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Category Archives: Transhuman News

Sedition blitz will lead to self-censorship in universities, warn academics

Posted: September 25, 2014 at 11:41 am

(September 25): Putrajaya's sedition blitz, which included charging a law lecturer, has created a climate of fear which will lead to self-censorship among academics and students in institutions of higher learning, a forum on academic freedom was told last night.

If the fear continues, it will be an unhealthy development which will further cripple the roles of universities as a place to cultivate critical thinking, debate and feedback, said academics at the forum at Universiti Malaya.

Political economist Professor Dr Edmund Terence Gomez said academics and students should not succumb to the government's ongoing sedition spree by self-censoring their expressions.

"I am concerned with the stifling of academic freedom which will lead to self-censorship and that is not the way to run a university and debate ideas," he said.

Gomez's colleague, law lecturer Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom, was recently charged under the Sedition Act for commenting on what had happened in Perak in the 2009 constitutional crisis a move that sent shockwaves through the academia and legal fraternities.

Azmi joined a slew of individuals, including opposition politicians, activists, a lawyer, a journalist as well as two Muslim ulama who have either been charged with sedition, are facing trial or being investigated.

Gomez said there should be concrete action such as creating awareness by shining the international spotlight on the current sedition blitz.

"If we continue to sit back and let it be, then the university is finished. If we keep quiet, we can expect more of this to continue.

"If we mount a campaign, the government will sit up and take notice. We need to take this out to the international domain. Once it goes international, the government will be concerned because no one wants this kind of publicity," he said.

The academician with Malaysia's oldest university said academics and students must be given a free rein to discuss problems because universities have always been recognised as a safe place to debate and discuss ideas.

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Join the discussion: How libertarian is Utah?

Posted: at 11:41 am

In this Jan. 28, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns in Freeport, Maine.

Robert F. Bukaty, Associated Press

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After years of political obscurity, libertarianism is finally having its day, at least according to The New York Times Robert Draper.

Libertarians, who long have relished their role as acerbic sideline critics of American political theater, now find themselves and their movement thrust into the middle of it, he wrote as part of the August cover for The New York Times Magazine.

According to Draper, shifting attitudes toward issues such as same-sex marriage, government surveillance, marijuana decriminalization, foreign intervention, military spending (though, attitudes seem to be swinging back toward interventionism in the weeks since Drapers article) and even reduced sentencing for minor drug offenders prove that the ideology once reserved primarily for third parties is emerging as a major force in American politics.

But while Drapers story focuses almost exclusively on the trends of national politics, as Tip O'Neill famously said, all politics is local. So whether or not Drapers assessment of the Libertarian Moment is correct (The Atlantics David Frum certainly doesnt think so), its worth considering the prospects of libertarianism in the state of Utah.

Regional politics

As far as definitions are concerned, libertarianism is typically understood to be the belief that government should interfere as little as possible in the lives of citizens. As an ideology, libertarianism can manifest itself in more organized capacities for example, an official Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 or as simply an ideological leaning within either of the existing major parties. Either way, those who claim libertarianism in either form are often uncomfortable with increased federal or state power, and hold self governance up as the standard for societal success.

In many ways, Utah seems like a prime state to accept a place in Drapers emerging libertarian America. In a 2013 article by The Washington Posts Reid Wilson, historian Colin Woodard outlined what he thought to be 11 American nations identified according to the unique political landscapes of all the major regions in America. The far West, according to Woodard, encompasses the Great Plains and the Mountain West, which includes Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana, as well as much of Colorado, Washington, California, New Mexico, the Dakotas and Nebraska.

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Join the discussion: How libertarian is Utah?

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Conservative Libertarianism & the Transformation of First Amendment Jurisprudence – Video

Posted: at 11:41 am


Conservative Libertarianism the Transformation of First Amendment Jurisprudence
In observance of Constitution Day 2014, Professor Steven Heyman presented a lecture on the impact of conservative libertarian ideology on the First Amendment...

By: IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law

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Conservative Libertarianism & the Transformation of First Amendment Jurisprudence - Video

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I'm Jason Silva, Host Of BrainGames, And This Is How I Work

Posted: at 11:40 am

Jason Silva is hard to put a label on hes been called a futurist, an idea DJ and a performance philosopher. His popular video series Shots of Awe is a cinematic exploration of science and philosophy, and he also hosts the National Geographic Channels BrainGames.

Theres no doubt Jason has eclectic ideals and aspirations and a unique career path; how has he gone about achieving his diverse accomplishments? We caught up with Jason to learn about his background, his methodology and how he works.

Location: NYC / SF / London / Amsterdam and sometimes Miami. Current Gig: Host of BrainGames TV series on Nat Geo and creator/narrator of Shots of Awe web series / global keynote speaker / futurist One word that best describes how you work: Cognitive ecstasy Current mobile device: iPhone Current computer: MacBook Pro

People started calling me a futurist because I make a lot of content about the idea of the technological singularity where I echo people like Ray Kurzweil and Kevin Kellys ideas about technology and innovation and self organisation. I sort of describe my work as digital DJing because I recombine existing ideas into new modalities of expression, hopefully introducing new audiences to this mind bending stuff.

iTunes for musical inspiration, YouTube and Vimeo for video content and Twitter for serendipitous idea finding.

YouTube is ubiquitous, so a presence there is a must. Vimeo is a more curated audience of artists and designers, so you reach like minds easier. Its nice to be on both platforms when possible.

Carefully considering who to follow is a kind of anticipated serendipity. Using other minds as content filters means that your Twitter stream becomes a digital trail of where these peoples minds have been. You get a glimpse into their wanderings. You also benefit from the shared cognitive bandwidth of many brilliant minds sharing the labour of filtering the endless stream of media for you. And you take the leap of faith that if these people have impressed you with their thinking before, they will do so again through their choice of tweets.

Laptop / music / ultra mobile / hotel rooms. I work out of wherever I am.

Mediocre hotel Wi-Fi can definitely be an issue. I have a laptop connect card just in case that can connect via AT&Ts LTE signal. When travelling internationally you can always depend on the cafe culture to provide ample spaces to sit and people watch and let the wind wander between flurries of email. When shooting Shots of Awe we usually book a place that offers a sense of being somewhere else. My favourite place to shoot Shots of Awe is Amsterdam. The Dutch seem to really have a work/life balance and I love their bicycle universe. AirBNB has transformed travel as well, and those apartments always have great Wi-Fi.

Get enough sleep! You function much better and more efficiently if youre rested.

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I'm Jason Silva, Host Of BrainGames, And This Is How I Work

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ISS Astronaut Helps Make a Difference from space – Video

Posted: September 24, 2014 at 4:45 pm


ISS Astronaut Helps Make a Difference from space
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 41 Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman of NASA discussed his social media activities and research on the orbital outpost with NBC Nightly News during...

By: NASA

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ISS Astronaut Helps Make a Difference from space - Video

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First 3D printer that works in zero gravity set to launch – Video

Posted: at 4:45 pm


First 3D printer that works in zero gravity set to launch
http://cnet.co/1riGe05 Silicon Valley startup Made In Space shoots for the moon with a 3D printer that #39;s heading for the International Space Station. CNET #39;s Sumi Das explains how this could...

By: CNET

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First 3D printer that works in zero gravity set to launch - Video

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SpaceX cargo ship heads to ISS with NASA supplies – Video

Posted: at 4:45 pm


SpaceX cargo ship heads to ISS with NASA supplies
The SpaceX cargo ship has begun its journey to the International Space Station (ISS), delivering more than 5000 pounds of space supplies for NASA. The unmanned Dragon capsule is expected...

By: euronews (in English)

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Star Citizen Sunday – EVA Interactions, Space Station Battles & Ubles More – Video

Posted: at 4:45 pm


Star Citizen Sunday - EVA Interactions, Space Station Battles Ubles More
Keep up with all the news over the past week from CIG #39;s upcoming epic space sim, Star Citizen. In this weeks episode, we hear about 0 grav #39; interactions, PvP...

By: SuperMacBrothers

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Star Citizen Sunday - EVA Interactions, Space Station Battles & Ubles More - Video

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Space Station 76 – Trailer – Video

Posted: at 4:45 pm


Space Station 76 - Trailer
Welcome to a 1970s #39; version of the future, where the pants are wide, the music is groovy, and the new frontier is interplanetary. When a new assistant captai...

By: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment UK

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Space Station 76 - Trailer - Video

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SpaceX blasts 3D printer to International Space Station – Video

Posted: at 4:45 pm


SpaceX blasts 3D printer to International Space Station
A SpaceX cargo ship rocketed towards the International Space Station on Sunday, carrying the first 3D printer for astronauts in orbit. SpaceX launched its un...

By: The Telegraph

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