Wednesday, November 29, 2017

MLK in Happier Times

It is rare that we see pictures of the late, great MLK in a more jovial mood. Truth of the matter is that he was sort of a Good-Time-Charley when he wasn't busy confronting the ugly beast of bigotry.








Once again I am please to announce that this month I will be offering a FREE download of my 2 books: The Shaitan and The Hobo Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York.
Both ebooks are available online @ Smashword

With this announcement I am adding all the coupon information you will need to obtain your FREE copy of my books on the Smashword site in which this one month offering is being made available.

So get ready for this special treat and check it out as soon as you can! I also welcome any feedback from you the readers. You can contact me either via FaceBook or by email: lordlumiel@yahoo.com

Here are the instructions: Go to Smashword sites https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/573076 for The Shaitan and https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655627 for The
Hobob Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York.

Click on the "Buy with Coupon" button on the right, which takes you to another page. Click "Apply with Coupon" button on the bottom right and you are home free!

[In case you need it, the code for The Hobo Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York is: CD75W The code for The Shaitan is: BE23Z]

(If anyone has any trouble with this process, please notify me ASAP, either by FB or my email address: lordlumiel@yahoo.com)

Bon appetitto!

-Daniel Canada aka Obsidian


Friday, November 17, 2017

Is the Future of AI Safe?



Musk's Warning Sparks Call For Regulating Artificial Intelligence

July 19, 20177:01 AM ET

DAVE BLANCHARD



Artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to human civilization, Elon Musk (right) told the National Governors Association meeting Saturday in Providence, R.I.

Stephan Savoia/AP


Elon Musk is warning that artificial intelligence is a "fundamental existential risk for human civilization," and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is looking into how states can respond.


Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, made the remarks over the weekend at the National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island. He has long warned of the threats he believes artificial intelligence will pose, from automation to apocalypse. Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking and others have also sounded warnings over AI.





"Of all the things that I heard over this weekend with the National Governors Association, this was the one that I've spent more time thinking about," says Hickenlooper, a Democrat.

Not everyone at the NGA meeting received Musk's comments as warmly as Hickenlooper. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona told Musk: "As someone who's spent a lot of time in [my] administration trying to reduce and eliminate regulations, I was surprised by your suggestion to bring regulations before we know exactly what we're dealing with."



Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper suggests that governors need to work together on possible solutions to problems like the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence.

Brennan Linsley/AP


Other Silicon Valley thinkers are skeptical of Musk's doomsday prophesying. Yann LeCun, the head of AI at Facebook, told NPR's Aarti Shahani that humans are projecting when we predict Terminator-style robot takeovers. He says the "desire to dominate socially is not correlated with intelligence"; it's correlated with testosterone, "which AI systems won't have."

Hickenlooper spoke to NPR on Tuesday evening. Here are highlights from that interview.

Interview Highlights

On the mood in the room while Musk was speaking

You could have heard a pin drop. A couple of times he paused and it was totally silent. I felt like — I think a lot of us felt like — we were in the presence of Alexander Graham Bell or Thomas Alva Edison ... because he looks at things in such a different perspective.



On the threat that AI could pose

Right now we worry about cybersecurity and issues like that, but when you really have artificial intelligence at a great level, the weaponry and the ability to shut down whole parts of our cities, the ability to create such damage by turning off the electricity, or making sure there's no water ... everyone was spellbound — I mean no one knew what to say.

On when government needs to step in

Usually what happens is something gets a little out of hand and then government begins to regulate. And [Musk] said, in this case, with artificial intelligence we need to get the regulations out well ahead of the problems appearing. Because it's going to happen so quickly that we need to have that anticipation and be working on it, because once you get to regulating something, everyone's got a self-interest, and it means taking away something from somebody who's already got it.



On how states can tackle such a big problem

Oftentimes, I think with the really difficult problems — and we're trying to do this with health care now — is to look at getting a number of state governors, both Republicans and Democrats, to come together around a specific issue and what the possible solutions are and have the governors work through possible solutions, because so often we're the ones where the solution gets implemented.

Dave Blanchard is an editor with Morning Edition. You can follow him @blanchardd.


ALSO CHECK OUT MY 2 BOOKS “THE SHAITAN” & “HOBO HANDBOOK: MEMOIRS OF A HOMELESS POET IN NEW YORK” SOLD AT THESE LOCATIONS:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655627

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hobo-handbook-daniel-canada/1124340542?ean=2940153669205


They are not being sold on Amazon.com at this time.

To view a few sample pages or to purchase the books visit:

https://smashwords.com/books/view/573076  (Note: You must 1st remove “adult content” filter from top right hand corner of Smashword page to access the books, by clicking the “Adult Content” button before searching for the titles titles in search field).

If you want to view my Smashwords Author Profile visit:


You can also check out the comments I will be posting on these social media sites:


My Twitter account: https://twitter.com/lordlumiel
If you wish to shoot me a personal note, this is my email address: lordlumiel@yahoo.com





Thursday, November 16, 2017

FREE Book Campaign For the Month of November & December!

On a more positive note! Once again I am please to announce that this month I will be offering a FREE download of my 2 books: The Shaitan and The Hobo Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York.

Both ebooks are available online @ Smashword

With this announcement I am adding all the coupon information you will need to obtain your FREE copy of my books on the Smashword site in which this one month offering is being made available.

So get ready for this special treat and check it out as soon as you can! I also welcome any feedback from you the readers. You can contact me either via FaceBook or by email: lordlumiel@yahoo.com

Here are the instructions: Go to Smashword sites https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/573076 for The Shaitan and https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655627 for The
Hobob Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York.


Click on the "Buy with Coupon" button on the right, which takes you to another page. Click "Apply with Coupon" button on the bottom right and you are home free!

[In case you need it, the code for The Hobo Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York is: CD75W The code for The Shaitan is: BE23Z]

(If anyone has any trouble with this process, please notify me ASAP, either by FB or my email address: lordlumiel@yahoo.com)

Bon appetitto!


-Daniel Canada aka Obsidian


Wednesday, November 15, 2017

In Memory of Christain

Took me a long while to come to grips with the sudden death by suicide by my dear friend and "adopted" son, Christian Rattan," last month. So, i just wanted to post a picture of him and me when he was still alive, intelligent, handsome and vibrant. Rest in peace, Christian. I hope you are happier in death than you were in life.




Tuesday, November 07, 2017

November Free Book Campaign

Heads up, Everyone! 

I am please to announce that this month I will be offering a FREE download of my 2 books: The Shaitan and The Hobo Handbook: Memoirs of a Homeless Poet in New York.

Both ebooks are available online @ Smashword and Barnes and Noble.com

I will be making further announcements about obtaining Smashword coupons, so that you can download a free copy of my books. 

This offer will be only for the month of November. So get ready for this special treat and be sure to check it out! Here's the links:



https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655627

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hobo-handbook-daniel-canada/1124340542?ean=2940153669205


They are not being sold on Amazon.com at this time.

To view a few sample pages or to purchase the books visit:

https://smashwords.com/books/view/573076  (Note: You must 1st remove “adult content” filter from top right hand corner of Smashword page to access the books, by clicking the “Adult Content” button before searching for the titles titles in search field).

If you want to view my Smashwords Author Profile visit:


You can also check out the comments I will be posting on this blog site as well as these social media sites:

My Twitter account: https://twitter.com/lordlumiel
If you wish to shoot me a personal note, this is my email address: lordlumiel@yahoo.com



And I look forward to feedback from you the readers. Buon appetito!

-Daniel Canada aka Obsidian


Friday, November 03, 2017

Scared the BeJesus Outta Me!

Unarmed Russian Air Force jet overflies the Pentagon, Capitol, CIA
By Jon Ostrower, Peter Morris and Noah Gray, CNN
Updated 4:46 AM ET, Thu August 10, 2017




(CNN)An unarmed Russian Air Force aircraft overflew the US Capitol, the Pentagon, Central Intelligence Agency and Joint Base Andrews at low altitude on Wednesday as part of a longstanding treaty that allows the militaries of the United States and Russia to observe the other from the air, according to two people familiar with the
flight.

The flight was part of the Treaty on Open Skies, which allows military aircraft from the United States and Russia and other nations to fly aerial observation flights
to observe military sites of the 34 signatory nations.

The Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 on Wednesday afternoon passed at around 3,700 feet over downtown Washington and Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is based, according to tracking website Flightradar24.The jet is authorized to enter P-56, the highly secure airspace surrounding the White House.

What do Russians think about Trump? 02:16
A second flight by the same jet is planned for between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, when the Russian jet will overfly Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald
Trump is vacationing, according to two people familiar with the US government-approved flight.
close dialogue.

A law enforcement source told CNN that the plane also overflew Camp David, the presidential retreat in the Catoctin Mountains, the Trump National Golf Course in Virginia, and Mount Weather, one of the US government's secret relocation bunkers. United States Air Force personnel were on the flight and the aircraft is capable of a variety of intelligence gathering, one of the people said.

The Open Skies Treaty has been in effect since 2002 and over 1,200 flights have been conducted since, which contributes to verification of compliance with arms control agreements, according to the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency.Dan Gaffney, spokesman for the DTRA, declined to confirm the surveilled targets. The agency can only confirm specific locations once a mission is over.

"The treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants, regardless of size, a direct role in gathering information through aerial imaging on military forces and activities of concern to them," according to the State Department.Law enforcement agencies were given very little warning of these "short notice" flights, which are authorized by the treaty.  The Russian aircraft has the ability to perform a variety of intelligence gathering functions, including aerial photography, thermal imaging, and picking up signals intelligence.

According to the DTRA, Open Skies flights receive air traffic control priority and are closely coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration. The treaty flights are fairly common and the same Russian Air Force jet was spotted recently landing at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. The flight Wednesday is notable because of the high-profile nature of its surveillance targets in the nation's capital.

The US Capitol Police sent an alert regarding plans of an aircraft to overfly Washington between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday."The aircraft will be large and may fly directly over the US Capitol," according to the alert. "This flight will be monitored by the US Capitol Police Command Center and other federal government agencies."

The statement did not mention that the aircraft would be flown by the Russian Air Force.The Russian Embassy in the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



ALSO CHECK OUT MY 2 BOOKS “THE SHAITAN” & “HOBO HANDBOOK: MEMOIRS OF A HOMELESS POET IN NEW YORK” SOLD AT THESE LOCATIONS:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655627

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hobo-handbook-daniel-canada/1124340542?ean=2940153669205


They are not being sold on Amazon.com at this time.

To view a few sample pages or to purchase the books visit:

https://smashwords.com/books/view/573076  (Note: You must 1st remove “adult content” filter from top right hand corner of Smashword page to access the books, by clicking the “Adult Content” button before searching for the titles titles in search field).

If you want to view my Smashwords Author Profile visit:


You can also check out the comments I will be posting on these social media sites:


My Twitter account: https://twitter.com/lordlumiel
If you wish to shoot me a personal note, this is my email address: lordlumiel@yahoo.com