Monday, April 29, 2013

African-American Scientist Ronald Mallett Invents The World's First Time Machine


http://www.thelavinagency.com/blog-science-speaker-ronald-mallett-time-travel-is-possible.html

Ronald Mallett: "I Want The Public To Know Time Travel Is Possible"
If you thought that time travel was purely science fiction—think again. As science speaker Ronald Mallett explained in a recent interview, time travel has already been proven to be scientifically possible. "Einstein’s theory says that time slows down the faster you travel," the Time Traveler author explains. "This has also been proven with clocks on passenger jets, the clocks actually slow down by a few seconds." Named as a role model for 2013, he first became interested in time travel after his father died when Mallett was only a young boy. Wanting to go back in time to spend more time with his father, he became inspired to build his own time machine. He began to read Einstein's theories about time not being fixed, and The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, and both showed him that that his scientific pursuit wasn't all that far-fetched.

While he says the "deep love of [his] father and [his] obsessive desire to see him again," was his primary motivation for learning theoretical physics, the more he studied the subject, the more he became passionate about it. Growing up, he says that he would read whatever books he could get his hands on. While he admits he didn't understand a lot of what he read at first, eventually he knew it would all make sense. Not able to afford college on his own, he joined the Air Force to get the GI Bill to pay for his school. Overcoming racial prejudice and poverty, he graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degree in physics.

He says he wrote his book, Time Traveler, so that everyone could learn about the possibilities of traversing through time. How does he explain the phenomenon to non-scientists?  "We all travel through time, but we do it day-by-day," he says. "Time travel means getting to the future faster than anyone else. A time traveler might be able to travel ten years in ten minutes."  While there is still much work to be done to create a device that makes time travel practically—not just theoretically—possible, Mallett is just as dedicated to his goal today as he was when he first started on his journey. His presentations and keynotes are widely attended and spark great debate about the possibilities that stem from his research. His speeches are equal parts scientific and inspirational, and no matter what you do in life, he advises his audiences to "follow your passion and enjoy your journey through time."

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Spirituality vs Science vs Religion

Does Science Complete Spirituality or Does Science Compete with Spirituality

Outline of Topics discussed:
Is Science Absolute, does it absolutely explain everything, including that which is spiritual?
- Science is the ongoing search and study into the deep mystery of the unknown, to make it known
- Science is never complete, the more you know, the more you know you don't know (symbology of the incomplete Pyramid rising from the waters of Nun in Ancient Egypt)
- Conversely Religion claims to be absolute and claims to know everything via God
- You can never KNOW everything, you cannot know what the inside of your brain feels like, - there is some information that you will actually have to destroy yourself to know
- The God Omnipotence Paradox: Can an omnipotent being create a stone so heavy that it cannot lift it? If yes to either side of the Paradox, then there is something God cannot do, and thus is not Omnipotent
- The God Omniscience Paradox: If God is Omniscient, then God Knows Everything.  If God Knows everything, then this means God does not know Nothing. If God Does not know Nothing, then there is something that God does not know, and thus God cannot be omniscient.
- The omnipotence and omniscience paradox: "Does God know what he's going to do tomorrow? If so, could he do something else?" If God knows what will happen, and does something else, he's not omniscient. If he knows and can't change it, he's not omnipotent.

What is Spirituality and what is its purpose and objective?
-Spirituality as I define it is the collection of practices, customs, and concepts which a person takes very seriously and is near and dear to their heart.
-Spirituality can encompass all aspects of life, from the very mundane to the very deep
-The Goal and Objective of Spirituality is to make one's self "feel good" (calm the mind, ease tension, cease nervousness, end stress, be in harmony/balance, etc)
-Spiritualist use the scientific method to determine which set of spiritual practices they will utilize. Their Hypothesis is, "what feels good and works for me..."

What is Religion and what is its Purpose and Objective?
-A set of formalized customs and practices used to obtain Spirituality, a "Spiritual System"
-The Main Goal and Objective of Religion is to get people to "act right"/behave and most religions agree on these points of "how to act/behave"
-Religion also attempts to explain the origins of everything in Nature and the Universe with the character of "God" (Theos) - Religions disagree on these points
-Religion also attempts to explain what happens to a person after Death - Religions disagree on these points
-Some Religions do claim to know EVERYTHING and do claim to be ABSOLUTE (because of their association with their God character)
-Religion is like a Social Club (Good for the Spirit)/Fellowship
-Religion satisfies the need/want/desire for people to be around Positive people doing positive things and hear positive messages (make me feel good, good for the spirit)
-The Force which brought the people together is irrelevant to the bonds formed
-Unity and Comradery (Love) transcends the truth (people will bond over a lie)
-Practicality and Applicability transcends the truth (people will accept a lie to get food, clothing, and shelter)

What is Science and what is its purpose and objective?
- Science is the ongoing effort to obtain Correct Information (Right Knowledge) about Nature and the Universe
- Science seeks to comprehend and explain Nature and the Universe
- Science is the study of Nature and thus can be seen as a form of "Nature Worship" (the word Physics means Nature)
- Modern Science Grew out of Natural Philosophy (study of nature) and occult practices such as Alchemy, Astrology, and Metaphysics to Chemistry, Astronomy, and Physics
- Science is never complete (new information leads to new questions leads to new investigation)
- Since science is never complete, it does not claim to know EVERYTHING or be ABSOLUTE.
- People may think that Scientists think they "know everything" because of the Confidence (and Ego and borderline arrogance) that comes with KNOWING and being able to Prove and Demonstrate what is known is correct versus the inconsistencies and lack of verification that comes with Spiritual and Religious doctrines
- The lack of "how to act right/behave" within the "Doctrine of Science" - breeds the "Mad Scientist with no morals or Ethics"
- Yurugu by Dr. Mariba Ani speak on the "Mad Scientist" concept
- Science from the Western perspective breeds Atheist, people who don't believe in a Deity and don't see any consequences to their actions, and people who are somewhat out of touch with other people (example the Big Bang Theory sitcom)
- Scientific Theories as Theos (God) which explains things and Scientists as "Prophets" and Messengers of Theories (Theos) in the Scientific religion of the future
- image of the old white scientist with grey hair has been stamped in the minds of people, which for Africans and people of African descent, could be a form of reverencing other than self and kind.
- It is imperative that African people reverence the image of African Scientists like IMHOTEP
- Fellowship in Science, Science Symposiums and Conferences
- words like "the Universe" and "Energies" which are used by Spiritualist are coming from a subconscious acknowledgement of the legitimacy of Scientific information

Why is Science seen as NOT Spiritual?
- Vatican Church vs Illuminati (Religion vs Science)
- Some religions like Hinduism and Buddhism DO see Science as somewhat spiritual
- Church missionaries interpreted traditional African Spiritual systems which are closer to Science, based on their Christian Religious doctrine (Orishas became Gods rather than energies, Nyame became God rather than energy, "High Priest of Ptah" versus a Craftsman, etc - they made it spooky)
- In Reality, traditional African Spiritual Systems are closer to Science (Nature worship, ie Physics)
- Colonizers and enslavers removed the Science from your traditional African Spirituality, then used Science to rule and take over the world
- You can't pray, chant, tithe, and meditate you way into food, clothing, shelter, education, defense, self determination
- If Colonizers and enslavers can get you to believe science and technology is evil and not spiritual, then Colonizers and enslavers can make you dependent upon them to provide you with the things which Science produces
- Your Colonizers and enslavers removed science from your spirituality, then gave you a Doctrine (Christianity) which lacks accountability (Jesus died for our sins) so you won't have the will to be accountable and do for self
- Get back to your traditional African Systems which combined the Realities of Spirituality (Morals, Ethics, Culture, Fellowship) with Science (Truth, Practicality, Applicability, Usability)
- LIFE OF PI

Monday, April 22, 2013

Retired Officer Builds Human-like Robot from Appliances

Source: http://www.afro.com/sections/news/afro_briefs/story.htm?storyid=78143


As a boy, Mark Haygood disassembled and attempted to rebuild his mother’s household gadgets, including radios and hair dryers. A combination of trial and error in building and a passion for science-fiction led him to create HEX, a four-foot, three-inch, 50-pound, full-sized humanoid robot.

Haygood, now 49 and retired after 22 years as a Baltimore City police officer, always had a penchant for techno gadgets.

“I was the really shy-in-the-basement-building-robots guy,” said Haygood.
Haygood said his robot—made up mostly of mostly household appliances, including a clock radio, fan, and DVD player--is one of few full-sized humanoids in America. According to Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary, humanoids is a word used to describe something that is looks or acts “like a human.”

In 2009, Haygood moved to Philadelphia and ran into what quickly became his “favorite” bipedal humanoid robot, Hubo, an advanced, full-body humanoid created by one of the leaders in the field, Professor Jun-Ho Oh, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, according to gizmag, a widely respected magazine catering to new and emerging technologies, invention, innovation, and science news.

Released in 2005, Hubo cost under $1 million to build and is a competitor to Honda’s Aismo, which cost nearly $300 million and took almost twenty years to construct.

During a recent interview with the AFRO at his secluded home in Baltimore County, Haygood, the veteran officer and self-trained roboticist, powered up his human-like machine, equipped with flashing blue-neon lights and 3D-printer-made fingers. His “baby” as he refers to it, has the ability to move its arms and hands, rotate its head and hips, and soon, thanks to a newly installed speech synthesizer, will soon be able to speak.

“It’s the kind of machine that can only grow and become better,” said Haygood. He said that with “more sensors and functionality,” he can correct some minor design flaws of HEX and build a second, more cutting-edge robot.

Haygood requested the AFRO not to print the cost of creating HEX other than to say the price tag is under $100,000 and that it is the “cheapest humanoid robot you can make.” HEX was a four -year project for Haygood. Now more knowledgeable and confident, Haygood estimates that he can replicate HEX in about five months and cut costs by 40 percent.

Searching for a place to enhance his work, Haygood joined Baltimore’s Hackerspace in August 2012. He describes the Hackerspace as a place where “a whole bunch of Macgyvers get together to build stuff,” he said, referring to the TV show about a super geek who solves crimes. He pays a $50 monthly fee to have 24-hour access to equipment and professional programmers, hackers, and builders.

“It’s great because if there’s something you don’t know they can help you and if there’s something they don’t know you can help them,” said Haygood.

Although Haygood is now a proud member of a Hackerspace, he labels himself an “introvert.”

“It’s a weird situation to be in,” said Haygood as he described being a reserved person while working in a public field. Haygood said he survived by fulfilling his job and duties and not showing his “real self.” “Some people see violence and it rolls off their shoulders, but people like me can’t deal with it,” he added. The aggressive and open nature of being an in-the-field officer was a reason why Haygood decided to retire after 22 years and be “done with the war.”

Instead, his passion was to spend countless hours in the basement, tinkering with his mother’s objects, striving to build a robot.

“He used to scare me with his ability to invent things sometimes,” said Vivian Haygood, Mark’s mother. “It was just incredible what he could do with his hands and it’s been like that since he was a child and all the way up to adulthood.”
April is an important month for Haygood and the future of his robotic ambition.

Within weeks, he plans to launch a fundraiser to raise $50,000-- using Kickstarter.com, a crowd-funding website--to “correct the design flaws” in HEX, “build another bot, and have a lot left over for some additional things that are needed.”

Like some international robot builders, Haygood wants to create humanoids that can assist humans with daily activities. In 2011, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that South Korea was testing out robots as prison wardens. In 2012, the Buffalo News reported that a sick child used a $4,839 “Roboswot” to virtually attend a class in New York when he was ill. News reports have also shown that robots have been used in classrooms to teach children Enlish.

Along with members of his Hackerspace, Haygood plans to attend the 14th annual Robot Fest on April 27 in Lithicum, Md. to promote HEX to children and other robot-friendly spectators.

“I want to help kids. I want to teach kids. I want kids to get a shot of adrenaline in the arm as far as advanced fields of robots are concerned.”