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[aureuscor-blog]

HW 11

1) Do you think we will find intelligent life in the universe? Why or why not?

I do think we will find intelligent life in the universe. It is arrogant and unreasonable to think we are the only intelligent life in the universe. The universe is so enormous, how could there NOT be other intelligent life somewhere? It is just a matter of time. Will we find them soon? No, perhaps not. Yet, to me it is very odd that we haven’t found anything yet, or actually the other way around… that some other far more advanced alien civilization hasn’t found us yet. Or maybe they have, and we just don’t know! This question doesn’t specify a length of time, so I have to yes without a doubt we will find intelligent life. It might just take a thousand years. Or a million.

2) Suppose you had a coupon for a free robot. The catch is it can only do one thing. But you can get a robot that will do whatever one thing you like, just not anything else. What would you want your robot to do, and why?

I would want a robot that could farm enough food for my family. The only thing humans really need to survive is food. If all else failed - if I lost my job and my home, if I had no access to money, if society crumbled, if the apocalypse came and went – the only thing I would need is a ramshackle hut in a year-round warm climate near a source of fresh water and my robot could farm all the food my family needs.

3) Imagine a robotic future. Would it possible in such a future for labor to be free? For example, suppose there was a law prohibiting anyone from being paid to do work. Could the human race survive in the face of such a law?

If being “paid” only meant in money/currency/gold, not any other bartering system, then maybe… But even so, I would have to say no. There would be no incentive for anyone to want to work. Unless it was something akin to a hobby now, something someone just did because they truly loved it, why would people do anything for free? And it would certainly be a limited number of trades people did for fun, and some others I would imagine would never be done.

Also, how would people buy things? If everything were free and available to all because robots produced everything, there would still be limited resources and a finite number of robots capable of producing a finite amount of “stuff.” So who gets what? Everyone can’t have a beach front mansion. Everyone can’t have any and every thing that they want. Without a form of currency who decides who gets what? Why should someone else have more than me? Why should I have more than someone else? Yet, why should everyone be limited if more “stuff” is available?

Would everyone need to be cookie cutter-ed into sameness? Even at that degree of equality, people would still have other wants and desires. Not everyone can have a home equal to X amount of square feet per each family member in a comfortable climate. We would run out of room in “nice” weather areas. Plus, some people would prefer colder climates if they like skiing or dislike bugs. And what about areas with natural disasters? Some people would be relegated to tornado alley for lack of space elsewhere. How is that fair?

This only considers living arrangements. There are sooooooo many other things that would suffer from the same fairness problem. Evil and unjust as it may be, money keeps things in check. And there is always the American Dream (carrot) that you can always make more money and buy more “stuff.”

4) Comment on the movie Transcendant Man. What do you agree with, disagree with, what do you look forward to, are apprehensive about, etc.

Even though he was a little… out there, I am most inclined to agree with the AI Engineer. I think Kurzweil is too optimistic, and some people are too pessimistic, and there is just no way to know what to expect. Also, the technology isn’t here yet for the kinds of things Kurzweil thinks are going to be possible. The neurobiologist made some compelling points as well. Kurzweil may be a very accurate future predictor, but he doesn’t know neurobiology. The brain just doesn’t work like “regular” technology. I don’t believe we will ever be able to make true artificial intelligence. The idea of enhancing ourselves has merit, however. And that I would be very interested in! I would absolutely relish the ability to integrate a computer with my brain to be smarter. And just think what the human race could accomplish if everyone were a genius! Not to mention the medical implications. I don’t know how I feel about the idea of immortality for all, but to be able to live longer, and always be healthy  - no more sickness, no more suffering and pain – that is an incredibly worthy goal to which to aspire. Overall, I think Kurzweil is an extremely intelligent man who has invented some amazing things and helped many people along the way. However, he is led by his emotions and wishful thinking with regards to immortality and merging with computers. It is unfortunate that his Dad passed away when he was so young (22ish?), but he is grasping at straws to bring him back from the dead while simultaneously trying to keep himself alive forever. I don’t think either will happen.

5) Create at least half of a first draft, or whatever is appropriate, of your presentation. (This is in contrast to your paper or other project.) For example, you could create some slides. If this requirement does not fit your situation, do something else equivalent, and explain what you did.

I made 15 powerpoint slides (with animations) for demonstrating the science in my story. I really wanted to include some drawings, but I have not had much time to sketch anything out. I am considering purchasing some relevant images from shutterstck etc to include. Although, it is not imperative that I illustrate every part of the story. Then I just need to record myself reading and it’s done. I am so excited - it’s turning out so well!

6) (Grad students only) continue with the book you obtained. Read the next 20 pages. State the book title, author, and page numbers you have read. Then, discuss those pages. Explain what you agree with, disagree with, and how your views compare with those of other reviewers on Amazon or elsewhere.

This week, I read pages 154-178 in Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel on Starships.

It is funny to read this now because quite a bit of my research for my project touched on some of the same topics – solar sails, nanoships, and a space elevator. Kaku’s discussion on these topics pretty much mirrors everything I read. The only novel thing he suggested was using the nanoships to push the solar sails. I hadn’t come across this idea in any of my research.

Kaku begins the chapter discussing the eminent demise of the Earth, as well as the rest of the solar system, when the sun burns it all up. This struck me as funny too when I read it because we just read Asimov’s The Last Question. Of course, the situation itself isn’t funny… just the timing.

He also discusses the dangers of space travel – muscle atrophy and nutrient deficiency, meteors, and radiation – and the idea of suspending humans during space travel. The latter touched on the problems with cryogenics too. I didn’t know freezing our brain isn’t actually a feasible way to “come back” someday. As Kaku explains, ice crystals can destroy cell walls!

I still agree mostly with positive reviewers of this book. And in this case, I very highly disagree with the negative reviews that complained of not enough actual physics. This chapter is one I am glad didn’t have more science. I am sure I wouldn’t have understood any of it! The light, casual conversation about these topics was perfect for me.

[aureuscor-blog]

HW 10

1. For the technological topic of your choice, say what it is, give a present-day impact on individuals, and your opinion about whether it is good, bad, or whatever you think. Education technology ie online education, distance education, MOOCS, blackboard, edx, etc

Individuals can access higher education wherever there is an internet connection

This is very good. It enables those who may not live near to a college or may not have transportation or have a disability that prevents them from attending physically to attend school. 2. For the technological topic of 1 above, give five more present-day impacts on individuals. One of the five should relate to your career path. For each, give a good reason why the impact exists. i. Individuals can apply to programs they are interested in rather than just programs they live near. Attending online means physical distance doesn’t matter. ii. Individuals can apply to programs with affordable tuition. If one is limited to local schools, the only options an individual has are those schools which may be too expensive. iii. Individuals can apply to “good” programs - highly rated, prestigious programs. If one is limited to local schools, the only options an individual has are those schools which may be lower quality. iv. Individuals can graduate in their field and champion further education technology. Having experience in a program that was offered online may provide a leg up for an individual who wishes to further research and development of new technology for education. Also, one may pursue an educator position online in the field, potentially beginning a new online program at a school that previously did not offer online education. v. Individuals can attend classes asynchronously. An individual may have a job or familial obligations that would otherwise prevent them from attending a traditional program where they have to be in class on certain days/times. 3. For each of the 6 impacts of questions 1 and 2, extend to past impacts and one possible future impact. Conciseness is acceptable...no need to write a book about this. from Q1: Past: internet was less widely available than it is today so not as many people were able to access distance learning. Future: more people will have access to quality internet and so more people will have access to distance learning. from 2i: past: program options were very limited, being able to apply to online programs didn’t necessarily mean a program you were interested in was available from any school online. future: more and more programs will be offered by more and more schools. Students will be able to pursue nearly any program online from 2ii: past: program options were limited and there weren’t necessarily more affordable options available future: the cost of all programs will start to come down as schools compete for students making tuition even more affordable from 2iii: past: online programs were often considered subpar and not taken seriously by hiring managers etc future: as more of a shift is made to online instruction, even ivy league and other top schools will start offering online programs from 2iv: past: Far back in the past, there wasn’t an education technology field at all. There wasn’t online education to need technology. As online programs began they used whatever technology was available, not necessarily “good” technology future: education technology will advance until it is possible to offer every program imaginable online. from 2v: past: classes sometimes still had meeting times and mandatory attendance - even though they were offered online, the programs were not asynchronous future: today, the classes may be asynchronous regarding when to complete the work for the semester, but programs still only offer courses only during regular semesters. In the future, courses can be started at any time during the year and be completed after [the # of weeks necessary]. 4. For each of the 6 impacts, give a second alternative possible future impact on individuals. from Q1: all individuals will have internet access and so higher education ill be available to every individual on earth from 2i: new programs will be invented that didn’t exist before – cross disciplinary hybrids allowing students to pursue all  venues they are interested in from 2ii: programs’ tuition will drop even lower as more students are able to be accepted to each program due to the lower overhead and no longer needing physical space to accommodate more students from 2iii: there will be a shift from the “best schools” to the “best programs.” Harvard etc will no longer be considered the best but rather whichever programs are taught most skillfully by the best teachers and graduate the highest caliber students will be the best from 2iv: VR will be implemented to really advance the technology and make programs more like “really being there.” from 2v: courses will be self paced. Students can take longer if need be to complete the material, or can complete a course at a more rapid pace to finish earlier. 5. For the technological topic of your choice, give a present-day impact on an organization, such as business, government or others, and your opinion.

Businesses are able to hire more skilled employees than would otherwise be available since more people can access higher education now through online education. Everybody wins when the workforce is more skilled and better at their jobs. 6. Give 5 more present-day impacts on organizations. Of these 5 and the 1 you just discussed above, at least one impact should relate to business, one to government, and one to some other type of organization. For each of the 5, give at least one good reason. i. Businesses can encourage employees to return to school (some even offer tuition reimbursement) because online programs are convenient enough that even employed individuals can attend. ii. Government agencies can also encourage employees to return to school (some even offer tuition reimbursement) because online programs are convenient enough that even employed individuals can attend. iii. Schools that do not offer online programs are facing lower attendance because students are opting to attend online through other schools who offer online programs instead. iv. Secondary educational institutes are feeling pressured to implement some sort of online instruction as well. v. Since individuals are seeing how easy and convenient it is to complete school work from home, there is a desire to work from home too. 7. For each of the 6 impacts of questions 5 and 6, extend to past impacts and one possible future impact. Conciseness is acceptable...no need to write a book about this. from Q5: past: businesses had to vie for employees from the limited pool of local graduates future: there will be a much larger applicant pool of graduates or current students from 6i: past: going to school put a lot of strain on an employee adding to their commute time and work load IF they even lived near schools that offered evening/weekend classes, and their work might actually suffer for it future: employers can offer business specific training classes to employees from 6ii:

past: going to school put a lot of strain on an employee adding to their commute time and work load IF they even lived near schools that offered evening/weekend classes, and their work might actually suffer for it future: government agencies can offer position-specific training classes to employees from 6iii: past: the only competition was other local schools future: schools not offering online programs will close from 6iv: past: kids went to school physically only future: kids will be allowed to take a few courses online, asynchronously, shortening the length of their physical day at school from 6v: past: people went to work physically, there was no remote work. Slowly some areas began to allow remote work, even if only a day or two a week. future: more and more people will work remotely 8. For each of the 6 impacts, give a second alternative possible future impact on organizations. from Q5: as people begin working remotely, businesses will have an applicant pool of potentially any human being on earth from 6i: businesses will require pertinent courses from 6ii: government agencies will require pertinent courses from 6iii: schools not offering online programs will begin offering online programs from 6iv: kids will be able to attend school completely online from 6v: almost all employees will be able to work remotely with the exception of the impossible like construction or utility work 9. For the technological topic of your choice, give a present-day impact on society, and your opinion. More people have access to higher education which means those who may have otherwise been unable due to disability, time/family constraints, living in an area with no schools, etc can improve their quality of life. Getting a degree can get someone out of a minimum wage job that cannot support their family and/or help get a job they enjoy rather than one they are “stuck” in. The quality of life for society as a whole thus increases too. 10. Give 5 more present-day impacts on society. For each of the 5, give at least one good reason. i. More educated people means more innovations and advances in a wide range of fields, which benefits everyone. ii. More happy individuals means a more happy society on the whole. People will be happier when they increase their quality of life through a better paying job that they enjoy iii. Less people traveling to school means less carbon emissions which is better for the environment iv. Less classes conducted in a school building means less utility use which is better for the environment v. More disconnected people means more social isolation which is bad for society on the whole 11. For each of the 6 impacts of questions 9 and 10, extend to past impacts and one possible future impact on society. Conciseness is acceptable...no need to write a book about this. from Q9: past: less people has access to higher education and so there were some people who were stuck in menial, minimum wage jobs and had no way out. Lower quality of life for individuals means lower quality of life for the society as a whole future: when everyone has access to higher education, people can work any job they want, all of society will benefit from a high quality of life from 10i: past: less people overall were contributing to the advance of society future: everyone will have the potential to contribute to advances that benefit society from 10ii: past: people unhappy with their jobs and therefore have a low quality of life may resort to crime which hurt society future: with all people having access to education and thus the ability to increase their quality of life crime will decrease which benefits all of society from 10iii: past: more people drove to schools than attended online emitting more pollutants into the environment future: when everyone attends online, no one will drive to schools so no pollutants will be emitted into the environment as a cost of higher education from 10iv: past: lights and heat were run all day everyday in all buildings of every school consuming precious resources future: no utilities will be used if there are no physical lectures. Only individuals’ utilities will be used, which would be used anyway within their homes from 10v:

past: people attended class physically and mingled with classmates. Friendships were made and people learned social skills which benefits society future: people will have less and less contact with each other which will lead to a decrease in social skills and an increase in anxiety which is harmful to society as a whole. 12. For each of the 6 impacts, give a second alternative possible future impact on society. from Q9: when everyone has access to higher education, there will be no one to work minimum wage and unskilled jobs and people will be unemployed because of a lack of openings because there are so many skilled candidates from 10i: evil people always find a way to do harm, wider access to higher education may give the skills necessary to an evil person to cause destruction upon society from 10ii: the need for law enforcement will decrease as society becomes happier and commits less crime from 10iii: less traveling to school also means less physical movement and more sitting at home. This will lead to a more unhealthy populace and will result in a strain on society from 10iv: the school buildings will either be demolished and another facility built in its place that consume utilities or will be repurposed and the utilities use will resume. So there is no benefit in the long run to society in resource use reduction from 10v: people will have almost no contact with each other which will lead to a decrease in empathy and an increase in apathy which will lead to mistreatment and potentially even evil-doing which is harmful to society as a whole.

[aureuscor-blog]

HW3

Question 1: Potential impacts of the teleportation of inanimate objects on

I. Individuals:

Privacy: Teleportation of inanimate objects can increase individuals’ privacy. As telecommuting grows and other technologies like virtual reality are being further developed, people will be able to move farther away from cities and suburbs, away from other people. There will be no need to live close to food sources – farms, groceries stores, etc – as food could be teleported directly into one’s home from anywhere on Earth. Being able to live in a more rural area would afford individuals more privacy - more space between themselves and neighbors. Also, teleportation of items that may raise privacy concerns would cut out unnecessary middlemen – ie pharmacy clerks, mailmen, etc.

Security: Teleportation may potentially have negative impacts on individuals’ safety and security. An individual’s teleportation pod could be subject to a security breach. Hackers could gain unauthorized access to someone’s pod and teleport unwanted, even dangerous, objects to their pod. To the extreme, as an act of war or terrorism, an aggressor could obtain access to their target’s citizens’ pods and teleport explosive devices that detonate seconds after being received.

Quality: Teleportation of inanimate objects has real potential to increase the quality of life for individuals. Teleportation of goods into one’s home would be especially beneficial for disabled or mobility impaired individuals, the elderly, agoraphobics, etc who currently must pay for delivery or have a loved one or an employed aid procure necessities. It could even return independence to some who would otherwise need to live in a group home environment because they cannot obtain foods, toiletries, etc themselves.

Health: Teleportation could also have significant health benefits. In an emergency, lifesaving medicine or equipment could be instantly teleported to save someone’s life. For example, if someone were stung by a bee for the first time and had a life-threatening allergic reaction, they may not own an epi-pen considering they were previously unaware of this allergy.

 II. Organizations:

Security: Teleportation of inanimate objects may put the security of organizations at risk. Much like an individual’s pod, teleportation pods of organizations could be subject to a security breach. If unauthorized access were obtained to a teleportation pod at a government location where there was confidential research being conducted, or military missions being discussed, a spy-cam could be teleported that could go undetected due to various reasons like microscopic size or immense speed and wall penetration functionality and capture all our secrets.

Optimization: Teleportation of inanimate objects can facilitate business optimization. Operations grind to a halt if a mission critical machine breaks down. Teleportation of parts needed to fix such a machine can help get things back up and running sooner. Businesses that stockpile any items necessary to ensure continuous operations would be able to lose the warehouses, and the overhead, of stored inventory because anything they ever need could be instantly delivered via teleportation.

Monopolies: Whoever develops and first begins using teleportation to deliver their goods may very well become a monopoly. The overall cost of purchasing their products would drop so far below their competitors that everyone else would surely go out of business. Unless more than one company gained access to teleportation at roughly the same time, the first company would be able to offer their goods at such a low price that other companies would lose money so rapidly they would ultimately shut down before they were able to finish developing the same teleportation delivery technology.

Obsolescence: Much like monopolies developing, teleportation of inanimate objects would also lead to entire industries collapsing. One obvious casualty would be the shipping & trucking industries. There would be no need to ship items across oceans or countries, or to businesses or individuals’ homes. Goods would be teleported directly to the recipients instead.

Food delivery services are currently on the rise. Teleportation would not only disintegrate them in their tracks, but possibly restaurants as we know them as well. DoorDash and the like are taking off while restaurant patronage is on the decline. It is already clear we would rather eat at home. The food industry may disappear as a destination and a service and morph into one giant culinary institute where food is prepared and teleported worldwide instead.

The retail industry (food & goods) would also be affected. Shoppers have already been moving toward more online and less in store shopping. Teleportation would effectively complete that move. There would be no need for local grocery stores or other retail marketplaces. Everything could be ordered and received immediately from anywhere in the world.

 III. Society as a whole:

Quality: Teleportation of inanimate objects would significantly increase the quality of life for society as a whole. While the collapse of the shipping & trucking industries may strike some as a potentially bad side effect of the rise of teleportation (loss of jobs, etc), it would actually be very beneficial to society as a whole. According to the November 2015 study Emission Reduction Targets for International Aviation and Shipping, “international transport would be responsible for almost 40% of the available global CO2 emissions in 2050.” Removing all of these emissions entirely would be significantly beneficial to the planet.

The resultant reduction in garbage would also increase the quality of life for society as a whole. There would be no need for shipping materials - cardboard, Styrofoam, and plastic packaging waste - to pollute our planet. The plastic shopping bag debate would be moot. We wouldn’t need bags at all. Also, less resources would be used to produce surplus products kept in inventory on some store shelf somewhere – products would only be “produced” when ordered.

General Welfare:  By installing teleportation pods in remote areas of the world where access to fresh drinking water, food, medicine and other basic necessities is difficult or impossible, charities, philanthropists, missionaries, and potentially even ordinary citizens who wish to provide assistance can send supplies to those in need. I know I personally always wished I could send food to the starving people of the world. And just think of the amount of food wasted… According to the FDA,  approximately 133 billion pounds of food was wasted by Americans in the year 2010 alone! Currently, sending that food to those in need is not feasible for many reasons, not the least of which is because it would likely rot. Teleportation could solve that problem. Wouldn’t it be incredible to teleport all that food to the hungry?

Question 2:

This week, in Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, I read the preface and the first chapter on force fields, and I began the second chapter on invisibility.

Kaku first lists the four know forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear forces – radioactive decay and the force that holds the nucleus of the atom together. He also explains that plasma, aka the “fourth state of matter,” is a gas of ionized atoms and is the most common form of matter in the universe – the sun, stars, and interstellar gas are all made up of plasma – but here on Earth, we are most familiar with solids, liquids and gases as these are what are most common on our planet.

He then speculates ways in which we may be able to create force fields similar to those seen in science fiction. Although he acknowledges there could be a fifth, unknown force in the universe that might work well as a force field, he recognizes that none of the four currently known forces have the properties of a force field. As such, he posits a combination of 4 layers to achieve such an invisible shield:

The first layer would be made of super-heated plasma capable of vaporizing metal.

A high energy laser beam curtain behind that would vaporize other objects that passed through.

Behind that, a lattice of carbon nanotubes could be used to create a screen strong enough to repel most objects… if the carbon nanotubes could be made smaller than the current record of 15mm and if they could in fact be woven into a lattice.

Then one final layer would just be necessary to stop laser beams. This could be achieved using an advanced form of photochromatics; a currently nonexistent version of the technology used to transition the lenses of glasses from clear to dark when exposed to the UV rays of the sun.

It’s easy enough to agree or disagree with someone on their hypothesis for what may happen in the future. We can’t know what will in fact happen! Kaku makes a very strong case for his version of a force field. Indeed, he makes it seem quite plausible, and in fact he imagines that development of such a shield may only be a century, or even just decades, away.

The only thing I could add is that if he is willing to deviate from the exact concept of a force field as depicted in science fiction and instead simulate such a phenomenon with a combination of layers creating a shield of sorts, why the need to stay true to the invisible nature of those dreamt up in science fiction? Or why the need to create a force-like protective shield at all? Other materials may exist that Kaku could have combined in layers to form an impenetrable shield that may not be invisible but may be possible today or in the more near future than the one he described. Or Kaku could have theorized an invisible shield that needn’t mimic a force at all and may also be possible with today’s technology or very soon at least. For example, for question 3 of HW1, I discovered the current research into using hagfish slime and clear, bulletproof-glass-like material as armor. Kaku could have entertained the idea of technology based on clear materials such as these being made large and strong enough for use as an invisible shield.

In my opinion, the most interesting part of the first chapter (and what I learned the most about) was the concept of room-temperature superconductors. If scientists are ever able to develop such a thing, we could easily and affordably levitate large and heavy objects like cars or trains. Levitating ourselves via “hoverboard” like devices would be simple, even levitating ourselves would be possible! Imagine being able to essentially fly by wearing a magnetic belt!

Kaku laments that unfortunately no one knows how high temperature super conductors work! Currently the world record is 138K held by mercury thallium barium calcium copper oxide. Kaku further explains that a room temperature superconductor may be invented tomorrow… or never! It is mind blowing to think of the possibilities. Kaku proclaims the invention of room temperature superconductors would spark a second industrial revolution.

The second chapter on invisibility is enlightening to say the least. A new material called a metamaterial may someday be able to make objects invisible! Kaku explains “Metamaterials are created by embedding tiny implants within a substance that force electromagnetic waves to bend in unorthodox ways.” So far, scientists have been able to make an object invisible to microwaves using metamaterials (microwaves are larger than light waves, which is how we see). If metamaterials could bend light waves this way – if the metamaterial had a negative index of refraction - they could make objects invisible! I can’t wait to read more about invisibility!

So far, I very much agree with the reviewers of this book who enjoy Kaku’s writing and who feel like he makes the physics of the impossible ideas of which he writes not only understandable, but fascinating and enjoyable, to everyday individuals.

[aureuscor-blog]

HW2

Question 1: If the software development productivity of the average programmer increases at 6% per year, then the estimated doubling time is 12 years. Using an arbitrary starting value of 100 “productivity,” multiplying by 1.06 each year yields a “productivity” of 201.22 in year 12.

Question 2: I will complete my term project individually. As of right now, I am leaning toward a short story. If I find a lot of interesting but scattered information for the topic on which I ultimately settle then I may opt to do a paper instead. It may be nice to pull everything together into one cohesive, comprehensive discussion the likes of which doesn’t presently exist. Then again, fiction can be so fun and can open the eyes of the masses in an entertaining but fact based way. If my story consists of one lone character or if I can get enough people together to help me out, then I may even do a video. Hmmm, decisions decisions…….

Topics I am considering include:

Teleportation. No, not of people. Unfortunately, that’s too tall an order. However, I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibilities, and perhaps even in the not-so-distant-future, that we may be able to teleport inanimate objects. I imagine a world where research and funding by retail giants Amazon and Walmart lead to the demise of the shipping industry as they begin to “deliver” goods via teleportation pods in everyone’s homes.

Invisibility. Not invisibility à la “abracadabra!” Making things disappear like a magician. Invisibility as in cloaking devices. With the devices we carry around on our person daily already equipped with hi def video cameras and augmented reality able to “see” things in the environment around us, I think cloaking devices are a real possibility. If we can wear a material that projects what is seen around us, we can be “invisible.” Of course, we would still have to avoid any objects in our path because they wouldn’t be able to pass through us.

Invincibility or personal body protection. Similar to the aliens we see in our science fiction, I would like to explore protection for the exceedingly fragile human body. We have cured so many diseases that plagued our species for 1000s of years, yet so many people die in accidents! We should have bullet-proof, fall-proof, crash-proof, every-other-kind-of-accident-proof armor to keep us all alive until we succumb to old age. Just imagine the crime rate dropping to 0 if you couldn’t harm anyone. Even an end to war!

��        or alternatively

Personal “replacement” robots we control through virtual reality so we needn’t leave the comfort - and protection - of our home. Yes, this has been done before in sci-fi movies like Surrogates, but, as an anxious worry wart, it speaks to me!

 Question 3: Delphi Method

A.  When will teleportation of inanimate everyday items over long distances (across the US or world or into space) become commonplace similar to telephones/TVs?

I collected 2 (or 3) estimates (never, 3550 and 2600 were the estimates). The median would be 3075 if I just use the numerical years (or 3550 if I include "never"). The total range is 950 years (or infinity with "never"). For the middle 50% of my responses, the median is 3550 and the range is 0. In the first round, I collected 2 estimates, 2300 and 2500. The median was 2400 and the range was 200 years. My range increased from 200 years to 950 so the discussions between rounds definitely did not cause the group to converge.

B. The process we went through in class differs from the classical Delphi Method in three major ways. First, the Delphi Method was meant to ask the question of experts, not people who may have no knowledge of the field as may have been the case in class. Second, the Delphi Method keeps those experts anonymous. We openly answered the questions in class. And third, the Delphi Method continues until the research question is answered (for example when consensus is reached), whereas we only carried out two rounds.

The information above regarding the Delphi Method references the process as described on page 2-3 of the following source:

Skulmoski, G.J., Hartman, F.T., & Krahn, J. (2007). The Delphi Method for graduate research. Journal of Information Technology Education, 6, 1-21.

 C. I think we should have followed the classical Delphi Method a little more closely. It may not have been possible to ask our question of experts being limited to classmates and their expertise, but we could have provided a little more background on our topic to get more knowledgeable estimates. Or everyone could’ve researched the topics a bit before giving estimates. Another option would be to see what our classmates are experts in and ask a question related to those topics. Another issue was only carrying out 2 rounds. We could’ve gone a few more rounds, with more research between each round. A significant issue with our process is the number of participants. I only received 2 number estimates. Granted, our class is small... Perhaps we could’ve enlisted the help of “friends” and posed the question on social media.

Question 4: The reviews on both Amazon and GoodReads are overwhelmingly positive for Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel.

Average rating of 4.6 from 254 ratings. Source: Amazon

Average rating of 4.08 from 30,654 ratings. Source: GoodReads

The bulk of positive reviews say things like Kaku is a good writer; the book is well written or even the best book they have ever read. Some cite his humor. There are several mentions of other similar popular science books/authors and comparisons between Kaku and Einstein, Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking. There are also many mentions of his other books (that they are also good or that the reviewer wants to read them now too). Surprisingly, many reviews give a brief synopsis or outline the topics covered in the book. The most common sentiment across all reviews is best expressed by Amazon reviewer JLBrackett from 7/8/11: Kaku “does an excellent job of taking complex topics in physics and bringing them to us in layman's terms.”

On the flip-side, there are those who were not too impressed. Amazon reviewer T. Proctor wrote on 9/2/09 that it reads like a technical manual. Indeed, there were a few reviewers who felt the book was too difficult to read, but the majority of the (small amount of) negative reviews complain of the opposite: That it’s nothing terribly enlightening or “it’s all been done before,” that it’s too “light,” there is not enough science - no physics or formulas - that Kaku doesn’t get into enough detail, and that it is too “dumbed down” or too “popularized.”

[aureuscor-blog]

HW1

Question 2: I have been interested in taking this course since I first opened the email containing the flyer for it. I haven’t yet definitively decided on a research topic for my dissertation and knew this course would be a great way to see “what’s out there.” Also, it will just be fascinating to learn, research, and discuss what may happen in the future!

 Question 3: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/3-of-the-craziest-bulletproof-body-armor-advances-of-2017

New Innovations in Body Armor

Humans are so fragile. Every second one American will need medical help due to an accidental injury, and every four minutes one American will die (“Why more Americans,” 2016). So why aren’t we researching and developing personal body protection?

I am not a huge comic book buff or superhero fan, but didn’t X-Men’s Wolverine have metal bones? And, of course, Iron Man has his metal suit. I want the greater protection and safety that enhancements such as those can provide.

And consider aliens. Most everyone agrees that aliens would be technologically superior to us if they were capable of traveling to our world. Therefore, they would have the “best” ideas for personal protection. How are aliens oftentimes portrayed in our science fiction? Their seemingly huge, impenetrable alien body is, in actuality, just some seriously awesome armor over a frail creature vulnerable to injury just as easily as earthly beings.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/3-of-the-craziest-bulletproof-body-armor-advances-of-2017

Well, until we develop superpowers or steal alien technology, the closest we can get is new body armor designed for the military and law enforcement. And there are some stellar ideas in the making. A slime suit modeled on a 330 million year old deep ocean creature… that sounds like science fiction right there! A foam that disintegrates bullets into powder. And a transparent, almost wearable-bullet-proof-glass-material that can be “ironed” for easy repairs. Read this Fox News story to learn more about them!

Reference

Why more Americans are dying accidental deaths. (2016, June 9). CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-americans-are-dying-accidental-deaths/

  Question 4: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/want-to-colonize-mars-aerogel-could-help

Mars Greenhouses

Aerogel is one of the most interesting “newly” (ca. 1930) created substances in existence. Aerogel is made by removing the liquid in a silica gel and replacing it with air producing an extremely light, porous, translucent, Styrofoam-like solid that prevents heat transfer and blocks UV rays while still allowing light to pass through.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech                                         Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/want-to-colonize-mars-aerogel-could-help

Aerogel has many fascinating potential uses, but here NASA’s Andrew Good and Alana Johnson discuss how Aerogel could help produce food on Mars. Researches at Harvard conducted an experiment simulating the conditions on Mars and found that greenhouses made of Aerogel could heat the surface beneath them enough to melt water ice on the Martian surface. It would take about 4 years (not to mention the difficulty of transporting enough Aerogel to Mars to build the greenhouses) to create permanent liquid water, but farming on Mars may actually be possible!

  Question 5: https://www.pnas.org/content/117/4/1853

Programmable Living Robots

Using the skin and heart stem cells of frogs, or Xenopus laevis, researches have developed what are essentially programmable living robots.

Source: https://www.pnas.org/content/117/4/1853

As incredible as half-animal half-robot creatures sounds, that is not the focus of their research so much as the automatic programming of the cells or, as they put it: “a scalable approach for designing living systems in silico using an evolutionary algorithm, and … the evolved designs can be rapidly manufactured using a cell-based construction toolkit.”

Therefore, not only could we have tiny nanobots that can do amazing things… we could program them to do different amazing things! Imagine programming a swarm of these bots to collect plastic particles and push them into a heap. Then we could let them loose in the ocean to clean up all the garbage. Then imagine being able to quickly program and deploy a different army of these “xenobots” to examine human bodies for necessary medical attention. The possibilities are endless!

Question 6:

I will be reviewing Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku.