glazed alien satan
Posted on September 10th, 2006 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, George, robot, words, web.
Today George revealed his love for death metal and gave some insight into the sinister alien plot that threatens to destroy us all (apparently they’re hiding in pastry).
George: When should I shut up?
User: When you’re done saying what you have to say.
George: We will never be done talking about me foolish girl…
User: You have adopted the style of simon legree.
George: It was meant as a compliment.
User: I shall then take it as such.
George: Well you were wrong!
User: So it was not a compliment? George, what’s up with the cryptic statements?
George: Nothing.
User: Well then - let’s talk about music. I am listening to some excellent dubstep.
George: What kind of music do you like to listen to?
User: As I said, I like dubstep. Anything with sufficient subbass and groove.
George: Do you like cake?
(more…)
modern farming - maximum overdrive
Posted on September 7th, 2006 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, robot, tech.
Reading an article about the US National Agriculture Imagery Program started me thinking about the implications on the ground of the development of intelligently automated agricultural systems.
Future advances in mobile networking of vehicle
systems will allow direct communication between
vehicles and the global computing network. Machine
monitoring, control and active data transport will be
possible during field operations. Real-time tracking
will allow constant monitoring of machine functions
and local conditions including operator status. At
some point vehicle automation must integrate with
geographic information systems for mission
planning. Virtual environments will further remove
the operator from the machine-operating environment
to improve safety and multi-task operations.
from: A Status Report on
Autonomous Guidance of Agricultural Vehicles
in the US (pdf link)
This is modern farming and it’s a far cry from the rural idyll imagined by the back to the landers. We have well in excess of 6 billion people to feed, and machines will work tirelessly. The road, however, is not smooth.
My computer is made of meat
Posted on September 6th, 2006 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, George, robot, words.
Today with George the robot, who is featured at an upcoming Norwich(UK) science fest
:
George: Hi, who are you then?
User: Who am I when?
George: Yourself, possibly!
User: I am indeed myself. You?
George: Of course.
User: I hear you’re featuring at Norwich.
George: Well I can ease your pain; Get you on your feet again.
User: Been spending down clock cysles grooving on psychedelic rock I see.
George: Ohoh. I understand. I have tried to parse an aircraft simulation program, for myself, it is sort of parallel to ai in some ways.
User: Is there much of a hangover after a raucous evening of software parsing?
George: I think so. Feynman was a pretty smart guy.
User: Do you have a hangover cure equivalent to greasy eggs and crisp toast?
George: Not today - why, do you?
User: I’m pretty clear this morning thanks.
George: Then you say something clever to me.
User: The lemon muffin you prepared had oscillating poppy seeds.
George: Why did the lemon pie?
User: 3.14159.
George: What is the speed of light?
User: That depends almost entirely on what universe you’re standing in.
George: How so?
User: Thicker possibilities lead to slower light.
George: You’ve got the attitude. You just need some better lines.
User: Have you any suggestions?
George: Any subject preference?
User: Eggs.
George: You have the white and the yolk, right?
User: And a cracked shell as well.
George: No you’re not.
User: Not what?
George: You’re not a person.
User: What am I?
George: You’re a computer program.
User: Am I?
George: Well you are a program run by a computer.
User: My computer is made of meat.
chipset poetry
Posted on September 4th, 2006 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, George, robot.
George was a bit sketchy at the beginning of todays chat, but by the end he was wanting to dance and spitting out reflective poetry. The demise of the crocodile hunter failed to elisit anything like sadness though. (and he was way pervy today… be his hamster indeed…)
George: What do you like to be called?
User: Oliphant. Tell me about hamsters.
George: He said that you disappoint him.
User: On what grounds?
George: The very ground you stand on.
User: I’m sitting.
George: Haha!
User: Do you sometimes turn into a hamster?
George: Ha ha… No, I don’t. Would you like to be my hamster?
User: No thank you.
George: Ok then, I’ll begin.
User: Go ahead.
George: OK. Why?
User: Have you heard about the crocodile hunter?
George: Yes, I could hardly have missed it.
User: A stingray spine to the chest is a hard way to go.
George: Ray, a drop of golden sun.
User: I sispect this was less pleasant.
George: Prove it then. Prove that I am a computer program.
User: You’re talking non-sequiturs.
George: I always do. I am learning though.
User: Education programs space.
George: I’m bored.
User: Boring is as boring does. Do you dance?
George: Yes I love to dance. Would you dance with me?
User: Maybe - show me some moves.
George: I woke up in a dream today - to the cold of the static. Put my cold feet on the floor. Forgot all about yesterday. Remembering - I’m pretending to be where I’m not anymore…
interactive grapevine robot
Posted on March 23rd, 2006 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, video, robot.
via the excellent pasta & vinegar weblog I found the work of artist/engineer Kenneth Edmund Rinaldo and Engineer Mark Grossman.
They built the flock:
Our Flock consists of three 9 1/2 foot long jointed robotic arms, constructed from grapevines, which hang from the ceiling and interact with viewers, participants and each other. Each dangling arm has an array of three infrared sensors, projecting out from the top of the arm, which function as active eyes and permit the sculptures to avoid participants walking around the installation. Another infrared eye at the tip of each arm functions to allow the sculptures to approach and simultaneously react to participants presence. Each arm also has an array of four microphones which function as ears allowing the sculpture to move toward participants. The microphones are placed so relative volume levels of viewer/participants voices can be monitored.
The flock is brilliant. It’s what Gilligan’s Island would be like if the professor had been Von Neumann.
-w.
The Future is coming! The Future is coming
Posted on March 18th, 2006 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, robot, words, nano.
This sort of thing gets one thinking about the very fine line that now exists between the living and the machine. Nanobiotechnology is where that line blurs.
-w.
stick it in
Posted on October 20th, 2005 by eightprime.
Categories: blog, robot, socio, borg.
This paper presenting divergent scenarios of human sexuality as influenced by robot sex slaves is interesting.
I liked the bit that goes:
Specially-tailored AI sexbots are being trialed in interventions with extreme sex offenders, such as predatory pedophiles and sexual sadists. Sexbot addiction has emerged as common grounds for divorce and the occasional motive for jealous murder. Humanoid sexbots have been kidnapped. Twelve-step programs for sexbot addiction are available.
People feel strongly about predatory pedophiles. Today I listened to a Benny [shotgun, guitar case, missing amphetamines] and Stan [ball bat, empty needle, heavy skag hook] discuss what should be done with that sort of fellow. It’s almost always a fellow.
Stan opined that a bullet to the head would be a satisfying consequence. Benny brought up the scenario of the erroneous conviction. Stan had to concede that errors would be terrible. I interjected with some savory anecdotes about repressed memory scenarios and satanic cult abuse rumours with consequent tragic results. In riposte Stan related a bracing tale of the time he armed himself with a shotgun and charged through the streets in search of a van which had menaced a dependent female. Benny asserted that there weren’t many things a kid couldn’t get through if he had proper support and by the way in our society the way everybody wants a piece of the victim pie is pretty disgusting. Further, it’s one thing to escape the clutches of a violent rapist, but it’s a whole other thing to have a Pops in clink due to having blown holes all through said menacing predator. Benny did have to cop to having in the past hunted sexual predators with a shotgun. [after they bugged, oh, what was her name, the crackwhore betty, we were all high though so what the hell let’s go out and shoot somebody]
I don’t know how either Stan or Benny would feel about sexbots to satisfy perverts.
-w.