A decade-long study shows a disturbing trend of anxiety levels among US citizens. Deep concerns of war and natural disasters continue to distress people across the country, the newly published survey has found.
In the survey conducted by the global information technology company, Unisys, the US jumped to 8 out of 13 countries surveyed. Americans are now on par with Colombia in terms of their perceptions of security, according to the Miami Herald.
The last time the US was included in the survey was in 2014.The score for the US spiked 37 percentage points in the wrong direction in just two years. The Unisys survey was completed in April with 13,000 people canvassed in 13 countries, according to the Herald.
The US sits behind New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands.
The countries that are feeling even more jittery than the US are Argentina, The Philippines, Brazil, Malaysia and Mexico, according to the Herald.
Some 68 percent of Americans cite national security issues such as war and terrorism as something they are either very or extremely worried about, making it the number one anxiety driver in the US.Identity theft followed, with 61 percent of respondents very anxious about this issue.
Bank card fraud makes 58 percent of Americans uneasy. Viruses or hacking made 56 percent of people anxious, according to the survey.
“It’s an understatement to say that anxiety levels are high, and we live in very uncertain times,” said Unisys Senior Vice President Ann Sung Rhuckstul, according to the Herald.
“It appears that our cloak of security, the impression that we had, that we are more secure than the rest of the world, is starting to fade,” Bill Searcy, Vice President for Global Justice, Law Enforcement and Border Security at Unisys, said.
“The rest of the world also climbed, but the US climbed at a higher rate,” Searcy added.
“The findings themselves are not surprising unless you haven’t picked up a newspaper,” Frank J. Cillufo, Director of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University said.
He pointed out that internet insecurity and the ever changing world of cybercrime is a big issue in the findings.
“But shortly following that, you’ve got foreign terrorist organizations, you’ve got criminal enterprises that are so sophisticated from the tradecraft standpoint as nations were just six months ago,” Cillufo said, according to the Herald.
Mrfixitrick shows a series of seven experiments with his Spooky Tesla Spirit Radio, a non-powered crystal radio circuit built-in a jam-jar, that does more than just be a radio.
This simple device shows abilities such as: detecting lightning, making voice phenomena, interacting with all forms of light, creating music and sound effects, reading a computer screen, acting as a mike, and detecting RF pulses.
The Spooky Tesla Spirit Radio is plugged directly into the iMac computer sound-in port. Audio Hijack Pro software provides the gain and real-time sound effects based on the radio’s input.
The radio’s antennas are inspired by Tesla’s high voltage examples, and its basic LC circuit is similar to Tesla’s original inductor and capacitor circuit schematics.
‘Entangled’ beams successfully picked up at Earth. Andrey VP/Shutterstock
The satellite Micius, launched from Jiuquan, China, in August last year, is unlike any other in the sky. While other satellites communicate with Earth using physics worked out by James Clerk Maxwell 150 years ago, Micius is the world’s first quantum-enabled satellite. And now, it has conclusively proved its quantum credentials.
For the first time, scientists have transmitted photons, or particles of light, that are “entangled” with one another from space to Earth. This entanglement, dubbed “spooky action at a distance” by Albert Einstein, is a uniquely quantum-mechanical phenomenon in which the behaviour of one particle is mysteriously choreographed with another – even though the particles can be at opposite ends of the universe. Manipulating one will instantly affect its entangled partner.
These new results pave the way for space-based quantum communication, a technology that promises to provide truly secure communication across the globe.
Every time we interact with our online bank, for example, the messages sent back and forth between computers are encrypted. People are essentially relying on the extreme unwieldiness of large numbers to keep their messages safe. But being able to encode and decode encrypted messages requires the sharing of secret keys – certain specific numbers that are used in the scrambling and unscrambling process.
Current encryption relies on scrambling messages.shutterstock.com
If these keys were to be intercepted in the sharing process, a third party would be able to decode messages sent with that key and secrecy would be lost. It’s likely no one would know that security had been compromised until it was too late.
Quantum mechanics to the rescue
Physicists have shown, however, that the unusual properties of quantum particles can be used to share encryption keys in such a way that any interception of the keys by a third party would be immediately evident. If tampering was detected, keys could then be resent until one arrived intact and verifiably trustworthy.
This tamper-proofing requires the sharing of entangled particles and relies on the fact that entanglement is a peculiarly delicate phenomenon. Any attempt to interfere with the entangled particles immediately disrupts the entanglement, producing tell-tale signs that a message has been tampered with. And the magic of quantum mechanics is that this effect arises as a fundamental property of nature and cannot be circumvented.
How does China’s quantum satellite work?
Entangled photons can be created by shining a laser through special types of crystal. To be able to use these particles for communication, the trick is then to get them to the receiving stations where they are needed.
But herein lies the problem. In ground-based experiments, photons have to be sent either through the air or through optical fibres. Both of these methods are beset with losses — photons are either scattered by molecules as they travel through the air, or they leak out as they travel along optical fibres.
Unfortunately, sources of entangled photons do not produce many per second and losing precious photons en route rapidly downgrades our ability to do “quantum stuff”. Thus, ground-based experiments with entangled photons have been limited to distances of up to a few hundred kilometres.
The advantage of space
But this is where the Chinese satellite comes in. Stationed between 500km and 2000km above the Earth, Micius is an orbiting factory of entangled photons, sent to Earth in two beams.
Despite starting so far away, the beams generated on board have a relatively easy ride to Earth – only their last 10km or so is through the atmosphere. The rest of the journey is through what is essentially the vacuum of space. Thus, the photon pairs generated on Micius can be shared between two distant points on the Earth’s surface, while only being subject to the losses associated with travelling a small fraction of that distance through air.
The new study, published in Science, demonstrates that one can reliably send two beams of entangled photons from Micius to base stations some 1,200km apart, smashing previous records.
Moreover, the researchers performed a test (Bell’s inequality test) on the detected photons to show that they were still entangled – despite their journey from space. This is crucial since only entangled photons possess the ability to unlock the potential of quantum communication.
Bell’s inequality test explained.
The next steps for Micius on the path to quantum key distribution will be to demonstrate a series of quantum phenomena, including quantum teleportation, in which quantum states such as velocity can be transferred between base stations. With other space-based quantum experiments sure to follow, these results from Micius may well come to be seen as a landmark in the development of a quantum internet.
There are, however, some concerns about the geopolitical context in which these experiments occur. China clearly understands the strategic benefits of the information security that quantum communications might bring. But let’s not also forget that these experiments mark an exciting first foray into testing quantum mechanics, one of our most fundamental scientific theories born from our studies of the subatomic world, over distances the size of a planet.
I am three months late with this post. What can I say? I have never watched this ceremony. If I would ever want to see a bunch of dunces congratulating themselves for absolutely nothing I would definitely tune in to this sickening spectacle of human debauchery and pseudo artsy fartsy culture. Give those statues to the cleaning staff, as they deserve it more than these smelly narcissists. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Oscar ratings aren’t just down because of Trump bashing, but because what society considers entertainment has changed
Before the advent of television, people would see big Hollywood films in cinemas and at the end of every Oscar year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would award the ones they thought were the best…or the ones their friends made, or the ones whose makers bribed them, or the ones whose stars ate and drank in the same restaurants and bars as Academy voters.
In the 1950s, the popularity of television panicked the film industry, but new technology like wide-screen films and surround sound saved the industry.
Today, the pictures aren’t getting bigger but smaller and more mobile. When one can watch films both legally and otherwise on mobile phones and other portable devices, the mystique is gone. Entertainment has gone from gourmet to cheap fast food. There is no going back. People have other priorities. Watching a long boring ceremony where celebrities gush over films people view in bits and pieces as they ride the bus, is no longer essential viewing.
2. The Democratisation of Celebrity
Whether it be Paul Joseph Watson ranting about his hatred of liberals, PewDiePie talking about video games, football experts debating the last game or a cat being frightened of a cucumber, the DIY model of celebrity is becoming ever more pervasive.
What’s more is that anyone can now make their own on-line video and some of them command the kind of numbers via subscription that Hollywood filmmakers could only dream of.
Whether watching your uncle get drunk at wedding or watching independently funded commentators on everything from sport to politics, video games to music, the idea of celebrity is less about how many kids you can adopt in your Beverly Hills home and more about your number of views on YouTube.
3. Preaching Is For Church–Entertainment Is For Hollywood
Many seem to not have received this particular memo. Whether cowboys and Indians, mafia gangsters, space aliens or clowns, Hollywood used to be primarily about escapism. Now, from the films Hollywood promotes to the Oscar ceremony itself, Tinseltown has become like CNN with slightly better plastic surgery.
If people wanted hours of anti-Trump rhetoric they could indeed turn on CNN or read the New York Times. If inversely they wanted pro-Trump rhetoric they could turn on InfoWars or Michael Savage.
The Oscars isn’t supposed to be a political grandstand. Indeed, when Marlon Brando tried to make it so in 1973 by having a Native American women accept his Oscar and giving a speech condemning the treatment of Native Americans, he was roundly criticised.
In 2017, the entire thing was like being at a Hillary Clinton rally. Frank Zappa said that ‘politics is show business for ugly people’. By the standards of this years Oscars, it is now the other way round.
4. America’s Declining Living Standards
At a time when many working class people had stable jobs that could lead to easy home ownership and a decent quantity of modern material goods, one looked to wealthy celebrities with a combination of awe and intrigue, but rarely outright jealousy.
Now though, the of collapse of well paying industrial jobs that both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders talked about endlessly during their campaigns, is making overpaid celebrities appear as though they live in a parallel universe vis-a-vis ordinary people. When entire towns in America’s so-called ‘rust belt’ are destitute, these people won’t want to spend their time gazing at people whose shoes cost more than three months of their former wages.
5. Truth Is More Entertaining Than Fiction
Many people deride Donald Trump for being the former star of a reality TV show, The Apprentice. But The Donald has a knack for keeping people entertained. Growing up, many people I knew thought that ‘politics was boring’. In many ways it was, in hindsight.
But it is hardly boring anymore. With President Trump Tweeting away and his enemies attacking him left and right, it would be hard for even the best screenwriter to come up with something as fast paced.
So yes, I suppose the Hollywood elite do have some cause to be angry with Donald Trump. He’s outdone them in the light entertainment division.
If none of those explanations are satisfactory just remember that the actual Oscar ratings were very high. The low numbers are the result of Putin personally hacking the numbers. John McCain is all ready on the case.
If the Chronovisor fell into the wrong hands, it could then create the “scariest dictatorship the world has ever seen.”
Conspiracy theories will continue to live with humanity, probably until the end of mankind on earth. Of course, not every theory stands the chance of being true, but remember the old saying that in every rumor, there is a little bit of truth.
At the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican has been embroiled in many conspiracy theories. One of these theories is that the Vatican has a secret device called the Chronovisor, which it uses to look into past and future events.
In the late 19th century, the English author H. G. Wells published his science fiction novel The Time Machine. Although the work was fiction, it attracted interest in both the scientific and pseudo-science community. The novel became popular to the extent that some physicists believed traveling through time is possible.
Although time travel still remains a controversy among the scientific community today, some scientists have proven the mission possible. In 2015, a group of scientists from the University of Queensland, Australia simulated how time-travelling photons might behave; suggesting that, at the quantum level, the grandfather paradox – which makes time travel impossible – could be resolved. The study used photons – single particles of light – to simulate quantum particles travelling back through time. By studying their behavior, the scientists revealed possible strange aspects of modern physics, concluding that time travel is possible.
Having established this fact within the modern-day scientific community, the Vatican’s Chronovisor rumor appears to have the element of truth. In May 1972, an Italian newspaper published an article titled “A machine that photographs the past has finally been invented.” The article alleged that the machine capable of this extraordinary task is called the Chronovisor, and was invented by Vatican insiders.
The article further revealed that the device enables its user to observe future as well as past events, and that the machine the Vatican possessed is one of the greatest guarded secrets humanity has ever had. This article was the first to shed light on the Chronovisor publicly. But as for those familiar with activities that go on inside the Vatican, the article wasn’t surprising.
The article described the machine as a small object that is equipped with a number of antennas, composing entirely of precious alloys, cathode tubes, some dials, and levers. The device is capable of capturing specific locations, important events in the past and those that are yet to come.
The priest told Krassa that he had in fact invented the machine. Father Ernetti confirmed that he used his machine to witness the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other major historical events, including the founding of Rome in 753 B.C. He also claimed to have attended a performance of a previously unknown play by the Roman playwright Quintus Ennius by the help of the machine.
According to Krassa, Ernetti said he used the machine to witness the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as well as witnessing Napoleon, the Roman philosopher Cicero and other great and momentous historical and biblical episodes.
However, when asked about the whereabouts of this amazing device, Father Ernetti refused to answer, saying he was not allowed to talk about the location or whether the device was still being used or not.
Apart from what Krassa published, others who were close to father Ernetti speculated that father Ernetti himself decided to dismantle the machine due to fear of the machine falling into the wrong hands.
Father Ernetti is reported to have said if the Chronovisor fell into the wrong hands, it could then create the “scariest dictatorship the world has ever seen.”
Another source also quoted Father Ernetti as saying “Pope Pius XII forbade us to do disclose any details about this device because the machine was very dangerous. It can restrain the freedom of man…”
The Vatican later denied links with the machine, warning that “anyone using, an instrument of such characteristics would be excommunicated.” This warning prompted many conspiracy theorists to believe the church is hiding the Chronovisor from the rest of the world.
Whether this is true or not, the Chronovisor rumor still hangs around the neck of the Vatican, refusing to disappear. Do you believe the Vatican has no knowledge of the machine, or do you believe the rumor? Share your thoughts with us below.
Scientists studying the brain have discovered that the organ operates on up to 11 different dimensions, creating multiverse-like structures that are “a world we had never imagined.”
By using an advanced mathematical system, researchers were able to uncover architectural structures that appears when the brain has to process information, before they disintegrate into nothing.
Their findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, reveals the hugely complicated processes involved in the creation of neural structures, potentially helping explain why the brain is so difficult to understand and tying together its structure with its function.
The team, led by scientists at the EPFL, Switzerland, were carrying out research as part of the Blue Brain Project—an initiative to create a biologically detailed reconstruction of the human brain. Working initially on rodent brains, the team used supercomputer simulations to study the complex interactions within different regions.
In the latest study, researchers honed in on the neural network structures within the brain using algebraic topology—a system used to describe networks with constantly changing spaces and structures. This is the first time this branch of math has been applied to neuroscience.
“Algebraic topology is like a telescope and microscope at the same time. It can zoom into networks to find hidden structures—the trees in the forest—and see the empty spaces—the clearings—all at the same time,” study author Kathryn Hess said in a statement.
In the study, researchers carried out multiple tests on virtual brain tissue to find brain structures that would never appear just by chance. They then carried out the same experiments on real brain tissue to confirm their virtual findings.
They discovered that when they presented the virtual tissue with stimulus, groups of neurons form a clique. Each neuron connects to every other neuron in a very specific way to produce a precise geometric object. The more neurons in a clique, the higher the dimensions.
In some cases, researchers discovered cliques with up to 11 different dimensions.
The structures assembled formed enclosures for high-dimensional holes that the team have dubbed cavities. Once the brain has processed the information, the clique and cavity disappears.
WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange predicts an impending dystopic world where human perception is no match for Artificial Intelligence-controlled propaganda and the consequences of AI are lost on its creators, who envision a nirvana-like future.
Assange spoke of the threat of AI-controlled social media via video link at rapper and activist M.I.A.’s Meltdown Festival in the Southbank Centre, London.
Speaking about the future of AI, Assange told a panel including Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek that there will be a time when AI will be used to adjust perception.
“Imagine a Daily Mail run by essentially Artificial Intelligence, what does that look like when there’s only the Daily Mail worldwide? That’s what Facebook and Twitter will shift into,” he said.
Assange referenced the apparent intense pressure Facebook and Google were under to ensure Emmanuel Macron, and not Marine Le Pen, won last month’s French presidential election runoff.
When asked by M.I.A. if AI and VR technology will make society more vulnerable to becoming apolitical, Assange replied: “Yes, of course we can be influenced, but I don’t see that as the main problem.”
“Human beings have always been influenced by sophisticated systems of production, information and experience, [such as the] BBC for example.”
The technologies “just amplify the power of the ability to project into the mind,” he added.
The main concern in Assange’s eyes centers around how AI can be used to advance propaganda.
“The most important development as far as the fate of human beings are concerned is that we are getting close to the threshold where the traditional propaganda function that is employed by BBC, The Daily Mail, and cultures also, can be encapsulated by AI processes,” Assange said.
“When you have AI programs harvesting all the search queries and YouTube videos someone uploads it starts to lay out perceptual influence campaigns, twenty to thirty moves ahead. This starts to become totally beneath the level of human perception.”
Using Google as an example, and comparing the wit involved to a game of chess, he said at this level human beings become powerless as they can’t even see it happening.
Admitting his vision was dystopian, he suggested that he could be wrong.
“Maybe there will be a new band of technologically empowered human beings that can see this [rueful] fate coming towards us, [which] will be able to extract value or diminish it by directly engaging with it – that’s also possible.”
Another insight offered by the WikiLeaks founder was his opinion that engineers involved in AI lack perception about what they’re doing.
“I know from our sources deep inside the Silicon Valley institution[s] that they genuinely believe that they are going to produce AI that’s so powerful, relatively soon, that people will have their brains digitized, uploaded to these AIs and live forever in simulation, therefore have eternal life.”
“It’s like a religion for atheists,” he added. “And given you’re in a simulation, why not program the simulation to have endless drug and sex orgy parties around you.”
Assange said this vision makes them work harder and the dystopian consequences of their work is overshadowed by cultural and industrial bias to not perceiving it.
He concluded that the normal perception someone would have regarding their work has been supplanted with “this ridiculous quasi-religious model that’s it all going to lead to nirvana.”
