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This adventurous non-fiction work speculates the origins of reality, claiming it’s most likely we’re in a computer simulation. In doing so, Virk draws on his vast knowledge of quantum physics, computer science, philosophy, Eastern religion, video games, and science fiction. The result is a compelling – though sometimes frantic – argument against the idea we’re living in an objective reality.
Despite wondering about the simulation hypothesis for many years, it wasn’t until VR and AI reached their current level of sophistication that I could see a clear path to how we might develop all-encompassing simulations like the one depicted in The Matrix, which led me to write this book.
Before he’s even finished said introduction, Virk’s rapid-fire hypothesizing manages to theoretically debunk God, claim angels might be AIs, and explain that we’re all probably characters in a giant massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG).
This isn’t a bunch of wild philosophical thought bubbles though. ‘Simulation Hypothesis’ takes into account the gravitas of previous work, including Nick Bostrom’s ‘The Simulation Argument,’ and has plenty to add of its own. Virk’s nuanced descriptions of the quantum universe at work are both informative and comforting – his optimism and excitement for science make the existential concerns a bit easier to swallow.
I call this great video game the “Great Simulation” because this virtual reality appears to be indistinguishable from physical reality.
Not only does the simulation hypothesis provide a rational, science-based explanation for the things that religious traditions have been telling us for years, it also provides explanations for phenomena that have been unexplained by the modern science. These include near-death experiences (NDEs), out-of-body-experiences (OBEs), UFOs, synchronicity, and deja vu, among others.
If ‘Simulation Hypothesis’ sounds a bit too much like science fiction for your taste, keep in mind that smart speakers like Alexa and Siri were the fodder of fiction until just a few short years ago. We all remember that Cortana was originally a character in the game Halo right?
No matter whether it’s real or just a bunch of data on a server, what we call reality could be headed for a dramatic paradigm shift as we enter the age of computer graphics indistinguishable from our natural environment and machine learning systems running on quantum algorithms. Our collective views on spirituality and what’s possible within the realms of science and rational thought could probably use some updating.
You can get your copy of Rizwan Virk’s “Simulation Hypothesis” on Amazon here for just $8.99 on Kindle.
La Niña is expected to be back and it may wreck your winter. But that depends on where you live and if you do or don’t like the cold.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has released its winter outlook. This forecast is not a guide for deciding your detailed ski vacation or New Year’s Eve plans, but it may give you an idea of which winter coat you should buy for the season and if you need to stock up on whiskey and coffee.
“It would be quite surprising to see a third very warm winter in a row,” said Mike Halpert, the deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
He said the forecast shows conditions will be warmer, but he doesn’t think we will see a top 10 record warm winter like we have the past two years.
You can probably leave the long underwear in storage if you live in the South. NOAA says two-thirds of the continental US will likely experience warmer-than-normal conditions.
The East Coast has anywhere from a 33%-40% chance of having an above-average winter. This doesn’t mean a cold snap or two won’t happen, it’s just less likely.
The Northern Plains and Northwest are the only locations the CPC thinks the winter season will be below average. The rest of the continental US has equal chances of experiencing a normal winter — meaning residents there will have equal chances of having above, near or below-normal temperatures.
You may want to get a waterproof jacket this season if you live in the northern Rockies or Midwest. The CPC is forecasting above-average precipitation in these areas, while a stretch from Southern California to the Carolinas is expected to be drier. Northern Florida and south Georgia — regions that have had drought conditions within the past year, but not now — have the greatest probability of drier conditions.
Drought could develop in some areas of the South due to the drier conditions — especially in areas that missed the rainfall associated with the active 2017 hurricane season.
The winter pattern that is setting up looks to favor storm tracks across the northern tier of the country. This pattern makes it less likely to have Mid-Atlantic and New England coastal storms that develop in the Gulf of Mexico and track up the East Coast.
We are currently in a La Niña watch, according to the CPC’s October discussion. Forecasters give about a 55%-65% chance during the fall and winter that La Niña will fully form.
The effects of El Niño and La Niña are much more noticeable during the winter months across the US. If La Niña forms, this will have a direct impact on the weather this winter.
“If La Nina conditions develop, we predict it will be weak and potentially short-lived, but it could still shape the character of the upcoming winter,” said Halpert.
During a typical La Niña winter, the Northwest and Midwest are typically colder and wetter, while the Southwest to Southeast remains drier than average.
This all happens because the Pacific jet stream meanders higher into Alaska and Canada, helping to keep some of the dips in the jet stream farther north across the Eastern US.
It doesn’t mean that the Southeast will escape winter weather altogether — the chances are just lower, and the average temperature is likely to be above average.
If La Niña does not form as expected, the updated winter outlook issued in mid-November will look different.
Just how accurate is this forecast?
If we look at last year’s winter outlook, most of the US would likely give forecasters a B+ rating on their 2016-2017 temperature outlook.
A year ago, they predicted an outlook very similar to this year’s forecast: warm across the South and cooler across the Northern Plains. They were right about above-average temperatures across the South. However, the jet stream set up a little bit differently than expected and the below-average temperatures expected in the Northern Plains occurred farther west into the Northwestern US.
So, in the big picture, they were close, but if you live in Seattle, you might have had a few choice words to say about last year’s snowy winter and the big fluffy jacket you didn’t buy.
Then there was the precipitation outlook last year. If we stay with the grade-school analogy, forecasters still passed, but their predictions were just slightly better than flipping a coin.
We again turn our attention to the West, where the overall winter forecast was for drier weather, especially in the Southwest. But multiple atmospheric river events in December, January and February of last year wrecked that prediction. Again, overall a passing grade.
So, look at the big picture: Winter is coming, and we have a bit of an idea as to where.
But there are a lot of dynamics at play here — thermodynamics in fact — and this is not a pinpoint forecast showing you where it will or won’t snow this season. Instead, this is a way to help you mentally prepare yourself for what lies ahead this winter.
Now you know that you might want to buy a raincoat for every day of the week in the Northwest, while in the South you will likely get away with a lighter coat or vest most of the winter.
The coffee and/or whiskey are just a given no matter where you are this winter.
SpinalMotion, a developer of “investigational” artificial discs for treating patients with degenerative disc disease, said it has raised $20 million in a third round of venture capital.
SpinalMotion continues to make significant progress on two United States (U.S.)-based Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical trials for the Kineflex® lumbar disc and Kineflex®|C cervical disc implants. More than 550 patients are enrolled in the studies; over 70 percent of the required number of patients.
In South Africa, nearly 850 lumbar discs and over 350 cervical discs are implanted, bringing the total number of Kineflex discs implanted worldwide to over 1,500. In addition to its ongoing clinical trials, the company continues to work on its posterior lumbar disc.
The SpinalMotion Kineflex lumbar disc and the Kineflex|C cervical disc are second-generation, metal-on-metal designs intended to preserve motion with low wear. They feature a proprietary, straight-forward implant technique that includes specialized instruments for accurate placement. Both discs are currently approved for sale in South Africa, where they were developed.
SpinalMotion received IDE approvals in 2005 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence the studies, which began during the second quarter. The lumbar trial involves 25 U.S. sites. In this randomized study, the investigational SpinalMotion Kineflex lumbar disc is being compared to another FDA-approved lumbar artificial disc. The cervical trial involves 20 U.S. sites and features a randomized study comparing the investigational SpinalMotion Kineflex|C to fusion. Both trials are designed to demonstrate equivalent clinical success rates to their respective controls. A two-year follow-up period is planned for both trials.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 14% of new patient visits to physician offices (approximately 13 million annually) are for complaints of low back pain. In fact, an estimated 18% of the population has debilitating back pain at any given time. These demographics, along with the tremendous costs to society and the focus on new treatments, have made spinal implants the fastest growing segment of the orthopedic market.
Last Night's Winner: U! S! A! U! S! A!
In sports, everyone in a winner—some people just win better than others. Like Americans who, let's face it, are the awesomest winners who ever won a victory. Now it feels like a real Olympics!
This guy with the red hair (kind of Commie, but we'll let it slide) has to invent tricks he doesn't need just to fight the boredom of watching his opponents lose so bad. Thanks to him, America is back in its rightful place on top of the leaderboard, even with our curling teams taking a dive. (Let the sad, snowy countries have something to cling to, right?) Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wave a flag in someone's face.
In Puyo Puyo Tetris, it’s never over until the screen falls down.
With both his screens piled up to the top and more grey blocks coming his way, winner’s bracket player DDR_Dan was moments away from Wumbo resetting the CEOtaku Puyo Puyo Tetris grand finals bracket on him. It was 2-2 in series, 1-1 in the game, and Wumbo had just dropped a lot of blocks, sometimes known as “garbage,” into his side of the screen.
Swapping from Tetris back to Puyo Puyo though, he found an opening—a chain reaction his opponent wasn’t ready for.
The competitive mode of Puyo Puyo Tetris utilizes both games, Puyo Puyo and Tetris. Players swap back and forth between them on a timer, shown in the middle of the screen. And while both screens were looking rough for DDR_Dan, swapping away from Tetris opened up an opportunity. A few well-placed blobs could catch his opponent, who had just sent a lot of grey blocks his way, off guard.
DDR_Dan’s last-ditch effort paid off, and he walked away the victor of the tournament. To catch the rest of the anime-fueled tournament in Orlando, tune in to the CEO Gaming Twitch channel.
ANAHEIM >> Matt Shoemaker was back on the mound at Angel Stadium after a week-long stint at Triple-A.
The Angels sent the right-hander to the minors to work on a few things after he allowed 22 runs in his first 20 2/3 innings of 2016.
Things were not markedly better in his return Wednesday night, as the Angels fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2, their fifth loss in a row. Their latest defeat dropped them to 13-20 overall and into a three-way tie for last place in the American League West with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics.
Shoemaker, who surrendered four runs and seven hits in four innings, ran into most of his trouble in the top of the second.
After a 1-2-3 first inning when his fastball touched 95 mph and he made it through on 15 pitches, the first five batters Shoemaker faced in the second reach base. He walked Brandon Moss, then gave up four consecutive singles. The Cardinals jumped ahead, 3-0, then Matt Carpenter’s sacrifice fly brought in another run.
A four-run deficit was too much for an offense that has not scored more than two runs in a game in a week.
Manager Mike Scioscia pulled Shoemaker after he gave up a single to Stephen Piscotty to start the fifth inning.
Only one Angels starter has pitched at least six innings since April 26, a span of 12 games.
Shoemaker made only one start at Triple-A, allowing one run in six innings Saturday, since the Angels’ rotation lost Garrett Richards, likely for the season, because of a torn ulnar collateral ligament that looks to need Tommy John surgery.
Scioscia hoped to see better command from the 29-year-old Shoemaker. He struck out 16 and walked 10 in his first five starts. He had one strikeout and one walk against St. Louis.
Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia took a no-hitter into the fourth inning. It looked to be over when Mike Trout appeared to reach first base on an infield single, but it was overturned after a replay review. Trout was out.
C.J. Cron ended Garcia’s no-hit bid two batters later when he hit a two-run home run to left-center for his second homer of the season. Cron is 11 for 26 this month.
The Angels had another extra-base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning when catcher Geovany Soto doubled to left-center putting runners at second and third with one out.
But they did not score after Johnny Giavotella and Shane Robinson struck out swinging.
They were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position, Giavotella flying out in the bottom of the ninth with Cron on second and Soto at first.
Their bullpen kept them at least within striking distance, giving up just one run — a two-out, RBI single by Piscotty in the seventh.
Since April 20, the Angels’ relief pitchers have a 2.00 ERA.
On November 8, Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) became the first Somali-American to be elected to Minnesota’s state congress. Tuesday (December 6), following a meeting at the White House, a cab driver called Omar “ISIS” and threatened to pull off her hijab.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reports a sharp increase in harassment and intimidation lobbied against Muslims and people of color in the days since Donald Trump was elected president.
*Story has been updated to correctly reflect Omar’s elected post.
I am sorry you had this experience, Ms. Omar. It reminded me of a speech by James T. Rapier on Feb. 4, 1875 entitled The Civil Rights Bill. Rapier was elected to US Congress in 1872. Best wishes for your service that lies ahead.
A bill pending in Congress could spell disaster for EB-5 if it becomes law, according to immigration lawyers whose clients include investors who have obtained green cards through the program.
Under the bill’s provisions, current investors would be required to increase their investment by $300,000 or $700,000, depending on the type of project they are funding.
The current $500,000 investment is for projects in a rural area or one deemed of high employment. If the investment goes to other areas then it must be higher, as much as $1.2 million in some cases. If the bill becomes law, it would require $500,000 investors who filed petitions after June 15, 2015 to increase their investment to a minimum of $800,000. Because most investment areas would no longer qualify as high unemployment areas, many investors would have to raise their $500,000 expenditure to $1.2 million.
Immigration attorneys and developers familiar with the program said the problem is not the higher investment, but that the new requirements are retroactive to June 15, 2015.
The bill would also require investors to prove their money has created a percentage of full-time direct jobs lasting 24 months — not just jobs in general as currently specified. Most projects do not use staff employees, but instead use contract workers.
The proposed new requirements could lead to the suspension of green card benefits for thousands of foreign investors approved since June 15 — unless they increase their allocations.
“If passed in its present form, this could shut down the EB-5 program,” said Tammy Fox-Isicoff, a Miami immigration attorney whose clients include foreign nationals who have invested money in various local projects.
The program began in 1990, but remained largely dormant until the 2007-2008 U.S. economic crisis gave it new life.
Since then, EB-5 has become one of the most popular investor visa programs in American immigration history.
In 2006 immigration authorities issued 502 EB-5 visas to foreign investors. But the number of EB-5 visas gradually increased: to 795 in 2007; 1,443 in 2008; 4,218 in 2009 and 8,564 in 2013. In the last fiscal year it shot up to 10,692 — over the annual limit of 10,000.
Investments are pooled by so-called EB-5 Regional Centers. The pooled money of several investors allows developers to fund commercial and residential mega projects. One of the largest in the country is the Hudson Yards project on New York’s West Side with six towers featuring 5,000 apartments.
Azpurua said EB-5 has been good both for his business and for his investors who have been approved for green cards. He said the majority of his EB-5 investors come from Asia and South America.
Recent immigration agency figures show that most EB-5 investors are from China and South Korea. The majority of Latin American EB-5 investors are from Venezuela, figures show.
One of the reasons EB-5 is attractive to developers, more so than traditional sources of funds, is because they pay investors relatively small returns — about 1 to 3 percent, instead of the 7 to 10 percent in a traditional real estate investment plan.
For EB-5 investors, though, the attraction is not profit, but American residency. After five years, those who are permanent residents can apply for citizenship.
But if the proposed bill becomes law, many of the investors who have already filed for green cards could lose their investment and the opportunity to obtain lawful permanent residence if they can’t come up with the larger investment amounts.
“Thousands of investors who invested and filed EB-5 petitions over the last six months would no longer qualify,” wrote H. Ronald Klasko, an EB-5 expert who writes a blog on the program.
The blog’s analysis of the EB-5 bill is available at his website: www.klaskolaw.com/eb-5-investor-visas/the-draft-eb-5-bill-the-good-news-and-the-bad-news/.
Though the blog gives the bill a low chance of becoming law, the legislation is co-sponsored by powerful lawmakers: Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
Grassley did not cite an example. But in 2013, Grassley sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expressing concerns about how EB-5 could be used by Iranian covert operatives to infiltrate the United States. Grassley based his concern on an internal memo he had read from Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that contained that warning.
Immigration attorneys such as Fox-Isicoff agree that the program could be strengthened and integrity measures added, but contend that changing the rules retroactively for those who invested in good faith would destroy the program.
Is there a dream associates & advocators in Spain ..madrid? thx for the help!!
Help My! Such letter after SMS on phone has come here!
Good to hear from you regarding the NOKIA MOBILE PROMO. This is the Nokia Cash Department assigned to winners from this Region of the Ongoing Mobile Sweepstakes.
In line with the commemorating event with NOKIA UK marking their 142nd anniversary they rolled out over £46,000.000.00 (Forty Six Million Great Britain Pounds) for their 142nd Anniversary Draws. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn form 25,000 company mobile numbers, and 30,000,000 individual mobile numbers from the 45 mobile networks from Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa as part of International Promotions Program, which is conducted annually in London, Britain.
This promo is approved by the British Gaming Board and also licensed by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). This promo is the 1st of its kind and we intend to sensitize the public. To begin the verification process of your prize you are required to fill and send the Claim form below.
We wish on behalf of all members and staff of NOKIA congratulate you on your win and wish you the best of luck as you spend your good fortune..
Thank you for being part of our commemorative 142nd Anniversary Draws.
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