The story of and...

I was watching a couple of youtube videos the other day and while I was watching one of the ads that you can skipped came up and not even paying any attention I waited for the countdown to pass and I skipped it. Then on another video the same ad started to play and I skipped it again. After hearing the same three second opening for like the tenth time I just let the ad play. I was amazed that a Gillette Venus commercial actually captivated me for the full minute that it played. The idea of the commercial is that you are not just one thing, there is always an and. Venus has started a campaign to show how labels are one dimensional. Venus is not the only company that has done something like this, but I think that they did it very gracefully and amazingly. The commercial and caimpaign is targeted to girls, but I feel that it can be true for everyone. Everyone has labels, everyone uses labels and I think that there needs to be more ands not buts or ors.

link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFEaj2rNknU
And a little back ground behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoNXRZPb3sE&feature=youtu.be

After posting this I look some more into the caimpaign and found that Gillette Venus has also changed their theme song to fit their new motto, I really like the change. Hope you do too.
Here's the link for that
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAlECxJzE8

Sherloc on Mars

NASA's Curiosity rover was able to find water under Mars's surface and has been able to identify that clays made by water are present in "Yellowknife Bay," a region of dried up lake bed and river system. Curiosity has proven that Mars once had an environment that could have supported life. Curiosity is not designed though to test for past life, which is where Mars 2020 comes in. NASA is designing a new rover, named for now Mars 2020, to test for proof of past life. The way that NASA plans to do achieve this is though the use of  Luther Beegle's SHERLOC. SHERLOC or (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) is a device that uses laser beams to detect organic molecules. The theory of this is based on the principle that organic molecules fluoresce in a distinctive way. This in of its self will not prove that there has been life on Mars,but debending on where it is found it could strengthen the case.

Torture in the Senate: What was in the report?

Its amazing what horrors people can come up with in the pursuit of information or in simple terms torture. Some of the many techniques used on the prisoners were water boarding, being stripped naked, and sleep deprivation. These techniques were being used on suspected terrorists in an attempt to reveal information that could prevent another attack like 9/11. The biggest issue brought up in the report though was the lack of accountability on any ones part. In the report its stated that persenal used unaurthorized techniques and no punishment was upheld. The techniques, according to the report, were also not sanctioned and many of them were made-up techniques. 

If you want to learn more here is the link to the actual document:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1377107-sscistudy1.html

Torture in the Senate: Uproar of the Nations

The CIA's torture reports released this Tuesday has elicited many comments from other countries. Below are some comments from our allies:

France

 The Foreign Ministry said that, when it comes to the fight against terrorism, "The main objective of the international community must stay within the framework of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law."

Great Britain

 Prime Minster David Cameron condemned torture while in Turkey on Tuesday, saying: "Torture is wrong. Torture is always wrong. Those of us want to see a safer, more secure world, want to see the extremism defeated. We won't succeed if we lose our moral authority."

United Nations 

U.N. Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism and Human Rights Ben Emmerson called on the U.S. to prosecute those responsible for crimes outlined in the report. Emmerson said the program was "a clear policy orchestrated at a high level within the Bush administration, which allowed ... systematic crimes and gross violations of international human rights law."

Question now is will actions be taken not only to change CIA's intelligence questioning, but also if actions will be taken to against those in charge during the time in question. I definitely think that things should be changed in the CIA's strategy in intelligence gathering. I also think that an investigation should be done, but what the punishment should be is for those in charge to decide.

For more comments and information: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/10/world/senate-torture-report-world-reaction/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30420805

Torture in the Senate: Senate reports being declassified.

CIA is planning to release declassified reports on post 9/11 torture today. The military and embassies have been put on high alert, expecting the blow back that will follow the reports release. A question that I have is why now? This tactic and torture report have remained sealed for nearly 13 years. I guess its good that this is coming to light, but why was it kept for so long? I pray that no Americans will be harmed due to the fallout of what is in the report.

Orion, grounded until Friday.

Orion's, "Mars ship", first test flight was postponed to Friday. Orion was scheduled to fly this morning, but due to circumstances could not. A stray boat entered into the launch danger zone and would not leave. High winds and a faulty valves were also to blame for the postponing. Orion is an unmanned ship that is one step closer to men on Mars. Orion test flight will consist of two flights around the Earth and a fast landing that will be used to test the heat shields. Hopefully the test launch on Friday go off with out a hitch. If not NASA will have to request an extension. Though it is only in the testing phase of its journey, the idea that humans on Mars is not just a dream any more. Is really amazing for me.

The future of tech: Is there room for humans?

With AIs being programmed to be more intelligent, where does that leave us humans? According to Professor Stephen Hawking, no where good. In an interview with BBC News about his upgrade in his communication system, Professor Hawking commented "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." The fear of technology becoming self thinking and no longer needing humans has shown up many times in our culture. From "2001: a space odyssey" to the kids movie "Wall-E", the fear or at least the idea of robots superseding the human race is not a new thing. Does this mean that we should give up on the idea of intelligent robots?  Not everyone feels that way. "I believe we will remain in charge of the technology for a decently long time and the potential of it to solve many of the world problems will be realized," said Rollo Carpenter, creator of Cleverbot. Imagine AIs preforming jobs that humans are incapable of doing. Going dangerous places or completing intricate surgeries. Most of this is already here, but with more advance AI, humans won't be needed to guide the machines as it is done now. Whether you are part of the AI fan club or those preparing for a robot uprising, the fact is that something like Wall-E or HAL are decades of and its for another generation to worry about or cheer on.