technology | M Thomas Apple Author Page

“The fungus among us”: biohybrid machines and mushrooms

September 3, 2024
MThomas

Researchers at Cornell have come up with a novel way to control a walking robot: with a mushroom.

Cornell explained in a press release that these four-legged “biohybrid” robots were built by researchers who literally grew mycelia, the belowground connective threads that allow fungal communities to communicate, into the robot itself.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/mushroom-robot-brain

This is a little freaky…

This robot is alive. Incorporated into its electronics are living fungal tissues that change the robot's behavior when exposed to intense light. That and more of the best from @ScienceMagazine and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: https://t.co/dpFdWgt11M pic.twitter.com/0uC1oy0TCH
— Christie Wilcox (@NerdyChristie) August 30, 2024

Believe it or not, there actually is some science behind Star Trek: Discovery’s “spore drive.” This robot is just one small step…

Psyche! There are no “mycelial network” in space, and the drive would only work if we could somehow find a fifth spatial dimension (this was discussed a few years ago).

Too bad the spore drive is “laughably ridiculous,” said one scientist, and if all Star Trek ships had one, over half its episodes wouldn’t have happened.

Oh well. At least a “sporebot” is possible.

Hmm.

Railway Robot in Japan

July 5, 2024
MThomas

West Japan Railways (West JR), one of six companies that make up Japan Railways Group, has unveiled a giant “humanoid robot” to work on heavy machinery on its lines…

https://www.railway-technology.com/news/japanese-railway-introduces-infrastructure-robot/?cf-view

Interesting that in English the official name is West Japan Railways Company, while in Japanese it’s JR Nishi-Nihon Guruupu (JR西日本グループ), which means Japan Railways West Japan Group. It’s one of six “companies” that comprise what used to be “National Railroad” (Kokutetsu), owned by the government.

JR West is renowned to be badly run and somewhat corrupt. I wonder about this “robot” project. With the increase in “human accidents” (ie people hit by a train), I think it’d be better to hire more workers than to reduce staff and have the top level desk jockeys pocket the…

Oh. 🤖 💴 🏦

At SuShi High Tech Tokyo: A “flying” what?

May 27, 2024
MThomas

From Kyodo, who captioned the image “flying vehicle” but headlined the article with “flying car”

“I look forward to flying cars becoming a normal means of transportation.” (Gov. Koike)

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/05/5d7888e5eb47-flying-car-makes-tokyo-debut-at-international-tech-event.html#google_vignette

“Normal means” for whom, exactly? I can’t imagine the average worker in Tokyo will be able to afford this thing. Even if they had a physical space to store in.

And, you know, I think I’ve seen a “flying vehicle” like this somewhere already… 🚁

(FWIW it was part of a conference on technology and sustainability, cheekily called “SuShi High Tech”: https://sushitech-startup.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/)

Nuclear power on the Moon. Gee, no problem…

May 13, 2024
MThomas

The South Pole, where power plants are likely to be constructed (without human help…)

“The truth is that nuclear is the only option to power a moonbase,” says Simon Middleburgh from the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor University in Wales.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240417-the-nuclear-reactors-that-could-power-moon-bases

So far there are two major consortiums that have plans for moon bases:

The Artemis Accords, with 36 countries (the US, Japan, South Korea, UAE, India, etc.)

The countries that don’t like the US, the UK, and Canada (China, Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Ajerbaijan)

OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, granted.

But there is no doubting the political ramifications of two competing groups of astronauts (cosmonauts, taikonauts) on the Moon.

And just wait until they get to Mars.

Imagine what might happen. (I did!)

“May you live in interesting times…”

When Google Gets it Wrong

May 10, 2024
MThomas

Technology is becoming marvellously intuitive. After booking a holiday with friends, we were surprised to discover Google had already added the dates…
When Google Gets it Wrong

Google Maps initially listed our house with the correct address but also my family name —- because it thought it was a company.

It took them half a year after I complained about privacy violations to take the name off…

And they also took off the address!

And there is an abandoned house repurposed as an arts and crafts society event place that has the same address as us!

Annoying.

Not the arts and crafts society folk. They’re pretty cool. 🖼️ 📷 🎨

Can you say “Catch-22” in space?

April 30, 2024
MThomas

Japanese space company Astroscale Holdings Inc has unveiled what it calls the world’s first publicly released close-up image taken of space debris, hailing it as progress toward understanding the challenges posed by trash orbiting Earth.
https://japantoday.com/category/tech/update1-japan-startup-reveals-world%27s-first-close-up-space-debris-image?

Hmm.🤔 what will happen to the rocket and the satellite that took this picture?

WASP-76b is a hellish planet – but with “glory”

April 11, 2024
MThomas

There are many words that could be used to describe WASP-76b — hellish, scorching, turbulent, chaotic, and even violent. This is a planet outside the solar system that sits so close to its star it gets hot enough to vaporize lead. So, as you can imagine, until now, “glorious” wasn’t one of those words.
https://www.space.com/hellish-exoplanet-rainbow-glory-effect-cheops

This planet (located in the constellation Pisces) seems to have a rainbow effect of concentric rings…despite being so hot that iron falls from the sky.

Short sharp shocks, please

March 27, 2024
MThomas

Daily writing prompt

What’s something most people don’t understand?

View all responses

How NOT to look at their smartphone while zombie walking on a train platform or stairs.

Smartphones should be programmed to send tiny electrical shocks into your hand when you walk while reading them. Put the thing in your pocket until you clear the field.

Techie here! (Aka geek)

March 26, 2024
MThomas

How has technology changed your job?

How has it not?

I’m a TESOL teacher. Learning to use technology — appropriately — has always been a part of my job.

It’s the “appropriate” part that has difficult to deal with the past few years.

Yeah. Hi, Chat.

Forget about Zoom, LMS, video editing software, and all sorts of online sites that don’t need any knowledge of programming language.

I was making my own web pages in basic HTML and JavaScript back when people still though InternetExplorer was a good browser.

But tech is nothing more than a tool. And tools can be used well and badly.

And often the simple tech of a piece of paper and a pencil are all you need. No bandwagon mentality here.

So if anything I would say that, although I have always used technology to some degree for my job, I have had the luxury of experience (and a lot of mistakes!) to figure out when technology can help my job, and when it just gets in the way.

(FWIW I also teach a one-semester class about language, identity, and technology. And yes, we do analyze our selfies.)

March 2024 Goodreads giveaway for Bringer of Light has ended

March 14, 2024
MThomas

Thanks to all who asked for a copy of Bringer of Light in the recent Goodreads giveaway!

Congratulations if you were a winner, and if you were not chosen by the system, take heart: there will be another giveaway in the near future. Thank you for your interest in my science fiction! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

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