Welcome to the Matrix

From MIT’s Technology Review:

Today, we get an answer of sorts from Silas Beane, at the University of Bonn in Germany, and a few pals. They say there is a way to see evidence that we are being simulated, at least in certain scenarios.

For the pointer, I thank my wife.

Curiosity has Landed

Here is some video from NASA/JPL of the landing:

and one of the first images:

TED Thursday – This will probably be a very relevant invention one day

Boaz Almog shows the power of a superconductor.

The Economics of Immortality

As a follow-up to last Thursday’s linked TED talk, I am posting this Big Think video on the theoretical implications of immortal humans.

TED Thursday – Post-Homo Sapiens Humans

This is the first in what I plan to be an indefinite series of weekly posts of TED Talks (each Thursday at 11:00am is my tentative schedule).

This talk asks about the future evolution of humanity.

The $6 Million Species

Dr. Daniel Wilson hypothesizes about the future of bionics in The Wall Street Journal. He writes:

In the future, it will be feasible for an implant to recognize almost anything. For instance, it could detect inattention. In response, the implant could stimulate the brain toward a state of focused attention. Recently, researchers at the Institute of Neurology at University College London stimulated the brains of human subjects to push the brain toward beta band frequencies associated with focus to study the effects on motor processing, with the hope of helping those with Parkinson’s disease. In an elective setting, a user with this type of implant could potentially choose to stay focused on command, while constantly strengthening circuits of the brain associated with concentration.

More Good News

From Politico:

Google steered its campaign to pave the regulatory road for self-driving cars to the nation’s capital Thursday.

Cyborg Anthropology

Lecture by Amber Case

Moving Towards Self-Driving Cars

Adam Ozimek at Modeled Behavior thinks that self-driving cars will be are being adopted incrementally.

I think the problem people have imagining a world of self-driving cars is they imagine it happening overnight. Yes, if a self-driving car showed up at your house tomorrow it would be a little nerve-racking to turn over control to a computer. But the progress will be relatively incremental, and we will give up control one piece at a time. In fact, this is already underway.

How the Cookie Monster can help you remember

Joshua Foer explains some really cool memory tricks.