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If you’re interested in mind uploading, then I have a chapter that may be of interest to you. The title is:

by Michael Graziano and Taylor W. Webb.

This chapter describes in straightforward language a theory of consciousness termed Attention Schema Theory.

The introduction reads:

“This hypothetical building project serves as a way to introduce the theory in a step-by-step manner and contrast it with other brain-based theories of consciousness. At the same time this chapter is more than a thought experiment. We suggest that the machine could actually be built and we encourage artificial intelligence experts to try.”


Graziano, M. S. A., & Webb, T. W. (2018). Understanding consciousness by building it. In D. Jacquette (Ed.), Bloomsbury Companion to Philosophy of Consciousness (pp. 187–210). Bloomsbury.

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In 2020 and the coming decade, these trends are likely to gather momentum. They will also be on display next week at CES, an enormous consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas that typically serves as a window into the year’s hottest tech developments.


From smart homes to ultrafast wireless speeds, here’s what to watch.

In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. The reason: The country applies the “Housing First” concept. Those affected by homelessness receive a small apartment and counselling – without any preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected thus make their way back into a stable life. And: All this is cheaper than accepting homelessness.

Read this article in German here.

Finland is the only country in Europe where homelessness is in decline.

There may be as many as 80,000 American prisoners currently locked-up in a SHU, or segregated housing unit. Solitary confinement in a SHU can cause irreversible psychological effects in as little as 15 days. Here’s what social isolation does to your brain, and why it should be considered torture.

There’s no universal definition for solitary confinement, but the United Nations describes it as any regime where an inmate is held in isolation from others, except guards, for at least 22 hours a day. Some jurisdictions allow prisoners out of their cells for one hour of solitary exercise each day. But meaningful contact with others is typically reduced to a bare minimum. Prisoners are also intentionally deprived of stimulus; available stimuli and the fleetingly rare social contacts are rarely chosen by the prisoners, and are are typically monotonous and inconsiderate of their needs.

NASA has tentative plans for a manned mission to Mars sometime in the 2030s. Between now and then, there’s still much that needs to be sorted. To start, massive dust storms, high levels of radiation, low temperatures and a lack of water make the Martian surface an unfriendly place for long-term visits. Taming it for human life will likely prove one of the most demanding and complex engineering puzzles in human history. With those extraordinary obstacles in mind, in 2015 NASA announced the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge: an open call asking designers and architects outside the traditional aerospace industry to create plans for Martian living centred around 3D printing. One of 10 finalists announced in 2019, this plan from the design practices HASSELL and Eckersley O’Callaghan envisions teams of 3D-printing robots building a protective shield on the Martian surface several months in advance of a human landing. Upon arrival, astronauts would then work alongside the autonomous robots to piece together an inflatable, modular habitat.

Video by LightField London.

The national artificial intelligence strategy, which was unveiled in November, will focus on five key sectors — transport and logistics, smart cities and estates, safety and security, healthcare, and education.

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3D printing technology is changing and will change pretty much everything. Besides printing the intermittent novelty project at home with a desktop printer, additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology is being used in a large group of businesses changing the manner in which we design, build, create, and even eat.

NASA is planning to use 3D printing technology to construct housing on Mars for future colonies while organizations like byFlow are using the emerging technology to create food and intricate edible tableware. The uses and applications appear to be both limitless and exciting, yet this is only the beginning. Things being what they are, what sort of changes can we expect to see in the medical industry?

The reason why the process is so incredibly fast is because the excavation and laying of the foundation on-site can be completed at the same time as the construction of the modules. It would also require nearly 70 percent less on-site, labor according to The B1M.

In fact, most of the segments of Marriott’s planned hotel are being built in Poland and then shipped across the Atlantic. The rooms will be ready made according to Marriott, including bedding and even toiletries.

“We wanted to demonstrate that modular building can do more than just harness the efficiencies of the factory,” Danny Forster, owner of the firm that designed the tower, said in an April press release. “It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.”

Park Las Vegas, sponsored by Bleutech Park Properties, Inc. is breaking ground in the Las Vegas Valley in December 2019 as the first city in the world to boast a digital revolution in motion, redefining the infrastructure industry sector. This $7.5 billion, six year project, will be constructed of net-zero buildings within their own insular mini-city, featuring automated multi-functional designs, renewable energies from solar/wind/water/kinetic, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, supertrees, and self-healing concrete structures.

Bleutech Park’s mixed-use environment featuring workforce housing, offices, retail space, ultra-luxury residential, hotel and entertainment will introduce a new high-tech biome to the desert valley.