Dick Heiser's Home Page
Cell: (310) 227–5978 dick.heiser at gmail dot com
Cell: (310) 227–5978 dick.heiser at gmail dot com
We are heartened by the Gaza ceasefire, and hope extremists will allow the peace process to proceed. There are urgent concerns about the status of UNRWA, the agency responsible for distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza. We made a significant donation to UNRWA USA after the US government stopped its funding. Now the Israelis have announced a plan to ban the agency at the end of this month, without any plan to distribute aid after that. The ceasefire will, at least, force the Israelis to stop attacking the police in Gaza. They have declared their intent to prevent Hamas from governing, and then complain about the lack of law and order.
We are heartened by the Gaza ceasefire, and hope extremists will allow the peace process to proceed. There are urgent concerns about the status of UNRWA, the agency responsible for distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza. We made a significant donation to UNRWA USA after the US government stopped its funding. Now the Israelis have announced a plan to ban the agency at the end of this month, without any plan to distribute aid after that. The ceasefire will, at least, force the Israelis to stop attacking the police in Gaza. They have declared their intent to prevent Hamas from governing, and then complain about the lack of law and order.
Ireland, Norway and Spain have recognized Palestine statehood in advance; they believe others will join them. I hope Marwan Barghouti will be released from prison to become leader of a nonviolent Palestinian government; he would become "the Palestinian Mandela."
Ireland, Norway and Spain have recognized Palestine statehood in advance; they believe others will join them. I hope Marwan Barghouti will be released from prison to become leader of a nonviolent Palestinian government; he would become "the Palestinian Mandela."
For many years, I volunteered at an expungement clinic, preparing documents to erase criminal records for people who have completed their sentences. This helps them get jobs, places to live and work credentials. Now I'm looking for volunteer work helping people avoid getting deported by Trump. Sending millions of immigrants away would separate families who have been here for decades. Deportation clinics should offer first–aid to people who don't get a public defender.
For many years, I volunteered at an expungement clinic, preparing documents to erase criminal records for people who have completed their sentences. This helps them get jobs, places to live and work credentials. Now I'm looking for volunteer work helping people avoid getting deported by Trump. Sending millions of immigrants away would separate families who have been here for decades. Deportation clinics should offer first–aid to people who don't get a public defender.
Scientists Actively Trying to Build Conscious Robot “We have some very urgent questions to ask it,” says one. —Ironic Times
Scientists Actively Trying to Build Conscious Robot “We have some very urgent questions to ask it,” says one. —Ironic Times
minute introduction to chatbots, what to do with them, and, most importantly, how to prompt them. This is a popular video, highly recommended.
minute introduction to chatbots, what to do with them, and, most importantly, how to prompt them. This is a popular video, highly recommended.
March 21, 2023: it's pouring. Once we learn how to trigger these "atmospheric rivers" or el niño events, our drought problems will be solved. Let's have an el niño every year!
March 21, 2023: it's pouring. Once we learn how to trigger these "atmospheric rivers" or el niño events, our drought problems will be solved. Let's have an el niño every year!
Danny Hillis says, "There are three big game-changers going on: globalization, computers, and synthetic biology. If I were a grad student now, I wouldn’t study computer science, I’d study synthetic biology." Isomorphic Labs agrees.
Danny Hillis says, "There are three big game-changers going on: globalization, computers, and synthetic biology. If I were a grad student now, I wouldn’t study computer science, I’d study synthetic biology." Isomorphic Labs agrees.
“We are at the edge of war with Russia and China on issues which we partly created, without any concept of how this is going to end or what it’s supposed to lead to.” –Henry Kissinger
“We are at the edge of war with Russia and China on issues which we partly created, without any concept of how this is going to end or what it’s supposed to lead to.” –Henry Kissinger
Visit the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, a wonderful collection of 20th century art. Call (310) 277-5321 to make an appointment for a free tour. I'll be giving tours on Tuesdays at 10:30 am.
Visit the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, a wonderful collection of 20th century art. Call (310) 277-5321 to make an appointment for a free tour. I'll be giving tours on Tuesdays at 10:30 am.
"I don't believe in anything you have to believe in." — Fran Lebowitz
"I don't believe in anything you have to believe in." — Fran Lebowitz
Favorite Links:
Favorite Links:
Khan Academy is the most effective and efficient school on Earth, featuring mastery learning. It offers a free, world–class education to anyone, anywhere. Now they're adding GPT-4 as a tutor!
Khan Academy is the most effective and efficient school on Earth, featuring mastery learning. It offers a free, world–class education to anyone, anywhere. Now they're adding GPT-4 as a tutor!
Wikipedia: 100 times the scope and timeliness of any previous encyclopedia. $1,000,000 value, yours free!
Wikipedia: 100 times the scope and timeliness of any previous encyclopedia. $1,000,000 value, yours free!
Lumosity: Use it or lose it! Brains are like muscles. I try to exercise every day, both physically and mentally. The free Lumosity games are diverse and engaging. I've started a no–sugar, no–flour diet, inspired by the example of my friend Moshe Molcho.
Lumosity: Use it or lose it! Brains are like muscles. I try to exercise every day, both physically and mentally. The free Lumosity games are diverse and engaging. I've started a no–sugar, no–flour diet, inspired by the example of my friend Moshe Molcho.
Congratulations to the folks at DeepMind! They created an artificial intelligence program that predicts the 3D structures of proteins from their amino-acid sequences. Proteins are the key to biologic activity. Knowing the structure will revolutionize drug discovery and the understanding of diseases. Like Deepmind's game-playing programs AlphaGo, AlphaZero and AlphaStar, the protein folding program AlphaFold2 is significantly better than human experts or software competitors. They have published the structures of 200 million proteins. This is one of the major discoveries of our lifetimes.
Congratulations to the folks at DeepMind! They created an artificial intelligence program that predicts the 3D structures of proteins from their amino-acid sequences. Proteins are the key to biologic activity. Knowing the structure will revolutionize drug discovery and the understanding of diseases. Like Deepmind's game-playing programs AlphaGo, AlphaZero and AlphaStar, the protein folding program AlphaFold2 is significantly better than human experts or software competitors. They have published the structures of 200 million proteins. This is one of the major discoveries of our lifetimes.
Are you interested in everything? This site is for you!! Still have too much time on your hands?? Try Today I Learned… known as TIL.
Are you interested in everything? This site is for you!! Still have too much time on your hands?? Try Today I Learned… known as TIL.
Google's (Jolly Good) Fellow Chade-Meng Tan explains his Search Inside Yourself lessons. He has written a book as well.
Google's (Jolly Good) Fellow Chade-Meng Tan explains his Search Inside Yourself lessons. He has written a book as well.
"There is more good than evil in the world, but not by much." – Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
"There is more good than evil in the world, but not by much." – Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
"Everybody comes from the same source. If you hate another human being, you're hating part of yourself." —Elvis
"Everybody comes from the same source. If you hate another human being, you're hating part of yourself." —Elvis
My Most Influential Teachers:
My Most Influential Teachers:
Outstanding Teachers and Coaches:
Outstanding Teachers and Coaches:
My parents, Chauncey Bell, Barry Boehm, Sue Bottfeld, Hal Brody, Allan Cameron, Lila Crespin, Dorothy Demory, Eric Garen, Calvin Gentry, Bill & Peggy Hamner, Erich Heinerth, Tony Hoare, Fred Hodson, Tom & Carolyn Jones, Ferdinand Kertess, Karen Kleinfelder, Alex Koperberg, Norman Marks, Catherine Morris, Ted Nelson, Harry O'Steen, Frank Peto, Bonnie Prettapapop, Gladys Pushard, Ronald Sass, Einar Stefferud and Roberta Taggart.
My parents, Chauncey Bell, Barry Boehm, Sue Bottfeld, Hal Brody, Allan Cameron, Lila Crespin, Dorothy Demory, Eric Garen, Calvin Gentry, Bill & Peggy Hamner, Erich Heinerth, Tony Hoare, Fred Hodson, Tom & Carolyn Jones, Ferdinand Kertess, Karen Kleinfelder, Alex Koperberg, Norman Marks, Catherine Morris, Ted Nelson, Harry O'Steen, Frank Peto, Bonnie Prettapapop, Gladys Pushard, Ronald Sass, Einar Stefferud and Roberta Taggart.
Thanks also for Books and Lectures:
Thanks also for Books and Lectures:
Stewart Brand, César Chávez, Douglas Engelbart, Lex Fridman, Scott Galloway, Bill Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, James Gleick, Yuval Noah Harari, Douglas Hofstadter, Sabine Hossenfelder, Darrell Huff, Tracy Kidder, Donald Knuth, Ray Kurzweil, Don Lancaster, John McPhee, Derek Muller, Peace Pilgrim, Steven Pinker, Burkard Polster, William Poundstone, Hans Rosling, Edward Tufte, Stephen Wolfram and Steve Wozniak. (what a bunch!!)
Stewart Brand, César Chávez, Douglas Engelbart, Lex Fridman, Scott Galloway, Bill Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, James Gleick, Yuval Noah Harari, Douglas Hofstadter, Sabine Hossenfelder, Darrell Huff, Tracy Kidder, Donald Knuth, Ray Kurzweil, Don Lancaster, John McPhee, Derek Muller, Peace Pilgrim, Steven Pinker, Burkard Polster, William Poundstone, Hans Rosling, Edward Tufte, Stephen Wolfram and Steve Wozniak. (what a bunch!!)
Pantheon of Heroic, Brilliant, Beautiful Women:
Pantheon of Heroic, Brilliant, Beautiful Women:
Christine Borgman, Alice Callaghan, Audrey Chan, Barbara Ehrenreich, Nora Ephron, Elizabeth Friedman, Gangaji, Hélène Grimaud, Katharine Gun, Sarah Harrison, Vi Hart, Dolores Huerta, Naomi Klein, Elena Klett, Marlene Mallicoat, Irshad Manji, Marissa Mayer, Sally More, Wai Wai Nu, Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Maria João Pires, Cindy Sherman, Megan Smith, Meryl Streep, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Elizabeth Warren, Serena Williams and Oprah Winfrey.
Christine Borgman, Alice Callaghan, Audrey Chan, Barbara Ehrenreich, Nora Ephron, Elizabeth Friedman, Gangaji, Hélène Grimaud, Katharine Gun, Sarah Harrison, Vi Hart, Dolores Huerta, Naomi Klein, Elena Klett, Marlene Mallicoat, Irshad Manji, Marissa Mayer, Sally More, Wai Wai Nu, Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Maria João Pires, Cindy Sherman, Megan Smith, Meryl Streep, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Elizabeth Warren, Serena Williams and Oprah Winfrey.
Activities:
Activities:
I'm proud to be a docent at the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, a wonderful collection of 20th century art. Call (310) 277-5321 to make an appointment for a free tour. Ask for me!
I'm proud to be a docent at the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, a wonderful collection of 20th century art. Call (310) 277-5321 to make an appointment for a free tour. Ask for me!
My favorite activists, because they are so loving, are the folks at the Los Angeles Catholic Worker soup kitchen, "the Hippie Kitchen".
My favorite activists, because they are so loving, are the folks at the Los Angeles Catholic Worker soup kitchen, "the Hippie Kitchen".
The PLATO Society is the original retirement learning group; we organize our own study/discussion groups. Take a course every semester for the rest of your life! Starting in January, we'll study different kinds of strategies from a big book The New Makers of Modern Strategy: from the Ancient World to the Digital Age, edited by Hal Brands.
The PLATO Society is the original retirement learning group; we organize our own study/discussion groups. Take a course every semester for the rest of your life! Starting in January, we'll study different kinds of strategies from a big book The New Makers of Modern Strategy: from the Ancient World to the Digital Age, edited by Hal Brands.
Peace:
Peace:
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen chronicles the two hours of a nuclear war. This is enough to make a believer out of you, according to the reviews.
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen chronicles the two hours of a nuclear war. This is enough to make a believer out of you, according to the reviews.
Storyville - The Trials Of Oppenheimer, is a thoughtful 90-minute biography of Oppenheimer from the BBC. He's my hero for campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons and for international control of nuclear technology. It's too late to give him a Nobel Peace Prize.
Storyville - The Trials Of Oppenheimer, is a thoughtful 90-minute biography of Oppenheimer from the BBC. He's my hero for campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons and for international control of nuclear technology. It's too late to give him a Nobel Peace Prize.
Night Watch (season 4 episode 22 of Madam Secretary on Netflix) vividly depicts the insanity of relying on land–based missiles which could destroy civilization. Surprise cameos from Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton underline the significance of this message.
Night Watch (season 4 episode 22 of Madam Secretary on Netflix) vividly depicts the insanity of relying on land–based missiles which could destroy civilization. Surprise cameos from Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton underline the significance of this message.
Here's an important new video from Richard Clarke describing cyber threats to nuclear weapon security.
Here's an important new video from Richard Clarke describing cyber threats to nuclear weapon security.
The Button, by William J. Perry and Tom Z. Collina, 2020; we can take away the President's nuclear "football" when we take away the land–based ICBMs that tempt us to risk launching them on warning. Land–based missiles are insanely dangerous for that reason.
The Button, by William J. Perry and Tom Z. Collina, 2020; we can take away the President's nuclear "football" when we take away the land–based ICBMs that tempt us to risk launching them on warning. Land–based missiles are insanely dangerous for that reason.
122 nations have signed a UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, similar to the prohibitions on chemical and biological weapons, antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions. We should too.
122 nations have signed a UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, similar to the prohibitions on chemical and biological weapons, antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions. We should too.
Good news! We're becoming much less violent, says Steven Pinker in this TED talk. Kurzgesagt agrees, explains.
Good news! We're becoming much less violent, says Steven Pinker in this TED talk. Kurzgesagt agrees, explains.
Gene Sharp From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation the handbook of the Arab Spring.
Gene Sharp From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation the handbook of the Arab Spring.
Nuclear Threat Initiative promotes nuclear abolition initiative of Kissinger, Perry, Nunn and Schultz.
Nuclear Threat Initiative promotes nuclear abolition initiative of Kissinger, Perry, Nunn and Schultz.
Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament 1986 peace march across the U.S. Loretta and I walked 3700 miles in 9 months, from Los Angeles to New York to Washington DC. Laura Monagan blogged about it beautifully.
Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament 1986 peace march across the U.S. Loretta and I walked 3700 miles in 9 months, from Los Angeles to New York to Washington DC. Laura Monagan blogged about it beautifully.
Justice:
Justice:
Aaron Swartz defended Internet freedom on Democracy Now! A proper eulogy The Internet's Own Boy, a film about Aaron.
Aaron Swartz defended Internet freedom on Democracy Now! A proper eulogy The Internet's Own Boy, a film about Aaron.
International Modern Media Institute (and Icelandic Modern Media Initiative) want to improve privacy and freedom of speech for Internet users everywhere.
International Modern Media Institute (and Icelandic Modern Media Initiative) want to improve privacy and freedom of speech for Internet users everywhere.
WikiLeaks gives whistleblowers exactly what they need: anonymity. It lets us focus on the facts not on the leaker. Viva la información!
WikiLeaks gives whistleblowers exactly what they need: anonymity. It lets us focus on the facts not on the leaker. Viva la información!
Thank you, NSA whistleblowers William Binney, Tom Drake, Diane Roark, Kirk Wiebe, Ed Loomis, Edward Snowden and Reality Winner!
Thank you, NSA whistleblowers William Binney, Tom Drake, Diane Roark, Kirk Wiebe, Ed Loomis, Edward Snowden and Reality Winner!
Thank you, CIA whistleblowers John Kiriakou and Jeffrey Sterling.
Thank you, CIA whistleblowers John Kiriakou and Jeffrey Sterling.
Thank you, GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun.
Thank you, GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun.
Thank you, Russian anti–corruption blogger and candidate, Alexi Navalny, R.I.P.
Thank you, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, for publishing true information about misdeeds. Congratulations, Julian, on your freedom. Thanks to the Australian government and to the supporters who campaigned for you for 14 years.
Joseph Nacchio served four and a half years in prison in retaliation for his Feb 2001 refusal to let the NSA spy on Qwest customers.
Art:
Art:
YInMn Blue, or "Oregon Blue," a beautiful new nontoxic high-performance pigment. Crayola has created a "Bluetiful" crayon, inspired by, but not actually containing any YInMn Blue! There are four Bluetiful crayons in the big box!
YInMn Blue, or "Oregon Blue," a beautiful new nontoxic high-performance pigment. Crayola has created a "Bluetiful" crayon, inspired by, but not actually containing any YInMn Blue! There are four Bluetiful crayons in the big box!
More Resources:
More Resources:
Western Governors University is an outstanding, low–cost, online–only university featuring accelerated competency–based programs for bachelor's and master's degrees. You should start your search for college here!
Western Governors University is an outstanding, low–cost, online–only university featuring accelerated competency–based programs for bachelor's and master's degrees. You should start your search for college here!
Scholarship Region announces international scholarships around the world. They're popular on social media channels.
Scholarship Region announces international scholarships around the world. They're popular on social media channels.
Thank you, Violet Blue for changing the cultural conversation about sex! Here's more positive discussion about sex from Laurie Abraham, Debby Herbenick, Mary Roach.
Thank you, Violet Blue for changing the cultural conversation about sex! Here's more positive discussion about sex from Laurie Abraham, Debby Herbenick, Mary Roach.
Jane Fonda, too, says sex is good for you. Here's Wikipedia's article on masturbation. Michael Ventura, right on! Masturbation is healthy, relaxing, hygienic, makes no demands on other people, and is available as often as desired. What's not to like?
Jane Fonda, too, says sex is good for you. Here's Wikipedia's article on masturbation. Michael Ventura, right on! Masturbation is healthy, relaxing, hygienic, makes no demands on other people, and is available as often as desired. What's not to like?
MacTech magazine has put some of my old Computer Store articles online:
MacTech magazine has put some of my old Computer Store articles online:
First magician: "Who was that lady I sawed with you last night?"
First magician: "Who was that lady I sawed with you last night?"
Second magician: "That was no lady, that was my half–sister!" —Walt Kelly
Second magician: "That was no lady, that was my half–sister!" —Walt Kelly
This page is dickheiser.info redirected to sites.google.com/site/dickheiser
This page is dickheiser.info redirected to sites.google.com/site/dickheiser
