Lifeboat Foundation

The Fine-Tuning Argument is often seen as the best argument for the existence of God. Here we have assembled some of the world’s top physicists and philosophers to offer a reply. Not every critic of the argument comes from the same perspective. Some doubt there is a problem to be solved whilst others agree it is a genuine problem but think there are better solutions than the God hypothesis. Some like the multiverse and anthropics other don’t. We have tried to represent these different approaches and so it should be taken as given, that not all of the talking heads agree with each other. Nevertheless, they all share the view that the fine-tuning argument for God does not work. Nor are all the objectors atheist, Hans Halvorson offers what we think is a strong theological objection to the argument. This film does not try to argue that God doesn’t exist only that the fine-tuning argument is not a good reason to believe in God. Most of the footage was filmed exclusively for this film with some clips being re-used from our Before the Big Bang series, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry_pILPr7B8&list=PLJ4zAUPI-q…4hnojoCR4m All of the critics of the fine tuning argument that appear were sent a draft of the film more than a month before release and asked for any objections either to their appearance, the narration or any other aspect of the film. No objections were raised, and many replies were extremely positive and encouraging. A timeline of the subjects covered is below:
(We define God as a perfect Omni immaterial mind as for example modern Christians and Muslims advocate, there are other conceptions of God which our video does not address).
Just to be clear, this is a polemical film arguing against the fine tuning argument.

Continue reading “Physicists & Philosophers critique The Fine Tuning Argument” »

Sphere Entertainment, the Madison Square Garden-funded venture seeking to “reinvent” live music, has started testing its first — and impressively large — LED-laden, orb-shaped music venue in Las Vegas, which is already being billed as the “world’s largest video screen.”

First impressions: it looks absolutely bonkers, as evidenced by videos of the orb in action.

According to Engadget, the 17,600-seat stadium, which cost over $2 billion to build, is a good 516 feet wide and 366 feet tall. Its LED-powered displays, combined with its 164,000-speaker audio system and added sensory elements — think what you’d get at a 4D movie — are designed to create a completely immersive experience.

Android manufacturers tend to love big spec sheets, even if those giant numbers won’t do much for day-to-day phone usage. In that vein, we’ve got the new high-water mark for ridiculous amounts of memory in a phone. The new Nubia RedMagic 8S Pro+ is an Android gaming phone with an option for 24GB of RAM.

The base model of the RedMagic 8S Pro+ starts with 16GB of RAM, but GSMArena has pictures and details of the upgraded 24GB SKU, which is the most amount of memory ever in an Android phone. Because we’re all about big numbers, it also comes with 1TB of storage. Keep in mind a 13-inch top-spec M2 MacBook Pro has 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, and that’s a desktop OS with real multitasking, so Nubia is really pushing it. This suped-up 24GB version of the phone appears to be a China-exclusive, with the price at CNY 7,499 (about $1,034), which is a lot for a phone in China.

You definitely want an adequate amount of RAM in an Android phone. All these apps are designed around cheap phones, though, and with Android’s aggressive background app management, there’s usually not much of a chance to use a ton of RAM. Theoretically, a phone like this would let you multitask better, since apps could stay in memory longer, and you wouldn’t have to start them back up when switching tasks. Most people aren’t quickly switching through that many apps, though, and some heavy apps, games especially, will just automatically turn off a few seconds once they’re in the background.

Sam Altman, a tech CEO, has finally watched a movie about sleazy tech CEO that invents a possibly conscious AI humanoid robot. Huh.

Steam, one of the world’s largest video game storefronts is reportedly not having any of this AI generated stuff.

Welp, we warned you.

Netflix’s promotional Streamberry site, inspired by the parody version of the streaming platform in the Black Mirror Season 6 episode “Joan Is Awful,” is indeed using your image in a marketing campaign in the UK.

Launched Tuesday, Netflix’s Streamberry site (opens in a new tab) allows you to “sign up” to the platform, which looks remarkably like Netflix’s own. Signing up requires you to upload or take a photo of yourself which “may end up on a billboard” — an instant red flag if you’ve watched the Black Mirror episode.

Malls are becoming places for public libraries, animal shelters, basketball courts and entertainment centers.

Across the United States, some malls are undergoing big changes. Businesses such as animal shelters, trampoline parks and movie theaters are filling the spaces that have been left empty in recent years. NBC News’ Brian Cheung has the story.

Continue reading “Malls across the U.S. transforming amid rise of e-commerce” »

The game comes equipped with a robotic arm, a display screen and a board.

Chinese company SenseTime has unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered rendition to the world’s oldest board game called Go, which is thought to have originated in China some 4,000 years ago.

SenseRobot Go, is a robot designed for young people to learn the game Go. It has a robotic arm, a screen and a board to play the game from entry-level to professional level, according to the company’s press release.

While the U.K. and U.S. try to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision over concerns it will kill competition in games distribution, competition appears to be alive and well in another (smaller) area of gaming: modding and analytics.

Wargraphs, a one-man-band startup behind a popular companion app for League of Legends called Porofessor, which helps players track and improve their playing stats, is getting acquired for up to €50 million ($54 million), half up front and half based on meeting certain earnings and growth targets.

MOBA Networks, a company founded out of Sweden that buys, grows and runs online gaming communities (MOBA is short for “multiplayer online battle arena”), is buying the startup and its existing products. The plan is to expand them to more markets, in particular across Asia, and to build analytics for more titles.