bookofjoe

47 years ago today

Rose Petal Rug

8 x 10 feet.

Wool.

$698.

Powering the Cell: Mitochondria

Wrote Erik Olsen in a November 16, 2010 New York Times Science section front page story, "BioVisions' most recent animation, 'Powering the Cell: Mitochondria,' was released in October. It delves inside the complex molecules that reside in our cells and convert food into energy. Produced in high definition, 'Powering the Cell' takes viewers on a swooping roller coaster ride through the microscopic machinery of the cell."

 

Robotic Dog Bank

"Drop some coins into his dish and he immediately goes for them, with a dog-like enthusiasm that you'll love. The coins are stored inside the box after he 'eats' them up, making it a great way to promote savings for all ages."

"Choose from among five fun breeds."

"Manual: Japanese, but easy to understand."

OK, then.

$43. 

Simulacra in the uncanny valley

Yesterday, reading an article about computer graphics in the latest issue of The Economist, I happened on the figure up top, captioned "Masahiro Mori's original conception of the uncanny valley."

It was published in Energy in 1970, where it accompanied Mori's landmark paper, "Bukimi No Tani" (The Uncanny Valley).

The Economist story focuses on a new approach to the problem of "almost," wherein investigators identified 19 scales that identified four underlying qualities they dubbed "attractiveness," "eeriness," "humanness" and "warmth."

For a robot, they concluded, only humanness and eeriness were needed to explain the uncanny valley.

In a not too distant distant future Alan Turing's life and thought may well become a founding myth.

 

Pick Punch — "Make your own guitar picks from credit cards..."

"... gift cards, plastic lids, ID cards, bus passes, celluloid sheeting and many other materials."

You could look it up.

I love that line in the upper right hand corner of the photo up top: "Finally, a good use for credit cards!"

$24.95.

Google New

"The one place to find everything new from Google."

[via Joe Peach]

Salt and Pepper Discs

Variation on a ring theme.

What is it about salt and pepper shakers that makes me lose my mind?

I mean, it's not as if I collect them or care about what I use, namely a prefilled white plastic salt shaker from Morton and McCormick ground black pepper in a little jar.

3"Ø.

$28.