David Jacobs

Harvard researchers grow cyborg tissues with embedded nanoelectronics

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:41:50 -0500

“Ultimately, this is about merging tissue with electronics in a way that it becomes difficult to determine where the tissue ends and the electronics begin.”

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The new totalitarianism of surveillance technology

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 01:18:14 -0500

The new totalitarianism of surveillance technology:

Very important article about face recognition and biometric software and the accelerating use by governments.

Google+ launches Enterprise Social Networking

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:38:54 -0500

Google+ launches Enterprise Social Networking:

This shows that continued expansion of Google+ is likely. Building a presence there should be a priority for anyone who takes social media seriously.

The new features could be a cost savings for many businesses. Videoconferencing and related remote collaboration tools tend to be expensive. This is a free option. It could be something to recommend to your employer or clients.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2012/08/31/google-is-now-an-enterprise-social-network-who-knew/

Humble Mumble: Thoughts on Redis

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 23:19:21 -0500

Humble Mumble: Thoughts on Redis:

kennejima:

Like many people already doing so, I’ve been digging into Redis and other NoSQL products.

Unlike all those anti-SQL fanboys, I have 15+ years of experience in RDBMS, and I know the relational algebra has a lot more mathematical implications in practice than the CAP theorem, not to mention the… (full post)

Despite its age, this is one of the smartest articles I’ve seen to-date on “NoSQL” and the trade-off issues of databases. It is well worth a read.

Note: Ignore the discussion about virtual memory on Redis. It is deprecated. (See http://redis.io/topics/virtual-memory)

Simple mathematical computations underlie brain circuits - MIT News Office

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:48:53 -0500

Simple mathematical computations underlie brain circuits - MIT News Office:

A Christian and Muslim unite - obscene holy books: good, obscene hotel films: bad

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:59:29 -0500

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/12/strange-religious-bedfellows-unite-for-letter-against-hotel-porn/

A letter penned by two notable scholars – a Christian and a Muslim – and sent to a number of different hotel industry executives has asked those hotels to remove pornography from their company’s in-room movie selections.

“We are, respectively, a Christian and a Muslim, but we appeal to you not on the basis of truths revealed in our scriptures but on the basis of a commitment that should be shared by all people of reason and goodwill: a commitment to human dignity and the common good,” reads the letter.

Dear Mr. ChristMus,

Thank you for your letter. It has been turned over to the Thought Police and found to violate multiple prohibitions established by the Restrictions Of Ideological Written Communications Act, and a summons has been issued for your arrest.

We’re kidding. This is a free country. You have the right to write what you like.

> we appeal to you not on the basis of truths revealed in our scriptures

Of course not. That would be silly.

By the way, those aren’t “truths”. If “revealing” something is sufficient to establish truth, then the films in question trump both of your books in the truth category.

> but on the basis of a commitment…to human dignity

On the basis of human dignity, we believe that you have a right to your ridiculous beliefs and your obscene holy books. The Gideons have long been distributing these obscene books in our hotels, and we’ve looked the other way, in respect of customer choice and freedom. But thanks to your thoughtful letter, we’ve reconsidered and decided upon a compromise. From now on, consistent with the video policy, all obscene books will be age-restricted. To access a Bible or Koran on your hotel room interactive TV, you may call the front desk and authorize charges to your account of $12.99 an hour.

Sincerely,
The Management

Solve for X: Adrien Treuille on collaborative science (by...

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:43:45 -0500

Solve for X: Adrien Treuille on collaborative science (by wesolveforx)

This talk describes Foldit and EteRNA, a series of remarkable new scientific discovery games Adrien Treuille has helped create. These games lead us to wonder: how many unknown “Kasparovs” are out there on the Internet — potential experts at tasks they never knew existed? Is this the future of expertise?

Dalek Relaxation Tape Exterminate your tension.

Mon, 28 May 2012 11:41:16 -0500

Dalek Relaxation Tape

Exterminate your tension.

Leap: Touchless Gesture in 3D Interaction Space

Sun, 27 May 2012 20:26:34 -0500

Leap: Touchless Gesture in 3D Interaction Space

Synthetic XNA molecules can evolve and store genetic information, just like DNA

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:03:12 -0500

Synthetic XNA molecules can evolve and store genetic information, just like DNA:

MIT: Playing Tetris … on a Building!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:47:41 -0500

MIT: Playing Tetris … on a Building!

13 Diagrams of Snoop Dogg Explaining Science

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:45:21 -0500

13 Diagrams of Snoop Dogg Explaining Science

Oakley talks smart eyewear, views Project Glass as an adversary

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:32:15 -0500

Oakley talks smart eyewear, views Project Glass as an adversary

Penn and Teller - The Vatican (Full Episode) (by...

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 22:10:35 -0500

Penn and Teller - The Vatican (Full Episode) (by CrystalEye736)

This was censored by Showtime, and wasn’t included in the complete season on DVD or streaming video. (See Amazon for many strong comments.) This is sad, since this episode discusses very important issues of censorship and the social impact of secrecy and using power to control and…censor.

I paid for the season, but had to watch this one on youtube. Watch it and share it with others!

Google Glasses: A New Way to Hurt Yourself (parody of...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:28:56 -0500

Google Glasses: A New Way to Hurt Yourself (parody of Google’s Project Glass) (by enyay)

Hilarious! :)

Project Glass: Google Glasses Photos and info released....

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:32:00 -0500

Project Glass: Google Glasses

Photos and info released. Here’s a roundup of the latest on Project Glass and Augmented Reality.

Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle (by ruif99)

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:26:17 -0500

Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle (by ruif99)

RSA Animate - Language as a Window into Human Nature (by...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:39:29 -0500

RSA Animate - Language as a Window into Human Nature (by theRSAorg)

RSA Animate - The Divided Brain (by theRSAorg)

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:39:11 -0500

RSA Animate - The Divided Brain (by theRSAorg)

TEDxBoston - Skylar Tibbits - When Things Build Themselves (by...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:39:50 -0500

TEDxBoston - Skylar Tibbits - When Things Build Themselves (by TEDxTalks)