Robotperson

A conversation this weekend about the classic Eames short, Powers of ten, caused me to hunt it down on Youtube. No surprise that I found more than I was looking for: Powers of Ten Simpsons version Interactive Java version

Slides from a presentation on stories, belief and the aesthetics of artefacts in science fiction, from a workshop at the Fictional Futures project, Goldsmiths Feb ’06. 50 slides, so this will take about half an hour. Many interesting links to follow. Catalhoyuk had a population of up to 10,000 people, and a few strange features […]

An Atlas of the universe. Spend a bit of time clicking in and out of the scales to get a sense of our place in all of this. Mindblowing, and I already know it all. Large scale structure of the universe is one of the two scientific ideas that I believe everybody should understand. The […]

ZD net reports on » the great Singularity debate. Here’s a primer if the Singularity (big ‘S’) is a new idea to you: Sometime in the next few years or decades, humanity will become capable of surpassing the upper limit on intelligence that has held since the rise of the human species. We will become […]

Do you ever wake up suddenly to a falling sensation and a strong muscle twitch just after you have fallen asleep? This is known as a hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or Hypnic jerk. I call this ‘tripping over the curb’, because that’s what I think has usually happened in my semi-conscious state. Apparently I do it […]

In 1994 David Hahn, an eagle scout in suburban Detroit, attempted to build a nuclear breeder reactor in his backyard shed. Leaving aside the mind boggling stupidity of this, you’ve got to admire the guy for giving it a go, and his Mitnick-esque social engineering skills. While we’re on the subject, here’s Wikipedia’s comprehensive list […]

Most of the content on newscientist.com is available only to subscribers, so I’m quoting heavily here. I’ve still linked to the stories though, just in case you happen to have a login. Excellent anti-ID argument on the letters page: "The use of retrospective probability analysis by ID adherents as proof of God is fatuous. Try […]

Robot person Review of robot injuries (pdf warning). First fatality: Japan, 1981. Robot pushed repairman into grinder. Defend yourself against the coming robot rebellion Robotic sentry gun. You know, like the ones in the Aliens special edition.

There’s a considerable leaf-litter of links in my ‘to-post’ folder. Let’s start with the science ones: The Sokal hoax “…Social Text journal published an article by Allan Sokal, Professor of Physics at New York University, entitled “Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity.” The article was a hoax … submitted to see […]

Today as I left work I had to run pretty fast to stay motionless as the Earth span beneath me, and London Bridge rotated my way. I was lucky to keep up: If I hadn’t boarded my train I would’ve been stranded in the city, and carried northwards as it zoomed away, leaving my still […]