Links for 15-09-2006
Madonna in space, tax-tracking website, defining ‘hackers’, robot pony…
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“The predictions and ideas Doctorow is discussing are no news [...] I can’t imagine that they are too unfamiliar to anyone working in the publishing industry – especially that of sf, which has always had a high percentage of tech-loving readers and writ
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BEST. HEADLINE. EVER. Hell, I’d even contribute to the slush fund, provided they agree not to bring her back again.
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“With creation of a new federal Web site, [US] citizens will at least be able to see where some of their tax money goes.” Now this is an idea I’ve long wanted to see over here. Fiscal transparency…smells like democracy to me.
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“A hacker is someone who thinks outside the box. It’s someone who discards conventional wisdom, and does something else instead.” Bruce Schneier gives the true definition.
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“The christening of Eris, named after the Greek goddess of chaos and strife, was announced by the International Astronomical Union on Wednesday.” Crivens! The Discordians have finally infiltrated the science establishments!
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“An Egyptologist who investigated two hills in central Bosnia believed by some to be ancient pyramids on Wednesday recommended that archaeological digs be carried out there.” Could be tricky, as Bosnia has no archaeological institutions as of yet.
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“Dreaming of owning a pony, but anxious about taking on the necessary responsibilities? Fret no more, there’s an alternative.” A million middle-class parents breathe more easily…
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“None of these books exist but that didn’t stop us from compiling a set of reviews on them.” Does what it says on the tin…it’s a Meme Therapy joint, y’all.
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“Paul Curtis aka Moose is no regular graffiti artist. In fact, he’s the reverse-graffiti artist. He created his street art by *cleaning* the dirt and grime off of surfaces!” Home-grown UK eccentricity, via BoingBoing.
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10 – Pantechnicon“Welcome to issue one of Pantechnicon, the new quarterly eZine for writers and fans of horror, science fiction and fantasy.” Does what it says on the tin; link via the Alien Online.
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“The airport of tomorrow might have virtual intelligence agents that check your bags, “smart dust” sensor networks that vet passengers heading through security and commuter pilots who fly the plane from a home office.”
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“Thaler recounts how a virtual robotic cockroach adopted a two-legged gait and ran on its hind legs, not unlike basilisk lizards, when it needed to move faster.” Your military AI hyperbole for the month.
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“This planet is about one-quarter the density of water [...] in other words, it’s lighter than a giant ball of cork! Just like Saturn, it would float in a bathtub if you could find a tub big enough to hold it, but it would float almost three times hig
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There are some few things that we are not ready to do using machines and computers. Voting is definitely one of them.
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“Is an automaton a portrait? Or is it a copy? A derivative work? Or perhaps a recording?” Is the (still headless) Philip Dick automaton a breach of copyright and intellectual property laws? The Grauniad ponders.
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“The device [...] works by detecting the movements of a chest muscle that has been rewired to the stumps of nerves that once went to her now-missing limb.” This is technology making a real difference to people’s lives.
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