It turns out computers can figure out what language you’re speaking without actually hearing you. In at least some controlled circumstances, anyway. (NewScientist, via Monochrom) “Astonishingly”, (1) people forget their passwords all the time, but (2) the ever-helpful “secret” “questions” are not really either — at least, not as far as security is concerned. If […]
Cleaning House (Rundown)
Posted by Ben on September 17, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/cleaning-house-rundown/
Aliens, astronomers, or super-intelligent aardvarks?
You decide. Whatever the case, it’s kind of amazing. (via Ectoplasmosis)
Posted by Ben on August 26, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/aliens-astronomers-or-super-intelligent-aardvarks/
And now…
Went away. Came back. Pictures. You know how it is.
Posted by Ben on August 7, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/and-now/
The narratives of refrigerator innards
This falls into the category of things that are uninteresting in real life, but which become interesting through the act of photography. Or something. (It may simply be that the photographs aren’t accompanied by the rank refrigerator smell that’s always lurking, waiting for the right moment to assault your nostrils.) The photos are accompanied by […]
Posted by Ben on June 20, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-narratives-of-refrigerator-innards/
I can see your brain
Of course, movies have known for years that this was possible–it’s just taken reality a while to catch up. Yes, science can see images in your brain, although for now it’s seemingly mostly proof-of-concept, and fairly limited. (No full color perfect simulacra of your dreams, yet.) “Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed […]
Posted by Ben on June 4, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/i-can-see-your-brain/
Language, linguistics, lovely
A sort of extraordinary exercise in control of voice and facial expressions, in the form of a Judy Garland impression, of all things. From the ever-impressive Amy Walker: Related to something I could have sworn I’d posted previously, but apparently haven’t: 21 accents in 2 1/2 minutes. (via BoingBoing)
Posted by Ben on June 4, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/language-linguistics-lovely/
Wait, what?
(via Ectoplasmosis)
Posted by Ben on May 13, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/wait-what/
A search engine that predicts the future
The future: …which is even stranger when you consider that it’s predicting the release of itself. Stay tuned. I’ve been playing around on the preview, and while I’m not as impressed as I was by the initial (guided/rehearsed) demo searches, I’m still mighty curious. As long as WolframAlpha survives, it certainly won’t get worse. And […]
Posted by Ben on May 12, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/a-search-engine-that-predicts-the-future/
The Future Is Now
Two tidbits from NewScientist: Robots have made their first independent scientific discovery (i.e., made its own hypotheses based on data it was given, and then tested those hypotheses); The internet might soon (or already) be self-aware.
Posted by Ben on May 6, 2009
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-future-is-now/