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Author Topic: Episode #355  (Read 3990 times)

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Offline Steven Novella

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Episode #355
« on: May 05, 2012, 10:21:55 AM »
Guest Rogues: Seth Shostak and James Randi
This Day in Skepticism: First American in Space, SGU 7 Year Anniversary
News Items: Rogue Planets, Machine Monkey Interface, Finding ET with Robots, God Spot in the Brain
SETI Update
Audience Q&A: The Coming Singularity
Science or Fiction
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Steven Novella
Host, The Skeptics Guide
snovella@theness.com

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2012, 10:22:23 AM »
Thanks for the podcast and the community! 28 seconds I think that's a new record!

Shooting Stars

« Last Edit: May 05, 2012, 11:26:15 AM by seaotter »
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Online Chew

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2012, 01:14:40 PM »
Baby sloth video to the rescue!

SoF spoiler:

(click to show/hide)
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"It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is easy to recognize falsehood." -Albert Einstein

Offline notafnord

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2012, 01:33:56 PM »
Thanks for the podcast!
Now to expressing my critique at German pronunciation.
We (Germans) do not see the V the same as the English-speaking population does in most cases, but as an F. Or a voiceless labiodental fricative, I believe.
The exceptions where it is actually pronounced like an English V I can think of are (mostly Latin) loan words. This guy gives some examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyk9SmThGeQ

English V: Vase, Veteran, Visite, Volleyball, Sievert, Verb, Levitikus
English F: verkaufen (to sell sth., there are many verbs with the ver- prefix), von (preposition of/from/...), verwesen (to rot), vier (four), Vater (father), vorn (in front)

Here's a dictionary that has spoken audio for a "von Neumann probe": http://www.dict.cc/?s=von+Neumann
The German counterpart is only synthetic speech at the moment, but it is quite accurate. And so different from the English speaker.

Anyway, pronouncing it as an English V sounds to me much like me pronouncing Ws in English words like English Vs might sound to English speakers.
Now vere vere ve? Oh yes, I should continue listening to the interview. :)
« Last Edit: May 05, 2012, 01:36:56 PM by notafnord »
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Offline rebecca

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2012, 02:12:00 PM »
Quote from: Chew on May 05, 2012, 01:14:40 PM
Baby sloth video to the rescue!

SoF spoiler:

(click to show/hide)


Ha haaa! Oh man I love them so much!
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Skepchick <- Now with updated URL for 2012!

Offline sourdour

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2012, 04:24:16 PM »
Can I put in a request for more Rebecca Science or Fiction's? It was really interesting.
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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2012, 04:40:21 PM »
Quote from: sourdour on May 05, 2012, 04:24:16 PM
Can I put in a request for more Rebecca Science or Fiction's? It was really interesting.

It was good. And anything that makes Steve look mortal is oddly pleasing.
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Offline no-en

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2012, 05:49:07 PM »
.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2012, 12:13:00 AM by no-en »
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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2012, 06:01:07 PM »
Oh thanks for assuaging my worries. We need an ostrich hiding it's head smiley.

I don't think we are anywhere near the singularity, but our ignorance of contiousness is not the same as it can't happen in silicon.
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Offline no-en

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2012, 06:40:30 PM »
.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2012, 12:13:08 AM by no-en »
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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2012, 06:47:39 PM »
I love assertions pulled out of asses with absolute certainty.
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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2012, 06:48:34 PM »
Quote from: no-en on May 05, 2012, 06:40:30 PM
I don't know if one can build a conscious mind with silicon. We are mostly carbon so maybe silicon or some other chemical can also serve as a basic material. But I do know that it won't be done with computers. Nor will you ever be able to upload your "consciousness" to a hard drive on your desktop. Not even a 100 exo-byte drive. It will not happen because it cannot happen.

Aren't you the same poster who crapped on skeptics for being dogmatic?
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Offline Shadow Of A Doubt

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2012, 06:53:51 PM »
I got the SoF!  ;D (Although you'll have to take my word for it obviously. But still - go me!) Two-toed sloths have an interesting and varied diet.


In other news I don't agree with whoever said the singularity is either going to be a utopia or a dystopia. I don't believe in the possibility of utopias. :D


Quote from: no-en on May 05, 2012, 06:40:30 PM
It will not happen because it cannot happen I can't imagine it happening.


Who's that logical fallacy? You have a bad case of the arrogance of ignorance.


« Last Edit: May 05, 2012, 06:56:57 PM by Shadow Of A Doubt »
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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #13 on: May 05, 2012, 06:55:29 PM »
I knew my sloth interest would pay off someday.
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"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." Lewis Carroll

Offline JuniorSpaceman

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Re: Episode #355
« Reply #14 on: May 05, 2012, 07:02:00 PM »
Sloths rule!  http://skepchick.org/2012/05/lets-talk-about-sloths-baby

Nice episode - I really like the format as it sounds somewhat like the rogues are sitting around someone's dining room chatting about science.
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