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Selwyn Wright, an engineer at the University of Huddersfield in the UK has developed a Silence Machine. As the name suggests, the device generates anti-noise, soundwaves that phase-cancel offending disturbances. A consumer version (as opposed to the model intended for industrial use) is expected to cost about £1000 ($1425). With any luck, the Silence Machine will be available before the 2004 election season starts.
On 11/12, New Line will release a mega four-disc [DVD] set of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, with a new extended cut of the film created by Peter Jackson himself, and featuring over 30 minutes of additional footage. This cut of the film will be Rated R due to some extended violence, and no retail price has yet been set for this release. The now nearly four-hour film will be spread over the first two discs and presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (alas, no sound format information is yet available.) Unfortunately, all the supplements for the 4-disc set are still in production, so final details were not revealed. However, the disc is planned to include 3 audio commentaries and another four hours of bonus material. It is also not yet known if all the features on the "standard" two-disc set edition will also be included here.
The Washington Post questions when the our government has the right to lie to us. Solicitor General Theodore Olson says there are countless situations. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says never. Which of the two answers sounds fishy? Expect more fishiness shortly -- scientists have found a way to make slices of fish grow bigger. "This could save you having to slaughter animals for food," says project leader Morris Benjaminson. Except that then you'd have to slaughter them to control their population. And I'm not sure I could stomach a self-replicating hamburger.
Senator Fritz Holling's ill-conceived bill to cripple computers and consumer electroncs with anti-copying hardware is reportedly called the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act. I guess Hollings decided not to go with the Consumer Digital Sodomy Act at the last minute. Visit the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary Web page to advocate for your rights while you still have them.
A Slashdot reader points out that an asteroid just missed Earth a few days ago and no one noticed until after the fact. Presumably everyone was watching Survivor. Tunguska calling.
BBC news Anthrax conspiracy theory: A secret CIA project to investigate methods of sending anthrax through the mail which went madly out of control? Could be, but damn near impossible to prove.
Did you know that chewing gum may make you smarter?
Gov. Ridge Announces Homeland Security Advisory System. The system is called the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). It's color-coded: Green means "low risk of terrorist attacks." Please note that green no longer signifies envy, nature, money, or go. Those meanings will be reassigned new symbols once usability studies are completed in 2005. Blue means "general risk of terrorist attacks." Bluegrass music will henceforth be called greengrass, which makes much more sense anyway. Yellow represents "significant risk of terrorist attacks." Cowardice is thus appropriate, in keeping with its traditional color association. Orange stands for high risk of terrorist attacks. The operative mnemonic: wearing orange at a St. Patrick's Day parade in Belfast--plan on trouble. Finally, red means "severe risk of terrorist attacks," as well as "Don't look now but Osama bin Laden is standing right behind you." Red was chosen because it suggests ketchup (the lobbyist representing Heinz who pushed for the deal refused to comment on any possible association between ketchup and blood), and because everyone likes saying "Red alert!" For the visually impaired, the government announced that municipal leaders will be empowered to shout "real loud" anytime HSAS changes its color code.
I interrupt your regular programming to flog my book: It just received five stars from Foreword Reviews. Here's what the reviewer had to say:
In Reflecting Fires, Claburn -- a writer of non-fiction, screenplays, and fiction who has appeared in Fantastic, On Spec, and Spaceways Weekly -- shares stories from the Empire of Sarcos. The empire is not just another fantasy world; it is a carefully crafted society set in a future alternate reality. Although the world on which the stories take place is never named, it is possibly America on an Earth that is much different from our own.
The setting is similar to historic Europe at the beginning of the Age of Mercantilism. This feudal society of Sarcos worships a number of gods, most notably the sun and the moon. It fears technology as a false idol. The empire’s hierarchy consists of a ruling council, religious officials, hereditary nobles, a middle class, and the proletariat. There are also practitioners of magic, or adepts, who are members of each class. Finally, there are the eclectics, people who use the ancient forbidden technology to enhance their natural attributes.
The “Reflecting Fires” of the title are fervor and fever, “one of health and one of sickness.” The health of a society can be undermined by the fervor of a heretic, much like a fever undermines the health of a body. A threat to the status quo is a serious crime in Sarcos. For example, “according to tradition, it was heresy to depict the gods as people. Icons were used instead, the sun or a candle for Halo [the sun god]. By all accounts, Scrim’s [an artist] canvas had been layer upon layer of thick black paint.” Scrim is tried for heresy because the blackness is considered a denial of the god’s existence.
Sarcos is stratified both by custom and choice. Although advanced technology once existed on this world, it proved to be a double-edged sword. This metaphor is physically manifested in the presence of huge sword monuments throughout the country that point to the now-unreachable stars. This is not the story of a revolution, however. The people of Sarcos do not want to change their society themselves; they prefer the known restrictions of their current way of life to the uncertainty of change. Instead, they eagerly await the foretold birth of a savior who will fuse all doubts and uncertainties into a clear vision of a new society.
The novel is composed of a series of vignettes set over a period of years. Some of the more important actors are Dahlia, a religious official; her erstwhile lover, Skye, a member of the ruling council; and Flux, a lowborn orphan who becomes the savior of the empire. Slowly, various paths converge on a predestined ending, with magic ever present in this far country. The conclusion of the book fulfills prophecy exactly, but not as the characters expect, largely due to supernatural influences.
This fantasy world is complicated enough to have its own lexicon, included at the beginning of the book. With so many characters, a roster of important individuals might have been useful. A map of Sarcos would have further enhanced the richness and sheer number of the landscapes that Claburn describes, and would have been a great benefit to readers.
This novel will engage the imagination of readers and draw them into its fully constructed world. While the conclusion is satisfying, it leaves enough unanswered questions for Claburn to revisit the land in a sequel. This is Claburn’s first novel; hopefully, he considers a return to this empire for his second, a choice that would be sure to please readers.
A Reuters story, via Yahoo, quotes a US soldier fighting in Afghanistan: "When that round hit, it felt like somebody had just pressed the pause button on the VCR." When the momentary cessation of television represents a near death experience, our society has a problem. Life imitates art; now death imitates video.
Apparently, the universe not turquoise, as was recently reported. Rather it's beige. It seems the impact of the iMac has been overstated. On the right wing side of the dial, Fox News has a story about how supposedly populist Democrats are lining up on the wrong side of the copyright debate to curry favor with their Hollywood donors. Predictable Fox fare perhaps, but right on the money, so to speak. Fritz Hollings, the so-called Senator from Disney who's aiming to mandate hardware copy protection in everything, should be ashamed.
Take a gander at Bruce Sterling's amusing ramble, Information Wants to Be Worthless. Sort of a 'You Are Here' sign of the times transmogrified into text.
In the left hand column, there's a new link: The Punishments of China. It's an antique book that I happen to have, hastily shot with a digital camera. It's quite rare from what I understand, though I had no trouble finding someone else who owns a copy. It's a curious text. Something to consider when the Olympics reach Beijing in 2008.
Remember the Active Denial System, the microwave-based crowd dispersal weapon? Well, now we have the Mobility Denial System. No heating of skin this time. Just a slime that makes almost any surface slippery. Think banana peels in liquid form. Perfect for riot control. Just wait until someone dumps this stuff on a highway.
Microsoft Pushes Windows for Automobiles. A caveat: With Microsoft Windows in your car, you still may need googles to protect yourself from onrushing bugs.
An interesting article about Augmented Reality, from Popular Science.