Gordon Freeman › Likes

It looks like a lot of people are joining this service. I can't recommend it highly enough. In fact I'm hoping I could use it to central point to share everything from (to my favourites services like FriendFeed and Google Buzz). Sadly there are a few things it needs first, here: http://koltregaskes.amplify.com/2010... and here: http://koltregaskes.amplify.com/2010... but give it a go. The bookmarklet/browser extension betters FriendFeed's IMHO and I don't say that likely. Clipping articles is excellent! #whatsyoururl - Kol Tregaskes

What exactly are these rooms anyway? Are they the same as Friendfeed groups? - Silner Wilner from twhirl

"A superthin computer just two molecules thick can solve complex problems and, somewhat like the human brain, can evolve to improve and perform many operations simultaneously. This molecular processor can also heal itself if there is a defect, researchers added. Modern computers operate at staggering speeds, capable of carrying out more than 10 trillion instructions per second. However, they generally perform operations in sequence, one thing at a time. Brain cells or neurons, fire "only" 1,000 times per second or so, but the fact that millions of them simultaneously work in parallel means they can complete tasks more efficiently than even the fastest supercomputer. The connections between neurons also evolve over time, growing stronger or weaker as the brain works out the best way to solve problems. In this way, such networks can learn over time." - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

"Today at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe, CA, the first panel featured Google CEO Eric Schmidt. As moderator David Kirkpatrick was introducing him, he rattled off a massive stat. Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003, according to Schmidt. That’s something like five exabytes of data, he says. Let me repeat that: we create as much information in two days now as we did from the dawn of man through 2003. “The real issue is user-generated content,” Schmidt said. He noted that pictures, instant messages, and tweets all add to this. Naturally, all of this information helps Google. But he cautioned that just because companies like his can do all sorts of things with this information, the more pressing question now is if they should. Schmidt noted that while technology is neutral, he doesn’t believe people are ready for what’s coming. “I spend most of my time assuming the world is not ready for the technology revolution that will be happening to them soon,” Schmidt said." - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

That's most likely what happened to Wave... People were not ready (ok... There might have been some UI improvements at stake as well) - Gordon Freeman

"For example, in Greg Egan’s book Permutation City, there’s a section in which the protagonist, having achieved immortality and having gone on for some number of millennia, has run out of interesting things to do, and has modified his brain to make himself extremely interested in carving table legs. The question is: Is this what actually happens to you if you achieve immortality? Because, if that’s as good as it gets, then the people who go around asking “what’s the point?” are quite possibly correct. What’s the alternative to that? To answer that, you have to ask: How large is the space of novelty, of new things that you can do? For you to start carving table legs, you’d have to run out of things that were more interesting to do than carving table legs. The question is: can we always create new activities that are, not only pleasant, but actually convey new ideas? For example, the first time that you solve a Rubik’s Cube, you’ll learn new concepts, like composing several moves into... more... - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

"Michigan State University (MSU) researchers have developed “digital organisms” called Avidians that were made to evolve memory, and could eventually be used to generate intelligent artificial life and evolve into symmetrical, organized artificial brains that share structural properties with real brains. MSU researcher Jeff Clune works with a system called HyperNEAT, which uses principles of developmental biology to grow a large number of digital neurons from a small number of instructions.He translated the artificial neurons into code that could control a Roomba robot. You can build complex brains from a relatively small number of computerized instructions, or “genes,” he says. Their brains have millions of connections, yet still perform a task well, and that number could be pushed higher yet. “This is a sea change for the field. Being able to evolve functional brains at this scale allows us to begin pushing the capabilities of artificial neural networks up, and opens up a path to evolving artificial brains that rival their natural counterparts.”" - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

"VANDERBILT (US)—Why some people are more susceptible to rash behavior and act without thinking is related to a specific deficit in the way the brain regulates dopamine signaling, according to new research. The findings are important because impulsive personality traits are strongly associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity and antisocial personality disorders, and impulsivity is a key risk factor for developing substance abuse. “The brain has a number of different thermostats, which sense the levels of certain brain chemicals and adjust the output of those chemicals accordingly, says Joshua Buckholtz, a PhD candidate in neuroscience working with David Zald, associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at Vanderbilt University. “We show that one particular thermostat-like mechanism—midbrain autoreceptor regulation of striatal dopamine release—is out of whack in people with high levels of trait impulsiveness.”" - Wildcat from Bookmarklet

So in a word: marketing. - Micah from iPhone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... , http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki... , http://amzn.com/0226733726 , pstp ref lit - Thomas Page

"Given the current state of technology, reproductive cloning is not a safe and effective means of human reproduction. Cloning reduces genetic diversity, is beneficial neither for the child nor the parent, and without restrictions could create many legal and social problems. While I strongly support therapeutic cloning and have no reservations about using embryonic stem cells for research, I think there are serious issues to consider with regards to human reproductive cloning. At present, given the current state of technology, I do not believe it is safe enough to be attempted. Furthermore, if done in the future it should only be with certain limitations, which I will address below. The best way for me to explain why reproductive cloning is bad is to refute Kyle Munkittrick’s article “Daddy Wants a Clone.” 1. The Yuck Factor I agree with Kyle: The “Yuck Factor” is neither a compelling nor rational argument. There are many things that people find repulsive, such as snakes, spiders,... more... - Wildcat from Bookmarklet

5 Ridiculous Ancient Beliefs That Turned Out to Be True http://pop.is/10fr1 – popurls (popurls) http://twitter.com/popurls... - mrshl

"Plants are able to "remember" and "react" to information contained in light, according to researchers. Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems. These "electro-chemical signals" are carried by cells that act as "nerves" of the plants. In their experiment, the scientists showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond. And the response, which took the form of light-induced chemical reactions in the leaves, continued in the dark. This showed, they said, that the plant "remembered" the information encoded in light." - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

"US scientists have introduced a concept design of the "Cornucopia" or Digital Fabricator, a "personal food factory" able to print food from specified ingredients, with no waste at the point of cooking. The food printer is at the concept design stage, and would work by storing and refrigerating ingredients and then mixing them, cooking layers of the mixture and printing them onto a serving tray. The concept design was introduced by two graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Fluid Interfaces Group Media Lab: designer/engineer in algorithmic image process development Amit Zoran, and designer and research assistant Marcelo Coelho. The researchers say the printing process brings cooking technologies into the digital age and allows entirely novel textures and flavors to be created that would otherwise be unimaginable and which are unobtainable through traditional cooking techniques. They say users would be able to control the nutritional value, quality and... more... - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

"You arrive at a bakery. It’s the evening of a national holiday. You want to buy a cake with your last 10 dollars to round off the preparations you’ve already made. There’s only one thing left in the store — a 10-dollar cake. On the steps of the store, someone is shaking an Oxfam tin. You stop, and it seems quite clear to you — it surely is quite clear to you — that it is entirely up to you what you do next. You are — it seems — truly, radically, ultimately free to choose what to do, in such a way that you will be ultimately morally responsible for whatever you do choose. Fact: you can put the money in the tin, or you can go in and buy the cake. You’re not only completely, radically free to choose in this situation. You’re not free not to choose (that’s how it feels). You’re “condemned to freedom,” in Jean-Paul Sartre’s phrase. You’re fully and explicitly conscious of what the options are and you can’t escape that consciousness. You can’t somehow slip out of it. You may have heard of... more... - Wildcat from Bookmarklet

From the article's comments: "Free will might best be described as a beautiful illusion, then? I have no choice but to draw that conclusion." - Jamreilly

Yann Leroux réagit aux récentes tribunes de Nicholas Carr à l'occasion de la sortie de son livre qui dénonce le danger des écrans. "Que les objets techniques aient une influence sur nos vies psychiques, c’est évident. Mais la plume n’a jamais été une vierge, pas plus que l’imprimerie une putain ou l’ordinateur un danger pour la culture… sinon dans nos représentations." On ne peut pas surestimer les lectures lentes par rapport aux autres. "Nous avons aussi besoin d’une dose de chaos pour pourvoir créer, pour faire surgir la surprise et être capable de l’accueillir. “Il faut du chaos en soi pour accoucher d’une étoile qui danse” disait Nietzsche. Sans cette part de désordre, l’ordre n’est que stéréotypie stérile. Sans une part d’ordre, le chaos n’est que dispersion." Lumineux ! - Hubert Guillaud

Le projet Diaspora - http://www.joindiaspora.com - se propose de construire un réseau social open source et privé, rendant à l'utilisateur le contrôle de sa vie privée. Diaspora se veut un projet de réseau distribué agrégeant vos informations personnelles, permettant des partages privés d'information. - Hubert Guillaud

"Even after using PHP for years, we stumble upon functions and features that we did not know about. Some of these can be very useful, yet underused. Not all of us have read the manual and the function reference from cover to cover!" - Alexander Kruel from Bookmarklet

Or maybe they just shift their mental capabilities towards different goals? - Alexander Kruel

"Oxygen may not be the staple of modern complex life that scientists once thought. Until now, the only life forms known to live exclusively in anoxic conditions were viruses, bacteria and Archaea. But in a new study, scientists have discovered three new multicellular marine species that appear to have never lived in aerobic conditions, and never metabolized oxygen. Most significantly, the new species do not have mitochondria, the cellular organelles that use oxygen and sugar to generate the cell’s energy. Instead, the new loriciferans have organelles that resemble hydrogenosomes, which are used by some single-celled eukaryotes to generate energy without oxygen. However, this is the first time that these organelles have been observed in multicellular organisms. Previous research has indicated that hydrogenosomes may have evolved from mitochondria, while other research suggests they evolved independently." - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

Rip, le manifeste du remix, un documentaire canadien de Brett Gaylor est accessible en VOST sur l'internet. "Ce film parle d'une guerre. Une guerre d'idées. Le champ de bataille ? Internet." Taylor montre le fossé qui sépare les lois archi-répressives des utilisateurs. - Hubert Guillaud

"L’iPad permettra peut-être de conserver sur le net l’audience que ces médias avaient déjà sur le papier, une audience qui aura les moyens - et l’envie - de payer un iPad et des abonnements coûteux, mais ça ne sera certainement pas une solution pour gagner un lectorat que le papier n’intéresse pas et qui développe sur internet des pratiques de l’information fondamentalement différentes. Jouer le tout à l’iPad en se retirant du web, planqué derrière des murs payants, c’est bien un repli qui traduit la fin d’une illusion : c’est le choix de faire durer l’agonie (...). C’est finalement une bonne nouvelle pour ceux qui ont choisi une autre stratégie : bonne chance à tous les blogs, à Rue89 ou Slate, à tous les pure players web gratuits, interactifs et collaboratifs. Le vieux monde, en se ruant sur l’iPad, est en train de vous faire de la place sur le web !" - Hubert Guillaud

Richard Estes One of the things I've noticed lately is the immense popularity of photorealistic works online. I believe this is related to how photorealism conjures up the "real" while simultaneously negating it due to the materials involved; ie, this is a drawing or a painting, it can't be real. Apart from the technical virtuosity of many of these works, there is an enigma at play beneath the surface; and there is something about the works that mesmerizes us. Escape into Life, the online arts journal I edit, receives surges of traffic around photorealist artists such as Richard Estes, Dirk Dzimirsky, Denis Ichitovkin, Don Gore, Eric Zener, and Alyssa Monks. Another arts blog by Alice at My Modern Met, covers photorealistic and hyper-realistic art frequently. Some of Alice's most popular entries include, "Hyper-Realistic Acrylic Body Painting," "21 Mindblowing Hyperreal Paintings," and "Photorealistic Pencil Drawings by Paul Lung." When we look at these works, we see some similarities... - Jamreilly

Andrew Hessel reasons that Synthetic Biology will be the next big IT industry. In his remarkable talk Andrew talks about the parallels between IT and biology. Andrew lectures Synthetic Biology. more about Andrew Hessel at wired: Singularity University: Biotech & Bioinformatics, With Andrew Hessel - Jamreilly

After 16 years and $10 billion — and a long morning of electrical groaning and sweating — there was joy in the meadows and tunnels of the Swiss-French countryside Tuesday: the world’s biggest physics machine, the Large Hadron Collider, finally began to collide subatomic particles. Following two false starts due to electrical failures, protons whipped to more than 99 percent of the speed of light and to energy levels of 3.5 trillion electron volts apiece around a 17-mile underground magnetic racetrack outside of Geneva a little after 1 p.m. local time. They crashed together inside apartment-building sized detectors designed to capture every evanescent flash and fragment from microscopic fireballs thought to hold insights into the beginning of the world. - Irma Vermaat

Let me know if it caused the end of the world and I missed it. - SteVe C

I'm positive someone does, Slippy. - WoH: Minding her Steves

"SUPPOSE we had a theory that could explain everything. Not just atoms and quarks but aspects of our everyday lives too. Sound impossible? Perhaps not. It's all part of the recent explosion of work in an area of physics known as random matrix theory. Originally developed more than 50 years ago to describe the energy levels of atomic nuclei, the theory is turning up in everything from inflation rates to the behaviour of solids. So much so that many researchers believe that it points to some kind of deep pattern in nature that we don't yet understand. "It really does feel like the ideas of random matrix theory are somehow buried deep in the heart of nature," says electrical engineer Raj Nadakuditi of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor." - Spaceweaver from Bookmarklet

Yep: "From all of this I am forced to conclude both that mathematics is unreasonably effective and that all of the explanations I have given when added together simply are not enough to explain what I set out to account for. I think that we-meaning you, mainly-must continue to try to explain why the logical side of science-meaning mathematics, mainly-is the proper tool for exploring the... more... - Todd Hoff

Lots more math links here: http://spacecollective.org/XiXiDu... - Alexander Kruel

Comment utiliser Facebook Connect pour rendre la Voix sous IP encore plus accessible ? C'est le projet de Likiwi, qui vous propose d'utiliser Skype avec vos amis directement depuis Facebook. - Hubert Guillaud

André Gunthert : "Le portrait n’est pas une image fidèle, il est notre miroir social: la trace d’un état passager du jeu avec les apparences, qui n’est ni plus vrai ni plus faux que notre vêtement, notre coiffure ou d’autres marques de nos choix identitaires." Mais le portrait numérique s'impose comme la nouvelle norme de la représentation sociale, disait déjà Gunther : http://culturevisuelle.org/icones... - Hubert Guillaud

“In the beginning when the world was young there were a great many thoughts but no such thing as a truth. Man made the truths himself and each truth was a composite of a great many vague thoughts. All about in the world were the truths and they were all beautiful. (…) There was the truth of virginity and the truth of passion, the truth of wealth and of poverty, of thrift and of profligacy, of carelessness and abandon. Hundreds and hundreds were the truths and they were all beautiful. And then the people came along. Each as he appeared snatched up one of the truths and some who were quite strong snatched up a dozen of them. It was the truths that made the people grotesques. The old man had quite an elaborate theory concerning the matter. It was his notion that the moment one of the people took one of the truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his life by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood.” - Amira

The truths are still there, as pure as they were in the beginning. Truth is like water, you cannot hold it in your hand, you can only look at it. You can tell people you are holding water, but they see that you are not. - echostreamer