
Outside it is not much to look at, little more than a discoloured rock dredged up from the sea floor. But an x-ray scan of the object, actually a pocket watch recovered from a 17th century shipwreck, has revealed that the internal mechanism has been perfectly preserved. The computer aided tomography system used was sensitive enough to pick out the tiniest details, included the engraved name of the master watchmaker, one Niccholas Higginson of Westminster, London (
Gizmodo).
As if more proof were needed that they don’t build them like they used to, a UK group has started collecting donations to build the first fully working version of Babbage’s “Analytical Engine”. The original design, dating from 1837, was never completed, possibly due to a combination of the strict engineering tolerances needed and Babbage’s notoriously prickly temperament. If the final machine works as advertised, it will be very strong confirmation of the claim that Babbage designed the first general purpose, programmable computer (
BBC News).
Meanwhile, in Slovenia, Borut Povse and his team are busy teaching a modern descendant of Babbage’s design to hit people. Somehow Povse has convinced six volunteers to let an industrial robot hit them on the arm with various sharp or blunt implements in an effort to determine how much pain each blow causes. Obviously this has a beneficial use in that robots can be programmed not to exceed certain levels of force near a human obstacle, but will also be of immense interest to the machines during any future robot uprising (
New Scientist).
Another robot out to supplant humans is HRP-4, a gynoid (female android), that has learnt to sing by copying the inflection and expressions of a human performer, right down to the breathing. The hope is to make robots behave in a more convincingly natural way, and so overcome the so called ‘
uncanny valley’. From the video, it looks like they’ve still got a way to go (
Daily Mail).
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When I saw the words 'hair insurance', I thought "What a great idea! Finally people who suffer from any type of genetic baldness can relax." So I was disappointed when I followed the link and read the article. Turns out it's not some fabulous hair loss coverage plan. Instead, Troy Polamalu (who plays Football for the Pittsburgh Steelers) has gotten his long, flowing locks insured for one million dollars. The insurance is covered by Lloyd's of London and was purchased by shampoo brand Head and Shoulders.
You can read more about it here.
Longtime WU-vies will certainly recall the legendary ugliness of the Chatanooga Hookers. Well, Chuck Shepherd's home state of Florida now puts in a rival bid.
See article and larger photos here.