Daily Archives: October 13, 2004

The Y, Z, and "We'll Have to Start the Alphabet Over" Prizes

This
is huge:

The X Prize Foundation and the World Technology Network announced today
the formation of a joint venture to launch a series of technology incentive
prizes to help spur innovation and breakthroughs in a range of scientific
arenas.

The creation of new X Prize awards follows the success of the twin
SpaceShipOne flights that snagged the $10 million Ansari X Prize purse.
However, these are focused on other arenas, such as medicine, environment,
energy, nanotechnology, and informatics.

FuturePundit has more
details, including a handy breakdown of some of the proposed prizes:

1. Transportation: Demonstration of a 4-seat vehicle able to achieve 200
miles per gallon in a cross country race

2. Nanotechnology: Construction of a pre-determined molecule by an assembler

3. Aging deceleration: Extension of mammal life, or demonstrated evidence
of aging reversal

4. Education: Demonstration of a self-sufficient education facility able
to operate independently and educate villagers anywhere on the planet

Randall Parker comments:

The X Prize success demonstrates that prize
money can be a very effective tool for accelerating the advance of science
and technology. I favor aging research prizes aimed at the development
of effective rejuvenation treatments most of all. But another class of prizes
that deserves support are prizes
for achievements in developing new energy technologies. What would be
useful milestones in the development of better energy technologies? Keep in
mind that ideal milestones should be achievable by fairly small teams of engineers
and scientists.

Of course, there have always been rich financial rewards associated with helping
to bring about the next stage of technological development. But there does seem
to be something especially effective about putting a prize in place and encouraging
teams to try to be the first to achieve some milestone. As we saw in the example
set by the X Prize, there are no losers. Even the teams who don’t
win the prize stand to reap substantial rewards.

Randall is taking suggestions for additional competitions. I have a few thoughts:

  1. A prize for the first team to create a computer that passes the Turing Test.
  2. Related to one of Randall’s ideas, a prize for demonstrating a practical
    means of extracting hydrogen from the atmosphere and/or the development of
    a hydrogen fuel cell.
  3. A prize for achieving some specific accomplishment in robotics. Say, building
    a robot that can iron a shirt.
  4. Related to an item reported
    earlier this week    , a prize for demonstrating a low-cost automated means
    of scanning millions of books.

What else?

The Y, Z, and “We’ll Have to Start the Alphabet Over” Prizes

This
is huge:

The X Prize Foundation and the World Technology Network announced today
the formation of a joint venture to launch a series of technology incentive
prizes to help spur innovation and breakthroughs in a range of scientific
arenas.

The creation of new X Prize awards follows the success of the twin
SpaceShipOne flights that snagged the $10 million Ansari X Prize purse.
However, these are focused on other arenas, such as medicine, environment,
energy, nanotechnology, and informatics.

FuturePundit has more
details, including a handy breakdown of some of the proposed prizes:

1. Transportation: Demonstration of a 4-seat vehicle able to achieve 200
miles per gallon in a cross country race

2. Nanotechnology: Construction of a pre-determined molecule by an assembler

3. Aging deceleration: Extension of mammal life, or demonstrated evidence
of aging reversal

4. Education: Demonstration of a self-sufficient education facility able
to operate independently and educate villagers anywhere on the planet

Randall Parker comments:

The X Prize success demonstrates that prize
money can be a very effective tool for accelerating the advance of science
and technology. I favor aging research prizes aimed at the development
of effective rejuvenation treatments most of all. But another class of prizes
that deserves support are prizes
for achievements in developing new energy technologies. What would be
useful milestones in the development of better energy technologies? Keep in
mind that ideal milestones should be achievable by fairly small teams of engineers
and scientists.

Of course, there have always been rich financial rewards associated with helping
to bring about the next stage of technological development. But there does seem
to be something especially effective about putting a prize in place and encouraging
teams to try to be the first to achieve some milestone. As we saw in the example
set by the X Prize, there are no losers. Even the teams who don’t
win the prize stand to reap substantial rewards.

Randall is taking suggestions for additional competitions. I have a few thoughts:

  1. A prize for the first team to create a computer that passes the Turing Test.
  2. Related to one of Randall’s ideas, a prize for demonstrating a practical
    means of extracting hydrogen from the atmosphere and/or the development of
    a hydrogen fuel cell.
  3. A prize for achieving some specific accomplishment in robotics. Say, building
    a robot that can iron a shirt.
  4. Related to an item reported
    earlier this week    , a prize for demonstrating a low-cost automated means
    of scanning millions of books.

What else?

Stillness Part V, Chapter 49

Sybil first met Corey in the alley behind the Cheri Lounge, where she had been working for a couple of years. It was the same day the Phenomenon occurred; the entire state was in an uproar. There was speculation that the overnight appearance of a city on the mountain signaled the apocalypse, or an alien invasion, or a massive Soviet incursion along completely unexpected lines. There were rumors that Idaho Springs, the old mining town at the base of Mount Evans, was being sealed off and would likely be evacuated. She had heard on the news that Golden and Boulder (and possibly even Denver itself) might be evacuated.

No mention of Greenwood.

In such a state of uncertainty, many businesses failed to open that day. Some people were evacuating themselves ahead of any official government decision. Others were trying to make their way into the mountains to see what was happening. But Sybil doubted any of this would affect the operation of the Cheri Lounge. And if it did, it might actually be good for business. The Lounge’s clientele weren’t a particularly philosophical bunch. If the world ended, most of them would just go ahead and die without giving the matter too much thought. So the notion that the world might be ending probably wouldn’t alter their plans that much — except to the extent that a few of them might get the idea that they ought to go ahead and see a naked woman now rather than wait until later.

She would usually get to the joint about an hour before she had to go on, just enough time to do her hair and makeup and get into her first costume, and possibly catch up on a little gossip from the other girls. She had a repertoire of three different routines. She always opened with the one she called the Old Fashioned. She would start out wearing a blue checkered dress with a big blue bow in her hair. In this initial get-up, she thought she looked something like little Bo Peep. The dress would fall away after a while to reveal a white slip. After the slip came gold panties and matching tassels, which she could get to spinning pretty well. In the end, she would be down to just a G-string with the bow still in her hair. The bow was always the last to go. It was a traditional striptease. So traditional, in fact, that the other girls said it was corny and an embarrassment. The slip, the tassels — that sort of thing had gone out of style in the sixties. The age of the lap-dance was dawning.

But the Cheri’s clientele didn’t have any aesthetic qualms with Sybil’s act; quite the contrary, in fact. So she kept at it.

She parked her car in the tiny lot behind the bar and was on her way in when somebody called her name. She turned to see who it was without slowing down. In her line of work, being recognized out in public could be dangerous in a lot of different ways. And she hated the poorly-lighted parking lot, which the performers had to share with the patrons. She drew her handbag in a little closer and felt for the comforting outline of a metal cylinder within: her spray can of mace. She hadn’t had to use it to date, but was ready any time she needed to.

Sybil stopped when she saw who it was that had called her name. A kid. One of four.

What the hell?

Human Cloning at Harvard

They’re looking into it:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University scientists have asked the university’s ethical review board for permission to produce cloned human embryos for disease research, potentially becoming the first researchers in the nation to wade into a divisive area of study that has become a presidential campaign issue.

“We want to find new ways to study and hopefully cure diseases,” said Harvard biologist Douglas Melton, a senior researcher who, along with a colleague, has applied for permission to do the work.

Prepare for the inevitable hype and hysteria. There are serious ethical issues that need to be worked out in order to create a workable framework to allow for therapeutic cloning. Unfortunately, those issues are consistently missed in favor of Hollywood imagery.

We need regulations that prevent reproductive cloning — that is the development of a viable living cloned person. Reproductive cloning is a different fight for a different day. (Or century.) There should be strict guidelines as to how far in its development cycle an embryo should be allowed to progress before cells are harvested from it. And there should be guidelines as to who can access the stem cell lines once created and why. Stephen shared some serious thoughts on these issues a while back.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we’ll get much discussion on these issues in the mainstream media. Vivid imagery of body-part banks and invading clone hordes make much better newspaper copy.