Science and Technology section
“Scientists at… Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security modeled a hypothetical pandemic on a computer as part of research last October- three months before the deadly outbreak in China. The exercise was not intended as a prediction – but rather served to highlight how governments and industry would respond in the case of a very severe pandemic.”
Attorney General Donovan filed a lawsuit today against Clearview AI, a data broker that uses facial recognition technology to map the faces of Vermonters, including children, and sells access to this data to private businesses, individuals, and law enforcement. The complaint, filed in Chittenden Superior Court – Civil Division, alleges violations of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act and the new Data Broker Law. Along with the complaint, the State filed a motion for preliminary injunction, asking the Court to order Clearview AI to immediately stop collecting or storing Vermonters’ photos and facial recognition data.
Ben Fulford is a Canadian reporter/pundit, living in Japan. He generally talks about political issues, but he recently referenced a tunnel to be built across the Bering Strait, from Alaska to Asia.
That caught my attention, because the strait is about 50 miles across.
Montpelier, VT (November 5, 2019) — Returning Champions: State Clean Energy Leadership Since 2015, a new report from the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), highlights the essential role that states are playing to develop and implement effective policies and programs. The report describes the range of strategies and initiatives that states are using to grow clean energy markets, and it provides readers with a concise overview of clean energy trends at the state level.
The report’s four thematic chapters emphasize the most important issues that the states have been focusing on over the past few years:
Monday, November 4, 2013 was Islamic New Year. It was also the day the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Science” published the results of calculations based on sun-like stars in our galaxy.
The estimate of the number of planets similar in size and temperature to Earth (what astronomers have dubbed the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ – not too hot, not too cold, but just right for life to evolve) was 8.8 Billion!
A Discussion about 5G and wireless technology on Brattleboro Community Radio. Hosted by DJ pockets with Derrick Jordan and Donald Saaf. Tune in Tuesday Sept.24th from 6pm-8pm on WVEW-LP. 107.7fm and streaming on www.wvew.org
The Drake equation was written in 1961 by astrophysicist Frank Drake to estimate the number of intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. The equation summarizes the main concepts which scientists must contemplate when considering the question of other communicative life.
The Drake equation is: # = R x P x L x D x C x S x T
where:
Your friends and family will ultimately thank you. Take a few moments and quit Facebook.
Yes, go ahead and quit.
I’ve done an informal survey of this summer and it seems many people who use Facebook don’t like that they use it. They know it is a crappy platform that is in the business of selling personal information to the highest bidder. They know Mark Zuckerberg is using them. They know the site is undermining democracy and is weaponized by political parties to sway voters. They know there are privacy problems. They are tired of being a commodity and tired of supplying personal data for free.
See an assortment of e-bikes, try one – experience the joy of e-bikes! Learn about e-bike kits, and how easy it is to install one on your bike. Meet e-bike owners and hear their stories. Check out the cargo bike of the future from VBIKE. Learn about e-Bike rebates – yes, rebates! And…
Meet the PEBL – The Micro-Car eBike For A Sustainable Future. The PEBL is a micro-Car eBike designed to be your local transportation solution. With a 750 watt motor plus the option to pedal, we have combined the ease of a car or golf cart, with the exercising ability of a bike. Whether you want to replace your car, get back into your exercise routine, or just cruise around, you can bet that the PEBL will be with you. http://www.better.bike/pebl
The secrets behind the world’s 10 greatest magic tricks:
Walking On Water – Dove Illusion – Card From Deck Levitation Trick – Girl Levitating In Air – Can On A Card – Turning Water Into Ice In A Second – Death Saw – Twisting An iPhone – Lemon Trick – Houdini’s Greatest Escape
Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, VT seeks experienced consultant to guide staff and trustees in preparation of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop a new website. Submissions must be received by 4:00 pm Friday, January 11, 2019 at Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office, Attn: BML Website RFQ, 230 Main Street, Suite 208, Brattleboro, VT 05301, at which time and place all submissions will be publicly opened and read aloud.
There’s one going around right now. I get about 4-5 calls a day.
The caller identifies themselves as representing “Microsoft Technical Department”. They go on, saying they have observed suspicious activity in your account or some such.
If you continue, they have you enter a few strokes and a whole list of items pops up.(about 25) They say that each item represents someone, somewhere, who is currently using your computer for their own purposes without your permission.
Smart meters use basically the same wireless technology as cell phones.
The FCC sets radiation standards, with which all manufacturers of smart meters must comply.
The frequency of cell phone radiation corresponds to a wavelength of approximately one foot. This wavelength is thousands of times larger than structures in the brain responsible for mental processes, and so claims that wireless radiation can cause maladies such as “dizziness” or “memory loss” are absurd.
The storage of high-level nuclear waste is a controversial environmental justice issue. The nuclear industry would like to create centralized interim (?????) storage for it in Texas and New Mexico. Nice! (at least it’s out of here).
There’s a better solution: we can take a page from the Fluoride book and eat it !
Astronomers agree that there are trillions, maybe quadrillions of stars. They further agree that many of these stars have planets circling them. Billions of these planets enjoy conditions capable of sustaining life as we know it (These are called “Goldilocks” planets).
Probability suggests that at least some of these may, in fact contain life. After all, there’s some form of life almost everywhere on earth no matter how harsh the conditions, from the ice in Antarctica to the deepest trenches of the oceans.
Brattleboro could do much better with technology, and as a result do better as a Town. There are some obstacles in the way, though:
Poor Internet Choices
Brattleboro choices for Internet are rather poor. Hardly anyone here gets 25 megabits down and 3 megabits up, a standard definition of broadband. To approach those speeds one must pay a small monthly fortune.
Computers, mobile phones, artificial intelligence and communication networks provide many benefits, but they have also raised social and ethical concerns, from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica to the growing impact of automation on people’s jobs and lives.
Ethics and technology is the topic of discussion at the next Brattleboro Area Tech meeting to be held on Thursday, June 14 at 6:00 pm in the Hooker Dunham building at 139 Main Street in Brattleboro. The discussion will be led by Karina Assiter, a professor of computer science at Landmark College.
On Monday, May 7th from 6:00pm-7:30pm Brooks Memorial Library will host Vermont-based, digital educator and librarian, Jessamyn West, for a discussion on Digital Privacy on the Main Floor of the library. Jessamyn West is a nationally recognized leader, working on raising awareness and educating the public about technology and the digital divide, while also advocating for libraries to play an increased role in technology education for their patrons.
So says an 86 year old scientist named Mayer Hillman in a new article at The Guardian. It’s well worth a read.
A few of his quotes about runaway climate change:
“The outcome is death, and it’s the end of most life on the planet because we’re so dependent on the burning of fossil fuels. There are no means of reversing the process which is melting the polar ice caps. And very few appear to be prepared to say so.”
As Brattleboro begins down the path toward adding municipal broadband utility, the ACLU has weighed in with a new report “The Public Internet Option – How Local Governments Can Provide Network Neutrality, Privacy, and Access for All.”
The report compares the necessity of internet access to that of electricity and water, and says that the rollback of net neutrality laws and enforcement threatens equal access (as we have for say, roads and bridges).
