Monthly Archives: September 2020

NFL Week 3 – Best Bets From the SI Gambling Team – Sports Illustrated

Posted: September 26, 2020 at 7:00 am

Over the course of this year's 2020 NFL season, the SI Gambling team, along with a few of our friends from the SI MMQB NFL team are putting our collective heads together to pick our top game of the week against the spread. We'll keep track over the course of the year for bragging rights as well as transparency. So far, our group has gone 10-3-0 ATS!

For the third straight week, our SI Gambling Insider Frankie Taddeo's information was spot-on for Thursday's matchup between the Dolphins and Jaguars. SI Fantasy PRO members received the Dolphins +3 pick Wednesday afternoon as the public continued to back Jacksonville at home.

In 2020, the "Vegas Whispers" NFL betting plays have gone 15-5-0 ATS as well as 5-0 on Thursday Night Football dating back to last season.

Before checking out the team's selections and "best bets," here are the latest Week 3 NFL lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Editor's Note - Odds are subject to change.

Please note: These are our FREE picks, not our PREMIUM picks which are reserved for MEMBERS only at SI Fantasy PRO. Members receive alert notifications immediately upon pick release.

Ben Heisler (@bennyheis)

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans (-3) | TOTAL: 52.5

Much like the public overreacted to Tom Brady's rough start (coincidentally in New Orleans), everyone is ready to put Brees on the bench in favor of some various combination of Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston.

While Brees seemed to be out of sorts on his timing, I'll put more of the "pie chart of blame" on not having the best wide receiver in the game, as well as losing time of possession by almost 13 minutes to a Raiders team that executed their gameplan to perfection.

The Packers offense has looked terrific, but step back and think about who they've played. In Week 1, they faced a Minnesota Vikings secondary that lost most of their starting corners and safeties from a season ago, and the Detroit Lions who let Mitchell Trubisky throw three touchdowns on them in the 4th quarter to blow a late lead. The Saints present a much more difficult matchup for Green Bay, and if Davante Adams is unable to play, the line will start climbing back in favor of New Orleans. This opened all the way at Saints -6 and moved three points towards the Packers. I think this is the lowest number you'll see the Saints at this week, so jump on this before it starts heading in the "right direction."

BEST BET: Saints -3

Frankie Taddeo (@Frankie_Fantasy)

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts (-11) | TOTAL: 44

The biggest chalk / square play on the board as the Colts are the only double-digit favorite in Week 3. There is no real need to explain this. I have been riding the Fade Gase train the first two weeks and I am not getting off even at the inflated number. If Indianapolis can beat the Vikings by 17, they can handle the dysfunctional inept 2020 Jets an even greater amount.

The Jets defense has surrendered 140 rushing yards per game through the first two games and now they will face arguably one of the best run blocking offensive lines in the NFL. The great offensive mind (per Christoper Johnson) of Adam Gase has the Jets ranked 32nd in total offense with 531 yards through two games. Lay the wood and watch an easy two touchdown-plus Colts victory.

BEST BET: Colts -11

Corey Parson (@TheFantasyExec)

Washington Football Team at Cleveland Browns (-7.5) | TOTAL: 45

The D.C. Football team is coming off a bad road loss vs the Arizona Cardinals, while the Browns scored a 35-30 victory over the Bengals.

The Washington Football team is not ready for primetime yet but that defensive line can create all kinds of problems for Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns. Plus, do you really think it would be smart to lay 7.5 points with the Browns?

BEST BET: Washington Football Team +7.5

Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano)

San Francisco 49ers at New YorkGiants (+4) | TOTAL: 41.5

The 49ers are a mess of injuries right now, as their top quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end are all out or highly questionable. Their defense has also taken a beating due to injuries, and coach Kyle Shanahan could play it safe with some of his players due to questions about the turf at MetLife Stadium. The Giants have their share of injuries too, most notably Saquon Barkley, but theyre not nearly as bad off as the Niners and theyre a home dog. The sharps seem to be siding with the G-Men in a potential letdown game for San Francisco, and I agree. Take Big Blue plus the four points against these banged-up Niners in a likely low-scoring contest in New Jersey.

BEST BET: Giants +4

Dr. Roto (@DrRoto)

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-3) | TOTAL: 47.5

After watching last weeks second half meltdown against Dallas, it almost pains me to recommend laying points with Atlanta. However, one of my major betting axioms is to have a short memory when it comes to how teams played the week before. I am banking on Atlantas defensive line shutting down Bears RB David Montgomery and when that happens (notice I said when and not if), it will put the ball in the (in)capable hands of Bears QB Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky has been solid two weeks in a row, but are you willing to bet on three? I know Im not and I think Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn needs this win to save his job.

BEST BET: Falcons -3

Bill Enright (@BillEnright)

Washington Football Team at Cleveland Browns (-7) | TOTAL: 4.5

The Browns are coming off a mini-bye week after their Week 2 victory on Thursday night while Washington is flying back east after a double digit loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. With the Browns impressive rushing attack and newly found play-action deep passes, Cleveland should roll past Washington at home.

BEST BET: Browns -7

Roy Larking (@SIGambling)

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (-5.5) | TOTAL: 47

Cam Newton and the Patriots (1-1) return home following a 35-30 loss in Seattle. David Carr and the Raiders (2-0) are on the road after opening Allegiant Stadium with a 34-24 win over New Orleans. As is the case across the NFL both teams have a laundry list of questionable players. Its concerning for Las Vegas that RB Josh Jacobs (hip) and TE Darren Waller (knee) both missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday. The Raiders are also dealing with key injuries along the offensive line and stud MLB Nick Kwiatkoski is doubtful.

Wide receivers Julian Edelman (knee) and NKeal Harry (ankle) plus center David Andrews (hand) are the primary concerns for the Patriots. Newton has regained his form with New England and he is the Patriots leading rusher with 122 yards and 4 TD. In addition to injuries, the Raiders are in a tough spot here as they travelled west to east and have an early start on short rest. DraftKings Sportsbook is giving the undefeated Las Vegas respect with a short point spread. The New England defense tips the scale on this play.

BEST BET: Patriots -5.5

Steve Renner (@Steve_Renner)

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills (-2.5) | TOTAL: 47.5

There are only two games this weekend which feature two teams who have started off the season 2-0. In this case the L.A. Rams are forced to travel across the country for the second week in a row as they were not permitted to stay east following their road win over the Eagles last week. The extra travel, along with facing a strong Buffalo defense should prove to be too much in the end for the Rams to burn me two weeks in a row. Take the home Bills, who are the better team and have a hot Josh Allen at Quarterback right now.

BEST BET: Bills -2.5

Ian Ritchie (@SIGambling)

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-3) | TOTAL: 47.5

The Atlanta Falcons have started strong at 2-0 while the Chicago Bears have really struggled to an 0-2 start.

Sounds believable, right?

It's exactly how I feel but those records are reversed. I think Atlanta scores 30-plus points in this game and the only way Chicago covers is if they get a defensive or special teams touchdown.

If I compare teams position by position, little to no chance the Falcons don't get a win and cover this game! Bet the Falcons and take your ticket to the window.

BEST BET: Falcons -3

Scott Atkins (@ScottFantasy)

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals (-5.5) | TOTAL: 55.5

This is one of those weeks where I think well look back and realize we didnt know just how good this Cardinal team really is. The Lions cant stop anybody on the ground having given up over 200 yards per game so far and the Cardinals feature both the 9th (Murray) and 14th (Drake) most rushing yard leaders in the league. Add to this how terrible the Lions have been away from home (0-6 ATS) in their last six road games, I think the Cardinals should easily cover the spread here.

BEST BET: Cardinals -5.5

Casey Olson (@Y2CASEY)

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills (-3) | TOTAL: 45

Maybe i'll become an honorary member of the Bills mafia if they leave Sunday 3-0. One of the bigger matchups on Sunday, both squads are coming in perfect SU and ATS through the first two weeks. The Rams head into Buffalo coming off back to back wins as underdogs against the Cowboys and Eagles, with a decent shot to make it three in a row. The Bills had a much easier first two weeks as they were matched up against the Jets and Dolphins, yet defensively looked lackluster, even giving up over 400 yards to the Dolphins.

There's no question this will be the best team the Bills have faced this season, and the Rams have a history of performing on the road. In their last 18 road games, the Rams have a 12-6 record ATS, including 4-0 ATS in their last 4, and 7-0-2 in their last 9 after scoring more than 30 in their previous game. The Bills on the other hand are just 2-4 SU and ATS the last two years after winning two straight. Josh Allen is on fire out of the shoots leading the NFL with 729 passing yards, but I expect the Rams to take him down a notch. The Rams allow just 6.2 yards per attempt (third best) and a 73 opponents' passer rating (second best).

BEST BET: Rams +3 (has moved to +2.5)

Gary Gramling, The MMQB (@GGramling_SI)

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills (-2.5) | TOTAL: 47.5

Since the start of the 2018 season, the Bills have played in nine games in which the total was 43 or higher and the under hit in all nine. If we want to get into the Xs and Os of this matchup, Buffalo plays quarters coverage as well as any team in football, and Cover-4 has been Jared Goff's Achilles heel.

On top of that, the Bills will likely get their top two linebackers (Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano) are back in the lineup after missing last week, and they have two weeks of the Rams' new-ish misdirection-heavy offense to study. They should force LA's offense that is already dink-and-dunk to scratch and claw for everything they get. On the other side of the ball, while Josh Allen hype is reaching a fevered pitch, keep in mind that to open the season he got to pick on the Jets' secondary and the Dolphins minus Byron Jones (Allen didn't start attacking downfield until Jones went down last week). Jalen Ramsey is likely to shadow Stefon Diggs and Aaron Donald should provide the kind of heat Allen hasn't seen since the second half of last January's playoff loss. Allen always presents a risk of turnovers and therefore short fields (and quick scores) for an opponent, expect the Bills to dial things back a bit in Week 3.

BEST BET: Under 47.5

Mitch Goldich, The MMQB (@mitchgoldich)

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals (-5.5) | TOTAL: 55.5

Its kind of funny to remember that these two teams tied in Week 1 last season. If we consider that they were perfectly evenly matched at that point (not exactly how these things work, but just go with it) then its a little dramatic to consider how far each franchise has gone in opposite directions since. I know some people were high on Year 3 of Matt Patricias Lions, and still may be even now, but I am not one of those people. And the Cardinals look to be fulfilling their destiny as the annual second-year-QB breakout team. Theyre going to beat the Lions, Panthers and Jets and be 50 going into their Monday night game against Dallas. Exciting stuff! But truly, this just struck me as a line they got wrong. I was surprised Arizona was only favored by 5.5 at home, and Ill happily lay the points.

BEST BET: Cardinals -5.5

Want more NFL picks? Check out the MMQB Team's Week 3 picks for every game!

Who are SI's College Football experts and insiders picking to win this week?

Ben Heisler

Saints -3

1-1

Frankie Taddeo

Colts -11

2-0

Corey Parson

Washington FB Team +7.5

0-1

Michael Fabiano

Giants +4

1-1

Dr. Roto

Falcons -3

2-0

Bill Enright

Browns -7

0-2

Roy Larking

Patriots -5.5

2-0

Steve Renner

Bills -2.5

0-2

Ian Ritchie

Falcons -3

2-0

Scott Atkins

Cardinals -5.5

2-0

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Workshop entitled ‘Gambling: What’s the Problem?’ | News, Sports, Jobs – Evening Observer

Posted: at 7:00 am

A training entitled Gambling: Whats the Problem? is being provided through Zoom video meeting software from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The presenters are Jeffrey Wierzbicki and Angela DiRosa. Wierzbicki is the team leader with the Western Problem Gambling Resource Center and serves as the point person for training and prevention activities and drives community relationship-building in order to advance problem gambling prevention, treatment and recovery efforts throughout the Western New York region. Prior to his role with the Western PGRC, Wierzbicki directed federal and state programs for runaway and homeless youth, including allocating and advocating for funding and support.

DiRosa is the program manager with the Western Problem Gambling Resource Center. In addition to assisting with awareness and outreach efforts, she collaborates with mental health professionals to build a robust problem gambling service network and connects individuals being negatively impacted by problem gambling to the resources they need. Angela has worked in a similar field before joining the Western PGRC conducting training, advocacy and policy change with the state Bureau of Tobacco Control.

Problem gambling can be defined as any gambling that causes a problem in a persons life. While gambling is a widely-accepted activity in our community, problem gambling can cause personal, family and career issues. In some instances, problem gambling becomes an addiction called gambling disorder. Nearly 668,000 adults in New York state struggle with a gambling problem.

The program will give an overview of problem gambling and how it impacts many aspects of the community. Topics will include types of gambling, including online gambling; accessibility to gambling; warning signs of problem gambling; at-risk populations; problem gambling and suicide; impact of problem gambling and problem gambling treatment & resources

Community members interested in the topic are welcome and encouraged to attend. The course is also suitable for those seeking professional credentialing as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), Credentialed Prevention Professional (CPP) or Credentialed Prevention Specialist (CPS). The one hour CPP/CPS (Section 1); CASAC-G/ CPP-G/ CPGC (Section 1), CPP/CPS/CASAC renewal hours are approved for initial credit hours and for CASAC/CPP/CPS renewal by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS).

To register, email WesternPGRC@nyproblegambling.org.

Since 1974, Prevention Works, a United Way partner agency, has provided social emotional learning and the prevention of risky behaviors in Chautauqua County school districts and the local community. Prevention Works is the only state OASAS approved and supported alcohol and other drug prevention agency in Chautauqua County. For information on future trainings offered by Prevention Works, contact Kathleen Colby, director of training services, at 664-3608, email kjcolby@preventionworks.us or visit Prevention Works website, http://www.preventionworks.us.

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On Tap Bets NFL Week 3 Edition – On Tap Sports Net

Posted: at 7:00 am

Well, well, well Im new to the gambling writing world, but not to the gambling playing world. After a night where my Jordan Howard TD anytime and Dolphins Money Line bets hit, Im here to give you three bets I like ahead of NFL week three action. Lets go!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finally getting things together. After a disappointing week one loss, the Bucs rebounded and won in week two. This week, the Broncos are without quarterback Drew Lock, and Tampa is returning Chris Godwin after he missed last weeks contest. This will be the first time that Tampa has been at full strength on offense after Mike Evans missed week one against the Saints.

Its pretty easy to get excited about the Bucs here. Sure, could Denver keep it close like they did against Pittsburgh? 100%. That said, I think Tampa is a better team and Tampas defense is comparable, if not equal to that of the Steelers. Give me the Bucs on the spread. If it continues to drop and you can get it at -5 or -4.5, HAMMER IT.

Pick: Tampa Bay -5.5

Sunday Nights game will be a thriller as the always dominant Saints host the high-flying Green Bay Packers. For those reading who know me, the author, you know picking the Packers in anything is always a shot at my pride. That said, I think that after New Orleans lost to a Raiders team with a lot of unknowns, theyve shown they can be beaten. The Packers, on the other hand, look really good after two weeks.

Aaron Rodgers is on a vengeance tour after the front office refused to draft a wide receiver in Aprils draft. Instead, they took Rodgers heir apparent in QB Jordan Love and took a backup plan to RB Aaron Jones when they selected A.J. Dillon, showing that the organization was more concerned about the future than helping this current roster. Rodgers took that personally.

Rodgers has thrown for 604 yards in his first two games to go with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is playing at an elite level and is out to prove to the front office that they should have done more to help him in the offseason. Give me an angry Rodgers to shock the Saints, even in the Super Dome. If youre feeling really ballsy, you could even take the Green Bay moneyline.

Pick: Green Bay +3

This game is interesting. Dak is playing like his you-know-whats are on fire and hes on a tour to get paid. On the other side, Russell Wilson is playing at an MVP level with nine touchdowns in two weeks. It doesnt matter who wins this game, but it should be a high-scoring, competitive affair.

That said, give me the Cowboys on the spread. Im not saying theyll win, but I like the Cowboys to keep it close and make Russ look like the MVP that hes playing like. I think Dak comes out and pushes him, but itll be close no matter what.

Pick: Dallas +5

If I have more picks Ill tweet them on Sunday, especially as lines move. Follow me @rnldluce on Twitter and lets make some money. If I lose, you are allowed to heckle me.

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Kings and machines: Game of Thrones star’s daring transhuman adventure – The Guardian

Posted: at 6:59 am

Humans and robots were first introduced to each other in a theatre. Karel apeks play RUR, which premiered in Prague in 1921, contained the first use of the term robot, and featured uncannily human-looking artificial people. So Mark OConnell tells us in his 2018 Wellcome prize-winning book To Be a Machine, an exploration of transhumanism, the belief that the human race can evolve beyond its limitations through technology and even thereby escape death.

OConnells book has now been adapted by the Irish theatre company Dead Centre into a stage show, co-directed by Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel, exploring the relationship between man and machine that has only become more vexed in the intervening century. And there will be no humans in the stalls. Instead, audiences watch from home, but have their faces pre-recorded and broadcast into the theatre on iPad screens placed in the seats, so they can be seen by Jack Gleeson as he performs the one-man show.

I spoke to OConnell and Gleeson, mediated fittingly enough by our laptop screens, about how they arrived at this premise. Over lockdown, the team were spitballing Covid-safe ideas that would mean they could still put on a theatre production in 2020. These semi-jokingly included performing to just a single audience member, like when Wu-Tang released that album that there was only one copy of, said OConnell.

The innovative format they landed on is more than a workaround forced by circumstance, though. Not to say that it was lucky, but the coronavirus situation dovetailed really nicely with some of the concerns of the book, said OConnell.

In the book, OConnell visits people at the heart of the transhumanist movement, in cryonics facilities and Silicon Valley conferences, and even in a coffin-shaped campaign bus of a transhumanist 2016 presidential candidate. But the stage show is less an adaptation of the events of the book than its ideas, such as self-alienation, the frailty of the body, the primacy of technology in our lives and our innate fear of death concerns that have only become more topical in the pandemic era.

How does the you that is presented on a screen relate to your physical, flesh and blood form? Where does your identity truly reside? Theyre ideas that can make you feel dizzy if you let them, and feelings that many of us have experienced through being beamed into the homes of friends and colleagues through machines over the past months. Gleeson and OConnell both speak about being familiar with alienation from the self. Gleesons image is associated with a character who could not be more different than the affable person speaking to me. He is best known as the sadistic villain King Joffrey on Game of Thrones.

That feeling of not recognising yourself, as Gleeson put it, is something OConnell also felt devising the stage adaptation. I got obsessed with how much time had passed since I wrote [the book] and how I was, in a lot of ways, a different person.

The stage show will consider transhumanism seriously, just as the book did. Its not just, Wow these guys are eccentric nerds, said Gleeson. Its a bigger meditation on things that we all feel, about how crappy our bodies are, and how mortal. And, ultimately, the desire to live forever can be traced back to our basic human wiring to fear death. Transhumanism is an expression of the profound human longing to transcend the confusion and desire and impotence and sickness of the body, writes OConnell.

Is the answer to existential dread, made worse by a pandemic, to escape our bodies once and for all? OConnell feels the opposite. Ive been thinking about how effectively flattened so much of our lives are, by being online all the time. And when I think about what it might be like to be an uploaded consciousness, it just feels like a horrific version of that.

Being an uploaded audience member, however, is a choice we might have to continue to make as theatre-goers for some time. One of the main ideas in the show is that maybe you cant recreate that feeling of being humans together in a room listening to a story thats so ingrained in us as a species, said Gleeson. But in many ways, the team behind To Be a Machine (Version 1.0), as this first showing at the Dublin theatre festival is titled, feel that they have managed to produce something that is enhanced, rather than limited, by being online: a final product rather than a first version. For one thing, the show makes use of videography that would not be possible live.

I cant help but be hopeful that this show and others like it work. As long as we have been telling stories, we have been telling them about the desire to escape our human bodies, to become something other than the animals we are, writes OConnell in the book. And for the moment, being uploaded to a theatre crowd might be the best way to achieve that much-needed abstraction from ourselves as we consider the near future and our place in it.

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Can we resurrect the dead? Researchers catalogue potential future methods – Big Think

Posted: at 6:59 am

There's no evidence of an afterlife. But there's also no proof that our medical death needs to be the end of our subjective experience. There's no proof that death is irreversible, or immortality impossible.

In fact, some researchers believe immortality isn't just possible, but inevitable.

Alexey Turchin, an author, life extensionist, and transhumanist researcher from Moscow, believes artificial intelligence will eventually become so powerful that humans will be able to "download" themselves or, the quantifiable information contained in their brains into computers and live forever.

It'll take a long time to develop that technology anywhere from 100 to 600 years, according to Turchin.

"The development of AI is going rather fast, but we are still far away from being able to 'download' a human into a computer," Turchin told Russia Beyond. "If we want to do it with a good probability of success, then count on [the year] 2600, to be sure."

That might be out of reach for modern humans. But downloading yourself onto a computer is just one potential route to immortality. In 2018, Turchin and Maxim Chernyakov, of the Russian Transhumanist Movement, wrote a paper outlining the main ways technology might someday make resurrection and, therefore, immortality possible.

The paper defines life as a "continued stream of subjective experiences" and death as the permanent end of that stream. Immortality, to them, is a "life stream without end," and resurrection is the "continuation of that same stream of experiences after an arbitrarily long gap."

Another key clarification is the identity problem: How would you know that a downloaded copy of yourself really was going to be you? Couldn't it just be a convincing yet incomplete and fundamentally distinct representation of your brain?

If you believe that your copy is not you, that implies you believe there's something more to your identity than the (currently) quantifiable information contained within your brain and body, according to the researchers. In other words, your "informational identity" does not constitute your true identity.

In this scenario, there must exist what the researchers call a "non-informational identity carrier" (NIIC). This could be something like a "soul." It could be "qualia," which are the unmeasurable "subjective experiences which could be unique to every person." Or maybe it doesn't exist at all.

It's no matter: The researchers say resurrection, in some form, should be possible in either scenario.

"If no 'soul' exist[s], resurrection is possible via information preservation; if soul[s] exist, resurrection is possible via returning of the "soul" into the new body. But some forms of NIIC are also very fragile and mortal, like continuity," the researchers noted.

"The problem of the nature of human identity could be solved by future superintelligent AI, but for now it cannot be definitively solved. This means that we should try to preserve as much identity as possible and not refuse any approaches to life extension and resurrection even if they contradict our intuitions about identity, as our notions of identity could change later."

Turchin and Chernyakov outline seven broad categories of potential resurrection methods, ranked from the most plausible to most speculative.

The first category includes methods practiced while the person is alive, like cryonics, plastination, and preserving brain tissue through processes like chemical fixation. The researchers noted that there have been "suggestions that the claustrum, hypothalamus, or even a single neuron is the neural correlate of consciousness," so it may be possible to preserve just that part of a person, and later implant it into another organism.

Other methods get far stranger. For example, one method includes super-intelligent AI that uses a Dyson sphere to harness the power of the sun to "power enormous calculation engines" that would "reconstruct" people who collected a sufficient amount of data on their identities.

Turchin

"The main idea of a resurrection-simulation is that if one takes the DNA of a past person and subjects it to the same developmental condition, as well as correcting the development based on some known outcomes, it is possible to create a model of a past person which is very close to the original," the researchers wrote.

"DNA samples of most people who lived in past 1 to 2 centuries could be extracted via global archeology. After the moment of death, the simulated person is moved into some form of the afterlife, perhaps similar to his religious expectations, where he meets his relatives."

Delving further into sci-fi territory, another resurrection method would use time-travel technology.

"If there will at some point be technology that allows travel to the past, then our future descendants will be able to directly save people dying in the past by collecting their brains at the moment of death and replacing them with replicas," the paper states.

How? Sending tiny robots back in time.

"A nanorobot could be sent several billion years before now, where it could secretly replicate and sow nanotech within all living being[s] without affecting the course of history. At the moment of death, such nanorobots could be activated to collect data about the brain and preserve it somewhere until its future resurrection; thus, there would be no need for forward time travel."

Pixabay

The paper goes on to outline some more resurrection methods, including ones that involve parallel worlds, aliens, and clones, along with a good, old-fashioned possibility: God exists and one day he resurrects us.

In short, it's all extremely speculative.

But the aim of the paper was to catalogue known potential ways humans might be able to cheat death. For Turchin, that's not some far-off project: In addition to studying global risks and transhumanism, the Russian researcher heads the Immortality Roadmap, which, similar to the 2018 paper, outlines various ways in which we might someday achieve immortality.

Although it may take centuries before humans come close to "digital immortality," Turchin believes that life-extension technology could allow some modern people to survive long enough to see it happen.

Want a shot at being among them? Beyond the obvious, like staying healthy, the Immortality Roadmap suggests you start collecting extensive data on yourself: diaries, video recordings, DNA information, EEGs, complex creative objects all of which could someday be used to digitally "reconstruct" your identity.

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Choosing Between Slots and Roulette – What’s the Best Casino Game? – BestUSCasinos.org

Posted: at 6:57 am

Walk into almost any casino on the planet, and youre sure to see roulette tables and slot machines.

Its no surprise how often I get asked, Youre the expert, slots or roulette?

I will reply 99.9% of the time with a simple, It depends. And it does depend on several factors.

Lets break down the variables and see if you can answer for yourself.

If you are a novice casino gambler preparing for a trip, youre probably hearing a lot of chatter about how you need to take it easy and stick to the large banks of slot machines.

Then there will be the other half of the semi-pro pundits that direct you to the roulette tables. Its definitely the easiest of the table games to pick up quickly.

Roulette has a bevy of different bets you can make on any given spin. Regardless, the outcome is 100% left to chance.

The skill involved in playing real money roulette is no different than youll invoke on a slot machine. The most significant difference is that youll be making a decision while playing roulette.

For a beginner casino gambler, a roulette table may seem intimidating. After all, there are a seemingly endless amount of bets you can make.

Slot machines are relatively simple to understand. A potato could roll into Caesars Palace and understand how to play a slot machine.

You just insert money, select your pay lines, and spin the reels. It wont get any easier than that. However, roulette can easily be picked up in a few rounds by most players.

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Online casinos will typically have a free version of the game you can play on their websites to learn the ropes.

Furthermore, spend a few minutes watching the play at a casino. The watching is free. Its the playing that could cost you.

Usually, you can find a friendly face at the roulette table to show you the ropes.

Despite roulettes simplicity, slots come in as the easiest of all casino games to take a seat and pass the hours. If youre looking to spend your time destressing from the outside worlds troubles or adverse to learning new things, stick to the slots.

Theres nothing you can do to improve your payout odds on a slot machine that wont land you in jail. You spin the reel via pressing a button or pulling a lever, and the results happen.

Most of the time, the payout percentage on a slot machine in a Las Vegas casino will be between 85-94%. Yet, you may see devices as low as 80% or as high as 98%. This RTP (Return to Player) is set before the slot machines ever hit the casino floor.

Slot machines have random number generators to ensure that any given spin results are as unpredictable as possible. There is no way for you to influence these results, short of cheating.

The only real power a player has on the slots is how many pay lines to bet and denomination. It should be evident that activating maximum pay lines will provide the highest RTP.

Unfortunately, playing max bet and max lines has apparent drawbacks. While you will have a theoretical chance of winning more money with this aggressive approach, youre also opening yourself up to much more significant losses at a more rapid rate.

If youre going to play slots for real money, I recommend playing max lines 100% of the time.

Roulette gives gamblers a much better opportunity at affecting their odds. Only by understanding how the game works and employing a conservative system, you might be able to decrease the house odds below 1.5%.

My best advice for roulette is to stick to even money bets. Remember that even money implies (mostly) equal probability. So, while 500,000 out of 1,000,000 red should come up, it doesnt guarantee that 170 out of 200 cant be black.

This has led many gamblers to go broke remarkably fast. I see this truth as the most fatal flaw of so-called betting systems.

In the end, youll get better-sustained odds by playing smart roulette.

Roulette is generally offered in three different forms. Youll fair best playing American, European, or French roulette depending on where youre doing your casino gaming.

By far, the American and European variations are the most popular. The differences between the two are subtle but may make a significant impact on your bottom line.

For that reason, its essential to understand what variation youre playing. Online casinos have introduced many more roulette variations and could offer three or more types of roulette.

Knowing the rules for each takes time, but better time than money.

Most casinos are going to offer American or European. If you can stick to one of those, youll pick up the game much quicker.

Perhaps you quickly lose interest in repetitive games. You may not love roulette. The variety comes in the outcome.

Roulette provides an avenue for you to mix it up with other players as you collectively try to outsmart the house. I certainly wouldnt advise adding variety to the game in the form of wildly unpredictable bets.

This kind of loose betting will drain your bankroll as rapidly as anything in the casino.

Slot machines offer a unique variety. The advancement of technology, specifically high-resolution video screens, has brought a new era of slot machines.

Video slot machines can range in theme to outer space to the old west and anything in between. While the gameplay is somewhat monotonous, there are added bonus levels to these games that, when activated, offer not only a massive shot of adrenaline but increased winnings potential.

Slots machine banks in any casino worth their salt will provide a plethora of different slot machines, all with varying levels of bells and whistles.

In the world of slots, there really is something for everyone.

Lets be real, most people trekking to the casinos are looking to strike it rich. They cant be bothered by things like math or reality.

These people are going to the casino for one reason, the slots jackpots. You can keep the measly $400 you won over four days at the roulette table.

Jackpot slots are a massive draw at casinos around the world. The reasons should be abundantly clear. Who couldnt use a years salary or more in one fortunate spin?

Some of the more enormous jackpots can be in the millions. You are never going to see that kind of money being tossed around at a roulette table.

Lets imagine you set your sights on one of the insanely massive progressive jackpots for slotsfor example, the Megabucks slots jackpot offered by IGT.

Today, the jackpot sits at over $15.1 million. That is life-changing money. Hitting such an enormous payday would likely change the financial situation for generations of a family.

For only $3, gamblers can fire their shot at over 750 of these machines in 125 different Nevada casinos. Sounds great until you look at the sobering numbers.

Your chances of hitting the Megabucks are roughly 50,000,000 to 1. In other words, it probably isnt going to happen.

Dont lose hope yet. Many gamblers play with full knowledge that they arent going to have Lady Luck on their side.

The entertainment of spending hours daydreaming about allocating their winnings is well worth the $3 investment.

If you are in it for the imagination factor, I am not here to stomp on your dreams. Go wild, and I wish you all the luck youll need.

However, if you are looking to make a few dollars to spend on gifts for friends to commemorate your trip to Sin City or just want to spend as much time as possible on the casino floor, I recommend playing roulette and doing so wisely.

Slots or roulette?

Its a question with no right answer. I enjoy the slow burn of an hour-long session at the roulette table. Im able to sometimes extend my bankroll for days because the house advantage is so low.

Occasionally, Im even able to take home some of the casinos moneypossibly the best feeling in Las Vegas.

On the other hand, my mother-in-law has no interest in putting forth much thought in the casino. She would much rather sit at a slot machine and imagine how shell spoil her grandkids when she hits a massive jackpot.

Whether you prefer slots or roulette will significantly depend on your unique personality. Dont let anyone tell you that one is right and the other is wrong.

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A Brief Look Through the History of Roulette – Euro Weekly News

Posted: at 6:57 am

As of 2020, roulette is theoretically over 365 years old, but it could be even older than that in reality. The ancient casino games origin is not totally understood or established, but in this article we will follow the most popular and widely accepted beginning of roulette, and its progress through the many centuries.

There could be older origins, but the most convincing theory is that French scientist Blaise Pascal (yes, the same person after which the unit of internal pressure is named) accidentally invented a crude form of the casino game in 1655, while he was trying to build a machine of perpetual motion.

Other than the Pascal theory, there are also suggestions that the idea in its crudest form might have originated at separate times in separate cultures which are thousands of years older. While Greek and Roman soldiers might have been only playing a betting game on their shields and chariot wheels, ancient Chinese civilizations may very well have been playing a more standardized and advanced variant of roulette that closely resembles the modern-day casino game. Either way, none of these theories have more credence or proof than the Pascal theory.

It was not until the mid-1790s that roulette managed to gain enough popularity in Europe. Once it did gain popularity as one of the more interesting casino games, it became so popular that we can find mention of roulette in European literature of the time.

It wasnt until the year 1842 that the roulette wheel received a major rehaul. Before the new wheels came into being and managed to become even more popular than their predecessors, all roulette wheels in Europe had two zeros on them.

In 1842, Francois and Louis Blanc changed the history of casino games forever by making a single, game changing modification to the old roulette wheel. They simply removed the double zero from old wheels and that was pretty much all it took for European roulette to become more popular across the continent than even before.

They brought the new wheels and the game of roulette to Humbug from France, then to all of Germany and later on, pretty much the whole of Europe. The fact that these new wheels decreased the house edge in roulette down to 2.7%, as compared to 5.26% with the old wheels, only fuelled the popularity of roulette amidst European gamblers even more.

It was, of course, the French settlers that brought roulette to Louisiana first, but American roulette wheels are not the same ones that we see in European casinos. Two differences in the American gambling communitys attitude should be noted here as these explain the reasons why American roulette wheels are different.

As a result of these attitudes, American roulette players continue to use the ancient double zero roulette wheel, which is now known only as the American roulette wheel. It should be noted that this is why roulette is not as popular in America as it is in Europe.

The introduction of online roulette came in roughly around the beginning of the 21st Century, which was quite a few years after the first online casino was launched in 1996. Online roulette changed everything and for the better. While there were some initial issues with fair play, that has been sorted out now. If you have never played roulette online, or you are looking to learn the rules that govern the game, get to know all the rules on this site.

Players can not only play any version of the game that they want today, but they can practically play anywhere they want to. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops and even some smart TVs are now capable of streaming live casino roulette games, or letting the player try their luck in a virtual version of American/European roulette. Wherever you might be located, if its legal to gamble online in your country, we suggest playing European roulette for a significantly higher chance of winning.

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Weekend Outlook: Join me at the weather roulette table – SooToday

Posted: at 6:57 am

Forecasting the weather involves a lot of science, a little intuition, and, honestly, a touch of luck. This weekend may require more luck than usual. I'd typically look to weather events upstream of the overall flow pattern over central North America and figure out how things will evolve when they hit the Sault region. However, the features that will(might) hit the Sault region this weekend have yet to develop - making it more challenging.

I suspect that a cold front crosses the region early Saturday morning, then a warm front arrives in the evening, followed by a cold front Sunday morning and then possibly a Texas Low on Tuesday. Any or all of these features could change intensity and timing(or not develop at all!) to make a mess of the forecast. The best weather forecast this weekend might be the view from the kitchen window. If you are the gambling type, you could move all your chips onto my prediction below and spin the weather roulette wheel.

Friday morning brings a 30-40% chance of an isolated shower, and then cloudy skies linger for the middle of the day before partially clearing later in the afternoon. Temperatures climb back into the low 20s on a southerly breeze.

Scattered thunderstorms should move through the region early Saturday morning with cloudy skies for the rest of the day.Daytime highs should reach 20C with a weak southerly wind. Scattered showers and storms move in sometime around sunset and linger overnight.

Sunday will bring a mix of sun and cloud with temperatures close to the 18C mark.Periods of light rain are likely in the afternoon. Watch for a change in the weather pattern for next week as colder air returns to the region.

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Weekend Outlook: Join me at the weather roulette table - SooToday

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The Fall of Roulette Wheel Bias – John Huxley and Advantage Play – BestUSCasinos.org

Posted: at 6:57 am

Roulette isnt the first game that people envision when they think of beating the casino. Instead, blackjack (card counting), video poker (skill), and poker (also skill) come to mind.

Nevertheless, gamblers used to beat roulette through a technique called wheel bias. The latter enables gamblers to more-accurately predict where the ball lands and bet accordingly.

Wheel bias was once a valid way to beat the house. However, its no longer practical thanks to the work of John Huxley.

Who is John Huxley and how did he render advantage play useless? Ill discuss more on wheel bias, how it works, and why Huxleys invention has made it all but obsolete.

Roulette games used to run on basic wooden wheels. Manufacturers did their best to make these wheels looked polished and elegant.

However, they didnt take many precautions to make the wheels last. As a result, the wheels experienced wear and tear fairly quickly.

The fretsdividers in between the pocketswere often the first parts to break down. Theyd gradually become looser and allow the ball to drop into the corresponding pockets more easily.

The wheel shaft was another part that could become worn down. When a shaft is loose, it causes the wheel to tilt and favor certain pockets.

Usually, these imperfections are impossible to spot with the naked eye. But one can detect wheel bias by observing and recording results.

The vast majority of gamblers back then didnt realize that roulette games could show bias. However, a few wise players figured this out over time.

Joseph Jager gets credit for being the first gambler to uncover wheel bias. The English engineer travelled to Monte Carlo and made what amounts to several million dollars by finding defective wheels.

Ever since Jagger, several other players have become rich and famous by beating roulette. They all benefited from certain conditions that allowed them to win serious profits.

Even when armed with knowledge of wheel bias, people need to put lots of work into beating the game. Here are a few individuals who put this work in and won fortunes as a result.

Born in Germany in 1931, Richard Jarecki spent the early part of his life running from Nazis. His Jewish family moved from Germany to the United States to escape persecution.

Jarecki attended Duke University, got married, and moved back to Germany. Here, he continued studying in the medical field en route to becoming a doctor.

While pursuing a medical degree, Jarecki also found time to gamble at European casinos. Throughout the 1960s, Jarecki and his wife began recording results on roulette wheels.

After recording tens of thousands of spins and analyzing the results, Richard Jareckis and his wife discovered some biased wheels. They then proceeded to earn big profits from casinos.

They particularly targeted Sanremo Casino in Italy. Sanremo management would eventually ban Jarecki and describe him as a menace to casinos.

They networked with other European casinos to get the word out on Richard Jarecki. But by this time, he had already won $1.2 million, which amounts to $9 million when adjusted for inflation.

Bill Walters is known first and foremost as a great professional sports bettor. Before he became a betting legend, though, he was a wheel bias master.

Walters worked with other gamblers who were collectively known as the Computer Team. In 1986, they started recording roulette results in Atlantic City.

Billy Walters and his team discovered a biased wheel at the Atlantic Club Casino. They put down a $2 million deposit and began playing for high stakes on that specific wheel.

Based on previous research, they knew that the wheel favored 7, 10, 20, 27, and 36. The Computer Team spent the next 38 hours betting on these numbers and winning $3.8 million.

By this point, the Atlantic Club decided to ban the gamblers. However, Walters had already earned enough money to increase his sports gambling bankroll and later become a betting guru.

Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo is a Spanish music producer. While hes attained some fame through his music career, Pelayo is more notable for what hes done in gambling.

The Spaniard gambled quite a bit in the 1990s as a hobby. He especially liked playing roulette for real money at Casino Gran Madrid.

While playing at Casino Gran Madrid, he began speculating that some wheels werent completely impartial. So, he recruited his family members to help him record spins.

The family proceeded to win a fortune from Casino Gran Madrid before being banned. Afterward, they took their act on the road and hit other casinos throughout Europe.

All of these casinos gradually identified and banned the Pelayos from their properties. However, Gonzalo and family won 1.5 million before being essentially blacklisted from European casinos.

Not much information is available on John Huxleys life. What is known, though, is that he started a gaming supply company in 1979.

Located in Stoke-on-Trent, TSC Huxley started by supplying card tables, card shufflers, and more to local casinos.

Huxley was the brains behind this operation when it opened. Apparently, he lives a rather private life due to the lack of available info on him.

But his company continues to be one of the most-notable in terms of gaming supply. They not only serve UK casinos, but also many other gambling establishments worldwide.

In the 1980s, British casinos realized that they were getting decimated by certain roulette players. They looked into the matter and learned that gamblers were using wheel bias against them.

Many of the same casinos would move wheels around at night and/or ban suspected advantage gamblers. These moves proved mildly successful.

However, wheel bias experts still continued to make money. They often identified small marks or other imperfections in a wheel so they could recognize it later.

This way, they didnt need to worry if wheels switched places at night.

Casinos began to realize that they needed a more-permanent method of dealing with their problem. Some gambling establishments went to TSC Huxley in search of sturdier roulette wheels. The company granted their wishes by releasing the Starburst wheel.

Unlike the common all-wooden wheels at the time, Starburst wheels feature metal frets and pockets. These two changes reduce wear and tear on wheels and minimized bias.

TSC Huxleys designs have only gotten better since then. This company continues upgrading roulette wheels to make them last longer and be more resistant to bias.

Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo is the last person to become famous by beating roulette. If anybody has successfully used wheel bias since Pelayo did in the 1990s, then theyve done so discreetly.

Huxleys Starburst wheel marked the beginning of the end for roulette advantage players. Wheels are now much less likely to wear down thanks to the metal pockets and frets.

Im sure that somebody, somewhere effectively used wheel bias since Pelayo. If they did, though, then they either werent as successful or kept a low profile when doing so.

If you had a time machine, you could easily go back and beat roulette. Up until the 1980s and 90s, wheels were much more susceptible to bias.

However, this situation began changing when British casinos commissioned TCS John Huxley to design better roulette wheels.

The company came up with the Starburst wheel, which doesnt break down as easily as wooden wheels. Starburst and other variations are now common at many roulette tables worldwide.

Given the prevalence of Starburst wheels, youre unlikely to beat roulette today. Your only chance to win involves finding the rare casinos that still offer all-wooden wheels.

Of course, you could also try using a roulette computer. These wearable devices help you determine where the ball will land based on the balls and wheels velocity.

The big problem, though, is that roulette computers are outlawed in every gaming jurisdiction and you could get busted by the casinos for cheating.

Realistically, roulette is no longer beatable by legal means. The number of wheels that are susceptible to bias have been reduced drastically.

You could always wear a mini computer under your clothes to clock the wheels and balls velocity. Some companies even sell these computers online.

However, every jurisdiction has outlawed such devices. This means that you need to break the law to win with a computer.

Your only legal route for winning long-term roulette profits is to find an old wooden wheel. Unfortunately, such wheels are extremely rare these days.

You still have a decent chance to win with European roulette (2.70% house edge) or French roulette (1.35%). All you need is a little luck on your side. But the days of you being able to win millions of dollars with wheel bias appear to be gone.

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The problem of prediction in casino – fingerlakes1.com

Posted: at 6:57 am

Almost all gamblers believe that there is a system of signs that may show the way to the prize. They try to outsmart the casino by monitoring the games and making calculations whether their bet will be successful or not. If the player wants to win, he or she makes a prediction about the lucky number in roulette, slot machine, or dice game. Many players believe that there exists a lucky slot machine, roulette wheel, poker table or specific ritual that helps to win. In this article, we will discuss the problem of calculations and rituals aimed at predicting game outcomes in casinos.

Casinos cannot allow the players to take all the money they bet. Otherwise, they will not be able to pay their employees and cover the bills. It makes them introduce a house edge, which is an advantage that the casino takes of you in a long-term run. The house edge is established by the casino, making its complete bankruptcy impossible. Every time you win a prize, the establishment receives a certain percent back. The house edge is also relevant when it comes to digital casinos. Its size usually differs throughout various digital gambling platforms.

Surely, the existence of the house edge does not mean that you cannot win money while gambling at digital platforms. If you choose a casino properly, no house edge will spoil your experience. It is difficult to predict the amounts of money taken from you with the house edge, but you should definitely read relevant reviews about the chosen casino and its house edge practices. It will prepare you for either pleasant or unpleasant surprises. If you have certain expectations on the house edge, you will play much more conveniently.

Physical casinos apply mathematical calculations in order to ensure that the winnings will be distributed randomly. For example, slot machines have an inbuilt computer programmed to make random combinations. The casino achieves such a result due to the Random Number Generator, which provides the results of each bet. The program chooses the symbols and presents them on the screen. The casinos use the computer to generate random numbers, both winning and losing. In this way, they guarantee that one player will not take all the money, and everyone will get equal chances of winning.

Many experienced gamblers believe in different rituals that will help them to place a successful bet or choose a winning slot machine. They try to predict the future by relying on the signs that, according to their calculations, matter much. For example, the players who want to win in blackjack search for the dealers who fail several times in a row. Online players can choose a specific combination of symbols that they consider as winning. The most devoted enthusiasts even try to conduct mathematical calculations while observing the game.

Those who managed to win with the help of such an approach or probably with a mere luck may face the problem of withdrawing money or paying big fees. It is hard to choose a good online casino, but Fukurocasinos.com will help you by providing the best reviews of online gambling platforms that apply Venus Point Casino ( ) payment system. You will find useful information about the online casinos that use Venus Point, which as an important indicator of a casinos credibility. The reviews give you a chance to withdraw more money after you win in online games.

Those who prefer slot machines choose the one which provides frequent wins. It may seem that winning in such attractions completely depends on luck, but some payers have a different opinion. They spend time while other users play and observe the behavior of the device. People believe that if the machine lets the player win, then it is a lucky one. Some players developed a different approach. They think that if the machine is greedy for long time, it will soon give the user a desired jackpot. Such an approach is especially popular among some users of online casinos.

Each player has a different opinion based on his or her experience. In reality, their manipulations do not influence the way of the game. Nobody can make an accurate prediction because people dont know when they will have a lucky moment in life. Players think that fate gives them signs of future success, but casinos show that only a random mathematical principle measures losses and winnings. A program installed on the slot machine can either offer ten prizes in a row or do not allow the player to win money for dozens of minutes.

All our gambling predictions are often ruined by the rules of casinos. While making predictions on prizes, mind the house edge that works for physical and online casinos. When you are betting, the computer generates the numbers or symbols which are winning or losing, Everything depends on a random principle instead of specific winning schedules. If you are lucky, you have to be secure about the withdrawal of the prize, which means that you have to read reviews of online casinos that use Venus Point. Just remember that luck and rational betting strategies mean much more than predictions in gambling!

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