Category: News

Mercury Robot Survives Hurricane Sandy

Amidst the news of Hurricane Sandy, of the devastation and ongoing efforts at rescuing those in harm’s way, there was a story that might have been overlooked. It seems that a small robot named Mercury, one of Liquid Robotics wave gliders, survived the storm and managed to keep transmitting information the whole time.

When the storm hit, Mercury was located just 161 km east of Toms River, New Jersey, where winds got up to about 115 km/hour. Nevertheless, the robot continued to function though the worst of it, transmitting real-time weather data and helping scientists to get a better understanding of what made the storm tick.

Naturally, everyone at the parent company was quite pleased with their little automaton, even though it was only doing its job. Technically speaking, Wave Gliders are autonomous monitoring devices that use the ocean’s waves for propulsion. They are composed of two sections; a float for the surface and a submarine compartment that resides under the water. The lower section also comes equipped with moving wings that ensure that the Glider can convert wave energy into forward momentum.

Each Glider comes with a GPS, a series of internal pocessors, navigation software, and an assortment of environmental sensors. Designed for oceanic data-gathering missions, their primary purpose is to help scientists and meteorologists understand and come up with solutions for climate change, resource management, and weather alerts. Given this mission profile, Mercury’s ability to keep on working through a Class One hurricane was quite encouraging. According to Joanne Masters of Liquid Robotics’: “Being able to provide real-time weather data from the surface and the first layer of the water column of the ocean will help scientists better measure and predict hurricane intensity. This can help save lives and prevent property devastation.”

Source: news.cnet.com

Obama Wins!

Yeah, I know I promised not to get into politics much on this site, but that’s a promise I’ve broken enough times now that I feel no one will be particularly surprised or disappointed. And as we all know, there are certain occasions which require us to break our usual set of rules and offer comment. And this is one occassion that I’m happy to talk about, even though it really didn’t come as that much of a surprise.

OBAMA HAS BEEN REELECTED!

That news is so positive that it deserves its own line and in all caps! And yes, all indications seemed to point to him winning a second term, but like many supporters, I was kind of holding my breath last night as the initial returns came in. It was a lucky thing that I had TKD class night, and that it was a sparring class. It was just the positive distraction I needed! And by the time I came home, I had heard that enough returns were in and that enough states were called that Obama could be declared the winner! It still took some time before all the votes were tabulated and it was also revealed that he carried the popular vote, but by then, the good news was complete!

And, as behooves me on this site, I can’t help but wonder (and speculate) how this will impact on our future. Needless to say, I am a lot more encouraged than I was a year ago, back when Obama was struggling to try and get a budget approved by a Congress that refused to even consider one unless be included steep austerity measures and made tax cuts permanent. It seemed that the GOP, which was fast becoming dominated by the Tea Party, had effectively been cornered by the same forces they helped create. It seemed entirely likely at this point that the government might actually fall, or at least it’s economy would collapse. Of course, disaster was averted, but not without consequences in the short term (the downgrading of America’s investment rating).

I seriously began to wonder at this point if a hard swing to the right was in our collective future. With Europe beginning to slip to the right thanks to their economy, immigration issues and the ongoing problems of climate change, all this news from south of the border began to trouble me. If both the EU and the US were to fall under the grips or right-wing parties, we would be seeing a political climate not unlike that of the 1930’s. Back then economic collapse had led to the rise of Fascism all over Europe, not just in Germany and Italy as is often maintained. And in this day and age, we could expect that to be followed by serious humanitarian crisis as the various states of the EU began deploying gunships to the Mediterranean to sink boats filled with refugees and began clamping down on ethnic minorities at home.

Unlike in the 1930’s, where the targets of discrimination and even wholesale murder were people of Jewish descent, followed by Roma, gays and lesbians and Slavs, this time around,t he likely targets were likely to be people from North Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia. Meanwhile, we could expect similar sentiments to take root in the US against people of Latino descent. We had already seen much of this take place during the Bush administration with the building of the border along the US-Mexico border and attempts to pass anti-illegal immigrant legislation. And in more recent years, it achieved a sort of breakout with the passage of SB 107 in Arizona – which made it perfectly legal for police to arrest any Latino resident who could not produce documentation of residence.

Initially, I was angry and nervous. It seemed to me that the GOP was intent on bringing the house down, that their commitment to make Obama fail that they did not care what happened to their country in the process. As long as it happened on his watch, they figured he would get the blame. But at the same time, I kind of pitied them as well. It was clear that they had unleashed a tidal wave that they couldn’t control, and were trapped in it as much as they were riding it. After the 2008 election, they had become the party of “libertarianism”, condemning big government, spending, taxes, and any and all legislation on the economy. Unfortunately, this put them at odds with just about everything they needed to support to help the economy recover.

Needless to say, things got better, and the election seemed to be cinched in advance by a number of factors. First, there was the fact that during the primaries, all the GOP candidates seemed hamstrung by all the extreme right-wing sentiments they were expected to endorse. one of these were likely to play well with all the moderates and undecideds. Second, there was Romney’s embarrassing gaffs as he traveled abroad and alienated everyone on his tour. He attempted to prove that he was a man who could handle foreign relations, but proved the exact opposite. Then there was Paul Ryan, a right-winger who proved to be at once too popular with his base and too extreme with the voters who sought the approval of. And finally, there was Hurricane Sandy, which made him look like a flip-flopper when it came the importance of such federal agencies as FEMA.

All the while, Obama was looking sturdy, even though he was being hampered by the terrorist attack in Benghazi, his initial performance in the debates, and the ongoing question of the economy. However, when the chips were down, he showed himself to be a man who could be counted on, and even won over such die-hards as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Between that and the fact that economy was beginning to recover on his watch, the election seemed in the bag.

And to quote Obama’s victory speech, “The best is yet to come.” I certainly hope so. It’s not just a question of recovery int he short run. There are a lot of things at stake here, not the least of which is the future of America and indeed the world. For the last thirty years now, there has been a struggle for the heart and soul of America, at the core of which seems to be the issue of decline. America, like it or not, is no longer in ascendance, and is faced with the myriad problem of global climate change which may exacerbate that problem very soon. If the nation and the world is to survive and come through as winners, then enlightened reform and stable leadership are what’s needed. The last thing that can be allowed to happen is a hard swing to the right, more austerity measures, and more of the same.

It has always been the reaction of empires and civilizations that have found themselves in decline to react with stringent conservative measures – more war, more sacrifice, more repression, more religious zeal – and that has only ever hastened the problem. That might sound a bit dramatic, but I’m a historian, so trust me when I say that I know what I’m talking about. And as Ronald Wright says, “Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up.” Despite the persistence of old boundaries, our world has become a global state, interconnected like never before in our history. We stand or fall together, and cannot afford to act selfish, regressionist, or that our needs super cede those of others.

So I say congratulations America on making the right choice. Enlightened reform won out against old world thinking and denial. Now let’s all get to work on making things happen and check the ideological obstructions at the door!

Star Wars VII, What’s it Going to Be?

The news that Disney has purchased LucasArts for a cool 4 billion has certainly been making the rounds of late! Even more interesting is the release that they will be releasing the sequel trilogy sometime in 2015. This news has once again fueled a great deal of speculation as to what direction the new movies will take. Regardless of who is at the helm, it is generally agreed that there are only so many story arcs that the new movies could take…

The following list comes from AMOG‘s (Alpha Male Of the Group) online magazine, courtesy of Keith Veronese. The list is pretty comprehensive, and covers all the likely candidates for potential sequel and spinoff story lines. And lets face it, with the course of the prequels took, we all would like something new to rehabilitate the series! And with Lucas no longer at the helm, we all might just get what we want!

Immediate Pick-Up:
The first possible story arc for the new trilogy would be to pick up where the last movie left off. As it stood, the Empire was dealt a significant blow, but was far from finished. Granted, the Death Star was destroyed and both the Emperor and Darth Vader were dead, but the majority of the Imperial Fleet was still intact, as was its infrastructure and network of allied planets. As evil and rotten as it was, the Empire still commanded a great deal of loyalty and support within the Core Worlds, and the Rebel Alliance was likely to have its hands full dealing with all of them.

The benefits of this story are pretty clear. It’s a blank canvass in terms of plot, into which a new generation of writers can hurl all kinds of ideas. In addition, it’s a chance to bring back the old gang for another run, albeit with new actors and actresses.

The Thrawn Trilogy:
Written by noted sci-fi author Timothy Zhan, the Thrawn Trilogy are perhaps the most famous novelization in the franchise. Set five years after events in Return of the Jedi, the trilogy centers on the enigmatic character of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last of the Empire’s senior officers who has assumed control of the Imperial fleet. Intrinsic to these plans are a lost fleet that disappeared prior to the Clone Wars, a secret cache of cloning vats the Emperor established during his reign, and an insane Jedi Master living on a remote world.

Meanwhile, Senator Leia Organa Solo (that’s right, they tied the knot!) is pregnant and expecting twins. While she has become a member of the New Republic government, Han has continued in his role as a fleet General and is using his old contacts in the smuggling world to try and drum up shipping for the new government. His efforts bring him into contact with a group of privateers who will one day go from being self-interested sorts to the same kind of heroes Han had become.

And finally, there are the adventures of Luke, who is drawn to Jedi Master C’boath and seeks to learn from him. However, they quickly become enemies as Luke realizes he is insane and seeks to capture Leia’s twins for his own purposes. He also comes into contact with Mara Jade, a Force-sensitive woman who once served the Emperor. She plans to kill Luke, but circumstances have thrown them to work together and cooperate.

Needless to say, this would be a good story arc for the series, and would be convenient since it’s already been written in full. All the old characters are reprized and fleshed out, and some new, decidedly Star Wars-esque characters are also introduced. And given that much time has passed since the originals, it would be a good opportunity for some new actors to tackle the roles of all our favorites. I’m sure Disney would be willing to spring for some cameos from the original cast as well!

Darth Vader Spinoff:
True, we got more than enough of his origin story with the prequel trilogy, but there’s still plenty of room for Darth Vader to grow! In fact, there is a twenty year gap between the prequels and the original movies, during which time Vader essentially did his best work. This included hunting down the remaining Jedi, rooting out dissent and resistance to the Emperor’s rule, and just generally cementing his reputation as an evil cybernetic menace!

The benefits here are pretty obvious, at least as far as a single movie are concerned. Plenty of lightsaber fights, stalking from planet to planet looking for Jedi, and lots of that creepy respirator and James Earl Jones-esque dialogue. However, it might be difficult to maintain a three-movie story arc from this. But that might not be a problem, given the next option:

Boba Fett Spinoff:
Boba Fett is arguably the most popular member of the supporting cast, and there are plenty who believe that he deserves his own moment in the spotlight. And after the prequels gave him a passing intro, there might be some merit to giving him a more complete origin story. Imagine Boba Fett as a young man, going about the known universe and establishing himself as the most notorious bounty hunter.

Aside from being action-packed and full of plenty of the seedier stuff of Star Wars, this film could be paired with a Vader movie as a potential second installment. And perhaps a third could be opened involving Obi-Wan, focusing on his adventures as he travelled from place to place on Tatooine, hoping to stay off the Empire’s radar while keeping an eye on Luke.

The Sith Wars:
Finally, there is an area of the franchise which has become rather popular of late, and that is the rather fertile period in the Star Wars timeline known as the Sith Wars. What began with the Knights Of The Old Republic series has now evolved into a MMOG with Star Wars: The Old Republic. And even though the reception was not as extreme as LucasArts might have hoped, the stage has certainly been set for a possible second prequel series.

Taking place thousands of years before the events in the first Star Wars trilogy, the Sith Wars chronicles the titanic war which took place between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire. And although there have been several installments in the franchise that carry the name “Sith War”, the expanded universe now claims that the greatest confrontation took place 3681 years before the fall of the Old Republic and lasted until 3653. This war was in turn the result of over 1300 years of preparations and buildup by the Sith, who never forgot the crushing defeat they had suffered at the hands of the Republic during the Great Hyperspace War.

The benefits of this story are also quite obvious. In addition to being a very established story arc, there are plenty of interesting characters, developments and battles in this period which, if properly developed, would result in cinematic gold! What’s more, people do enjoy origins stories which are well told, and after the mixed reviews of the last prequels, a deep-origins story could be just the thing to rehabilitate the franchise. And it’s got all the right elements; Jedi, Sith, lightsaber fights, and a titanic war between good and evil, similar in tone to the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire.

What’s more, this story will have no sense of duty to suffer from. Unlike episodes I, II, and III which were burdened by having to explain where all the original characters came from, how Anakin fell to the Dark Side and how the Empire came to be, a Sith War trilogy would be able to tell a story where the details are not entirely pre-written. What’s more, the massive war does not suffer from the ambiguity or the Clone Wars, which seemed like little more than background for the prequels main focus – which was the fall of Anakin Skywalker. This time around, we’d be able to see lots of fighting and not be distracting by a whining Hayden Kristensen complaining about how much his life sucks!

____

So what’s it going to be? Personally, my money is on options two and five. Having read the Thrawn Trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed it, I would certainly pay money to see it adapted to the big screen. At the same time, I’m itching to see some of that Sith War swashbuckling and fleet battles! Man, tough choice, and the studio hasn’t even announced what they might be planning yet…

Whiskey Delta Complete!

It’s finally finished. After 14 weeks, forty-nine chapters, and 93,741 words (give or take a few), my tale of the zombie apocalypse is finally complete! And now I begin the process of editing the manuscript, doing some promos, and publishing it indie style! And when it’s ready, it will be available on Amazon-Kindle and Createspace, both in paperback and ebook formats.

And just to be a nice guy, I will be making it available for a limited time for free! So stay tuned, I will be making the link and coupon code available for all those who want a free promotional copy. Tell your friends! And while you’re here, maybe you can help me with the cover design and writeup. How’s this look:

“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.”
-Euripides

“Ambulans mortuus: noun. Lit. “moving dead” (lat.). A viral strain that appeared in the Western Hemisphere in the early 21st century. Origin unknown. Characterized by high fever and death in infected subjects, followed by reanimation and extremely violent behavior. No known cure.”

New Mexico, the domain of the Rattlesnake, and the Whiskey Delta. For years, the undead have been roaming the countryside, feeding on the living and spreading their disease. But within a small compound outside of Espanola, the men and women of the 200th Infantry are fighting to take back the country. Under the command of Major General Thur, aka. “The Mage”,  they hold the line against the armies of the undead. However, things soon escalate as the Mage discovers an opportunity to end the war sooner than expected. All that’s needed is a desperate mission into the ruins if Los Angeles, ground zero in the war against the Whiskeys, and a land heavily contested by human foes… What could go wrong?

“Hurricane Hackers” Helping in Hurricane Sandy Recovery

It seems hackers are making the news once again as a force for good. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which has caused untold devastation along the Eastern Seaboard, hackers across the world are taking part in a series of events that are designed to help local communities prepare and cope with the devastation of this crisis. In what promises to be an ongoing series of information and development camps, the first “Sandy CrisisCamp” took place in Boston, the West Coast, and even as far away as New Zealand.

The goal here is simple: to design internet tools and applications that will assist in disaster preparedness and recovery, both now and in the future. The first step in that, which was covered this past weekend, was the work on various “crowdsourcing” tools that will allow people to categorize images for building damage and a simple Google doc that attempts to keep track of all the sources of Sandy recovery data in a single place. These will not only give people the ability to access vital information and updates on the path of hurricanes quickly, but will also help organizations such as FEMA prioritize their efforts based on up-to-the-minute damage assessments.

These efforts are all related to the work of a group known as the Hurricane Hackers, students at MIT’s Media Lab who have been helping coordinate relief efforts via Twitter. The fruits of their initial labor was the site known as Sandyslist, a simple hub for linking people with the resources they need to stay safe and ride the storm out. And in truth, they are but one group of people who have been using social utilities and the internet in order to provide info for those in need and to help others coordinate their efforts. There are even online sites where people are able to pledge donations, a process known as crowdfunding, and which are currently waiving their fees in order to ensure that more money is raised.

In addition to being reassuring and heartwarming, all of these coordinated efforts are also a good demonstration of what is possible in the information age. After all, in times of crisis, the most important tool in prevention and response is information. By ensuring that it is coordinated, easily accessible, and available all in one place, the hackers responsible for this are also helping to ensure that lives are saved and the crisis passes with far less in the way of human devastation.

Source: news.cnet.com

NaNoWriMo 2012!

Yeah, it seems I’ve decided to actually take part this year. It was a bit of a dilemma as to whether or not I would be participating, what with my heavy editing schedule and all the promises I’ve made to follow up Whiskey Delta with its sequel. But wouldn’t you know it, while in the midst of a rather hectic day – the kids were absolute nightmares and it was pool day to boot! – I actually came up with an idea. In addition, I somehow found the time to belt out an outline and the first 500 words for it. I’m nuts, I know!

And truth be told, it kind of solves a few writing goals I’ve had for myself of late. First off, I’ve been dying to write about an Arcology ever since I did a post dedicated to the concept. And ever since I finished with Whiskey Delta, I’ve been looking for the next serial novel project. Originally, I had hoped to move right into the second installment in that series, but I think it would be best to let that percolate for awhile (my apologies to the fans who were expecting it sooner). And finally, I really wanted to contribute something.

As I’ve planned it, this new story ought to cover all three of those bases. The story I plan to write will take place within an Arcology, specifically an Ultima-tower type structure located in the Great Lakes Megapolis region of the future. As a massive structure that dominates the landscape, it is an entirely self-sufficient and ecologically sustainable environment surrounded by sprawling slums. The name of the place, and hence the story, is Etemenanki, the ancient ziggurat that may have inspired the Tower of Babel myth.

Over the course of November, I’ll be publishing chapters on a regular basis, much as I did with Whiskey Delta. Hopefully, I can keep up with the daily writing demand, especially since I’m getting a bit of a late start! Stay tuned for more on this front. Go NaNoWriMos!

Stompy: The Giant Walking Robot!

Is this likely to be the next wave in robotics? Six-legged walking machines that are capable of carrying heavy freight, towing large payloads, or erecting tall buildings? And let’s not discount the militarized version! Six-legged mechanized warriors stacked with missiles, rail guns, and giant foot pads capable of crushing entire columns of enemy infantry! Seriously, is this the future? Because I’m starting to get a tad nervous…

The people responsible are what is known as Project Hexapod, a teacher-student cooperative working out of Massachusetts’ Artisan Asylum. For almost a year now, they’ve been working towards their goal of creating a walking, rideable robot. Beginning in April of 2012, the group began work on the design, and after four months, they launched a website and began soliciting donations. And of course, they promised plenty of returns for those pledging money.

For those making modest donations, stickers, photos and T-shirts were the common prize. But for those pledging more substantial donations – on the scale of say $200 – they promise to take an object of the donor’s choice and crush it for them. They even promise to post a video of the destruction on YouTube for the world to enjoy. And for those pledging $300 or more, they will get to ride the 18-foot wide steel beast while those giving $1000 will even get to man the controls.  Look out world! The only thing more cool than that would be if you could float a cool $300,000, in which case they will construct one for you!

Much like the Hoverbike, this Project represents a new wave in the field of technological development. Rather than being in the hands of private industry, or dependent on their investment capitol, here we see enterprising individuals going directly to the public to make their inventions a reality. Much like alternative media and indie publishing, we once again see the internet cutting out the middle man and the traditional gatekeepers, and opening up opportunities for those with dreams (and an extensive technical background!).

Check out the video of Stompy’s development below. And if you are one of those rare individuals who can score a ride on this behemoth, let me wish you good luck, and good stomping!

Source: kickstarter.com

NASA’s X1 Robotic Exoskeleton

It may not be Iron Man, but it’s certainly a step in that direction. It’s known as the X1 Robotic Skeleton, a spinoff of their earlier Robonaut 2 project. Designed specifically to assists astronauts with either exercising in space, performing difficult tasks, or restoring movement to astronauts who have suffered from paralysis, the X1 is a big leap forward in terms of ergonomics and man-machine interface.

The exoskeleton is powered by four motorized joints and six passive joints, all of which give the 57 pound suit a good range of motion. When set to exercise mode, it provides resistance to the astronauts movement, ensuring that their muscles get the exercise they need while in zero-g environments. The rest of the time, the motors provide enough force to allow an astronaut to get a full range of motion and maintain full ambulatory capabilities.

A joint effort between NASA, The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, and the awesomely named Oceaneering Space Systems, the X1 is still deep in the research and development phase. Still, the suit could some day be used both in space and on Earth. In that respect, it is not unlike ReWalk and other robotic systems that are currently employed by the military which are used to help restore motion to the paralyzed and assist people in power lifting. Soon, the word “disability” will be entirely without meaning and “power lifters” will have to be redefined!

Check out this video of the X1 in action and/or click on the link below for more on this story.


Source: news.cnet.com

Zombie-Proof You Car and House

Believe it or not, there’s actually an insurance company that thinks ahead. You’ll be pleased to know that while others are preparing for the latest hurricane or earthquake, there’s a company that is preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Okay, not really, but its fun idea. They are known as MoneySupermarket.com; and wouldn’t you believe it, they found me and offered these helpful infographics. In honor of Halloween, they offered a string of comedic “Spooky Insurance” options. These include insurance on your haunted house, broom, time travel, and the afterlife.

In addition, they provide the following helpful infographics on how to prepare your vehicle and your home for a zombie attack. In the former case, this involves outfitting your means of conveyance with defensive armor as well as a series of non-lethal counter-measures (click on the image to enlarge). It also rates different kinds of vehicles based on their practicality for a zombie apocalypse. These include speed, fuel economy, ruggedness, capabilities on all terrain, and capacity for modification. Granted, not all the information is practical, but you didn’t exactly expect it to be, did you?

In the latter case, the infographic on modifying your home. This is especially important when you’ve found a place you want to go to ground in. Or maybe you just don’t want to let things escalate to the stage where you have to modify your vehicle to become a mobile tank and defensive arsenal. These include land mines, chain link fences, trenches, a guard tower, explosives, and of course, a fully equipped arsenal. Well, not exactly fully equipped – once again, the weapons are strictly non-lethal. And I’m not entirely sure what the point of a robotic sheep is (see right). You’d think zombies could tell the difference between the real thing and an automaton.

Naturally, the Halloween-themed insurance offering won’t last long now that Halloween is over. Click on the link at the top to see the full range of options they’re offering for witches, ghosts, time travelers and the undead. Unless the zombie apocalypse actually arrives, or someone finds a way to make time travel feasible, these gimmicky insurance options won’t last!

The Bane Costume!

Well, I did it, I went through with it and decided to be Bane for Halloween, bald head and all!. And as promised, here are some of the pics to prove that I’m not lying through my teeth. Personally, I felt it came together pretty well- the clothing was planned out but I didn’t make any special purchases. And I ordered the mask through Amazon so no credit is due there. But the real work came in the form of the  head-shaving, which took a good hour at least. I don’t think I invested in a very good electric razor, and I can tell you that for the next few days I will be applying lots of lotion to make sure I don’t chafe!

And of course the feedback I’ve gotten so far has been pretty interesting. When I wore it to the grocery store to compare costumes with the local staff, they all laughed and thought it was pretty good. The children and casual shoppers… not so much! I had to assure one little man that it was all just an outfit and that it would be coming off soon.

And when I went to pick up my darling bride from her friends house that night, they were both pretty scared! My wife has not looked at me the same way since. Mainly she just looks at my bald head and smiles! Ha, she wasn’t smiling when she saw me enter with the mask on and heard the perfectly intoned British voice!

Anyway, here are the top three pics. Front profile, front posing, and side profile. Let me know what you think, and please post pics of whatever you got up to this Halloween! I especially want to hear from my superhero kin on this one. Consider it a test run for our official Revenger uniforms. If we can pull of some real life costumes that bear just the slightest resemblance to our Revenger profiles, we’d be in the best of business!

Oh yeah, and happy Halloween everyone! May your evenings be filled with plenty of fright and excitement, and plenty of sugary swag!