Friday, at last. The week went quickly, but I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
Pomade. Yuck. Not my thing.
Raising Arizona and The Third Man made for an odd double feature. Two movies I love for very different reasons. Sweet Noir, and Sweet Sillies.
Lumbee Indian talk still going on in a post I did three years ago.
University of Florida scientists extracted 25,000 neural cells from the brain of a rat embryo to create a live computation device and taught it to fly an F-22 fighter jet simulator. “When we first hooked it up, the plane ‘crashed’ all the time,” said Thomas DeMarse, 37, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, who developed the technique. “But over time, the neural network slowly adapts as the brain learns to control the pitch and roll of the aircraft.” DeMarse pointed out that his research could lead to scientists building living elements into traditional computers.
A Japanese software designer introduced a robot programmed to chat with lonely old people to keep them from going senile. The 18-inch Snuggling Ifbot, which sells for $5,600, comes dressed in an astronaut suit with a glowing face and has the conversational ability of a 5-year-old, the language level its programmer said is needed to stimulate the brains of senior citizens. “By talking with this robot,” said Takao Ohsuga of Dream Supply, which developed Snuggling Ifbot’s software, “seniors who are often alone can stimulate their brains and avoid becoming forgetful.” Ohsuga added that work is under way to program the robot to speak English to teach the language to Japanese children.
Mayor L. Douglas Wilder of Richmond, VA, ordered metal detectors removed from City Hall as a cost-cutting measure, then announced that a team of eight to 10 bodyguards was being assigned to protect him. The switch from metal detectors will save $200,000, but the security officers will be responsible only for the mayor’s safety, not that of other City Hall workers.
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Why am I still up this late? [approx 2am]
I’ve got to be showering for work in less than 4 hours.
This is what happens when I start my movies at 10.