The Speculist finds that the pace of scientific discovery is leaving technological prognosticators in the dust. And be sure to read the whole story about converting ordinary skin cells to embryonic stem cells.
Building a better bat-bot
OK, I confess I’m blogging this item just so I can use the phrase “robotic bat head,” which appeals to my 10-year-old inner geek.
It’s the Carnival of Tomorrow!
I should really link to the Carnival of Tomorrow every time it goes up, but whether I remember to do so in the future or not, here’s this week’s Carnival, a good way to introduce yourself to the realm of futurist-related blogs.
Using stored summer heat to de-ice roads
They’ve done it in England by pumping stored warm water through a network of pipes underneath a road when the temperature drops to 2 degrees Celsius. Somehow I doubt it works when the temperature drops to -35…and doesn’t climb above -25 for a week, so no joy for Saskatchewan, I’m guessing.
Night balloon
Night Balloon 2 Originally uploaded by Edward Willett. We stood in line for an hour and a half the other night at the Family Festival of the Canada Summer Games so Alice and Margaret Anne could take a short tethered hot-air balloon ride…only to have the rides cut off just before it was our turn. …
Alice in balloonland
alicelookingup Originally uploaded by Edward Willett. Here’s my daughter Alice, with a helium-filled balloon, at the Canada Summer Games Family Festival site last night.
New advance for humanoid robots
A new Japanese robot named R Daneel (from a robot character in several books by Isaac Asimov) has the impressive ability (for a robot) of being able to get back on its feet after a fall. There’s a video of it in action here.
Making new life, one molecule at a time
Synthetic biologists are mixing and matching DNA’s chemical components to create new forms of life from scratch.
It shocks me, too…
“In a move that shocked preservationists and theater and music fans, the Beverly Hills home where composer George Gershwin spent his final years was recently demolished.”
Megafauna in my backyard
Lions, tigers and elephants in Saskatchewan? In part, I think this is a wonderful idea. But when the authors note there might be a problem with “public acceptance,” I think they’re wildly understating the case. Still, cheetahs hunting pronghorns in southwestern Saskatchewan…cool.
Flowers at the Conservatory
Flowers at the Conservatory Originally uploaded by Edward Willett. Some of the flowers in the Mendel Art Gallery Conservatory in Saskatoon. This looks lovely now, at the height of summer; it’s even more refreshing and inviting when, just the other side of the conservatory’s glass, it’s -35 and there’s a howling wind causing it to …
The Canadian Light Source
The Canadian Light Source Originally uploaded by Edward Willett. Apropros of my most recent science column, here is an overview of the Canadian Light Source I took Monday during my visit to the facility in Saskatoon.
My latest live walk and vlog
Buy Autographed Books
