$5,000 for Your Dream Project!
Get a $5,000 grant to one project. No strings attached.
Learn more at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/5000-...-project
Deadline to apply is June 1, 2017.
Lifespan Heroes
Learn about the Lifespan Heroes campaign at https://www.lifespan.io/campaigns/join-...pan-hero
Books
Read "Identification of Potential Terrorists and Adversary Planning" at
http://www.iospress.nl/book/identificat...planning
Read "The New Gold Rush: The Riches of Space Beckon!" at
http://amzn.to/2nl130U
Papers
Read "Microbes and Alzheimer's Disease" at http://content.iospress.com/articles/jo...ad160152
TriboTEX
Our Grantee TriboTEX raised over $150K on Kickstarter on preorder of
anisotropic nanomaterial for self-forming coatings. Lifeboat Foundation
provided funds and information support for the company.
Learn more at
https://www.facebook.com/LifeboatFounda...14777961
The International Longevity & Cryopreservation Summit
The International Longevity & Cryopreservation Summit will be held May
26-28 in Madrid, Spain.
Our Didier Coeurnelle, José Luis Cordeiro, Rodolfo Goya, Aubrey de Grey,
Joâo Pedro de Magalhâes, Maria Entraigues-Abramson, Noel García Medel,
Felipe R. Debasa Navalpotro, Anders Sandberg, and Natasha Vita-More will
be speaking.
Learn more at http://internationalcryonicssummit.com
Bitcoin Endowment Fund
Our bitcoin endowment fund is nearing one million dollars. The
five-year-old bet that the futuristic Lifeboat Foundation made on this
futuristic currency is paying off. Thanks to the many donors to our
fund, especially Chris Haley and Brian Cartmell.
We are now working to leverage the fact that we are well funded to get
a few more big donations (of any currency!) and then we will
significantly increase our spending. As many small organizations have
found — it is always easier to raise money when you don't need money.
For now, Lifeboat is just doing baby steps in increasing its spending. For example, we just upgraded our main instance in the cloud from a
$40/month configuration to a $80/month configuration. Of the three main
computers at Lifeboat headquarters, the newest machine is over 6 years
old. (Thanks to Jeff Bone for paying for it!) We would like to upgrade
two of them (especially the 12-year-old laptop which is still used for
one key program), but may wait another year to do so.
Surge in Traffic
If technical stuff bores you, you may wish to skip this section. TL;DR:
We are getting a lot of people reading our news!
Lifeboat has been experiencing a surge in traffic. Whether it is our
social media where our Twitter feed is averaging 20 million
impressions/year, or our blog at http://lifeboat.com/blog with over
16,000 posts, everything is getting more active. Particularly due to our
blog, we have had to significantly improve the technology supporting
lifeboat.com. We now have a main cloud instance of 12 GB RAM / 6 CPU
cores / 192 GB SSD and a smaller cloud instance of 2 GB RAM / 1 CPU core
/ 30 GB SSD that is used to run some newer programs that our main cloud
operating system can't run (because we are too busy to upgrade its
operating system). We also pay for regular backups to be made of both
instances in addition to the regular backups that we do on our own. We
also have a Cloudflare Pro account that provides a massive firewall and
caches everything but the HTML at lifeboat.com. Cloudflare currently
supports lifeboat.com via 111 data centers around the world that you can
see at https://www.cloudflare.com/network. They also now provide all
our SSL certificates so we can secure everything from lifeboat.com to
press.lifeboat.com to even russian.lifeboat.com. (An SSL certificate
encrypts all your communications and enables you to change your URL from
http:// to https://)
Unfortunately, that long list of services and hardware that we just
mentioned isn't nearly enough to handle our current traffic. So we have
layer about layer of caches setup on our instances. So for example, if
you are a robot visiting our blog we send you to a special cache of
prebuilt blog pages that is currently 3.9 GB. If you are a regular
person, you are sent to a smaller cache of blog pages that is currently
2.7 GB. These caches are created by the plugin WP Super Cache that we
run in WordPress. We modified this plugin so it also caches feeds and
also used the plugin interface within this program to get it to cache in
more situations.
If the blog cache can't handle your request, then our Zend OpCache
attempts to provide a precompiled version of our PHP program (WordPress)
to create the page. How effective is Zend Opcache? At the moment it is
99.911% effective. Also WordPress does a lot of database calls so we use
the cache Redis to help with them. Redis is 76.474% effective at the
moment. Also, parts of our blog pages (such as the right side) are
created by programs outside of WordPress once every 15 minutes so
WordPress can just cut and paste those parts instead of using database
calls.
Our server has many more caches than those just listed plus we have
special programs that work in the background to update the info in the
caches so they don't get out-of-date. But all of the above •still• isn't
enough to handle our traffic as there are some crazy robots out there
that don't identify themselves as robots and will hit the same page five
times in a second. We finally added some code to our WordPress
configuration file that basically says to those robots: uh, you just
visited us a second ago, wait five seconds, and then try again. (We
simply have the configuration file sleep for 5 seconds before it
redirects them to the same page that they were initially trying. WordPress can build pretty much any page in under a second so 5 seconds
later the page will definitely be built and now be in the blog cache.)
For those who are wondering, an instance is a virtual server, i.e., it
looks like we have a server on our end but our provider divides the
resources of one machine over more than one customer. So if, for
example, a machine has 48 GB of memory they could spread it over a 24 GB
instance, 12 GB instance, and 3 4 GB instances.
Surge of Support
The Lifeboat Foundation has received a growing surge of support during
the past year and now has 1,167 donors. You can support us by joining as
a member at https://lifeboat.com/ex/join.us or by donating at
https://lifeboat.com/ex/donate.
We actually have so many donors that in addition to all the caches that
were described in the last section, we were also forced to come up with
a way to compress the images used in listing all our donors. Our
compression program uses many techniques including often converting .png
files to .jpg files. The same was done to all the images on our blog.
Blog
Joseph Anoop George joins our blog team with the post "Artificial
intelligence enters the nutraceutical industry" at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/04/artif...industry
Yurii Rashkovskii joins our blog team with the post "$5,000 for your
dream project" at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/5000-...-project
Recent interesting blog posts include:
"Astronomers Capture the First 'Image' of the Dark Matter That Holds the
Universe Together" by Andreas Matt at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/astro...together
"Bottlenecks to the Development of Rejuvenation Biotechnology" by Steve
Hill at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/bottl...chnology
"Cern has SUPERCHARGED the Large Hadron Collider" by Dan Kummer at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/cern-...collider
"Could Artificial Intelligence Really Be Used to Attain Human
Immortality?" by Steve Hill at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/could...ortality
"DARPA Funds Brain-Stimulation Research to Speed Learning" by Dan Kummer at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/04/darpa...learning
"Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to send the first of its 4,425 super-fast
internet satellites into space in 2019" by Simon Waslander at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/elon-...-in-2019
"Exploring Titan With Aerial Platforms" by Klaus Baldauf at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/explo...latforms
"Food substitute Soylent raises $50 million amid recalls" by Shane
Hinshaw at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/food-...-recalls
"A gym, spa, and restaurant... on a plane" by Joseph Anoop George at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/a-gym...-a-plane
"Holographic Air Traffic Control" by Shailesh Prasad at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/holog...-control
"The Humans to Mars Summit" by Brett Gallie II at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/the-h...s-summit
"The Immortalists" by Montie Adkins at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/the-immortalists
"In Case You Missed It: The themes that echoed through TED2017" by
Derick Lee at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/in-ca...-ted2017
"Kurzweil: By 2030, Nanobots Will Flow Throughout Our Bodies" by Simon
Waslander at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/kurzw...r-bodies
"NASA Tests Robotic Ice Tools" by Klaus Baldauf at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/nasa-...ce-tools
"Physicists design 2-D materials that conduct electricity at almost the
speed of light" by Shailesh Prasad at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/physi...of-light
"Rep: #TheRaceforSpace" by Brett Gallie II at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/rep-t...forspace
"Rejuvenation would be too expensive to create" by Nicola Bagala at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/rejuv...o-create
"Scientists are waging a war against human aging. But what happens
next?" by Steve Hill at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/scien...ens-next
"Should you take statins? Everything you need to know including who
benefits most" by Shane Hinshaw at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/shoul...its-most
"This Artificial Womb Just Successfully Grew a Sheep, Humans Could Be
Next" by Shailesh Prasad at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/this-...-be-next
"This Frog Oozes Mucus That Causes Flu Virus Particles to Explode" by
Shane Hinshaw at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/this-...-explode
"This object appears to have moved faster than the speed of light" by Sean
Brazell at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/this-...of-light
"Time travel is 'possible' — mathematically anyway" by Andreas Matt at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/04/time-...y-anyway
"The True Scale Multiplication Grid" by Amnon H. Eden at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/the-t...ion-grid
"The UK Just Switched on an Ambitious Fusion Reactor" by Montie Adkins at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/the-u...-reactor
"Visions for a World Transformed: 99 Ideas for Making the World a Better
Place" by Zoltan Istvan at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/visio...er-place
"Watch an easy guide to everything AI on 'Explanimators,' a new video
series from Microsoft Story Labs" by Klaus Baldauf at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/watch...ory-labs
"Waymo has 'no smoking gun' in Uber self driving car case: U.S. judge"
by Dan Kummer at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/waymo...-s-judge
"When energy drinks contained real (radioactive) energy" by Sean Brazell at
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2017/05/when-...e-energy
Growing Membership
Recent donations/pledges we have received since our last newsletter:
Donald Maclean: $3,000,
Michael Dickey: $85,
Philippe Van Nedervelde: $85,
Sergio M.L. Tarrero: $85,
Kenneth P. Weiss: $85,
Joel Ticknor: $60,
Aaron Mayzes: $30,
Venita Davis: $25,
Nicholas MacDonald: $25,
Matthew L. McGuirl: $25,
3D Insider: $10,
Rebecca R. Cooper: $10,
Kansoly: $10,
Taurus Londoño: $10,
Alexander Macrae: $10,
Placement Labs: $10,
Patrik Sandin: $10,
Roland Schiefer: $10,
Peter Smafield: $10,
Autotrader Prices: $5,
Comparoid: $5,
Diamond Shine Cleaning: $5,
Funding Wizards: $5,
Gaming Chair Pro: $5,
Goedkope Autoverzekering Direct: $5,
Headset Plus: $5,
Inboedelverzekering Vergelijken: $5,
Thomas G Johnston: $5,
Joshua S LeRoy: $5,
onlinecasinocode.co.uk: $5,
Opstalverzekering Vergelijken: $5,
Nathan Payne: $5,
Verzelijk Verzekeringen: $5,
Canadian Garage Door Repair: $3,
Blue Jade Wedding Dresses: $2,
Cheap Custom Boxes: $2,
Fish Tank Adviser: $2,
FragBet: $2,
Jesus Pendants: $2,
Juice Detox: $2,
Kotton Grammer OMG Testimonial: $2,
LaptopStudy.com: $2,
Clifton G Lawson: $2,
Make Friends Brisbane: $2,
Oregon Ragdolls: $2,
SerpHaus SEO Boca Raton: $2,
Greg Stephens: $2,
Swimming Pool Cleaning: $2,
Clayton Thomas: $2,
US Addresses: $2,
VPNs 'R Us: $2,
We Buy Ugly Houses in Oakland, CA: $2,
Addiction Recovery Directory: $1,
Advanced Home Inspections: $1,
Always Guarding You: $1,
American Roof Repairs: $1,
Aristo Shop: $1,
ASAP Sydney Painters: $1,
Beach Soccer & Apostas Online: $1,
Gabrielle Becking: $1,
Bellmore Pest Control: $1,
Best Viva: $1,
Bestops Blog: $1,
Blind Select: $1,
Boone & Davis: $1,
Bubley & Bubley, P.A.: $1,
Considered Gifts: $1,
Eco Fresh Cleaning: $1,
Eiffel Curtains: $1,
Fence Repair Baton Rouge: $1,
Glowbiotics Probiotic Skin Care: $1,
Green Web Marketing Agency Australia: $1,
Michael F. Guilford: $1,
The Home Gear: $1,
ICC Denver Outplacement Services & Executive Coaching: $1,
Island Park Pest Control: $1,
Karunya University Alumni: $1,
Clifton Lawson Media: $1,
Local Digital: $1,
Steve W. Marsee: $1,
Massapequa Pest Control: $1,
Merrick Pest Control: $1,
Mesh Direct: $1,
Mode Glass: $1,
Mosquito Control Long Island: $1,
Nassau County Mosquito Control: $1,
Georgia T. Newman: $1,
The Nurse Attorney: $1,
Oceanside Pest Control: $1,
Perth Airport Transferring: $1,
Perth Mobile Mechanic: $1,
Phoenix Marketing Agency: $1,
Pro Web Design Sydney: $1,
QuotesZilla: $1,
REEF Bikes Australia: $1,
Rockville Centre Pest Control: $1,
SBHI Cleaning Services Sydney: $1,
Southwestern Rugs Depot: $1,
The Startup Years: $1,
Survivalist Prep: $1,
Tint Professionals: $1,
Tow Truck Columbia SC: $1,
UK Postcode Check: $1,
Valet Parking Portland: $1,
Michael Lawrence Varon: $1,
Vijay: $1,
Wedding Entertainer in Durham: $1,
Wexler Law Firm: $1,
and WP Hatch: $1.
Our Join Us page at https://lifeboat.com/ex/join.us now allows you to
pay for your membership anywhere from monthly to every ten years.
