The problem of Consciousness and the Singularity

I've put a talk together on consciousness & individuality : what these concepts are and how technology will impact them

The Problem of Consciousness and the Singularity from Stefan van der Wel

Bostom bombers radicalisation memetic cook book

I've been following the boston bombers with great interest.

Stratfor is of the opinion that Inspire magazine helped radicalise Tamerlan as well as give him the knowledge for creating rudimentary explosive devices.


First off, what do I mean about radicalisation in the context of terrorism. Well fundamentally it's about using a person to carry out terror by indoctrinating them into believing it is a righteous cause worth dying for. They are a pawn, or to use Dan Dennett's excellent example an ant:

Dennett's analogy talks about the



Is there anything that can be done about Internet-enabled radicalization?
Authorities assessing the motivations of the bombing suspects appear convinced that Tamerlan and his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were self-radicalized, “lone wolf” terrorists. Just as they may have gotten their recipe for pressure-cooker bombs from the Internet, so, too, it looks as if they entered cyberspace to indoctrinate themselves with ideas that justified blowing up innocent people.




The obscure Russian jihadist whom Tamerlan Tsarnaev followed online
To summarise, he was a nobody terrorist fighting for Dagastani independence from Russia who put out a few youtube videos

The boston bombings give an interesting insight into islamic radicalisation without any exposure to external networks

Timerlan the older brother had been watching radical preachers who were talking about the need for non-arabs to be warriors for allah.

he is named after a non-arab warrior who ruled a great muslim empire which included chechnea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Timurid_Dynasty_821_-_873_(AH).png


http://blackflags1.blogspot.com.au/

kyrgyzstan


A YouTube account that appears to have been run by Tsarnaev includes a playlist devoted to "terrorism", including one video in English titled The Emergence of Prophecy: The Black Flags from Khorasan. He also maintained a playlist devoted to Islam and one devoted to Timur Mutsuraev, a Chechen singer who sang of the republic's battle for freedom from Russia.


http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/19/relatives-marathon-bombing-suspects-worried-that-older-brother-was-corrupting-sweet-younger-sibling/UCYHkiP9nfsjAtMjJPWJJL/story.html

timerlan

radicalisation

terror


Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya, The I.D. Forger: Homemade Birth Certificates & ​Other Documents Explained, and How to Win Friends & Influ​ence People, among other works:



latest stratfor - CIA funded radicalisation of tamerlan?
http://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical-diary/izvestias-report-and-boston-bombing

http://www.infowars.com/tamerlan-tsarnaev-attended-cia-sponsored-workshop/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/04/24/the-obscure-russian-jihadist-whom-tamerlan-tsarnaev-followed-online/



stratfor on bombing and inspire magazine


inspire magazine


memetics

dennet on dangerous ideas


kids = ant all terrain vehicle

Letting future self have more say on decisions

After having two nights out drinking last week I have question: How do I let future me have more input into decisions present me makes? Apps, behaviour modification, etc. Our brains have evolutionary survival feedback mechanisms which are obsolete and somehow need to be overcome / hijacked.

Brainstorming I can think plan and review calendar for work but coming up short on finances and health. Finances you have "you have spent X" notifications, health you can have a "go for a run" notifications which are pretty primitive.

What I'm kind of thinking you need is a C3PO whispering in your ear a predictive behaviour outcome feedback... e.g. your google maps location shows an 80% probability that you are walking to a bar. Given it's a Tuesday you are likely to consume >5 drinks which will likely mean you will carbload and skip exercise for 4 days. This means in 1 week you will be X kg heavier and your like expectancy will have decreased by X days. A more medium long term feedback would be: given you are entering a bar towards the end of a 16 day period not going to a bar, you are at risk of not completing a 21 day behaviour modification of reducing bar attendance which will lead to a projected uplift of bar attendance events of X per year, leading to a projected.... you get the point.