Thursday, October 27, 2005

Woudn't it be great if your fingers had fingers? And so on?

(Link found at Grow-a-Brain.)

Hans Moravec predicts that robots with similar appendages, able to manipulate matter at the molecular level, will supersede humanity. And in "Engine City," Ken MacLeod envisions their biological counterparts.
Posted by Mac at 2:27 AM

7 comments:

Ken said...

Tried that out earlier, and quite frankly found it to be a bit creepy, and ultimately uninteresting. At any rate, my favorite screensaver by far remains Mandala, easily available at many sites, such as http://www.freesaver.com/effects06.htm , as well as a great many others. Mandala is, in effect, nearly infinitely adjustable. Of course, if one has no appreciation of psychedelic effects, Mandala is little interest.

9:28 AM
razorsmile said...

Hans Moravec predicts that robots with similar appendages, able to manipulate matter at the molecular level, will supersede humanity.

Bush Robots?

Here: A somewhat less advanced application , from Ghost in the Shell.

6:42 PM
Ken said...

Now, that image of multi-fingered fingers on a robot doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I reckon it's rather neat, in a gizmotic sort of way. So, apparently, the infinite hands/fingers screensaver bothers me because of my innate sense of "what's right" with the human body, and what's not. In other words, I'd bet I'd have difficulty with an altered humanity. No problem with Xenophobia if it's another species, but a radically changed humanity would, apparently, bother me a lot.

Hmph. Introspection and learning. Thanks.

8:33 PM
W.M. Bear said...

ken -- I agree.

11:09 PM
infotheorem said...

"similar appendages" ... hmmm.

7:10 AM
Mac said...

Razorsmile--

Yes, Bush robots. Great still from "Ghost in the Shell"!

Infotheorem--

Shame on you. ;-D

3:42 PM
razorsmile said...

ken said Now, that image of multi-fingered fingers on a robot doesn't bother me at all

Heh heh. What you didn't see was the rest of the guy. He's actually a human with robotic hands.

weevee: mutof (mute off, can you hear me now?)

11:16 AM