June 9

I love getting Kurzweil's newsletter.
The topics he covers are mind-boggling.
Causes me to read and/or think about things I
would've never imagined. Want to read some
mind expanding stuff? Go to:
http://www.kurzweilai.net/

I've been enjoying reading Kurzweil's book,
"The Singularity Is Near."

KURZWEILAI.NET NEWSLETTER
NEWS
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What if there is only one universe?
PhysOrg.com June 4, 2009
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Theories of cosmology based on a
multiverse are flawed, says Lee
Smolin, author of the bestselling
science book The Trouble with
Physics and a founding member and
research physicist at the Perimeter
Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Smolin points out why a timeless
multiverse means that our laws of
physics are no longer determinable
from...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10717&m=37740

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The future of robots is rat-shaped
PhysOrg.com June 7, 2009
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Rather than try to replicate
complex human intelligence, start at
the bottom and figure out simpler
abilities that humans share with
other animals, like navigating,
seeking food and avoiding dangers.
That's the rationale for Psikharpax,
using sensors and controls, with
software based on rat neurology. The
goal is to get Psikharpax to be...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10716&m=37740

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Tangled proteins may spread
Alzheimer's through brain
New Scientist Health June 7, 2009
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The transmission of abnormal tau
proteins that form tangles in cells
may explain how Alzheimer's spreads
throughout a patient's brain,
Laboratory of Molecular Biology
researchers have found....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10714&m=37740

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Train can be worse for climate than
plane
New Scientist Environment June 8, 2009
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A new University of California,
Berkeley study compares the "full
life-cycle" emissions generated by
11 different modes of transportation
in the US. The worst: off-peak
buses, followed by cars....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10713&m=37740

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Inflatable tower could climb to the
edge of space
New Scientist Space June 8, 2009
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A giant inflatable
15-kilometer-high tower could carry
people to the edge of space without
the need for a rocket, and could be
completed much sooner than a
cable-based space elevator, its
proponents claim. If built from a
suitable mountain top, it could
reach an altitude of around 20
kilometers, where it could be used
for atmospheric research,...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10712&m=37740

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Botox could stop disease in its
tracks
New Scientist Health June 8, 2009
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Botox has been modified so that it
could one day be used to treat
asthma and possibly even cancer, by
inhibiting the release of cytokines
(overproduced in cancer) and mucin
(oversecreted in asthma)....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10711&m=37740

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Roll-Up Solar Panels
Technology Review June 4, 2009
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Xunlight has developed a way to
make large, flexible solar panels: a
roll-to-roll manufacturing technique
forms thin-film amorphous silicon
solar cells on thin sheets of
stainless steel. Such systems could
be incorporated more easily into
irregular roof designs, or rolled up
and carried in a...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10710&m=37740

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The dizzying data rate conundrum
Technology Review June 8, 2009
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Physicists can't agree about
strategies for storing the petabytes
of data per year to be generated by
the the Large Hadron Collider at
CERN, and in what format. The LHC is
emblematic of a broader problem in
science. The problem is also
emblmematic of a broader problem on
the Internet, as video and audio
firehouses generate similar
concerns....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10708&m=37740

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A Full-Color Screen That Bends
Technology Review June 8, 2009
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Bendy organic light-emitting diode
(OLED) displays employing amorphous
silicon processes and tools (used to
make today's flat-panel LCD screens)
have been developed by Arizona State
University researchers. The
development brings bendable color
video displays closer to being
commercial products. (Mark...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10707&m=37740

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Making Fat Disappear
Technology Review June 8, 2009
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Genetic alterations enabled mice to
convert fat into carbon dioxide and
remain lean while eating the
equivalent of a fast-food diet, UCLA
researchers have found. The study
suggests that synthetic biology
concepts could be applied to
mammals: just as we create bacteria
that produce biofuels, we could
introduce new abilities into the
bodies of...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=10706&m=37740

Walk
Did a lot of walking today. Took some
back streets on the way to the cafe.
Nothing special really about this walk.
But, it was incredibly relaxing and was able to
just quiet my mind for a while. I walk a lot everyday.

Listening
Lenswork Podcast
10,000 Hours

I remember in high school I talked to a much older musician.
Played for him a little. Told him I was frustrated. I had
been practicing a lot. Was working on classical and jazz things,
playing in classical and jazz groups. Was listening all
the time and trying to copy some things. Was studying with a
fine classical trumpet teacher. Occasional trips to New York
for lessons or to go to trumpet related music conferences.
Basically just doing everything I could to get better. I asked
him what more can I do? I'll always remember what he said (like it was yesterday).

"You have to learn to let time work for you. You are doing all the right things, just haven't been doing them long enough....."

                 ...from an old, wise man around 1976
Trumpet
A lot of practicing today. Spent some time
playing etudes cause it really just makes
my chops feel great.

Was "workin' the keys" tonight on an old tune 
called "Slow Boat to China."