The terrifying promise of robot bugs

Posted on December 4, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

When I read the title of the webpage that led me to this video, several fast fleeting images came across my mind from those sci-fi hit movies like MINORITY REPORT, the MATRIX trilogy, and the TERMINATOR franchise.

Considering the advances of science in nano-technologies and artificial intelligence, maybe we are slowly but surely getting closer to some doomsday moment when our intellect’s creations will outwit us and destroy us all, and when no I-Robot movie character like Will Smith’s shall be around in a timely manner to save our sorry arses!

See the YouTube video!

Imitating nature to build a better (or possibly more terrifying) future. We’ve been trying to build flapping-wing robots for hundreds of years. And now, ornithopters are finally being developed, and may be used mostly for military purposes.

Original: http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/05/06/the-terrifying-promise-of-robot-bugs/

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– small keys; errors are unavoidable

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Syria Proving More Fertile Than Iraq to Al-Qa`ida’s Operations | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Posted on December 4, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

The dramatic growth of al-Qa`ida affiliates in Syria is a direct result of its preexisting networks in Iraq. These networks were built in 2004 and 2005, became nearly dominant in 2006 and 2007, and then suffered a dramatic series of setbacks at the hands of the U.S. military and the famed Sunni Awakening. Those setbacks were a result of endogenous conditions and exogenous factors.[2] They were enough to deeply damage al-Qa`ida in Iraq (AQI),[3] but not enough to destroy it. As a result, when the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned violent in Syria, AQI was ready to take advantage in a country where the context was quite different than Iraq.

http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/syria-proving-more-fertile-than-iraq-to-al-qaidas-operations

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Rise and shine: the daily routines of history’s most creative minds

Posted on December 3, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

Benjamin Franklin spent his mornings naked. Patricia Highsmith ate only bacon and eggs. Marcel Proust breakfasted on opium and croissants. The path to greatness is paved with a thousand tiny rituals (and a fair bit of substance abuse) – but six key rules emerge

Daily Rituals by Mason Currey – review

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/05/daily-rituals-creative-minds-mason-currey?CMP=fb_gu

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CNN’s Zucker Disses Fox as He Pivots Network Toward Entertainment

Posted on December 3, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/12/03/CNN-Seeks-to-Be-Entertainment-Network-as-News-Ratings-Plummet

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NOW MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY ISN’T A BIG STRETCH FOR SMALL DEVICES

Posted on December 3, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

NOW MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY ISN’T A BIG STRETCH FOR SMALL DEVICES
By Chris “Ace” Gates

Watch “Easy Macro Description” on YouTube

A versatile macro lens that fits any mobile device.
Macro photography—and videography where we’re concerned—makes small things a big deal. A macro lens blows up small details and brings them to the forefront of an image, making a vivd landscape of things that normally get passed over. As our technology grows smaller it’s not a surprise that small innovations make a big difference.

For the individual who utilizes smartphones and mobile devices as their carry-all camera, a versatile and portable macro lens that fits in a wallet is a big deal. Easy-Macro brings the wonders of macro photography to the smartphone set and does it in the simplest of ways.

Easy-Macro: A Simple Macro Lens

Easy-Macro is an incredibly innovative product delivering add-on macro photography capabilities to the mobile device cameras. Simply put, it’s a macro lens on an elastic band, making it versatile enough to work with the camera on almost any mobile device or tablet. The lens on the Easy-Macro provides 4x magnification.

It’s a fixed lens and the designers took this into consideration and made Easy-Macro so two of its macro lens elements can be stacked together, providing 8x magnification. It comes with a carrying card and protective sleeve so owners can easily drop it into their wallet, purse, or go-bag.

The Easy-Macro is a very simple way to add macro photography capabilities to a mobile device. With a small manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $15 it doesn’t make a big dent in the budget, and that’s a big deal.

Chris “Ace” Gates is a four time Emmy Award-winning freelance writer and video producer.

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UNIQUE US MARINE BAND LIVE PERFORMANCE

Posted on December 3, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

An excellent live rendition by the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band of “Thrift Shop / Can’t Hold Us” , during their annual US Marine Corps birthday celebration.

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The hardwired difference between male and female brains could explain why men are ‘better at map reading’

Posted on December 3, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

Researchers believe the physical differences between the two sexes in the way the brain is hardwired could play an important role in understanding why men are in general better at spatial tasks involving muscle control while women are better at verbal tasks involving memory and intuition.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-hardwired-difference-between-male-and-female-brains-could-explain-why-men-are-better-at-map-reading-8978248.html

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“12-Year-Old Discovers All U.S. Presidents Are Direct Descendants of King John Of England”

Posted on December 3, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

A TV news story from year 2010, but cute. 12 Year Old Reveals All U.S. Presidents Are Direct Descendants Of King John of England

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Invisible women: can you spot the mothers in these photographs?

Posted on December 2, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

With exposure times of half a minute, Victorian mothers wanting a portrait of their children had to disguise themselves as chairs, couches and curtains to hold them still. The results, captured in Linda Fregni Nagler’s book The Hidden Mother, are both touching and unsettling

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2013/dec/02/hidden-mothers-victorian-photography-in-pictures?CMP=fb_gu

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Underwater Tidal Kites Are Producing Large Amounts Of Electricity Off The Coast Of Northern Ireland

Posted on December 2, 2013 by ivanmconsiglio

Watch “Minesto Tidal Energy” on YouTube

Underwater Tidal Kites Are Producing Large Amounts Of Electricity Off The Coast Of Northern Ireland

Minesto is proving that their Deep Green underwater tidal energy device is a cheap and effective alternative to the current norm, and may be life changing in the renewable energy field.

http://www.minesto.com/deepgreentechnology/index.html

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