Put your feet up, Santa, the Christmas machine has arrived - RepRap-projektista juttua Guardianissa.
"At this time of year, toy companies lose thousands by not being able to get toys to the market or having toys they can't sell... This way the product would always be available and you would be able to reuse materials afterwards perhaps in another product," said Professor David Wimpenny of De Montfort University, Leicester. "It would revolutionise Christmas."
Fab@Home - Wiki omien fabbereiden rakentamiseen.
Bye Swarmbots, Hello Swarmanoids - Swarmanoid on jatkoprojekti Swarm-bots projektille.
The three types of bots will join forces to create a swarmanoid and perform various jobs. The footbots will transport objects on the ground level, while handbots with specialized climbing and grappling features take to the walls. Some eyebots equipped with visual sensors will operate attached to the ceiling, overseeing the action below and feeding information to their robotic colleagues; others will fly.
Slippery ships - Ilmakuplamattojen avustuksella kulkevat laivat (kiitos, linkkivinkki).
Ear implant success sparks culture war
"The idea of operating on a healthy baby makes us all recoil," says Harlan Lane, a psycholinguist at Northeastern University in Boston. "Deaf people argue that they use a different language, and with it comes a different culture, but there is certainly nothing wrong with them that needs fixing with a surgeon's scalpel. We should listen."
The Geoengineering Option
The early examination of options we'd rather not use is vital. If the climate collapses faster than expected, or if our efforts fail (or are blocked by recalcitrant leaders), we will see people desperate for survival trying out these kinds of last-ditch solutions. It would be a good idea if they knew what the consequences could be before they choose which one(s) to try. If the planet faces disaster, not everyone will be willing to simply throw up their hands and say, "well, we're boned!" -- some of us will do what we can to catch human civilization before it's gone completely over the cliff.
Open Source Science: A New Model for Innovation
Innovations happen at the intersection of disciplines. People have talked about that a lot and I think we're providing some systematic evidence now with this study. Another example is that a pharmaceutical company got unusual toxicology results for an ongoing drug study. The best toxicologists within the firm had a look at the results and couldn't understand them. Their external academic consultants, also toxicologists, also failed to interpret the results. Then they finally posted it onto InnoCentive. A protein crystallographer looked at the problem and basically gave an off-the-shelf solution. The pharmaceutical company had never viewed the problem as a crystallography problem; they thought it was a toxicology problem.
Fonera WLAN tukiasema ilmaiseksi, kun tilaat ennen joulua.
Overcoming Bias - Ryhmäblogi, jossa kirjoittajina mm. Nick Bostrom, Eliezer Yudkowsky ja Robin Hanson. Blogin kuvaksi on valittu Waterhousen Odysseus ja Seireenit.
Pari valittua videota Beyond Belief 2006 konferenssista.
Session 2 - Neil deGrasse Tyson kertoo mm. miten uskomukset yliluonnolliseen estävät kehitystä, kuinka typerästi ihmiskeho on suunniteltu ja kuinka ihmiselle sopimaton paikka universumi on.
Session 4 - V.S. Ramachandran (alkaen noin puolestavälistä) kertoo aivohäiriöisten uskomuksista, mm. potilaasta, jonka vasen aivopuolisko on ateisti ja oikea aivopuolisko uskovainen.
Superman VS the KKK - Vanha tarina siitä, kuinka Stetson Kennedy soluttautui Ku Klux klaaniin ja kertoi klaanin salaisuudet Superman-radioshown tekijöille. Teräsmies hakkasi klaanin radiossa ja klaanin jäsenten lapset alkoivat leikkiä Teräsmiestä hakkaamassa klaania.
Lisäksi Superman hates smokers.
JoVE.com - YouTube tieteellisille kokeille.
Geenimuunneltu puuvilla sopii ihmisravinnoksi
This cottonseed could serve as a high-protein food for the world's hungry, and falls well within the criteria set by the World Health Organization and U.S. Food and Drug Administration for food consumption, the researchers said.
Wired: Rebooting the Ecosystem
The shortsighted mistake here would be getting mired in the details of these wild plans. (Crutzen's scheme would mean we'd have to start loving smog – but imagine the psychedelic sunsets!) Yes, these ideas sound crazy. But we're in the earliest stages of what is potentially the single most crucial new science in history. Let's give the researchers a minute or two to get their PowerPoint slides in order and, more important, grab a slice of the admittedly modest budget for climate-change research. Just remember: Advocating the study of geoengineering does not mean campaigning for the deployment of every ludicrous notion that comes along.
Are we witnessing the birth of a cosmetic underclass?
The best argument against the emergence of a class of marauding uglies is that cosmetic surgery, a bit like computers and the net, is getting cheaper all the time. Very soon anyone will be able to afford it and - as a consequence - it might become as unfashionable as a fake tan.
Israel tähtää nanoaseiden kehittämiseen.
-- "pearls of wisdom" -- tiny sensors that can be scattered on enemy territory. -- "intelligence wasp" or mini drone that can squeeze into narrow alleys, jam communications, photograph intelligence targets and even kill militants -- anti-suicide bomber sensors that can be installed in public places and apparently able to spot a bomber, based on scent, heat and weight.
The Dark Side of DNA
Analysis of output from the Human Genome Project makes it clear that just one form of such alien DNA, transposons, makes up about 50 percent of our genome. Every time one of your cells divides, it uses time and energy to replicate this parasitic DNA. There is even evidence that the size of your cells is set to accommodate this extra genetic load. In return, this type of DNA typically does nothing useful for you or any of the other organisms it inhabits.
The Robot's Rebellion
We must ensure that our goals are good for us and that we do not have them only because they contain successful memes. I want another piece of triple fudge chocolate cake, but should I want to want another piece? Do I only have the wish, or is it a good wish for me to have? If I care for my interests, then upon reflection I should realize that I should not want to want another piece. This process of higher-order rational reflection of our beliefs and desires, in combination with our capacity to overrule TASS, is what makes a successful rebellion possible. Once the genes had to equip us with an all-purpose analytic system to cope with more complex environmental challenges, we gained real autonomy: we can now rationally evaluate our beliefs and desires, making sure they are good for us, and we can favor behavior that benefits us over behavior that benefits our genes only.
Nascita del super-uomo (Birth of the Superhuman) - Italialainen dokumentti transhumanismista, 45 min. Englanninkielisetkin pätkät on tietysti dubattu ikävästi italiaksi.
Dark marketing: Tupakkayhtiöt laittavat YouTubeen videoita nuorista naisista polttamassa tupakkaa.
“V” Makes A Mark In DC - Veeksi pukeutuneet ihmiset kokoontuvat Valkoisen talon eteen vaatimaan vastauksia.
NASA suunnittelee asteroidille laskeutumista Armageddon-tyyliin. KW4-asteroidi ei ole uhka Maapallolle vielä tuhanteen vuoteen, mutta harjoittelu ei varmaan olisi pahitteeksi.
Pehmustettuja skeittilautoja sisätiloissa liikkumiseen.
New Scientistin The Big Questions -osiosta löytyy myös James Hughesin vastaus kysymykseen What comes after humans?
The term "transhumanism" may be only 50 years old but it was implicit in the Enlightenment from its beginning. In 1769, French philosopher Denis Diderot wrote three essays called D'Alembert's Dream recounting imaginary dialogues between himself and his friend and fellow philosopher Jean le Rond d'Alembert, along with a "cultured ladyfriend" and a physician. In these dialogues Diderot prefigures many transhumanist ideas, arguing for instance that since consciousness is a product of brain matter, the conscious mind can be deconstructed and put back together. He suggests that science will bring the dead back to life and redesign animals and machines into intelligent creatures. Diderot also expounds the idea that humanity can redesign itself into a great variety of types "whose future and final organic structure it is impossible to predict".
Threshold and pattern dynamics
A similar pattern occurred with the World Wide Web, which didn't achieve widespread use until a certain level of connectivity was reached. "It looks more and more like this was a sudden process, a threshold. You had to reach some critical level in connections between the computers of the world before the usefulness of the Web became apparent to most people," says Rundle.
Lisää superhiiriuutisia: isot annokset resveratrolia tekevät hiiristä tuplasti tehokkaampia, elämän pidentymisen ja terveyden lisäksi.
Dr. Sinclair dosed his mice daily with 22 milligrams of resveratrol for each kilogram of weight, and Dr. Auwerx used up to 400 milligrams. No one could drink enough red wine to obtain such doses.
Kanalle kasvatetaan uusi siipi kuin salamanterille jalka.
"In this simple experiment, we removed part of the chick embryo's wing, activated Wnt signaling, and got the whole limb back - a beautiful and perfect wing," said the lead author, Juan Carlos Izpis�a Belmonte, Ph.D., a professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory. "By changing the expression of a few genes, you can change the ability of a vertebrate to regenerate their limbs, rebuilding blood vessels, bone, muscles, and skin - everything that is needed."
New Scientist juhlistaa 50-vuotista taivaltaan.
50 Years of New Scientist - the Best Articles
Brilliant Minds Forecast the Next 50 Years
Mukana on myös Sir Julian Huxleyn artikkeli How can Man improve Man? vuodelta 1962.
Bionic man
"Promising work is taking place with limb transplants. One day it may be possible to create hybrid limbs which combine human tissue with electromechanical devices. Experiments with neural implants are also progressing quite rapidly, connecting the nervous system to external devices. What we're seeing at the moment is just the tip of the iceberg."
Superhiiri yhtä geeniä muuttamalla
"We now wonder if it's possible to achieve elements of muscular fitness without having to exercise, which in turn, raises many questions about possible modes of exercise performance enhancement, including the development of drugs that could do the same thing as we have done genetically," he says. "This also might raise to some the specter of 'gene doping,' something seriously being talked about in the future of high-performance athletes."
Robotti opettelee kävelemään tutkimalla itseään
In a way, Bongard said, the robot is "conscious" on a primitive level, because it thinks to itself, "What would happen if I do this?"
Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)
Using nanotechnology, a team of University of Georgia researchers has developed a diagnostic test that can detect viruses as diverse as influenza, HIV and RSV in 60 seconds or less.
Life in 2056: longer, healthier - and not alone
"Advances in heart regeneration are around the corner, digits will be regrown within five to 10 years, and limb regeneration will occur a few years later," Ellen Heber-Katz at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia told the magazine. "Within 50 years whole-body replacement will be routine."
Specter of possible harm threatens nanotech development, experts say
"Ultimately, this is not just a question about nanotechnology," says Maynard. "It is about whether governments, industry and scientists around the world are willing to make safe nanotechnology a priority. Are they willing devote the resources necessary to develop a comprehensive research strategy, and to work together with some urgency to implement and enable the technology to be safely applied?"
Triviatieto orgasmatron/taspi-rintamalta: Iku Iku byo on japanilaisten nimi PSASille.
Terraformataan vain pieniä paloja Marsista suuntaamalla kiertoradalla olevat avaruuspeilit samaan paikkaan.
Mies tatuoi kasvonsa Misfits-pääkalloksi.
Metaphilm: X-Men vs. Superman
Oddly enough, one of the earliest works to suggest that the superhuman ideal leads naturally to tyranny was a book that served as one of the chief inspirations for DC Comics’ Superman. In 1930, two years before Siegel and Shuster created Superman and eight years before they sold him to DC and introduced him to readers, Philip Wylie’s novel Gladiator depicted a man who grows up in a small, rural town as the son of a scientist who is obsessed with increasing human potential. The father experiments upon his son while he is still in the womb, and the boy grows up with superstrength and near-invulnerability that he must conceal in order to fit into society. The young man despairs after it becomes clear that scientists and corrupt politicians will want to exploit his abilities to create armies of supermen.
The Glimmering Promise of Gene Therapy
For the first time, he says, and one can sense his quiet exultation, medicine can do more than treat the signs and symptoms. It can reach the underlying causes. It can cure. "It's going to be difficult," he says. "Yet medicine has always had to work with imperfect knowledge and technology."
Opiorphin - Ihmisen syljestä eristetty kipulääke 6 kertaa morfiinia tehokkaampaa.
Scientific American 50 - Vuoden valinnat SciAmilta.
Lopuksi pätkä sarjakuvaa, jossa on oikea asenne: Minus.
Scientists use artificial chromosomes to correct genetic defects
The public and even many scientists are unaware of how close science is to making germ line engineering a reality, said Dr. Michael Rose, who studies the genetics of ageing at the University of California at Irvine and who was a speaker at the meeting. He said the meeting would bring public attention to "one of the most important questions for the human species: the extent to which it will direct its own evolution."
Kancept.com - Ostaisitko näitä konseptituotteita?
Robottimaha matkii ihmisen ruuansulatusta.
Losing Our Religion
Instead of the big, comforting certainties promoted by religion, science can offer only "a lot of little truths" and the austere pleasures of intellectual honesty. Much as Weinberg would like to see civilization emerge from the tyranny of religion, when it happens, "I think we will miss it, like a crazy old aunt who tells lies and causes us all kinds of trouble, but was beautiful once and was with us a long time."
Wikipedia - Open source religion
What Will Replace Religion?
These gatherings could have their own dedicated meeting hall, or - an idea that appeals to me - they could simply rotate through the homes of community members, eschewing formalism as much as possible in favor of the simple pleasures of warmth, light, fellowship, good company and good conversation. Instead of a hierarchy of obedience where one person always stands in the relationship of authority to every other congregant, this role could be filled on a weekly basis by different members of the community.
Olemme puoli-neandertaleja, tai ainakin osaksi. 1.1 miljoonaa vuotta sitten lajit sekoittuvat ja olemme olleet koko tämän ajan iljettäviä hybridimutantteja tietämättämme.
Is this the end of the road for traffic lights? - Liikennevalot pois ja ihmiset tulevat varovaisemmiksi.
Missouri jail painted pink with teddy bear accents aims to calm violence
"Basically, if they are going to act like children and commit a childish act, then we'll make a childish atmosphere," he said. "And its a calming thing; Teddy bears are soothing. So we made it like a day care, and that's kind of like what it is, a day care for adults who can't control their behavior in public."
Nikolai Sutyagin rakensi pilvenpiirtäjän puusta Arkangelissa.
Transmetropolitan: Another Cold Morning - Jos et ole vielä lukenut.
Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2007
Metalosis Maligna - Lyhytmokumentti Tetsuo-taudista, ohjaus Floris Kaayk. (myös YouTubessa)
Ray Kurzweilin kolmituntinen C-SPAN2 Book TV haastatteluvideo (.rm). Muissa videomuodoissa kai myöhemmin.
A factory of one's own
Today there are 15 labs around the globe, from Ghana, where an 8-year-old girl made a working circuit board, to Norway, where a 14-year-old boy crafted a robot car. "The killer app for personal fabrication in the developed world is technology for a market of one. For the rest of the planet, it's about people developing solutions to local problems," Gershenfeld says. -- The road from a Fab Lab to a personal fabricator in your living room faces two large hurdles: technology and finance. Gershenfeld is unconcerned about the former. He can see the technological roadmap; we should be there in 20 years, he says. The bigger problem is funding, which is why he's scouting for visionaries in venture capital and microfinance who see the potential. No one has jumped aboard yet, but there is a budding interest.
Dignity and Enhancement (PDF) - Nick Bostromin uusin keskittyy ihmisen arvokkuuteen. Jotkut väittävät, että ihmisyyttä tehostavien tekniikoiden käyttö on ihmisen arvokkuutta alentavaa. Jos suunniteltaisiin tehoste, jonka tarkoitus on varta vasten lisätä ihmisyyden arvokkuutta, vähentäisikö sen käyttö silloin ihmisyyden arvokkuutta?
Sukupuolesta tehdään henkilökohtainen valinta New Yorkissa.
In New York, the proposed change comes after four years of discussion among health officials, an eight-member panel of transgender experts and vital records offices nationwide. It is an outgrowth of the transgender community’s push to recognize that some people may not have money to get a sex-change operation, while others may not feel the need to undergo the procedure and are simply defining themselves as members of the opposite sex. While it may be a radical notion elsewhere, New York City has often tolerated such blurring of the lines of gender identity.
The Myth of the Rational Voter.
But why are there some areas — like politics and religion — where irrationality seems especially pronounced? My answer is that irrationality, like ignorance, is sensitive to price, and false beliefs about politics and religion are cheap. If you underestimate the costs of excessive drinking, you can ruin your life. In contrast, if you underestimate the benefits of immigration, or the evidence in favor of the theory of evolution, what happens to you? In all probability, the same thing that would have happened to you if you knew the whole truth. -- In a sense, then, there is a method to the average voter's madness. Even when his views are completely wrong, he gets the psychological benefit of emotionally appealing political beliefs at a bargain price. No wonder he buys in bulk.
Free Thinking 2006: Will Our Grandchildren be Robotic? - BBC:n Free Thinking Festival -radioshowssa keskustellaan ihmisen parantelusta. Mukana Nick Bostrom (tulee mukaan suunnilleen 02:28:00).
OpenHuman - Ne eivät löydä luurankoja kaapistasi, jos kerrot itse kaiken. Mitä jos olisit kaikille ihmisille yhtä avoin kuin vaikkapa aviopuolisollesi?
Nutrition, 2031 - Tulevaisuudessa syömme vain tummaa suklaata.
Vuoden lopun lähetessä aletaan taas katsomaan taaksepäin.
TIME Best Inventions 2006.
PopSci's Best of What's New 2006.
Nantero julistaa hiilinanoputkielektroniikan aikakauden alkaneeksi.
How the Aeroscraft Will Work - Lentokone-zeppeliinin prototyyppi valmistuu ehkä 2010 (kiitos, linkkivinkki).
Retrovirusfossiili "Phoenix" on herätetty ihmisen genomista miljoonien vuosien jälkeen.
Sähkösykäykset nukkuvan aivoihin parantavat muistia.
Aurinkosuojia avaruuteen. Kaiken varalta.
Ruumiinlämmön alentaminen saa hiiret elämään hieman pidempään. Hypotalamusta säätämällä hiiren keho luulee ympärillä olevan lämpimämpää kuin onkaan.
Ben Goertzelin Neofiles-haastattelu (mp3).
Humanity Ascending: A New Way Through Together - Hippi-new-age-futuristi Barbara Marx Hubbardin lahjoitusrahoitetun DVD-dokumenttisarjan ensimmäinen osa. Traileri (YouTube). Höpinä universaaleista harmonioista kuulostaa tietysti kivalta, mutta tuskin tähän rahaa kannattaisi tuhlata. Toisaalta jos tykkää istua ringissä ja soittaa tamburiinia, parempi että laulut kertovat uusista tekonivelistä kuin tähtitontuista.
Putting the human back into humanism
This model of human vulnerability and powerlessness is transmitted through ideas that call into question our capacity to control our own lives and affairs. Social commentators regularly declare that we live in an era of the ‘death of the subject’, ‘the death of the author’, ‘the decentred subject’, ‘the end of history’ or ‘the end of politics’. Such pessimistic accounts of the human potential inform both intellectual and cultural life in the West, providing a cultural legitimation for the downsizing of human ambition.
Those who ignore the mistakes of the future are bound to make them.
- Joe Miller
Bodyshock: Kill Me to Cure Me - Dokumentti (50 min.) aivoleikkauksesta, jonka ajaksi potilas pistetään kliinisesti kuolleeksi alhaiseen lämpötilaan ja herätetään taas henkiin leikkauksen jälkeen. Mukana myös norjalainen Anna Bagenholm, joka oli 6 tuntia kuolleena jäissä vuonna 1999 ja Mark Roth, joka laittaa hiiret hibernaatioon rikkivedyllä.
Oxycyte - Synteettinen valkoinen veri.
Understanding the Spime - Flickr-setti spimeistä.
Futaban humanoidirobotti (video).
But remember - that dark world of fungoid gardens and windowless cities isn't really terrible. It is only to us that it would seem so.
- H. P. Lovecraft, Whisperer in Darkness
