"Hello? Hello? Mothership, please come in? Whattinhellwasthat! Shit! Shit!"
"Aw hell! Another cheap-ass Skoda Planetary Drive exploded. How the hell are we supposed to get home now? Tell ya what, aim for - uh - *that* system there in that Milky Way looking galaxy, yeah, the one about 9 billion lightyears away. We can camp there until help arrives, there's a good Z-cch!-Tzzpian. Yeah. Of course it's uninhabited."
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
If Only Mr Magoo had had - this:
This is pretty much the logical development for an ageing population that don't want to give up their independence and freedom despite the fading reflexes/faculties. My father still drove up until just short of his 80th birthday, and he remained a good driver up until a major stroke prevented the possibility of further driving. My stepmother on the other hand, would have forgotten she was in the driver's seat except for the sound of screaming passengers... (Actually, and very sensibly, she didn't drive anyway. Dad was Designated Driver 99% of the time.)
But cars are already smart enough to sense anmals and pedestrians on the road, detect white lines, avoid kerbs and other vehicles, and stay within GPS-defined speed zones. And, of course, they can find their way to the shops and back. The only thing that prevents self-driving cars is the innate human distrust of surrendering control over our lives to anyone or anything else. Same thing that prevents us liking driverless trains and pilotless airplanes. (Both of which are now possible, too. )
So I hope this technology is available in cars soon, because I like the idea of reading a book while the car takes me to the capuccino strip or wherever...
But cars are already smart enough to sense anmals and pedestrians on the road, detect white lines, avoid kerbs and other vehicles, and stay within GPS-defined speed zones. And, of course, they can find their way to the shops and back. The only thing that prevents self-driving cars is the innate human distrust of surrendering control over our lives to anyone or anything else. Same thing that prevents us liking driverless trains and pilotless airplanes. (Both of which are now possible, too. )
So I hope this technology is available in cars soon, because I like the idea of reading a book while the car takes me to the capuccino strip or wherever...
Monday, 17 December 2007
Shamefaced Post. *blush*
I've been under a lot of time squeeze despite being pretty much a man of leisure. There have also been a few medical problems, and of course the normal things don't stop piling up.
I've written a short story about life in Second Life, within SL, and it's available for free in there but I'm trying to keep it as in "insider" book and am writing the second one. While it's planned that each book is only a bit longer than a short story and just under novella length, that too still takes time and resources. If you want a copy, contact Teddlesruss Vollmar in-world and get a free copy to read.
Went for a beaut holiday in the rainforest-like jungle of tingle trees around Pemberton and Walpole, stayed at a cabins in the forest, and had a wonderful, if off-grid, time. Lots of photos on Flickr including the magpie feeding - as blurred as it is that's my favourite shot of the holiday.
Check the pictures, we had an awesome couple of days, and went as far SE as Albany, which is for all the world like an Australianised Greek island fishing town, sprawling up the hill as it does. The Treetop Walk over the valley in the tingle forest is a must-do, as are visits to the Meadery to sample some honey products including honey mead, and the towns along the way all have spots that are charming and different, from the organic produce store in Denmark to the dinosaur museum and bird sanctuary outside Walpole.
Well worth your time to go down and stay in the lower SW for a few days - at rates as low as $79 for a two bedroom cabin or $99 for a three bedroom, you can enjoy a few days here, buy local produce (like the excellent beef and fresher than fresh vegetables) and prepare it in the kitchen of your cabin. Next time, I'm taking fishing gear too, because apparently there's nice local fish to be had at the beaches, which are no more than 10km off the highway most places.
Internet? Where we were was so isolated that there wasn't a phone in sight, perfect for a complete unplug - but that said, there are hotspots around, and many cabin rental places come with some form of Internet connectivity. If you must... We went to Albany and I sat in an Internet cafe for 40 minutes checking my email and IM, and that was quite enough...
Anyhow - that's why I've been slack with the blog, and what's more I can't promise that the situation will improve. But I can promise that I'll try, and that's what I'll do.
I've written a short story about life in Second Life, within SL, and it's available for free in there but I'm trying to keep it as in "insider" book and am writing the second one. While it's planned that each book is only a bit longer than a short story and just under novella length, that too still takes time and resources. If you want a copy, contact Teddlesruss Vollmar in-world and get a free copy to read.
Went for a beaut holiday in the rainforest-like jungle of tingle trees around Pemberton and Walpole, stayed at a cabins in the forest, and had a wonderful, if off-grid, time. Lots of photos on Flickr including the magpie feeding - as blurred as it is that's my favourite shot of the holiday.
Check the pictures, we had an awesome couple of days, and went as far SE as Albany, which is for all the world like an Australianised Greek island fishing town, sprawling up the hill as it does. The Treetop Walk over the valley in the tingle forest is a must-do, as are visits to the Meadery to sample some honey products including honey mead, and the towns along the way all have spots that are charming and different, from the organic produce store in Denmark to the dinosaur museum and bird sanctuary outside Walpole.
Well worth your time to go down and stay in the lower SW for a few days - at rates as low as $79 for a two bedroom cabin or $99 for a three bedroom, you can enjoy a few days here, buy local produce (like the excellent beef and fresher than fresh vegetables) and prepare it in the kitchen of your cabin. Next time, I'm taking fishing gear too, because apparently there's nice local fish to be had at the beaches, which are no more than 10km off the highway most places.
Internet? Where we were was so isolated that there wasn't a phone in sight, perfect for a complete unplug - but that said, there are hotspots around, and many cabin rental places come with some form of Internet connectivity. If you must... We went to Albany and I sat in an Internet cafe for 40 minutes checking my email and IM, and that was quite enough...
Anyhow - that's why I've been slack with the blog, and what's more I can't promise that the situation will improve. But I can promise that I'll try, and that's what I'll do.
Friday, 16 November 2007
Builder Reflex
Is it only me that instantly thought "Selext Textures" when seeing this picture from a DealsDirect catalogue?
Meh. Probably just me...
Monday, 12 November 2007
Friday, 9 November 2007
CyborgEthics
I don't know how many remember, but I started a blog on the subject of augmentation and cyborging back in the early 2000's - I don't know how I missed this article (and just now found this one) but it's precisely what I was saying, only years later... Okay - the original blog was on Arachnet and is now closed but I kept the idea alive, and seeing stuff like that makes me want to start it up again.
Basically, the central theme I am trying to work out is - how much of you can be replaced before you're no longer you? At what point does that change occur? Is there such a point? Or is it, as for every other philosophical question, just a matter of drawing your own line?
I mean, I use chemicals on a regular basis to regulate certain body functions like acid reflux control and sleeping pills. I wear mechanical devices to augment and correct my myopia, (glasses for short-sightedness,) and have had mechanical intervention (metal pin) to correct broken/defective body parts. (A snapped-off big toe, in this case. Don't ask... %)
Am I a human being who's been infused with metal and chemicals, or am I a cyborg with some human parts left? And before we get into mind/soul/brain that separates us from machines and animals, bear in mind that there are several sides to that coin that don't involve any inflated notion of "soul" and "better" or "worse" than animals/machines...
A case in point - when I started TEdADYNE Systems Blog, I posited that because nanotechnology is so incredibly small, a machine composed of nanoparticles could be built inside your normal body and only increase your mass slightly, and infact hardly be noticeable by you.
Such a network could be used to augment yur body and make it much better. It could also be used to map every particle of what makes you you, and thus paves the way for downloading your entire being to storage devices which, incidentally, are fast approaching more than enough capacity.
So then, if you get a backup of yourself made, and that backup gets run on a simulator or on some mechanical body, which one is the real you?
See, we still haven't got the hang of dealing with Internet malfeasance, and we're already on the verge of a far more slippery slope... Someone had to open a discussion, and I'd love to hear your comments on this.
Basically, the central theme I am trying to work out is - how much of you can be replaced before you're no longer you? At what point does that change occur? Is there such a point? Or is it, as for every other philosophical question, just a matter of drawing your own line?
I mean, I use chemicals on a regular basis to regulate certain body functions like acid reflux control and sleeping pills. I wear mechanical devices to augment and correct my myopia, (glasses for short-sightedness,) and have had mechanical intervention (metal pin) to correct broken/defective body parts. (A snapped-off big toe, in this case. Don't ask... %)
Am I a human being who's been infused with metal and chemicals, or am I a cyborg with some human parts left? And before we get into mind/soul/brain that separates us from machines and animals, bear in mind that there are several sides to that coin that don't involve any inflated notion of "soul" and "better" or "worse" than animals/machines...
A case in point - when I started TEdADYNE Systems Blog, I posited that because nanotechnology is so incredibly small, a machine composed of nanoparticles could be built inside your normal body and only increase your mass slightly, and infact hardly be noticeable by you.
Such a network could be used to augment yur body and make it much better. It could also be used to map every particle of what makes you you, and thus paves the way for downloading your entire being to storage devices which, incidentally, are fast approaching more than enough capacity.
So then, if you get a backup of yourself made, and that backup gets run on a simulator or on some mechanical body, which one is the real you?
See, we still haven't got the hang of dealing with Internet malfeasance, and we're already on the verge of a far more slippery slope... Someone had to open a discussion, and I'd love to hear your comments on this.
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Musical Tesla Coils Play Super Mario Theme
It's a pretty strange world, when the theme to a video game is one of the most well-known melodies of the day; Even more strange, and more magical, is that we harness lightning to play that tune for us...
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Monday, 5 November 2007
The Most Bastard Telemarketing Evah!
Just thought I'd share. (Okay, vent!)
Phone rang, I picked it up, silence at the other end. Okay, it's one of those autodiallers that waits for a sound then transfers you to the operator.
"HELLO?" and I heard the click, braced myself for yelg at another operator about Do Not Call lists, and got:
"Hi. We have a great opportunity for you, unfortunately all our operators are busy, would you please hold" from some automated IVR system.
Now I'm supposed to wait online for them to spam me? Dirty dirty dirty crap tricks. I half wish I'd hung on just so I could abuse human operator...
And now I have a problem, because this could also qualify as bastard marketing...
Phone rang, I picked it up, silence at the other end. Okay, it's one of those autodiallers that waits for a sound then transfers you to the operator.
"HELLO?" and I heard the click, braced myself for yelg at another operator about Do Not Call lists, and got:
"Hi. We have a great opportunity for you, unfortunately all our operators are busy, would you please hold" from some automated IVR system.
Now I'm supposed to wait online for them to spam me? Dirty dirty dirty crap tricks. I half wish I'd hung on just so I could abuse human operator...
And now I have a problem, because this could also qualify as bastard marketing...
Saturday, 3 November 2007
How To Steampunk
I think the Victorian Era of Invention was what really got me started into technology. Developed by HG Wells and his contemporaries into fantastic machines with filigree and rosewood, brass and copper, glass and crystal. And finally distilled by Walt Disney's inventor character Gyro Gearloose into the comics that I read before I read Wells.
So seeing people make high tech with love and Victorian craftmanship gives me warm fuzzy feelings. Steampunk is the name, and the most recent example of that craft is this.
Mind you, the guy that made this says in the video that the Victorian Era was the last time someone straight out of High School had knowledge of all the technology of their time, and since then it's become more complicated and difficult to master all the technologies in use - but I have to disagree. So what if he can't build the electronics of a keyboard? The premade electronics are a raw material just like sheet brass and fine oak...
So seeing people make high tech with love and Victorian craftmanship gives me warm fuzzy feelings. Steampunk is the name, and the most recent example of that craft is this.
Mind you, the guy that made this says in the video that the Victorian Era was the last time someone straight out of High School had knowledge of all the technology of their time, and since then it's become more complicated and difficult to master all the technologies in use - but I have to disagree. So what if he can't build the electronics of a keyboard? The premade electronics are a raw material just like sheet brass and fine oak...
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