+ all of the above

via /Film

I’ve often thought that Scott Adams was America’s answer to Douglas Adams (same last name, coincidence?) and I think that this proves it. Click to read the full blog post.

Suppose we transfer a dying guy’s brain into a computer, and that computer passes the Turing Test, thus demonstrating genuine intelligence. For all practical purposes it might have the same personality as the human brain that went into it. If you had a conversation with it, I can imagine it expressing a desire to live and even procreate.

via mapclub

This is interesting:

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.

“These results are a breakthrough in terms of understanding brain activity,” says Dr. Cheng. “In as little as 10 years, advances in this field of research may make it possible to read a person’s thoughts with some degree of accuracy.”

Pink Tentacle has more, or you can go directly to the results of the experiment published in the December issue of the science journal Neuron. Unfortunately to read the article online costs $35, so maybe try your local University.

via the New Shelton Wet/Dry

via I believe you will lead me to a life of crime
via Strange Maps

The future isn’t always what you wish it would be. Some are dissapointed by the lack of hover-boards and flying cars.

I for one welcome our new rat-brain-cyborg overlords.

More here.

This video investigates a question which I’m sure a lot of people have wondered about, ‘What would a personal HUD look like?’ A very enjoyable display of techno-graphic-wizardry.

via Fresh Creation

Now I know that I may as well just post all of the TED talks and be done with it, but I found this one to be very interesting. This is for all the futurists out there.

via Fresh Creation

I watched THX-1138 for the first time last night, in an attempt to wipe from my mind the thoroughly unimpressive Indiana 4 and redeem George Lucas somewhat. It did just that, it’s a brilliant film and the sound design especially impressed me, as well as the inspired visuals and the ambitious scope. The strongest part of this film, and I think what sets it apart from other visions of future Orwellian nightmares, is that there is no enemy, that the society in which THX-1138 lives has imprisoned itself. Although it is never revealed how it came into existence, everyone is involved in keeping the status quo. Even the hero is not blameless as he helps build the very robots who are the enforcers.

Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents and be happy.

Not for the faint-hearted or the easily offended, which is an odd thing to preface an 8-bit animation with. It is (semi) safe for work however. As long as disemboweling hasn’t made it onto your office’s black list yet.

Documentary or Science Fiction? via Neatorama Also, read more here.

Oh man, this is amazing. Do you remember all those cool old charts you used to have in the school classroom? Way back when schools actually had funding, before all of them had to start buying computers on top of everything else and blew all their cash on a few crappy dells and and a 30 year old WoW addicted IT dropout to do sys admin for them? And then Howard (or Bush if you’re a yankee) went and yanked the funding even further rather than increasing it to meet the higher needs?

Yeah, well History Shots makes prints in that same style. I want the Race to the Moon poster and the Whale Chart.

Super-Handyman. A list of problems solved by Macgyver. I was an eight year old boy watching open-mouthed every week as Macgyver got himself out of each new, dangerous situation (and into another). Don’t make the same mistake I did, knowing how to make tear-gas is not a necessary life skill.

via Cynical-C Blog

Dalton, Jack of Spies (2×17)

While being pursued by dirty CIA operatives at a strip club, MacGyver loads a confetti cannon with make-up powder and fires it at them as they enter a door, thus blinding the enemies with powder.

From the Hirose Fukushima Lab in Japan. via

It’s been interesting to watch over the years how Sony managed to usurp Nintendo from the #1 console title and then has watched as Nintendo out innovated them to get back in the lead. As it stands Nintendo now outsells Sony and Microsoft at about 2 to 1. I’m not going to go into the reasons why this has happened, but I would like to draw attention to three adverts that I think sum up the advertising and marketing campaigns for each of the three generations of Sony consoles.

Beginning with a signature piece from Chris Cunningham for the original Playstation:

Some amazing work from The Mill for Playstation 2:

And the new spot from TBWA for Playstation 3:

Some good feelings for you now. Sweet Lullaby by Deep Forrest (which used to enchant me as a kid watching SBS in the afternoons) and the latest video from Where the Hell is Matt. Enjoy

One of my most favourite authors, this is the first time I’ve seen him speak.

Oh man, this is amazing. This is an entry to the contest Radiohead held to remix the song and it’s incredible. It begins slow, but stick with it. Check the info section of the video for full details (which are more coherent than my open-mouthed appreciative grunting). via.

A map of relationships among scientific paradigms.

Go here for the explanation or here to buy the print, or just go here to jump straight in (always recommended).