Words Failed Me, But Not Them July 28, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Brilliant words, Video.add a comment
“Can you see the deep truths being revealed here?”
Watch the video, then read the comments. Some of the more interesting responses:
That reality is what transcends time by being independent of conscious memory? No, wait, that was Proust. No, I give up.
Is one of the truths that Lady Gaga simply isn’t trying hard enough?
While it’s tempting, and comfortable, to assume that this was spontaneously generated, I find myself wondering about the process(es) involved in creating this video. As surreal as the video is, the conversations involved in generating it must have been truly astonishing. "OK, I like where this is going…but what if we add a checkered pattern to the butt streamers?"
It’s a cry for help: a desperate attempt to draw attention to the lamentable absence of audiovisual stimulus in Japanese culture.
The truth I learned is someone rufied my drink before I visited boingboing today. It certainly juxtaposes the serenity of a haiku or koan in Japanese culture … like a MACK truck versus a puppy.
If I took enough acid to understand the deeper truths in this video, there’d be precious little left for the Phish heads on their next tour.
Drugs of Choice by Occupation July 28, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Brilliant words.add a comment
Add more occupations in comments.
Nina Gordon Does Rap Right July 27, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Video.add a comment
This is the single rap song I find amusing. Contains salty language, just like rap does, which is why I hate it so much (among other aesthetic reasons).
A More Portable Keyboard July 27, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Toys, Video.1 comment so far
A (long) while back I posted about the big piano in FAO Schwarz (closed), but this is almost as good, and certainly more portable. From www.KinectShare.com (which is blocked for me at work, thankyouverymuch)
Game Changer, Part II July 22, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Brain, Brilliant words, Science.add a comment
Research published in Nature Materials describes a synthetic synapse that more or less accurately mimics a human synapse, at least to a first approximation. This (silver sulfide, nanoscale) synapse responds to electrical signals repeated at different rates by changing its conduction state briefly (so-called “short-term plasticity”). At higher rates, the higher conduction state is permanent—just like a human synapse (“long-term potentiation”, or as laymen refer to it “remembering stuff”).
Image memorizing into an inorganic synapse array:
This should make the modeling of human memory and possibly cognition processes much easier. “Our Ag2S element indicates a breakthrough in mimicking synaptic behaviour essential for the further creation of artificial neural systems that emulate characteristics of human memory.”
Obviously this is a long way from being ready to be manufactured on chips, but the potential (heh) is there.
Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S. July 21, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Books, Brilliant words.add a comment
Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S.
The story is really about Dr. Kassler, who has about the most wretched life possible, but never gives up. It’s entertaining and uplifting in a very horrible sort of way, like watching Silence of the Lambs1 and being really, really glad it’s fiction.
1 OK, not that horrible. But you get my drift, I think.
See My Previous Posts on Octopodes July 21, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Octopus.add a comment
From xkcd.com, which you should read each and every day.
I Have Nightmares Like This All The Time July 19, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Brilliant words, Uncategorizable.add a comment
The terrifying Bobbit worm, Eunice aphroditois. It only gets 9 feet long and slices its prey in half. Sleep well, little children!
[Stolen completely and wholly from John Rennie, the former editor-in-chief of Scientific American. His blog, The Gleaming Retort, is found here.]
Great Screaming Mother! July 17, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Video.add a comment
I have to say Mom* keeps it together pretty well, considering.
* Not my Mom.
Edwin, A Nice Voice Command Application July 17, 2011
Posted by stuffilikenet in Awesome, Star Trek Technology, Toys, Video.add a comment
My Samsung Galaxy S Captiva from ATT does not have a voice command. I can’t just say “Call Fred” to my Android 2.2 phone and have the call started for me…because ATT removed that functionality to the walled garden that is their in-house application, for $4.99 a month. I think they are the only ones who do that. So far.
Screw that.
Neureau made a better app, available at the Android market place. Edwin does excellent voice recognition using the Wolfram Alpha engine to decode your meaning (you have to have a data connection). Documentation is sparse, so get the app for your phone, because it contains the very useful helpfile. And watch the video, because it doesn’t just place phone calls. It can tell you your location, map it, tell you the weather (there, or somewhere else), tell you the time and start applications. Marvelous
Seriously, this is like having the Star Trek computer interface. A little. I do wish Majel Barrett made her voice available for people to hack into a TTS interface.
