Links for 04-03-2007
Animatronic Muppets, online course for writing sf&f, Marvin Minsky podcast…
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1 – Solar Eclipse, STEREO Style
“On Feb. 25, 2007 there was a transit of the Moon across the face of the Sun – but it could not be seen from Earth.” The STEREO-B probe caught it, though. Watch this video if your mind needs blowing.
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2 – Disneyland intros roving animatronic Muppets; Mickey and friends fear pink slips
“The happiest place on Earth just got a little happier this week, thanks to a new exhibit called the Muppet Mobile Laboratory that roams the park and delights visitors with inane banter and sprays of water.”
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“Make sure you choose words based on their meaning and appropriateness, not on how: * they sound * you think they’ll make others perceive you.” Indubitably verifiable.
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4 – Wikiworld – Britannica Blog
“Paul di Filippo’s science fiction story, Wikiworld [...] posits a near semi-utopian future in which cooperation among various cybergangs is the norm for everything from running the country to building the main character’s house.”
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5 – Build inland, UN climate report warns
“An international panel of scientists has proposed that all countries cease building on coastal land that is less than a metre above high tide so as to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change.” Velcro City is on the coast, BTW.
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6 – Writing science fiction and fantasy
Online potted writing course by Jeffrey Carver. Looks like some good condensed advice here.
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7 – Podcast: Marvin Minsky On The Future Of Artificial Intelligence
“In a Dr. Dobbs podcast, AI pioneer and MIT professor Marvin Minsky examines the failures of AI research and lays out directions for future developments in the field.”
