I haven't posted in ages. Been busy writing, aging, shouting at clouds, exploring exciting new donut flavors, writing, thinking about writing, writing, and not posting. Then a friend passed along a real head-kicker, and I had to share. Tokyo's A-Lab Co and the Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto unveiled a robot modeled after Kannon Bodhisattva, designed to educate visitors to the temple about Buddhism. The video below sent my brain spinning in a way few bits of futurism news do these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKhgSCc6OAE The video shows monks bowing to a robot as it explains the … [Read more...]
1999
On a crisp September evening in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1999, I accompanied two fellow residents of my dorm-style apartment building, Le Foyer George Williams, to a local theater to see Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. It was Kubrick’s first film in twelve years, an event in itself, and the official promotion for the film promised a lurid, boundary-pushing good time. The three of us ate American fast food prior to the movie—a memory of particular clarity because the two young women, one German and one French, had insisted—and then argued over whether to eat at McDonald’s or Burger King, each … [Read more...]
Plants With Personality, Swedish Futures, and Fear of Sunlight
I'm back with a few facts and more than a few daydreams to share, so grab your donuts and take a gander. Carnivorous Plants Have the Best Personalities Time for a new and exciting chapter in my life: I bought some pitcher plants for the yard. That curving hook structure, that gaping maw of insect death, the lullabies they sing by moonlight to lure in the unsuspecting…it’s pure magic. In all seriousness, I doubt these pitcher plants will transform into the insect-hoovering alien monstrosities I dream about, but it’s still pretty cool to have a plant with a unique personality. I’ve grown … [Read more...]
The Roundup: Space Rock Edition
Interstellar Asteroids are Wonderfully Weird If you'd told me last week that before now, we had never witnessed an interstellar object of any kind enter our solar system, I’d have said “Let's get lunch. I’m hungry.” Then I would have said, “I’m not finished watching season two of Stranger Things, so we can’t talk about that.” THEN I would have said “Seriously? Nothing from outside our solar system, ever?” If you’re a non-scientist/barely casual space watcher like me, then you probably had no idea either. But it’s true. The newly-arrived asteroid “Oumuamua”—Hawaiian for “scout”—is the … [Read more...]
When the Aliens Attack, I’ll Be Logistical Support
When the aliens attack, I’ll help the resistance in every way I can. Earth is one of my favorite places. It’s where I shop for groceries. Its movies are top notch. My cat lives there. There are many ways I can help. I can count how many canisters of fuel we have left and arrange them in a nice pattern for pickup. Need a barrel of gasoline rolled across the hanger bay at a moderate pace to the next ship? I’m your guy. I’m good at washing uniforms (Probably. I’ve used a washing machine before). If we have droids, I’ll work on minor repairs. I’m not very technically-minded, but I can wipe … [Read more...]