Sunday, October 28, 2018

Video Links from AI Class #2 on Robots

Each Line below is a link to the related video, or in the last case, a web site.

Robot Summary - the Top Ten AI Robots

The Dangers of AI Robots

5 Advanced Military Robots

Autonomous AI Weapons....Slaughterbots
(Video made by the Future of Life Institute to encourage all countries to ban lethal autonomous weapons.)

AI Class #1 Video links

Paul Collins and I will try to get all the video Links from our AI class posted on this blog. We will also post some of the presentation text, but not all of it. This post covers videos from Class #1.
Each line below is a link to the related video.

Microsoft simple explanation of AI

Max Tegmark's perspective on AI

Sam Harris TED talk on AI concerns

Deep Learning via Neural Networks
 Google’s AlphaGo that beat Lee Sedol



Thursday, April 19, 2018

Saving New Orleans from Sea Level Rise

The latest plan appears to be diverting nutrients and sand coming down the Mississippi River off into wetlands being invaded by salty water and sea level rise. To do this as effectively as possible, they have created a basketball court sized model of the lower Mississippi River to better study the anticipated results of their options.  So check out Mississippi Delta.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Teens vs Trump Admin re Climate Change

The following link is to a very moving article in Mother Jones about  21 plaintiffs 22 and younger suing the US Government


“We the people are ready to leave,” sang a small choir of climate activists in downtown San Francisco, “’cause the White House makin’ it hard to breathe.” 

That was the rallying cry in support of the 21 plaintiffs, ages 22 and younger, who are suing the federal government for causing climate change damages and thereby violating their constitutional rights.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Concerns on sea-level rise, but some 'good news'?....video from Yale Climate Connections

"The video can serve as a valuable instructional tool for those wanting to better explain or understand global sea-level rise trends and prospects. There are some painful, and even dire, concerns expressed about the potential that Greenland ice sheets could be “entirely lost” if emissions continue at a business-as-usual pace; about the rate of sea-level rise increasing “faster and faster with time”; and about the planet’s ice sheets likely becoming “more active” over coming decades than they have been over recent decades.

But scientist Eric Rignot, PhD, of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, whose research about three years ago pointed to bleak long-term glacier melt prospects for the western Antarctica, says he holds out hope for some “pretty good news.” "

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Great Wall of Louisiana Video

The link to the above video is HERE. This morning in the Oceans and Climate Change Class we watched it to about minute 6:45


Thursday, March 15, 2018

Largest Glacial Calving Event Ever Recorded on Camera

Following is the You Tube link to the video I showed in our OLLI Oceans and Climate Change class on March 13, 2018:

Short segment from Chasing Ice

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Nuclear Fusion...a two decades away great hope

So just in the past few days, MIT announced a breakthrough in much more powerful magnets to confine the hydrogen isotope plasma so it would fuse and generate fusion energy like our sun.

Well those who know me, can rest assured I was a bit skeptical, even though I have great faith in MIT (they are almost as qualified as Cornell). But The Guardian, who I also have great faith in, is confirming my skepticism.

The Guardian view on nuclear fusion: a moment of truth



Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The Argo Ocean Sensing Float Aray System

As of March 12, there were 3,845 Argo floats deployed around the World. Each float descends to 2,000 meters every 10 days measuring temperature and salinity. Full details can be found HERE.

Friday, February 9, 2018

NASA - Vital Signs of Climate Change

Greenland from the air, April 17, 2010 - Bill Fintel photo
This NASA Link provides the latest World data in graphic form on Carbon Dioxide, Global Temperature, Arctic Sea Ice Minimum, Land Ice, and Sea Level.

I am looking forward to our Osher Lifelong Learning class on Oceans and Climate Change, beginning March 13, 2018, in Lewes, DE.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Delaware and Rising Sea Levels - Osher Class 5

Yes work has begun at the State and local levels to deal with rising sea levels, but up to this point, most of the work has been documenting the past history, coming up with estimates of what the future might have in store, and preparedness/coordination activities for planning and public safety.

Some of the links to reports we discussed in class are:

1. Climate Central Interactive Map for Sea Level Rise - link goes to Southern Delaware

2. "Preparing for Tomorrow's High Tide" - A Vulnerability Assessment for the State of Delaware

3. Mapping Appendix for the above report. Recommended pages are
See following pdf pages for 1.5 m rise impact
:   54 - Businesses affected, 
58 - Residential Addresses
, 61 - Strategies for spending, in acres,
 75 - Fire and EMS locations affected
, 80 - Evacuation Routes

4. Dec 2016 Status Report for Delaware

5. Lewes Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan
Executive summary on page 7.  
Other good pages 45-47, 54, 60, 70, 72

6. Map Appendix for Lewes Report
See New Road maps pdf pages 28-30

7. Flood Ready Community Resources

Many thanks to all class attendees with your thoughtful questions and keen observations.

In conclusion, please enjoy the following 14 awesome undersea photos from...
National Geographic Underwater Photos from Around the World
My absolute favorite is the first photo of the Octopus.....could it be one of us in our next life???

Or are we better off learning to walk on water?



GREENLAND - Will probably be the focus of near term sea level rise

Greenland is almost all covered by a very thick glacial ice cap. If all of Greenland's ice either melted or slid into the oceans, sea le...