Crazy Good Drowning Survival Tip
Imagine one moment your are on the deck of a ship and the next you are in the middle of the deep blue sea. You don't bother crying out because no one will hear you. The chances of another ship passing your way are slim, but in order to stay alive you will have to tread water as long as you can. Something like this happened to Marine Lance Cpl. Zachary Mayo and he lived to tell the tale.
He survived by keeping his cool and using a technique he was taught in basic training which helped him float for two days and two nights until he was picked up by a Pakistani fishing boat. The basic method is to tie knots in your clothing, then swish them full of air to make a kind of balloon out of them.
This LifeHacker article provides some details and a video tutorial is in the video below.
Next post Saturday, 6:30 a.m.
Jo Knows Robots
Joanna Bryson is a Professor in Artificial (and Natural) Intelligence who consults on AI ethics, particularly on the obligations of AI developers towards AI and society. She's probably forgotten more about robot ethics than most people will ever know.
As the pace of robotic development quickens at an exponential rate, it's important to think of the implications to society. Tech Crunch has a useful article which summarizes the fascinating dialogue Joanna recently had on an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit. For example,
"We are used to applying ethics to stuff that we identify with, but people are getting WAY good at exploiting this and making us identify with things we don’t really have anything in common with at all."
Click here for the full discussion.
Cue haunting theme music from "Humans"...
Next post Saturday, 6:30 a.m.
Protect Yourself at All Times
Are you a naturally suspicious person? Does it make you uneasy when you get a cold call and the person on the other line starts asking you for personal information? Have you ever started talking to someone who called you and you assumed was from your credit card company, but halfway through the conversation you doubted yourself and hung up?
If your gut is telling you to be worried, you should probably listen. This article from Lifehacker explains some of the details of “Vishing” (voice-based phishing). It's a method used by identity thieves to steal your credit card and personal information over the phone. Here’s how to tell if a call is actually from a scammer, and the best way to handle the situation if you’re not sure.
Listen for the following words when you receive a call from someone claiming to be your credit card company:
“We think there has been some suspicious activity on your credit card. We just want to confirm these transactions with you.”
If they say anything different, immediately hang up on them. Call the customer service number on the back of your credit card and ask them if someone from the company just called you.
Stay safe!