Warren Buffett says Lady Di Called Bill Clinton the 'Sexiest Man Alive' -

Warren Buffett says Lady Di Called Bill Clinton the 'Sexiest Man Alive' - 






Warren Buffett revealed a secret he's been keeping for years about something Diana, Princess of Wales, said at a party he attended just before she died in 1997.


Here's the story as recounted by Buffett in today's three-hour Squawk Box appearance:


BECKY: Hm, OK. Warren, just a little bit out of left field here, you did an interview, I don't know, about a month ago or something, where you were asked who was the most difficult person you've ever had time talking to. And you came up with an interesting answer.


BUFFETT: Well, it was Jackie Kennedy and Princess Di.


BECKY: Yeah.


BUFFETT: Yeah. I was in a room alone one time with Princess Di at a party. Somehow we found ourselves in this library and I — in 15 minutes, I don't think I could take it. I had trouble remembering my name, I couldn't — I couldn't think of anything to say, and it was a total disaster.


And then — but the more interesting thing is, I only met her one other time. It was a party at (Washington Post publisher) Kay Graham's house, which was where the first party was, and it was shortly before her death, very shortly before her death. And I was at the table, they put me across the table after my previous disaster. But she was sitting between Barry Diller and Teddy Forstmann. And after she died a few weeks later, all these papers called and said, `What did she talk about that evening?' I didn't tell them, but I will tell you today that a comment she made, which was absolutely true, and I can see Barry and Teddy's faces as she said it. She had been at the White House that day and she said that Bill Clinton was the sexiest man alive. And I didn't ask her who the least sexy guy in the world alive was. I was afraid I might get my play in there.


QUICK: Wow.


BUFFETT: But Barry and Teddy, they tried to keep their faces steady as she made that proclamation. But that's the last thing I heard from her before she died.


Read more - 
http://www.cnbc.com/id/47324447

5 Ways Robots Are Outsourcing Humans in the Workforce -

5 Ways Robots Are Outsourcing Humans in the Workforce - 


The outsourcing of human jobs as a side effect of globalization has arguably contributed to the current unemployment crisis. However, a growing trend sees humans done away with altogether, even in the low-wage countries where many American jobs have landed.


Citing brutal working conditions, inefficiency and corporate bottom lines, human beings are gradually becoming redundant. Moreover, there are indications that even skilled labor will soon be replaced, rendering humans obsolete in a variety of new ways.


At this point is doesn't seem like the outsourcing of human abilities to our robotic counterparts is leading us toward the life of leisure that has been promised, but instead is leading to humans being perceived as nothing more than a troubling quantity within a new economic algorithm.  How can we ensure that we maintain relevance during a time of such rapid change?


Product Fulfillment Process:  We all have become incrementally familiar with the ways that our orders, requests and demands are handled by non-humans.  Fulfillment can range from ATMs, automatic grocery checkout, online order processing, having a movie delivered by mail or Internet, to automated answer systems for nearly all of our products. 


Order fulfillment by machines is nearly ubiquitous. A component of this is the warehouse -- finding an item, packaging, and shipping it. The following personal account titled, "We are Obsolete" sums up perfectly the company reasoning behind getting rid of humans in this part of the workplace:


My boss informed me that another employee was replacing me. The new employee was far better then me and would never take a day off. The new employee would never fall sick, never ask for overtime pay, and had nothing to do with the union. The new employee would not waste time near the water cooler socializing with other employees and would never waste time on Facebook. The new employee would never get stressed out, or have a nervous breakdown. The new employee would never get tired and will work tirelessly forever. Most importantly, the new employee will never get injured and sue the company for compensation. 
Meet 1557. The new employee is a robot. This robot just replaced me in the warehouse today. This is the reality. (Source)
The fulfillment process also takes place in the medical field. We are now seeing robotic assistants in surgery and diagnostics, as well as research, manufacturing and dispensing. Artificial neural networks have been implemented to help make diagnoses, thus reducing human error. Some speculate that with the advent of nanotechnology it won't be long before autonomous robotic diagnosis and surgery from the inside out will be possible down to the DNA level.


Manufacturing:  The Taiwanese Company Foxconn, answered criticism of its brutal working conditions by replacing its human force of 1.2 million people with 1 million robots to make laptops, mobile devices and other electronics hardware for Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Sony.  The company previously had made workers sign contracts that they would not commit suicide, and would even install "suicide nets."  But even these measure seem to be too much of a hassle for executives to deal with. (Source)  As computer engineer, and author Martin Ford has stated, it is not merely the repetitive and precise needs of the assembly line that are being met by machines in a variety of industries, but more skilled labor as well.
How could management get rid of these skilled workers? 
They could simply build a remote controlled robot to perform the task, and then offshore the control function. As we have pointed out, it is the ability to recognize a complex visual image and then manipulate a robot arm based on that image that is a primary challenge preventing full robotic automation. Transmitting a real-time visual image overseas, where a low paid worker can then manipulate the machinery, is certainly already feasible. Remote controlled robots are currently used in military and police applications that would be dangerous for humans. We very likely will see such robots in factories and workplaces in the near future. (Source)
Domestic Service: A host of lifelike, even humanoid robots, have been developed with a range of motion and ability that is leading to a growing possibility of a "bot in every household."  An article written back in 2004 titled, "From Outsourcing to Botsourcing" posited a disturbing near-term future at the time of its writing:
If you're middle-aged now, perhaps your closest companion in your dotage will be a wirelessly connected android that traipses after you, bringing iced tea or martinis, and reminding you to take your medications, send a birthday card to your grandson, and sell your Cisco stock. (Source)
Eight years is an eternity in computing, so where do we stand here in 2012 relative to the above scenario? The following is a short list of commercially available service robots, the prices of which have fallen at warp speed to be within reach of an increasing number of people. When Bill Gates says that this industry can change the world we should probably listen.  So much so that even the world's oldest service profession can be outsourced, which should lead us to wonder just how attached we already have become to the machines in our lives. (Source)


Automatic vaccum cleaners: both for the home and business.
Weeding and grass cutting: (Source)
Snow removal: (Source)
Excavating: (Source)
Construction: (Source)
Housesitting: (Source)
Butlers: (Video)
Nursing care: (Video)
Companionship and Assistance: for pets and people
Personal Entertainment and Companionship: See ASIMO, and Romeo. 
Warfare: In a matter of just a few years, we have gone from the idea of drones in America being a secret, to having the open announcement that there are now 63 drone bases on American soil. Machine warfare very well could be our greatest existential threat, as autonomous intercommunicating systems are being developed with the capability for unilateral threat assessment and war theater decision making. However, there is also the human toll. It is once again cited that robotic warfare lessens the dangers to humans, but at some level it becomes an outright replacement, such as DARPA's amazingly human PETMAN and other warbots at its disposal. Similar to the machines in a factory, robots don't have human frailties such as sickness, tiredness, mental health issues, clouded judgement based on emotions ... or conscience. Where do the human resources of war go when they have been outsourced?


Artificial Intelligence: This is the overlay X-factor for each of the categories above that are already in place and affecting the global economy. Until now, robotic systems have been no better than how they have been programmed to behave. Yes, they are more efficient, durable, and predictable in most cases; however, we are now on the cusp of the next stage of development where full-blown autonomous self-learning systems take us into the realm of science fiction -- delivery systems and self-driving vehicles alone could change day-to-day life as we know it, not to mention the social implications. (Source)


Two future areas which could have the largest transformative effect on what it means to be a human member of society are in the areas of education and governance.


It is a logical extension to presume that the above-listed abilities applied within medicine, healthcare and domestic services could apply quite easily to teaching.  In fact, economist Kim Shin-hwan at South Korea’s Hyundai Research Institute says, “By 2015, robots should be able to assist teachers in the classroom. By 2018, they should be able to teach on their own, and this will cause many teachers to lose their jobs.” (Source)


Likewise, "positive futurist" Dick Pelletier considers the greater impact of the loss of skilled jobs, right up to and including law makers, judges and police officers.  The above-mentioned PETMAN project at DARPA makes it clear that they are actively seeking humanoid replacements in war, so law enforcement can't be far off.  However, an even greater ethical debate is raised when we look at government, which is currently filled stem to stern with all manner of corruption.  Pelletier cites National Science Foundation consultant Pamela McCorduck for this argument:
I’d rather take my chances with an impartial computer,' referring to conditions where she would prefer to have automated law makers, judges, and police that have no personal agenda. (Source)
Beyond ethics, such widespread replacement of humans would remake the economy far beyond what we currently see. Pelletier notes that nearly 50 million jobs are expected to be lost to machines by 2030, and perhaps half of all human jobs by 2040.


Read more - 
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/05/5-ways-robots-are-outsourcing-humans-in.html

Hospital lauches investigation after patient set on fire during surgery -

Hospital lauches investigation after patient set on fire during surgery - 




The chief of surgery at New York’s Lincoln Hospital “set a patient on fire” during an operation, causing severe burns on the man’s neck and chest, The Post has learned.
Dr. Jay Yelon was performing a tracheotomy on April 19 to insert a breathing tube when his electronic scalpel, which gives off tiny sparks, came close to the patient’s oxygen supply, igniting a “minor explosion,” hospital insiders say.
Before the fire was extinguished, unconscious Enrique Ruiz suffered second-degree burns on his neck and chest. He awoke from sedation in searing pain.
“I feel like my chest was on fire,” Ruiz, 52, told his brother, Amauri.
Sources at the South Bronx hospital charge a whitewash, saying Yelon failed to mention the patient’s burns in a post-surgery report; he claimed the flames were extinguished with “no danger to the patient.”
“I don’t know anything about it,” Yelon repeatedly told The Post, refusing to answer any questions or acknowledge his role.
Such mishaps that harm patients must be reported immediately to the state Health Department. Spokesman Peter Constantakes first said the Lincoln incident was reported as harmless, but later confirmed, “There was a fire and burns. We’re looking into it.”




Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/burn_unit_doc_4NQeBkygB4iE7ELTDNEzGJ

Facebook Stops Users From Posting ‘Irrelevant Or Inappropriate’ Comments -

Facebook Stops Users From Posting ‘Irrelevant Or Inappropriate’ Comments - 




Today was just another Saturday morning in blog land when Robert Scoble, the well-known tech startup enthusiast, went to post a comment on a Facebook post written by Carnegie Mellon student (and TechCrunch commenter extraordinaire) Max Woolf about the nature of today’s tech blogging scene. Scoble’s comment itself was pretty par-for-the-course — generally agreeing with Woolf’s sentiments and adding in his own two cents.


But when Scoble went to click post, he received an odd error message:


“This comment seems irrelevant or inappropriate and can’t be posted. To avoid having comments blocked, please make sure they contribute to the post in a positive way.”


Now, Facebook makes no apologies for working to create a safe and clean environment on its corner of the web by shutting down abusive or harassing behavior, content such as pornography, or general spamming of the system. This particular method policing “inappropriate” comments may be new, but it would fall within the same realm.


But even so, this instance seems to be a very strange enactment of any kind of Facebook policy. Scoble posted his original comment in its entirety on his Google+ page, and it’s clear that it contains no profanity or even any obvious argumentative language.


Of course, what makes a comment “positive” or “negative” is a very subjective thing. Since Facebook is a global site, and what is acceptable in one culture is offensive in another, the company generally relies on a combination of software algorithms and notifications from other users to identify inappropriate behavior. This seems to show a glitch in that system.


Read more -
http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/05/facebooks-positive-comment-policy-irrelevant-inappropriate-censorship/ 

Reporter is interrupted by a loogie hocking woman on the streets of Chicago -

Reporter is interrupted by a loogie hocking woman on the streets of Chicago -

Surveillance cameras are now so powerful that they can zoom in on individual spectators & read their text messages -

Surveillance cameras are now so powerful that they can zoom in on individual spectators & read their text messages - 




Surveillance cameras are now so powerful that they were able to zoom in on individual spectators at the Rugby World Cup and read their text messages.


Details of police monitoring used for the first time during the tournament were discussed at a privacy forum in Wellington yesterday, at which it was revealed that the average person is digitally recorded about a dozen times a day – and even more if they use email and social media frequently.


Superintendent Grant O'Fee told the forum how one incident at the Rugby World Cup "tweaked in my head" a concern about possible privacy breaches.


Camera operators who were scanning the crowd for unruly behaviour or suspicious packages chose to zoom in on a person who was texting.


"He was actually texting about the poor quality of the game of rugby. But it did occur to me that there was an issue there - had he been texting something that was of some consequence to us, there may have been privacy issues."


He confirmed later that the level of monitoring used during the World Cup would continue for all big test matches.


CCTV now operates inside many buildings, including hospitals, supermarkets, malls, and around public toilets.


There are 11 cameras in Wellington city centre, recording 24 hours a day.


In Britain, drone cameras, mobile cameras on cars and cameras on police helmets are in frequent use.


Soon, technology will exist that can pick up on raised voices, and sniffing devices will be able to detect drug residue, Stirling University lecturer William Webster told the forum.


Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff said some overseas developments were amazing and she imagined there would be concern if and when that technology was implemented in New Zealand.


Civil liberties lawyer Michael Bott warned against becoming desensitised to digital surveillance.


"It's quite worrying when we, by default, move to some sort of Orwellian 1984 where the state or Big Brother watches your every move. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and we don't realise what we are giving up when we give the state the power to monitor our private lives."


Ms Shroff said that, although reading someone's text messages in public could cause concern, the legitimacy of the action depended on what it was used for.


"We need to be aware of that – that potentially texting in a public place can be caught on a CCTV camera. If the text showed the person was plotting a riot or something, then it might well be legitimate for the police to use that under the coverage of exemption for law-enforcement activities.


Read more -
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/6848897/Powerful-surveillance-cameras-read-texts

U.S. military wants to plant nanosensors in soldiers to monitor health on future battlefields -

U.S. military wants to plant nanosensors in soldiers to monitor health on future battlefields - 




The U.S. military wants to plant nanosensors in soldiers to monitor health on future battlefields and immediately respond to needs, but a privacy expert warns the step is just one more down the road to computer chips for all.


“It’s never going to happen that the government at gunpoint says, ‘You’re going to have a tracking chip,’” said Katherine Albrecht, who with Liz McIntyre authored “Spychips,” a book that warns of the threat to privacy posed by Radio Frequency Identification.


“It’s always in incremental steps. If you can put a microchip in someone that doesn’t track them … everybody looks and says, ‘Come on,’” she said. “It’ll be interesting seeing where we go.”


According to a report at Mobiledia, the U.S. military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has confirmed plans to create nanosensors to monitor the health of soldiers on battlefields.


The devices also would report data to doctors. But privacy analysts have expressed concern that the implants could be used not just to monitor health but to keep track of and possibly control people.


DARPA describes the technology on which it is working as “a truly disruptive innovation,” which would diagnose, monitor vital states and “even deliver medicine into the bloodstream.”


According to LiveScience.com, “Solving the problem of sickness could have a huge impact on the number of soldiers ready to fight, because far more have historically died due to illness rather than combat.”


The report suggested that for special forces, “the practical realization of implantable nanosensors capable of monitoring multiple indicators of physiological state could be a truly disruptive innovation.”


Already being researched is the concept of nanosensors diagnosing disease.


DARPA expects to launch a second effort focused on treatment later this year.


Albrecht said the move is another step in the trip down the road of having every person implanted with a chip that might very well monitor health but also other areas of life.


Microchipping, she said, already is “par for the course” for pets in many parts of the nation, and that acceptance will make it easier to require it for people.


Read more -
http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/u-s-military-developing-spychips-for-soldiers/

Up to 90% of school children in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia (short-sightedness) -

Up to 90% of school children in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia (short-sightedness) - 




Researchers say the "extraordinary rise" in the problem is being caused by students working very hard in school and missing out on outdoor light.


The scientists told the Lancet that up to one in five of these students could experience severe visual impairment and even blindness.


Lijia Zhang is a writer and social commentator in Beijing and she told the BBC that high expectations on children were a factor.


Read more -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17962480

Human genes engineered into experimental GMO rice being grown in Kansas -

Human genes engineered into experimental GMO rice being grown in Kansas - 


Unless the rice you buy is certified organic, or comes specifically from a farm that tests its rice crops for genetically modified (GM) traits, you could be eating rice tainted with actual human genes. The only known GMO with inbred human traits in cultivation today, a GM rice product made by biotechnology company Ventria Bioscience is currently being grown on 3,200 acres in Junction City, Kansas -- and possibly elsewhere -- and most people have no idea about it.

Since about 2006, Ventria has been quietly cultivating rice that has been genetically modified (GM) with genes from the human liver for the purpose of taking the artificial proteins produced by this "Frankenrice" and using them in pharmaceuticals. With approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Ventria has taken one of the most widely cultivated grain crops in the world today, and essentially turned it into a catalyst for producing new drugs.

Originally, the cultivation of this GM rice, which comes in three approved varieties (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/biotech_ea_permits.html), was limited to the laboratory setting. But in 2007, Ventria decided to bring the rice outdoors. The company initially tried to plant the crops in Missouri, but met resistance from Anheuser-Busch and others, which threatened to boycott all rice from the state in the event that Ventria began planting its rice within state borders (http://todayyesterdayandtomorrow.wordpress.com).

So Ventria's GM rice eventually ended up in Kansas, where it is presumably still being grown for the purpose of manufacturing drugs on 3,200 acres in Junction City. And while this GM rice with added human traits has never been approved for human consumption, it is now being cultivated in open fields where the potential for unrestrained contamination and spread of its unwanted, dangerous GM traits is virtually a given.

"This is not a product that everyone would want to consume," said Jane Rissler from theUnion of Concerned Scientists (UCS) to the Washington Post back in 2007. "It is unwise to produce drugs in plants outdoors."

Though receiving tens of thousands of public comments of opposition, many rightly concerned about the spread of GM traits, the USDA approved open cultivation of Ventria's GM rice anyway. This, of course, occurred after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had refused approval for Ventria's GM rice back in 2003 (http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/publications/PharmaRice.pdf).

GM 'pharmaceutical' rice could cause more disease, suggests report
Besides the threat of contamination and wild spread, Ventria's GM rice, which is purportedly being grown to help third-world children overcome chronic diarrhea, may conversely cause other chronic diseases.

"These genetically engineered drugs could exacerbate certain infections, or cause dangerous allergic or immune system reactions," said Bill Freese, Science Policy Analyst at the Center for Food Safety (CFS), who published a report back in 2007 about the dangers of Ventria's GM rice.

You can view that report here:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org

Sources for this article include:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/humangene042505.cfm

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4956

http://todayyesterdayandtomorrow.wordpress.com 

Squirrel tests positive for plague at California campsite -

Squirrel tests positive for plague at California campsite - 




A ground squirrel trapped at a popular campground in southern California has tested positive for plague.
According to health officials, the rodent was tested during routine monitoring at the Cedar Grove Campground on Palomar Mountain, 75 miles (120km) northeast of San Diego.
The bacterial disease is sometimes carried by rodents, which can be transmitted to humans through infected flea bites, according to the Department of Environmental Health (DEH).
DEH officials downplayed any serious threat to campers, however, saying there had never been any known human cases of plague contracted anywhere near the site.
"It is not unusual to find plague in our local mountains in the summer months, so campers should always avoid contact with squirrels and their fleas," DEH Director Jack Miller told KGTV Friday. "Set up tents away from squirrel burrows, do not feed the squirrels and warn your children not to play with squirrels."




Read more: http://www.10news.com/news/31009375/detail.html