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Brain emerging from hibernation? Feed it with The Register Lectures

Spring menu includes Deception, Spitfires and Existential Risk…

Spring is on the horizon, the sap is rising and if you’re anything like us, your brain is emerging from its winter hibernation and looking for sustenance.

So, what better time than to cast an eye over our upcoming Register Lectures, each one guaranteed to stimulate the parts of your intellect other events just don’t reach.

On February 27, 2018, we will be joined by Professor Coral Dando and Professor Thomas Ormerod, who will be telling us about a new approach to Detecting DeceptionControlled Cognitive Engagement (CCE) – that they claim is 20 times more effective than existing security screening practices.

They developed CCE following a challenge from the UK government to devise a more effective approach for screening of passengers at airports, and the approach is unique: engaging with people directly, as opposed to simply relying on automated techniques, such as facial recognition..

Join us on March 20 for an evening of film and conversation as we preview Secret Spitfires. This brand-new documentary tells the story of the people and places in a hitherto forgotten chapter in the story of one of Britain’s most iconic fighters – the distribution of its production into garden sheds and municipal facilities to thwart the Luftwaffe’s almost successful campaign to bomb the factories officially turning out the plane. We tell it during the centenary year of the RAF.

Hosting will be Ethem Cetintas, the independent documentary maker and force behind Secret Spitfires, who will be on hand to field readers’ questions about how an army of unskilled children and adults, operating in total secrecy, ensured the RAF’s Spitfires kept flying.

On April 25 we’re thrilled to have Dr Adrian Currie of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk joining us to discuss How Can We Develop a Science of Existential Risk?

As Adrian puts it, existential risks are threats to the very existence of the human species. Old-school ones such as meteor strikes, massive volcanic eruptions and climate change, leave traces for us to study. Others are much trickier to track, such as those technological developments that have enabled our species to have unprecedented effects on a global level. And yes, we’re talking AI, biotech and more, in what promises to be a fascinating evening.

All these talks will be taking place at the Yorkshire Grey, Theobalds Road, EC1. The doors open at 6.30pm, and the talk proper kicks off at 7pm. After around 45 minutes of formal chat, we’ll break for vittles, before embarking on a (virtually) no-holds barred Q/A.

Whether you join us for one, two or all three, we look forward to seeing you. ®

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