There are various reasons why we have humanoid robots in our SF, but they’re mostly to do with using them as symbols of how we’ve historically treated humans (and being able to put an actor inside, in the case of movies), rather than because a humanoid robot is really useful.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
Why Humanoid Robots Are Still So Hard to Make Useful http://suhub.co/2kwzSkn
This makes a lot of sense.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
Robotic Materials Will Distribute Intelligence All Over a Robot’s Body http://suhub.co/2AUItE4
A grand scheme gone awry may be just what your story needs. Here’s one.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
Desertec and the Tantalizing Dream of a Solar Sahara http://suhub.co/2AECLpN
For your alternate computing story needs.
(Accessibility issue: small, non-adjustable font.)
Originally shared by Winchell Chung
https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/hardware/not-your-fathers-analog-computer
Some good info on the OP. It takes a lot of infrastructure, and consistent demand, to make brickmaking feasible. (Since I work for a company that makes masonry blocks, I have both some knowledge of and some interest in this topic.) So if you chuck brick buildings into your setting, you’re implying a lot about the state of industry.
Adobe (sun-dried) bricks are a somewhat different proposition.
Originally shared by Derrick “Quite Clever” Sanders
Here’s a weirdo topic that is probably of some interest to fantasy gamers (of a certain stripe) as well as those of you with some historical and archaeological curiosity.
Bricks. Ancient Romans could make bricks. They built lots of buildings out of them. However, in medieval Europe we see brick construction become sporadic. My understanding is that the making of the bricks themselves became guild secret.
I’m hoping that the esteemed Ara Winter can hook us up with some primary documentation on this one (and I bet he can). Or maybe Amanda Rachelle Warren?
I wonder if I can use this in the Gryphon Clerks. The gnomes are always making stuff out of mushrooms.
Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe
Leather Made from Mushrooms!
– 1 inch grows within 1 week
– 2×3 feet within 1 month
– Full cow hide size within 2 months
– Extracted from mushroom caps
– Tanning process is natural and doesn’t contain any toxic chemicals like the ones used in processing leather
– Muskin is natural and non-toxic so it’s safe for contact with your face and skin
– Softer than leather, is water repellant and breathable
– 100% biodegradable
– Stops the proliferation of bacteria
– Strong absorbent capacity
– Any exotic animal skin can be emulated like elephant or snake and comes with a soft shammy backing
Watch the short video at http://bit.ly/2Bz1HN3
I have an idea for a lucid dreaming story that could use this as handwavium. But it also sounds like it could be really useful for people whose brains aren’t working quite as they should.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
How Bursts of Ultrasound Can Be Used to Flip Switches in the Brain http://suhub.co/2ilqCin
OK, these are cool. And a touch Uncanny Valley at times.
Originally shared by Singularity Hub
9 Robot Animals Built From Nature’s Best-Kept Secrets http://suhub.co/2iYgKrM
Great news for amputees – turning a prosthetic from a tool into a restored body part.
Infrastructure. It’s a thing that, historically, people have celebrated with great enthusiasm.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/atlantic-cable-carnival-broadway-parade-1858