Campos del Cambio: São José dos Campos, Brazil's City of Technology

São José dos Campos: Silicon Valley del Sur 

This is Part 4 in an ongoing blog series focusing on technological development in Latin America. Part 1 is an overview of technological development in LA. Part 2 is an exploration the Start-Up Brazil movement centered on funding sources and innovation. Part 3 is an examination of the place of Brazilian universities in technological development and the state of scientific publication and patent development in Brazil. In Part 4, I explore one of Brazil's most technologically advanced regions: São José dos Campos.

The area of São José dos Campos provides an excellent case study in the development of technology in Latin America - stable, mid-sized cities, with greater social equity sharing and stable infrastructural growth. The region is punching above its weight on the four critical indicators for sustained urban economic growth: economic performance, social conditions, sustainable use of resources, and finance and governance (from Nodes reader K. Miller).

This region is an epicenter of technological development in Brazil, and by extension, in Latin America.

(Video Source: ericsson).

This region boasts greater access to technology, higher levels of education in the local politic, and higher life outcomes comparative to larger-sized mega-cities such as São Paolo or Rio. Geographic size is a key determinant here in the successful wide-spread adoption of technology. Mid-sized cities, unencumbered with the intensity of megatropolis socioeconomic issues, are better situated to incubate technological growth.

Located in the Paraíba Valley, the region sits between two Brazilian mega cities and the two most active production and consumption regions in the country,São Paulo (80 km, 50 mi) and Rio de Janeiro (320 km, 200 mi). Just close enough to connect, yet far enough away to manage sociocultural issues of space, justice, access, and opportunity.

São José dos Campos is one of the most important research centers in Brazil. The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) is headquartered there and coordinates intensive research and development in areas such as Earth observation, space sciences, and space technologies. See previous post on S&T publications here. The Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology (CTA) has its facilities in the city. 

Technology growth has changed the actual physical spaces of dos Campos as well. 

Investe Sao Paolo reported that: 

Implemented in March 2006, the Parque Tecnológico de São José dos Campos gathers public and private institutions that aim at turning knowledge into wealth by means of the development of technological innovations focused on the market. Its purpose is to stimulate and manage the flow of knowledge and technologies among universities, R&D institutions, companies and markets, thus facilitating the creation and development of innovation-based companies.

The Technological Park of São José dos Campos was the first to receive the final registration in the São Paulo System of Technological Parks - SPTec, created by the Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico, Ciência e Tecnologia (Secretariat of Economic Development, Science and Technology).

The technological parks' aim is to promote and stimulate the economic and technologic development, by the attraction of investments and generation of new knowledge-intensive companies. From the integration among universities, research institutes, the private sector and governmental agencies, there is an attempt to guarantee the development of knowledge- and technology-intensive activities, with the creation of an environment favorable to the arise of new technologically-based companies, the generation and dissemination of the knowledge and the promotion of the technological capacity in key sectors for the national development.

An open access library for CTA S&T publications can be found here. Bloomberg articles on the aerospace industry in dos Campos found here.

Aerospace technologies have been at the heart of dos Campos' technology industry. 

According to the Brazilian Aerospace Cluster:

"The Brazilian aerospace industry had its origin back in 1945 when DCTA – Aerospace Science and Technology Department, was created by the Ministry of Defense. In 1950 DCTA created ITA – Aeronautical Institute of Technology, one of the top engineering schools in the country up to this day. In 1954, DCTA established IPD – Development and Research Institute, which reinforced the Brazilian strategy to obtain knowledge and self-sufficiency in major areas in the aerospace industry. São José dos Campos is also home for INPE – National Institute of Space Research, since 1961."

Due to its roots in aerospace technologies, dos Campos operates as a center for the nation's nascent S&T industries, though historically innovation has been focused on military technologies. Along these lines, Embraer is certainly one of the largest firms in the region. The third major producer of civilian jets, Embraer is a major Brazilian exporter. Headquartered in São José dos Campos, SP, Embraer has several units in Brazil and abroad, including two joint-ventures with China and Portugal.

Stephen Trimble, reporting for Flight Global: "In 2011, Embraer [São José dos Campos based company] acquired ownership stakes in two Brazilian start-ups - Atech and OrbiSat. The latter markets a medium-sized UAV called the Sarvant. Embraer also has formed a joint venture with Brazil's AEL to adapt the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 to Brazilian military requirements. Embraer is now the sole bidder to win a $4 billion contract with the Brazilian army to establish an integrated surveillance network over the country's vast Amazon borders with other South American countries. The network is expected to emphasise surveillance by long-endurance UAVs. "

A host of foreign tech companies are located in the area among them Ericsson (see video above). As recently reported by telecompaper:

"Ericsson has announced the opening of a Centre for the Development of Information Technology, Communications and Multimedia at the Technology Park in Sao Jose dos Campos. The centre aims to develop expertise and innovative products in ICT with Ericsson as the anchor company for the facility. The focus will be on the development of communications technology that will help realise the Connected Society, especially in areas such as transportation and security, involving cloud computing, broadband and mobility. According to Lawrence Cole, vice president of Strategy and Marketing at Ericsson for Latin America and the Caribbean, the company has invested around USD 900 million in R&D in Brazil in the last fifteen years."

Technology companies with a notable presence in dos Campos include: 

• Hewlett-Packard
• Amplimatic
• Century do Brasil
• Dresser Industries
• Panasonic
• KONE
• Ivc Vanasa
• Ericsson
• LG Group Philips (joint venture)
• Hitachi
• Tectelcom

This is serious investment and these companies are not alone. Accel Partners has invested heavily in Brazil with its 500 million dollar XI fund. Kaszek Ventures, was started in 2012, by Hernan Kazah, a co-founder of the e-commerce company MercadoLibre, and Nicolas Szekasy, the company’s former chief financial officer.

Vinod Sreeharsha from DealBook (NYT) reported that according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission the fund initially raised $56.4 million from American investors in its first closing. Kaszek has already invested in 11 start-ups in Latin America, six of which are based in Brazil.

Local examples of start-up culture in dos Campos can be seen in Georges Kirsteller Ryoki Inoue, who recently launched a series of web start-ups including:

www.webstartup.com.br - Institutional Site for developing start-ups
www.valepublicar.com.br -News Portal and online publications
www.valechef.com.br -Portal Gastronomy
www.valesjc.com.br - Business Portal in São José dos Campos and Valley Region
www.valeempregar.com.br - Portal Jobs in the Valley
www.valeteatro.com.br - Portal to disseminate news and cultural
www.temporadadeinverno.com - Digital Magazine for fashion, tourism and extreme sports
www.turol.com.br - Tourism Portal
www.ValeDesigner.com.br - Portfolio and some cases

Education is Key to Technological Innovation
The education system in the area is robust: 53 secondary schools, 54 primary schools, and 109 preschools. A number of Brazil's top higher education technology programs are located there; here is the educational infrastructure needed to develop and train the future technology creators and innovators in Brazil.

Universities and Colleges in São José dos Campos

• Faculdade INPG - INPG college campus in S.J dos Campos; Nationally ranked MBA School by Magazine Você S/A, Edition Nov/2010.
• IBTA - Instituto Brasileiro de Tecnologias Avançadas
• Unip - Universidade Paulista
• Unifesp - Federal University of São Paulo
• Univap - University of Vale do Paraíba
• Faap - Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado
• Unesp -Universidade do Estado de São Paulo
• Fatec -Faculdade de Tecnologia de São José dos Campos
• ITA - Aeronautics Technological Institute
• Instituto de Filosofia Santa Terezinha
• Faculdades de Ciências Aplicadas
• EEI - Escola de Engenharia Industrial de São José dos Campos
• Inea - National Advanced Instruction Institute
• FGV - Fundação Getulio Vargas - Conveniado Conexão Desenvolvimento EmpresarialResearch Centers
• ETEP - Escola Técnica Everardo Passos
• CETEX - Expoente Technical Center

Two critical national agencies are located there: INPE - The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research and Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology (CTA) with its four institutes: Aeronautics and Space Institute (IAE), Institute for Advanced Studies (IEAv), Industrial Foment and Coordination Institute (IFI) and ITATechnical Schools. (Source: Wiki, 2013.)

The case study of São José dos Campos provides an excellent blueprint for technological development in Brazil, and in the larger frame in LA. Mid-sized cities with reliable infrastructures (social, economic, industrial, & political), future-focused local governments with an engaged body politic and engaged techno-citizenry, the visible presence of higher education institutions focused on technology, and a history of technological innovation.

For more information about technology in Brazil, check out Diego Remus, considered one of Brazil’s top tech bloggers and co-founder of the blog: startupsi,r.com. Silvia Valadares also writes about technology start-ups in Brazil.

(Image source: Wiki Commons, 2013).

Advancing Humanity Symposium Part 2: Space Colonization & 23 Reasons for Transhumanism

This is Part 2 of a two-post blog series with notes on the recent second-annual Advancing Humanity Symposium, Saturday, March 23, 2013, hosted by the The Stanford Transhumanist Association. Here I provide an overview of the Pioneering Ventures portion of the symposium. Part 1 can be found here.

The Schedule
Pioneering Ventures - 1345
Stuart Armstrong (Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute) "Space Colonization Made Easy"
- www.goo.gl/Ibxa9

Alex Lightman (Author of Brave New Unwired World) "Why Every Stanford Student Should be a Transhumanist"
- www.goo.gl/DwtDB

Stuart Armstrong - "Space Colonization Made Easy"
Stuart Armstrong, from the Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford, (how cool is this guy's gig!), focuses on "formal decision theory, the risks and possibilities of Artificial Intelligence, the long term potential for intelligent life, and anthropic (self-locating) probability. He is particularly interested in finding decision processes that give the “correct” answer under situations of anthropic ignorance and ignorance of one’s own utility function, ways of mapping humanity’s partially defined values onto an artificial entity, and the interaction between various existential risks. He aims to improve the understanding of the different types and natures of uncertainties surrounding human progress in the mid-to-far future" (Oxford, 2013).

The Institute's stated mission is to be "the leading research centre looking at big-picture questions for human civilization. The last few centuries have seen tremendous change, and this century might transform the human condition in even more fundamental ways. Using the tools of mathematics, philosophy, and science, we explore the risks and opportunities that will arise from technological change, weigh ethical dilemmas, and evaluate global priorities." (Oxford, 2013). 

Armstrong provided a succinct overview of options for space colonization, while balancing theory, calculations, and exploratory engineering principles in a focused and witty presentation. The concept that cosmic exploration is imperative (maybe even a moral imperative) to the human experience was a central pin to the discussion - a concept that I strongly endorse.

He began with an overview of the idea of resonance and self sustaining cycles - systems that feed their own growth (e.g. an avalanche).



(Video Source: FHIOxford).

Q - What are the unseen resonance structures in the world and how can we study these structures as models for space colonization?

An overview of the Fermi Paradox was discussed. "The Fermi paradox is a conflict between an argument of scale and probability and a lack of evidence. The apparent size and age of the universe suggest that many technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations ought to exist. However, this hypothesis seems inconsistent with the lack of observational evidence to support it." (Wiki, 2013).

So...where are all the aliens?

Some Answers:

• Human limitations - human tech is not advanced enough to connect with extraterrestrial lifeforms
• Alien nature - we are unable to detect alien life due to its unknown forms 
• They live! - Aliens are already moving amongst and go unobserved 
• We are the lucky first - humans are the first advanced species in this galaxy and close- known galaxies
• Intelligent techno-organic life is rare in the universe(s)
• Current intelligence and technology do not allow for detection, contact, and interaction 

Q - What will we need to colonize the universe?

• Energy 
• Materials
• Probe design
• Determine destinations
• Determine how long it will take to travel to these destination points

Armstrong turned to exploratory engineering for plausible solutions.

Guiding Principles 
1. If it is done in nature, we will probably be able to do it ourselves at some point (e.g. AI, replicating cells)
2. Tasks can be automated (including building factories and construction)



(Video Source: Dream Big.)

The Dyson Sphere concept (ring/sphere/shell/swarm/bubble, whichever you prefer:

"A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical mega structure originally described by Freeman Dyson. Such a "sphere" would be a system of orbiting solar-power satellites meant to completely encompass a star and capture most or all of its energy output. Dyson speculated that such structures would be the logical consequence of the long-term survival and escalating energy needs of a technological civilization, and proposed that searching for evidence of the existence of such structures might lead to the detection of advanced intelligent extraterrestrial life."

"In Dyson's original paper, he speculated that sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial civilizations would likely follow a similar power consumption pattern as humans, and would eventually build their own sphere of collectors. Constructing such a system would make such a civilization a Type II Kardashev civilization."

"The existence of such a system of collectors would alter the light emitted from the star system. Collectors would absorb and reradiate energy from the star. The wavelength(s) of radiation emitted by the collectors would be determined by the emission spectra of the substances making them up, and the temperature of the collectors. Since it seems most likely that these collectors would be made up of heavy elements not normally found in the emission spectra of their central star–or at least not radiating light at such relatively "low" energies as compared to that which they would be emitting as energetic free nuclei in the stellar atmosphere–there would be atypical wavelengths of light for the star's spectral type in the light spectrum emitted by the star system. If the percentage of the star's output thus filtered or transformed by this absorption and reradiation was significant, it could be detected at interstellar distances." (Dyson, 2013).

Image: Wiki

Q - How will we build/power these monstrosities? We would need conventional materials next to the sun - enter the planet Mercury. To collect the energy needed for space colonization and self-sustaining factory-probes, we can power-mine the planet Mercury. Factory-probes would orbit the planet, deploy solar collectors, then presto, power-up that old boombox in the mess hall and rock some Kraftwerk. 

Conservative Assumptions

• 5 year process
• 50% of materials collected would be usable
• 1/10 efficiency for moving materials off planet
• 5 years to set-up, after 10 years begin to harvest power

Q - What would we send?

• von Neumann probes - self-replicating probes
• engines
• factories
• food and water sources
• people

"In theory, a self-replicating spacecraft could be sent to a neighbouring star-system, where it would seek out raw materials (extracted from asteroids, moons, gas giants, etc.) to create replicas of itself. These replicas would then be sent out to other star systems. The original "parent" probe could then pursue its primary purpose within the star system. This mission varies widely depending on the variant of self-replicating starship proposed." (Self-Sustaining, 2013)

Drawbacks: This starship would be seriously heavy and would take a lot of energy.

Solutions:

• co-opt structures from nature - find and replicate natural replicators
• vibrio comma: general environment 
• e.coli: robust replicator
• acorn-idea: acorn grows into a tree, drops more acorns, grows more trees, wash and repeat. Essentially, a solar powered system. This idea could be morphed for space colonization.
• Use nuclear powered systems

Here is the fun bit - rather than the traditional approach - go to one location at a time; Armstrong suggested going everywhere all at once. Multiple deployment destinations across the universe. The galaxy is expanding, targeted areas for colonization might slip out of reach; if we don't get there soon we will lose those coordinates. This means colonizing planets and possibly never seeing the results of those labors. Imagine human outposts across the universe developing in isolation or with "others."

Problem: Space dust might destroy us in route, so send out more probes than are needed, some will arrive at destination, others not so much. This is getting expensive.

Q - Why/Who colonize the universe?

1. Space Subcultural Groups (Utilitarians, British Interplanetary Society, Mormons) - these folks want to go, now!
2. Oppressed groups escaping from the dominant faction (hegemony)
3. To prevent subgroup expansion - the "Man" gets there first - sets-up apparatus of control
4. Safety from internal civilizations
5. Prisoner's dilemma: grab the universe to prevent "others" from using the universe against us.

This starts turning into a Phillip K. Dick meets Isaac Asimov sci-fi novel very quick.

Conclusion: The sky is not the limit. Aliens might already be out there. If we survive, humans will likely colonize the universe.

I have been practicing Mass Effect a lot, so I am feeling fairly prepared for this endeavour. 

(Video Source: GameSpot).

--------------------

Alex Lightman, author of Brave New Unwired World, presented, "Why Every (Stanford) Student Should be a Transhumanist: 23 and you and me and what we can be."

In sum, Lightman's presentation was similar to a pre-game coach's speech for a team of transhumanists. And it was awesome.

He suggested that one key to a happy life is having discussions that give you "more life" than what you started with prior to the conversation. That's why I am here mate. 

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." Thomas Alva Edison 

(Video Source: Carvakan)

23 Reasons to Engage in Transhumanism.
1. Adjacent to Quantified Self - There is a greater likelihood to pay attention to the measures that matter with respect to health, fitness, longevity, and the possibilities for using new techno-health tools.

2. There is a greater likelihood to be healthy and live longer

• reversing fine linear decay functions
• telomeres development
• neuron growth
• muscle mass maintenance/growth
• bone mass maintenance/regeneration
• respiratory function maintenance/increases 

3. Age gracefully - transhumanist peers seem grow old more gracefully than other humans - we approximate our peers.

4. Have more smart friends - transhumanist friends expose you to new ideas. See above. 

5. "It takes a village" - it takes people thinking differently, through new companies and new industries, to design the future. 

6. Transhumanists are potential sources for co-authors of articles on complex multidisciplinary topics. 

7. Allows for joint purchases of new lab equipment; re-purposing of old equipment; DIY labs and workshops. 

8. Transhumanists are traveling companions for adventures in knowledge - make a group - then go see important people who have access/gate-keep to the tools (and $$$$) you need. 

9. Transhumanism provides a great background for citizen-scientists, talking about STEM, and teaching STEM. 

Some examples: seti@home, folding@home, galaxy zoo, birdwatching, & drone protection of wildlife. 

10. Extra minds to overcome two big cognitive limits:

Theory of bounded rationality - we overestimate our ability to detect patterns (witness the madness that is Las Vegas; the house always wins, yet "Let it ride."). "Bounded rationality is the idea that in decision-making, rationality of individuals is limited by the information they have, the cognitive limitations of their minds, and the finite amount of time they have to make a decision." (Bounded, 2013). 

Curse of dimensionality: "The common theme of these problems is that when the dimensionality increases, the volume of the space increases so fast that the available data becomes sparse. This sparsity is problematic for any method that requires statistical significance. In order to obtain a statistically sound and reliable result, the amount of data needed to support the result often grows exponentially with the dimensionality. Also organizing and searching data often relies on detecting areas where objects form groups with similar properties; in high dimensional data however all objects appear to be sparse and dissimilar in many ways which prevents common data organization strategies from being efficient." (Curse, 2013). 

11. Be interesting to the builders of tomorrow. There are roughly 1,456 billionaires in the world - be unique. He was directing this to Stanford students after all. 

12. Sapiosexual advantages - " a person who is sexually attracted to intelligence or the human mind as the most attractive feature." Smart as the new sex(ualism). 

13. Fewer surprises from sudden shifts in economic structures or socio-political policies. Potential expansion of the human senses and memory. He identified 70 plus senses! 

14. Move to the left of the VALS curve - be an innovator.

15. Be an alpha-tester for super powers:

• calculator brains
• exo-skeleton strength
• flight
• invisibility 
• sleep reduction

16. 50% or more reduction in wasted time

• less bored
• less wrong 
• less time spent arguing

17. Transhumanism provides a fun way to be an atheist. Hear, hear! (Read this blog on the possible usages of this colloquial. Hilarious.).

18. Get the benefits of MENSA without the baggage and pretenses. Be smart and not an elitist.

19. Futurephilia: Be a part of the most future-friendly subculture = the 0.01% of the human population.

20. Science fiction adjacent - the line between science and science fiction becomes ever-blurry; revel in the possibilities. Science fiction is increasingly operand as blueprint prophecy.

21. Greater likelihood to create a start-up company and take it public; transhumanists will see opportunities and challenges prior to the crowd. Future issues and the related challenges of the future are intertwined with the challenges transhumanists want to solve.

22. Chance at greater happiness - the goal of life is in the "seeking" and the perpetual search for improvement.

23. Chance to be gods or have god-like powers. (Detest the word choice of gods here, maybe rather "the chance to explore the fullest potentials of the transhuman condition").

What is at stake? Nothing less than the chance to explore the fullest potentials of the transhuman condition.

Advancing Humanity Symposium: Quantified Self, Space Colonization, and Other Outrageous Ideas

Cosmetic psychopharmacology, space colonization, techno-body modification? Must be a transhumanism symposium. On Saturday, March 23, 2013, The Stanford Transhumanist Association hosted the second-annual Advancing Humanity Symposium. Seven speakers, grouped into three panels, presented their perspectives on how emerging technologies are shaping the near future of humanity.

The Schedule
Defining Human - 1030
Neil Harbisson (Cyborg Foundation) "Life with Extra Senses"
- www.goo.gl/NWVT8
Gregory Stock (Author of Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future) "To Upgrade is Human"

- www.goo.gl/kYLNU
Natasha Vita-More (Humanity+) "Why Build a Better Body?"

- www.goo.gl/Yh8Q1

Pioneering Ventures - 1345
Stuart Armstrong (Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute) "Space Colonization Made Easy"
- www.goo.gl/Ibxa9
Alex Lightman (Author of Brave New Unwired World) "Why Every Stanford Student Should be a Transhumanist"
- www.goo.gl/DwtDB

Representing the Future - 1500
Maria Konovalenko (Russian Longevity Party) "Catalyze or Die Trying"
- http://goo.gl/xi89d
Micah Daigle (Collective Agency) "Resilient Individuals and Syntropic Systems"
- www.goo.gl/flxYE

For those who could not attend, here is a brief synopsis and commentary on a few of the presentations.


Gregory Stock (Author of Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future) "To Upgrade is Human"

- www.goo.gl/kYLNU

A theme that wove through all the presentations was that of the quantified self and cosmetic psychopharmacology. The quantified self is systems biology for the home - self monitoring - social, genetic, and cellular. As new health technologies become more accessible and as prices go down, we will be able to track, analyze, and manipulate (from home) the course of our lifespans. Stock suggested that, in a small way, this might help manage privacy issues; We can do techno-medicine in the home on protected networks, uploading information to our primary care physicians (incidentally, will insurance companies get access to this info and use it as a means to deny coverage or charge higher premiums?).

"The Quantified Self is a movement to incorporate technology into data acquisition on aspects of a person's daily life in terms of inputs (e.g. food consumed, quality of surrounding air), states (e.g. mood, arousal, blood oxygen levels), and performance (mental and physical). Such self-monitoring and self-sensing, which combines wearable sensors (EEG, ECG, video, etc.) and wearable computing, is also known as lifelogging or sousveillance. Other names for using self-tracking data to improve daily functioning are “self-tracking”, "auto-analytics", “body hacking” and “self-quantifying” (Wiki, 2013).




Some critical questions that Stock proposed to the audience included:

Q - Would you take a pill to give you perfect fulfillment? (for the record, for me the answer is no, would rather experience it through experiences)
Q - What if perfect happiness can be achieved by pharmacology? (see above)
Q - How important are kids and family to the human experience? Is the nature of human procreation fundamentally changing? (yes, absolutely)
Q - Where are the drug miracles? R&D expenditures are going up, yet we have not seen proper gains given the economic output.

Stock explored why life extension processes seem to be expanding at slower rates comparative to other current technologies.

• human biology is very complex 
• trial and error - theory, pilot, study, analysis, application, practice, theory 
• risk aversion (magic has a price) 
• regulatory constraints 
• financial constraints 

In the 21st century, medicine is an information science - everything is data - human experiences, cells, bodies, worlds, and universes. To analogize to writing: Words in sentences. Sentences in paragraphs. Paragraphs in sections. Section in Manuscripts. Manuscripts in Libraries. You get the point. 

He called for systems techno-biology; the collective human experience as an integrated network: biannual checkups, self monitoring, 3D medicine printing, personal data, health on the fly, and techno-health in the home.

As we develop more advanced ways to collect and analyze psychophysiological data, we will gain greater abilities to extend lifespans and improve quality of life via techno-medico advances such as nanotech microfluid platforms and implantable pressure sensors to monitor arterial pressure.

Why so long? This shit is complex.

This is big data and small data - the coming together of bioinfomatics and the new biology.

Using new technologies while seeing self as both researcher and participant, we can monitor a ton of health related information including pain levels, sex satisfaction, quality of emotions, concentration, focus, etc.

Curiosity is at the heart of the qualified self movement. We can make tools as add-ons or ad-hoc applications as information collectors. Think mobile markets for your health.

Some benefits to this approach include:

• less regulations 
• crowd-source exploration 
• lower costs 
• higher volumes of data 

He sees a global brain network that culls information on all human data...sounds a bit like Deep Thought. 

Stock was sharp, energetic, and engaging. 

--------------------------------------

Natasha Vita-More (Humanity+) "Why Build a Better Body?"
- www.goo.gl/Yh8Q1

Vita-More's presentation began with an art clip video that covered some of the basic themes in tranhumanism. Her presentation was strongest when she discussed the intersections of technology, design, and art; how explorations at this intersection is free space to explore tranhumanism without constraints: the aesthetics of techno-body modification and the new human design.

Some critical points/questions she explored included (paraphrased):

She argued that transhumanism moves beyond post-modernism, a philosophy that points out change but offers no solutions. 

The central focus of her presentation was on health and design. She noted that ideas of super longevity are still very much on the fringe; in a recent survey only 3.9% of participants reported they would like to live forever. Would you? 

1. What will we become when we remove barriers on human growth? 
2. How long do you want to live? 
3. Are you taking precautions to protect your body? 
4. How far do we want to go, or are willing to go, when it comes to protecting ourselves? 
5. What are your "life" numbers? 
6. What is the place of rules and regulations? Who should decide? bioethicists? lawyers? politicians? religion? citizen X? 

Some things people are tracking in the quantified self movement:

• muscle building 
• hair loss 
• emotional health 
• task completion 
• stress levels 
• eating habits 
• sexual practices 
• happiness 
• levels of optimism 
• sleep 
• cognition 
• introspection 
• bone density 
• muscle loss and gain 
• chemical hormonal levels 
• vision 
• brain chemistry 
• linguistic abilities 

The brain is central to the human experience and offers clues to life progress. As always, there are cost and access issues here. How do we democratize these technologies? 

Not a new notion to the transhumanist crowd, we are increasingly integrating organic and mechanic systems. Vita-More chose cars as an example of the connections between human, machines, and life outcomes - both for good and ill - however you define either.

Design will be at the center of the transhumanist movement; how we design everything: life, family, tech, health, space, buildings...everything. She focused on human computer interfaces, design, and prosthetics. 

She talked about the changes occurring in what we think of as sexual....the "preferred" human body is a contested bio-social space via techno-body modifications.

Vita-More touched briefly on elite athletes who are using technology now to augment human performance. Will there be a bio-tech olympics and a "natural" olympics? Incidentally, this topic falls directly in the field of kinesiology. See Dr. Ted Brutryn's work on cyborg athletes.

An obvious example to draw out the blending of the organic and mechanic is Cyberdyne's robotic suit  - Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL). 

Critical Question: If the body is vulnerable and fallible (re: meatsack), how can we protect it to work more efficiently? 

Attention was then placed on the central role of the arts in transhumanism. Art will drive the creative mind of transhumanism, much as science fiction has done for science. A provocative idea she offered was that exoskeletons do not only have to be functional in purpose; prosthetics can be developed for fun, play, and creativity.

Take a look at the works by Marilene Oliver, an artist who works with body images, and Elif Ayiter, an artist who works in Second Life building avatars.

Obviously two critical questions arise: Is it selfish to want more life? What about resources? These are central questions to the transhumanist movement. We will need to develop better minds to develop better bodies and better systems to sustain those bodies.

Plenty here to think about; I will post the second set of notes soon. Stay tuned. 

Áreas de Tecnologia: Scientific Potential in Brazilian Universities

Note to Reader: As of 3/18/2013, Blogger has a glitch in the matrix, and some videos may not show on mobile devices. 

This post is Part 3 in an ongoing blog series on technological development in Latin American. Part 1, Campos del Cambio, which offers an overview of LA technology spaces can be found here. Part 2, where I outline a picture of Brazilian technological development, particularly start-ups and funding, can be found here.

Here is a glance at scientific development in Brazilian universities based on a chapter by Marco Antonio Zago entitled, "Evolution and Profile of Brazilian Scientific Production," from the text published in 2012, Technological Innovations in Brazil: Performance, Policies, and Potential, edited by Ricardo Ubiraci Sennes and Antionio Britto Filho. To better understand technological development in Brazil, I draw, in part, from Technological Innovations in Brazil: Performance, Policies, and Potential; a detailed overview of S&T development in Brazil. Interested in Brazil and technology? Add this text into your data stream.  

In the previous post, we examined the growth of state funding for technology start-ups in Brazil. An interesting precursor-approach to better understand the Start-Up Brazil movement might be to examine the state of scientific production in Brazilian universities, the place where so many future tech-workers will be trained. This is our brief charge here. 

In "Evolution and Profile of Brazilian Scientific Production," Marco Antonio Zago explored, in no thin detail, the current state of academic scientific production. Zago acknowledges the important roles that private industry and companies will play in the continued development of technology in Brazil. Yet, wisely, he marks our attention toward the roles that universities will play in this development and the need to track (qualitatively and qualitatively) the production of Ph.D. students, research articles, patents, and products.

Zago calls for deeper partnerships between industry/government and the universities that will create the technology workers who will help design and build tech-Brazil. In particular, Zago points to a dearth in computer science and mathematics students. He also comments on the roles that research institutes will play not only in the development of research, but also in acting as bridges between government, industry, and universities.

Of course, there are a few Ph.D. granting programs in Tier 1 Brazilian STEM departments. There are also programs such as Science without Borders that seek to develop the scientific student community in Brazil through exchange programs and a variety of Ph.D. joint or sandwich programs. According to the SWB site, "Science Without Borders (SWB) is a program funded by the Brazilian R&D agencies CNPq and CAPES, which seeks to promote the internationalization and expansion of science and technology, and to foster innovation and competitiveness through the exchange of Brazilian and international researchers and students." Zago might call for more robust programs that prepare students within Brazil, rather than exporting top talent to foreign universities. 




(Video source: Western University)  

(Video source: IIEGlobal)

He provides compelling evidence that tech-growth will continue in Brazil and that similar growth needs to be seen in university post-graduates. Ironically, this is the exact opposite call that seems to be coming from so many in the US who lament the Ph.D. glut, which now seems to be extending into STEM fields. Brazil's university growth and publication counts have been robust if you considered that Havard was founded in 1636, and one of the premier universities in Brazil, University of São Paulo, was founded in 1934. 

He identifies 3 main academic challenges with S&T development in Brazil universities: publication quality, publication profile, and publication topic. The first issue is publication quality: although publication count is up in Brazil, Zago calls for an increase in the quality of those publications and wider publishing in Tier 1 journals. The second issue is publication profile: where he argued that Brazilian scientific output has been focused historically in the life sciences, but growth is needed in S&T research spaces. The third issue is publication topic: where he calls for greater focus on relevant, challenging, and ambitious S&T research. Achieving this will be contingent on a number of factors: persistent investment, re-organization of research processes and management, focus on relevant and ambitious topics, connecting competencies across disciplines, and minimizing government bureaucratic restrictions. No small challenge that.

 

Rightly so, Zago looks beyond university graduates, calling for an examination of the pipelines that feed students into research institutions. 

"A fundamental constraint that undermines the basis of the whole system is the limited quality in the level of pre-university education. Associated with low-level indexes to secondary eduction, the issue of quality severely limits access and functioning of higher education in the desirable standards."

It is one thing to find, train, and fund future STEM graduates, is is quite another to develop a larger pool of students who have been equipped with the base skills to navigate the rigors of graduate level study and who can swim in those dense waters. Strangely, we have seen this same discussion in the U.S. when examining STEM scores of public school students comparative to similar post-industrial nations, where US students lag behind (sometimes far behind) the average scores of students in similar nations (places like Germany and Switzerland come to mind).


 

And here is what that goodly work looks like. 



(Video Source: PBS NewsHour)

Zago places articulation at the center of this debate; the Brazilian S&T system is tied to larger entities (government, companies, and agencies) and their abilities to interact with coherence will be key. He argued for clearer articulation of policy, plan, and execution at the national, state, and municipalities levels in regard to S&T development. 

In the next part of this blog series, we will examine a positive case study where all these issues are at play: the municipality of Sao Jose de Campos, where technology and education have significantly improved quality of life and have placed this area at the forefront of Brazil technological development.  

Now for your viewing pleasure. 

Lengthy overview of technology and scientific development in Brazil. 



(Video source: Stanford Law School.)

A bit of early history on scientific development in Brazil.



(Video source: PesquisaFAPESP)

An example of forward thinking research conducted in Brazilian universities.



(Video source: National Cancer Institute)

Indiana University has an open access site on Brazilian research here. 

3D Printing: A Video Primer

As follow-up to the previous post on challenges in 3D-4D printing, here is a video overview showing some how-to basics on 3D printing and an overview of the 3D printing space. 

While some of the more practical applications might still be out of reach for Citizen X, the current design and art applications are present and accounted for. 

If videos do not show on mobile devices, please view on desktop or laptop. 

Here, the Creators Project provides a succinct overview of 3D printing basics.

Check out more on the Creators Project Youtube Page. 

(Video source: PBS Off Book.)

Some great examples of design excellence were shown at recent 3D Print Show London 2012. 






(Video source: ExplaningtheFuture Youtube)

4D Printing and shape shifting. Three dimensions be damned!

(Video source: seyfullah51.)

At a recent TED event, Anthony Atela expanded on the amazing uses of working with bio-synthetic materials. He identifies three past challenges with bio materials. The first challenge was the design of the materials that could be readily integrated into the body properly. The second challenge was cells and not having enough cells grown outside the body. He notes that still certain cells cannot be grown such as liver and pancreatic cells. The third challenge was vascularity - the supply of blood to help regenerate organs. Enter 3D bio-genetic and bio-synthetic printing.  

(Video source: TedDirectorTalks)

Here, Lee Cronin expands on the chemistry set of the future: 3D printed organic chemistry. The question: Can the chemistry set of the future be 3D printed? The result is reactionware. Software would allow us to eventually print our own medicine. This will be complicated. Print drugs. Download new diagnostics. On-the-fly molecular assembly. Why not use your own stem cells and print personally tailored medicine? This software will likely be purchased on a subscription basis, with constant updates as new viruses, illnesses, and disease develop and are found. The more complicated the meds - the higher the subscription price. The FDA will be concerned.
  



Click here for my YouTube channel where I have archived a growing list of 3D printing videos.