Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Singularity University - open in June

Singularity University (SU) (www.singularityu.org) will open its doors in June 2009 on the NASA Research Park campus with a nine-week graduate level interdisciplinary curriculum designed to facilitate understanding, collaboration, and innovation across a broad range of carefully chosen scientific and technological disciplines.

The curriculum will be broken out into 10 tracks as follows:

* future studies and forecasting
* networks and computing systems
* biotechnology and bioinformatics
* nanotechnology
* medicine, neuroscience and human enhancement
* AI, robotics, and cognitive computing
* energy and ecological systems
* space and physical sciences
* policy, law and ethics
* finance and entrepreneurship.
source: Next Big Future

The University has been founded by a group of leaders including renowned author and futurist, Dr. Ray Kurzweil, space entrepreneur and chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, Dr. Peter Diamandis, and Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, Pete Worden. The list of faculty and advisors includes several distinguished individuals, including nobel laureates and key players from major universities.

Kurzweil will act as chancellor and trustee of the University. He’ll be joined by Diamandis, who will act as vice chancellor and trustee, and Salim Ismail, a former Yahoo executive, who will work as executive director.

source: Singularity Hub


No comments needed - this just speaks for itself - all kinds of awesome. Or it would be if I were there....

Sunday, February 01, 2009

The Meaning of Virtue - online

Virtue is not as well understood as it needs to be. And it desperately need to be understood better. And so I have written a book titled, The Meaning of Virtue.

Consider this:

In North America, 40% of members are single adults.

Of these 18-29, the activity ratio for men to women is 89:100.

While for those over 30, is 19:100.

16% of these women are single parents.

62% of single members 30 and up have never married at all.

And these statistics are several years old! Don't think it has gotten any better.

That is a crisis. And it doesn't take talking to many singles to realize that remaining faithful in today's sex-crazed culture takes a special level of devotion. I don't know if Brigham ever actually said that bachelors over 25 are a menace to society, but it is most likely repeated because there is a more than a bit of truth (as well as humor and notoriety) in that statement.

Whenever singles in the Church discuss sex, and why to keep the law of Chastity, the Standard has been (of course) Scriptures and a most seminal talk by Elder Holland; Souls, Symbols and Sacraments. This talk comes up over and over again, even more than Elder Oaks multiple talks on dating. There is nothing as widely quoted or referenced when singles discuss the actual doctrinal reasons for chastity. It is in a similar vein, that I am sharing a the parts of "The Meaning of Virtue". If I can accomplish a tenth of what that one talk has done, I will have really accomplished something.

It is welcome to be used and copied freely, for strictly non-commercial purposes only.

New chapters will be posted weekly.

The Meaning of Virtue