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Everything in the universe can fit into this blog entry.

Prediction of the Future: Intelligent Life

2063-05-13, Madrid, 10:14 local time

Leading worldwide scientists report they have unravelled one of humankind's greatest mysteries, the question about intelligent life in the Universe. What people fascinates most: They discovered it on earth!

This is the Title of this Posting

This is the first sentence of this posting. This is the second sentence which is absolutely unnecessary and adds no interesting information at all. This sentence is solely intended to increase tension and expectation in the reader's mind -- a concept borrowed from Greek tragedy. This sentence introduces a link to an interesting story written in a style similar to this posting, which the author wishes to recommend for reading: This Is the Title of This Story, Which Is Also Found Several Times in the Story Itself.

This is the last sentence of this posting and pays attribution to A. D. Barncord.

Memes, an Ethical Problem?

Could it be unethical to destroy a Meme because it is wrong?

New Tufte Book: Beautiful Evidence

It has been announced to be published for quite some years so I am delighted Beautiful Evidence is out now eventually. [Via lemonodor.]

Nice Talk about Three Cool Features in Common Lisp

Peter Seibel gave a nice overview over three cool features in Common Lisp: multiple dispatch, conditions, and macros.

Replacing Layout Tables with Divs

A great tutorial that explains how to make a page layout without using tables:
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/holygrail.

Today's Internet Companies are becoming more like Countries

Since Internet companies today become more and more social and by that more entrenched in our society, it's becoming more significant what values a company does stand for. Some may now think for example of Google's infamous "don't be evil" motto. However, the problem with it's motto is actually how one does define evil! In principle there are two models when approaching values: Universalism and Relativism. Universalism says all values are the same everywhere and Relativism says they are relative to the cultural context. With Yahoo and Google being currently under public strutiny regarding their behavior in China because they helped to identify a human rights activist (Yahoo) or because they filter search results in accordance with the Chinese government (Google) it becomes clear that these companies have a relativistic stand on values. This is the case with most internationally active companies as it's the one that goes perfectly well with making profits in foreign countries. Nevertheless, even traditional multinational companies today ask themselves about Corporate Social Responsibility, and even though CSR usually is just hot air, the need to stand for a certain sets of values becomes the more necessary the more a company is becoming a part of everyday life.

A country, and many of you will agree, is not a company. Even though it's structure is similar for one. A country usually has people, it has a culture, it has a law, and a language. And, as most countries, it has signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and thereby officially acknowledging that it stands for a Universal set of values (although some countries don't stick to it). A traditional company needs employees and profits to survive. Today's Internet companies also need users, because users/people are the commodity of the Internet age. However, broadening the definition of what a company needs also means to include culture and some aspects of law into the company. And then at this point it becomes obvious that sticking to a relativistic set of values is not enough any more. And I believe that today's Internet companies will have to make a commitment to a Universal set of values in the future.

Yay Google Tech Talks!

As Ovidiu Predescu noted a while ago there are tech talks available on Google Video which used to be internal to Google. There are a lot of interesting topics covered, many of which I haven't thought much of before, like: Biofuels, Drug Discovery with OpenSource, Hacking the brain, A new Bill of Rights and Clustering Aggregation. Thanks to Google and Ovidiu!

The WTO and the Kyoto Protocol

I wonder whether members of the WTO could make a case at the WTO Court in reference to GATT Article XX which exempts from certain obligations if "necessary to protect human, animal, or plant life and health" in order to pressure USA, China, and India to sign the Kyoto protocol. Especially since today scientific evidence is mounting that greenhouse emissions are responsible for climate change and those three countries together are the biggest producers of greenhouse gases.

Develop better Web Applications with Tamper Data

I really like firefox's Tamper Data plugin. It let's you edit your browser's HTTP requests before they get sent to the server. You may also replay requests.

My favorite Principles from Yes Minister

Sir Humphrey's system for stalling a minister's policy proposal, called Creative Inertia

Stage One: Administration is in its early months and there is an awful lot of other things to get on with.

Stage Two: I quite appreciate the intention, it certainly ought to be done - but is this the right way to achieve it?

Stage Three: This is not the time, for all sorts of reasons.

Stage Four: The policy has run into difficulties - technical, political and/or legal.

Stage Five: We're getting rather near to the run-up to the next general election - so we can't be sure of getting the policy
through.

Government procedure for suppressing unwanted reports

Stage One: The public interest:

1) You hint at security considerations.

2) You point out that the report could be used to put unwelcome pressure on government because it might be misinterpreted.

3) You then say it is better to wait for the results of a wider and more detailed survey over a longer time-scale.

4) If there is no such survey being carried out, so much the better. You commission one, which gives you even more time to play with.

Stage Two: Discredit the evidence that you are not publishing

You do it indirectly, by press leaks. You say:

(a) it leaves important questions unanswered
(b) much of the evidence is inconclusive
(c) the figures are open to other interpretations
(d) certain findings are contradictory
(e) some of the main conclusions have been questioned

Points (a) to (d) are bound to be true. In fact, all of these criticisms can be made of a report without even reading it. There are, for instance, always some questions unanswered - such as the ones they haven't asked. As regards (e), if some of the main conclusions have not been questioned, question them! Then they have.

Stage Three: Undermine the recommendation

This is easily done, with an assortment of governmental phrases:

(a) 'not really a basis for long-term decisions ...'
(b) 'not sufficient information on which to base a valid assessment...'
(c) 'no reason for any fundamental rethink of existing policy...'
(d) 'broadly speaking, it endorses current practice...'

These phrases give comfort to people who have not read the report and who don't want change - i.e. almost anybody.

Stage Four: If stage three still leaves doubts, then Discredit the Man Who Produced the Report

This must be done OFF THE RECORD. You explain that:

(a) he is harbouring a grudge against the government
(b) he is a publicity seeker
(c) he's trying to get his knighthood
(d) he's trying to get his chair
(e) he's trying to get his Vice-Chancellorship
(f) he used to be a consultant to a multinational company or
(g) he wants to be a consultant to a multinational company

The five standard excuses of the Civil Service

1. The Anthony Blunt excuse

There is a perfectly satisfactory explanation for everything, but security prevents its disclosure.

2. The Comprehensive Schools excuse

It's only gone wrong because of heavy cuts in staff and budget which have stretched supervisory resources beyond the limit.

3. The Concorde excuse

It was a worthwhile experiment now abandoned, but not before it provided much valuable data and considerable employment

4. The Munich Agreement excuse

It occurred before important facts were known, and cannot happen again. (The important facts in question were that Hitler wanted to conquer Europe. This was actually known; but not to the Foreign Office, of course)

5. The Charge of the Light Brigade excuse

It was an unfortunate lapse by an individual which has now been dealt with under internal disciplinary procedures.

The future of the dollar

This article from 2004 by The Economist analyzes the economic influences on the dollar very well.

Thanks to Stephan Schmidt for his recommendation!

Fascinating Atoms

From ``A Short History of Nearly Everything'' by Bill Bryson:

Atoms are very abundant. They are also fantastically durable. Because they are so long-lived, atoms really get around. Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several starts and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that a significant number of our atoms - up to a billion for each of us, it has been suggested - probably once belonged to Shakespeare. A billion more each came from Buddha and Genghis Khan and Beethoven, and any other historical figure you care to name. (The personages have to be historical, apparently, as it takes the atoms some decades to become throughly redistributed; however much you may wish it, you are not yet one with Elvis Presley.)

So we are all reincarnations - though short-lived ones. When we die, our atoms will disassemble and move off to find new uses elsewhere - as part of a leaf or other human being or drop of dew. Atoms themselved, however, go on pratically for ever. Nobody actually knows how long an atom can survive, but according to Martin Rees it is probably about 10^35 years - a number - a number so big that even I am happy to express it in mathematical notation.

Interview with Hugo de Garis

Find it here (Thanks to Eugen Leitl for setting it up!)
De Garis gives his views on the future of AI, the Artilect, Cosmics vs. Terrans, building artificial brains.

Views on the Meaning of Life

God's Debris: Scott Adams' socratic dialogue. Interesting ideas on the Big Bang, explaining gravity, and probability.

An interview with Freeman Dyson who argues there is not only a consciousness in human beings - but also on quantum level and in the Universe.