Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Ghosts in the Halls of Power

Recent statements by Glenn Beck and others on the right of the current political spectrum have developed a theory that the small minority of extremist Islamists want to impose Sharia law on the US. The logical inconsistencies in these statements should be apparent. However, not everyone is persuaded by logic and often desire actions in lieu of words. History can provide some signposts to those who wish to understand what results come about when such views become accepted and acted upon.
The following is from a teacher at West Point, Adam L. Silverman. I do not know what his political ideology is. ...

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Elementary, My Dear Watson

For over 50 years, computer scientists have suggested that computers will become human. They will evolve from being able to solve simple mental tasks to finally consciousness. In the early days, Hubert Drefyus was one of the first to dispute these ideas, showing that the process by which computer scientists attempted to write computer programs does not reflect how humans think at all.