimed commitment to privacy and accuses the tech titan of trying to stop people from using the Disconnect app because it poses an “existential threat” to its revenue sources.

Google’s business, the complaint claims, “consists almost entirely of gathering data about the preferences, locations, and behavior of ordinary people and monetizing that data through the sale of targeted advertisements on the Internet.” Because of this, it alleges, Google is “using the full weight of its market power to deny users control over tracking, particularly mobile tracking.”

When you visit a website, usually unbeknown to you, other websites and services try to connect to your device in the background to collect data about your browsing habits. The Disconnect app allows users to view and block these invisible network connections, which the company says “permit intrusions into the personal privacy of users by facilitating tracking and the collection of personal information” and “expose users to risks associated with malware and other forms of cybercrime.” However, some of these same invisible connections are used to generate advertising revenue, an issue that appears to be at the root of Google’s decision to crack down on Disconnect. (Read more from “Google Accused of Abusive Conduct in Privacy App Case” HERE)

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Uber May Track You 24/7

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A privacy group has filed a complaint against Uber for its updated policy of tracking passengers and accessing their personal information.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C., is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the growing ride service, which is considering tracking passengers through their mobile devices — even when they’re not actively using the Uber app.

“Uber will claim the right to collect personal information and detailed location data of American consumers, even when they are not using the service,” EPIC said in its complaint filed Monday.

Uber explained last month in a statement how it collects information on drivers and passengers when they use the service. Uber gathers information through the user’s mobile device to track location, contacts, transactions and other details. The company said it “may also collect the precise location of your device when the app is running in the foreground or background.” (Read more from “Uber May Track You 24/7” HERE)

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Walmart Sells Che Guevara Items Glorifying Racist Communist Thug

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Walmart is selling several posters and prints glorifying dead communist thug Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. Guevara was a notorious anti-Black racist from Argentina who murdered hungry children and became an icon for leftists around the world for his role in the 1959 communist takeover of Cuba . . .

In 2006, Walmart competitor Target pulled a CD carrying case with a Che Guevara image after customers complained, according to the AP.

In 2012 Urban Outfitters stopped selling Che Guevara posters in response to customer outrage.

Walmart has several pages of Che Guevara merchandise for sale on its Website. While books and movies about Guevara are not objectionable, posters and fine art prints glorifying Guevara that Walmart also sells crosses a line to de facto endorsement of the racist, communist murderer.

Most of the seventeen Che Guevara posters and prints Walmart is selling are based on the iconic photo of the beret-wearing Guevara taken by the late Alberto Diaz Gutierrez, aka Alberto Korda, entitled Guerrillero Heroico. (Read more from “Walmart Sells Che Guevara Items Glorifying Racist Communist Thug” HERE)

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Drones to Catch Mosquitoes in Effort to Combat Diseases

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Unmanned aerial vehicles are an integral part of the battlefield and now Microsoft is planning to enlist drone aircraft in the war on disease.

It has launched Project Premonition, a program designed to detect infectious disease in developing countries, reports Business Standard.

Drones would snatch up mosquitoes and scientists would examine them for signs that potentially harmful viruses are spreading.

The drones would be equipped with a new type of mosquito trap that uses less energy and is lighter weight.

A new bait system is designed to lure the flying insects into the trap. A sensor would automatically sort the mosquitoes from other bugs. Chemicals in the trap preserve the mosquitoes until they can be analyzed in a lab. (Read more from “Drones to Catch Mosquitoes in Effort to Combat Diseases” HERE)

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High School Athlete Dies From Rare Case of Plague

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A Fort Collins, Colorado, high school athlete died from the rare septicemic plague the day after he turned 16.

Taylor Thomas Gaes was a sophomore at Poudre High School. He was a pitcher for the baseball team and the football team’s quarterback. With his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, he reportedly had the potential for a “brilliant sports career.”

“We often talk about Taylor’s potential as an athlete, but he was much more than that,” Poudre Varsity Baseball Coach Russell Haigh said. “He was a good friend to all of our players. He was a special young man.”

Gaes died on June 8 of septicemic plague, a fast-moving form of the bacterial infection, according to Larimer County Department of Health and Environment spokesperson Katie O’Donnell, The Denver Post reports . . .

O’Donnell said Gaes did not show the typical symptom of the plague — swollen lymph nodes — but instead had muscle aches and pains, reports The Daily Mail. For this reason, authorities were not made aware of the danger of the infection sooner. (Read more from “High School Athlete Dies From Rare Case of Plague” HERE)

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