Archive for July, 2009
Human Brain Accepts Cyborg Limbs — And Robots Act Like Humans!
“It turns out that the human body may adapt well to Borg-like accessorization,” notes this report on experiments proving that our brain can incorporate “cyborg additions” into our body schema. (Even after using a mechanical grabber, test subjects still behaved as if their arms were longer!)
But what’s even more interesting is that apparently robots can also learn to act human. French researchers demonstrated the same adaptability in humanoid robots. (And Japanese researchers even debuted a $2 million walking robot at a fashion show in Tokyo…)
Gay Penguins Split In Love Triangle Shock
A much-feted six-year gay relationship between two male penguins at a zoo is over — after one dumped the other for a widowed female called Linda.
Harry has left Pepper for another “more attractive” bird at San Francisco Zoo — sparking outrage across the blogosphere. Bloggers have been quick to accuse Linda of being a “home wrecker” who “lives for her own happiness, no matter who gets hurt.”
Do You Suffer From Information Overload Syndrome: IOS?
The following is propaganda from Xerox Corp:
Swine Flu & Propanganda
Remember the swine flu scare of 1976? Washington decided that every man, woman and child in the nation should get a shot to prevent a nation-wide outbreak, a pandemic. Well 46 million of us obediently took the shot, and now 4,000 Americans are claiming damages from Uncle Sam amounting to three and a half billion dollars because of what happened when they took that shot.
This 1979 CBS 60 Minutes was shown only once:
Official: US may create terror interrogation unit
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is considering creating a special unit of professional interrogators to handle key terror suspects, focusing on intelligence-gathering rather than building criminal cases for prosecution, a government official said Saturday.
The recommendation is expected from a presidential task force on interrogation methods that plans to send some findings to the White House on Tuesday.
The official said the panel, which has not completed its work, has concluded that the unit of intelligence and law enforcement agencies should be created. The task force is unsure which agencies should have a role, though the CIA and FBI are expected to be important players, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the panel’s work and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ben LaBolt, a White House spokesman, said President Barack Obama has not reviewed the task force’s recommendations. The spokesman declined to discuss any findings. The recommendation about the…
Killer Corpse Eating Robots: Not Just For Movies Anymore
The Pentagon has a new toy in its quest to further dehumanize warfare and bring humanity one step closer to robotic extinction: The EATR. The concept is pretty simple. The Energetically Autonomous Tactcial Robot will “perform long range, long endurance missions without the need for conventional refueling.” The EATR won’t need to refuel thanks to its ability to harvest its own fuel, BY EATING.
Remembering Walter Cronkite, News Giant: Explaining ‘The Way It Was’ to the YouTube Generation
Brian Stelter: Sean McManus, the president of CBS News, learned of Walter Cronkite’s death while he was at the dinner table on Friday evening, sharing a meal with his two children, ages 8 and 10.
After taking the phone call, he tried to explain to his children — who have grown up bombarded with news and information — the value of Mr. Cronkite’s once-a-day news updates.
“There probably will never be anybody who has the presence and the stature and the importance that Walter Cronkite had in this country,” Mr. McManus said in a telephone interview, recalling what he told his children.
NYPD Spends Nearly $1 Million on Typewriters
UPI: New York Police Department officials said the city is spending nearly $1 million to purchase and maintain typewriters for the police force.
City officials signed a $982,269 contract last year with New Jersey typewriter manufacturer Swintec for the purchase of manual and electric typewriters during the next three years and last month the city inked a $99,570 deal with New York’s Afax Business Machines for maintenance on the typing machines, the New York Post reported.
NYPD sources said the vast majority of the typewriters are for use by police. Most of the city’s arrest forms have been computerized, but property and evidence vouchers printed on carbon-paper forms still require the use of typewriters.
“It just doesn’t make sense that we can’t enter these (vouchers) on computer,” a police officer told the newspaper. Dr. Edith Linn, a retired New York police officer and professor of criminal justice at the city’s Berkeley College, said many…
Mmm, Delicious … Spider Pizza
Japan Probe: Former Kamen Rider Hiroshi Fujioka travels to Okinawa to eat some spider pizza:
The pizza is created under the direction of Mr. Matsuba of the Insect Cuisine Eating Association. According to this Ryukyu Asahi TV website, he also makes beetle pizza…
Amazon Remotely Deletes Orwell from Kindle
Gizmodo: Amazon basically guaranteed that I’ll never buy a Kindle last night by bending to the wishes of a publisher and deleting every single legitimately-purchased copy of 1984 and Animal Farm from all Kindles remotely. Ridiculous.
Apparently, the publisher changed its mind about having electronic versions of Orwell’s books. So Amazon removed them from the store and in the process remotely deleted the books from the Kindles of anyone who bought them, depositing a refund in their account in the process.
Amazon says this is a “rarity,” but even once is too many times for bullshit like this to happen. Once I buy a book from Barnes & Noble, I never have to worry about them breaking into my house and taking it back, leaving me a pile of singles on my nightstand.
And of course the fact that this happened to 1984, of all books, makes this even more surreal.
…
Amazon Remotely Deletes Orwell from Kindle
Gizmodo: Amazon basically guaranteed that I’ll never buy a Kindle last night by bending to the wishes of a publisher and deleting every single legitimately-purchased copy of 1984 and Animal Farm from all Kindles remotely. Ridiculous.
Apparently, the publisher changed its mind about having electronic versions of Orwell’s books. So Amazon removed them from the store and in the process remotely deleted the books from the Kindles of anyone who bought them, depositing a refund in their account in the process.
Sense And Sensibility And Sea Monsters
Riding high on the runaway success of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Jane Austen adaptation, this fall will bring Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Author Ben H. Winters says the re-edited version of Sense and Sensibility will feature “a giant rampaging mutant lobster. Octopi with glittering tentacles. And pirates — I couldn’t resist pirates.” Indie publisher Quirk Books released a trailer for the book: (The trailer may be more enjoyable than the 300-page monster-fied tome.)
Mysterious Giant Living Blob Found Floating Off the Alaskan Coast
Authorities in Alaska have found a giant, mysterious blob-like mass floating in the arctic waters in their area. It’s thick and dark and “gooey,” and “certainly biological…It’s definitely not an oil product of any kind” says Coast Guard officer Terry Hasenauer.
Other comments: “It’s definitely, by the smell and the makeup of it, it’s some sort of naturally occurring organic or otherwise marine organism,” and apparently, “it’s pitch black when it hits ice and it kind of discolors the ice and hangs off of it.” Most troublingly, there are reports of jellyfish being spotted tangle in the blob, as well as the remains of a dead goose–just bones and feathers. Does the mysterious, living, black blob from Alaska eat flesh? Read the full story for more bizarre description, and stay tuned for reports of penguins and fishermen being consumed by the killer goop.
Jesse Ventura: They Spent 100 Million Dollars Investigating Clinton But Only 4 Million On 9/11!
Jesse Ventura on Larry King Live discussing the topics of the day:
A Web Browser on Your Skin?
MIT’s developed a way to surf the web on a piece of paper, your shirt sleeve, or even your skin. An internet-enabled phone projects onto any surface, while a web cam even records your movements and let’s you interact with the “virtual” screen.
“A mere $350 of off-the-shelf components and suddenly the glass window at Macy’s, your car door, or your arm become a computer display,” notes this article (which includes some amazing pictures from MIT’s Scott Ogden.)
“Wave your hand and the Rolex materializes on your arm… Use your fingers and thumb to create a picture frame and snap a photo… Open the palm of your hand and suddenly your calendar and phone list overlay your life line.”
40 Years After Apollo 11: What’s Our Next Step?
The first footsteps on the moon — made by Armstrong on July 20, 1969, on the mission known as Apollo 11— came 3½ years before the last ones. Since then, astronauts have been stuck close to the Earth, mostly circling a few hundred miles overhead in a spacecraft that’s little more than a glorified cargo truck.
So now what?
That question preoccupies NASA and worries the Obama administration. The president said in March that NASA is beset by “a sense of drift.” Even some of the men who once walked on the moon are divided on how to proceed. Options could include going back to the moon, landing on an asteroid, shooting for Mars or even ending human exploration of space altogether.
That’s Mighty White of You
Republicans embrace racism; in other news, water is wet and the sky is blue…
Japanese Solar-Powered Homeless Shack
Kyohei Sakaguchi was walking along a riverside in Tokyo when he spotted a homeless man’s amazing makeshift shelter, complete with solar panels. Luckily, the man allowed him to survey the house and make blueprints. Compact, cute, and carbon-neutral, this seems like the future. Choose a tarp color for yours.
Glenn Beck Loses Mind On Radio Show
Fox News shining star Glenn Beck had an on-air freak out on his syndicated radio show, provoked by a caller’s defense of European-style universal health care. For the good part, fast forward to three minutes in. His shrieks will haunt your dreams.
