Archives for posts with tag: Science

God’s Mechanics: The Religious Life of Techies

August 16, 10 //

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God's Mechanics: The Religious Life of Techies

Google Tech Talk August 3, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ How does religion work in a culture shaped by science and technology? How do scientists and engineers practice their religions? How in particular does a Jesuitbrother, and an MIT graduate with a PhD in planetary science, make sense of his Catholicism? God's Mechanics examines the personal religious life and theology of scientists and engineers — "Techies" — based on conversations with nearly a hundred techies in Silicon Valley (interviewed during the spring of 2007 during a six-week stay at Santa Clara University) and a first-person confession from a Jesuit scientist and astronomer at the Vatican Observatory. Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ was born in Detroit, Michigan. He earned undergraduate and masters' degrees from MIT, and a Ph. D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona, was a researcher at Harvard and MIT, served in the US Peace Corps (Kenya), and taught university physics at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, before entering the Jesuits in 1989. At the Vatican Observatory since 1993, his research explores connections between meteorites, asteroids, and the evolution of small solar system bodies. He observes asteroids, moons, and Kuiper Belt comets with the Vatican's 1.8 meter telescope in Arizona, and curates the Vatican meteorite collection in Castel Gandolfo. Along with more than 100 scientific publications, he is the author of a number of popular books including Turn Left at <b>…</b>

32
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55:17
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What is Science? From Global Warming to Evolution

August 11, 10 //

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What is Science? From Global Warming to Evolution

Google Tech Talk July 21, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Michael Vassar. What is science? Are science and rationality the same thing? If science was something new, what sort of a new thing was science? I will discuss different ways of knowing, focusing on the differences between the analytic method of the enlightenment and the synthetic method of romanticism (and scholarship classically). These methods should be used together, but in fact their practitioners have been at war since Marx and Rousseau, leading to a schism in Western intellectual history with disastrous consequences. Darwin's theory of evolution is used as a case study of how these different methods of knowing manifest themselves, and can shape the practice of science in important ways. Michael Vassar is President of the Singularity Institute for AI. Previously, he was a Founder and Chief Strategist at SirGroovy.com, an online music licensing firm. Prior to that, he held positions with Aon, the Peace Corps, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Michael has been writing and speaking on topics related to the safe development of disruptive technologies for a number of years: his papers include the Lifeboat Foundation analysis of the risks of advanced molecular manufacturing co-authored with Robert Freitas, and "Corporate Cornucopia", authored for the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology Task Force. He holds an MBA and a BS in biochemistry.

32
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51:56
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Newspeak: A Principled Dynamic Language

June 16, 10 //

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Newspeak: A Principled Dynamic Language

Google Tech Talk May 4, 2010 ABSTRACT In this talk, we present the main features of Newspeak, a dynamic programming language focused on software engineering. All names in Newspeak are late bound – including class names. Hence all classes in Newspeak are virtual, every class declaration defines a mixin, and class hierarchy inheritance comes for free. Newspeak has no global namespace and no static state. Top level classes act as module definitions. These have no external dependencies. Each instance of a top level class is a module that runs in its own sandbox in accordance with the object capability security model. Gilad Bracha is the creator of the Newspeak programming language. Previously, he was a Distinguished Engineer at Cadence, and a Computational Theologist and Distinguished Engineer at Sun. He is co-author of the Java Language Specification, and a researcher in the area of object-oriented programming languages. Prior to joining Sun, he worked on Strongtalk, the Animorphic Smalltalk System. He received his B.Sc in Mathematics and Computer Science from Ben Gurion University in Israel and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Utah.

15
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01:26:39
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OpenHatch: An Open Source Volunteer Opportunity Finder

June 1, 10 //

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OpenHatch: An Open Source Volunteer Opportunity Finder

Google Tech Talk April 29, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Asheesh Laroia and Raphael Krut-Landau. Hacking in the open source community isn't always warm fuzzies for everyone. Sometimes the process is just plain confusing. How do you find something rewarding to work on? Inevitable obstacles stand in between you and your desire to improve the software you use. In this talk we discuss our attempt to rethink how the open source community is organized – a website called OpenHatch.org. Learn about bitesize bugs, the volunteer opportunity finder, and the "I want to help" button. What are your thoughts on the process of taking part in open source? Whether you're a total open source beginner or a veteran, we'd love to hear what Googlers think. Asheesh Laroia is the lead engineer and data seducer at OpenHatch, and writes things down at asheesh.org. Before founding OpenHatch in 2009, he was a software engineer at Creative Commons. Raphael Krut-Landau also helped found OpenHatch, and is what is often called a user experience architect, although that is a bit much. They did all their higher education at Johns Hopkins University, and between them they have two BA's in cognitive science, an MSE in computer science (Asheesh's), and a heap of unread books on philosophy (Raphael's).

2
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48:13
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Whole Brain Emulation: The Logical Endpoint of Neuroinformatics?

June 1, 10 //

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Whole Brain Emulation: The Logical Endpoint of Neuroinformatics?

Google Tech Talk May 27, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Anders Sandberg. The idea of creating a faithful, one-to-one computer copy of a human brain has been a popular philosophical thought experiment and science fiction plot for decades. While computational neuroscience and systems biology are currently very far away from this goal, the trends towards large-scale simulation, industrialized neuroinformatics, new forms of microscopy and powerful computing clusters point in this direction and are enabling new forms of simulations of unprecendented scope. In this talk I will discuss current estimates of how close we are to achieving emulated brains, technological requirements, research challenges and some of the possible consequences.

121
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Time:
58:55
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Live Cultured Fermentation

May 28, 10 //

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Live Cultured Fermentation

Google Tech Talk March 26, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Benjamin T Stanley. This presentation will consist of a brief history, process, and science of fermentation. It will cover specific examples of various categories of fermentation including alcohol production, dairy/cheese making, vinegar/pickling, and baking. Samples of various products will be shared and open to discussion with the group to talk about. Benjamin T Stanley is a young aspiring chef, currently in the Chicago-land area. He holds a bachelors degree in Culinary Arts and Sciences from Kendall College ( Chicago, IL). He has background in many facets of the food industry including management, catering, nutrition, service, fine dining, research, and development. He is a national ranked chef with La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, and has a passion for learning and teaching anything relating to the industry. He currently works for Bell Flavors and Fragrances, a local flavoring and ingredient manufacturer, as an application chef. He assists in developing flavors, creating industrial formulations, and testing food products for worldwide consumption.

20
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Time:
33:53
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Chemistry on the Web: How Can we Crowdsource Chemistry to Solve Important Problems?

April 19, 10 //

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Chemistry on the Web: How Can we Crowdsource Chemistry to Solve Important Problems?

Google Tech Talk April 6, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Dr Matthew Todd, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney. Open Science: how can we crowdsource chemistry to solve important problems? Science shaped itself in the founding days of learned societies: individuals or teams competed, in secret, with paper-based communication in subscription journals. Why are we all still doing science like this? The internet has had a major impact in our sharing of data by traditional means, but it has not yet radically changed the way we actually perform science. My lab is involved in a new project a government/WHO-funded research project that is completely open, where we are trying to solve a serious problem in public health through basic research in organic chemistry. The project involves a wonder drug used to treat a tropical disease but we need to improve it, and fast: www.nature.com With an eye on the bigger issue, we propose open methods can allow science to happen faster than traditional means, but we do not yet have the tools to make this happen. This talk is about hard science and soft human nature. It is also an appeal for decent tools scientists need to collaborate properly. The over-riding requirement: low barrier to entry.

29
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Time:
53:53
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Mission to “Mars”

April 16, 10 //

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Mission to "Mars"

Google Tech Talk April 5, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by David D. Levine. In January 2010 I spent two weeks at the Mars Desert Research Station, a simulated Mars base in the Utah desert. Although the Martian conditions were simulated, the science was real, as were the isolation, hostile environment, and problems faced by the six-person crew. Although my official title was Crew Journalist, I soon found myself repairing space suits, helping to keep the habitat running, and having interplanetary adventures I'd never before imagined. My talk on the experience is profusely illustrated with photographs and has gotten rave reviews. Please see bentopress.com for more information. My name is David D. Levine and I'm a science fiction writer. I've sold over 40 short stories to all the major markets, including Asimov's and Analog, and I've won a Hugo Award, been nominated for the Nebula, and won or been shortlisted for many other awards as well as appearing in numerous Year's Best anthologies. I retired in 2007 after a 25-year career as a technical writer, software engineer, and user interface designer for Tektronix, Intel, and McAfee and now spend my days writing, traveling, and getting into trouble. For more on me, see www.bentopress.com

23
ratings

Time:
57:22
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Innovation Survival: Innovation in Science

April 12, 10 //

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Innovation Survival: Innovation in Science

Google Tech Talk April 8, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by W. David Schwaderer. Innovation is essential for all progress and competitive survival. It provides a democratic vehicle for individuals and upstarts to challenge and neutralize powerful incumbents. Yet, because change accompanies innovation, it is a double-edged sword. This presentation examines the historical reception transformative scientific breakthroughs initially received before widespread adoption. By example, it teaches principles that can help ensure change agents personally, and their organizations, are on the delivering side of innovation's sharp edge. W. David Schwaderer has a Masters Degree in Applied Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He has worked at IBM, EDS, Adaptec, Symantec, and Silicon Valley startups. He has authored six commercial software programs for a variety of machine architectures using several different languages, dozens of articles, and ten technical books that explain complex technology in approachable ways. David's soon-to-be-published 11th book follows over 10 years of research and is titled "Innovation Survival – Concept, Courage, Chance, and Change".

26
ratings

Time:
59:56
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Pyongyang University of Science & Technology

March 16, 10 //

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Pyongyang University of Science & Technology

Google Tech Talk February 11, 2010 Pyongyang University of Science & Technology: First International University in the Heart of North Korea ABSTRACT (Q&A starts at 35:55) Presented by Dr. David Kim, Vice President of Pyongyang University of Science & Technology in Pyongyang, DPRK, and the Vice President of Yanbian University of Science & Technology (YUST) in Yanji, Jilin Province, China. The opening of Pyongyang University of Science & Technology (PUST) was once thought to be an impossible dream. However, the first phase of the campus is now finished and ready to accept students in April 2010. Dr. David Kim, who serves as the Vice President of PUST, will be joining us to raise awareness about this first international university in North Korea (where the teaching language will be English), discuss recruitment of international faculty and explore fund-raising opportunities.

15
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Time:
01:11:32
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