February 2012
12 posts
“When I see an old movie, like from the ’40s or ’50s or ’60s, the people look so...”
– Rudy Rucker (via wilwheaton)
“Nearly all creators of Utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and...”
– George Orwell, Why Socialists Don’t Believe in Fun (via imbricates)
1 tag
robotshop:
Blogs: Humans Want More Domestic Robots, Study Says - A recent survey done by Persuadable Research, a marketing ana… http://ow.ly/1hfpmb
“Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. And...”
– MIT Professor Calls For Facing The True Costs Of Technology | Here & Now (via slantback)
January 2012
10 posts
One step closer to controlling nuclear fusion →
singularitarian:
Using a heating system, physicists have succeeded for the first time in preventing the development of instabilities in an efficient alternative way relevant to a future nuclear fusion reactor. It’s an important step forward in the effort to build the future ITER reactor.
Production Update:
I am still completing the last few chapters of “Edan”, and starting the editing process. We had hoped to release an advance reader’s copy, and the unedited version before the first of the year, however transcribing the 50K+ word count has been really slow because my handwriting is so hard to read. (Currently only 10 chapters in of 60.) At this rate it may be more like March or...
December 2011
6 posts
“Reporting the extreme things as if they were the average things will start you...”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up (via bookoasis)
“A number of the great works of Western literature address themselves very...”
– The Book of Books - What Literature Owes the Bible (via azspot)
Scholarly conference to deal with the legal status... →
singularitarian:
Lawyers and policy wonks with a futurist bent are advised to take note. The University of Miami School of Law is organizing a conference called “We Robot: Inaugural Conference on Legal and Policy Issues Relating to Robotics.” They’re seeking scholars, lawyers, and roboticists who want to discuss a topic that will probably be making headlines in a decade: How the law will...
50+ authors tell Salon about their favorite books... →
joshsternberg:
Though, a bit disappointed Chad Harbach’s “The Art of Fielding” wasn’t mentioned. And equally disappointed that Jon Ronson, who wrote “The Psychopath Test” - which was one of my favorite books of the year - chose Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize winning book “A Visit From The Goon Squad,” a book that made me question who chooses the Pulitzer. (I didn’t like it.)
Well they...
WatchSynthetic Biology is turning to the living kingdoms for its materials library.
Chilling.
November 2011
12 posts
I just found out that “Edan” is Malay for “crazy”.
Update:
Transcribing my chicken scratches (I wrote the story of Edan by hand.) is taking longer then planned, so the release is delayed.
Several people have pre-ordered “Edan” on Amazon which shows a release date of December 7, and for making you wait a little longer we will find a way to make it up to you.
Interview: with Esau Kessler →
Artificial intelligence: Difference Engine:... →
singularitarian:
AN APOCRYPHAL tale is told about Henry Ford II showing Walter Reuther, the veteran leader of the United Automobile Workers, around a newly automated car plant. “Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues,” gibed the boss of Ford Motor Company. Without skipping a beat, Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”
Whether the...
Longevity Now! 100Plus's Calculator Will Let You... →
futuramb:
There are some simple rules of thumb in predicting future health: If someone eats poorly, they’re more likely to end up with diabetes. If they smoke regularly, heart disease or lung cancer might be in the cards. A startup called 100Plus is taking health predictions a step further by using millions of electronic medical records and health data sets to create a health timeline of your...
Texas county police buys drone that can carry... →
The police in Montgomery County — and area north of Houston, Texas — is the first local police in the United States to deploy a drone that can carry weapons; the police says it will be used in chases of escaping criminals and tracking drug shipments
October 2011
26 posts
1 tag
US flies drones from Ethiopia to fight Somali... →
fyeahafrica:
The US military has begun flying drone aircraft from a base in Ethiopia, as part of its fight against Islamist militants in neighbouring Somalia.
US officials have confirmed to the BBC that the base, in the southern city of Arba Minch, is now operational.
But they stressed that the remotely-piloted drones were being used only for surveillance, and not for air strikes.
It is...
1 tag
“The people purely from book culture only understand games in terms of...”
– Douglas Rushkoff (via azspot)