comments, TED Talk summary and podcasts by Cathy O'Neil, Mathbabe

I wrote how I came to be listening to Why We Make Mistakes while driving.  (Hope that doesn't lead to driving errors, which can be deadly, I know.  So far, I seem to be ok.)  The text just quoted 650 million air travelers in the US in 2004 and 598 guns were found in the luggage.  So, about one in a million suitcases includes a gun.  You are going to stare at lots and lots of screens before a gun comes along. Naturally, when screen after screen after screen looks ok, you are not going to be alert and may let something pass that should not.

I don't like it when the news tells me to be terrified.  I prefer to stir up my own terror on my own.  Recently, a kidnaping and a bunch of semi-menacing clowns have been labeled "terrifying."  I don't need the extra push.

From TED talk weekly report:

to me

               

We can edit our genes. Here's what that means. Open this email in your browser

                           

This week on TED.com                         October 8, 2016

                                       

Talk of the week Ellen Jorgensen: What you need to know about CRISPR 09:53 minutes · Filmed Jun 2016 · Posted Oct 2016 · TEDSummit Should we bring back the wooly mammoth? Or edit a human embryo? Or wipe out an entire species that we consider harmful? The genome-editing technology CRISPR has raised extraordinary questions like these -- but how does it work? Community science advocate Ellen Jorgensen is on a mission to explain the myths and realities of CRISPR, hype-free, to the non-scientists among us. Watch now »

                                       

Playlist of the week Talks to help you negotiate Need to land on a decision that works for everyone? Let these talks prepare you to sit down at the negotiation table with ease and expertise. Watch » 6 TED Talks • Total run time 1:29:40

                                           

More new TED Talks                         Reality isn't something you perceive; it's something you create in your mind. Isaac Lidsky learned this profound lesson firsthand, when unexpected life circumstances yielded valuable insights. In this introspective, personal talk, he challenges us to let go of excuses, assumptions and fears, and accept the awesome responsibility of being the creators of our own reality. Watch »                                     Learn about the latest advances in the war against cancer from Stanford researcher Adam de la Zerda. Using a remarkable imaging technology that illuminates cancer-seeking gold particles injected into the body, de la Zerda's lab hopes to light the way for surgeons to remove even the tiniest trace of deadly tumors. Watch »                                                 In politics, representation matters, says scholar Sayu Bhojwani. Through her own story of becoming an American citizen, she reveals how her love and dedication to her country turned into a driving force for political change. "We have fought to be here," she says, calling immigrant voices to action. "It's our country, too." Watch »                                     English is fast becoming the world's universal language, and instant translation technology is improving every year. So why bother learning a foreign language? Linguist and Columbia professor John McWhorter shares four alluring benefits of learning an unfamiliar tongue. Watch »

                                       

Read more on ideas.ted.com Life: 6 tips for dealing with conflict -- from a school principal >> Nadia Lopez is no stranger to a challenge ... Opinion: A privacy researcher on why Snowden deserves a pardon >> Though you might not like his tactics ... Science: Discovering the Amazon's boiling river >> Don't fall in ...

                                                       

Quote of the Week "             Look, it's been a rough election year, a reminder that people with my immigration history could be removed at the whim of a leader. But I have fought to be in this country and I continue to do so every day. So my optimism never wavers."             Sayu Bhojwani                         How immigrant voices make democracy stronger

                                       

ideas worth ... dating? We're all looking for the perfect TED Talk to spend some time with. In this lighthearted video tribute, join one man (played by Rainn Wilson from The Office) on his quest for an idea worth dating >>

                                                                                                            From Mathbab, the blog by math prof Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction, about computer algorithms and their effect, often totally anonymous, on our lives:

                                                        New post on mathbabe

I've been busy recording podcasts recently, and I wanted to collect some of them together for your convenience and listening pleasure. (Scroll down)

1. New Yorker Radio Hour (starting at 25:40)

2. Slate Money: Shadow Courts edition

3. EconTalk: Cathy O'Neil on Weapons of Math Destruction

4. Harvard Biz Review: When Not To Trust The Algorithm

5. Guardian Science Weekly: Weapons of math destruction: how big data and algorithms affect our lives