The Kindler, Gentler Kind, That Is
Not every robot can be a giant mechanical killing machine <sad face>, we need scads of harmless helpers that will render manual labour extinct, by building cars or processing dough into loaves. You know, worthy yet dull. Which I'm not going to illustrate, because boring. Art!
No idea what it is but I want one!
There are already space-slave robots, dubbed 'Astrobee', whom have been serving aboard the International Space Station at the whim of their human overlords. Art!
Conrad was completely unaware of their existence until earlier today, when they've actually been semi-sentient silicon serfs for the past 4 years. They can effectively 'float' in what we now have to call 'micro-gravity' (instead of the far more descriptive 'weightlessness') by using fans, which can also allow them to move around the ISS. Here's a handy breakdown of one: Art!
Whomever placed the order for them also has a Conrad-level of punning appreciation, as the three now aboard ISS are respectively dubbed Bumble, Honey and Queen <pause for groans to be made>.
But wait! There's more!
Conrad decided he's going to put his involuntary re-subscription to "The Daily Beast" to good use - O, yes, by the way, they still love to refer to the British monarchy, there's nothing that loves crowned heads more than a republic, I find.
ANYWAY they also have an article about Robots In Space, under the compelling title-
Watch This Origami Robot Shapeshift for Space Travel
What self-respecting blog creator could pass up a headline like that? Certainly not this one!
Of all people, it's the Swiss who are behind this invention, which they have dubbed 'Mori3'. Their intent is to maximise efficiency, especially in terms of space, because, in any vessels travelling between Earth and any other planets or moons, space (no pun intended) is going to be very much at a premium. You need as much bang for your buck as possible. Let me rephrase that in a robot-applicable manner: You need as much RAM as you can cram? Set phasers to Domestic Chores? Dalek I love you*? Art!
This is a basic Mori3 component, because the idea is that it's modular and you can build it up from these individual pieces, which are able to attach and communicate with each other; you can see the docking points along each edge. The DB's 'Origami' robot is several of these modules linked together, which, when inert, merely looks like an incredibly expensive beer-mat. Art!
CAUTION! Do not place liquids on containers here
Once activated, in a faintly creepy sequence, this 2D collection hunches and flexes itself about - Art!
It can now shuffle and move about as a palsied hound would, and I wonder if Boston Dynamics have expressed an interest? One supposes that when released (?) into action it would use wireless comms rather than a collection of trailing wires. They have big plans for it in Switzerland. Art!
Capable of being used for temporary expedient measures or as a permanent dedicated structure**.
Conrad Was There
Robin Hood's Bay, of course. We sent there for Darling Daughter's 18th birthday, and a splendid time was had by all. The weather was incredibly, unseasonably warm, since Conrad was able to sit out on the back terrace of our rental in a t-shirt and jeans - in late December. If this is what global warming means, bring it on!
The reason I mention this is because it's cropped up on a Bing feed as a delightful holiday destination. Art!
Whoever took this picture was standing pretty close to where we stayed. And yes, we did visit that pub. On one evening we were sitting there when Edna came racing into the lounge, a neat trick as we'd left her in the apartment. She must have snuck out as we were leaving, and then managed to sneak into the pub by tailgating someone.
This street ends in a dead-end at the top of the hill, with no room to turn around, so we had to reverse the car downhill and do a 13-point turn on the tarmac at the edge of the quayside, hoping that nobody else was coming in the opposite direction. Art!
This was taken when the tide was out, because otherwise you'd be in water a foot over your head. That first gap in the houses to starboard is the road uphill to the pub and our holiday apartment.
It's a splendidly picturesque place that remains unspoiled by the modern worlds.
The Haul
Conrad was well early for his blood-letting appointment on Thursday with the local leech, so I went a-perusing in a couple of charity shops opposite the pharmacy. This is the result. Art!
Ooops. As you may have noticed, "Olympus Has Fallen" is a Blu-Ray, and Conrad does not possess a Blu-Ray player, so it's going to be donated to a good home. Shame, that, I was going to compare and contrast it to "White House Down" but it was obviously not meant to be. I saw "The Martian" at the cinema but not at all since then, and am unclear if I've already seen "X-Men 2". I probably have, but at only 25p for it, it's easier to buy and watch it than try to dig it out of storage in the Sekrit Layr.
"City In The Sky"
Virginia Branson, grand-daughter of Sir Richard, is encountering problems in trying to shut down the Bernal Sphere she so lightly dismisses as "The Money Pit In The Sky".
‘Thank you for your attention.
Ms. Branson, I don’t enjoy acting the part of an obstructive jobs-worth. Really, I’d rather be getting on with sorting
out the medium-term problems we’re confronting.
Since you don’t seem to be fully apprised of the details of the Arcology
Project, I suggest we meet in a less formal setting and I can lay them before
you.’
Straight away, Hubley jumped in.
‘Don’t you dare suggest a meeting over dinner!’ and he added a muttered description. Harris was slightly surprised to see Virginia
Branson dart a quick look of dislike at her adviser, and he realised she didn’t
like being told what to do.
‘A splendid suggestion!’ he said, enthusiastically, staring at
Hubley. ‘I will bring my wife, Ms
Branson, and you bring along anyone you feel would help.’
He saw another of the suits flex his fists in what looked to be
protec-polymer gloves, the kind that bodyguards wore. Threatening without speaking. Before anyone else could increase the
tension, the sole adviser wearing a cyber implant spoke up.
‘They have been sending people
up to Arcology One. I just got
confirmation from Orbital Traffic Control in
Surprise surprise, short-sighted accountants miss vital evidence! You just wait, when the Little Crash comes they'll be selling their mothers to get aloft.
Once Again
Something's gone badly right with the blog, as our traffic figures have soared into the stratosphere. This isn't like the old algorithm glitch of seven years ago, when we clocked up 800 or 900 visits in a day; this one is more believable, if still worrying. Art!
And with that, we are done!
* Actually a Scouse alternative band from the early Eighties.
** Until some idiot hacks the OS and - the Robots Revolt.
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