The Coming AI Apocalypse: Artificial Intelligence in the News

Philosopher's Zone on AI: think again 

WHAT IT TAKES TO Build a smart city 

Chess robots to cause Judgment Day?

Worse, robots are playing soccer...

• although I think I could take on these guys (demo starts about halfway through):

Zuckerberg and Musk back software startup that mimics human learning 

San Francisco startup Vicarious aims to create 'a computer that thinks like a person except it doesn't need to eat or sleep' 

Stephen Hawking Says A.I. Could Be Our 'Worst Mistake In History:'

'Transcendence looks at the implications of artificial intelligence - but are we taking AI seriously enough?' 

How Much Longer Before Our First AI Catastrophe? 

2029: the year when robots will have the power to outsmart their makers:

• Ray Kurzweil, Google expert in artificial intelligence, predicts that by 2029 robots will make jokes and flirt.
• By 2029, Trent goes on a date.
• "Love, exciting and new/Come aboard, we're expecting you" 

What Is The Singularity And Will You Live To See It? 

Why a superintelligent machine may be the last thing we ever invent 

Can we build an artificial superintelligence that won't kill us? 

How Skynet Might Emerge From Simple Physics 

How to Get an A on the Final & other education, technology & science-related links

What is space?

Astronomy thought for the day:  What if a planet replaced our moon?

Hopefully, students will recognize different problems: Higher tides and quakes. But what a beautiful view.


Stephen Hawking encourages us to get off planet because we will probably kill this one.


Next NASA mission:  Capture asteroid!

What are waves?

Classic pendulum video.

Why do familiar songs enchant?


OMD has a new album addressing technology.  Nice sound, well-rounded album, although nothing especially catchy.  A good album album, though--as opposed to packed with singles.

What is technology?

Combining several smaller solar power units to become one.

Iranian time machine?

It may be better if you don't complain about everyone on Facebook.


Assure your students if they do this simple coordinated robot army to play this sweet little 
song, they'll get an A.

What is education?

When people "code-switch" or change languages/lingos.

Teacher Peter Brown Hoffmeister explains how he used to be a loner and a high-school gun-toter (we also had kids who brought weapons to school that they ought not to have), but he didn't play video games.  He suggests that practicing violence can lead the violent to commit actual violence.  There may be some truth to this.  I recall reading that the U.S. military learned to train soldiers because the majority of soldiers weren't shooting in war (WWI?).  A cursory search didn't turn up anything, but maybe one of you know.

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be teachers.

Here's a blog against home-schooling although I've known many normalized home-schoolers who were happy.  Probably many youth loathe education.  I know a number of public school students who would rather not deal with the bullying and the popularity games.  People all have bad experiences, and of course, it's sad to hear every case.

What is life?

The Shadow Biosphere:  Is there unusual life on this planet already?

Ethics (food for thought--I have no dog in this fight except I do have a joke--very black humor--do skip if you don't appreciate such jokes):

1. "“Both a fetus and a newborn certainly are human beings and potential persons, but neither is a ‘person’ in the sense of ‘subject of a moral right to life’."
2. It could be argued that since the frontal lobe isn't yet developed until ~ age 25, parents should be able to abort teenagers.