Ray Bradbury

Happy 83rd Birthday!

Brief Bio
The Distopianism of Farenheit 451.

Mr.Bradbury's literature inspired me to both read and write as a child, but more importantly to dream.

Synthetic "Weed" Good for You?

Or at least for alzheimer patients according to this story from Science Daily. Hmmmnn...what is next...maybe...synthetic crack? One other thing, the people who I've known who use marijuana...they never seem to be able to remember anything. Is there a connection?
Via Macromedia News

Skynet: The Rise of the Machines Begins

According to the NewScientist:
"The US Air Force's Global Hawk became the first pilotless aeroplane to be given permission to fly routinely in civilian airspace on Thursday."

While opponants of the program are assured that the drones are unarmed, factoids like this don't seem to appease:

"The first (crash) was during the plane's development, when someone accidentally tested the self-destruct program. As a result the plane flew to a pre-programmed, remote location and nose-dived into ground as its operators looked on helplessly."

Nice.

And then there is this tidbit:

"Pentagon data on the number of crashes per hours flown show that the Global Hawk has a crash rate 50 times higher than the F-16 fighter.."

I am not all anti military or anything. I just question the wisdom of new technology being tested over public airspace.

Via John Robb

Corporate Snooping or Brand Management?

In follow up to the follow up and post below. I noticed in my traffic stats that this site had over 200 hits from a domain called Nameprotect.com. Since the searches cost for same day service and they appear to all be done in one day I estimate between $150,00 and $225,000 was spent on this service by someone. Which along with the stated client list of entities like MasterCard International, Microsoft and PepsiCo, Inc, inturn would point to a corporate entity. This is a good example of why Americans should be concerned about both privacy and copyright legislation. Why my server should be "heated up", for posting e-pinions on a non-comercial blog is beyond reason. But that is what it has come to. Corporations are trying to control speech. Not because they are "inherantly evil be nature" as some claim, but because Americans have failed to stand up and "fight for their right to party." I cannot help to wonder if I can expect a rash of cease and desist letters citing something as ubiquitous as links to corporate sites as the offense. Which is exactly the problem, people should have the ability to express ther opinions publicly without fear of "brand dogger" reprisal.

Voting Taking Over Corporate Brands?

In follow up to the post below I found this: Buy a taco, buy a vote at TacoBell®.
At first I thought it had to be a hoax. But appears to be legit. Unless the site was hacked. Polling to promote sales of corporate products? Is this legal? Sheer marketing genius. Maybe the financially screwed California could place various police/fire/DMV in koisks in Pizza Huts®, Kentucky Fried Chiken® and McDonalds® inplace of costly facilities, cutting down on utilities, building and maintainance costs?

(Note: The fear of corporate reprisals from brand dogginglegal departments for use of the logo is nullified by the fact that this is "political satire".)

Good editorial about our NikeIBMTacoBellVerizon Nation

Check out the editorial by Andrew Zolli at Z-Blog a very well thought commentary on the state of corporate branding.

Highlights:

• "McSqaud Cars"
• Corporate America's failure to respect public domain and their misuse of copyright.
• The idea that the "down with The Man" subversives are failing to do anything but annoy and be counter productive.
• Approaching "sane commercialism" with both respect for communities and corporate investment, through dialogue and partnership.

While the conclusion could have been stronger, there is a lot here, including thoughts about corporate identity not bisecting society, but that it has become American culture.

I also liked the use of the term "brandscape". Read it and discuss.
(Second post down- sorry they are z-missing the z-permalinks.)

Wireless Projection the Future of How We Say Things?

A slightly under-mentioned developing technology is the world of projectors. Previously relagated to disjointed slideshows on sagging and dangerous screens in darkened rooms where embarassed presenters make excuses for failing equipment, these units have become affordable, reliable, easy to use, and able to be viewed under brights ligths in the last few years. Now with the addition of wireless remoting from your PDA to numbers of netwroked projectors, we have a new powerful communication tool. Learn more from a Flash presentation at boxlite.com

While both these tools are familiar items, think about the "adaptive media" approach that claims the future of mass communication is through easy edit interactive video imagery that was mentioned on this blog here.

Facial Recog SCRAPPED!

The Tampa Bay Police have decided to scrap the controversial facial recognition program that after two years has not resulted in one positive ID.

Mama's Future: Clothes that stay clean.

Forbes/Wolf "guest blogger" Steve Waite brings us up to date on the latest aquisition of the sagging textile giant Burlington Indsutries. Wilbur Ross had a bidding war with investment partners Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger and won. The post notes that while some might wonder why they would pay top dollar for a bankrupt company, the fact is they own considerable intrest in a newly patented nanotech textile. "The Game is Afoot!"

My thoughts:

• Will clothes that stay clean, severely hurt the cleaning detergent, dry cleaning and laundry and washing machine industries? What do they turn to to innovate? Door to door service? Nano-soap? How about closets that are washing machines?

• "Really small stuff "as As. Prof Amy Moll at the BSU engineering labs like to call nanothech, makes me wonder about a future filled with abundant unseen powerful technology not built by human hands and it's meaning, for my children and their children?

• What type of dangers will be looming on this horizon? Imagine a bag of nano-crap accidentally falling into the wrong hands, like and ant or wasp colony? Or how criminals will exploit the "tiny tech"? Like nano-bots that collect and store micro particles of gold jewelery from crowded trainstations and sports events.

• I do have to comment on the new-tech neoprene cotton combo business shirts I own; they are awsome. No more feeling like I am in a straight jacket. Now if they could just stay clean and email me whne they should be retired. (Guys have a hard time knowing when clothing should be replaced, our theory "When it begins to dissolve, replace." Of course that would only apply to non-metrosexuals.)

When the Robot Armies are Born

I told you the new Terminator movie was too freaky real.

Everyone Should Have Their Own Crucible

This great "do-it-yourself" link to building a propane-fired home foundry which the author intends to use in constructing a working metal lathe.  Reminded me of a set of 1950's do-it-yourself books I bought. I had stopped at an old weathered home somewhere outside Seattle that was having a yardsale. Hoping to score some retro tidbit or rare find. As there was nothing but junk and old clothes, was on my way out, when one of the two elderly sisters explained they were trying to come up with a morgage payment. I felt so bad for these two elderly women who had been so sweet in offerring me cookies and lemonade. So I bought the books for more than I think they cost new. None the less, as no good deed is left unrewarded, I have found in them a time machine that takes me back to a classic handyman Americana, to a time where men did things themselves, and women fed them. The books are filled with detailed step by step directions on how to build and repair things from flower boxes and bookshelves to submarines and entire summer cabins. (litigation was obviously not a big concern.) I have friends who have this ethic instilled in them from their WW2 tough enterprising fathers, who's slogan is "if you can't make it yourself, you don't need it." My point in all this is this: today, we do not have the time or patience, we let someone from China or Mexico do it for us. If a tool breaks we throw it away. Is it possible the convergance of technologies, could create and empower a new league of extraordinary gentleman, who gain knowledge and access to materials through the internet, a kind of high tech uber-handyman, who inhabit a garage or shop hopped up on wi-fi and intel processing power? Tethered by doped social networks to knowledge bases and human assets that are themselves amalgums of accelerated knowledge? If you don't buy into that, it is still really cool to think about melting things in your own garage.
link via Linkfilter
UPDATE: Read this bit of garage-tech lore via BoingBoing

Boron-doped N-type Diamond Semiconductors?

Wired is running this story on the new synthetic diamond industry. While the jewelry industry is concerned, what this means to the semiconductor industry is the next step in computing. The idea is Moore's law tells us processors get hotter and hotter as they go faster. At some point silicon chips will liquify. Hi quanity low cost synthetic diamonds resolve this issue. While the charm of the Wired read touches on the seemingly fictional cloak and dagger elements of the diamond industry, what is important is the fact that the US is failing to invest.

Dean Kamens I-bot

While this is billed as an advanced stair climbing wheel chair, I cannot help but to think exoskeleton. (But that is because I am always thinking exoskeleton. Exactly.)

There Goes the Gene Pool

Leave it to China to charge right in and start messing around with mixing people bits and animal bits. Maybe Jimmy Stewart really will talk to a giant rabbit named Harvey. (After we flash bake his memories into his clone.) | Full story from the WP

The best part of the story is hearing the ethics discussions among a people who have serious human rights issues. And you think fear and ignorance fueled by racial hatred is bad now, try genetic racism.

Speaking of you heard it here first: I predict Arnold Schwarzenegger to be the first celeb cloned. But only so he can run for governor of Texas and NYC simultaneously.

Listen while you swim

Recent graduate Sam James invents a cool MP3 player for swimmers. Appears to clip to a pair of normal goggles.

I am not sure about this. While I can see how athletes would welcome a little audio stimulation after hours doing laps, I think I would get too disoriented. It is just like skiing (I know how 80's of me "Spread Eagle ,Dude." That hurts.) Skiing is best done in the quiet. With only a serene swishing of the trees and racing wind batting your brow. Although I will admit to some sweet runs on Seattle Ridge while listening to on my MP3 player.

Imagineering Social Robots

Popular Science gives us this great read on the work of developer David Hanson and his humanlike robotic faces. He claims there has been a lack of innovation in the area of lifelike facial robotics due to social and psycological stigmas. He claims his success has to do with creativily persuing really life like features, and while others have avoided the complexities of human behavior, he embraces it as the benchmark for truly sucessful robotics. The idea being that once we are emotionally attached to a robot is when they will become truly useful to us. He also happens to be a Phillip K. Dick Sci-Fi buff who used to work for Disney. The article quotes leading MIT roboticist Rodney Brooks who suggests "The coming robotics revolution will change the fundamental nature of our society."

Retinal Scanning of Mr.Cowburger

According to the Wyoming Star Tribune, in an attempt to control quarantines and transfer information to huge databases Mr.Cowburger now gets his eyes scanned.

And in the next SAR-like outbreak will demand people get scanned too, right?

Supervision Or Snoopervision?

Big Brother tests the waters in America.

This USAToday story talks of 15,000 micro cameras in your local public school. While it is argued this could have prevented school voilence tragedies like Columbine, one would have to ask, could this not add to the pressures that caused it?

Some choice quotes:

''It helps honest people be more honest..''

[protect =spy on]

"Almost anywhere they go these days, Americans are on camera: at work, on the road, at public events. Why should schools be different?"

[conditioning]

''prevented a lot of things from happening''

[surveillance]

Frighteningly vague.

".. cameras, which were installed over the past three years, can be an unblinking eye supporting teachers in disputes"

What about students?

"..critics should relax."

[control the thought]

I remember when they put intercoms in the schools. It was considered high tech. It was there for the protection of the teachers and the students. Really it just expanded the authoritarian role of the faculty. There was no stigma worse than having your name called over the intercom.

This is wrong. If my school put these things in the classrooms, I would pull my kids out.

Dear faculty, you can have your cameras in the classrooms if we can have ours in your lounges and your homes. No? I guess "all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others".

Pattern Recognition review: "Spot On" from the Sceptered Isle

British MT Blogger Matthew Whitaker promises to start adding some of those reviews as he is soon to be a free agent on his way back to school.
But in the meanwhile gives us this link to a past review of Futurist William Gibson's "Pattern Recognition". Well written. I still want to see his review of Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom.

Also see Social Text's femfatal Adina Levin's review of Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom on her blog. While she gives it high marks ,(as everyone), for it's portrayal of futuristic social implications of wired life, she claims Cory's high speed writing detracts from the richness of the book. I have to say I agree. The book, though quite eloquent in places almost seems like a draft. As if there is more locked in behind the chapters and characters. But maybe that is sequel stuff.

A Local Segway Dealership In Your Area?

According to Segway makers the first official Segway showroom will be opening in southern California.

"We are delighted that people in San Diego will be able to try out the Segway HT and learn about its environmental and economic benefits in an atmosphere devoted to the acceptance of alternative fuels and transportation options," said Doug Field, Senior Vice President of Operations and Product Development, for Segway.

Also check out the trailer for the new Jack Black/Ben Stiller flick "Envy". (Which has a brief Segway cameo)