An old tool creating new dangers.
Ten Brighter Ideas? An Explorable Explanation
As with many areas of public interest, the common wisdom surrounding energy conservation consists of myths and legends, rules of thumb and superstitions. We're given guidelines as soundbites, catchy but insubstantial. We trust them blindly, not knowing whether our actions make any significant impact.
Sparks fly up
Once you’ve seized the tools of political life to build communal power, it’s hard to forget what a hammer feels like in your hand.
Leave Tyrants in the Ground
By unhooking ourselves from fossil fuels, we release ourselves from a world of harm.
War in the age of intelligent machines
271 pages : 24 cm; In the aftermath of the methodical destruction of Iraq during the Persian Gulf War, the power and efficiency of new computerized weapons and suveillance technology has become chillingly apparent. This new weaponry has a significance that goes far beyond military applications; it represents a profound historical shift in the relation of human beings both to machines and to information. Details the mutating history of information analysis and machinic organization from the mobile siege artillery of the Renaissance, the clockwork armies of the Thirty Years War, the Napoleonic campaigns, and the Nazi blitzkrieg up to present-day cybernetic battle-management systems and satellite reconnaissance network, and provides a philosophical and historical reflection on the changing forms through which human bodies and materials are combined, organized, deployed and made effective. [back cover]; Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-266) and index; Introduction -- Collision course -- Bloodless transfusion -- Policing the spectrum
Open by Design: ROOST's Approach to Safety Tool Development
The Fossil Fuel System Is Collapsing – and Taking Civilisation’s Safety Net With It
The Iran war is accelerating an irreversible breakdown of a system on which every hospital, harvest and factory depends - and only a rapid transition to energy superabundance can save us, argues Nafeez Ahmed, Divyesh Desai and Sandrine Dixson-Decleve
How America's Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone Suddenly Became An "Indispensable" Weapon Of War
Michael Horowitz, who pushed for the LUCAS drone program while at the Pentagon, offers unique insights into its genesis and future.
The Drone Interceptors Fighting Back Against Putin’s Freezing Dark Age
Zelensky has declared an energy crisis as parts of Ukraine face electricity and heating outages after Russian strikes. Interceptor drones may finally slow the attacks
Opportunities to Improve Military Policies and Practices to Reduce Civilian Harm From Explosive Weapons in Urban Conflict
This research paper seeks to contribute to further thinking and dialogue among States and their militaries that conduct operations in urbanized environments on what more can be done to reduce civilian harm by proposing practical measures in the form of options for consideration. UNIDIR seeks to enhance knowledge on ways to reduce risks and mitigate harm to civilians from the effects of explosive weapons in urbanized environments. This research frames the issue of explosive weapons in the broader context of protection of civilians in urban conflict and focuses on multilateral operations. The research takes a comprehensive approach to civilian protection from a ‘risk reduction’ perspective—that is, seeking to understand where the risks and uncertainties lie in the entire ‘civilian protection life cycle’, recognizing that civilian harm is the cumulative effect of numerous risks and decisions made from formulating mandates, planning, execution, assessment and response to lessons learned and institutional learning. Particular focus is placed on the targeting and weaponeering processes. Citation: Roger Lane, Larry Lewis and Himayu Shiotani (2019) "Opportunities to Improve Military Policies and Practices to Reduce Civilian Harm From Explosive Weapons in Urban Conflict", UNIDIR, Geneva, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.37559/CAAP/19/PACAV/11 TRANSLATIONS To read the report in French, click here.
Epicycles All The Way Down
“All models are wrong, but some are useful.” — George E.
AI leaders call for tougher protections against AI-aided bioweapons
AI industry rivals rarely agree, but they’re all concerned their technology could be used to develop biological weapons.
Metalabel - A New Space to Release Creative Work
Metalabel is a new space to release and collect creative work.
Here’s relevant paper on #metascience lit from 2018, 7 years and a pandemic ago. This hasn’t been hypothetical or hard to see. During the pandemic science reform was weaponized by Ioannidis, Prasad, Bhattacharya, etc and lives were lost. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1708276114
Crisis or self-correction: Rethinking media narratives about the well-being of science | PNAS
www.pnas.org