USA
David Hanson: Machine Versus Human
September 2, 2010 by Renee Blodgett
I had a chance to talk to David Hanson of Hanson Robotics in-depth at the Singularity Summit in San Francisco on August 14. He holds the view that humans do want robots to look, feel and sound human – after all, asking humans to think otherwise would be asking humans to re-wire the way they think.
The conversation that unfortunately didn’t make it into the video was around robot(ic) behavior – robots versus humans, more specifically robots versus actors. We were talking about how some of the best actors actually ARE the character, they don’t go INTO character. My examples specifically are both women: Meryl Streep and Glenn Close. Both of them have a way of drawing you into their character and make you believe nothing else exists. They ARE that character and nothing else; the character is in fact their DNA, not who they are in their off-stage life.
I could imagine a world where you could actually buy a ‘program’ that is set to a particular character. In the future, I’d love an ‘open source’ robot like the PR2s that Willow Garage is building, and I’d like to separately buy a program,…
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Loren Feldman, the Jester in the Court of Web 2.0
September 2, 2010 by Tom Foremski
[From left to right: Loren Feldman with Mike Arrington, Loic LeMeur, Robert Scoble during happier times - photo from Loic LeMeur]
Loren Feldman is the New York City based publisher of 1938Media.com, a fascinating, irreverent and funny critic of the West Coast tech scene.
Loren used to be an insider, a close friend of the princes of the Web 2.0 world: Michael Arrington, Robert Scoble, Loic LeMeur, and others. But Loren has managed to upset all those people, and more; and so have I simply by retweeting some of his comic puppetry.
(I've been blocked and called names because of my re-tweets of Loren's material but that won't stop me. It's a guy with a sock (puppet) on his hand — people need to lighten up.)
Loren's puppets are hilarious. He has puppets representing Robert Scoble, Loic LeMeur, Shel Israel, Peter Cashmore, Dave Winer, Mark Zuckerberg, Gary Vee, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Steve Ballmer, and more.
Here is an example of Loren Feldman's puppetry: Steve Ballmer's iPad review.
Loren often hits the nail on the head and says things that I hear others saying privately. When he talks…
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City Wall
September 2, 2010 by Christian Carollo
15th and Carlton Streets.
Apple Fair in Kelowna
September 1, 2010 by Susan McKee
Fall is the season for apple fests, Road Trips Foodies. One of ‘em takes place October 23, 2010, in Kelowna, British Columbia. It’s the 22nd year for the annual fest held by the British Columbia Orchard Industry’s Museum. Not surprisingly, it celebrates the apple harvest and gives visitors the chance to sample over two dozen locally-grown apple varieties.
The Apple Fair is traditionally held in the Laurel Packinghouse at 1304 Ellis Street, Kelowna. However, due to renovations at the Laurel Packinghouse, this year’s Apple Fair will be held at Orchard Park Shopping Centre, 2271 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is free.
Artist Interview: Blisses B
September 1, 2010 by Deborah Crooks
I first heard the music of Blisses B while on tour with a band that featured bass player James Touzel. James had also played bass on the the Blisses B’s CD ‘You Should’ which he shared with the rest of the crew. Fronted by Noah Libby, the band’s name alone got my interest, but the music kept it. Upbeat, with a strong vocal, the music is equal parts songwriterly, Americana, rock and jazz: B’s describe themselves as “psychedelic folk rock.” Libby and Blisses B have been hard at work on a new CD to be released this fall. As he prepped for some upcoming Bay Area gigs Libby discussed his approach to making music.
Q: First, let’s start with the band name, Blisses B. How did you come up with it? What does it mean to you and the music?
NL: Blisses B is my nickname from childhood. My middle name is Benjamin and that’s the B part of it, the Blisses is really simple…we were playing some sport in the street, as kids do on a constant basis, and I did something blissful and it stuck. Some friends still call me it to…
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Reshma For Congress in New York
September 1, 2010 by Sloane Berrent
I came across the most remarkable woman running for Congress. Since I wrote about supporting professional women last week, I thought this was a good follow up.
Reshma Saujani is running for Congress in the 14th district of New York, which encompasses the East Side of Manhattan and Queens. She is using social media to help spread the word about her campaign and being transparent every step along the way as she talks about her campaign on her website and on Twitter (you can follow her @reshma2010 or join her campaign by texting JOIN to 646-807-9932).
She writes about herself:
My name is Reshma Saujani. I am a dedicated Democrat, a community activist, a Yale University legal scholar, and an attorney in New York City. But first and foremost, I am the daughter of political refugees whose story embodies the promise of life in America. For questions or more info email info@reshma2010.com.
She is exactly the type of candidate I want to see. She has the experience to get the job done, the passion to want to and the background and family that make her a standup person and member of society.…
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Chicago Photos
September 1, 2010 by Haegwan Kim
Ok, this one is in California.
Book Review: “Guruji: A Portrait”
September 1, 2010 by Deborah Crooks
My passions have been pretty equally divided between the worlds of music and yoga during the past decade. I literally had dreams about Sri K. Pattahbi Jois last night, likely in part because I’ve been reading “Guruji: A Portrait of Sri K. Pattahbi Jois by His Students” cover to cover since I returned from Encinitas. So I feel duty bound to not only 1) get to India again soon but re-share info about the book about this great yoga teacher who I was blessed to have practiced with several times before he passed in 2009. The book is full of great interviews with his daughter, son, grandson and granddaughter and the pioneering yogis who made their way to India before yoga was popular in the States.
“…. you want to respect the teachers who brought this yoga to you. Guru-that is mula [root, base]. If you don’t give that respect there is not coming God. That is very important. Some people change it, but it is just their ego. ..If you keep changing teachers, it is not correct. You will get confused.” — Saraswathi Rangaswamy, in “Guruji: A Portrait”
New Orleans Reflections For K10
September 1, 2010 by Sloane Berrent
The following post is a written letter by Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. I’m sharing the letter in its full format because I believe this is something more people should read and hope that by sharing it with you – readers of The Causemopolitan – that you’ll understand a little bit more the struggles and the triumphs of New Orleans and how we all work a little bit every day to understand it more and to work towards a better future.
The “us” is all of us. It’s not just residents, it’s expats living elsewhere, it’s one-time residents now somewhere else, it’s college students and JazzFest visitors. It’s all of us. We all have the power, passion and influence to keep New Orleans top of mind and continue to help her from wherever may come from. I hope you’ll join me. Now onto Michael’s letter:
Reflecting at the fifth anniversary of Katrina — K5 — it is tempting to claim success.
Our population is back; we powered through the recession; global companies are moving to our region; reforms are making New Orleans a better place; and, of course, the Saints…
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NOLAlicious New Orleans Calendar, 8/31 – 9/6
August 31, 2010 by Sloane Berrent
Joy, French Quarter. Download this image for your computer, iPhone or iPad.
Dear Friends,
Have you ever created a NOLAlicious night? This past Saturday night, we headed out with friends to see The Big Easy Rollergirls (featured in #20), and while driving there passed the Greek Orthodox Church where we featured the Greek Festival (#20). Later, as we walked down Oak Street on our way to Midsummer Mardi Gras, I said, “Oak Bar is open! We have to feature that this week!” As the night continued to Avenue Pub (#15) for one more beer to cap off the night, we talked about the amazing pho at the back of Lost Love Lounge (#28) and how excited we were to have finally made it to the other new Marigny spot, Three Muses (#32)
As the night went on, it reminded me how much NOLAlicious shapes our experiences in New Orleans. We love checking out the new spots in…
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