Revolutionary Robots and The New Machine Age
Humanoid robotics development is moving at an ever increasing pace; major corporations, scientists, and independent researchers are creating our future today in laboratories around the world. From Honda’s Asimo to Boston dynamics Petman, humanoid robots are poised to play a major role in our day to day lives. From industrial disaster recovery to assembly line work these advanced robots will transform our society and could commence the next great paradigm shift; a global robotics revolution. In this documentary, NHK explores the latest cutting edge developments in humanoid robotics design and engineering. Afterward take a look at a fascinating TED talk from researcher and writer Andrew McAfee, he suggests robots will likely replace the human worker and provides intriguing insights on how human society can rise to the inevitable social challenges of the New Machine Age.
Read More:
DARPA Robotics Challenge http://www.theroboticschallenge.org/
Kogoro Kurata’s KURATAS robot http://kuratasrobot.com/
Honda’s Asimo http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/
Boston dynamics Petman http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_petman.html
Boston dynamics Atlas Robot http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html
Boston dynamics Cheetah Robot http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_cheetah.html
Robot for Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant http://world.honda.com/CSR/history/asimo3/
Hubo Robot http://dasl.mem.drexel.edu/HUBO/index.php
Rethink Robotics Baxter Robot http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/index.php/products/baxter/
Ex-NSA Official’s Advice to Edward Snowden
Posted by ebongeek in Insolitus Politics on June 12, 2013
Ex-NSA official Thomas Drake sends a special message to whistleblower Edward Snowden ”… always check six, as we said when I used to be a flyer in the Air Force. Always make sure you know what’s behind you.” Drake went on to say; ”the U.S. government has an “industrial-scale” surveillance system that the Stasi in East Germany would have drooled over.”
Read More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/11/us-usa-security-nsa-drake-idUSBRE95A12X20130611
Also See:
“REDD” by U.G.L.Y.
Posted by ebongeek in Song Of The Day on June 12, 2013
NSA Prism Whistleblower Edward Snowden
The courageous Edward Snowden a 29 year old Systems Administrator reveals his reasons for going public and shares his fears about what he calls “Turnkey Tyranny”.
Read More:
Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance#start-of-comments?guni=Network front:network-front full-width-1 bento-box:Bento box:Position1
Meet Edward Snowden, the NSA Whistleblower
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/meet-edward-snowden-the-nsa-whistleblower/276688/
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: ‘I do not expect to see home again’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-why
All Your Communications Are Being Monitored
By now everyone in the United States and around the world has read about the NSA surveillance program called Prism. It has been widely reported by news outlets worldwide. One of our editors brought this 2012 Democracy Now interview with James Bamford to our attention. It focuses on the massive Utah Data Center called “Bumblehive” a major site for what is known as the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative . It is enlightening considering this week’s revelations.
The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/
“Parts of NSA’s PRISM program declassified”, USA Today, retrieved 9 June 2013
“US intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program”. The Washington Post. June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
“U.S. says it gathers online data abroad”. New York Times.
“NSA Reportedly Mines Servers of US Internet Firms For Data”. NPR. 6 June 2013.
You Are Not Alone
Posted by ebongeek in Entertainment on June 8, 2013
The Man Of Steel is back this time under the direction of the legendary Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan. We have high hopes for this reboot of Superman so watch out for it in theaters June 14 2013. Until then check out this creepy trailer that gives some indication of the rather serious tone of this re-envisioned version of the story.
Find Out More:
http://manofsteel.warnerbros.com/index.html?about
Drone Control
Brain computer interface research is advancing rapidly thanks to the work of people like Bin He at the University Of Minnesota’s Biomedical Functional Imaging and Neuroengineering Laboratory. They have created a BCI which allows its user to control an aerial drone without the need for implants. According to Bin He; “My entire career is to push for noninvasive 3-D brain-computer interfaces, or BCI, researchers elsewhere have used a chip implanted into the brain’s motor cortex to drive movement of a cursor across a screen or a robotic arm. But here we have proof that a noninvasive BCI from a scalp EEG can do as well as an invasive chip.” This research could lead to greater public adoption and acceptance of BCI applications and products. Although there is still much work that needs to be done using this method but thus far the research looks very promising.
Read More:
Biomedical Functional Imaging and Neuroengineering Laboratory
Has Modern Science Become Too Dogmatic?
Rupert Sheldrake’s “The Science Delusion” is one of those TED talks that will not be truly appreciated for another 50 years or so. Here Sheldrake argues that modern science has become dogmatic akin to a kind of belief system and makes assumptions about the nature of reality that is not supported by scientific evidence. This talk is quite controversial and has spawned many debates online about the merits of Sheldrake’s arguments. It should be noted that many of the TED talks we today consider to be credible and acceptable would have been roundly rejected by mainstream scientists 50 years ago. The fact is, we know more now than we did then so perhaps realizing this we can approach Sheldrake’s work with an open mind. Sheldrake in his words seeks to “set science free” and dispel the dogmas that hold us back from opening up new frontiers.
Read More:
The debate about Rupert Sheldrake’s talk
http://www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html
Open for discussion: Graham Hancock and Rupert Sheldrake from TEDxWhitechapel
http://blog.ted.com/2013/03/14/open-for-discussion-graham-hancock-and-rupert-sheldrake/
Freedom of Mind
Posted by MachineElf in Opinion, Science on April 21, 2013
In the western world we pride ourselves on the fact that we have achieved an unprecedented level of personal and civil freedoms. Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, but how free are we really if we are not free to explore our own consciousness? What about freedom of mind? Consciousness expanding substances like DMT, psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide remain illegal despite their valuable and promising therapeutic use. In this banned TED talk “The War on Consciousness” Graham Hancock explores the links between the evolution of human consciousness and psychoactive substances.
Read More:
The debate about Graham Hancock’s talk
Open for discussion: Graham Hancock and Rupert Sheldrake from TEDxWhitechapel
http://blog.ted.com/2013/03/14/open-for-discussion-graham-hancock-and-rupert-sheldrake/
The War on Consciousness By Graham Hancock
http://www.grahamhancock.com/features/the-war-on-onsciousness.php
Johns Hopkins study of ingredient in “magic mushrooms” found participants exhibited more “openness”
Fed-funded research: magic mushrooms create ‘openness’ September 30, 2011 by Amara D. Angelica
An interview with researcher Peter Gasser, M.D.
Related Posts:
Can lysergic acid diethylamide cure alcoholism?
Study On Therapeutic Use of Psychoactive Substances Ends
DMT The Spirit Molecule Documentary parts 1-5
Elysium is Coming
Posted by ebongeek in Entertainment on April 9, 2013
The rich live above in the heavens while the rest of us live below, after looking at the trailer from Neill Blomkamp‘s newest film Elysium Earth is not the place you want to be. If you love dystopian Sci-Fi you are going to love this.
Find Out More:
http://www.itsbetteruphere.com/
http://www.welcometoelysium.com/
The Festo BionicOpter
Festo is known for its appreciation of bio-mimicry in their robotic designs and the new BionicOpter is no exception. The BionicOpter leverages a unique multidisciplinary design approach combining lightweight sensors, actuators and mechanical elements with the latest in 21st century materials science. Much like Festo’s Bionic Handling Assistant the BionicOpter both looks and flies much like its organic dragonfly cousin.
The Age of the 3D Printed Gun
Posted by ebongeek in Design, Insolitus Politics on March 25, 2013
Whatever your opinion may be on the gun control debate one thing is clear someone, somewhere, will create a fully functional 3d printed gun and when they do the world will change. Small arms manufacturing could become a kind of cottage industry with people from all over the world creating not only copies of existing firearms but entirely new gun mashups, mixing ideas, capabilities and features from different designers to create an entirely new class of DIY weapons. Current designs are made out of thermoplastic powder but when the cost of more advanced 3d fabrication methods comes down the dream of the homemade printed firearm could become reality much sooner than you may think. 3D Systems Corp has created a 3d printer which uses a high powered laser to fuse aluminum and titanium powders together directly from CAD data to create fully functional metal parts. Electron beam freeform fabrication can also print durable metal parts capable of withstanding the heat and pressure demands of modern firearms which could go a long way toward creating the printed firearms industry. To some this may sound far fetched today but then again in the 21st century so do alot of things. In this Motherboard documentary Vice takes a look at Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed in their effort to create the world’s first 3d printed gun.
The Documentary
The Interview
Search engine for 3D printing
