Exponential Times

Beyond the Rational - Professor Dan Ariely - Zeitgeist 2012

Singularitarian — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:36:24 +0000

Professor Dan Ariely, Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Economics, Duke University.

Introducing the Leap

Singularitarian — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:35:02 +0000

Leap represents an entirely new way to interact with your computers. It's more accurate than a mouse, as reliable as a keyboard and more sensitive than a touchscreen. For the first time, you can control a computer in three dimensions with your natural hand and finger movements.

How Robonaut's Arms Work

Singularitarian — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:08 +0000

NASA Robonaut 2 project manager Ron Diftler explains how the robot's compliant arms operate. Read more: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/how-robonaut-arms-...

Re-engineering Surgery: The Rise of Robots in the Operating Room

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:05:04 +0000

Robert J. Webster III's talk which covers several examples of novel surgical robots, ranging from "tentacle-like" robots that are the diameter of needles for endonasal surgery, to swallowable endoscopic capsule robots that can accomplish surgery in the intestines and are thus making the Fantastic Voyage foreseen by Asimov a reality. Robots are becoming increasingly valuable surgical devices, enabling physicians to reach into the body less invasively and treat diseases more accurately than has ever before been possible. Vanderbilt is at the forefront of this area of research, establishing the Vanderbilt Initiative for Surgery and Engineering this year, a unique partnership between the schools of Engineering and Medicine.

Robert J. Webster III, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers in the areas of surgical robotics and medical device design, and is a recipient of the IEEE Volz award for Ph.D. thesis impact, and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University in 2002, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

Beyond Today - Larry Page - Zeitgeist 2012

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:24:17 +0000

Larry Page, Google CEO, speaking at Zeitgeist 2012.

One is one ... or is it?

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:03:13 +0000

One bag of apples, one apple, one slice of apple -- which of these is one unit? Explore the basic unit of math (explained by a trip to the grocery store!) and discover the many meanings of one.

Lesson by Christopher Danielson, animation by TED-Ed.

View the full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/one-is-one-or-is-it

Existence

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:35:26 +0000

Existence

Buy:

Existence

People:

David Brin

Bestselling, award-winning futurist David Brin returns to globe-spanning, high concept SF with Existence.

Gerald Livingston is an orbital garbage collector. For a hundred years, people have been abandoning things in space, and someone has to clean it up. But there’s something spinning a little bit higher than he expects, something that isn’t on the decades’ old orbital maps. An hour after he grabs it and brings it in, rumors fill Earth’s infomesh about an “alien artifact.”

Thrown into the maelstrom of worldwide shared experience, the Artifact is a game-changer. A message in a bottle; an alien capsule that wants to communicate. The world reacts as humans always do: with fear and hope and selfishness and love and violence. And insatiable curiosity.

TEDxGeorgiaTech - Mark Guzdial - 21st Century Literacy includes Computing for Everyone

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:33:11 +0000

Mark Guzdial is a Professor in the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology.

TEDxSanJoseCA 2012 -- Seth Shostak - What If ET Is Out There?

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:03:10 +0000

Dr. Seth Shostak participates in the search for extraterrestrial life at the SETI Institute. He heads up the International Academy of Astronautics' SETI Committee, and hosts a weekly radio show, "Big Picture Science". Shostak has published more than 400 popular articles on science, and his most recent book is Confessions of an Alien Hunter, A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Life (National Geographic). Shostak is also an accomplished photographer. His photos have been featured on the cover of Time magazine.

www.seti.org/

TEDxHultBusinessSchoolSF - Ganesh Vasudevan - The Effect of Efficient Genome Mapping

Singularitarian — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:33:12 +0000

Ganesh Vasudevan is an American trained scientist who has been leading research and business development at some of the most innovative biotechnology start-up companies in the U.S. He looks at his work from the perpsective of the molecule and has used that vantage point to conduct his research on AIDS, influenza, auto-immunity and stem cell biology. He is currently licensing the products of his patents and research to Life Technologies, an $8.8 billion company based in California that specializes in diagnostics, assays and instrumentation. A technology expert and naturalist, he uses his expertise to valuate companies in the tech sector and analyze emerging trends in science and technology.