How will NASA sample an asteroid?
Asteroid 1999 RQ36 may or may not pose a future problem for our planet – the chances of an impact with the Earth in 2182 are now estimated at roughly one in 1800. But learning more about it will help us understand the population of near-Earth objects that much better, one of several reasons why…
“PR2 Playpen” keeps robots entertained (and learning) for hours and hours
Willow Garage’s PR2 robot can fold laundry, play billiards, and fetch a beer from the fridge. But can it pick up a spoon? Georgia Tech roboticists have built what they are calling a “PR2 Playpen” that serves to keep their adorable ‘bot entertained around the clock. But like any good children’s toy, the PR2 Playpen…
The sausage: an agent of xenophobia?
Dr. Keir Waddington, reader in History and Head of History and Welsh History at the Cardiff School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University, Wales, is in the process of examining the cultural position of the sausage. His recent paper : The Dangerous Sausage: Diet, Meat and Disease in Victorian and Edwardian Britain (Cultural and Social…
In The Virtual World, His Fiancée Never Died
“Obviously, I can’t bring people back to life,” Jon Jacobs recently told me. Obviously. It was morning when he told me that. He was on his way to work in Los Angeles, chatting with me on his cell phone. His wife, a singer named Cheri, was driving him to work that day. He and I…
