Brent Kearney

Last year I wrote about Plasma Arc Waste Disposal, which converts waste to energy for large cities. I asked Plasco whether they plan on scaling down the technology to handle smaller municipalities, and as I recall, their reply was essentially: not for awhile.

At least one company has developed technology to convert garbage to energy on a smaller scale. IST Energy’s Green Energy Machine (GEM) is an affordable trash-to-energy conversion system suitable for operations such as office complexes, hotels, malls, restaurants, college/university campuses.

Priced at $850,000 USD, GEM converts up to 3 tons per day of consumer and industrial trash — paper, wood, plastic, food, agricultural waste — into usable electric energy. According to the company, the GEM system uses only 10% of the energy that it produces. It generates 40 kWe of electricity and 187 kWth of heat per day.

Aside from the huge benefit of waste elimination, the heat and energy production could dramatically reduce energy bills, especially in cold environments like Canada. According to the company, these cost reductions should pay for the initial investment in 3 to 4 years.

Although the GEM system does emit CO2, when compared to traditional landfill waste disposal, there is a large net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. With new, more aggressive CO2 reductions targets for many governments, this technology could be an easy fix to reduce some of the pressure they face.

The technological singularity is a point in time when a self-aware artificial intelligence (AI) recursively increases its own intelligence, leading to an “intelligence explosion” of unimaginable scale. Some people consider this project to be the fastest way, perhaps even the only way, for us to solve our most serious problems. As a species, we may not be smart enough to solve the big problems of the human condition, such as war, psychopathy, environmental sustainability, etc., so the idea is to create “super intelligences” that will show us how to fix the potentially civilization-destroying problems we face.

Much of the thinking and effort into strong AI development concerns the obvious risk of the project — how do we ensure that the resulting super-intelligence will be friendly? Or, as Johnathan Goldstein puts it in his interview with AI and robotics researcher Professor Noel Sharkey:

… twenty years from now, you think it’s more likely that a robot will be changing my bedpans than chasing me down the street, with lasers coming out of it’s eyes?

Dr. Sharkey thought that the latter scenario would be very unlikely.

There is another aspect of this super intelligence project that seems to get little mention, at least in the popular literature: what will it be like for them? Will the AIs be able to communicate with us, or for them, would it be like trying to explain calculus to a pigeon? How long will they try before giving up, if indeed at all?

That idea is artfully expressed in the following little piece of creative genius. It is from one of my favorite podcasts, CBC’s Wiretap, with Jonathan Goldstein. This is from the November 21st episode, The Answering Machine, where Goldstein played a reading of “Spirals”, a short story from David Eagleman:

I highly recommend that you listen to the whole episode, which includes the interview with Professor Sharkey and other humourous AI-related material. You can get it here, or in iTunes.

I’ll be attending the Humanity+ Summit next weekend, where one of the leading proponents of strong AI, Ben Goertzel, is speaking. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to ask him about how communication with a super-intelligence will be possible, given the gap.

Throughout the summer of 2009, FastForward Radio did a special series that they called A World Transformed, which provided an overview of the emerging technologies that are poised to radically transform our societies and ourselves in ways that are hardly imaginable. Although the audio sometimes sounds like they’re speaking through a plastic bag into a tin can attached by a string, from the bottom of a well, the interviews with some of the most knowledgeable people in the world on these topics makes listening very worthwhile.

If you’re interested in learning about some exciting developments in science & technology, then I highly recommend that you listen to these podcasts — they’ll blow your mind:

• Part 2: The Era of Indefinite Lifespan
  

  Visionary aging researchers and best-selling authors Aubrey de Grey (Ending Aging) and Terry Grossman (The Baby-Boomer’s Guide to Living Forever, Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever) explain how indefinite healthy extension of human lifespan is not only possible, but may well soon be within our grasp.

• Part 3: The Nanotechnology Revolution
  

  Nanotechnology promises to change our world in ways that are difficult to predict, or even imagine. Are you ready for:

  …Star Trek style replicators that would allow you to make anything, ANYTHING, you wanted?

  …artificial robotic blood cells that will turn an Average Joe into a world-class athlete, or allow you to hold your breath under water for an hour at a time?

  Nanotechnology promises all of this plus a lot more. We’re joined by a distinguished panel of guests who will help us understand the benefits, and risks, of this technology that will be with us sooner than most of us expect.

• Part 5: Achieving Friendly Artificial Intelligence
  

  In the near future, is machine intelligence going to equal or overtake human intelligence in terms of speed and capability?

  If so, what can we do to make sure these new intelligences are on our side?

• Part 9: The Technological Singularity
  

  Ray Kurzweil has been described as “the restless genius” by the Wall Street Journal, and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes magazine. Inc. magazine ranked him #8 among entrepreneurs in the United States, calling him the “rightful heir to Thomas Edison.” He is a man who wears many hats — businessman, inventor, artist, visionary, and bestselling author. With his book The Singularity Is Near he has probably done more than anyone else to alert the the public as to the amazing period of transformation in which we now live.

I have picked out what I thought were the best of the 10ish podcasts that make up The Speculist’s The World Transformed series, but by all means, check out the full series at their website. Thank you very much, Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon, for putting together this fantastic series to raise awareness and encourage discussion about the promise and peril we face in times ahead.

Here I hope to help alleviate the confusion that some iPhone 3GS owners have about jailbreaking and unlocking their phones. This article pertains to the iPhone 3GS only. The iPhone 3GS is the one that came out in the summer of 2009. These instructions do not pertain to other models of iPhones. For other models, I recommend the tutorials at iClarified.

This whole process is thanks to the efforts of the group of hackers who call themselves the iPhone Dev Team. These guys volunteer hundreds of hours of their time so that iPhone owners around the world can make full use of their phones. They are the Mother Theresas of iPhones. They are awesome.

What does “Jailbreaking” do?

Jailbreaking allows you to install software on your iPhone that was not approved by Apple and is thus not available in the App Store.

It also allows for a vast range of customizations to your iPhone, allowing you to make full use of your device. Jailbreaking is a prerequisite to “unlock” your iPhone.

What is “Unlocking”?

Unlocking refers to removing the restriction on your iPhone that limits it to a particular cellular service provider (a.k.a. “carrier”). For example, if you buy an iPhone from AT&T, you won’t be able to subsequently switch to a different (GSM) service provider, unless your iPhone is unlocked.

Being able to switch carriers is very useful if you travel, because you can then buy a pay-as-you-go or prepaid SIM card at your new destination, and put it into your iPhone for local service, at local rates. This is usually far cheaper than incurring roaming charges from your provider at home.

Do NOT upgrade to iPhone OS 3.1, Yet

You can find out what version of iPhone OS you have by going to Settings -> General -> Version on your iPhone. If you buy a new iPhone today, it probably came with version 3.0 or 3.0.1. Leave it that way. Do not click the “Download and Update” button that iTunes prompts you for the first time that you plug the phone into your computer.

To unlock your iPhone 3GS, you need iPhone OS version 3.0 or 3.0.1; you must never have installed version 3.1 from Apple. If you have, at any time, updated to version 3.1 via an official release from Apple, then you cannot jailbreak or unlock your phone until some indefinite time in the future.

If you installed the official iPhone OS version 3.1, you will have to wait for someone to discover a new software bug that will allow for jailbreaking and unlocking. One may never be discovered. One might be discovered tomorrow. Nobody knows.

Step One: iPhone 3GS Jailbreak

Assuming that you have an iPhone 3GS with OS version 3.0 or 3.0.1:

1. Download the iPhone 3.0 firmware from Apple. You’ll find links to all firmwares here.
2. Download redsn0w from the DevTeam. Download links are near the bottom of the article.
3. Open redsn0w, click the Browse button, locate the iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw file, and click the Open button.
4. Click the Next button in redsn0w. It will prepare the jailbreak, then ask if you’d like Cydia and/or Icy installed. Select at least Cydia, and click Next.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions (turn off your phone, etc). It will say “Done!” before the process is actually finished. Watch your phone, and do not disconnect it from your computer.

Your phone is now jailbroken, but still not unlocked. If you had OS version 3.0.1, you will still have version 3.0.1, only now it also has the Cydia App installed.

Step Two: Unlock Your iPhone 3GS

1. Now that you’ve jailbroken your iPhone, you should see that the Cydia App has been added to your screen. Start it. The first time you start Cydia, it will do some “rearranging”, and restart the springboard, causing your iPhone’s screen to lock.
2. Unlock your screen, and start Cydia. At this point, it is a good idea to update any packages that need updating (it should tell you if there are available updates). After updating, Cydia will quit again.
3. Start Cydia again, and click the Search icon in the bottom-right corner. Search for “ultrasn”. The 3rd match should be “ultrasn0w”. Select it, and click Install. It will present a Reboot button after installing. Click the Reboot button.

Your iPhone should now be unlocked, and you can use it with any SIM card. Happy traveling! :)

New! Upgrade to iPhone OS 3.1

As of October 2nd, 2009, the DevTeam gave us the gift of PwnageTool 3.1.3, which allows you to create a hacked 3.1 firmware for jailbroken iPhones. Note that if you already have 3.1 installed, and it isn’t jailbroken, this is not for you. Re-read the “Do NOT upgrade to iPhone OS 3.1, Yet” section, above.

If you have already jailbroken your iPhone, the new PwnageTool allows you to upgrade to 3.1 safely, maintaining your jailbreak and carrier unlock.

iClarified has posted a tutorial on how to do this here.

Newer! iPhone OS 3.1.2

On October 8th, Apple released version 3.1.2 of iPhone OS. The DevTeam says:

If you care about your jailbreak and unlock, don’t update your device – 3G and 3G(S) owners should pay particular attention to this warning.

* PwnageTool and redsn0w are not yet compatible with 3.1.2
* There is no estimated release time for compatible tools (please don’t bug us about this).

Newest! iPhone OS 3.1 is cracked!

October 13th, 2009, the DevTeam has released PwnageTool version 3.1.4. The new version allows for unlocking version 3.1, making much of what I said in this article obsolete.

It also allows for updating to version 3.1.2 on your already jailbroken iPhone. Get it and read all of the details here.

This recipe is reverse-engineered from Anahata Foods’ Godess Bars, one of my favourites. This is not their exact recipe, it’s my version of it.

Start by stirring these dry ingredients in a mixing bowl:

• ¼ cup sunflower seeds, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup finely chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2½ tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 tsp greens concentrate powder
• 1½ tbsp unsulphured (grated) coconut
• 1 tsp matcha green tea
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 2 tbsp unsweetened carob chips

Add the sticky ingredients next, and stir:

• ½ tbsp brown rice syrup
• 3 tbsp almond butter
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp tahini

Once thoroughly mixed, empty the bowl onto a cutting board or other flat surface. Use another flat object — I used the side of a broad kitchen knife — to squish the pile of green goodness until it’s about 1cm thick. Form it into a rectangle, then cut it into bar-sized pieces as desired. Wrap them in cellophane or wax paper.

Enjoy!