Author Archives: Mike Reeves-McMillan

Apr 24

“Publish or perish” leads to an avalanche of poor-quality work (where else have we seen that phenomenon?)

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“Publish or perish” leads to an avalanche of poor-quality work (where else have we seen that phenomenon?)

It also makes it difficult to get an overview of the field (any field, let alone the things that fall between and across fields).

Does deep learning offer a way forward?

Originally shared by Larry Panozzo

“One promising strategy to overcome the current crisis is to integrate machines and artificial intelligence in the scientific process. Machines have greater memory and higher computational capacity than the human brain. Automation of the scientific process could greatly increase the rate of discovery. It could even begin another scientific revolution. That huge possibility hinges on an equally huge question: can scientific discovery really be automated?“

https://aeon.co/ideas/science-has-outgrown-the-human-mind-and-its-limited-capacities
Apr 21

Because electrocuting users is secretly what all developers long to do.

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Because electrocuting users is secretly what all developers long to do.

Originally shared by Roy Hembree

Electrical muscle stimulation used to create boundaries in VR

The Hasso Plattner Institute has developed a system that delivers electrical muscle stimulation to provide haptic feedback. It can create the illusion of holding and moving heavy objects as well as create the feeling of touching walls and turning knobs. The system is compact enough to fit in a backpack.

“When the user grabs the virtual cube, the user expects the cube’s weight to create tension in the user’s biceps and the cube’s stiffness to create a tension in the user’s pectoralis. In order to create this sensation, the system actuates the respective opposition muscles. In order to put a load onto the user’s biceps, it actuates the triceps and in order to put a load onto the user’s pectoralis, it actuates the user’s shoulder muscle. This creates the desired tension in biceps and pectoralis, thereby creating the desired experience.”

Link to the study: https://hpi.de/baudisch/projects/vr-walls.html

Source of GIF: https://youtu.be/OcSmCamMKfs

Apr 20

I find, as a reviewer, that even some authors who make few other mistakes still make this one.

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I find, as a reviewer, that even some authors who make few other mistakes still make this one.

Originally shared by Karen Conlin

I expect this to become a series, so I’m numbering this post. If I’m wrong, well … I’ll come back later, in a year or two, and edit the title. Aaaaanyway, let’s get to it. This is about commas and adjectives. When you have a string of adjectives before a…

http://grammargeddon.com/2017/04/20/commas-plain-language-explanation-1
Apr 19

Of course the headline is an exaggeration – I knew that without even clicking through.

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Of course the headline is an exaggeration – I knew that without even clicking through. This is cool, though, and a genuine advance in our understanding of how dreams work – with implications for being able to manipulate dreams. Without too much handwavium, you could write a story about an interactive lucid dream machine.

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

Neuroscientists Can Now Read Your Dreams With a Simple Brain Scan

http://suhub.co/2oPGhVJ

Apr 18

Lots of questions raised here, most of them well explored by SF writers.

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Lots of questions raised here, most of them well explored by SF writers. New to me: the idea that gene manipulation might lead to less diversity, as we manipulate ourselves towards social ideals.

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

Gene Editing Might Change What Being Human Actually Means http://suhub.co/2pOyV48