The History of the Uncanny Valley
Partway through the latest Medal of Honor game, you nearly die in an ambush. Your AI buddy saves you, then helps you to your feet. It should be a poignant moment; instead it’s chilling, because his eyes are completely lifeless. Or, you’re playing Mass Effect 2, engaged in a serious conversation with one of your…
The Day Steve Jobs Was Wrong
It happened in 1997. Can’t quite remember exactly when or where. It doesn’t show up on Google, so I’m thinking it came at some internal Apple event or agency meeting. Though some details are hazy, I remember Steve Jobs’ words precisely, because they were sober and stinging: “The battle for the desktop is over. And…
Electronic Implant Allows The Blind To See
Researchers are currently testing electronic implants which are designed to restore sight to individuals with certain types of blindness. As you can see by this video, the initial trials are encouraging. Groups in Germany and the US have been testing electronic implants aimed at restoring vision to people with retinal dystrophy. The condition is hereditary…
Google Tool May Have Wrong Polling Place Locations for Hundreds of Thousands of Voters
Google’s polling place locator was supposed to make your life easier by guiding you to the appropriate polling place so that you can vote. The only trouble? It may have guided you and hundreds of thousands to the wrong place. After a Fast Company editor got a wrong address from Google’s polling place locator this…
The Air Force Wants Neuroweapons to Overwhelm Enemy Minds
It sounds like something a wild-eyed basement-dweller would come up with, after adjusting the fit of his tinfoil hat. But military bureaucrats really are asking scientists to help them “degrade enemy performance” by attacking the brain’s “chemical pathway[s].” Late last month, the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing revamped a call for research…