robot-alert!

A ROBOTIC penguin could be hopping around on the moon by 2009, maker Raytheon said today.
It unveiled the concept lander at an aerospace conference.

The unmanned lunar device, in development for two years, is 1m tall and weighs about 104kg and "hops" by reigniting small propulsion engines.

The Penguin, unveiled at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space 2005 Conference, can make a single jump of about 1km and could be adapted to make additional jumps, possibly over greater distances.

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A child-shaped humanoid robot that can recognize about 10,000 words and work as a house sitter will go on sale in Japan in September.

The "Wakamaru" robot can recognize the faces of up to 10 people and talk to them. When linked to mobile phones, it can also work as a monitor to check situations at home, such as a burglary or someone falling ill, Mitsubishi-Heavy Industries Ltd. said in a statement Monday.

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Wow, this is scary.

James Cook left on a business trip to Florida, and his wife Paula went to Oklahoma to care for her sick mother. When the two returned to Frisco, Texas, several days later, their keys didn't work. The locks on the house had been changed.

They spent their first night back sleeping in a walk-in closet, with a steel pipe ready to cold-cock any intruders. The next day, they met the man who thought he owned their house, because he had put a US$12,000 down payment to someone named Carlos Ramirez. The Cooks went to the Denton County Courthouse and checked their title. Someone had forged Paula Cook's maiden name, Paula Smart, and transferred the deed to Carlos Ramirez. Paula's identity was not only stolen, but the thief also stole her house. Even the police said they've never seen a case like this one, but suspect the criminal was able to steal the identity and the house with just Mrs. Cook's Social Security number, driver's license number and a copy of her signature.

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Aberfeldy is a cool band, the only one I know of that uses both a fiddle and Moogs. They are scottish. We saw them at Green Man festival in Wales. link

Moogs are cool. It is robot music.

SAN FRANCISCO — Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, passed away Sunday (Aug. 21) at his home in Asheville, N.C. He was 71.

According to Moog Music Inc., Moog was diagnosed with brain cancer in April and received radiation treatment and chemotherapy to help combat the disease. He is survived by his wife, Ileana, his five children, and the mother of his children, Shirleigh Moog.

The Moog synthesizer made a large and immediate impact on music when it was introduced in 1964. Moog received a Grammy Trustee Award for lifetime achievement in 1970.

"Bob has been such a huge inspiration to all of us," said Mike Adams, president of Moog Music, in a statement pasted on the company's Web site. "In losing him, we lose a creator, visionary and friend. He was someone who taught us well and he was proud of this company and its people. Bob shaped music in deep and meaningful ways by changing how music could be produced and ultimately, how it would sound."

Moog's family has established The Bob Moog Foundation, dedicated to the advancement of electronic music, in his memory.

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A review of The Mummy from Comic Book Galaxy: "...The issue ends on a high note, with Matt Broersma's fascinating The Last Voyage of Dr. Frobisher... This too is an outstanding debut, demonstrating both Broersma's cartooning and storytelling sensibilities... Highly recommended."

"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness; the other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly."
-- Woody Allen