Who's the coolest robot of all?

Sometimes I look at robots on the net:  I mean real, physical robots, mainly because they are expected to have a big impact on our future lives . . . . . but also because they are great toys, and I freely admit that I love good technotoys.
First, of course, there is Nao. The creators of Nao got one thing right: it looks cute.
Then there is the T8.  I first learned of it from a Youtube video by Adam Savage, and since his video the company who made the original 3D printed version have been hard at work making an injection moulded version with various improvements including a big drop in price.

Here is the T8X:

Yup, it's a spiderbot. There is room inside for a camera and around the "eye" window is a colour changing LED so you can either use it to light your way at night or express moods.
The technology used for it to walk with eight legs and 26 servos is all done inhouse and when you see it walk (see videos on the website) it looks really impressive. The controller will be software you can load onto either an iOS or Android device.  The makers don't yet have a camera for it but I am sure one will be coming just as soon as they get this thing finished.
I am just hugely impressed that they squished three servos per leg into this thing: that is engineering artistry. 
Nobody pays me to do this, of course, but some folks deserve to be promoted for excellent work.
go here for more info at ROBUGTIX.

Anybody seen Dean Kamen lately?

I reccently posted about the "Solowheel" one-wheeled vehicle.  It has a range of about ten miles (hey they are Americans and haven't quite caught up with everyone else and gone metric) - and I can buy one locally for . . . . . about $2,500 Au.
Google search that name and you will see a number of Chinese made knockoffs at about $450. 
Folks, I know what goes into the Solowheel and it ain't rocket science: you could probably buy most of the parts for one for about $150 bucks and cobble your own together if you were really keen . . . . . but just think, look at what it is: motor, batteries and a single wheel and tyre , and a board of electronics that has accelerometers and gyros on it  - hardly worth two and a half big ones. If the Company really want to sell it they better do something about that price, it's crazy.
Now ignore that, and consider the point of the thing: personally I would rather walk since I consider it the best exercise for humans, especially over such a relatively short ranges, it is too small to carry shopping and with a full backpack you might exceed it's load limit . . . . . almost as good as a segway.
Anybody seen Dean Kamen lately? I thought not.

The Heisenberg Compensator Already Exists !

In Star Trek, the writers neatly evaded a major objection to the possibility of the "transporter" working as claimed by introducing the "Heisenberg Compensator" - according to the Quantum Physics I learned, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle firmly stated that at a quantum level, the process of measuring the state of a particle would collapse it's state from an uncertain or "superposition" state to the fixed one as measured.
Fine and good . . . . .  but I have just learned that in 1996 scientists found a way around this by Interaction-free measurement.  (Yes, I know, it does seem preposterous but it is true)
Check out the Elitzur-Vaidman bomb tester and go down the page to the "experiments" heading for the heavy stuff.
In short, this means that the uncertainty has been sidestepped - it still exists though.
We are still a long way from building a transporter or extracting all of the information about a mass of atoms in an object in sufficient detail to recreate it somewhere else - and I am not sure it is practical, but I am sure physiscists will find other uses for "Interaction-free measurement".  

Barclay and O'Brien check the Heisenberg Compensator. Image from Memory Alpha website

Hand me the three sixteenths polarised quantum spanner, Igor. No, I don't need to take off my glasses, just because I can't see it does not mean I can't  fix a loose quantum !

Who's really running things?

Yeah yeah , you can theorise all you like about conspiracy by the rich and powerful to control America and the world by extension . . . . . . . but here is a well written article about it, with supporting docs. Yep, it's as bad as you thought.  Special thanks to Alternet.org - plenty of meaty stuff there .
Merry Xmas, Rubes!

Not my Bleedin' Network

I have been a fibreoptic broadband user for many years.  We have now received a box on the wall for the NBN and a letter from our service provider that suggests we migrate to the National Broadband Network.  Since I am the main user of such in out household I thought I would check it out.

First, I ran a test on my existing connection:

for which we pay about $67/ month including landline. Note that this was during the day too: in the late evening I would bet that this is even faster.

Then I checked out the offer for the new NBN service:
12 MB/sec  for $70/month.

I think we will be hanging onto our current service for as long as possible . . . . . . .

Weasel Stomping Day

I can't resist it:

Why I think this is so good: It really get at all that is stupid about human society.
"It's tradition, that makes it okay" is a line from the lyrics, and that is THE point:
In my view, most of us are floating along half asleep, blindly following what everyone else is doing even though it is clear that many of these things are stupid or even damaging . . . and now we are in the situation where our leaders seem oblivious to the real threats facing us (and I don't mean terrorists either)  . . .but don't bother reading any further, sit back, watch teevee, drink another beer and have some more junk food . . . . . .

The News . . . .

Since I'm here, I might as well put in a few words in support of the sites I regularly look at . . . . .

VICE

The Daily Beast

Alternet

Boing Boing

I'm sure you can find something to entertain you here, and preferrably something that will make you THINK.