From The Danger Room:Katie Drummond is a freelance writer and an intern at WIRED magazine. This is her first post for Danger Room.
With every new Darpa venture, it seems more like military machines are becoming human. Or humans are becoming military machines. Or some compu-human teamwork fusion of the two.
The latest step follows up on previous research into automaton storytellers and mind-reading computers with a call for new ways to create machines that have complex, layered thinking and reasoning abilities. You know, kind of like those of the human brain.
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My Comment: Yup .... it is all the fault of TV.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Virus-Handling Scientists Should be Psychologically Screened
Houston, TX, 04-13-09 -- Standing in a league of its own in novels dealing with the frightening subject of bioterrorism, is The Blood Notes of Peter Mallow, the premiere novel of Dr. Paul Boor that takes place in the highest-level research facility for infectious agents in the United States – the Bio-safety Level-4 laboratory on the Island of Galveston, Texas.
This unique novel inspired James Mangum, author of Dead and Dying Angels, to say “…a nightmarish scenario, splicing bird flu and DNA manipulation with human despair. Unseen things are coming to your neighborhood. Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
In The Blood Notes of Peter Mallow, the plot unfolds in the lab of Dr. Mallow, a research scientist who is hot on the trail of an emerging bird-flu virus. At the peak of his academic career, Mallow begins making notes on the strange behavior of a brilliant but troubled student who has become obsessed with drowning in one’s car. The student convinces Mallow to confront a board of auto-industry safety executives. When the senior scientist is ruthlessly dismissed, his notes take the reader into a downward spiral of a scientific career, the deadliest epidemic in history, and a horrific finale that won’t be forgotten.
In The Blood Notes of Peter Mallow, the most dangerous organisms in the bio-lab ARE the scientists themselves!
Dr. Boor’s novel has received top acclaim from world-renowned scientists, foremost among these being Dr. C.J. Peters, the virus hunter who headed the U.S. Army unit that battled Ebola in THE HOT ZONE, and the acclaimed author of Virus Hunter.
Geoffrey Leavenworth, author of Isle of Misfortune, sums it up fittingly, “The plot is gripping, the writing elegant …. It had me praying for psychological screening of all scientists.”
Filmmaker Roger Corman says, “Scary, because it’s told from the inside. A great concept, full of drama - and what an ending!”
The book has also been receiving top reviews on Amazon from the general public since its release in December: “A fast-moving and authentic story. As a scientist who works in this field, I was enthralled and impressed with Boor’s insight into this work….. I enjoyed the read … highly recommended.”
Dr. Boor’s book is character-driven, mainstream, and “real science” rather than science fiction. He adds personal and professional credibility to the book with his background as a Harvard-trained pathologist and scientist, and his current position as a professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Dr. Boor lives on Galveston Island, where he continues to research, teach, and write. For additional information please visit: www.paulboor.com
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