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Human Behavior

What are bio-computers? How can they help us dive deep into the human brain? – Jagran Josh

Science never stops evolving, and this time, it has come up with a novel research area known as organoid intelligence. Can Science and Technology read the human mind? Lets know better.

Hopkin University scientists very recently brought forward a plan for a novel area of research known as organoid intelligence. This particular field of study intends to create biocomputers. In such an invention, a blend of brain cultures developed and grown in laboratories, input and output devices, and real-world sensors are intended. The aim is to control the brains processing power and dive deep into the biological basis of learning, cognition, learning, and a myriad of neurological disorders.

Humans have always been inquisitive about the human mind. However, unlike all other parts of the body, studying the human mind has never been easy. Earlier, methods like ablation were used on animals, especially rats to study the human brain parts that are similar in both rats and humans. The use of brain studying techniques on animals and sometimes harming them eventually in the process of enhancing human behavior understanding has always been a controversial discussion. Moreover, while studying the rat brain was an easier and perhaps more accessible option to study the human brain, one cannot ignore the massive differences in the structures and functions of the rat brain and the human brain. Next came advanced methods like EEG, MEG, and fMRI to study the human brain.

Now, the technology is perhaps at its best, and thus, 3D cultures of the brain would be the next big thing. Modern-day scientists are designing brain organoids, which are actually 3D cultures of the brain designed in laboratories. These organoids would actually be called "mini-brains" and would be built with the use of human stem cells. These brains would be able to hold a myriad of structural and functional features of a developing human brain. Who thought mankind would be able to create a mini-human brain in the 21st century?

Human behavior is based on some internal or external stimulation. Various sensory inputs like vision, smell, touch, and more are required by the human brain, and that's what makes it a complex yet incredible organ of the body. A body of science just at its birth stage cannot compete with nature. The brain organoids not only lack sensory inputs like the normal human brain but also do not have blood circulation.

Bio-computers would be designed and created by combining brain organoids and modern computing methods. Machine learning will be used to couple the organoids. Organoids would be grown inside flexible structures affixed with various electrodes. One can visualize them similar to the ones used in the case of Electroencephalogram readings.

Such structures would be able to dive deep into recording and studying the firing patterns of neurons. They would also offer electrical stimuli in order to mimic sensory stimuli. Machine learning techniques would then be used to analyze human behavior and biology.

Not long ago, scientists grew human neurons on top of a microelectrode array that was able to not only record but also stimulate such neurons. With the help of positive or negative electric feedback derived from the sensors, neurons could be trained to generate an electrical activity pattern that would be generated in case the neurons were playing a sport like a table tennis.

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What are bio-computers? How can they help us dive deep into the human brain? - Jagran Josh

Human Behavior

How disgust-related avoidance behaviors help animals survive – Phys.org

Overlooked species in risk perception research and how disease avoidance and disgust may be used in different contexts of conservation and wildlife management. Credit: Dr Cecile Sarabian

Animals risk getting sick every day, just like humans, but how do they deal with that risk? An international team led by Dr. Cecile Sarabian from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) examines the use of disgust-related avoidance behaviors amongst animals and their role in survival strategy.

The feeling of disgust is an important protective mechanism that has evolved to protect us from diseases risks. Triggered by sensory cues, we feel disgust surrounding things such as the sight of infected wounds. This releases a set of behavioral, cognitive and/or physiological responses that enable animals to avoid pathogens and toxins.

An international team, led by Dr. Cecile Sarabian from the University of Hong Kong, has turned their attention to the emotion's role in animal disease avoidancean area of study typically neglected. The team developed a framework to test disgust and its associated disease avoidance behaviors across species, social systems and habitats.

Characteristics such as whether a species lives in groups or alone are important when analyzing their response to disease. The paper, published in Journal of Animal Ecology, highlights the positives and negatives of experiencing disgust to avoid disease.

Over 30 species use disease avoidance strategies in the wild, according to previous reports, however the authors provided predictions for seven additional species that were previously overlooked. These include the common octopus, a species native to Hong Kong, and the red eared slideran invasive species.

Species exhibit varying levels of disease avoidance behavior depending on their social systems and ecological niches. Solitary species can be less vulnerable to socially transmitted diseases, and thus less adapted to recognize and avoid that risk. But a group-living species are more prone, but also more likely to recognize and avoid sick animals.

However, species living in colonies like rabbits or penguins may be more likely to tolerate infected mates. As the species depend on each other to survive, collective immunity can be less costly than having to isolate. This model could also apply to human diseases, for instance, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the authors suggest five practical applications of disgust-related avoidance behaviors in wildlife management and conservation. These include endangered species rehabilitation, crop damage and urban pests. For example, modulating the space use and food consumption of crop-damaging species, disgust-related behaviors could be useful. This could involve creating an environment that is unappealing to pests.

"Given the escalation of conflicts between humans and wildlife, the translation of such knowledge on disease risk perception and avoidance into relevant conservation and wildlife management strategies is urgent," says Dr. Sarabian.

More information: Ccile Sarabian et al, Disgust in animals and the application of disease avoidance to wildlife management and conservation, Journal of Animal Ecology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13903

Journal information: Journal of Animal Ecology

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How disgust-related avoidance behaviors help animals survive - Phys.org

Human Behavior

‘Cultural Misogyny’ and Why Men’s Aggression To Women Is So … – FlaglerLive.com

As the country watches Scott Morrison grapple with the sex scandals rocking our federal parliament, it is worth wondering what has really changed since former Prime Minister Julia Gillards now-famous 2012 misogyny speech.

The power of that speech is undeniable, and it resonates loudly today.

Gillard spoke to the imbalance of power between men and women and the under-representation of women in positions of authority. Her speech raised serious concerns about how some politicians saw womens roles in contemporary Australia.

Fast forward Scott Morrison attempting to address the most recent shocking allegations of lewd behavior by some coalition staff the allegation being a group of government staffers had shared images and videos of themselves undertaking lewd acts in Parliament House, including in the office of a female federal MP.

These stories raise the question as to why some men participate in sexually denigrating women both those in authority as well as those in positions of submission in hierarchical organisations. And why is male aggression towards women so often expressed through sex rather than through other means?

As a criminologist, I interpret mens sexually aggressive behavior whether it is desecrating a womens desk by videoing himself masturbating on it, or a sexual assault as an activity born of a need for power and control.

When some men feel challenged, or want to dominate someone to fulfill an innate internal inadequacy, they can feel the need to do so sexually. Often, the subjects of their rage about feelings of inadequacy are women.

From lewd comments, to being groped, through to sexual assault, the attacks on women in the workplace continue.

Research suggests heterosexual men who are more socially dominant are also more likely to sexually objectify women. When these men are placed in positions of submission to women at work and their dominance is challenged, the levels of sexual objectification of women go up. This supports the assertion that some men increase their dominance by sexually objectifying women, and this objectification can become physical.

This conversation around how we address this has been building for some time.

In 2017, the #MeToo movement went viral, as women started to share their negative sexual experiences via social media. The discussion initially focused on women being sexually harassed by their bosses in the media and entertainment industry, but it soon became obvious the problem was much wider than that. It permeates every industry in every country.

Sexual harassment and assault are more common than many people might believe, or want to believe. A 2018 study surveyed 2,000 people in the US. It found 81% of women and 43% of men had suffered some form of sexual harassment or assault. Further, 38% of the women surveyed said they have suffered from sexual harassment in the workplace.

The picture is mirrored in Australia. A 2018 Australian Human Rights Commission report found 23% of women said they had been sexually harassed at work in the previous 12 months.

In 2021, we are still having the same debate.

One big question is where these bad male behaviors originate from?

Social Learning Theory might help us to understand what is going on in relation to some mens need for sexual domination of women. It is based in the premise that individuals develop notions of gender and the associated behaviors by watching others and mimicking them. This learning is then reinforced vicariously through the experiences of others.

Combine this learnt behavior with cognitive development theory, which suggests gender-related behavior is an adoption of a gender identity through an intellectual process, and we can see how misogynistic behaviors can be identified, remembered, and mimicked by subsequent generations of males.

This could be termed cultural misogyny.

How do we change the dynamic?

The only way to shift the framing around appropriate behaviour in the workplace, and society more generally, is to continue to break down gender stereotypes. Women need to be elevated to positions of power to reduce male domination in all aspects of life. We must challenge the undermining of womens and girls autonomy and value when boys exhibit it, to break the chain of passing on these negative attitudes.

We are only now beginning to the hear the breadth of stories from women speaking out about their own negative experiences.

As a woman in academia a very hierarchical structure I have been sexually harassed, and I just accepted it as part of my working world. My experience was with a very senior member of a previous university, and I would never have considered challenging him or reporting it, as I was very well aware of the power he had over me and my career. I even considered changing organizations to avoid the unwanted behaviors.

The brave women who are now speaking up have changed the way I view my own experience. The more we raise our voices, support each other and encourage change in the attitudes around us, the more we will all benefit.

Xanthe Mallett is a Forensic Criminologist at the University of Newcastle.

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'Cultural Misogyny' and Why Men's Aggression To Women Is So ... - FlaglerLive.com

Human Behavior

Microbiomes Connected More than Ever to Psychological Well Being – Greenwich Sentinel

New research has shown that the microbiome the vast communities of microbes in our digestive tract can affect our emotions and cognition. Studies have suggested that the microbiome plays a role in influencing moods and the state of psychiatric disorders, as well as information processing. However, the mechanisms behind how the microbiome interacts with the brain have remained elusive.

Recent research has built on earlier studies that demonstrate the microbiomes involvement in responses to stress. Focusing on fear and how it fades over time, researchers have identified differences in cell wiring, brain activity, and gene expression in mice with depleted microbiomes. The study also identified four metabolic compounds with neurological effects that were far less common in the blood serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and stool of the mice with impaired microbiomes.

The researchers were intrigued by the concept that microbes inhabiting our bodies could affect our feelings and actions. The studys lead author and a postdoctoral associate at Weill Cornell Medicine, Coco Chu, set out to examine these interactions in detail with the help of psychiatrists, microbiologists, immunologists, and scientists from other fields.

The research has pinpointed a brief window after birth when restoring the microbiome could still prevent adult behavioral deficits. The microbiome appeared to be critical in the first few weeks after birth, which fits into the larger idea that circuits governing fear sensitivity are impressionable during early life.

The research on microbial effects on the nervous system is a young field, and there is even uncertainty around what the effects are. Previous experiments reached inconsistent or contradictory conclusions about whether microbiome changes helped animals to unlearn fear responses.

The findings from the recent study have given extra weight to the specific mechanism causing the behavior observed, pointing to the possibility of predicting who is most vulnerable to disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder.

Although the interactions of the brain and the gut microbiome differ in humans and mice, the study has identified potential interventions targeting the microbiome that might be most effective in infancy and childhood when the microbiome is still developing, and early programming takes place in the brain.

The studys findings could have significant implications for the future of potential therapies and deepen scientific knowledge around the mechanisms that influence core human behaviors

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Microbiomes Connected More than Ever to Psychological Well Being - Greenwich Sentinel

Human Behavior

Why Humans Are Built for Connection, Love and Friendship – WHYY

All the bad news and stories of bad, even horrific, human behavior can overwhelm us, leading to a very pessimistic outlook on humanity. It overshadows the examples of people doing the right thing, acting generously, with kindness and empathy.

Social scientist and physician Nicholas Christakis says its actually our tendency toward goodness that has been a big driver in our evolution. Christakis runs the Human Nature Lab at Yale and was once a hospice physician, work that has informed his research.

He says our need for human connection is one of our most defining characteristics and hes seen it expressed at the bedside of people at the end of life, holding onto loved ones in their final moments. Christakis joins us to talk about our social evolution, why friendship and love are vital to our species survival, and how he maintains his optimism for humankind.

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Why Humans Are Built for Connection, Love and Friendship - WHYY

Human Behavior

Humans and Our Alarming Fear of Robots – DISCOVER Magazine

I was standing in line for a tourist attraction in Tokyo when a small robot began addressing the crowd. The robot resembled Rosey fromThe Jetsonsand was meant to amuse people while they waited. It babbled for a while, and then its eyes turned into two pink hearts. I love everyone, it announced.

(Credit:meunierd/Shutterstock)

Oh, really? I responded sarcastically. I couldnt help myself. Everyone? Thats disingenuous.

The Tokyo robot was one of many robots and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) that have grated on my nerves. Im not alone in my disdain. Scientists have been studying robot hate for more than 30 years. Research finds that many people view robots as the other, and robot hatred can lead to sabotage, attacks and even robot bullying.

Robots and AI have a relatively short history in the U.S., but its one that has long been controversial. With theincrease in automation during the 1950s, some people saw mechanization as a way to make life better or easier. Others saw it as a threat. Robots could take over jobs or the world for those who read a lot of science fiction.

By the 1990s,information retrieval agentsbecame mainstream, but they werent always functional and could be more of a nuisance than a help. Microsoft introduced Clippy, a virtual assistant, in 1996, and it became famous for popping up at inopportune moments and asking aggravating questions like, it looks like youre writing a letter. Would you like help with that?One studydescribed Clippy as having fatal shortcomings in its ability to determine when users actually needed help.

In the early 2000s, AI became more useful. People turned to online search engines to retrieve information, and global position systems (GPS) became widely available. But AI also became more personal. Tech companies introduced chatbots, like Jabberwacky, that interacted and responded to users.

Vocal social agents such as Siri or Alexa are now a part of daily life for many users. Similar to their chatbot predecessors, they are designed to replicate human communication norms, and they learn and repeat our behavior patterns.

For some users, asking Alexa to play 80s music is a convenience. But for others, it can be an opportunity for bad behavior.

Read More: Robots and Artificial Intelligence Have Ancient Mythology Origins

Well before people asked Siri or Alexa rude questions, users of early 2000s chatbots also showed a tendency for harassment. This poor human behavior toward robots is an example of robot bullying.

In 2008,a studyinInteracting with Computersanalyzed how users engaged with Jabberwacky, the online chatterbot that started in 1997 and garnered more than 10 million replies in the following decade.

To analyze conversations, the researchers picked a time sample, meaning they selected a specific day (Nov. 22, 2004) and then analyzed all the interactions (716 conversations) that occurred during the time period.

When analyzing the content of the conversations, the authors found some users were friendly or curious about testing the system and its capabilities. But many were unkind. On the milder side of the AI abuse spectrum, some users liked telling Jabberwacky that it was merely a computer or correcting its grammar.

About 10 percent of interactions, however, involved insulting or offensive language. Another 11 percent was sexually-explicit, or as the researchers described it: Harsh verbal abuse was the norm in these conversations, which were more similar to dirty soliloquies than to hot chats.

The authors concluded that because chatbots lack memory and reasoning, they are a way for people to violate social norms in a seemingly harmless manner. But studies have found other instances in which people perceive robots or AI as threats, leading to anti-robot attacks.

What exactly is robot bullying in the physical sense, such as attacks? Scholars organizeanti-robot attacks into several categories. Physical attacks, decision-making impairment (i.e., messing with sensors), manipulation, intentional neglect and security breaches. Theres also an extremely specific category staging of robot attacks for online dissemination that involves stunts like ordering food delivered by a robot, waiting for the machine to roll up and then kicking it, or pulling off the little flag it has. Attackers then post the video on the internet.

(Credit:JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock)

So why would anyone kick a food-delivering robot? Scholars have found there are complex motivations. Sincethe early 1800s, people have attacked machinery that threatened to displace workers. Some anti-robot disdain continues to stem from the threat that people feel robots have on their livelihood.

People also view robots asthe other,meaning they are not one of us, yet were supposed to accept them into our lives. Similarly, people might associate a specific robot with an organization or corporation they dislike.

Read More: What a Digital Worker Could Mean for the Human Workforce

And because the technology is relatively new, people can be distrustful and cynical. A 2022 study inPersonality and Individual Differencesmeasured how high school students felt about AI. Using the Cynical Hostility Towards AI Scale, researchers had 659 participants complete a survey about their feelings toward AI.

The study found that just because a person was cynical toward AI didnt mean they were cynical in general or toward other people. Participants were also more distrustful of AI when they felt it was hostile or had negative intentions.

The belief that a machine can have negative intentions demonstrates the complexity of robot hate. People believe a machine can be programmed to be harmful, yet people understand that robots arent conscious and they dont have the ability to suffer if were mean to them.

One scholarargued the fact that robotsare not morally considerable was one of the reasons people felt comfortable with robot hate. Our sarcasm doesnt hurt robots feelings. Food delivery robots arent traumatized by being kicked. Thus, robots can be a safe place for people (like the Jabberwacky users) to break social norms.

And sometimes... it can feel like robots and AI are just cruising for a bruising. Devices that are programmed to replicate human communication can become sassy with their responses. Researchers are now exploring ways that devicescan be better anthropomorphizedin order to elicit empathy from users.

Read More: Study Suggests What the Human-Robot Relationship Looks Like

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Humans and Our Alarming Fear of Robots - DISCOVER Magazine

Human Behavior

Is ChatGPT a disruption to Google? | by Vishnuaravi | Mar, 2023 – DataDrivenInvestor

My thoughts on the ChatGPT

Hey, everyone; in this article, I would like to present my thoughts on the ChatGPT and everything thats happening in the world of AI. This is not an AI war; this is a war of data that these companies have been collecting for years and years.

Recently, one of the talks of those founders of Gmail said that within just the next two years, GPT would disrupt how Google is working. Now, that disruption might happen in favor of Google or might happen in favor of Microsoft, but disruption is sure.

Google is a company that just came in 1998 and nearly 90% of the people prefer Google search engine. Their 60% of revenue depends on this search (i.e.) the ads shown to you while you are searching for something. Google, a $2 trillion company whose primary synonym is information like you want to search anything, the synonym is Google it out, and this company was able to change the fundamental behavior of humans.

Before Google, people used to remember the website name, and now, after Google, people dont remember the website name. You just search for it and eventually land on a page that will probably give you the best information. This is a fundamental change in human behavior from remembering the website to just searching about the website or information.

Yes, we should be worried about just two things.

The adoption rate of a technology

Adoption rate means, for example, ChatGPT was able to secure 100 million users in just two months, which is pretty insane. People might not be paid users eventually, but they were curious about it, which is more than enough in this attention-driven economy.

The fundamental change in human behavior

Then the next most important thing people should be worried about is when there is a fundamental change in human behavior. For example, now taking a cab via an app on the phone just seems normal. For example, the mobile phone nowadays, you check your pockets probably ten times a day or probably more than that, whether your phone is there or not; it is a fundamental change in human behavior.

Google has been riding on this fundamental change of behavior for so long. For years, our behavior has been really simple, whenever we need some information, we just look for that information on Google, we get a lot of links in return, we click all of them and open them up in different tabs, and we look out and scrape the information, whatever is needed for us. But ChatGPT is changing this fundamental behavior.

Now, wait a minute and just think for a second. Dont think like a techie person; think about how your mom and dad will search for the information. If my mom needs a recipe, shes not going to look for Google because one page might give a result, and one page might not give a result, and thats why my mom these days is looking for all the recipes on YouTube because its a direct answer. Similarly to this, regular people will not like to google the stuff eventually in the future; if they can get the result directly by asking a bot and getting the exact result and recipe, why would anybody be searching on Google?

Now, surely I do understand right now this tech is not perfect, and it might give you biased results on politics and all these things, but thats an edge case, and if I were talking about just the ChatGPT, I would not be that much concerned. This is a point of concern because this ChatGPT is now backed by a big giant, and when investor money pours in, then the game is all different. Microsoft recently invested $1 billion in OpenAI and the ChatGPT, and recently they are pouring in more money, $10 billion, and also providing infrastructure of the entire Azure system.

This is really getting exciting; in fact, Microsoft CEO just said that this would be a game-changer war. This will impact the level of how the personal computer came in and how mobile technologies came in, and CEOs like Microsoft dont make statements randomly; they are very serious, and they know the impact of their statements.

Chatgpt means a chat-based AI bot, but thats a little bit of vague information. Here GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. In simple words, these guys took billions and billions of data, labeled it out, and it was trained on petabytes of data, billions of parameter petabytes of data.

So ChatGPT is a generative chatbot, it has already learned so many things via our labels and our information, and now it understands the context. The context is really important here; you can chat and ask for some questions; if you feel like you need more of that question or information, you can just ask for it. It will remember what you asked it, and it can improvise over on top of it. The biggest mistake people make with ChatGPT is thinking like a techie because techies are making all these conversations nowadays. But this chatbot, if you think from the perspective of your mom and dad or somebody who is not that techie, if he gets the result directly there, then you will start to understand that this is a revolutionary tech. Just simply ask the question, and it will give you answers; no need to go through hundreds of links.

This also makes a really big educational impact, like asking a question, and ChatGPT can answer it. ChatGPT can bring the answer in a very concentrated format; if you dont like it, just ask it to revise it. This is almost like your favorite YouTube channel. Why are you subscribed to that YouTube channel? Because there is no fuss around it; its a direct point, and you get the answer or the exact tutorial. Thats what YouTube is shining for, and thats exactly in the text format is ChatGPT.

Personally, I dont consider ChatGPT a problem; its just the next big step in evolution. It can obviously clear exams and write your essays; you dont need to memorize anything. So you need to be more creative around your jobs and work; no need for memorization anymore.

Of course, right now, the only big problem is that I get a biased opinion. Since Im not looking for hundreds of links and hundreds of websites, I dont get another side of the information. Whatever ChatGPT is feeding me, Im just assuming thats true. Its almost like getting into a WhatsApp university where people think this is the source and the truth. But again, there could be an improvement; there could be a role of these edge cases, which can be improved over time.

I will not sugarcoat it; it will 100% kill a few of the jobs just like when computers came in, a lot of people doing clerical jobs are no more doing it now because computers can actually store your data much more efficiently. Surely it gave demand for new roles and new jobs. Now, we dont need to pass on the files around, but we need somebody who can enter the data, so data entry jobs are there. Creative jobs like programming came only after the computer, and at one point, everybody was resisting and getting afraid of computers.

Now, with the introduction of these AI jobs, some boring jobs or time-consuming jobs will certainly not be there. For example, if I just need a form where I can have login information and I want to code it out, ChatGPT can easily give it to me, but the way how I want it, the taste and the flavors, and the colors probably need to be tweaked out, but thats an easy job compared to writing the whole form as a code. So surely ChatGPT will give rise to a new kind of job, a new variety of jobs, but some jobs will get obsolete, so there is no need to sugarcoat it. Yes, we are about to lose a few jobs, but there will be many more creative jobs in the same industry. So this AI will help us to perform these tedious tasks, and we people can be more creative.

At one point in time, these (Orkut, Yahoo!, and BlackBerry) companies were too big to fail, but we have all witnessed that these companies are no longer as much relative as they were at one point in time.

At one point in time, we thought that Facebook was the ultimate social network, and then Instagram came, and now we are into the era of vertical videos, so things do change. No company is that big that it cannot fail or cannot fall down, and when the big giant fall down, it makes a lot of noise.

But this is not going to happen with Google because they are sitting on a huge, huge pile of cash, and as Peter Thiel once said, Google is such a big giant sitting on such a huge amount of cash, yet they are doing less innovation. Now the pressure is on Google, so in pressure, diamonds are always created; the same will happen with Google as well. Under this pressure, they will be moving more aggressively toward AI. They might win the race, or they might lose the race, but somebody is kicking their butt. But Google is known for experimenting and creating new ones all the time.

See simply what we can do is, first of all, get ready to change. Adoption is really the foundation; survival of the fittest. Get ready to learn and improvise, and try to be a bit more open as well. Its not like Google is here, so its going to be remaining here forever. Things do change and try to explore a little bit more about Bing. Lets be more open about it, and if the world eventually moves there, we will also be moving there. So dont be rigid, be more creative, be more open, and explore the more horizons and more opportunities that are available. I am already on Bing and exploring it just like Im exploring Google. The app is already on my phone, the browser is already there, and with my tabs are selected there, so Im just equally and open-mindedly; Im actually exploring Bing quite often.

So, this is the worlds most interesting time to be alive. I easily remember witnessing them when mobile phones were created, which was revolutionary. Seeing people that dont have any mobile devices now dont go anywhere, even in their bathrooms, without mobile phones, and now we are moving into another phase of AI, and I think this is the best time to see how the world is transforming.

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Is ChatGPT a disruption to Google? | by Vishnuaravi | Mar, 2023 - DataDrivenInvestor

Human Behavior

Q&A: Councilmember Fife has had it with Oakland’s Dangerous … – Streetsblog San Francisco

Note:GJEL Accident Attorneysregularly sponsors coverage on Streetsblog San Francisco and Streetsblog California. Unless noted in the story, GJEL Accident Attorneys is not consulted for the content or editorial direction of the sponsored content.

In November of 2020, Moms 4 Housing activist Carroll Fife unseated two-term District 3 Oakland City Council incumbent Lynette Gibson McElhane. The district includes West Oakland, Downtown, Uptown, Jack London, Pill Hill, Lake Merritt, and the Port of Oakland. It also includes the southern portion of the Telegraph protected bike lane project.

Because of its tax status, Streetsblog is unable to endorse candidates. However, from a safe-and-livable streets perspective, McElhane had become a real disappointment, with her push to remove protected bike lanes on Telegraph.

Would Fife be an improvement? That question was at least partially answered in July of 2021 when she voted in favor of keeping the Telegraph protected bike lanes and even clashed with then head of Oaklands DOT Ryan Russo, who also supported their removal. Streetsblog first met Fife face-to-face at last years vigil for Dmitry Putilov, who was killed in front of his children by a reckless driver in downtown Oakland (thats Fife at the vigil talking with then Bike East Bays Dave Campbell in the lead image).

Putilov was just one of 35 people who lost their lives to traffic violence in Oakland in 2022.

A Q&A with Fife was certainly on the Streetsblog to-do list, but it was this exchange (in response to her Tweet above) that immediately moved it to the top of the list:

A politician committing to real safety on our streets, based on concrete and steel instead of more bullsh*t plastic and paint? Streetsblog reached out to Tonya Love, her Chief of Staff, a few days later and set up a long-overdue interview.

***Streetsblog: Good morning. So you really meant what you wrote on Twitter, that we have to redesign streets using all the toolsincluding concrete and steelfor safety?

Carroll Fife: Its more effective to manage human behavior through environmental design. Thats why Ive been encouraging my staff to find out what can be done. I have a lot of the high-injury network streets in my district. I want to do something to address the loss of life. It hasnt happened to me personally, but I feel the impact it has had. People are literally losing their loved ones. Im tired of reading peoples names who have died [in traffic violence] at the end of meetings. Theyre dying for something that could be prevented just by how we construct our streets.

SB: I remember meeting you at the vigil for Dmitry Putilov. I know you were deeply affected by meeting that mans children. Was that a turning point for you?

CF: Transportation issues are not my area of expertise. I just started asking people: what could have protected his life? Now we have two little kids who are going to grow up without a dad. Thats why I started asking a lot more questions and talking to experts in the field. So yes, thats accurate, it was a turning point.

SB: Well a protected intersection might have helped. Narrowing the intersection. Eliminating and narrowing lanes. Concrete and steel bollards and barriers to stop drunk and reckless drivers before they hit a person.

CF: Absolutely. One of my neighbors, Tim Courtney, sends me articles every day about different places around the country that build to keep people safe. This year Im planning to form a transportation cabinet to help me understand what can be implemented immediately. We also have to hire more DOT staff, and quickly, to do some of these rapid traffic calming measures that can save lives now. Theres been pushback within the city. And Im in constant conversation with the mayor.

SB: What kind of pushback?

CF: Its always we cant do this, we cant do that. Its true they dont have the staff and dont have the funds. And there will always be lots of different reasons why we cant do something, but people are losing their lives. We dont have a choice.

SB: Fair enough. But Telegraph is in your district. Youre well aware that the city repaved and installed all the paint and bollards needed to continue the protected bike lane across the KONO and Temescal gap. But for some messed up reason they just didnt do it. So its not just about money and resources, because often they spend it anyway.

CF: Yeah. Im trying to learn how to balance my criticism of the processes in city hall with my support for staff. The reality is if you criticize too much and ask too many questions, elected officials cant get things done. There are a lot of things that I would change but those excusesI dont want to say theyre excusesdont really make sense.

SB: So to get back to the Tweet that motivated this interview: if Oakland starts installing steel and concrete protection, itll prevent fatalities, but its also going to cause a lot of fender benders, not to mention wrecking peoples cars completely sometimesat least for drivers who are texting, speeding, or otherwise not driving safely. Youre going to get lots of complaints from people about damage to their cars. What then?

CF: I got pushback about the bike lanes on Telegraph [in the KONO]. But I supported those, despite the pushback from merchants. Im not fearful of pushback. Im fine with people complaining.

SB: So tell me more about the cabinet you want to put together on street safety?

CF: My chief of staff is going to help coordinate these efforts with our constituents. Tonya, did you want to chime in?

Tonya Love: Streets safety is a special area of concern for me because I dont drive. I walk, take the bus, BART, and I ride my bike everywhere. So one of the things that is really important to me is that we have streets so those like me can be safe. I understand the pushback from drivers, especially those who think not having a car is a luxury. When we do things that make it harder for them, I understand their point of view. At the same time, lives are at risk and drivers need to learn how to share the road. Pedestrians and cyclists have no defense if theyre hit by a motorist surrounded by massive amounts of metal.

SB: So whos going to be on this cabinet?

CF: Residents, volunteers, and any experts who are part of the city who want to join. We want to be collaborative with city staff as well. We dont have money to be paying folks. Itll meet monthly.

SB: But this will be different from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council?

TL: This will be just something for Councilmember Fifes district, whereas the BPAC is for the whole city.

SB: Councilmember Fife I have to ask you about these intentional attacks by drivers against the East Bay Bike Party riders.

CF: That was outrageous and unconscionable. Those people need to be charged. They have no regard for human life. But Im also hoping we can deter this kind of behavior with design.

SB: That brings us right back to steel bollards and concrete protection. Plastic certainly isnt going to stop psychopaths bent on harming cyclists.

CF: Im willing to go all the way to keep people safe.

SB: Okay. Last thoughts?

CF: No. Thats it for me today.

SB: Thanks to you both.

This interview was edited. To volunteer for the D3 safety cabinet, reach out to the district office.

Read the original here:
Q&A: Councilmember Fife has had it with Oakland's Dangerous ... - Streetsblog San Francisco

Human Behavior

It’s official #1 Amazon bestselling book A Path to Excellence, is the Winner of the Book Excellence Award – EIN News

A Path to Excellence Book by Tony Jeton Selimi Book Excellence Award

A Path to Excellence Book by Tony J Selimi

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This uplifting award-winning, bestselling book offers readers a comprehensive roadmap and practical strategies to overcome life challenges, grow and succeed.

Marie Diamond, Global Transformational Teacher, a star from The Secret.

A COURAGEOUS STORY of a migrant teenage victim of the civil war who survived and thrived against all odds and now shares this practical guide to building upon existing strengths, growing beyond perceived limitations, and achieving the highest confidence levels, excellence, growth, resilience, success, and fulfillment.

This uplifting award-winning, bestselling book offers readers a comprehensive roadmap for overcoming life challenges and roadblocks and pursuing personal, professional, business, and leadership excellence through practical strategies backed by science-based research studies.

There were thousands of entries from around the world, and Selimi's book was selected as a winner for its high-quality writing, design, and market appeal. Now, you can learn how to raise your word influence, power, and purpose to a whole new level with the power of personal excellence. The author truly appreciates being globally recognized as an International Book Excellence Award Winner. On his behalf, we are thrilled to announce his receiving this prestigious literary award from the Book Excellence Awards International.

Combining over 40 years of research, studies, and inspiring testimony, the award-winning and #1 bestselling self-help book with a twist contains the secret to growing beyond perceived limitations and assists in increasing self-confidence and resilience and aligning behaviors and actions with core values and the goals that make the vision of personal, relationship, professional, business, and leadership success and excellence happen. Using a robust eight-step methodology, readers can enrich, grow, and reinvent their life and become masters of their destinies.

This book reveals the secrets behind Tony's global client's phenomenal achievements, personal growth, and business success as an internationally recognized award-winning author, transformational life and business coach, speaker, and trainer specializing in human behavior and maximizing human potential. It is the Winner of the Main Crest Media Book Award and has received Readers' Favorite five-star reviews. It offers a step-by-step path to address life predicaments mindfully, identify, overcome, and control distractions and sharpen one's focus. "When life overwhelms you with challenges, traumas, and excruciating pain, the idea of growing into your most significant potential and achieving excellence becomes unattainable or impractical. The pursuit of excellence will always be the better option when compared to settling for mediocrity," Selimi states. "I wrote the book because I know one essential thing in life is achieving growth and fulfillment and living a life you deserve and love - not just winning and succeeding but also achieving excellence in what you do. Your life can be more by healing your body-mind, developing a growth mindset, and learning how to use your emotional and analytical faculties intelligently. I want to give them (readers) a road map to win the inevitable and ever-evolving life challenges and the battles they'll encounter on their journey to grow into their fullest potential. You can build the confidence and certainty to successfully liberate yourself from the emotional baggage and distress by fully completing the eight-step Octagon of Excellence method and developing a new way of thinking and being that will transcend your mind and elevate your living, igniting a revolution in thinking to better our modern world. I aim for readers to reclaim their gifts and power and be responsible for their destiny, growth, and life achievements."

Tony Jeton Selimi's A Path to Excellence is easy to understand in delivering his content. He has also implemented bullet-form sentences, making the points stand out and memorable. These also help one to absorb the information and remember significant points. Selimi provides exercises that we can use to examine ourselves and improve various aspects of our lives, including spiritual, mental, emotional, relationship, career, social, business, and financial.

"A Path to Excellence" By Tony Jeton Selimi is available at Amazon, Balboa Press, Barnes & Noble, Foyles, Waterstones, and major book retailers in print, audiobook, and kindle.

Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 204 pages | ISBN 9798765229538 Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 204 pages | ISBN 9798765229552 E-Book | 204 pages | ISBN 9798765229545

Categories: Self-Improvement, Motivation, Leadership, Business Life, Psychology, Self-Help and Counselling, Mind, Body Spirit, HR Training, Organizational Theory & Behavior Management, Personal Money Management

Publisher Book Link: https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/702597-a-path-to-excellence Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Excellence-Blueprint-Achieving-Potential/dp/B0B8317KN8 Author Website Book Link: https://tonyselimi.com/books/a-path-to-excellence/ Book Website: https://apathtoexcellence.com Book Video Link: https://youtu.be/E7AnnLi23fc

To learn more about Tony Jeton Selimi, check out the author's official website: https://tonyselimi.com, where you can connect with the author directly or through their social media pages. Author Video: https://youtu.be/qVXJVIHB7-U

Author available for interviews, private consults, speaking engagements, book signing tours, private training, filming, and other bookings; please get in touch with Alma Stasel, TJS Cognition Ltd, Media Relations, E-mail: info@tonyselimi.com, Telephone: +442078285005

JOURNALISTS: For review copies or interview requests, contact: Marketing Services Tel: 1-812-358-7578; 844-682-1282 Fax: 812-961-3133 Email: pressreleases(at)balboapress(dot)com (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)

Alma StaselTJS Cognition Ltd+44 20 7828 5005email us hereVisit us on social media:FacebookTwitterLinkedIn

A Path to Excellence Book by Tony J Selimi

A Path to Excellence Book by Tony Jeton Selimi Book Readers' Favourite

A Path to Excellence Teaches How to Go Beyond Your Perceived Limits To Face Your Doubts, Excuses, and Fears Head On

Link:
It's official #1 Amazon bestselling book A Path to Excellence, is the Winner of the Book Excellence Award - EIN News

Human Behavior

CT lawmakers may legalize bear hunting as interactions increase – The Connecticut Mirror

Following a record number of home break-ins by bears and two reported attacks on humans last year, lawmakers are considering a wide-ranging bill to remake the states bear policy.

Currently, Connecticut is the only northeast state with a breeding bear population that does not allow bear hunting. Thisproposal would change that. It would allow a hunting lottery in Litchfield County and set up a permit system for farmers to shoot wildlife threatening agricultural crops.

The proposal will be the subject of apublic hearingbefore lawmakers on Friday.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection supports the bill.

The states black bears have become increasingly used to being around people and are much more bold and much more aggressive, said DEEPs Wildlife Division Director Jenny Dickson.

Those opposed to a bear hunt say the state doesnt have a bear problem, it has a human behavior problem. The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters said hunting will not stop nuisance bears if homeowners dont stop providing easy sources of food and that the state needs to do a better job of educating the public and investing in non-lethal solutions.

Last October, abear attacked a 10-year-old boyin Litchfield County. DEEP announced this week that there had been a second case of a bear injuring a human before then, also in Litchfield County. The agency said the bear was not caught, but it was not the same bear as the one that attacked the 10-year-old boy in Morris. That bear was euthanized.

The cause of both attacks is unclear, but they came at the same time bears lacked a key natural food source: acorns. The state had a widespread acorn crop failure in the fall of 2022. Astudy publishedin Januarys The Journal of Wildlife Management reported human-bear conflicts increase when natural food sources are in short supply.

Dickson said that still doesnt explain the record 67 reported home break-ins by bears last year, because the majority happened before fall, when natural foods were available.

State wildlife officials said bears will push through screen doors and windows because the animals are following odors from the kitchen.

Residents of the state play an important role in keeping bears away from where people live, Dickson said.

The vast majority of bear complaints and conflicts reported to the state involve bird feeders and trash, which is why DEEP wanted the bill to include a ban on intentionally and unintentionally feeding bears.

This will give local officials and state environmental police the authority to fine violators, although the details of how that would be enforced, DEEP said, are yet to be worked out.

Dickson is asking Connecticut residents to take down bird feeders now that spring is near and bears are waking up from their winter slumber. She also advises taking trash out the morning of pickup, not the evening before.

Humans need to stop behavior that has taught black bears to associate people with a way to get a quick snack, Dickson said.

This story was first published March 9, 2023 by Connecticut Public.

Read more:
CT lawmakers may legalize bear hunting as interactions increase - The Connecticut Mirror