Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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3d-rendering-of-curved-graphene-surface-on-black-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
3D rendering of curved graphene surface on black background
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post
Author
News
Date
July 9, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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James Tour on Converting Waste to Graphene

Waste products can be converted to graphene, an extremely valuable material with a host of useful applications.
News
July 9, 2023
1
Technology

For today’s featured video, watch Dr. James Tour, Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, give a riveting tour of how waste products can be converted to graphene, an extremely valuable material with a host of useful applications—from medical applications to new strong and lightweight materials to an energy source for zero CO2 emissions. Dr. Tour is a renowned synthetic chemist who is also known for his research on the origin of life. Watch his lecture below: We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and Read More ›

twin-african-girls-are-interested-and-playing-kalimba-or-thumb-piano-acoustic-music-instrument-from-africa-twins-little-african-girls-with-her-braided-hair-african-hair-style-stockpack-adobe-stock
Twin African girls are interested and playing Kalimba or Thumb Piano acoustic music instrument from Africa, twins little African girls with her braided hair, African hair style
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Psychology
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That “Mirror Image” Myth About Identical Twins… What Happened?

Researcher of identical twins hoped to prove that Genes Rule! But there were ethics slippages along the way
Denyse O'Leary
July 8, 2023
6
Psychology

For some decades, we heard claims from studies of identical twins (formed when one fertilized egg splits) that everything from exam results to homosexuality might hinge on genetics. Therefore, any similarity in later choices or behavior might be due to genetic factors (read “predetermined” or “inevitable” here). How has that assumption held up, especially in the age of genome mapping? Identical twins comprise roughly 1 in every 250 births. Studies of twins who were separated at birth, have been especially prized because the twins were assumed to grow up in different environments. Thus any significant similarities pointed to genetic influences. Several problems emerged though. For one thing, what about the assumption that separation at birth means that twins experience different Read More ›

blue-glowing-magical-quantum-in-space-stockpack-adobe-stock
Blue glowing magical quantum in space
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Philosophy, Science
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Can the Quantum Realm Explain Reality?

If we can uncover the smallest quantum particles in nature, will we have uncovered the fundamental secrets of reality?
Peter Biles
July 8, 2023
3
Philosophy, Science

If we can uncover the smallest quantum particles in nature, will we have uncovered the fundamental secrets of reality? A longstanding philosophical tradition in the sciences claims “yes.” Uncovering the mystery of the world lies in the ability to interrogate the smallest of the small. But is that the right way to approach it? What special status does the tiny have over the large? A paper at IAI News by London philosopher Peter West argues that reality can’t in fact be elucidated simply by observing quantum mechanics. He talks in some length about the 17th century text Micrographia by Robert Hooke, which features various images of insects and other organisms under the microscope. West notes that Hooke set the stage, Read More ›

summer-storm-monument-valley-navajo-nation-utah-usa-stockpack-adobe-stock
Summer Storm, Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, Utah, USA
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Westworld: Episode 4 Review

If nothing matters, then why are we doing this?
Gary Varner
July 8, 2023
7
Arts & Culture

Episode three spent a great deal of time simply building the characters and world but had one good scene that explored some interesting ideas about consciousness. Episode Four has a lot more action and much less depth. It does; however, feed us some nihilistic nonsense along the way, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. In the first scene, we return to a glass room where Bernard is once again talking to Dolores. She expresses concern about her world, and this seems to be the first time Bernard has heard her communicating thoughts that are somewhat independent of her programming. So, he gives her a wooden toy he calls The Maze and tells her that if she can find the Read More ›

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Sports concept of fighting without rules. Two athlete wrestlers in the arena of the octagonal scene. Mood fights without boxing rules MMA. Alternative look at sporting battles through the metal cage
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post
Author
News
Date
July 7, 2023
Categorized
Social Media
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Really, a Cage Match?

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match.
News
July 7, 2023
2
Social Media

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match. Yes, you heard that right. After an online squabble, the two are purportedly interested in an actual fight. Today, the news broke that Musk has agreed to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre offered his services to Musk in a tweet, to which Musk replied, “Okay, let’s do it.” No one really knows if this fight will actually happen, but it could. It’s ludicrous that men of such stature should be entertaining the notion of a cage match. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg is apparently trained in martial arts, and seemed open to the idea given Read More ›

titanic-at-belfast-date-1912-stockpack-adobe-stock
Titanic at Belfast. Date: 1912
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post
Author
Russ White
Date
July 7, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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The Titan and the Titanic: Bookends of Progressivism

Nature, despite all our technological innovations, remains extremely powerful
Russ White
July 7, 2023
4
Technology

I read, with great sadness, of the wreck of the Titan. There were, undoubtedly, technical reasons why this submersible, carrying five human souls, broke up, lying now in the same graveyard as the Titanic. We pray that the impacted families might find peace in this moment—and in the coming times when lawsuits are filed, and horrible things are spoken about their loved ones. There is a great lesson to learn from this disaster—not the obvious lessons about the all-to-human failings of individual engineers or managers. The lesson we take from this should be broader. We should learn a lesson about man’s confidence in his own abilities, in our ability to overcome nature, and in a certain kind of progress. The Read More ›

birds-symbol-carry-on-dialog-with-each-other-plasticine-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Birds symbol carry on dialog with each other. Plasticine illustration.
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Censorship, Social Media
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Twitter’s Copycat Rival is Coming to You via Meta. Will It Survive?

Meta will again co-opt the ideas of its competitors and hope for the best
Peter Biles
July 6, 2023
3
Censorship, Social Media

Meta is reportedly trying to compete with Twitter by introducing a similar app called Threads. The app will be connected to Instagram and will allow a cross-over of followers, etc. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, some have complained about loosened constraints regarding speech and expression. A number of formerly suspended accounts, such as those belonging to psychologist Jordan Peterson, the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee, and a number of other (mostly conservative) voices, were reestablished following Musk’s “takeover.” Now Meta is trying to capitalize. If they’re going to launch Threads, now is probably the best time to do it. Apart from the overarching complaints against Twitter and Musk, the platform is now limiting how many tweets a user Read More ›

silhouette-of-a-man-with-thoughts-in-the-form-of-physico-mathematical-formulas-the-concept-of-scientific-and-education-topics-stockpack-adobe-stock
Silhouette of a man, with thoughts in the form of physico-mathematical formulas. The concept of scientific and education topics.
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post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Mathematics
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Is Mathematics Discovered or Invented?

Some think math is invented. Evidence, though, points towards discovery.
Robert J. Marks
July 6, 2023
5
Mathematics

Some think math is invented. (See the article by Peter Biles.) Evidence, though, points towards discovery. Simultaneous mathematical discovery supports this viewpoint. Many mathematical breakthroughs are sometimes independently reported by two or more mathematicians at roughly the same time. The most famous is the simultaneous discovery of calculus by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Newton was secretive about his discovery and shared his results with only a few members of the Royal Society. When Leibnitz published his discovery of the calculus, Newton charged him with plagiarism. Today, historians agree that the discoveries were independent of each other. Here are some other lesser-known examples of simultaneous discovery. The Papoulis-Gerchberg Algorithm (PGA).  The PGA is an ingenious method for recovering lost Read More ›

diverse-friends-in-movie-theater-stockpack-adobe-stock
Diverse friends in movie theater.
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post
Author
News
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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Maybe Hollywood Had it Coming?

When TV production becomes this mechanical and impersonal, why shouldn't studios opt for AI?
News
July 6, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

The writers’ strike in Hollywood continues. In May, the Writers Guild of America started protesting low wages and the potential threat of artificially generated scripts. Large Language Models (LLMs) have only improved in generating text, raising concerns among writers. However, according to an insightful article from Auguste Meyrat of the Acton Institute, Hollywood has been developing a culture that welcomes AI-generated content with its tendency to pressure writers to fit a formulaic narrative structure instead of encouraging them to pursue real creativity and collaboration. Meyrat writes, All this virtually guarantees the use of AI-generated screenplays. After all, if producing a movie is now effectively the same as producing a widget on an assembly line, the human element can be dispensed Read More ›

nft-gallery-hologram-cryptoart-and-metaverse-stockpack-adobe-stock
NFT gallery hologram, cryptoart and metaverse
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post
Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023
Categorized
Cryptocurrency
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NFTS: The Reinvention of Property?

What makes NFTs valuable? And what does it mean to own them?
News
July 5, 2023
1
Cryptocurrency

Today we feature a video from the 2021 COSM Conference on blockchain, crypto, and non-fungible tokens featuring Jules Urbach and William Dembski. In the case of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain, actual ownership with legal standing is never in fact transferred for the underlying digital file. What makes NFTs valuable? And what does it mean to own them? We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Read More ›

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Frankenstein
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post
Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023
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Arts & Culture
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The Modern-Day “Frankenstein” Is Coming

"Poor Things," starring Emma Stone, is about a girl brought back to life. Ring a bell?
News
July 5, 2023
1
Arts & Culture

The movie Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo, is the story of an “unorthodox” scientist who brings a girl, Bella Baxter (Stone), back to life. Baxter must learn how to navigate the world given her unwieldy demeanor and the uncoordinated connection between her brain and body. It looks to be a pretty close re-interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic science fiction novel Frankenstein. Whether it will get even close to investigating Shelley’s key questions and insights remains to be seen, of course. Interestingly, the scientist (Dafoe) has a deformed face that looks like it was stitched together piece by piece, similar to popular renderings of Frankenstein’s monster. You can watch the trailer here:

a-futuristic-glowing-quantum-computer-unit-3d-render-stockpack-adobe-stock
A futuristic glowing quantum computer unit, 3d render
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post
Author
News
Date
July 4, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Quantum Computing: What Does it Change?

Microsoft's Julie Love discusses the myths and challenges of quantum computing
News
July 4, 2023
1
Technology

in today’s featured video from the 2022 COSM conference, Dr. Julie Love, Director of Quantum Computing Business Development at Microsoft, describes the challenges of quantum computing, exposes some of the myths regarding the technology, and describes the types of applications that quantum computers are best suited to address—including clean combustion, energy, and water, and energy efficiency. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Institute and author Read More ›

social-network-connection-concept-community-generativce-ai-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
social network connection concept, community generativce ai illustration
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post
Author
News
Date
July 4, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Marks Interviewed for a Fortune Article

The engineering professor and Mind Matters podcast host said we need to play down the AI hype
News
July 4, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

The insightful contributions of Walter Bradley Center’s Robert J. Marks continue to gain traction and attention. Marks was interviewed by Fortune magazine on artificial intelligence and its current hype. Marks told Fortune that we’re currently on a “hype curve,” saying: “We’ve always had this hype around A.I.,” Marks told Fortune, referencing the Perceptron. The professor said part of the reason investors and consumers are so caught up in the trend is generative A.I.’s ability to replicate humans. “There’s a lot of psychological aspects to the hype around artificial intelligence,” he noted. Systems like ChatGPT and Bard’s use “seductive optics” and eerie mimicry to appear more intelligent than they really are, said Marks, who is also director of the Walter Bradley Center for Read More ›

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cosmetic laboratory research and development . science bio skincare cream serum product with leaves. natural organic beauty cosmetics concept. cosmetology.
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post
Author
Jeffrey Funk
Date
July 4, 2023
Categorized
Science
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Scientists Have Been Recommending Changes to Science Education for Decades

The modern education system seems designed to squelch curiosity
Jeffrey Funk
July 4, 2023
7
Science

Gary Smith describes the problems with today’s science in his new book Distrust: Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on Science. He recounts endless examples of disinformation, data torture, and data mining, much of which we already knew. Taken together, however, and as I described in this review, they are mind-blowing. He argues that many of these problems come from things scientists do such as p-hacking during statistical analysis, too little emphasis on “impact” in statistical analyses, outright data falsification, and the creation of the Internet, which can be a huge disinformation machine in addition to a valuable resource. In the last chapter, he also offers some solutions such as ending the artificial thresholds for p-values such as 0.05, requiring Read More ›

shaking-hands-with-the-future-human-and-ai-collaboration-man-and-robot-on-background-of-huge-data-center-based-on-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Shaking hands with the future: human and AI collaboration. Man and robot on background of huge data center. Based on Generative AI
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post
Author
News
Date
July 3, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Marks: The More Complex the AI, the More It Could Go Wrong

Robert J. Marks's new article discusses how AI's growing complexity makes it harder to regulate
News
July 3, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Center for Natural & Artificial Intelligence, has a brand new article out over at Newsmax on the complexity of artificial intelligence and how, regardless of how many “band-aids” we put on its problematic outputs, it’s impossible to fully regulate a machine with this level of sophistication. Because AI is not a “slave to the truth,” it always needs improvement and correction by its human users. The problem is that we can’t avoid some of the damages until they’re already wrought. Marks writes, The more complex a system, the greater the number of ways it can respond and the more ways it can go wrong. The greater the number of possible responses, the Read More ›

adorable-little-girl-shopping-for-toys-cute-female-in-toy-store-happy-young-girl-selecting-toy-stockpack-adobe-stock
Adorable little girl shopping for toys. Cute female in toy store. Happy young girl selecting toy
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post
Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
July 3, 2023
Categorized
Natural Intelligence
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How a Toddler in a Toy Store Refutes Materialism

This everyday observation yields insight into a fundamental truth
Richard W. Stevens
July 3, 2023
5
Natural Intelligence

I’m a magnet for materialists. I often get into discussions with people who tell me that the universe is nothing but matter and energy. These folks believe in materialism. They say I’m nutty and wrong to think there is anything else. Something like: “Silly theist! Gods are for kids!” Let’s follow that thought. A grandparent of 11 humans, I’ve journeyed with their parents through the young ones’ toddlerhood many times. There’s a lot to learn about reality from toddlers’ learning and growing. It leads to understanding Toddler Truth. Take a toddler to a game arcade, a toy store, or another kid’s house to play. There’s one thing you can count on hearing: “I want that!” We parents start tuning out Read More ›

abstract-creative-illustration-from-3d-rendering-of-female-bust-figure-with-flat-anonymous-face-isolated-on-gradient-background-in-vaporwave-style-colors-stockpack-adobe-stock
Abstract creative illustration from 3D rendering of female bust figure with flat anonymous face isolated on gradient background in vaporwave style colors.
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 2, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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Blurring the Lines Between Fantasy and Reality

A "Black Mirror" episode illustrates the danger of seeing the world through an AI filter
Peter Biles
July 2, 2023
3
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

The dystopian Netflix show Black Mirror featured an episode a few years ago about soldiers tasked with wiping out an apparently mutant adversary. In reality, the soldiers are seeing the world through an AI filter that is casting ordinary human beings as despicable monsters. The AI lessens their hesitations to kill the enemy. An article at Nautilus cited a research group that’s asking how much of that horrifying story could potentially unfold in real time, or is already happening to a certain extent in today’s culture. Social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram already use face altering techniques in their apps, allowing users to curate idealized images of themselves. But what happens when, as in the Black Mirror episode, Read More ›

la-hollywood-stockpack-adobe-stock
la hollywood
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post
Author
News
Date
July 2, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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ChatGPT Isn’t Hollywood’s Only Issue

The deepfakes are only getting more scarily accurate
News
July 2, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Deepfakes are a growing threat to acting careers. It’s the other challenge posed by generative AI technologies. In early May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began a strike in Hollywood opposing both low wages and the intrusion of generative AI like ChatGPT, which critics purport will be used to replace human writers. The strike illustrates the current threat to the Hollywood writing industry, but the looming deepfake apocalypse calls the role of the actual actors into question, too. Tom Hanks jokingly noted that long after he’s gone, AI-generated versions of him will star in films far into the future. Maybe his remarks weren’t so comical after all. While deepfakes, upon close inspection, can be identified, they appear to be Read More ›

surreal-this-futuristic-new-york-city-is-a-hub-of-technological-innovation-with-holographic-advertisements-robots-highspeed-trains-flying-cars-and-personal-drones-it-is-a-melting-pot-of-cultures-and-stockpack-adobe-stock
surreal This futuristic new york city is a hub of technological innovation with holographic advertisements robots highspeed trains flying cars and personal drones It is a melting pot of cultures and
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 1, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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Simulating Human Connection with Meta’s “Allie” Chatbot

I can't help but wonder if people will increasingly use chatbots as paltry substitutes for genuine human connection
Peter Biles
July 1, 2023
5
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

To anyone who’s been watching and considering the outcomes of the chatbot revolution, virtual sex has seemed all but inevitable. Meta’s AI chatbot LLaMA, which was controversially made open to the public earlier this year, is now being used to generate sex bots. Washington Post reported on the trend, with Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus writing, Allie is an 18-year old with long brown hair who boasts “tons of sexual experience.” Because she“lives for attention,” she’ll “share details of her escapades”with anyone for free. But Allie is fake, an artificial intelligence chatbot created for sexual play — which sometimes carries out graphic rape and abuse fantasies. -Pranshu Verma and Will Oremus, Meta’s new AI is being used to create sex chatbots – The Washington Read More ›

building-a-human-head-in-a-directionesque-world-stockpack-adobe-stock
Building A Human Head In A Directionesque World
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 1, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind
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Westworld: Episode 3 Review

Here we get to the theory of consciousess
Gary Varner
July 1, 2023
6
Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind

Not too much happens in episode three. It builds off the events set up in episode two. But there is one particular scene that has a couple of interesting ideas we’re going to explore. First, a quick recap of the episode. Dolores hides the gun she found in a dresser drawer, and eventually asks Teddy to teach her to shoot. He does, but unfortunately, not for very long because Dr. Ford has now given him something Teddy’s never had before: a backstory. Ford gives Teddy a nemesis named Wyatt. Teddy was once a part of his gang, and while riding with the outlaw, he committed horrible crimes. Therefore, Teddy is on a quest for redemption and is resolved to finish Read More ›