Links for 02-06-2007
Biotech lady-parts, open-source social networking, robot toddler, liquid body armour, virtual life and evolution, smartmobs in China…
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1 – Where You Read, I Will Follow
“Reading – both fiction and nonfiction – not only unlocks the mystery of writing, it can begin to unlock the mystery of life. Reading introduces you to new ideas, faraway places, other universes, and unexplored possibilities.”
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2 – Mobs of SMS messages lead to Chinese toxic plant closing
“Work on a billion-dollar petrochemical plant in a major Chinese port has been put on hold following a text message campaign by protestors angry about industrial pollution, state media said on Wednesday.” Democracy2.0, y’all.
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3 – Will Web 2.0 Kill Cyberspace?
“…some things we take for granted on the Web will change for us fundamentally. In particular, I came across J. LeRoy’s recent observation that Web 2.0 will finally kill the concept of cyberspace as a viable ongoing concern. And he’s probably right.”
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4 – Evolving Virtual Organisms to create Virtual Life
“Can you imagine the day when turning off your computer is considered murder?” This is shaping up to be a hot topic.
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5 – Patent: Liquid body armour
“…at the first sign of danger, the transducers could be activated with the flick of a switch. They would vibrate the fluid, increasing its overall stiffness and boosting the protective strength of the body armour.”
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“…it is designed to function as a 1- to 2-year-old child, gazing intently at its surroundings, squirming about on the floor and lighting up the room with child-like charm.” Too freaky for words.
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“The Appleseed Project is an effort to create open source Social Networking software that is based on a distributed model.” This needs to succeed, if only to destroy the ad-farm that is MySpace.
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8 – Italians build biotech vagina
“So far, two patients lacking vaginas because of a rare malformation have been helped to grow ones, using stem cells taken from their own bodies.” Awesome headline, astonishing story.
