Computer Program Passes Turing Test; Judged As Plausible 13-Year-Old Boy

Like a technological Pinocchio, a computer program called "Eugene Goostman" has convinced researchers that "he" is a real boy.

Ostensibly a 13-year-old boy from the Ukraine, the program was able to pass the Turing Test, which states that a computer could be considered to be "thinking" if it could fool 30 percent of researchers during a five-minute text conversation. First dictated in 1950 by computer pioneer Alan Turing, the test is considered the preeminent benchmark for computational philosophy and artificial intelligence. The Russian-made program, tested by the Royal Society in England, fooled 33 percent of its interrogators.

As reported by the Independent UK, in regards to his success Mr. Goostman stated, “I feel about beating the turing test in quite convenient way. Nothing original."

The success of the test brings about many questions, including many regarding the safety of computer users when dealing with possible cybercriminals. Fortunately the Goostman program has not evolved to a stage of teenage mischief...yet.

UPDATE:  The validity of this article has been proven wrong.  My apologies, that's what I get for trusting the corporate media and their wannabe-robot minds.

Fired Up: Renewable Energy Sources Produce 20% Of Global Power

Renewable energy sources, including solar power, hydro power, geothermal energy, biofuels and wind, have been steadily contributing to energy requirements worldwide. Up from a mere 8% in 2012, the accrued fuel sources range in location from the U.S. to developing nations, with humans across the globe realizing the potential of the myriad new sustainable energy systems.

According to www.cleantech.com, "With developing world’s policy support, global renewable energy generation capacity jumped to a record level; 95 emerging economies now nurture renewable energy growth through supportive policies, up six-fold from just 15 countries in 2005."

China made a stunning leap this year by using more renewable sources than nuclear and fossil fuels combined. Although the U.S. has been relatively slow to catch on to widespread use of new energy sources, smaller nations like Scotland and Tuvalu plan to be 100% powered by renewable sources by 2020.

NASA Budget Bill Passes House GOP With Surprising Reinstated Funds

The White House, having made several deleterious cuts to major NASA initiatives, may have inadvertently led their foes in the GOP to maintain their adversity towards Obama by (gasp) aiding the greater quest for science.

According to the 2015 NASA budgetary report, passed this week by the House, $100 million has been set aside for the preliminary efforts at exploring the Martian moon of Europa, which is a target of interest due to its watery composition beneath an icy surface.

The report also maintains that the SOFIA infrared telescope continues to produce "good science" and will not be defunded, claiming, "Instead, the recommendation provides $70,000,000 for SOFIA, which should be sufficient to support the aircraft’s fixed costs (flight crews, required maintenance, etc.) as well as a base level of scientific observations."

While still requiring compromises and a vote of approval from the Senate and the White House, the bill maintains a startling level of scientific care, atypical to the GOP's usual platforms. An additional $15 million (previously slashed by the White House) has been proposed for education and public outreach, a crucial component of inspiring the engineers, astronauts, and adventurers who will carry out these projects in the coming decades.

Read more about the 2015 NASA Budget here.

Surprise, Surprise: Vodafone Reveals Secret Government Wiretaps

From The Telegraph:

Government agencies are able to listen to phone conversations live and even track the location of citizens without warrants using secret cables connected directly to network equipment, admits Vodafone today.

The company said that secret wires have been connected to its network and those belonging to competitors, giving government agencies the ability to tap in to phone and broadband traffic. In many countries this is mandatory for all telecoms companies, it said.

Vodafone is today publishing its first Law Enforcement Disclosure Report which will describe exactly how the governments it deals with are eavesdropping on citizens. It is calling for an end to the use of “direct access” eavesdropping and transparency on the number of warrants issued giving access to private data.

Of course, anyone who has been paying attention knows that this is not really news, since it has been known for years that governments have been secretly tapping the telephony  backbone.  What is new in the present instance is that the company itself has revealed the illegal wiretaps rather than continue to engage in a conspiracy against its own users aided and abetted by criminal governments.  If this is news to you, you might consider looking into AT&T Room 641A.

Download Cat Videos In The Middle Of Nowhere, Thanks To Google's New Satellite Fleet

Hundreds of millions of prospective internet users may soon be granted access thanks to a new satellite fleet being developed by Google. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has noted that "nearly two-thirds of the world's citizens have no access to the Internet at all", and they seek to remedy that via a combination of small satellites and drones.


The satellites, which are being developed for Google by O3B Networks (whose title refers to the "other three billion" people sans internet access) weigh in at a significantly small 250 pounds, and travel around 5,000 miles above the Earth's surface. Four satellites are currently in use, with four more slated to launch next month.


Read more about Google and O3B's project here.

Reprinted On The Red Planet: Could We "Grow" Humans To Colonize Mars?

Martian exploration is a tempting challenge for space agencies worldwide, but NASA's current budgetary woes and the extensively dangerous elements of such an operation are keeping any advanced projects on the red planet still firmly in the realm of science fiction.

However, scientists have pondered a fascinating plan to colonize Mars much in the way that they suspect life arrived here on earth: first send bacteria to terraform the harsh environment, then send bacteria encoded with DNA plans.

The Huffington Post quoted Harvard biologist Gary Ruvkun as saying, "If we could also send along assembly instructions, for the bacteria to produce an array of descendent organisms that assemble the genome segments over some time period into a human, it is a way to 'print' humans remotely."

The ability to "encode" the human genome into bacteria may be within our reach in the next few decades, and though it may be some time before the human-printing "instructions" can manifest, the idea offers an interesting option for the beginning of Martian colonization.

New Blood-Alcohol Content Breathalyzer App Wants To Party With You

New app startup Alcohoot is turning around police-grade technology into an app that wants to improve your lifestyle. The device, which costs $99 and plugs into the headphone jack of a smartphone, not only calculates your BAC, but offers a "morning after" ranking system with reviews of how you felt your night went for further analysis.

The device is being created in partnership with major alcohol conglomerate Pernod Ricard. Their President and CEO Bryan Fry claims that "Alcohoot engages people and has the potential to change behavior."

Learn more about Alcohoot and other BAC-calculation apps here.