ThreatWatch | Planet of the Apes

Apes can recognize themselves in mirrors. "The image there is a representation of the body here."

ThreatWatch | Planet-Hacking

We've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Science down here in the abomb&thecorpse bunker. After all, Science gave us Reason, Evidence-based Change, and a host of technological developments that eventually led to a plethora of wonderfully nefarious devices to divert the attention of the masses. It opened up a whole new world of grey, which is absolutely magical to Our paradyme.

On the other hand, it also handed a spectrum of tools for potential mis-information and lies to Those Who Agendize. (I think this, or something to this effect, was said on The Wire: "A lie is not the other side of the story: it is still a lie.")

I have always loved Science for dreaming the big dream, for shooting at the stars, for going all-in, for doing almost any cliché you might wish to imagine for trying anything just to see how close it comes to being done.

This is one of those things I'm not sure is best to try on our planet -- after all, right now we only have one. Best not to mess that up until we've at least got another, in case we break the first one.

"Planet Hacking", more accurately Geoengineering, or manipulating natural systems to create a desired outcome, does not seem like a particularly good experiment to fiddle with. [cbc] I wonder if Eli Kintsch is the new Nero? (I tease. Obviously not. There will be nothing to fiddle to if Mr. Kintsch were to accidentally burn down the planet.)

ThreatWatch | The Big Round-Up

I always think I'm going to write an in-depth post about a particular issue I see as a Threat to Survival. It's not quite working out that way. Mostly because I am lazy. So here is a round-up of a few of the things I have perceived as Something We need to Watch.

Collecting items related to ThreatWatch.

- Remote-Controlled Bacteriophage
The phrase "remote-controlled" is always eye-catching for the ThreatWatcher. This is an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 2009 Jan 27;106(4):1234-8. Epub 2009 Jan 13. [PNAS] [PubMed] And as a side-note, why, National Academy of Science, would you call your journal "Proceedings", knowing that the acronym will be Pnas? You can find it on the magazine rack next to the Transations of the Institute of Topographers.

- Mind Control
The world is edging ever closer to what we see in film and literature. If there is truth to the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy, why could it not be the same for humanity itself? Our dreamers show us what can be imagined, and scientists imagine they can bend nature for the purpose of fulfilling that imagined idea. We have invisibility cloaks coming down the pipe, and we are steps away from connecting a self-aware computer. (Personally, I imagine if we turn on that self-aware computer we shall need those invisibility cloaks.)

But the one I bring before the assembled: Mind Control.

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11, 2008. [PinkTentacle]

The article went on to say: The researchers suggest a future version of this technology could be applied in the fields of art and design — particularly if it becomes possible to quickly and accurately access images existing inside an artist’s head.

Imagine being able to see the scene of your favourite movie direct from the director's mind? One day the entertainment world will be ruled by Professional Thinkers, those that can imagine a scene with the clarity and power of a film. (I envision a world where explosions or stunts that are impossible to pull off in the physicial world are created, at least in rough form, with the mind of the Professional Entertainment Thinker. I suspect there will be a highly successful marriage between Professional Thinkers and Professional CGI Engineers.)

But in addition to art and design, there is the Total War Application.

After all, we are talking about seeing images in another person's mind. The intelligence-gathering possibilities alone are staggering. The only trick is to get the suspect to think about what the interrogator wants to know.

- The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
An interesting theory... the news was all about the Air India Bombing report that came out... and then the CBC released vague unverifiable comments about how foreign interests are trying to exert influence on Canadian politics. Instant witch-hunt, and much rebuking by politicians who feel saying stuff like that is irresponsible. The funny part to me: the first guy to shout "no fair" was Mr. Bilderberg-er Invitee himself, Gordon Campbell. But back to the CBC: maybe our "Government" is learning the tricks of media manipulation from the Chinese...! So the question: did the CBC help CSIS change the story from Air India Bombing to Foreign Espionage Witch-hunt so they could take the heat off their own butts for failure in the Air India thing...?!

- The Media
The always-interesting Vigilant Citizen posted a good documentary, saying that in PsyWar the battlefield is the Mind, and is already raging.

- The Atomic Bomb
As filmmaker Lucy Walker points out in her documentary Countdown to Zero, we are in a precarious state in regard to nuclear weapons. The activists who fought against The Bomb through the Cold War have all but disappeared, perhaps overshadowed by Global Warming, perhaps just fooled that the end of the Cold War brought about the end of the atomic threat. [cbc] How far from the truth!

- Rocks from Space!
So unless we get our act together the poor folks in 2182 (assuming we haven't already burned up, or are fighting each other over the last locations with liquid water, or... you get the idea...) may have to deal with a huge asteroid (1999-RQ36, for those keeping track) that scientists say have a 1 in 1,000 chance of striking earth. [cbc]

And in June, 2009, a 14-year-old German boy was hit by a meteorite going about 30,000 mph. He survived with just a nasty three-inch long scar on his hand, even though there was a foot-wide crater in the pavement beside where he had been standing. [telegraph]

- Renegade Stars!
National Geographic reported that Hubble is tracking at least 14 rogue stars, careering out of control across the cosmos, causing unimaginable damage to neighbouring systems. [NatlGeo]

- Aliens!
While always an old favourite, there have been recent developments in this field simply due to the reputable brains willing to get involved in the discussion. My take has always been that life expands to the limit of available resources, and the only way for the continuance of a species is by expanding beyond the resources of a single planet. Humanity must move into the exploration and exploitation of our celestial neighbourhood if it is to survive. Upon doing so, there are three perspectives I can think of in regard to interaction with non-human lifeforms, assuming such exists: we share, we defer, or we fight. If those are our choices, the reverse may be true: we are beholden to the choice that non-human lifeform has taken. I believe the highest probability will be conflict. If so, we may be in trouble.

ThreatWatch | Pandemic!

The World Health Organization declared a global pandemic (or Alert Level Phase Six), the first time in 41 years, on Thursday June 11, 2009. [who] [cbc] [ctv] [straight] [nyt] [economist]

While the H1N1 flu virus (known as The Swine Flu) has been only of moderate severity, it still has all the characteristics of a pandemic. The worry is that as it moves around the globe (currently the largest increase in cases is in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia and Hong Kong, as they are in their cold season) the virus will mutate into a deadlier strain before it re-bounds north for the fall cold season.



(And on a related tangent, in case I'm not the only guy that gets teased by my loving wife that supposedly I'm "delicate" when it comes to cold and flu symptoms: turns out men ARE effected more by infection! [bbc] So we are not wimpy when we have sniffles! Stew on that, ladies!)

Back to the Pandemic. Just before we panic, it's important to note that the pandemic declaration does not change the approach that British Columbia is taking in dealing with the outbreak. [GovBC] [cbc] And check out this release from the Canada News Centre about precautions and so forth. [cnc]

As might be expected, at first there was panic. Cases were on the rise, including here in British Columbia. [GovBC] After the alert level was raised to Phase Four, Good Mag put together a great graphic to explain what the threat levels mean. [good] At the end of April, the alert rose to Phase Five, the "high to certain" level. [ctv]

Then we got photos of what the virus looked like. [NatlGeo]

Then there was a pause, when no one knew if it was the "calm before the storm." [cbc]

An unforseen problem was the fact that reporting pandemics was only based on geographical spread rather than severity. So when the health effects of the H1N1 was found to be "mild" a backlash arose over the WHO's unwitting fear-mongering, or "hyping" the story in the media. [ctv] There were reports about re-writing the criteria for "pandemic". [cbc] [nyt]


see more Funny Graphs

By the beginning of June, the number of cases had increased world-wide to just under 20,000. [cbc] As of June 1, there were 1,530 cases in Canada, with three deaths. It was all over the place! They found the virus in Metro Vancouver... Burnaby: [VanSun] Coquitlam: [VanSun]

All the while there was lots of debate and speculation about the severity and necessity of raising the level. [cbc] [nyt] Nobody was sure if or when they should make the declaration. [cbc] Then the experts finally met. [cbc]

Enjoy some old Swine Flu PSAs from the 1970s. (Thanks to Jackson Murphy over at The Vancouverite.)



It could have been the alarming number of Inuit in Canada with H1N1 that finally triggered The Pandemic Declaration. [tyee]

Finally... bringing us back to remembering that British Columbia is as well prepared as it was the day before the pandemic was declared, the authorities were watching closely. [GovBC] And there should be a vaccine by the fall. [cbc]

So relax. Instead, check out this newly discovered deadly virus that causes bleeding like Ebola and has killed four of the five people it has infected. It's called Lujo. Or this newly evolved and contagious (among skunks and foxes) version of rabies. [NatlGeo] I suspect they will be the focus of an upcoming edition of ... ThreatWatch! [cbc] [PLoSpathogens]

ThreatWatch | Global Warming and Rising Seas

This has been a ThreatWatch trend I've been following for a while, and seems to keep popping up in Mainstream Media. It can be broken down into two lines: celestial activity further erodes our protective atmosphere ("further", being "in addition to human activity") and the water levels rise as the temperature goes up.

The Threat from Space:

First, let's go way back, when the early Earth had an "alien atmosphere" with high CO2 levels that contributed to melting the "snowball Earth" and making the planet lifeform-friendly in more areas. (NatlGeo)

But to our current predicament: Bummer: Cracks in the magnetic shield may bring on massive solar storms during the next expected peak activity cycle of solar wind, starting in about 2012. (NatlGeo) Cool: But scientists have also discovered a new layer of the magnetosphere they're descibing as a "warm plasma cloak". (NatlGeo) Bummer: But the sun may be "stealing" our atmosphere...! (NatlGeo)

The worst part: we may already be screwed. (good) (NPR) But the optimists at Wired are still looking for solutions, in their The 2012 Apocalypse, and How to Stop It. (wired)

Or, of course, we could also be screwed by a gamma-ray burst. But let's keep our Threats From Space separated, shall we? (NatlGeo)



And move on to the Threat From Rising Water...

A study of Coral canyons in Mexico indicate sea levels can rise quite rapidly. (nyt)

And studies indicate North America is at greater risk of an Antarctic ice-sheet-melt than other regions of the world. (CBC) And I keep wondering if I'm over 1.2 metres above sea level, in my fine abode in sunny Kitsilano. (straight) But we're not alone: New York and Boston are reportedly "directly in the path" of a sea level rise. (NatlGeo) Except we may still be worse off: Insurance Bureau of Canada warns that flood damage is not covered in this country. (cbc)

The ironic part is the concept of water stress: water availability against water demand. (H604) Is it time for a National Water Policy...? Is access to water a Human Right...? (straight)

Let's add the consideration that rising heat also threatens the world's food supply. (wired) In fact, we could see a global food crisis before the end of this century. (CBC)

Plus global warming leeches oxygen from the ocean, creating "dead zones" where no life can survive. (NatlGeo) Just for fun, I should also throw in mention of the areas of "toxic algae" that contaminate shellfish, another frightening development surrounding food supply. In fact, there's a toxic bloom just off the coast of British Columbia. (cbc)

Or, of course, we could all just get wiped out by a tsunami, like the one that hit ancient New York. (bbc) Which reminds me, for the "travel advisory threatwatch" section: if you're going to Guadeloupe, be aware that part of the island of Dominica (about 50km away) may fall off and trigger a deadly tsunami. There will be less than 10 minutes of warning. Or would be, rather, considering there are no warning systems set up for tsunamis in the Caribbean. (NatlGeo)

And, as if the current climate condition doesn't already fill you with hope and optimism, here's a Seed article with five scientists talking about Geo-Engineering. (seed) Great. I swear, first one-way ticket to the uncharted stars and I sign up.

Or I could go surfing. Waves are so purdy.

ThreatWatch | The Birds

What is the world coming to when creepy chubby dudes can't dress in Spiderman spandex (Venom-era) and do stretches in the middle of a public square without being the target of a girl with birdseed...? (Too bad there's muzak over the sound... I'd like to hear what witty wise-cracks "Spidey" is bantering to "Birdwoman"... oooo, that Spidey!

ThreatWatch | Mystery Spots

ThreatWatch | Learnin' Folk

Image via Wikipedia

As part of Good magazine's "State of the Planet" for 2009, they've put up lots of interesting graphs, including this one, which is a look at how different countries rank in math and science test scores, based on the average score of 15-year-old students on math and science literacy tests, out of 1000. (good)

The top score in Science: Finland with 563.

The top score in Math: Taiwan with 549.

The United States didn't make the Top 20. The few comments I read seem to be angry excuses as to why this list doesn't take into account something or other to explain the poor showing. But here's a guess: the public education system isn't world-class. Sorry.

Three European countries made the top 10 in science (Finland, Estonia, and Netherlands), one North American (Canada), with Austral-Asia rounding out the rest, including both Australia and New Zealand.

And any way one looks at it, Finland's model is one to look at, since it placed first in science and second in math. Hong Kong is another consistent performer, in second spot for science and third for math.

[Finland on wikipedia]
[Finland's Government site]
[Education in Finland on wikipedia]
[List of Universities in Finland on wikipedia]

ThreatWatch | Panic Predictions

Image via Wikipedia

One of the messages in Michael Moore's 2002 film Bowling for Columbine pointed out the fear-based reporting of the American Media Machine. ("Children are suffering massive head-wounds by falling into furniture while learning to walk... after the break: what you need to know to protect your children...!")

Seed has published an interesting article by Bruce Sterling outlining seven potential precarious situations that are ripe for panic-picking. (seed)

My favourite: Number 6... the Westphalian system. I've been saying this for decades.