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Sunday, 28 December 2008

Experts detail the 3 rules for technological fixes

http://www.physorg.com/news148816545.html
1) Technology must largely embody the cause-effect relationship connecting problem to solution.

2) The effects of the technological fix must be assessable using relatively unambiguous or uncontroversial criteria. The benefits of the fix, that is, must be obvious to all.

3) Research and development is most likely to contribute decisively to solving a social problem when it focuses on improving a standardized technical core that already exists.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Serious security flaw found in IE

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7784908.stm
Funny, I didn't notice any warning on the MS site

{Didn't want to scare-monger, but this spooked me this AM}

Thursday, 11 December 2008

Sunday, 30 November 2008

TED Conferences TEDGlobal 2009 - TED's coming to Oxford, UK in 2009

TEDGlobal 2009, Oxford, UK.  July 21-24, 2009.
Registration is open!



Dear TEDizens,

We are delighted to announce that TED is coming to Europe next summer as a major new, annual event. TEDGlobal 2009, is to be held in Oxford, UK, 21-24 July 2009, and every year after that.

This is our next major step in taking TED global. From 2010 onward we envision simulcasts of this event to TED communities in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. (The UK's time zone is more convenient for these regions than California's.) To set the stage in 2009, we are reaching out to attendees from every continent to become founder members of TEDGlobal. We welcome a truly international mix of thinkers and doers, creatives and catalysts. Because all of the world's biggest ideas and biggest problems transcend borders and affect us all.  We're in this together.

In a time of extraordinary global uncertainty and doubt, it's time to look beneath and beyond; to dig under the surface; to consider novel ideas that will drive the times ahead. Therefore we've based next summer's event on a potent theme: "The Substance Of Things Not Seen".  

We've signed up a spectacular group of speakers: scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, tech wizards, creative geniuses, game-changing thinkers. As is TED's way, we won't spoil the surprise by revealing them just yet. But the internal view is that this is an amazing line-up, every bit as strong as our California conferences. There's a real treat in store.

Oxford is a one-of-a-kind environment that for centuries has championed the power of reason and discovery and art, and TEDGlobal will be finely woven into the Oxford landscape. Most sessions will take place at the Oxford Playhouse, the city's theatre, with special events and parties at the distinctive Sheldonian Theatre, at the stunning Museum of Natural History, at historic Keble College, and at the Malmaison Hotel -- the newly renovated, extraordinary hotel that was once a Victorian prison. More details and pictures here.

During the 24 hours preceding and following the conference, attendees will be offered a series of discoveries and special programs, including TED University, a tour of Bletchley Park (think Alan Turing and the Enigma machine), punting on the river Cherwell and surprising exclusive visits. These activities will be opened to registered participants only.

Participation in TEDGlobal costs $4500. To sign up, follow the steps below. Seating is limited. All applications received will be considered for acceptance on the same basis. If the number of applications exceeds availability, we will have to make some tough choices on how to allocate the passes, seeking always to make the TED community the best it can be: talented, connected, diverse.

Here is how to register:

1. Go to the TEDGlobal 2009 page on TED.com

2. Log-in and complete the form (if you are not a TED.com member yet, you will need to register on the site first). Please do take the time to answer the questions fully and accurately. These answers become especially important if the event ends up being oversold, as looks likely

3. Click on "Submit".

If you have any problems with the registration process, you can get in touch with us through contact@ted.com.

We are awed and humbled by the enthusiasm that is surrounding TED and the support shown by you and other TEDizens. We believe TEDGlobal will be a major step in our project to build TED as a borderless community of doers and thinkers that have the future of the world at heart.

We hope to see you in Oxford next July. Thank you very much!

Chris Anderson
TED Curator

Bruno Giussani
TED European Director

Monday, 24 November 2008

Top 10 Amazing Biology Videos | Wired Science from Wired.com

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/top-10-amazin-1.html
Don't visit this link! It's a trap! You'll lose a day there!

via (and the source of the trap is an even bigger trap!)

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Michael Pollan gives a plant's-eye view | Video on TED.com

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view.html
What if human consciousness isn't the end-all and be-all of Darwinism? What if we are all just pawns in corn's clever strategy game to rule the Earth? Author Michael Pollan asks us to see the world from a plant's-eye view.


Saturday, 22 November 2008

BoingBoing: Minuscule: CGI bug videos

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/11/22/minuscule-cgi-bug-vi.html
{I'm sure I posted an episode of this before, but I can't find it. Too bad. Here it is again.}



Minuscule Part l ( 1 / 11 ) - la coccinelle (Ladybird?) / catapulte (Catapult)


Minuscule Part l ( 2 / 11 ) - (Dung Beetles?) / Deux Cheniells (Two catterpilers?)



Minuscule Part l ( 3 / 11 ) - Les Formis (end of the catapillers/prisonniere)(the ants/prisoner)


Minuscule Part l ( 4 / 11 ) - (end of prisoner) reve d'escargot/love story (Snail's dream?/love story)


Minuscule Part l ( 5 / 11 ) - (more love story) grasse matinee (big breakfast?/)


Minuscule Part l ( 6 / 11 )


Minuscule Part l ( 7 / 11 )


Minuscule Part l ( 8 / 11 )


Minuscule Part l ( 9 / 11 )


Minuscule Part l ( 10 / 11 ) - Baby Ladybirds, and a Caterpiller's Dream comes true


Minuscule Part l ( 11 / 11 ) - Chewing Gum

Friday, 21 November 2008

EtherPad: Realtime Collaborative Text Editing

http://etherpad.com/
I wish I known about this a couple of hours ago...

Developed by a couple of Ex-Googlers, and looks like it's down at the mo...

Saw this in the Local Guardian RSS

Start:     Dec 4, '08 2:15p
Location:     Radio
BBC success for Tooting playwright
3:25pm Friday 21st November 2008

Comments (0) Have your say »

By Eleanor Harding »

A playwright from Tooting proved every cloud has a silver lining after turning the global financial crisis into a BBC Radio 4 play.

Sarah Wooley, 38, wrote the black comedy, Life Savings, in response to the problems families all over the country are facing.

It tells the story of a Glaswegian businessman with a second wife who disinherits children from his first marriage after his finances take a nose dive.

Ms Wooley said: “It’s about what happens when someone does this, and it’s also about the financial crisis and how it has impacted on everybody.

“Most of the play is set in Glasgow, but the character does come down to London and something terrible happens to him there. That’s all I’m going to say!”

The 38-year-old Gatton Road resident went to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before becoming a director and later writing plays.

Her work was commissioned as part of a series of plays about current affairs and was written in just six weeks, with recording taking place this week.

To hear the play, tune in to BBC Radio 4 on Friday, December 12, at 2.15pm.



Life Savings - BBC Radio 4 on Friday, December 12, at 2.15pm.

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Shhhh - What's that noise? SimplyNoise.com

http://simplynoise.com/
SimplyNoise.com - The best free white noise generator on the Internet.

via MeFi

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Saturday, 15 November 2008

Make your own doppelganger visage with That's My Face

http://www.thatsmyface.com/
I'd really like one with the printing on the inside... (not that blue/plain finish + mini-pic) - That way it'd look as though it was following you round the room

via BoingBoing Gadgets
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/11/13/make-your-own-doppel.html

Saturday, 8 November 2008

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US Elections 2008 | Obama family dog 'a major issue'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7716985.stm
World for many has turned to cr@p both in and out of the US. But he's just finished his first Press briefing on the current financial crisis and the US economy... and some stupid asks him about his dog!

At first I was disappointed. I wish he'd taken the opportunity to put the media in its place more and torn a strip off that reporter, but I suppose a moment of comic relief is OK.

Tuesday, 4 November 2008

Saturday, 1 November 2008

Absinthewol: We all know what time of year it is...

Jaw Theme Music

(pops open - press play in new window/tab before continuing)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With all Peter's diving experience, he really should have known instictively that the previous day's meal was a bad mistake....

...but he'd been distracted. His mind was on other things, that day... Like new handset designs...

 

 

 

as well as some other halfbaked ideas...

It's a good thing we all knew...

 

Happy Birthday Peter

 

 

 

 

The Moon

Yes, we like the Moon, but here's some info (starts quite simple)

RT:44m - but covers lots of stuff (including where to build a secret lair)

Sadly the video coverage doesn't shift to the speaker's presentation :(

http://fora.tv/2008/10/07/Jennifer_Heldmann_The_Moon

Break-downs available (e.g. R/T: 4m)

http://fora.tv/2008/10/07/A_NASA_Scientist_Explains_How_the_Moon_was_Made

Peanut Stealing Cat

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/133127/detail/


//
Cat people and dog people are always arguing about which species is smarter.

I think this video makes the answer pretty obvious.

This cat is an idiot! Doesn't he realize that peanuts have hardly any nutritional value to cats? It's almost like he doesn't even know that his instestines are too short to digest it.

//

Heavens-Above Home Page

http://www.heavens-above.com/
Just saw this site on "The Sky at Night" -
There's a great trick you can do with Iridium flares...Select your location here, then check to see what's brigtest, and what's just about to flare, and where it'll be, when it does.

Monday, 27 October 2008

OMNOMNOMNOM | MetaFilter Post about Animal Pleasure

http://www.metafilter.com/75987/OMNOMNOMNOM
MeFi:The Noisy Drinking Cat. More videos of animals having fun. Who says that animals don't experience pleasure? [Scroll down for some of the interesting things animals enjoy.] Love Songs Bring Pleasure to Bird Brains.

The Pleasure Is All Mine. Pics. Animals like to have sex, expert says. Yo, I'm down with that.

Sunday, 26 October 2008

Reading Test

http://readingtest.sytes.org/
{Ciclk the Go bottun}

"Have you heard about the theory that the brain can make sense of a passage of text with the letters all jumbled up? This works as long as the first and last letters are in place.

On this website you can read the classic bit of text that describes the theory. You have probably seen it as a viral, as I think this one did the rounds a year or so ago.

Well, now some clever spark has created an engine where you can test out the theory on any site you like. Just plug the URL in the box provided and see how it works.
"

via BBC'sWebscape

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, WTF's the use at all...

http://hackaday.com/2008/10/24/interactive-touch-capable-mirror/
Now, if it let you see how you'd look with a Mohican hair do...


Interactive touch capable mirror - Hack a Day

Monday, 13 October 2008

Lewes Folk Rock Festival - Fake Bush and Jethro Tull Special

Start:     Nov 1, '08 7:30p
End:     Nov 1, '08 11:30p
Location:     All Saints Centre, Lewes
http://www.lewesfolkrock.co.uk/

British Invention Show, London, UK - 15-16-17-18 October 2008

Start:     Oct 15, '08 10:00a
End:     Oct 18, '08
Location:     Alexandra Palace,North London, UK
The British Invention & Innovation Technology Show

Wednesday 15th October
4pm-7pm
Exhibition Open + Media Call

Thursday 16th October
10am-7pm
Exhibition Open

11am-5pm Seminars
Friday 17th October
10am-7pm
Exhibition Open

10am-5pm Seminars
Saturday 18 th October
10am-5pm
Exhibition Open

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

The Maniacs

Start:     Oct 11, '08 8:30p
Location:     The Two Brewers, Maidstone Road, Hadlow, Kent, TN11 0DN
http://www.themaniacs.co.uk/

Saturday, 4 October 2008

Happy Birthday Skinflaps! - We bought you a present...

The first thing we thought of was a bit too big to wrap... The next one was small enough, but was just past its "Sell By" date

and the next one couldn't hold a tune...

 

But eventually, we got just the right thing...

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

Lloyd

Friday, 3 October 2008

Ah 1...

http://blog.longnow.org/2008/10/02/as-slow-as-possible/
The Long Now Blog » Blog Archive » As SLow aS Possible

//The world’s slowest concert, a 639-year organ piece by American avant-garde composer John Cage (1912-1992), will next change notes in just over a month’s time, on 5 November 2008.
//

TED / BoingBoing / Nat Geog: Wade Davis: an Inuit elder and his sh?t knife

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/26/wade-davis-an-inuit.html


RT: 23mins

{Funny bit: approx 11mins ...[like] Blue hazy smoke drift across your consciousness... [or, rather]
to be shot out of a riffle barrel lined with baroque paintings and landing on a sea of electricity...}

Back from the grave

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/19/health.mentalhealth
Research on near-death experiences is unlikely to find evidence that human consciousness can survive without a brain

Friday, 19 September 2008

Tuesday, 9 September 2008

Got some free time? Would you like to help classify some galaxies?

http://www.galaxyzoo.org/
Started by Chris Lintott, from The Sky At Night on the BBC - This is an attempt to get people's meat-computers to help the large task of classifying galaxies.
As the project moves on, they'll be introducing new features they'd like identified.

So, if you like looking at lots of pretty pictures of hitherto studied galaxies, why not give them a hand?

{Reminds me of this Google Tech Talk about CAPTCH by Luis von Ahn
(R/t 50mins - but well worth it)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8246463980976635143}