Clones May Save Endangered Species

Clones May Save Endangered Species
Popular Science interviewed representatives from Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) and the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute regarding the practice of cloning to save endangered species. This April ACT cloned a Banting Cow -- it was the first successful clone of an endangered species. The proposed practice of routinely cloning endangered species has raised the question: Should we clone to save a species if it's fate is to live in a zoo as some sort of living museum piece? Bitchun Animal World, anyone?

A retro treat for Disney fans

Visit this link for a peek at a musical record map from Mattel and Disney. Be sure to view the full map illustration and download the audio clips.

Top roping is for Neanderthals

Top roping is for Neanderthals

In follow up to a prior post "Sticky Science" this group of developers has created a Gecko exo skeleton. Called the Geckomat. Check out their vision, concept, technique, photos and more at their website. I want a housefly exoskeleton, that would be cool. Taking off backwards, seeing multiple camera angles of everything, buzzing around town. Pooping on things.
UPDATE: Russian developers create "Gecko Tape"...

Avoiding a Space Pearl Harbor

Avoiding a Space Pearl Harbor
While I would have to reject the silly notion that this is "another American ploy to dominate the world", the US has taken liberties to control close to earth space to protect from enemy use to harm US interests according to this article. Sounds like 007 Bond 1979 movie Moonraker to me.

"Just like the Moonraker knows
His dream will come true someday
I know that you are
Only a kiss away.."

Via Cyberfictionreview

HP to create "This is your life" wearables

HP to create "This is your life" wearables
In followup of sorts from this post on an MIT's student who is testing a turtleshell like backpack that records video/audio of your whole life computer hardware conglomerate Hewlett-Packerd is taking a slightly different spin and developing a camera possibly mounted in glasses that photojournals your life. I believe this serves as a future trend toward invisable technology, ratifying the observation that when technology becomes transparent it is truly successful.
| Full story
Via Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends

Kick me my server is down

Kick me my server is down
The Baard gives us an exclusive story on miniature portable servers from Intel.
My question is why carry it around when you can have it implanted? Morons.
Via Smartmobs

bio cyborg mods

This guy claims "What we have always feared we have already become..zombies and cyborgs" an artist going by the name of STELARC has this interesting "whitpaper" on adding an extra biological ear to your head or arm but using it for digital speech and adding web capability and broadcast streaming audio. While there has always been a connection between madness and muse, I am led to question, what kind of negative impact will technology have on the mentally ill? Could it potentially enable them to turn themselves into cyborg like creatures, with a Slurpee dispenser in ther hip and a Space Invaders screen on thier chest? Would the only medical ethic standing between the head case and the bio vending machine be the almighty dollar? Could globalism bring prices down in that area too, making one stop bio surgery stations a common site in Santiago? "We replace kidneys and install bio hardrives"

Cognitive Carry-along

Concerned about keeping that whuffie level up? Be sure and check your MiniCog before going out...

The National Space Biomedical Research Institue (NSBRI) is working on "MiniCog," an application that evaluates your level of cognative wherewithall. Dr. Stephen Kosslyn of NSBRI sums it up:

“Difficult tasks, such as an astronaut performing a space walk or a surgeon doing a complicated operation, require the utmost attention and vigilance. We’re developing a way for people to test themselves and make sure they are mentally up to the challenge. Test results can help users determine if they need to eat, sleep, exercise, or better focus their thoughts on the task at hand.”

Read the NSBRI news release.

Onboard Computer

Onboard Computer
Well it seems like a given that auto makers would start putting usable computer systems in cars, and there are a number of them out there. However, why hasn't some enterprising company like COMP USA or Circuit City or audio chains started selling the service of installing computer systems in cars? It seems like it would be an instant cash cow. Check out this site dashpc.com and you have to scope the photos of this x-box/Unix mod.

Recreating the Magic Kindom?

Recreating the Magic Kindom?
While I am not a huge Disney fan, although much of the old school Walt magic brought good things to my life, many of the readers of the book Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom, are as well as it's author Cory Doctorow. If you are one of those fans you might want to take a peek at this story from MSNBC which speaks of the "struggling" empire, it's leaders, and it's products. They claim they are looking at creating a new image for Disney. Why not break it up into ad-hoc groups and departments that re envision everything finding special people like Walt did? Oh yeah, stock holders and board members want bottom lines, I forgot. But at least Cory's book could be art imatating real life and we could all hope for a renewal. We will see how Pirates of the Caribbean does and Haunted Mansion...with Eddie Murphy? Matrix will likely fare well with thei game based on a movie, why shouldn't Disney do well with movies based on rides?
I tossed around the idea of putting a donate link to send me to Disney World, as it was an unfulfilled childhood dream. But begging just doesn't seem right, and I am not sure if I even want to go anymore. I would rather see a child who has that passion for mystery, invention and adventure go. I think my time a has come and went.
UPDATE: "Finding Nemo" movie gets good reviews

What kind of camera can work 86 million miles away?

The kind our tax dollars pay for. While I would not characterize them as stunning or breathe taking, the idea is stirring, Mars Global Surveyor sends us photos of earth from mars, new perspective on our place in the cosmos. Read more and see for yourself at nationalgeographic.com here

Celebrating happy 4th

Celebrating happy 4th

This contributor to this blog is happy to announce the 4 years of wedded matrimony to the sweetest and smartest lady I know.
Although we fight like cats and dogs, her smile and looking into her eyes is the light of my life. Her loving approval is my greatest reward.

Blue collar redefined?

Blue collar redefined?
Very interesting note about a possible shift in labor classism by Glen Reynolds at MSN. The point being that with desktop work being shipped out of the country, manual labor could have a sudden increase in value. I think it will happen, and it is an overdue correction on a false notion that formal education being superior to learned skill is an absolute. I do draw a slightly different conclusion then the columnist though, knowing how to prosper in a corporate setting and manual labor skills will become the new virtue.
via futurismic

UPDATE: Check this more pessimistic post by Rick DeMent on jobs flowing out of the country. Personally, while I believe in a free and open market, trade with other countries, and that their is a new globalism, I think the willingness to go for the lowest dollar and send job out of the US- even when there is a shortage of skilled workers here, is irresponsible. One example: I have a friend and former client, who opted to send some design work out of the country to India, it was a much lower cost. With a little trouble and behind deadline it was completed in a good way. I am not offended, because business is business (and art is soooo subjective) but, he just weekend the local and national economy and strengthened India's. I think this should be allowed, but there should be some sort of return or interest to our country when we hire out, and that people should use more discretion in these matters. 30 years or a 100 years ago there would be no question about this, as even the very rich were aware of the poor in our country and would not turn a blind eye to them. Instead of a stockholders approving work transfer overseas, maybe they should consider taking a loss once in a while and putting money into training the poor. While I know some traders and investors would scoff at that remark, some things should be done because they are right, not just because they will make us money. This used to be common sense. Rick is right about "hidden costs" too. My wife just called and is trying to cancel a check that was lost or stolen, and the lady she was talking to was from Pakistan and likely at a call center in India, and could only repeat what her screen prompt said. She ended up going to the bank and talking to the branch manager. You get what you pay for, and we are getting a new bank.

(OT) Lawyers ain't all bad

You have to pop over and read this post about the day in the life of a lawyer- okay it was not a normal day but it is a blog must read. Made my day brighter. TPB at Unbillablehours your my hero. (Off topic other than this is the type of first hand literature released in near real time that blogging technology is all about and that the NYT will never be able to replicate.)

Go out in style Go out in a 'pod

Go out in style Go out in a 'pod
When you die you can't take your Ipod with you however, you can take your EcoPod to the grave...literally.
A holistic mystical flavored coffin made of 100% recycled paper and bedecked with various nature/pagan decor from the other side of the pond. If you are over 6' your out of luck though. I think they should just have everyone play a game that sucks you into an incinerator like Logan's Run. Or maybe recycle the biomatter to feed the poor like in Soylent Green. (Okay I am not really that insensitive, I worked for a cemetery for 6 years, but any excuse to mention two of my favorite sci-fi flicks.) While I like the idea of alternative deathcare products as the industry is seriously backward ingrown and run by mom and pops and mega corps, the EcoPod just doesn't seem sturdy enough to deliver me into the arms of Saint Peter, I want wood or maybe if the EcoPod floats, put me to sea in a rain of flaming arrows.

Find Stuff Fast!

I just added a search to the site so that you can find stuff without sifting through all the archives...okay I added it so I can find stuff without sifting through all the archives. But you can use it as well. If you are not familiar with Atomz, check it out it rocks. They program custom search engines for websites and they have a free one with no advertising as well.

Follow up to Tron

In the "making of" portion of the Tron DVD,
one of the things that drove the original concepts behind the movie were many poeple who were not "about the money or the fame", or even success, they just knew making the movie would be cool, fortunately Disney bankrolled it, and it had modest returns in the box office. Would it not be great to show those folks my appreciation for a job well done through punching in a vote that translated to thier Whuffie readers? A virtual pat on the back.

One of the other things that Lisberger mentioned on the disc, was that his concept was to get artists involved with this project because the fact was that computer programmers and cgi guys were not that creative. He firmly believed in teaming the techno geeks with the creatives and it paid off in a large way. It pushed the animateers into learning cgi applications for thier work, and computer graphics were pushed beyond thier normal boundries resulting in what producer Mike Kushkin said was " technology 2 or 3 years ahead of it's time".

That is the point of this blog. As a creatives, we do not have the industry savvy of Tim Oren, the writing prowess of Cory Doctorow, the financial intrests of OpenCola, Social Text or other social rep IPOs, the the knowledge of power laws like Ross Mayfield or Adina Levin, but we do have creative vision, my hope is to dialogue on a the simple implementation of a Whuffie system at best, and at worst help the average'Joe to decode what all this hooey is about. What is in it for us? Whuffie? I just think it should be done. But maybe if the right people like the way we think they will hire us to as creative consultants and producers.

After some thought I have decided that the focus of that system though very multi-faceted should be social recognition of achievment as "Our current social system does not formerly recognize this, and often attention-wealth comes too late, as in the case of artists, engineers, or humanitarians who recieve recognition after their demise."

Therefore, political whuffie is not that important, because who cares about their current political affilliation if they have achieved something that is great for humanity. My hope would be that most would opt out of stating thier political affiliations, unless it was important to them. Reagan was once a Communist, Al Gore was a Republican, but the internet was invented and the Berlin wall fell. This reward type system would both point out human achievement and encourage good works regardless of party or ideology.

This seems to be the focus of the decidedly commercial affero.org so I am going to do some study on what they are doing.

Tron reloaded

Tron reloaded
If your like me, the more hype around a movie the less it interests me, maybe it is street smarts, maybe something deeper and self aggrandizing, but Matrix Reloaded is mildly of interest to me. Not because of it's great effects or cool sci-fi story line, but because I like movies, and I think it might entertain me. However, in lew of standing in long lines, I went to the video store and rented the classic Tron with then young Jeff Bridges. (speaking of the computer revolution) This was the a classic Disney investment, that showcased early Walt-style innovation in place of big budgets. Director and writer Steven Lisberg was running a small moneyless adhoc animation studio that was tanking after their first big job flopped when the Olympics were canceled. He came up with a benchmark process that inspired Toystory and today's CGI movie craze. While the video game was better than the movie, the movie was light years ahead of it's time visually and was the first showcase of computer generated art. There is a rumor that they will do a 2nd Tron movie (How about a trilogy?). Rent the DVD, take the time to watch the special features. Learn more here at tron-sector.com

Historical framing and whuffie politics

"2 U (under the sea)
Mark how the telegraph motions to me,
2 U (under the sea)
Signals are coming along
With a wag, wag, wag;
The telegraph needle is vibrating free
And every vibration is telling to me
How they drag,drag,drag
the telegraph cable along."
James Clerk Maxwell The father of modern physics (written when the transatlantic cable was laid.)

I was talking with my wife about technology and convergence, and the conversation began with the political change in the 1700's with The American Romantic Movement, the industrialization of the 1800's, and the scientific convergence in mid 1900's of the atomic era trains,plains, and autos, and how relative that is to the latest convergence of computing and communications. I have been pondering my suspicion that these are becoming accelerated from 100, 50, 25, year intervals to what appears to be 15,10 and 5 year intervals. In this process industry and investors are quick to translate new technology into the last great benchmark. Going back to the Revolution 1 E-litterati like Ross Mayfield have picked up on the social and political ramifications of convergence, (though decidedly left). So I wonder about the new genomic era which appears to be realized in the next 5-10 years, and what that will entail. This leads me to comment on the networking process that would be potentially realized with a Whuffie system. Imagine being able to quickly locate, and contact multiple human resources on a global level without all the time and expense, and constraint of today's networking systems. To date I have discussed the trust measurement, currency or unit value, and network value factors of a literal Whuffie system. In the vein of left handed and right handed Whuffie, what would the political ramifications be? While finding someone's political affiliations is often dubious, or done after the fact, as in the case of a dating relationship, business partnering, or hobbyist/enthusiast- How would it affect relationships if you knew of someone's political affiliation ahead of time, would that not attend to polarize and isolate groups. Or worse would this have the affect of compromising our democracy , with potentially entire state and federal agencies, corporations, and groups sifting whuffie databases and cherry picking. But then again would that not just be an acceleration of a process already in place with unions, voter registrations, districting? Would legislation be imposed to keep this from happening? What type of positive effects on politics could Whuffie have?

Loud clothing just got louder

Very cool luminous clothing story at PCworld
scope the manufacturers:
Electric Plaid
Luminex
Elektex

Also scope her write up on artificial memory covering 1945 Memex and memory storage today. Tastey.

Via guest blogger and robot queen Karen Marcello on BoingBoing.net