Category Archives: Computing

‘Robot Companionship’ Survey

Would you like to help with some research into attitudes towards having robots as companions in future?

If so, there are some interesting questions to answer at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_FuieS3Ga3rZUuKZbgLnwtedLOADc67wpFxToOf7NHc/viewform?c=0&w=1

But please note that many of the questions are sexual in nature so the survey is only open to those over the age of 18.

The survey is completely anonymous: NO personal data is collected to identify participants


April Fools’ Day Pranks for Geeks!

Is this funny?  Or cruel?  Or imaginative?  Or annoying?  Or clever?  Or just sad?

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/april-fools-day-2015-computer-prank-ideas-befuddle-annoy-colleagues-friends-1494444

Only you can decide!

how-make-fake-desktop

(Or is that not the way ‘ethics’ work these days?)


Drop the Dead Donkey! (Is that really ‘News’?)

Most of us, watching TV from time-to-time, find ourselves saying, “Why’s that made the news? Surely there are more important stories?”  That may well be true so is there a logical way to approach the issue?

Let’s start with a couple of extreme examples, to try to get a feel for this:

  • On May 7th this year, the UK went to the polls to elect a new government.  Just about every news programme on radio and TV, as well as the whole Press, led with variants on the ‘story’ “Voters start voting in the General Election”.  But was this actually ‘news’?
  • At the other end of the scale, what about the dog that can play the piano? (Or any similar ‘and finally’ space-filler.) Is it worth the space?

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A Real “Marauder’s Map”?

This follows on from last month’s post, in which we discussed the possibility of a future Shazam for People service and extends it to the concept of a ‘universal tracking system’ or real-world Marauder’s Map

MMOut

So, just how feasible is it?

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