ok, it's not really a robot, as it's really tele-operated by a surgeon, but the cool thing is that the piece of paper is smaller than the diameter of a penny!
Some of you may know that I write Free software for use in the comic book retail industry. I give away my software to help make it better and to ensure that retailers have a choice beyond proprietary software that enforces the heartbreak of "vendor-lock". Granted, I don't make any money selling my software but it's already saved me so much money just by using it, and all of the constructive comments from comic shops across the country that use it have made my little labor of love even better.
Back when I worked in the software industry I could hit up my bosses to pay my way into conferences like Google I/O coming up later this month. It costs $400 to register as a developer for the two day event in San Francisco, and I really want to go. The new version 2.0 of my retailer software uses a bunch of cool tools that Google has released lately and I think the conference could really help me make the new stuff a real quantum leap ahead of my current system.
So, that brings me to shaking the virtual tin cup. If you care at all about helping me help the comics retail industry escape domination by one or two software vendors, please donate whatever you feel is appropriate. The little progress graph is a good example of one of the great tools Google offers to developers like me that will be integrated into Hijinx 2.0. Thanks!
Just how close are we to actually building Iron Man suits? It's always seemed to me that the technology is pretty much there for at least a Mark I suit, and this article in New Scientist magazine points out that all of the various classes of tech involved are viable, but nobody has put them together yet.
Paro is the world's cutest therapy robot. According to the website, Paro is a "Seal Type Mental Commit Robot", designed to treat patients with Alzheimer's and other emotional illnesses.
Paro learns to act how you'd like it to by seeking out affectionate petting and more disturbingly, by trying to avoid making patients hit it. Apparently it's sensors know the difference between a loving caress and a brutal beating. There are some people out there who can't tell the difference between those!
