Blog Posts

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence . How much do we humans enjoy our current status as the most intelligent beings on earth? Enough to try to stop our own inventions from surpassing us in smarts? If so, we'd better pull the plug right now, because if Ray Kurzweil is right we've only got until about 2020 before computers outpace the human brain in computational power. Kurzweil, artificial intelligence expert and author of The Age of Intelligent Machines, shows that technological evolution moves at an exponential pace. Further, he asserts, in a sort of swirling postulate, time speeds up as order increases, and vice versa. He calls this the "Law of Time and Chaos," and it means that although entropy is slowing the stream of time down for the universe overall, and thus vastly increasing the amount of time between major events, in the eddy of technological evolution the exact opposite is happening, and events will soon be coming faster and more furiously. This means that we'd better figure out how to deal with conscious machines as soon as possible--they'll soon not only be able to beat us at chess, but also likely demand civil rights, and might at last realize the very human dream of immortality.

The Age of Spiritual Machines is compelling and accessible, and not necessarily best read from front to back--it's less heavily historical if you jump around (Kurzweil encourages this). Much of the content of the book lays the groundwork to justify Kurzweil's timeline, providing an engaging primer on the philosophical and technological ideas behind the study of consciousness. Instead of being a gee-whiz futurist manifesto, Spiritual Machines reads like a history of the future, without too much science fiction dystopianism. Instead, Kurzweil shows us the logical outgrowths of current trends, with all their attendant possibilities. This is the book we'll turn to when our computers first say "hello."

Evolutionary Analysis (4th Edition) . By presenting evolutionary biology as an on going research effort, this best-seller aims to help readers think like scientists. The authors convey the excitement and logic of evolutionary science by introducing principles through recent and classical studies, and by emphasizing real-world applications. Features a new chapter one Phylogenomics and the Molecular Basis of Adaptation (Ch. 15). Offers an earlier presentation of Reconstructing Evolutionary Trees, reflecting the growing importance of this topic in the field. Includes the latest research and examples, giving students access to the most current developments in the field. Includes full-color photographs, diagrams and data-graphics throughout, developed by the author.

Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation . Johansson, founder and former CEO of an enterprise software company, argues that innovations occur when people see beyond their expertise and approach situations actively, with an eye toward putting available materials together in new combinations. Because of ions, "the movement of people, the convergence of science, and the leap of computation," a wide range of materials available for new, recontextualized uses is becoming a norm rather than an exception, much as the Medici family of Renaissance Italy's patronage helped develop European arts and culture. For cases in point, Johansson profiles, among others, Marcus Samuelsson, the acclaimed chef at New York's Aquavit. An Ethiopian orphan, Samuelsson was adopted by a Swedish family, with whom he traveled widely, enabling him to develop the restaurant's unique and innovative menu.

Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End . In New Age circles, the idea that some sort of world-spanning cataclysmic event will take place in December 2012 has been gaining traction for years, thanks largely to the calculations of ancient Mayan astronomers who pegged that moment as the end of a cycle of eons. Joseph uses that prophecy as a starting point, but claims that his interest lies in more substantial scientific threats to the planet-including cracks in Earth's magnetic field, the eruption of supervolcanoes and flareups of sunspot radiation. On the other hand, he also gives credence to planetary alignments and The Bible Code before veering into a rant about how the real problem is Christian fundamentalists who want to manipulate the Middle East into Armageddon. When he sticks to science journalism, Joseph is a lively tour guide, introducing readers to Mayan shamans and Russian scientists with equal aplomb. But when he encourages readers to start praying they survive the coming apocalypse, he comes off as exactly the sort of crackpot he claims to eschew. Still, there's less kookery than in other 2012 books, making Joseph a reasonably straightforward guide to the theory.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals . Most of us are at a great distance from our food. I don't mean that we live "twelve miles from a lemon," as English wit Sydney Smith said about a home in Yorkshire. I mean that our food bears little resemblance to its natural substance. Hamburger never mooed; spaghetti grows on the pasta tree; baby carrots come from a pink and blue nursery. Still, we worry about our meals -- from calories to carbs, from heart-healthy to brain food. And we prefer our food to be "natural," as long as natural doesn't involve real.

In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan writes about how our food is grown -- what it is, in fact, that we are eating.

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The Dr. Carl Benz Museum was founded in 1996, following a private initiative. More than 70 vehicles and numerous other exhibits illustrate the life of Karl Benz and document the importance of the automobile's invention for the history of personal mobility, from the early years to the present day.

Many will have reacted with amazement in 1908, when the first C. Benz Söhne automobiles began to leave the workshops, which were originally intended for the production of engines. It is all the more fitting that this cradle of mobility should now regain its old splendor as a lovingly restored industrial monument and car museum. It is not only the historic workshop itself that fascinates the visitor: other highlights such as the last two vehicles built in Ladenburg by C. Benz Söhne and biographical exhibits from the life of Karl Benz, for example his former study, make history come alive. In addition, various Benz and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, as well as other historical exhibits, make a valuable contribution to automotive history.

The progress of personal mobility is illustrated at five different stations:

"Dr. Carl Benz Square". Vehicles bearing the brand name C. Benz Söhne and vehicles produced by Benz & Cie. in Mannheim show why Karl Benz became an automotive legend. The exhibits include the world's first automobile, the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886, and the last C. Benz Söhne car of 1924, which was driven by Karl Benz himself.

"Mercedes Avenue". This is a bumper-to-bumper display of famous vehicles in automotive history: Mercedes-Benz cars from the early beginnings of Daimler-Benz AG right up to the early 1950s, including a rear-engined 130 and a 170 S convertible.

"Pit stop". Motor racing has always been of particular importance for automotive development at Mercedes-Benz. A number of motor racing legends are shown here in their customary victory pose.

"Auto-Biography". Extensive documentation and numerous exhibits take the visitor on a journey through the history of the automobile and its times.

"Motorcycle Gallery". In parallel with the car, the motorcycle has always played an important part in the history of personal mobility. A fascinating collection of motorcycles from different periods illustrates its development.

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Is it true certain amino acids stimulate growth hormones in teenagers?

Some research on certain amino acids has shown a benefit to weight gain and muscle growth, though there is very little evidence to prove that any amino acid supplement works in these ways. There are three amino acids that have been claimed to increase the release of growth hormone in children and teenagers; they are arginine, lysine, and orthinine. An injection of arginine is used to stimulate growth hormone release in children with a deficiency, working for only a short period of time. However, there is no evidence that an oral dose of these amino acids has the same effect. Supplements with these amino acids contain very low doses. Teenagers will get the greatest benefit out of increasing their total energy intake, which will in turn increase their protein intake to assist with muscle growth.

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