Tyler sez, "The Singularity Summit 2007 is one month away, happening September 8th-9th at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco. Tickets for the two-day event can be purchased online for the extremely low-price of $50, which even includes two lunches, a Saturday night reception, and extensive audience participation. The theme is 'Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity.' Some of the fascinating questions to be explored include: 'What are the major challenges to achieving advanced AI? What are the benefits and dangers? How far are we from self-improving AI? How should we prepare for this potentially powerful innovation?'"
Link
(Thanks, Tyler!)
BoingBoing week in review: Aug 6-12, 2007
Image: RedandJonny, from this BB post: Link.
HOWTO get something posted to Boing Boing!
Thanks so much to everyone who submits sites, permalinks, and other online ephemera to us. We really appreciate it! However, we never ever accept submissions (including PR pitches) via email. It's also not polite to add us, or anyone for that matter, to email lists without permission. So, as a friendly reminder, here's the ol' helpful post describing "HOWTO get something posted to Boing Boing." Thank you again for your support and incredible suggestions. We appreciate it! Link
Flyers stuck at LA airport after computer screening system fails
More than 20,000 jetlagged international flyers were stuck at LAX for hours this weekend when the computer system for passenger screening failed for several hours. Three people became sick, and had to be transported to nearby hospitals. Snip:
[...] Americans and foreigners sat in four airport terminals and in 60 planes starting about 2 p.m. on Saturday, when the computer system broke down, said Los Angeles World Airports spokesman Paul Haney. A major switch in the system, which contains names of arriving passengers and law enforcement data about them, including arrest warrants, had failed and had to be replaced, said Mike Fleming, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman.Link"That system allows our officers to make decisions on who we can allow to enter the United States," Fleming said. "You just don't know by looking at them."
The computers were fully restored at 11:45 p.m., and the last of backlogged passengers were processed by early Sunday, Fleming said.
In 1920, AT&T promoted English-only conversation on the phone
Rick Prelinger says,
LinkSeeing the post on AT&T and its concern for user privacy in 1928 reminded me of their 1920 ad, where they call for the Americanization of new immigrants and the use of a single language on the phone.
"But the telephone is no interpreter. If its far reaching wires are to be effective, those who use them must speak the same language. The telephone best serves those who have become one with us in speech."
Well, sure. Babel is one thing, but xenophobia and suspicion of difference is quite another.
Previously on BoingBoing: How AT&T fought for privacy -- 80 years ago
iWood: luxury hand-crafted wooden cases for iPhone
Haven't ever ordered or demoed anything from miniot.com, but their new product sure looks nice: handcrafted wood protective cases for the iPhone, now available in oak, cherry, mahogany, walnut, and padouk, whatever the hell that is. Each iWood is said to be carved from a single piece of "the finest woods we can find, obtained from well-managed forests, and FSC-certified supply." Pricing starts at €60 ($82). Link. Looks like they'll burn a logo or monogram in if you like, too.Reader comment: Adam Holland says,
Reminded me of nothing so much as the computer cases produced by the Sandbenders commune in William Gibson's Idoru
US tech firm behind massive new human-tracking system in China
Authorities in southern China are installing 20,000 (or more) police surveillance cameras, managed by software from an American-financed company. That spying system is designed to automatically recognize faces of criminal suspects, and spot potential crimes. And citizens of Shenzhen (pop: 12.4 million) will soon be required to carry computer-chipped residency cards programmed by that same company.
Snip from NYT story:
Data on the chip will include not just the citizen’s name and address but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord’s phone number. Even personal reproductive history will be included, for enforcement of China’s controversial “one child” policy. Plans are being studied to add credit histories, subway travel payments and small purchases charged to the card.More about the US-financed company behind both technologies:
“If they do not get the permanent card, they cannot live here, they cannot get government benefits, and that is a way for the government to control the population in the future,” said Michael Lin, the vice president for investor relations at China Public Security Technology, the company providing the technology.Link.Incorporated in Florida, China Public Security has raised much of the money to develop its technology from two investment funds in Plano, Tex., Pinnacle Fund and Pinnacle China Fund. Three investment banks — Roth Capital Partners in Newport Beach, Calif.; Oppenheimer & Company in New York; and First Asia Finance Group of Hong Kong — helped raise the money.
Here's the website for China Public Security, which maintains offices in Los Angeles and New York: Link. Here's an earlier press release from them: Link.
Image: police monitoring system, from China Public Security website.
New York's Le Pain Quotidien uses stale loaves of bread as menu-holders.
Epcot's secret meeting rooms
John sez, "The Disney Blog has found a Hidden Disney Website full of Quicktime VR 360 degree views of the best places to hold an event at Disney World. Some of these rooms are the seldom seen, secret salons usually reserved for the attractions corporate sponsors.
For example: You could have a party at Epcot's Living Seas aquarium with your own private view of the fish. Or you could enjoy the American Adventure Parlor, high above the world showcase."
Link
(Thanks, John!)
Lost theme park audio
Kip sez, "Thrill ride sounds! The 'dark' pirate ride, and the fortune teller from Mountain Park live again in audio mp3s saved by an employee when the 100-year-old amusement park went out of business a couple of decades back. Made from the original tapes that were played in the pirate ride and the recorded predictions played by Zoltan the Gypsy. (From a tribute page maintained by the park's last carousel operator, who now gets to operate it in its present location in Holyoke's Heritage Park.)"
These are recorded off the original 8-track masters! Link (Thanks, Kip!)
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