Carvalko

The 47th State Panacea or Perversion

August 7, 2020 | Carvalko

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C.S. Lewis warned about our final mastery over nature, and the inevitable drift into a future world where knowledge about the old world completely vanishes, where what once was, irretrievably transforms into something else:     … We do not look at trees either as Dryads or as beautiful objects while we cut them into beams: The first man who did so may have felt the price keenly, and the bleeding trees in Virgil and Spenser may be far-off echoes of that primeval sense of impiety …. The great minds know very well that the object, so treated, is an artificial abstraction, that something..

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JULY MEMORIES–from CHILDHOOD TO OLD AGE

June 29, 2020 | Carvalko

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  WAR HEROES, PHOTO BY JOE CARVALKO, DEADLY FOG, 2004       On June 29, 2020, Jonathan Marcus,  diplomatic correspondent for BBC News, reported that “Russia is also waging a ‘grey’ or undeclared war against the West. This has many elements: cyber-attacks; disinformation campaigns; electoral interference; the funding of extremists in Western countries . . . Russia under President Vladimir Putin has smarted from every perceived indignity suffered since the fall of the Soviet Union.”     On the heals of Marcus's reporting, it then came as no surprise when I saw Washi..

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LAWYERS BEAR RESPONSIBILITY for WHAT’S WRONG with AMERICAN JUSTICE

June 28, 2020 | Carvalko

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Statue of Justicia (Justice), by Walter Seymour Allward,  Supreme Court of Canada.   Cromwell: Suppose I were to take a dagger from my sleeve and make to kill the prisoner with it; and my lordships there, instead of crying out for me to stop, maintained their silence. … It would betoken a willingness that I should do it, and under the law, they will be guilty with me. So silence can, according to the circumstances, speak! ~A Man for All Seasons   On the heels of recent protests, I received an email from a law school colleague lamenting that he is “wrestling with sadness, anger, and p..

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CAN HUMANITY SURVIVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

June 23, 2020 | Carvalko

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The ideas, the analysis, the predictions, everything fills the pages of Carvalko's mind and his latest book, “Conserving Humanity at the Dawn of Posthuman Technology,” is a provocative case study in this conflict between man and machine— and their inevitable melding. And their inevitable misgivings.   QUINNIPIAC MAGAZ I N E 9 B Y B R I A N KO O N Z P H O T O AU T UM N D R I S C O L L CAN HUMANITY SURVIVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY? Imagine a time when the human brain is connected to a computer network, downloading data quite literally in the blink of an eye. The potential gain for knowledge i..

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A JUSTICE SYSTEM IN NAME ONLY

June 6, 2020 | Carvalko

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Many of you know my daughter Cara as a civil litigator and patent lawyer, but similar to my path, she spent several years representing victims of police brutality. My article, recounting events several decades ago, prompted her to relate her experience decades later. Note how little had changed in the generation following me.   Not much has changed since you were last in the courtroom. It is very difficult for the average citizenry to imagine any of this. The surreal nature of it all, the air reeking with fear, sadness, hopelessness. The picture for me is an army of mostly young lawyers swarmi..

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THE PROCESSION OF JUSTICE

June 5, 2020 | Carvalko

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  SINCE ANCIENT TIMES men have memorialized through writings engraved in the edifices of government, memorialized in the thoughts passed from ruler to ruler, memorialized in the institutions that subjugate the poor, the minorities, the legacies of war and the charters of ruling establishments, the clearest of all messages: power survives. It’s not goodness, not compassion, simply power— the power to do something, to effectuate change, or in most cases to maintain the status quo ante.   Why is it that millions are protesting across America? One answer: citizens are incensed by the mur..

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MEMORIAL DAY

May 25, 2020 | Carvalko

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    Each year on the last Monday of May this nation pauses to pay tribute to the men and women, who in military service to our country, died.  We pray for our heroic dead, who, in the words of the civil war general John A. Logan made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes.   In anticipation of this special day each year I challenge myself to remember my first parade. WWII had just ended, May 8, 1945, my father had yet returned from fighting in Europe. I stood next to my mother watching men in uniform 4, 8 and 16 across, three times as tall as I, marching down..

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CHAPTERS FROM A COLD WAR-ONE AMONG MANY

May 22, 2020 | Carvalko

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    June 25, 2020 marks the 70th Anniversary of the war between North Korea and a coalition of United Nations forces. Two years ago headlines read: Remains of 200 missing US soldiers from the Korean War were flown by military transport from North Korea to South Korea. That same month, President Trump addressed a rally in Duluth, Minnesota, announcing, “We got back our great fallen heroes, the remains sent back today, already 200 got sent back.” It seemed that the administration was spinning the idea of a détente with North Korea, as part of its Singapore Summit campaign with the dictator, Kim..

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Technology and Ethics

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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  Technology and Ethics focuses on the implications of technology from a societal,ethical, and public policy perspective. Among the technologies of interest are: genomics, synthetic biology, brain science technology, information technology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, ubiquitous and pervasive computing, as well as nanotechnology, neuropharmacology, neuro-prosthetics, bionics, and telemedicine. The list is not exhaustive as we follow the ever-changing scientific and technological landscape. Articles included here have appeared in various websites. which may..

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Too many experts fail to note population as our root problem

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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Don Collins has an excellent article on a fundamental world problem, one which inevitably leads to the kinds of pandemic we are in the throes of. See, Collins' article by clicking on the link below. Habitat loss is yet another effect of overpopulation. As noted by IPBES Global Assessment: “Human actions have already driven at least 680 vertebrate species to extinction since 1500…. Habitat loss and deterioration, largely caused by human actions, have reduced global terrestrial habitat integrity by 30 per cent relative to an unimpacted baseline; combining that with the longstanding relationship..

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Conserving Humanity at the Dawn of Posthuman Technology

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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Conserving Humanity at the Dawn of Posthuman Technology (Palgrave/Macmillan, 400pp.) examines the latest scientific and technological developments likely to shape our post-human future, and considers how we can preserve our essential core, by staying focused on the humanities.   http://churchandstate.org.uk/2020/02/conserving-humanity-at-the-dawn-of-posthuman-technology/?fbclid=IwAR2eO85VjIEZvTHBNmb46yrn4cZrX93pAv7m-De-aADX64sHo5RcW7ZJR_E..

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Engine of consciousness ‘hiding in monkeys’

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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The central lateral thalamus researchers conclude, likely plays a key role in activating and maintaining two pathways to consciousness.   https://www.livescience.com/monkey-brains-have-engine-of-consciousness.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9160&utm_content=LVS_newsletter+&utm_term=3996112&m_i=6BJ6BIqhzbyLSi8Hw4P03rK8gashNwFByiHrW0DjmalRK_vLaEohTXyud6AmyNGQfNgy8D8INwsS47R1c9X6DRZzAWKbmi_KVQcBIHd66e&fbclid=IwAR2L-vlEj5zYvLyhA3gs2iGc97VZYkdrbai7MLuPiOws29qhMBjCv6VH_g4..

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The Techno-Human Shell – A Jump in the Evolutionary Gap

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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Democritus, the Greek philosopher believed 2500 years ago that civilization fulfills life’s needs by compelling human beings invention. I doubt that he ever thought we’d be re-inventing the human species.   http://churchandstate.org.uk/2020/02/the-techno-human-shell-a-jump-in-the-evolutionary-gap/?fbclid=IwAR180zqxMRaGND_DhlvVTPpvTEjE_TV3QKqJB5oJZU7FuXg4rXy72yWdJ-Ihttp://churchandstate.org.uk/2020/02/the-techno-human-shell-a-jump-in-the-evolutionary-gap/?fbclid=IwAR180zqxMRaGND_DhlvVTPpvTEjE_TV3QKqJB5oJZU7FuXg4rXy72yWdJ-I..

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Enhanced human brainpower

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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Most countries competing in the modern world undoubtedly support policies and initiatives directed toward innovation in artificial and machine intelligence. In the same vein,when feasible (and it will be in the not too distant future) they will also support enhanced human brainpower through genetic intervention-they will not be left behind.   http://churchandstate.org.uk/2020/03/our-genetic-future-is-coming-faster-than-we-think/?fbclid=IwAR1kV4mVM40LwiCVaD0h_Z9WPWTY0ddZRwsX7fYNLLJUO3esMmLx4_CE70s..

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Electric signals in the body helps it heal

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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Controlling electric signals in the body could help it heal https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2018/controlling-electric-signals-body-could-help-it-heal?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=earned&utm_campaign=TrendMD_Credit&origin=36e21abe5ae0b5c1dee06e941613c36d&fbclid=IwAR3zsWw8Jdz1WPG7FycV8sH9WyRvShvRbvt2H1Dj8qmrJ8lhn0paKNP6M4o  ..

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WHO SHALL LIVE

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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  Is there a moral principle that speaks to ignoring the justice of a situation on the grounds that by doing so we maximize the survival of the fittest?     The attached article provides a realistic view of what doctors are up against, if there is a shortage of ventilators. I would hope that as part of the hospital administration assembled to handle these difficult decisions that in addition to doctors, there will be social workers, psychologists, and clergy to palliate and mitigate the shock families will experience upon knowing that their loved ones are being sacrificed for th..

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Technology and Ethics

April 13, 2020 | Carvalko

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I just read Chapter 1: “Life and the Law in the Era of Data-Driven Agency,” Edited by Mireille Hildebrandt and Kieron O’Hara, which provides a fresh set of viewpoints to be consider in the current sweep of technology and its impact on, above all things, individual autonomy. https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781788971997/9781788971997.xml?fbclid=IwAR32EbOIZAzoX8uydleHDHBrZ-s-dONe9qLxhBhfOz9ODny05EbyheLYqek..

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DARPA wants to train military robots with your brain waves

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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Dr. James Giordano, one of our speakers scheduled for this April was to speak about neurobioethics, which touches on this technology. His appearance was postponed into fall 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic). https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/brain-training-future-swarm-robot-armies/?fbclid=IwAR1A49pJqm99tI01D4muka4TgNmEN0zYtwxugsSco3uCUm5IHxMSeM4n0go..

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Our Best Values Must Guide Our Most Powerful Technologies

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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  We need to draw attention to the need for national and international policies to regulate initiatives that stand to alter the human genome. This doesn't necessarily mean banning or restricting science, especially medical science, but that activities touching especially germline alterations should be subjected to public discourse, before commercial interests run roughshod over the sanctity of what belongs to the collective "we," the anatomical integrity of the human species. http://churchandstate.org.uk/2020/02/our-best-values-must-guide-our-most-powerful-technologies/?fbclid=IwAR1Jugdf3..

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SELF-ABSORPTION

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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Eight-hundred-thousand miles ago, hurled at sixty-seven-thousand miles per hour, twelve hours from now, my planet-spinning, perpetual twelve-thousand mile curve takes me into the next sunrise. But, Spaceship Earth has changed me more than my sidereal timekeeper or distance metric belies. Every second of every day, I head into a technological abyss at warp speed making it impossible to know where to steer what brought me here--what we call our humanity. We stand at the cusp of an evolutionary departure from the modern human, because of an onslaught of fossil fuel technology, artificial intellig..

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AI TRANSLATION OF THOUGHTS- AN ENCODER–DECODER FRAMEWORK

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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The next generation, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), such as nano-sized robotic-motors will course through arteries for drug delivery, and eventually to provide a direct connection from the brain to the Internet. These devices will range in size from 10-9 meters (a few hundred atoms across) to 10-5 meters or the diameter of a white blood cell. The extent science and engineering realize this ambitious undertaking remains uncertain, especially the magnitude of improving computer-generated intelligence, i.e., information communicated to the brain, not intercepted by the human senses of sig..

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Bizarre Ford Patent Lets You Filter Rideshare Cars by Smell

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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https://futurism.com/the-byte/bizarre-ford-patent-filter-rideshare-cars-smell?fbclid=IwAR0-ra8CbTrwQF8Eq4u-6vfaxZI_XbQDq2syP9uUBUGU44SjioCdvjGM-ps  ..

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THE 47th STATE PANACEA OR PERVERSION

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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C.S. Lewis warned about our final mastery over nature, and the inevitable drift into a future world where knowledge about the old world completely vanishes, where what once was, irretrievably transforms into something else. My latest article on genetic modification was just published. We have the technology to potentially add a 47th chromosome, but the implications are enormously consequential. http://churchandstate.org.uk/2020/04/the-47th-state-panacea-or-perversion/    ..

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REGULATORY CONSIDERATION FOR LOCATION BASED IDENTIFICATION

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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We may be entering a period where smartphones may be used to verify and track those immune to COVID-19. Read this thorough analysis, by 3 of the world's leading authorities on issues that need consideration, before proceeding, lest we stumble into problems we had no appreciation for. http://www.katinamichael.com/research/2014/1/1/the-regulatory-considerations-and-ethical-dilemmas-of-location-based-services-lbs  ..

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The regulatory considerations and ethical dilemmas of location-based services (LBS) : A literature review

April 12, 2020 | Carvalko

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  We may be entering a period where smartphones may be used to verify and track those immune to COVID-19. Read this thorough analysis, by 3 of the world's leading authorities on issues that need consideration, before proceeding, lest we stumble into problems we had no appreciation for. http://www.katinamichael.com/…/the-regulatory-consideration…..

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Remember the Heroes

March 24, 2020 | Carvalko

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As I write today sheltered in place, out there somewhere nurses, doctors, and medical attendants are working around the clock at their peril ministering to those caught up in a contagion that’s spreading around the world.     I’m reminded of someone, who in 1952 quit her job, operating a 25,000 pound punch-press at the one of the grease filled factories that framed my hometown, for one that exposed her to another sort of peril—nursing.     It was a time when medicine had yet to halt deadly diseases like polio or tuberculosis. In our town those with contagious disease, menin..

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The Ides of March

March 16, 2020 | Carvalko

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  It’s March 15 and the Ides of March are upon us. It marks the Roman deadline for settling debts of all stripes, one which in 44 BCE became notorious, when Julius Caesar was assassinated, thus turning the world in another direction. On this day, I’m wondering if the world is at another turning point. If so how can I tell? And if it’s a turning point, in what direction should I be looking?     For decades I’ve been fascinated with why people come to believe in things. I’ve written about it, taught courses, and sweated out many decisions before more than one jury or judge over a..

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CONSERVING HUMANITY at the DAWN OF POSTHUMAN TECHNOLOGY

January 10, 2020 | Carvalko

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    Carvalko examines the latest scientific and technological developments likely to shape our post-human future. Using a multidisciplinary approach he details the latest gene engineering technologies that will lead to increases in human intellect and artificial intelligence that will augment the powers of the human mind. He argues that we stand at the precipice of an evolutionary change caused by genetic engineering and anatomically embedded digital and informational technologies. Delving into current scientific initiatives he posits the emergence of super smart individuals with uni..

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My Trip thru the Art World

January 7, 2020 | Carvalko

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THE PRINTS MOUNTED IN THE GALLERY     I solved the mystery of where four photos I’d taken in 1969 traveled over the last 50 years. The photos were of white blood cells. What made them special were that the cells were dosed with a radioactive tracer, which under a scanning microscope, with monochromatic light, were among the first to be seen as contourograph displays, giving them a 3-D quality. All right, so much for what they were. Following the experiment, a colleague and I published an article in a scientific journal with the black and white photos. The pictures were then copied (w..

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HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN

December 26, 2019 | Carvalko

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[audio wav="https://carvalko.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/HOWDEEPISTHEOCEAN01052020WAVE.wav"][/audio] Overlapping, crisscrossing, waves un-stilled. Roiled! Who kept track, Who kept time, One, two, each second, low, soothing, Lives lived in seconds, Seventy years, eighty years Who kept track, Undulating, crests, peaks, valleys, ups, downs, Joy, ecstasy, heartache, heartbreak, we attacked, life, Every second, Full-bodied, Our hot insides, unfathomably deep, ceaseless repetition, Lapping the shore, Ripples that hardly turned a grain of sand, Now, Out there, the future, stilled...

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