Coming Soon From the Air Force: Mind-Reading Drones

Wired/Danger Room
BY SPENCER ACKERMAN

Scientifically speaking, it’s only a matter of time before drones become self-aware and kill us all. Now the Air Force is hastening that day of reckoning.

Buried within a seemingly innocuous list of recent Air Force contract awards to small businesses are details of plans for robot planes that not only think, but anticipate the moves of human pilots. And you thought it was just the Navy that was bringing us to the brink of the drone apocalypse.

It all starts with a solution for a legitimate problem. It’s dangerous to fly and land drones at busy terminals. Manned airplanes can collide with drones, which may not be able to make quick course adjustments based on information from air traffic control as swiftly as a human pilot can. And getting air traffic control involved in the drones cuts against the desire for truly autonomous aircraft. What to do?

The answer: Design an algorithm that reads people’s minds. Or the next best thing — anticipates a pilot’s reaction to a drone flying too close.

Enter Soar Technology, a Michigan company that proposes to create something it calls “Explanation, Schemas, and Prediction for Recognition of Intent in the Terminal Area of Operations,” or ESPRIT. It’ll create a “Schema Engine” that uses “memory management, pattern matching, and goal-based reasoning” to infer the intentions of nearby aircraft.

Not presuming that every flight will go according to plan, the Schema Engine’s “cognitive explanation mechanism” will help the drone figure out if a pilot is flying erratically or out of control. The Air Force signed a contract Dec. 23 with Soar, whose representatives were not reachable for comment.

And Soar’s not the only one. California-based Stottler Henke Associates argues that one algorithm won’t get the job done. Its rival proposal, the Intelligent Pilot Intent Analysis System would “represent and execute expert pilot-reasoning processes to infer other pilots’ intents in the same way human pilots currently do.” The firm doesn’t say how its system will work, and it’s yet to return an inquiry seeking explanation. A different company, Barron Associates, wants to use sensors as well as algorithms to avoid collision.

And Stottler Henke is explicitly thinking about how to weaponize its mind-reading program. “Many of the pilot-intent-analysis techniques described are also applicable for determining illegal intent and are therefore directly applicable to finding terrorists and smugglers,” it told the Air Force. Boom: deal inked on Jan. 7.

Someone’s got to say it. Predicting a pilot’s intent might prevent collisions. But it can also neutralize a human counterattack. Or it can allow the drones’ armed cousins to mimic Israel in the Six Day War and blow up the manned aircraft on the tarmac. Coincidentally, according to the retcon in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, April 19, 2011 — today — is the day that Skynet goes online. Think about it.

The Air Force theorist Col. John Boyd created the concept of an “OODA Loop,” for “Observation, Orientation, Decision and Action” to guide pilots’ operations. Never would he have thought one of his loops would be designed into the artificial brain of an airborne robot.

What Orwell Didn't Know About Elitist 'Scum' Villages

Daily Bell

Amsterdam is to create "Scum villages" where nuisance neighbours and anti-social tenants will be exiled from the city and rehoused in caravans or containers with "minimal services" under constant police supervision. The plan echoes a proposal from Geert Wilders, the leader of a populist Dutch Right-wing party. Holland's capital already has a special hit squad of municipal officials to identify the worst offenders for a compulsory six month course in how to behave. – UK Telegraph

Dominant Social Theme: We need to be free of these thugs and thieves.

Free-Market Analysis: We've written many articles about the advent of private cities – run by multinationals in league with local or national governments.

But it never occurred to us that the elites organizing this particular form of infrastructure would provide us with the other side of the organized corporate city – the criminal city.

One can already hear the computers being revved up as a thousand science fiction books are soon to be churned out. Actually, "Escape From New York" already mined this particular meme.

We understand the larger dominant social theme, of course. The best and brightest live in special cities while the rest of us struggle to get by. A subdominant social theme would be that "some are deserving and others are not."

But now there are to be cities devoted specifically to have-nots – the socially maladroit. Let's wait and see how soon that definition changes. We will watch as the definitions change. Soon those who want different and freer societies will be targeted, in our view.

The initial social engineering is always justified to resolve the problems posed by a criminal element. But the target is inevitably those who oppose the enlargement of Leviathan. Consigned to a 21st century Hell, they will be attended to, guarded and watched over by the larger judicial system. Here's more from the article:

Social housing problem families or tenants who do not show an improvement or refuse to go to the special units face eviction and homelessness.

Eberhard van der Laan, Amsterdam's Labour mayor, has tabled the £810,000 plan to tackle 13,000 complaints of anti-social behaviour every year. He complained that long-term harassment often leads to law abiding tenants, rather than their nuisance neighbours, being driven out.

"This is the world turned upside down," the mayor said at the weekend.

The project also involves setting up a special hotline and system for victims to report their problems to the authorities.

The new punishment housing camps have been dubbed "scum villages" because the plan echoes a proposal from Geert Wilders, the leader of a populist Dutch Right-wing party, for special units to deal with persistent troublemakers.

"Repeat offenders should be forcibly removed from their neighbourhood and sent to a village for scum," he suggested last year. "Put all the trash together."

Whilst denying that the new projects would be punishment camps for "scum", a spokesman for the city mayor stressed that the special residential units would aim to enforce good behaviour.

"The aim is not to reward people who behave badly with a new five-room home with a south-facing garden. This is supposed to be a deterrent," he said.

We would expect no less from modern municipal planners. The article goes on to tell us that this project has already been tried out on a small scale using "10 shipping container homes ... The residents are under "24-hour supervision from social workers and police."

How this is different than an actual prison is hard to say, from our point of view. And how those who are pursuing the project are going to make it successful is hard to tell, as well.

After all, we learn, "In the 19th century, troublemakers were moved to special villages in Drenthe and Overijssel outside Amsterdam. The villages were rarely successful, becoming sink estates for the lawless."

That's no surprise and neither is a quote from the Mayor's office: "We have learned from the past. A neighbourhood can deal with one problem family but if there are more the situation escalates."

Yes, it is ever thus. The state uses force in order to "protect" the middle class. But really, no protection is ever intended. What are being set are precedents. And eventually these same precedents are to be used against the middle classes that believe their governments are working on their behalf.

They are not.

Governments are run these days by a power elite that is intent on creating world government. The sorts of social engineering schemes we are seeing nowadays just scratch the surface of what is to come.

The basic animating force is that people society favors will be rewarded. We see this already in the US, where "favored travelers" with security clearance are whisked through airports while those who are less "trusted" wait in line, stigmatized by the label of "potential terrorist."

But the future the power elite wants to create will be far more complex and subtle than this. It will also be all encompassing and brutal. The idea will be to create a permanent subclass of subservient humans who will be adept at producing the tools that global governance demands. The rest will struggle along in varying degrees of obscurity and desperation.

And those with the most imagination – the ones that are endlessly problematic for the top elites – will find themselves consigned to "scum" villages.

Conclusion: Orwell had no idea ...

Nowhere to Run or to Hide From the New Killer Robots

The Common Sense Show
by Dave Hodges

Gene Roddenberry’s production, Star Trek, demonstrated that there is a fine line between science fiction and science fact.

Who could forget the omnipresent tricorder, designed to ascertain, among other things, one’s health status? Today, we have portable and wireless medical imaging devices

Do you remember the Star Trek’s communication device? Compare this to a modern day cell phone

Moving along in science fiction movie history, take a look at the killer robot which appeared in the movie, Terminator.

Compare science fiction with DARPA’s science fact as killer robots have been unveiled.



The use of drones to kill suspected terrorists is controversial, but so long as a human being decides whether to fire the missile, it is not a radical shift in how humanity wages war. Since David killed Goliath, warring armies have sought ways to more effectively kill their enemies while protecting their troops.

However, a new innovation has come to the battlefield which is unparalleled in the art of war. It strongly appears that DARPA developed military robots have the capacity to identify and to attack enemy soldiers on the battlefield and decide on their own whether to go for the kill. Do the DARPA killer robots possess the capacity to hunt down a human being? View the following for the unquestionable answer to this question.

In 2010, an Air Force report speculated that with increased robot capabilities, the human soldier will be obsolete. The Defense Department road map for killer robot systems states that its final goal is the unsupervised ability for (killer robots) mechanical assets to carry out their specified missions. In other words, the world will witness entire units of killer robots carrying out their missions without any human oversight. Isn’t the next logical step for these totally independent killer robots to be devise their own mission goals? This brings into distinct real of possibility of a man vs. machine war in our future and it could very well transpire within our children’s lifespan. Science will inevitably pass the realm of science fiction.

Although the Pentagon still requires autonomous DARPA killer robots to maintain human oversight, the real advantage of such a weapons system would lie within the ability for the weapons systems to have the capacity to make judgments on the battlefield. This one principle runs contrary to maintaining human oversight. Soon, it is clear, that the DARPA killer robots will soon be operating autonomously.

With the advent of killer robots, an international killer robot arms race will take place resulting in future battles being fought between competing armies of AI robots. Will the rules of war apply? What about the Geneva Conventions? If a DARPA killer robot commits atrocities against humans, will it held accountable? Does accountability even matter to an inanimate object? So what if a robot is “put to death,” and a duplicate is constructed. Can science ever develop a conscience for a killer robot? And if the purpose for the killer robots is war, why would governments provide an ethics override mechanism?

Human soldiers (e.g. Gestapo) have been programmed to commit genocide. It is a far simpler task to program a robot to commit the act more efficiently and without any second thoughts. Dictators always face the threat of human insurrection against their tyranny. With an army of DARPA killer robots, the threat of a palace revolt would be removed. In fact, killer robots are a perfect choice to carry out Obama’s NDAA provisions for disappearing and murdering political dissidents. If a present or future American dictator wished to eliminate a class of people from society, Nazi style, the killer robots are the ideal selection due to the efficiency of this weapons system.

Fox News reported that Human Rights Watch is advocating for a ban on these artificial weapons systems. I believe that humanity has more to fear from DARPA killer robots than creating an unethical and brutal army and/or tyrannical police force. When considering the principle of Moore’s Law, in which computer capacity doubles every 18 months, how long will it be until these machines will develop the capacity to stop following orders and begin to make their own decisions? And what if in their new found decision making process, the DARPA killer robots stop viewing “foreign robots” as the enemy and begin to focus on man as their new enemy? Since their prime directive is killing, how long would it take until humans become the most endangered species on the planet? Perhaps the DARPA killer robots will create an Agenda 21 style of a human “Wildlands/Human Refuge Zone” creation, which will prevent robot intrusion into protected human habitats, except, of course, during hunting season.

The 'scum villages' of Amsterdam: City plans to rehouse anti-social neighbours in caravans under constant police watch

Daily Mail

Nuisance neighbours in Amsterdam will be exiled from the city and rehoused in 'scum villages' made up of caravans or containers under constant police supervision.

Holland's capital already has a special hit squad of municipal officials to identify the worst offenders for a compulsory six month course in how to behave.

Social housing problem families or tenants who do not show an improvement or refuse to go to the special units face eviction and homelessness.

Eberhard van der Laan, Amsterdam's Labour mayor, has tabled the £810,000 plan to tackle 13,000 complaints of anti-social behaviour every year.

He complained that long-term harassment often leads to law abiding tenants, rather than their nuisance neighbours, being driven out, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The project also involves setting up a special hotline and system for victims to report their problems to the authorities.

The new punishment housing camps have been dubbed 'scum villages' because the plan echoes a proposal from Geert Wilders, the leader of a populist Dutch Right-wing party, for special units to deal with persistent troublemakers.

'Repeat offenders should be forcibly removed from their neighbourhood and sent to a village for scum,' he suggested last year. 'Put all the trash together.'

Whilst denying that the new projects would be punishment camps for 'scum', a spokesman for the city mayor stressed that the special residential units would aim to enforce good behaviour.

'The aim is not to reward people who behave badly with a new five-room home with a south-facing garden. This is supposed to be a deterrent,' he said.

The tough approach taken by Mr van der Laan appears to jar with Amsterdam's famous tolerance for prostitution and soft drugs but reflects hardening attitudes to routine anti-social behaviour that falls short of criminality.

There are already several small-scale trial projects in the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam, where 10 shipping container homes have been set aside for persistent offenders, living under 24-hour supervision from social workers and police.

Under the new policy, from January next year, victims will no longer have to move to escape their tormentors, who will be moved to the new units.

A team of district 'harassment directors' have already been appointed to spot signals of problems and to gather reports of nuisance tenants.

Mind Mangement: Researchers Explore New Ways to Influence Minds

Positive Futurist
by Dick Pelletier

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to understand the science behind what makes people violent, and then find ways to hijack their minds by implanting false, but believable stories in their brains, with hopes of evoking peaceful thoughts: We’re friends, not enemies.

Critics say this raises ethical issues such as those addressed in the 1971 sci-fi movie, A Clockwork Orange, which attempted to change people’s minds so that they didn’t want to kill anymore.

Advocates, however, believe that placing new plausible narratives directly into the minds of radicals, insurgents, and terrorists, could transform enemies into kinder, gentler citizens, craving friendship.

Scientists have known for some time that narratives; an account of a sequence of events that are usually in chronological order; hold powerful sway over the human mind, shaping a person’s notion of groups and identities; even inspiring them to commit violence. See DARPA proposal request HERE.

In another area of mind management, some believe we should focus on genetic components. Scientists at the University of Buffalo recently surveyed DNA from 711 subjects and discovered what they refer to as the ‘niceness gene’, a gene that dictates whether people will be nice or are prone to antisocial behavior.

Contrary to popular knowledge, being kind to others may not be something that we can only learn about from those who raised us. It seems some people are simply born ‘nice’, and others, nasty.

Researchers found that people who see the world as a ‘threatening’ place were less likely to help others – unless they had versions of the receptor genes that are generally associated with niceness.

Today, scientists have yet to master the ability to change this genetic programming, but by the 2030s, many predict that modifying these genes (with patient approval, of course) will become routine.

Others say mind management with drugs offers the best solutions. This science could reform criminals more efficiently than a jail sentence. However, many ask how ethical is it to interfere with people’s minds?

In their recent ground-breaking book, Enhancing Human Capacities, co-authors Julian Savulescu, Ruud ter Meulen, and Guy Kahane explore how society will benefit when we use technology to alter moods, boost memory, and increase intelligence levels; along with the ethical concerns these technologies raise.

Kahane says scientists are discovering new behavior-altering procedures that make us more likeable, sociable; open to other people’s views; and will curb many of our desires for vengeance and violence.

Drugs that affect our moral thinking and behavior already exist, but we tend not to think of them in that way. Prozac lowers aggression and bitterness, making people more agreeable. Oxytocin increases feelings of social bonding and empathy while reducing anxiety.

Some question, though, whether society will want a pill that would make them morally better. Being more trusting, nicer, and less aggressive could make people more vulnerable to exploitation.

However, proponents believe the benefits are too important to ignore. Pursuing all of the technologies mentioned in this article holds great promise to curb crime and violence worldwide, improve personal and career relationships, and raise happiness levels everywhere.

In another area of the behavior-altering arena, memory-management drugs are about to take center stage. Data experts at Memory Pharmaceuticals, a leading New Jersey drug information firm, believe researchers will soon develop drugs that will dim, or permanently erase traumatic memories.

An even more radical technology, downloading knowledge directly into our brains will be possible in the 2030s, says Georgia Tech graduate student Peter Passaro. Mind-machine interfaces will allow us to receive data in our brain, immediately convert it to memory; bypassing the need to learn the information.

Clearly, the road to mind management science winds around unknown turns, but this forward-thinker believes the overwhelming benefits of reducing violence and criminal acts will push this bold idea forward as we move further into what promises to become an incredible 21st century future.

The Night Dad Went To Jail: Shocking children's book explains what happens when a family member gets arrested

Daily Mail

A shocking new children's book aims to help children cope with a parent being arrested and thrown in jail. 'The Night Dad Went to Jail: What to Expect When Someone You Love Goes to Jail' follows a young rabbit as his father is arrested at their house in front of the neighbors and sentenced to six years in prison.

It offers tips for dealing with the hardship of losing a parent for many years and an explanation of what to expect as a mother or father going through the legal process.

Sketch, a young rabbit, recounts his first-hand experience of witnessing his father’s arrest in their home and shares his lingering confusion.

'We were at Dad's apartment the night the police came. Lights flashed. Neighbors stared. The officers put my dad in handcuffs,' the young rabbit recounts with a drawing of the potentially highly traumatic scene for a child to experience.

'Your dad may have broken a law,' a furry police officer addresses the three children after taking their father away. 'We need to ask him some questions at the police station.'

The book follows young Sketch as he experiences confusion and even anger at his father being hauled away to jail.

It also provides comprehensive footnotes for children to better understand what their locked-up loved ones are going through.

'Laws are rules that tell people how they should behave. When people break a law, they may be put in jail or prison. They have to stay there for a period of time. How long depends upon what law they broke,' one such footnote tells.

Eventually Sketch and his siblings visit their father in jail where he apologizes for what has happened and admits having made mistakes.

'I hope you'll forgive me,' the boy's father tells him from the other side of a glass wall.

Sketch cannot think of anything to say back to his father.

The book explains that this is normal - and suggests talking about school or everyday life instead.

'Dad's sentence is for six years. That's a long time to wait to go fishing again. I'm still a little angry. But I'm working on forgiving my dad because I love him,' Sketch later says in the book while recalling their better days together.

'When someone you love goes to jail, you might feel lost, scared, and even mad. What do you do? No matter who your loved one is, this story can help you through the tough times,' the book describes its purpose.

Since its publication in August of 2011, the book has received wide acclaim by readers on Amazon.com who write having used it personally to bridge their own personal strife.

'I was pleased to see that this book has child-friendly drawings that my son was able to enjoy. I like how it explains the process in simple ways that a child would understand and it has been very helpful with my son in our current situation. Very useful and colorful,' one reader writes.

'If you ever have a family member go to jail, this is the book to buy. It explains the situation in a way children can understand,' another agrees.

Additional books by the author, Melissa Higgins, include Weekends with Dad: What to Expect When Your Parents Divorce.