A.I. for christmas

Snatch Back Your Brain Zombies!

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
BY Wendell Berry


Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.

Listen to carrion -- put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go.

Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

"Synthetic Life"

Holy Shit! This could be a good thing or a verrrry bad thing lol....

Real Time Mo-Cap for robot control

You know that asshole at the office who seems to repeat everything you say just to be a douche bag? Sometimes it even seems like he’s walking in step with you. What the hell is with that guy anyway? The geniuses over at the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in conjunction with Samsung Electronics created Mahru, the robotic version of that guy you really can’t stand.

Mahru mimics your every move in real-time using motion-capturing technology. Well, at least the arms move in real-time. The legs still have a little catching up to do. One day this little guy is going to make choreography a much simpler occupation.

Emo Moment!

BLAH BLAH BLAH /cry
Blah Blah Blah /school
Blah Blah Blah /little time to myself
Blah Blah Blah /no posting apologize
/cut /cut For You!

Unmanned, preprogrammed supply skyhooks HU-RAH!

Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/16/a160t_marine_supply_effort/

US Marine robot supply skyhook compo: Enter the A160T
Lid remains firmly on whup-ass can, however
By Lewis Page

Posted in Physics, 16th March 2010 10:01 GMT



Mighty aerospace mammoth Boeing has made a late entry in the contest to supply the US Marines with robot helicopter supply skyhooks, able to move stuff in and out of isolated forward bases in Afghanistan without input from human operators.
At first sight, it would seem that Boeing's innovative A160T robocopter has been beaten by its rival, the unmanned K-MAX intermesh whirlybird from Lockheed and Kaman Aerospace.

Boeing says that the A160T was able to move only 2,500lb of cargo (between bases 75 nautical miles apart) in its allotted two round trips across a proving ground in Utah. The K-MAX, during its test runs (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/09/kaman_marines_supply_win_claim/) last month, managed 3,000lb.

Boeing are keen to point out, however, that their machine was able to hover with an underslung load of 1,250lb at 12,000 feet - presumably out of ground effect - which is impressive, and would be useful in the high altitudes of central Afghanistan.

Overall, though, the extra lifting ability of the K-MAX would seem to mean a win for Boeing's rivals. The K-MAX has other advantages, too - it has a nifty four-hook carousel, allowing the copter to drop off more than one load at preprogrammed locations before returning to home base. Furthermore, as a conversion from a manned design, it could presumably operate with a pilot aboard on occasion - useful for legal reasons in civil-controlled airspace.

The US Marines are keen to move forward with the idea of unmanned resupply, which would be a boon in Afghanistan. There's often a need to rush supplies - particularly ammo and batteries - into forward bases even while they're under heavy enemy fire, putting aircrews at severe risk and often necessitating heavy bombardment of the surrounding area to keep the Taliban's heads down and chopper crews safe.

Then, the aircrew themselves and their need for armour and so on use up significant amounts of a chopper's lifting capacity - and the requirement for in-theatre training and familiarisation with such things as night dust landings etc uses up lots of expensive flying hours.

Surface convoys are equally nightmarish and expensive in Afghanistan, with terrible roads, landmines, roadside bombs and ambushes all taking their toll and meaning a need for powerful escort forces and recovery vehicles to tow broken-down or shot-up ones out of trouble.

So the idea of unmanned, preprogrammed supply skyhooks is an attractive one. That said, the Marines' original "IMMEDIATE CARGO UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM" spec called for choppers able to shift a full 5,000lb across two 75-nm-out-and-back lifts - and neither team has achieved that. It may be that neither will be judged successful.

If one is, however, the Marines have indicated that they intend to have it in the air above Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Halo: Legends

Just got done watching Halo: Legends and I must say I enjoyed the shit out of this title!
A collection of 7 Anime stories presented alot like 2003's Animatrix, Halo: Legends is
another peak into the Halo universe that offers just the needed taste to satisfy the hunger of true Halo fans until the release of the upcoming Halo: Reach title.

I will not throw spoilers into this but the two episodes that stand out to me are "The Babysitter" and "Prototype" The artwork of "The Dual" is also done very well!

I give this title a strong 4 out of 5