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Bob
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Tag: humanity
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Scientifically here are the states with the worst drivers hands-down (25 GIFs)
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Everyday on your work commute, you probably think to yourself “My state has the worst drivers ever,” and for some of you, that’s absolutely true. But some of you out there don’t have it nearly as bad as others do. Forbes Advisor has released their stats on our country’s drivers.
The results are based on each state’s Number of Fatal Crashes Per 100,000 Drivers. Try not to be offended if your state makes the top 25 worst, we’re sure it’s definitely not your fault personally.
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Zach Nading
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Let’s discuss the ‘perfect boob ratio’ for – you know… science reasons
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It seems as though we can put this subject to rest as science has finally intervened. It has been confirmed that yes – indeed – there is a perfect boob. And it all starts with the ratio. According to Dr. Patrick Mallucci, a cosmetic surgeon based in London, said ratio is 45:55.
Meaning 45% of the breast resides above the nipple, while 55% rests below.
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Zach Nading
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Dudes posting their wins online is the positive content we love to see (25 Photos)
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Time for some positivity on the timeline. We’ve collected a batch of dudes celebrating their wins on the internet. Life is short, and if we don’t stop to celebrate the little things – as well as the big – then what are we doing here?
Dudes helping dudes, and lifting each other up will never not be cool, so I’m happy to share these galleries any day of the week. Enjoy!
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Zach Nading
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20 truth-bombs we all needed to hear from a therapist
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Making the decision to see a therapist is hard enough. Digesting the information and advice that they give you, and using it to better yourself is something different altogether. It’s always a process, and it definitely doesn’t happen overnight.
As harsh as some of these may sound, therapists are usually spot-on when it comes to pointing out things that we ourselves maybe can’t (or don’t want to) see.
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Zach Nading
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Strange items that TSA will totally allow on a plane (10 GIFs)
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TSA historically has a stingy reputation when it comes to what they allow you to bring onto a plane. I once tried packing golf balls into my shoes while flying to a bachelor party, and they made me dump every single golf ball out for security purposes.
However there are a few surprising exceptions, if for some reason you need to get these things airborne. Hope this helps.
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Zach Nading
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Thanksgiving jokes your dad is sure to tell at the dinner table (25 GIFs)
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If your uncle isn’t buzzing off 12 Miller Lites and your father isn’t going full dad mode with his jokes, then you’re doing Thanksgiving wrong. We’ve collected some of the most insane, wholesome, cringeworthy, and chaotic Thanksgiving jokes for you and yours to enjoy around the dinner table.
Enjoy!
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Zach Nading
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Vivian Folkenflik, UC Irvine lecturer who taught thousands of students, dies at 83
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When Vivian Folkenflik was a professor and lecturer at UC Irvine, she walked into classrooms with pieces of multicolored chalk. She believed that the various hues on the chalkboard would help engage her undergraduate students in complicated ideas.
“If you have multicolored chalk, you could teach students anything,” John H. Smith, emeritus professor at UC Irvine, recalled her often saying, half in jest.
For more than 30 years, Folkenflik taught thousands of UC Irvine students a core humanities course that weaved together history, literature and philosophy. She also mentored hundreds more graduate students, lecturers and early-career professors.
Folkenflik’s life ended suddenly on Oct. 28. She was struck by a pickup truck while she was crossing a street in Montclair, N.J., according to her son, David Folkenflik. She was 83. While confirming his mother’s sudden, tragic death, he spoke of her accomplishments and the legacy she left in academia.
“She played a truly important role in the growth of the humanities at the campus, and she did it not just through the buildings and the institutions, but the people,” said her son, National Public Radio’s media correspondent. “So many generations of cohorts of undergraduates and graduate students and aspiring professors, and even the full faculty members, were influenced by her insights, coaching and encouragement.
“Universities can seem like impersonal places at times, but it’s people like Vivian who make them a breathing organism with a beating heart,” he added.
Vivian Folkenflik was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1940 to a cardiologist and a school librarian who instilled in her a love of museums, music, literature, history, travel and Jackie Robinson.
After graduating from high school at 16, she attended Radcliffe College in Massachusetts before earning her master’s degree at Cornell University, concentrating on French literature.
That’s where she met Robert Folkenflik, whom she would marry two years later. They had two children and, in 1975, moved to California, where they made Laguna Beach their home for 45 years.
In the 1980s, Folkenflik began teaching UC Irvine’s humanities’ core course to undergraduate students. Smith, who was director of the course for some time, said that — in addition to the impact she had on students — Folkenflik helped other instructors who were struggling to teach the complicated curriculum.
“Vivian was dedicated, absolutely dedicated, to teaching critical thinking,” Smith said.
But her relationship to her students and the humanities took on a new meaning following the death of her daughter. Nora, 28, was riding her bike in Seattle one night in 1995 when she was struck and killed by a drunk driver, Smith said.
“She used the material and her students in many ways to get through it … and she showed students that this was not just stuff that they were learning for an exam, but that the humanities offered us the kind of materials that we could use to get us through the difficulties in life,” Smith recalled. For Folkenflik, Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” helped her navigate the profound loss.
When she wasn’t teaching, Folkenflik and her husband loved to travel, watch films, go to concerts, and walk along Reef Point Beach. “But she really loved, loved intellectual pursuits,” said her son, David. “She had a ferocious intellect … and she liked to find ways to connect with people. … To be in a conversation with Vivian is almost to invariably come away amused, made to think, and also affirmed in oneself, and she certainly sought to do that.”
She retired in 2012 but continued to substitute teach. Following her husband’s death in 2019 after a battle with lymphoma, she moved to New Jersey, where she was closer to family. She passed the time at her grandchildren’s soccer games, dance recitals and drama performances. She wrote poetry and studied the Talmud.
Folkenflik is survived by son David; daughter-in-law Jesse; sister Judith; and grandchildren Viola, Zella and Eliza.
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Dorany Pineda
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AI Has The Potential to Destroy Humanity in 5 to 10 Years. Here’s What We Know. | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
At a CEO summit in the hallowed halls of Yale University, 42% of the CEOs indicated that artificial intelligence (AI) could spell the end of humanity within the next decade. These aren’t the leaders of small business: this is 119 CEOs from a cross-section of top companies, including Walmart CEO Doug McMillion, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincy, the leaders of IT companies like Xerox and Zoom as well as CEOs from pharmaceutical, media and manufacturing.
This isn’t a plot from a dystopian novel or a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s a stark warning from the titans of industry who are shaping our future.
The AI extinction risk: A laughing matter?
It’s easy to dismiss these concerns as the stuff of science fiction. After all, AI is just a tool, right? It’s like a hammer. It can build a house or it can smash a window. It all depends on who’s wielding it. But what if the hammer starts swinging itself?
The findings come just weeks after dozens of AI industry leaders, academics, and even some celebrities signed a statement warning of an “extinction” risk from AI. That statement, signed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Geoffrey Hinton, the “godfather of AI,” and top executives from Google and Microsoft, called for society to take steps to guard against the dangers of AI.
“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” the statement said. This isn’t a call to arms. It’s a call to awareness. It’s a call to responsibility.
It’s time to take AI risk seriously
The AI revolution is here, and it’s transforming everything from how we shop to how we work. But as we embrace the convenience and efficiency that AI brings, we must also grapple with its potential dangers. We must ask ourselves: Are we ready for a world where AI has the potential to outthink, outperform, and outlast us?
Business leaders have a responsibility to not only drive profits but also safeguard the future. The risk of AI extinction isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a business issue. It’s a human issue. And it’s an issue that requires our immediate attention.
The CEOs who participated in the Yale survey are not alarmists. They are realists. They understand that AI, like any powerful tool, can be both a boon and a bane. And they are calling for a balanced approach to AI — one that embraces its potential while mitigating its risks.
The tipping point: AI’s existential threat
The existential threat of AI isn’t a distant possibility. It’s a present reality. Every day, AI is becoming more sophisticated, more powerful and more autonomous. It’s not just about robots taking our jobs. It’s about AI systems making decisions that could have far-reaching implications for our society, our economy and our planet.
Consider the potential of autonomous weapons, for example. These are AI systems designed to kill without human intervention. What happens if they fall into the wrong hands? Or what about AI systems that control our critical infrastructure? A single malfunction or cyberattack could have catastrophic consequences.
AI represents a paradox. On one hand, it promises unprecedented progress. It could revolutionize healthcare, education, transportation and countless other sectors. It could solve some of our most pressing problems, from climate change to poverty.
On the other hand, AI poses a peril like no other. It could lead to mass unemployment, social unrest and even global conflict. And in the worst-case scenario, it could lead to human extinction.
This is the paradox we must confront. We must harness the power of AI while avoiding its pitfalls. We must ensure that AI serves us, not the other way around.
The AI alignment problem: Bridging the gap between machine and human values
The AI alignment problem, the challenge of ensuring AI systems behave in ways that align with human values, is not just a philosophical conundrum. It’s a potential existential threat. If not addressed properly, it could set us on a path toward self-destruction.
Consider an AI system designed to optimize a certain goal, such as maximizing the production of a particular resource. If this AI is not perfectly aligned with human values, it might pursue its goal at all costs, disregarding any potential negative impacts on humanity. For instance, it might over-exploit resources, leading to environmental devastation, or it might decide that humans themselves are obstacles to its goal and act against us.
This is known as the “instrumental convergence” thesis. Essentially, it suggests that most AI systems, unless explicitly programmed otherwise, will converge on similar strategies to achieve their goals, such as self-preservation, resource acquisition and resistance to being shut down. If an AI becomes superintelligent, these strategies could pose a serious threat to humanity.
The alignment problem becomes even more concerning when we consider the possibility of an “intelligence explosion” — a scenario in which an AI becomes capable of recursive self-improvement, rapidly surpassing human intelligence. In this case, even a small misalignment between the AI’s values and ours could have catastrophic consequences. If we lose control of such an AI, it could result in human extinction.
Furthermore, the alignment problem is complicated by the diversity and dynamism of human values. Values vary greatly among different individuals, cultures and societies, and they can change over time. Programming an AI to respect these diverse and evolving values is a monumental challenge.
Addressing the AI alignment problem is therefore crucial for our survival. It requires a multidisciplinary approach, combining insights from computer science, ethics, psychology, sociology, and other fields. It also requires the involvement of diverse stakeholders, including AI developers, policymakers, ethicists and the public.
As we stand on the brink of the AI revolution, the alignment problem presents us with a stark choice. If we get it right, AI could usher in a new era of prosperity and progress. If we get it wrong, it could lead to our downfall. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Let’s make sure we choose wisely.
Related: As Machines Take Over — What Will It Mean to Be Human? Here’s What We Know.
The way forward: Responsible AI
So, what’s the way forward? How do we navigate this brave new world of AI?
First, we need to foster a culture of responsible AI. This means developing AI in a way that respects our values, our laws, and our safety. It means ensuring that AI systems are transparent, accountable and fair.
Second, we need to invest in AI safety research. We need to understand the risks of AI and how to mitigate them. We need to develop techniques for controlling AI and for aligning it with our interests.
Third, we need to engage in a global dialogue on AI. We need to involve all stakeholders — governments, businesses, civil society and the public — in the decision-making process. We need to build a global consensus on the rules and norms for AI.
The choice is ours
In the end, the question isn’t whether AI will destroy humanity. The question is: Will we let it?
The time to act is now. Let’s take the risk of AI extinction seriously — as do nearly half of the top business leaders. Because the future of our businesses — and our very existence — may depend on it. We have the power to shape the future of AI. We have the power to turn the tide. But we must act with wisdom, with courage, and with urgency. Because the stakes couldn’t be higher. The AI revolution is upon us. The choice is ours. Let’s make the right one.
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Gleb Tsipursky
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NASA Scientists Present Theory About Why We Haven’t Met Other Intelligent Life. It’s Crushing.
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NASA scientists have explained in a new paper why they believe it’s likely we haven’t ever encountered intelligent extraterrestrial life — and it’s heartbreaking.
All intelligent life, they argue, has likely destroyed itself before reaching a sophisticated enough point in evolution to support such an encounter. And the same fate likely awaits humans unless we take action, they believe.
The “Great Filter” theory — as in “filtering out” various forms of life — argues that other civilizations, possibly several, have existed during the life of the universe. But they all destroyed themselves before they could make contact with Earth, noted the paper, “Avoiding the ‘Great Filter’: Extraterrestrial Life and Humanity’s Future in the Universe.”
The scientists fear that all intelligent life, such as humans, have deeply ingrained dysfunctions that may “snowball quickly into the Great Filter,” they wrote.
But there’s still a bit of hope for humans — provided we can learn and take steps to avoid our own extinction, noted the paper by a team of researchers based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California.
“The key to humanity successfully traversing such a universal filter is… identifying [destructive] attributes in ourselves and neutralizing them in advance,” astrophysicist Jonathan Jiang and his coauthors wrote in the paper that appeared online on Oct. 23.
The paper has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Whatever seems likely to wipe out humans would conceivably also threaten intelligent life on other planets, the authors argue. The likely culprits — which could be impacted by humans or other intelligent life forms — include nuclear war, pandemic, climate change, and uncontrolled artificial intelligence, the authors note.
The trick, the biggest challenge of all, will be to work together to survive, the researchers said.
“History has shown that intraspecies competition and, more importantly, collaboration, has led us towards the highest peaks of invention. And yet, we prolong notions that seem to be the antithesis of long-term sustainable growth: Racism, genocide, inequity, sabotage,” the writers warn.
Check out the full paper here.
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T-Shirt Fundraiser August 7 for ‘New Hope Now: Have a Heart’
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Purchase a T-shirt and feed a homeless person. New Hope Now will use 100% of all proceeds to feed the homeless. Gift cards are purchased from local restaurants and given to the homeless so they can enjoy a meal.
Press Release
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updated: Aug 7, 2019
VACAVILLE, Calif., August 7, 2019 (Newswire.com)
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August 7th through August 30th, “New Hope Now” will hold a T-shirt fundraising event called “Have a Heart” through Custom Ink. T-shirts will ship directly after the fundraiser is completed.The T-shirt fundraiser will help gather funds for this much-needed charity. 100% of all proceeds raised by “New Hope Now” will be used to feed the homeless and help families and individuals within the northern California area. The organization will purchase gift cards from local restaurants that will be handed out to the homeless so they may enjoy a meal.
Tricia Devaux, Founder of “New Hope Now,” started the non-profit organization in 2012 working with local Christian churches and donations from individuals. The organization has continuously provided food for the homeless with gift cards for free meals, clothing and financial assistance to help with rent and utility bills. These are just a few examples of support that “New Hope Now” provides for families in need.
With so many people struggling to survive or turn their lives around, generous donations from the community allow this heart and Christ-centered organization to continue its good work. What “New Hope Now” seeks to do is sponsor families and singles starting over, one family at a time.
“New Hope Now wants to offer services to give people hope for a better life,” says Tricia. “Through generous giving to New Hope Now, 90% of all donations are used for charity.”
Invest in the lives of the people in the northern California community, visit https://www.customink.com/fundraising/new-hope-now-t-shirt-fundraiser. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit http://www.newhopenowforhumanity.org/. For additional questions, please contact Tricia Devaux at (707) 761-2067 or newhopenowtd@hotmail.com.
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Source: New Hope Now
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