That’s an actual NYT headline: Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot. Troubadour Jonathan Coulton is the sole voice of reason: “Is this really a good idea?”
Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot
January 17th, 2008 · 6 Comments
Tags: Robots · Asides · Technology
A few of my favorites:
The true story behind Boston’s Curse of the Bambino. Also: girly burlesquers!
Ghost cameras, necrophones, and the no man’s land between faith and reason.
Most. Important. Post. Ever.
“You will be stabbed with ten swords! Then given seven coins! Then you will become a juggler! Then you will die!”
Old, Weird Canada: The secret origins of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and my Mom.
Most recent posts:
Here’s a second concept course, though the idea is neither new nor mine, and maybe it’s not really a concept course if several people have done it. Still, I would really like to try this someday.
The Backwards Survey
Every single event is the offspring not of one, but of all other events prior or contemporaneous … […]
Last fall, Bill Turkel had a great blog entry calling for “concept projects” in academic history: like concept car prototypes or catwalk fashions, these would be imaginative efforts that need not prove wholly workable or utilitarian, but that might serve to get ideas into circulation, push the boundaries of the form, or, a la Thoreau, […]
Peeing dogs, Donkey Kong, lesbians, sitcoms, and gin.
Spybots invade English village.
Beards, bots, and were they hot?
In loose Borgesian categories:
That’s an actual NYT headline: Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot. Troubadour Jonathan Coulton is the sole voice of reason: “Is this really a good idea?”
Tags: Robots · Asides · Technology
Interwob links to confound and bemuse:
The SITI Program
The Search for Intelligence on the Internet: My man Mark Rayner plugs the numbers into the Drake equation, predicts that there should be 2.7 intelligent blogs in cyberspace. Keep watching the skies!
The Tank
Tom Englehardt posts Chalmers Johnson’s review of Alex Abella’s new history of RAND.
Note To Self: Ia Fhtagn
What appears to be H.P. Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book: creepy images, story ideas, and games he’d like to run. (Via Felix Gilman.)
High Tech Noon
Do not laser-shark me, oh my darling: isn’t everything better with rayguns?
Men In Tights
It’s been well linked (Barista assumed it was taking the piss but I think he underestimates Chabon’s geeky earnestness) but it’s worth it: Michael Chabon on the superhero unitard. PS How good is All-Star Superman, am I right?
The Cardboard Internet
Paul Collins on the Mundaneum, a networked encyclopedia on fifteen million index cards (shades of the Memex?). Plus index cards as (literally) the U.S. War Department’s killer app.
Google Maps of Sci-Fi
BLDG BLOG’s Geoff Manaugh on mapping the fictional onto the real.
More Dick
You heard it here first:* Moby Dick is awesome! (*No, you didn’t.)
Au Clair de la Lune
Feast your ears on the oldest known sound recording–from 17 years before Edison’s phonograph. (Via Corn Chips & Pie.)
The Pickle King of Islamistan
Khalid (née Bertram) Sheldrake, the “power hungry, toothbrush mustachioed, British ninny” who somehow failed to convert western China to Islam.
Invisible elves make our site go:
© 2001–2007 Rob MacDougall

6 responses so far ↓
1 Rob // Jan 17, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Actually, the full headline is “Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot, A Step That May Help Humans.”
Which suggests to me an editor keeping his eye on the news you can use angle: “Monkeys are controlling robots with their thoughts, eh? OK, but what does this mean for us humans?”
2 big and careful // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:03 pm
“Monkeys controlling robots using only their thoughts! What that means for your weekend, at 10:00.”
3 Mr. O. W. Lowe, ESQ. // Jan 18, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I was rather hoping they were GIGANTIC MARAUDING robots that ONLY our monkey overlords could control!
… still, it’s a step in the right direction, I suppose!
4 Tad // Jan 21, 2008 at 8:56 pm
But Monkey and Robot are enemies!
5 Tad // Jan 21, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Shoot, the imbed code didn’t work.
Linked here: Monkey vs. Robot by James Kolchalka Superstar.
6 Rob // Jan 23, 2008 at 12:24 pm
James Kochalka for the win.
Leave a Comment