The article I was reading posed the question, “Can we prove the world isn’t a simulation?”  (by David J. Chalmers, Nautilus, Issue 42, pgs. 47.)  It’s a tech version of a long-established philosophical conundrum, “Can you prove you’re not asleep?” After finishing the a

Bear cubs in California are displaying an alarming affection for humans. Victims of brain encephalitis, their behavior seems cute, but it could cost them their lives. Some with the illness are lucky enough to be adopted by a wildlife refuge or zoo. The rest are euthanized because they

For the last two weeks, I’ve been grappling with computer problems. Eventually, I had to replace the hard drive, which posed its own difficulties.  This week, I’m restoring passwords and codes for my accounts with limited success. For some reason, that little drop box that enable

Given the many life and death threats facing our species, an algorithm to help identify which challenges are imminent and which can wait five minutes sounds great. Unfortunately, technology is part of the problem. The more we rely on it, the more we are likely to find ourselves in a d

A reader directed me to an article in the October issue of The Atlantic, John Seabrook’s comments on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and creative writing. Could machines learn to write better than professionals, it asked. I’ll probably go on foraging for ideas from this piece for a w

I’m a fan of J. K. Rawling’s and hope to see her newest fantastic beasts film soon.  Still, when I stop to consider, we humans are fantastic beasts, too.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) won’t be a threat to us in the near future, if ever.  The reason is we harbor my

With so much political turmoil around the globe, much of it spawned by our President, I wonder if anyone is thinking about the future? All this concern for North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear capabilities, for example. How does it compare to the growing cyber threat?  Are nuclea

Can algorithms express ethics?  That’s a question occupying the minds of programmers as society relegates more of its decisions to Artificial Intelligence, (AI).  Today, AI can approve bank loans, award an inmate parole or select which information a person sees while surfi

One of my computer gurus ran into trouble with his machine recently.  For two days, he bent over it, wondering what went wrong inside its “little black box.”  He finally fixed the problem, but  isn’t certain why it occurred.  I shouldn’t laugh because I depend on this guy�

I bumped into an acquaintance at the grocery store the other day. He said the previous weekend he’d attended a conference for writers.  What he learned from one book agent surprised him.  According to her, some authors are finding inspiration by using Google’s search engine.  T