The Singularity is Coming

How to capture videos of brains in real time http://ift.tt/2sTaUgJ Individual neurons firing within a volume of brain tissue (credit: The Rockefeller University) A team of scientists has peered into a mouse brain with light, capturing live neural activity of hundreds of individual neurons in a 3D section of tissue at video speed (30 Hz) in a single recording for the first time. Besides serving as a powerful research tool, this discovery means it may now be possible to “alter stimuli in real time based on what we see going on in the animal’s brain,” said Rockefeller University’s Alipasha Vaziri , senior author of an open-access paper published June 26, 2017 in Nature Methods . By dramatically reducing the time and computational resources required to generate such an image, the algorithm opens the door to more sophisticated experiments, says Vaziri, head of the Rockefeller Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics . “Our goal is to better understand brain function by monitor

How to capture videos of brains in real time http://ift.tt/2sTaUgJ Individual neurons firing within a volume of brain tissue (credit: The Rockefeller University) A team of scientists has peered into a mouse brain with light, capturing live neural activity of hundreds of individual neurons in a 3D section of tissue at video speed (30 Hz) in a single recording for the first time. Besides serving as a powerful research tool, this discovery means it may now be possible to “alter stimuli in real time based on what we see going on in the animal’s brain,” said Rockefeller University’s Alipasha Vaziri , senior author of an open-access paper published June 26, 2017 in Nature Methods . By dramatically reducing the time and computational resources required to generate such an image, the algorithm opens the door to more sophisticated experiments, says Vaziri, head of the Rockefeller Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics . “Our goal is to better understand brain function by monitor

How to Have the Second Brain to Remember More http://ift.tt/2tq5bjT Your whole life depends on you being able to retrieve things from your memory. I’m sure you know what I mean… “Where are my keys?” “What major tasks do I need to complete today?” “What time is that meeting I need to attend?” Questions such as these bombard our minds daily. If you’re able to recall the relevant information, you’ll keep your life on track. However, if you fail to recall the information – your life will start to move in a confused and unproductive direction. We’d all love to boost our memories, but often we go about it in the wrong way. It’s not about how much information we can absorb into our minds, but how easily we can retrieve this information (which most people aren’t good at). Information Overload = Memory Failure We live in an information age , where our minds are besieged 24/7 by facts, figures, news, drama and trends. To maintain our standing among our peers, most of us strive in vain

Why Victims of Facebook Harassment Will Never Leave Facebook http://ift.tt/2tZMXCV On Wednesday, one day after Facebook had announced that two billion people use its service every month, ProPublica released a bombshell investigation into the company's hate-speech censorship guidelines. The report included documents that revealed that Facebook's rules often end up protecting the rights of those in power over those who are powerless. These two revelations are inextricably entwined, each enabling and necessitating the other. Facebook is the biggest social network on the planet—with over a quarter of the human race using its site—precisely because it so actively censors and curates its community and follows local laws that enable it to exist even in oppressive countries. And because it is so huge, people who most need a platform for expression online can’t afford to not be on it—even if that means enduring seemingly arbitrary censorship. This is the network effect in act

DHS Won't Extend Laptop Ban, But Its New Protocols Will Make Airport Security Extra Annoying http://ift.tt/2sSLW16 Let's start with the good news for international travelers and the airlines that serve them: The Department of Homeland Security has decided not to extend its laptop ban , which prohibits any electronics larger than a phone in the cabin on flights from some Middle Eastern and African countries entering the US. Bad news is, the feds are compensating by demanding new airport security measures that will make getting through to the gate more of a slog than ever. OK, back to good news: When it comes to making flying safer, these measures stand a much better chance than stuffing your MacBook in the cargo hold. On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced more rigorous measures for all commercial flights landing in the US. “The United States and the global aviation community face an adaptive and agile enemy,” it said in a statement. “Terrorist g

Personal assistance relationships are complex and need support, study finds http://ift.tt/2ukukcg Personal assistance relationships are usually empowering and flexible for both employer and workers, but can become emotionally fraught and even wounded, according to a report launched today. Singularity via http://ift.tt/orfraw June 28, 2017 at 07:25PM