LVCI Thoughts On Past And Future Technology

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Do We Exist ? (Part 2)

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I'm following up on a post I made back on August 27, 2014 entitled "Do We Exist? Although a long time coming this a follow up to it. Mostly because I'm tired of political postings for the time being. The premise I'm building on is the possibly we and the universe could be nothing more then a simulation much like some of our computer driven software we humans have already devised.

"Descartes claimed that he could definitively prove he existed, by concluding. “I think therefore I am". I read a lot of his work but don't think this proves a thing.

Just what if we humans devised a sophisticated software program in which the computer too believed itself to be capable of independent thought? Given whatever was encoded it could well have concluded itself to be conscious of itself having no other references other then whatever limitations programmers had given it to work with.


But wait you say. How about I punch you in he mouth, will you not feel pain? Well yeah if that was part of the software program. Today's programmers could easily make a computer respond to pressure, heat or just about any stimuli we wanted it to. Which then the question arises, What is reality? Yeah good question!

Ray Kurzweil - Are We Living in a Simulation?

A whole lot more on this subject can be found here, "The Holographic Universe"

If a computer were programmed sophisticated enough it too might begin to question who was it's creator. Of course that would be impossible if it (or we) were programmed with limitations. Today's fear is one day artificial intelligence might supersede us. Our own creator might have had those same concerns. Therefore if we live in a simulation it would be impossible to discover what true reality is.

Trip To A Tibetan Monastery

Reposted From: January 12, 2010

First you take the tram up to the start of the trail.
Now follow the path.

A few more steps to go.

Finally in sight.

They say going down is always harder then going up.
I'd rather stay in town and hang out at this local Biker Bar instead!

Social Security is under threat. Here's why you should care.

Ya No' U'r A Redneck When..

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You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.

Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.

The Salvation Army declines your furniture.

You come back from the dump with more than you took.

Your grandmother has 'ammo' on her Christmas list.

You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.

You have a rag for a gas cap.

Your house doesn't have curtains, but your truck does.

You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean.

U have a complete set of salad bowls that all say 'Cool Whip'.

The biggest city you've ever been to is Wal-Mart.

Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.


You've used your ironing board as a buffet table.

You've used a toilet brush to scratch your back.



You missed your 5th grade graduation because you were on jury duty.

You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65

Here's Where Rap Got It Roots From

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Here's one of the early rappers- Jimmy Dean

Joe Casey died June 22, 2012.He was a square dance caller for 62 years throughout New England and New York.

Bet many of ya didn't know anything about the roots of rap did cha?

 :-)

Another Pyramids Theory

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This video has over 15 million views. Looks like I'm not the only one who found it interesting. I came across it when I was researching the contents of granite stone. The type of stone widely used by ancient builders. I discovered usually 50% of it is composed of quartz. Was it because of it's piezoelectric properties? And that's what led me to this...



Makes you wonder doesn't it?

My Opinion Of Computer Self Driving Cars

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WHAT ARE YOU NUTZ !

Yeah sure there are a lot of people who shouldn't be driving who can't even walk straight, but... * There are 1,000's of weather related conditions computers simply won't be able to handle. There's a vast difference between two inches of snow and one foot. Fog conditions that can vary between several feet to a few inches. Braking and acceleration is best left up to drivers. Even those who might have poor judgment.

* Computer driven vehicles will never differentiate when to brake if leafs or some small none threatening animal should cross paths up close against their sensors over that of some object several feet away resulting in a hard unexpected braking condition.

* They can't anticipate another driver's actions as a vigilant driver may become aware of and react accordingly.

* What will a self driven car do coming across a double parker. Sit there all day?

* What will a self driving car decide to do if traffic lights are out?

* What will a self driving car do if there's a construction flagman, emergency responder or school crossing guard directing traffic?.

* Will self driving cars recognize flooded road conditions which might imperil passengers lives?

* Will they recognize pot holes or continue full speed?I could go on and on. If people are too stupid to drive or pay attention anymore and wish to rely on computers in the future to do all our thinking for us we've reached a very sorry point in our evolution.

I may be an old fart, but these contraptions seem, dangerous to me. I'm predicting they'll never replace human drivers.

If they do, heaven help us if we become so stupid as to not being able to make our own judgments on the road or with anything else for that matter.

Trump Says We Absolutly Need Greenland

Greenland is 2,500 to 3,100 miles away from Russia depending on the specific points in each territory. If only we had something closer, like let's say 90 miles?

Maybe use satellite observations?

Wonder Why People Want Medicare For All?

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I agree. I've never been happier since I'm on Medicare. My past experience with private insurance sucked!

How Big Is The Ocean?

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Before I watched the following video it brought back a memory of mine. When we went on our first cruise we had to fly to Puerto Rico over the Atlantic Ocean.

As we flew at 30,000+ feet I stared out the cabin window for at least an hour trying to catch a glimpse of something below.

At some 6 miles above the Earth one can see 100's of square miles of surface below. One would think I'd have spotted at least one vessel. Perhaps a small plot of land. SOMETHING? ANYTHING? NADA!

My perception of just how huge and remote this Earth can be changed that morning. My imagination wandered into thoughts of the near impossibility for rescue in this remote area if one were to be run into trouble even if the plane were to survive the impact. This wasn't fear, but more like 'wow we sure are in the middle of nowhere'. Throughout my life there's been a tree, a street or building. There's no way one could orient themselves when there's nothing to orient to. There's something new and weird about being humbled by the sheer vastness of it all.

I did this same kind of observation aboard the ship some 11 decks above sea level. Except for occasionally spotting a passing ship I saw nothing. For me personally when it comes to the size of the sea I have a much greater appreciation of it then I did before that trip.

I was left with an sensation of how small we are in all of this vastness of this the Earth we call home. It also showed me how dependant we all are on familiar surroundings. So as you can see this wasn't just some trip, but also an opportunity to reflect, absorb and add to my experience in this life and the weirdness that ensues when we're removed from our everyday environment.

So when it comes to the question how big is the ocean, these thoughts best describe my personal sense of it.

Scott Gass

Video Courtesy "TED Ed"

News Flash: It's Cold Out

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No matter whether it's CNN, WFMZ, WPIX, FOX, MSNBC, WPHL, WPVI, WCAU, WTXF, KYW, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC or any other radio, TV station or newspaper they all report over and over again it's cold.

I kinda figured that out on my own.
Not only that but it was dark out too.
     Why aren't they reporting that!!


Every night and day it's the same thing no matter where I turn, for 20 minutes out of the hour we get the weather. Here's something I come to learn over the years, In the Winter it gets cold. Sometimes it even snows. Imagine that!

The reason I turn on the news is to get news... not the weather. Yeah I'm kind of funny that way.

Take your typical newscast. About 10 minutes of each half hour is filled with ads. Another 5 minutes of sports. 5 minutes of puff pieces and at least 5 minutes of weather. That leaves only 5 minutes for actual news. Sometimes even most of those five minutes are eaten up by reporters news celebrities freezing their tooshies off next to a salt pile or along side the snowiest street they come across..

It takes 4 years in college, lots of luck and another 10 years to land a job in a major news market. This cost TV stations a lot of money. May I suggest instead TV producers give a couple of homeless people a camera and a microphone and let them report on the weather. They have far more experience and expertise when it comes to reporting on homeless shelters and street reporting in the Winter anyway. After all they're the real experts when it comes to this, no?

Better yet, maybe the newscasts should be cancelled like the schools and businesses since they obviously don't have intentions of reporting the news in bad weather anyway.

Never mind.
Last night after channel surfing I already cancelled them by turning off the TV and going to bed. It was a better use of my time :-)

HUMOR: How To Avoid The Flu

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Eat right. Make sure you get your daily dose of fruits and veggies. Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin C.

Get plenty of exercise because exercise helps build your immune system. Walk for at least an hour a day, and go for a swim.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Wash your hands often. If you can't wash them, keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around.

Get lots of fresh air. Open doors & windows whenever possible.

Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can.

Get plenty of rest.

~OR~

Take your doctor's approach.

Think about it... When you go for a shot, what do they do first? They clean your arm with alcohol...Why? Because Alcohol KILLS GERMS.

So.......

I walk to the liquor store. (exercise)

I put lime in my Corona...(fruit)

Celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies)

Drink outdoors on the bar patio..(fresh air)

Tell jokes, laugh....(eliminate stress)

Then pass out. (rest)

The way I see it... If you keep your alcohol levels up, flu germs can't get you!

My grandmother always said, "A shot in the glass beats one in the ass!"

Some Mind Blowing Scientific Stuff

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All the a articles below are from 'Extreme Tech.com'

Is our universe a hologram?-- "Basically, if true, this means that the universe as we know it may be the result of processes happening on some other surface or plane."

COMMENT:
I always kind of thought the whole world was full of shit.
Looks like I may have vastly underestimated.



Is there a ocean 400 miles beneath our feet that could fill our oceans three times over?-- "This discovery suggests that Earth’s surface water actually came from within, as part of a “whole-Earth water cycle,” rather than the prevailing theory of icy comets striking Earth billions of years ago... We’re not talking about some kind of water reserve that can be reached in the same way as an oil well. The deepest a human borehole has ever gone is just 12km, about half way through the Earth’s crust , and we had to stop because geothermal energy was melting the drill bit."

COMMENT:
Pssst.. don't tell 'Nestle Waters'.


Astronauts find living organisms clinging to the International Space Station-- "During a spacewalk intended to clean the International Space Station, Russian astronauts took samples from the exterior of the station for a routine analysis... they found that living organisms were clinging to outside of the ISS. The astronauts identified the organisms as sea plankton that likely originated from Earth, but the team couldn’t find a concrete explanation as to how these organisms made it all the way up to the space station or how they managed to survive."

COMMENT:
Damn hitch hikers free loading on taxpayers' dime !


IBM cracks open a new era of computing with brain-like chip: 4096 cores, 1 million neurons, 5.4 billion transistors-- "The chip, called TrueNorth, consists of 1 million programmable neurons and 256 million programmable synapses across 4096 individual neurosynaptic cores... the human brain.. total power consumption is around 20 watts. A modern silicon chip, despite having features that are almost on the same tiny scale as biological neurons and synapses, can consume thousands or millions times more energy to perform the same task as a human brain."

COMMENT:
Looks like there's still hope for me after all.


Scientists work out how create matter from light-- "Physicists in England claim they have discovered how to create matter from light, by smashing together individual massless photons."

COMMENT:Hope they never figure out a weapon making matter work in reverse. Biblically speaking it also reminds me how many times it was stated "God" is light. It also seems to support the theory matter can never been created nor destroyed. Transformed perhaps?



The downside of warp drives-- "NASA researchers recently revisited the Alcubierre warp drive and concluded that its power requirements were not as impossible as once thought. However, a new analysis from the University of Sydney claims that using a warp drive of this design comes with a drawback. Specifically, it could cause cataclysmic explosions at your destination... To see how the Alcubierre drive could devastate an entire star system, you have to know a little about how it would work.."

COMMENT:Are your sure?
That's not how it played out in 'Star-Trek'. Maybe their dilithium crystal warp drives weren't based on the "Alcubierre warp drive".

* Star-Trek's talking computer seems so yesterday
* "Phasers" are today's lasers as well.
* Star-Trek's "transponders" were nothing more then flip phones far less capable of what's possible with our everyday use of smartphones today.


If scientists today support the theory they can now "create matter from light, by smashing together individual massless photons" I wouldn't count out Star-Trek's' "Photon Torpedoes" either.

Therefore neither should we be too quick to dismiss the possibility of "warp drives" coming into existence one day w/o devastating an entire star system as assumed by today's scientists.

What seemed to be yesterday's science fiction has become in many ways today's reality. Who's to say what may be possible?

Dem Darn Cats (Humorous Cat Photos)

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#askthewhitehouse: Immigration Reform (Obama Adminstration)

Repost From 2019

Unlike Trump's Twitter feeds the Obama administration once hosted podcasts where people were allowed to interact with the White House directly. This one was on December 11, 2013 where Vice President Joe Biden and Cecilia Muñoz, the President's Domestic Policy Advisor, answered questions about immigration reform live via Skype. I think this one will give us a idea where Joe Biden stood on immigration.


We've all seen Trump speak a million times with reporters and at his rallies. How refreshing it would be to see him do one of these. My how times have changed!

If anyone's interested the Obama White House on YouTube still maintains a large archive.

Senate Passage: The bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of eight senators known as the "Gang of Eight" and passed the Senate on June 27, 2013, with a 68–32 vote. House Outcome: The Republican-led House of Representatives, under Speaker John Boehner, declined to bring the bill to a vote. It ultimately expired at the end of the 113th Congress.

Capitalism On Steroids

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A bunch are calling for unrestricted capitalism. Some on the other side have an over abundance of socialist ideas. Here's the way I see it. Why can't we have something in between these two extremes. For instance, here's a few ideas... * No CEO or owner at the top being allowed to make more then 100x's their lowest paid employee. For example. The lowest paid receives $30,000 a year. The CEO then would be limited to earn $3,000,000. Perhaps upper level supervision 10x's ($300,000) The immediate supervisors 2x's ($60,000). This would mean if a CEO or owner would want to increase their earnings by whatever amount would have to increase the lowest wages by a proportionate amount. This doesn't mean every employee is limited to $30k. Each can still receive larger salaries for their work responsibilities. It only means no one can receive less then 100th that of it's owner or CEO. I call this fair equitable distribution. No single person (including it's owner/CEO) should be worth more then 100x's then those who also contribute to a company's success.

* I'd also except an alternative in the form of company ownership. Say the company doesn't want to commit it's cash earnings which may not remain steady in the future. Instead decides to issue shares, For example the big boy at the top wants to give themself a 1000 shares so they'll only be taxed on capital gains In this case each lowest paid employee would receive 10 shares each. Perhaps using this as a alternative form of a retirement from the company w/o having to be locked in to the ever increasing employee salaries.

* Another way of helping companies is to eliminate the burden of healthcare costs. I look at this way. I hired a worker to do what needs to be done-- not take care of him/her whole family's medical issues. It's bad enough I have to hire another person to pick up the slack when one of my employees is out sick. It's unfair then I too am burdened with their healthcare costs on top of it. The way I could get workers demands and that of their union's stoppages off my back is not to be saddled with the burden of healthcare in the first place. This is where the government comes in to play a part.

Detractors are always misleading us when it comes to the cost for national healthcare for everyone. For the sake of brevity I will only bring one thing never mentioned. Both companies and individuals deduct billions of dollars every year from their income taxes for medical costs. If we all had medical coverage these deductions would no longer exist. Right there is a ton of money which would go towards government supported plans. Well maybe I should bring up one more talking point. The government can be a hellva lot more powerful negotiating/legislating prices then insurances companies. Competing insurance companies have a greater incentive to simply raise prices rather then litigate till the cows come home. I could go on but I'm sure many readers didn't bother reading this far. Suffice it to say it's come to the point of ridiculous between the rich, poor and what remains of the middle class. We can either standby and watch the few accumulate ALL the marbles or somewhat level the playing field. My point of view is no human is so valuable they deserve 100,000's the worth then those who labor under them. There's no justification this. It's flat out capitalism allowed to run amuck.

Who Is Gonna Fix This?
Don't think for a second it'll come from a change of heart by those at the top of the food chain. They'll keep feeding guilt on those below them on which to feast that somehow they are being envious, greedy, unpatriotic or even socialists for questioning why they deserve part of what these fat cats feel entitled to. I'm not encouraging rebellion nor anger. All I'm simply asking is people get out and vote for people like Bernie Sanders and others this November. Candidates who see through this facade and will make the changes necessary before we all end up living in tents working 60 hours a week. (That's not an exaggeration for many).




Pissed Off?
THEN

Here's The Disgusting Thing...
I'll bet 90% never read this whole post.
99.99% won't leave a comment.

Why The World Is Going Crazy

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A lot of food for thought. The way I see this all that was said can be defined with one word, "CHILL". Do things like fishing, music or what ever else brings peace to a troubled mind. The world has always been filled with troubles. It's when we become too attached trying to resolve these conflict arises.

Like the song says...

Sage Advice
Therein lies most of today's problems. Many people simply don't know when it's best to stand down. There are troubled souls living on this Earth who are nourished by hatred and anger. The more of it the stronger they become. The less they are fed, the less will be.

Each individual has the opportunity to decide for themselves which path they pursue. One emboldening discontent. The other insuring a way to a more peaceful existence. Both will most decidedly produce results for the actions each person resolves to take.

Senior Humor From The eMail Inbox

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$5.37... That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bell said to me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher.

Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change

When the kid with the Elmo hairdo said the hardest thing anyone has ever said to me. He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount." I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me. "Only $4.68" he said cheerfully.

I stood there stupefied. I am 56, not even 60 yet?
Senior citizen?

I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Elmo. Was he blind?

As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me? I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside. I strode to the counter, And there he was waiting with a smile. Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, Like I could be that easily distracted!

What am I now?
A toddler?
"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, hey?"
I stared with utter disdain at the keys. I began to rationalize in my mind! "Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly! It could happen to anyone!" I turned and headed back to the truck.

I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn. What now? I checked my keys and tried another. Still nothing.

That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rear view mirror. I had no purple beads hanging from my rear view mirror. Then, a few other objects came into focus: The car seat in the back seat. Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten dough nut on the dashboard. Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle.

Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, Relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life. That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger! My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, Only it was nowhere to be found. I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, And strode back into the restaurant one final time.

There Elmo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All I could think was, "What is the world coming to?" All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here"? At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, And then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits. Elmo had no clue. I walked back out to the truck.

Suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake." I took the food and rink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized. She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."

All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40 mph zone. Yessss, I was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too old to be driving this fast. As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall. I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket.

I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blankey. The good news was that I had successfully found my way home.


Notice the larger type?
That's for those of us who have trouble reading.


(By the way did I email you this already?)

Remembering Some Of Those Busby Berkeley Musicals

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I'm really impressed by music no matter which era. Seems to me we could do with far more musical movies then what is being produced today. If I had ever lived a previous life it probably was back in the 30's long before I was born into this life. Most certainly these bring me more pleasure then much I'm seeing around present day. These take me to my happy place. I often said when I die I hope to be taken to a place surrounded by all kinds of music day and night forever.Too big an ask?

BTW as a reminder: This blog is about near anything and everything. Not just opinions and piss me offs :-)

Check back often. Better yet subscribe. You never know what you'll find next on this blog. Entertainment, science, technology, humor, everything in between and more.

Before you leave check out my other posts.

All too many times people arrive here seeking out a single post from whatever link led them here never taking the time to look at my other stuff. Some of these other posts might interest you as well.

Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole Warm Song For Cold January

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Israel "IZ" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole was a Hawaiian musician.


In January 2020 I posted, Ever Hear Of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole?. A documentary along with a 49 minute clip of his performances. He died at 38 from respiratory failure June 26, 1997. May God bless his beautiful soul.

Check back often. Better yet subscribe. You never know what you'll find next on this blog. Entertainment, science, technology, humor, everything in between and more.

My New Year Resolutions

Well actually I have only one resolution. The same one I had for the last ten years or so-- Not to make any. This for a couple of reasons. First off if I don't MAKE any I can't BREAK any. The second reason--I kind of figure after 77 years I ain't gonna change anyways. Why kid myself. I've always smoked, drank and sweared. Made it this far. So why not?

With that said-- here's to hoping 2026 will be a more compassionate caring and empathic world then the one we've experienced in 2025.






Happy New Year From LVCI

New Years eve With Guy Lombardo 1976-1977

Guy's Last One

Guy passed away on November 05, 1977 at 75 years old