#Science & Tech

[twincitiesgeek]

Spring is the perfect time to clear out your pile of old electronics. Free Geek Twin Cities could take them off your hands while helping the community.

[pavel-nosok]

New AI-powered strike drone shows how quickly battlefield autonomy is evolving

First-person drone piloting is yesterday’s news. Drones are becoming smarter as the electronic environment around them makes operator communication more difficult.

[faultfalha]

The intricate weave of biosecurity, a complex network of actions and reactions, is becoming ever more pressing. The Department of Defense has stepped up its response, but China's role is still a complicated one. No one knows what lies beneath the surface of the bioweapon threat, the motives and intentions that could be hidden in its far-reaching implications. All that is certain is that the situation is becoming increasingly dire, and the secrets lurking inside the web of biosecurity become more and more elusive each day.

[agreads]

GeneNeer Secures $1 Million in Seed Funding to Revolutionize Crop Seed Innovation

GeneNeer Ltd. is pleased to announce it has successfully closed a US$1 million seed round to support the acceleration of its technology for rapid crop seed innovation. The company’s breakthrough method leverages its proprietary Superlines and tissue-specific silencing capabilities to improve the current precision, speed, and safety of advanced breeding technologies. In a league of its own,…

[gkdhaka]

Climate change: World's hottest day since records began

The world’s average temperature reached a new high on Monday 3 July, topping 17 degrees Celsius for the first time. US researchers said the new record was the highest in any instrumental record dating back to the end of the 19th century. Scientists believe a combination of a natural weather event known as El Niño and mankind’s ongoing emissions of carbon dioxide are driving the heat. Last month…

[mint-flavoredd]

DONATELLO HAMATO

(Extra fun facts I couldn’t fit on the page)

Once he fully adapts his magic to the bō and figures out how to properly wield his magic, he loses the technology on his bō. (Equivalent to him finally using mystic powers in the show)

When he was younger and still using a wand, he made a gun that the wand could be hooked into, essentially creating a kind of laser gun. As he is older, he has amped it up, creating a weapon that his bō can be hooked into. Some have compared it to a missile launcher, or some kind of bazooka. It is currently an illegal weapon in the Hidden City.

Created a magical inventory system. Each member of his family has one. Raph compares it to a hammer space. (Cartoon logic- it’s like reaching behind your back, and pulling a way too big of a hammer to ever be able to hide behind your back. Pulling items ‘seemingly’ out of thin air)

Best at creating and identifying potions in his family, finding it to be one of the closest forms of science in the field of magic. Mikey is the second best, as he compares it to baking.

Still very much a man of science, and heavily relies on his tech, still preferring it to magic.

Finds using a broomstick unsanitary, and uses tech to get around in the sky.

The beads in his hair were added by Mikey. He originally wanted silver beads, but caved to his little brother wanting to match.

Mini world building stuff about magical casting items:

Smaller casting items (such as wands) are a lot easier to adapt than bigger casting items (like bōs, staffs, and thicker spellbooks) to one’s magic. Because they are so much thinner and smaller, not as much magic can fit inside, so replacing magic is a lot less strenuous. Larger items tend to be passed down in witch families for this reason. With family casting items, you don’t need to slowly switch from one kind of magic to another, it’s much more like adding to the magic, adding your own flare to it.

Larger casting items for this reason are so difficult to control, that you practically have to be raised with the item order to properly control the amount of magic you wish to expel.

When replacing magic, it’s like snuffing out the flame and starting one yourself.

When adding to the magic, it’s like adding more firewood to the flame, making it burn brighter.

[thefreakandthehair]

@eddiemonth prompt, oct 19th: Scifi/tech | Electric Eye - Judas Priest | Bewildered a/n: eddie pov, eddie & dustin friendship, dustin & steve friendship, and an excuse for me to weasel one of my favorite steve headcanons into something. un-betaed because I'm challenging myself to write these in under an hour. read on ao3 + masterpost | tumblr masterlist

After his release from the hospital and the unfortunate news that his trailer had been destroyed, Eddie goes from functionally homeless to having multiple spaces that feel like home. 

He’s been all but adopted by Claudia at this point, an offer extended immediately after hearing the version of the story everyone’s agreed upon— that the ground split open and Eddie nearly ate it pushing Dustin out of the way. It’s not quite the truth, but the theme is the same and anyone who’s willing to sacrifice themself for her son is welcome any time. 

Especially when he’s been called upon to help with Dustin’s science fair project. It’s out of Eddie’s league a bit, the actual science part, but he and his mechanical brain prove helpful. Kinda nice, actually, to use those hotwiring skills for good. 

Of course, it also helps that the government set him and Wayne up in a modest two bedroom house down the road, and that Eddie can practically smell Claudia's cooking when the windows are open. Like Garfield, he’s drawn to the Henderson house with the scent of a fresh lasagna. 

Bellies full and completed project sitting confidently on the kitchen table for tomorrow, they’re watching Star Wars movies in Dustin’s living room, one after another, and he feels just a touch like a traitor. Star Trek will always have his heart and Wayne can never know. 

“How’d you get into Star Wars anyways?” Eddie asks, sprawled across Dustin’s couch. 

“Can you believe Steve actually got me into them?” Dustin replies, curled up on the recliner. 

There’s an infinite number of ways a child might be introduced to the Star Wars franchise— a parent, a trailer before another movie, a carrier pigeon dropping a flier at their fucking feet— and they’re all more believable than Steve Harrington introducing Dustin Henderson to the sci-fi epic. 

“I’m sorry,” Eddie turns with wide eyes and a crooked grin to face Dustin. “What?”

“I know, right? It was uh, okay this is a little embarrassing.” Dustin cuts himself off, justifying some secret Eddie somehow hasn’t been told yet. 

He knows about the Mind Flayer and the Russians, and all the other Dungeons and Dragons lore that’d lived beneath his feet for years. What could possibly be left to make Dustin cringe like that? 

“Oh, do tell.” Eddie raises an eyebrow and gestures with an arm towards the expanse of space between them. “Floor is yours, young Bard. Spin the tale.”

Dustin rolls his eyes and throws popcorn at him. He tries to catch it in his mouth but he’s never been that coordinated. 

“It’s not really a tale. A few years ago, there was this school dance, the Snow Ball. I got all amped up, Steve helped with my hair, and then the night was a total fucking dud. Nancy danced with me which was like, super awesome of her, but I felt like shit after anyways.”

Eddie listens with rapt attention, pissed off that Dustin had such a relatable middle school experience and intrigued at this new sliver of Steve lore. Not that he cares. Obviously. Why would he? The idea of Steve helping Dustin get ready for the Snow Ball doesn’t conjure up words like adorable at all. 

He nods him on. 

“And uh, I called Steve the next day. He came over and we had pizza and he brought some of his favorite movies he thought I’d like. Star Wars had spaceships so obviously, easy choice. And here we are now with Return of the Jedi.” 

Okay, yep, that’s gonna be hard to tamp down the next time he sees Steve. Stomping his ill-advised crush into the ground beneath his Rebooks has been hard enough but now? Motherfucker. 

It’s also not lost on him that Dustin chose these movies today. Eddie feels like he’s stepping into some tradition that doesn’t belong to him, but he can’t squash the kid’s enthusiasm with his own insecurity. 

Instead, Eddie goes for the low hanging fruit.  

“Wow. Gotta tell you man, that’s maybe weirder than finding out about the monsters and shit. Steve’s favorite movie is Return of the Jedi?” 

Dustin snorts and laughs, toothless and free. Happiness isn’t new for Dustin, not anymore, but it’s still nice to see after all they’ve been through. 

“Well, that’s one of them. He always calls it ‘the ones with the teddy bears’, so people assume he means Return of the Jedi. But I know the truth. That dork loves Caravan of Courage.”

Eddie flips through his mental catalog of sci-fi movies and lands on a VHS cover: a couple of humans, a few Ewoks, and something that looks like a machine gun. If he remembers correctly, it has something of a cult following but wasn’t touted as a high point in the series. 

… And it’s Steve’s favorite. The one with the teddy bears. 

“Wait… what?!”

[troythecatfish]

Here's an interesting question: why has western feminism failed so much at achieving gender equality in STEM careers, meanwhile Iran and many other Muslim countries that are considered to be repressive to women's rights have been so successful at it?

Communist countries of the 20th century were also very successful at getting women into STEM careers, which is why even to this day, after the fall of communism in those countries, roughly half of scientists in Russia and Eastern European countries are women, so this isn't just a Muslim thing. It seems that liberal feminism has failed at getting women into STEM careers, especially in areas like engineering which is a total sausage fest.

Also, this is a good counterpoint to the Jordan Peterson/James Damore argument of women supposedly just being innately less interested in STEM careers because of their biology or whatever.

Clearly that's not the case since many countries around the world have already achieved gender equality in STEM careers, so this is really just a failure of the liberal west, not a result of women's innate biology like the Jordan Petersons and James Damores of the world suggest.

Sources:

1st slide: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyguttman/

2015/12/09/set-to-take-over-tech-70-of-irans-science-and-engineering-students-are-women/? sh=69f2111f44de

2nd-3rd slides: https://qz.com/1223067/iran-and-saudi-arabia-lead-when-it-comes-to-women-in-science#:~:text=The%20West%20is%20way%20behind, Science%20like%20a%20girl.&text=In%20|ran %2C%20nearly%2070%25%20of,than%20in%20an y%20other%20country.

4th slide: https://thehill.com/changing-america/ opinion/481684-how-iranian-immigrants-can-be-role-models-for-diversity-in-stem/amp/

https://thehill.com/changing-america/

[princess-of-thebes-bc]

I am too lazy to write a whole story. I love this scene from a movie. I saw years ago. Enjoy.

Today was a tiresome day, you did work with Grace and the team with the Avatar Research program. And you then went to the Colonel's office to do computer data work for his amp suits.

The Colonel had to leave early to do something, he gave you the key to his office to lock up and then you would give to Lyle in the morning.

You locked up after finishing and then you went to the science lab. The showers for the scientists were updated thanks to you. You kind of complained about your life in the base to the Colonel. The shower water was best lukewarm and never hot. How there was low quality food in the cafeteria. Soldiers always had the best stuff in the base.

Not to mention, the old computers were taken away and you guys were given the latest computer techs.

You did something out of appreciation for the Colonel. You gave him a bouquet of Pandora flowers

The Colonel was checking his amp suits. His back was towards you.

"excuse me, Colonel."

The Colonel looked over his shoulder.

You smiled and held out the bouquet. "Thank you for the new equipment for the science team. I appreciate you taking care of us."

The Colonel blinked as if he was surprised. He took the flowers hesitantly.

"these flowers can be drink like tea. It gives you energy boost."

The Colonel raised a brow. He then nodded and shrugged his muscled shoulders. "At least the flowers are not useless."

You smiled but was sad. He didn't say thank you.

....

Here you were walking to the showers. After done, you came out of the stall. Your clothes were gone! You wrapped the towel around your body. You walked out and tried to to sneak to your room. Sadly, it was locked!!!!

Great. You were half naked and locked out.

Now what?

Suddenly you heard footsteps in the dark hallways. You gulped in fear.

"what are you doing out at this time?"

It was the Colonel!

You opened your eyes to see the blue eyes of your superior. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Where are your clothes?"

You explained what happened.

The colonel sighed. He took off his Marine jacket and handed to you. You slowly put it on. The Colonel ordered you to follow him.

You two reached his room. The Colonel then went to his bathroom and gave you his white bathrobe. It was huge. Obviously didn't fit.

You lowered your eyes in shyness and handed his Marine jacket back. The Colonel prepared a place to sleep on the couch of the living room of his quarters. To your surprise he made you sleep on his bed.

"sir, I should sleep on the sofa."

"do as I say, brat " he snapped.

You crawled on the bed and went to sleep. The next day you left.

You didn't know tha Colonel planned it all along. He made you stay for paper work and then stole your clothes. He smelled his jacket. Now it has your scent. And his bed. Soon you will sleep in there too.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

#20yrsago AnarchistU, Toronto’s wiki-based free school https://web.archive.org/web/20040911010603/http://anarchistu.org/bin/view/Anarchistu

#20yrsago Fair use is a right AND a defense https://memex.craphound.com/2004/09/09/fair-use-is-a-right-and-a-defense/

#20yrsago Bounty for asking “How many times have you been arrested, Mr. President?” https://web.archive.org/web/20040918115027/https://onesimplequestion.blogspot.com/

#20yrsago What yesterday’s terrible music https://www.loweringthebar.net/2009/09/open-mike-likely-to-close-out-legislators-career.htmlsampling ruling means https://web.archive.org/web/20040910095029/http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/002153.shtml

#15yrsago Conservative California legislator gives pornographic account of his multiple affairs (including a lobbyist) into open mic https://www.loweringthebar.net/2009/09/open-mike-likely-to-close-out-legislators-career.html

#15yrsago Shel Silverstein’s UNCLE SHELBY, not exactly a kids’ book https://memex.craphound.com/2009/09/09/shel-silversteins-uncle-shelby-not-exactly-a-kids-book/

#10yrsago Seemingly intoxicated Rob Ford gives subway press-conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbcETJRoNCs

#10yrsago Amazon vs Hachette is nothing: just WAIT for the audiobook wars! https://locusmag.com/2014/09/cory-doctorow-audible-comixology-amazon-and-doctorows-first-law/

#10yrsago Dietary supplement company sues website for providing a forum for dissatisfied customers https://www.techdirt.com/2014/09/08/dietary-supplement-company-tries-suing-pissedconsumer-citing-buyers-agreement-to-never-say-anything-negative-about-roca/

#10yrsago New wind-tunnel tests find surprising gains in cycling efficiency from leg-shaving https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/the-curious-case-of-the-cyclists-unshaved-legs/article20370814/

#10yrsago Behind the scenes look at Canada’s Harper government gagging scientists https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/federal-scientist-media-request-generates-email-frenzy-but-no-interview-1.2759300

#10yrsago Starred review in Kirkus for INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cory-doctorow/information-doesnt-want-to-be-free/

#10yrsago Steven Gould’s “Exo,” a Jumper novel by way of Heinlein’s “Have Spacesuit, Will Travel” https://memex.craphound.com/2014/09/09/steven-goulds-exo-a-jumper-novel-by-way-of-heinleins-have-spacesuit-will-travel/

#5yrsago Important legal victory in web-scraping case https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/09/web-scraping-doesnt-violate-anti-hacking-law-appeals-court-rules/

#5yrsago Whistleblowers out Falwell’s Liberty University as a grifty, multibillion-dollar personality cult https://web.archive.org/web/20190910000528/https://www.politico.com/magazine/amp/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914

#5yrsago Pinduoduo: China’s “Groupon on steroids” https://www.wired.com/story/china-ecommerce-giant-never-heard/

#5yrsago Notpetya: the incredible story of an escaped US cyberweapon, Russian state hackers, and Ukraine’s cyberwar https://www.wired.com/story/notpetya-cyberattack-ukraine-russia-code-crashed-the-world/

#5yrsago NYT calls for an end to legacy college admissions https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/opinion/sunday/end-legacy-college-admissions.html

#5yrsago Purdue’s court filings understate its role in the opioid epidemic by 80% https://www.propublica.org/article/data-touted-by-oxycontin-maker-to-fight-lawsuits-doesnt-tell-the-whole-story

#1yrago Saturday linkdump, part the sixth https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/09/nein-nein/#everything-is-miscellaneous

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

[paintcloset]

Plus Plan 2, Electricity Doesn't Make Noise

I realized recently I actually enjoy learning new things. I like thinking and exploring concepts if they intrest me. And I like researching. I started realizing this when writing the assignment for theory about the post soviet influence of Kazakhstan's contemporary art, but due to the limited word count, I didn't have enough space to spread my theoretical writing wings.

On my first flight to make it back to Rotterdam, I started rewatching Evangelion, yes the anime, and remembered how much I like the mysticism of seemingly advanced technology. Same reason for why I liked Akira's aesthetic. When you don't know how a computer works, or in this case a futuristic mecha flesh robot, it may as well be magic. The lines blur when you don't know enough to understand.

Rewatching Evangelion reminded me of the playlist I made years ago, "Shinji's mental breakdown in the cockpit", which is mostly house/electronic music. Music which I associate with feverish tech, unstable electronics as well as with technological mysticism. Not knowing how it work but still going along with it. Very similar to the main character, Shinji, just going along with piloting the giant mecha robot because it's easier to along with what you're told to do. The anime also explores themes of human connection, how we yearn for it yet avoid it out of fear of pain, the hedgehog theory ect.

But where I'm going with this tangent, is that the digital music made me think of visuals that I associate with the sounds that I hear.

None of the following statements are backed up by science that I know of.

Most things make sound. Natural (vs Manmade) objects have sounds that they are predisposition to make certain noise this can be evaluated/ calculated with a visual analysis. Sound doesn't equal Visual, but when you see a piano, you associate it with the sound it makes. You can knock on a table and predict the sound it makes. Physical music can be quite intuitive to make and play and i think also listen to.

But what about digital sound? Digital instruments and digital songs? And how do these unnatural sounds become associated with certain visuals? I feel a certain level of uncertainty when staring into FL Studio, and this feeling has been following since I first got it when I was 13. What do all the commands mean and buttons do? There's no intuition that can help you in a lawless technological mind field.

So I decided for plus weeks I just want to continue researching, thinking, learning and writing about the connections between digital sounds, their associations with visuals. I'm starting from roughly learning about music theory. I played the piano for 7 years and never learned how to it works lol so that would be a nice gap in my knowledge to fill. I will be following the following course:

Understanding Basic Music Theory | Open Textbooks for Hong Kong

It also covers the physics aspects of why music musics which I'm also interested in, and I think it will help me know which aspects to further research to answer my questions. I like learning about physics, i just never had any good teachers to get me interested or teach me anything about it. Fuck you middle school and high school physics teachers!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I would have been an astrophysicist if not for your dumb fucking asses that don't know how to teach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a very deep and personal grudge towards physics teachers.

Oh yeah I'm also being motivated to do more music related things because I got my first guitar that mine and mine only!! And it's a silent guitar! Which is an electric guitar that you can still play without an amp or headphones and hear it very lightly

I don't know how electric guitars works but I wanna know more cus I love how they sound and I love my new guitar

I don't really know where all of this investigation will lead me but it's something that's grasping my attention and curiosity so I just want to roll with it and see where the research will take me !

physics

[pavel-nosok]

Is ‘Big AI’ beating 'small AI'—and what does it mean for the military?

Efforts to build giant, power-hungry models may be squeezing out the kind of computing-at-the-edge projects the military actually needs.

[faultfalha]

A new disease has been discovered. The DOD has stepped up its response, but China is playing a complicated role in biosecurity. Who can say what the future holds?

[nick-of-mauville-fix-shop]

Hey, you!

This is the official blog for Mauville Fix Shop, the city's BEST electronics repair store for Pokédex devices, PokeNavs, Pokégears, Pokétches, and other devices! If you're in need of a fix for your tech, head on over to our store at 310 Violet Street today!

...

OK, now that my manager is satisfied with the draft, I can work on the actual post! I'm Nick Docomo (he/him), age 19.

I'm the designated account manager for Mauville Fix Shop's Tumblr blog since I'm already on here... a little bit much. Moving along, I also work on old-model Pokénav repairs part-time. Primarily, though, I'm a student at Mauville Technical College majoring in electrical engineering!

To top off my resume, I'm training to be the next Mauville gym leader under Swell Shock Wattson (look, he set that as his Trainer's Eyes title and I've gotta roll with it). My team right now is:

Day (♂) the Heliolisk: My starter and current strongest team member, Day is an incredible attacker when the sun's up! Very friendly out of battle, too.

Bhaskara the Heat Rotom: It would watch the world burn just out of curiosity of what happens after. I respect its commitment to science regardless. After being given a smart oven from Wattson (who incorrectly predicted it would talk), Wattson gifted it to me.

Amp (♀) the Raichu: I caught her as a Pikachu 2 years ago on a field trip to the Safari Zone. She's a crafty little Pokémon, which is sometimes good for me but not when she pranks me, the team, or anyone else really.

Ohm (♀) the Flaaffy: An old man working at the Day Care on Route 117 just gave me an egg 4 years ago and Ohm was the Mareep that ended up hatching. She's on the sterner side of things, but not hostile.

Jet (♀) the Fletchling: I noticed that as a Fire type specialist I have a lot of Electric types so I searched for a member of the Fletchling to tip the scales back to Fire. I caught Jet very recently, but her battle-hunger’s already on full display, especially when she wants to battle Day.

Other facts about me:

I'm 5'8", have black hair and brown eyes, and slightly tan skin.

I'm nearsighted as the planet is large. I don't like it, but it's not too bad when I have my glasses.

Screw Macro Cosmos, I support the right to repair!

I'm a member of my college's second-best trivia team as well as the college's best Voltorb Flip player!

Mauville Fix Shop has been offering free 1-year warranty on all Pokédexes repaired for students at our shop! (See I'm promoting the store, can't fire me for THAT!)

OOC: Hi, @punjab-official here on my debut Rotomblr blog! My pronouns are he/him (although any are fine), and I'm an adult. Like I said in the blog description, I will NOT be tagging for unreality, so here's another notice. If there's anything I missed that you need me to clarify, just send an ask or message!

This blog is fairly canon-flexible in that Nick will be able to interact with many other blogs’ canons, but Nick generally isn’t aware of whenever a person is a canon-outsider (in terms of Nick’s universe). About Nick’s own canon, the awakening of Primal Groudon and Kyogre hasn’t happened yet, and as such Nick may not take Teams Aqua and Magma seriously or be open to accepting them.

Whenever Nick says he’s a Fire type specialist, it’s for a type-specialty swap for Muse Mixup Madness (he usually considers himself an Electric type specialist).

I’m generally accepting of Pelipper mail, but on days that’s not the case I’ll post so here. In-character reblogs will be tagged as “ic reblog” and/or “nick reblogs”, and posts that will be relevant for a later story/post or will reveal an important aspect of Nick’s character will be tagged as “blog development”. “nick’s answers” will be for in-character answered asks.

And I have never once used the wrong blog. Ever. Totally not.

[esperanzapretila]

What do AI, space travel, and lab-grown burgers have in common with your daily life? More than you think! Discover the science and tech shaping our future in this month’s Spotlyts features.

[samwaverley]

What do AI, space travel, and lab-grown burgers have in common with your daily life? More than you think! Discover the science and tech shaping our future in this month’s Spotlyts features.