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A DEADLY GAME?

Football has come under scrutiny over the past few years by a few well-intentioned people who are concerned about the potential risk to life and limb over this contact sport.  Most of it seems to focus on the high school level, and while high school football seems to be assured of its future, the concern percolates under the surface.  The question remains: Is a game worth a traumatic brain injury or a severe shock to a young person’s spinal cord?  Fortunately, the odds...

The Barbie Movie

Россияне любят <<Барби>>

Я – новичок в стране Барби. Все, кто вырос в Америке, слышали о Барби, которая, хорошо это или плохо, стала культурной иконой Запада. В прошлом месяце моя жена сходила на фильм о Барби, а через неделю – во второй раз, с двумя другими членами семьи. Во второй раз она, ее внучка и невестка оделись по этому случаю в розовое. Моя жена была в восторге от фильма и хотела, чтобы я его посмотрел. Мы договорились, что когда фильм появится на телевидении,...

Don't be duped by deepfakes

DON’T BE DUPED BY DEEPFAKES

This is a good place to start.  Watch this one minute video. Imagine if instead of a Morgan Freeman character, it was a famous politician. What if it was someone pretending to be Donald Trump talking about draconian measures in society during a second term as President. Or, suppose it was an image if Dr. Fauci admitting that he was secretly rtesponsible for COVID, or a President Biden ringer “confessing” he was involved in some world wide conspiracy. Would you believe...

Can we trust the robots?

CAN WE TRUST ROBOTS?

The notion of robots has captured the imaginations of our grandparents since the end of World War I when European researchers first applied the use of electricity to try to mechanize machines.  Soon, a menacing looking robot called Tobor appeared on television and in the movies (Tobor is the word “robot” spelled backwards.)  Before long, there was the clumsy machine that was introduced in the sixties in Lost in Space.  This robot was not capable of very much except to flail its arms around...

Enfants de Dieu

ENFANTS DE DIEU

Let me begin this essay by asking questions of the reader. Of the following groups in our society, which of the following would you think were most likely to be happy with their lives; happy with who they are; happy with their appearance; their love for family, siblings; and their ability to make new friends? Your choices of groups are lottery jackpot winners; teenagers; successful single adults 21-35; couples with one child only; church going couples with more than three...

Are we alone in the universe?

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

The Kepler space mission has produced data that suggests that “based upon the number of M-class stars in the galaxy, that alone represents about 10 billion potentially habitable, Earth-like worlds.”  Our sun is a G-class star.  M-class stars are fainter, cooler stars called “Red Dwarfs.”  To understand the conditions on a planet circling a Red Dwarf, refer to my post here.  Meanwhile, today’s question is “Are we alone in the universe?” Ten billion worlds.  That’s a lot.  Of course, that number is the top end.  Let’s dig into the...

Artificial Intelligence (SWOT)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (SWOT)

Vladimir Putin on artificial intelligence: “The one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world.” Artificial intelligence (AI) is something that (to me) has floated around for quite a few years, when all of a sudden, in the last twelve months or so it has crashed in the midst of us with a heavy thud.  Now, it is everywhere.  I think the proverbial cup started overflowing with ChatGPT and the use of AI in computer graphics,...

Via appia in Italy. The breadcrumbs trail in Romans

THE BREADCRUMB TRAIL IN ROMANS

The featured photo in this post is a famous road in Italy called the Via Appia or sometimes the Appia Antica. The road you see in the photo is the same as it looked when Caesar rode on it. In fact, the road was built (in 312 B.C.) by Roman civil engineers before Caesar’s grandfather was even born. It ran from Rome 162 miles (261 km) to Tarentum (now Taranto.) The flagstones in the photo were carefully chosen and placed by...

Your spiritual needs as you get older

YOUR SPIRITUAL NEEDS AS YOU GET OLDER

Early this morning well before sunrise, I had a period of sleeplessness. I had time to reflect on how I have been feeling, on upcoming appointments with my cardiologist, my urological oncologist, podiatrist, physical therapist and so on. I should mention that I’m six months beyond my seventy-fourth birthday. Or, as Jack Benny might have said, “I just celebrated the fortieth anniversary of my thirty-fourth birthday.” This post will examine your spiriual needs as you get older. Knowing when you...

Iroquios equinox

IROQUOIS EQUINOX

The summer is slowly but surely coming to an end in upstate New York.  The birds, chipmunks and squirrels have feasted on the last of the blueberries, strawberries and grapes in our back yard, and even a gentle breeze will dislodge nuts from the black walnut tree.  Sitting outdoors on a summer night in upstate New York is at once both soothing and exhilarating.  Fireflies are everywhere, creating a carnival-like festival of light.  But now the fireflies have disappeared until next June when...

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