30 degrees this morning, no walk, 82% humidity
Perfect morning for a walk except for my “congestion”. So far it has not gone into a full-blown “cold” and I am trying to make sure it stays that way.
I didn’t realize until late in the day (November 26) marks a day of a significant sudden change in my life.
During a transition, especially a sudden transition , there are many “decision points” where a decision marks a major change in your life.
Hopefully we made the right decisions, something you never really know.
Read this morning about a scientist who performed “gene editing” to produce the first known “designer children” (actually twins in this case).
While the “edit” was actually to remove a gene (or whatever) that causes a “dread disease”, the project was universally condemned by other scientists.
Apparently there are many considerations. Of course there are the ethical considerations of interfering with the process of life.
Perhaps a consideration I hadn’t thought of before is that the “edited” children will basically change the human race when they have children, with unknown results that could have a significant impact. The key is the “unknown results” of interfering with nature.
I think the biggest problem is that the technology really can’t be controlled. As demonstrated currently, any incompetent, lying lunatic can be “elected” to a position where the technology could be misused and there is no control over the results, especially when the persons who could control the situation are cowards who are only interested in enriching themselves and staying in office.
One result of listening to the “Great Course” on biology, I am much more conscious of the significance of how life can change.
As I noted, even the “migration” of life forms (humans, animals etc.) to a new environment can have a significant affect on ultimate changes in life.
Like any technology, it seems there eventually is no control over whether the technology is used for good or evil purposes.
By chance, I also read the gist (although I didn’t read the story), of Edwin Musk proposing that humans “merge” with artificial intelligence. Supposedly this will be possible in the near future. I will need to read more on this.
Reading the two stories in the same day is rather surreal, since together they represent basic changes in the future of all of life and many unintended and unexpected results.
“In the field” yesterday. A little worried about it due to the extreme cold weather (for this area and time of year), but it worked out well. Today is a “office day”, so I will plan on staying warm!
That’s it for now, Tuesday, November 27, 2018
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