Egoplex.com || By J.M. Berger

Optimized for Firefox, 1024x768 or better...

The Interrogation of Detainee 63

My third show for The Connection covered a recent report detailing the interrogation of the alleged "20th hijacker" at Guantanamo Bay:

It seems every day brings some new revelation about how the U.S. is treating prisoners in its "War on Terror."

At first blush, the "interrogation log" from Guantanamo published this week in Time Magazine might sound like more of the same. We have read stories about sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, and forced standing before. But this time it's different. The government disavowed the abuses at Abu Ghraib. But in this case, the Pentagon says the interrogation of Mohammed al-Qhatani falls within accepted U.S. policy.

The Pentagon also claims that al-Qhatani was supposed to be the 20th hijacker and therefore says his treatment fits his profile as a "high-value" prisoner. Others say it goes against the Administration's promise of "humane" treatment for all.

Listen to the show here. I'll be back at the Connection starting in July, so look for more updates then.

I've also written several new Rotten Library entries, including some fun topics that really interested me when writing them. Once they're posted, I will list them here as usual.

Posted by J.M. Berger || Permalink

0 Comments:

Thursday, June 23, 2005

The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

My second show for The Connection was a free-wheeling, mind-bending conversation about whether (or rather when) artificial intelligences will reach a level of complexity and sophistication that requires us humans to acknowledge their worth as "persons" (more or less).

Next month, IBM is set to activate the most ambitious simulation of a human brain yet conceived. It's a model they say is accurate down to the molecule. No one claims the "Blue Brain" project will be self-aware. But this project, and others like it, use electrical patterns in a silicon brain to simulate the electrical patterns in the human brain -- patterns which are intimately linked to thought. But if computer programs start generating these patterns -- these electrical "thoughts" -- then what separates us from them? Traditionally human beings have reserved words like "reasoning," "self-awareness," and "soul" as their exclusive property. But with the stirring of something akin to electronic consciousness -- some argue that human beings need to give up the ghost, and embrace the machine in all of us.

The guests included some brilliant minds, including Marvin Minsky, Brian Cantwell Smith and Paul Davies. You can listen to the show in The Connection archives.

Posted by J.M. Berger || Permalink

0 Comments:

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Terrorist Web Sites

This week, I'm working as a producer at The Connection with Dick Gordon. I conceived and helped produce the first hour today:

Last week, a note on an online message board touched off a flurry of international speculation. It said that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, lay near death after suffering a serious injury.

Subsequent postings only deepened the confusion; one said Zarqawi had left Iraq, yet another said that a deputy had been appointed in his place. The speculation only ended when Zarqawi himself posted an audio clip to prove he was still alive.

These message boards do a lot more than send out press releases. They tell terrorists how to build bombs, and which targets to attack. U.S. authorities are faced with a choice: They can try to take these sites out of commission, or they can exploit them to collect valuable intelligence.

You can listen to the show on the Connection's Web site.

Posted by J.M. Berger || Permalink

0 Comments:

Wednesday, June 08, 2005