The most interesting thing I saw today

[Kirl]

If you see, read or hear something interesting, usefull or just plain cool, please post it here. I'll start with this very interesting TED talk that updates the old left/right brain theory along with a very cool animation.

Like so: http://www.ted.com/talks/iain_mcgilchrist_the_divided_brain.html

[Kirl]

No interest then? I was really hoping on some fascinating stuff from you guys as well. I mean, I like making pancakes swedish style as much as the next guy, but sometimes I need something to fall asleep to as well. 


Here's another really cool animation series that explains geometry and how to get a better understanding of higher dimensional forms. It's all presented beautifully in easy to understand Flatland style. I find this stuff exceptionally interesting, and beautiful if nothing else, I hope you do too!

http://www.dimensions-math.org/Dim_regarder_E.htm
Just click your language of choice.

[benny!]

Had no time to watch it yet. Will do it within the next days I'll promise!

[Shockwave]

was really hoping on some fascinating stuff from you guys as well

Nothing from me while the F1 Grand Prix was on!  I don't think that's the sort of thing you wanted in response though

[tykel]

see something cool

An Aston Martin being towed away for illegal parking.., 

[Kirl]

I'm told the downforce of F1 cars is so powerful they could theoretically drive upside down, makes me wish the Red Bull Challenges would spice it up a bit! 

@ tykel
Ouch!

[benny!]

If you see, read or hear something interesting, usefull or just plain cool, please post it here. I'll start with this very interesting TED talk that updates the old left/right brain theory along with a very cool animation.

Like so: http://www.ted.com/talks/iain_mcgilchrist_the_divided_brain.html

Just watched the video ... tremendous and shocking (at the end) talk. Like it a lot. Thanks for sharing!

[Shockwave]

I was reading some posts about Steve Jobs.. Sad that someone else succumbed to Cancer, an awful disease, but I couldn't understand why the whole world mourned the loss of a very rich man who stopped all philanthropic activities of his company, to me he was a great marketing man but not one of my idols..

I started looking over the net while I should have been coding and found some interesting things, two of them stuck out to me, one is this excellent page on Dennis Ritchie, the true genius who's technology was used by apple, who died with barely a mention;

http://www.cs.bell-labs.com/who/dmr/index.html

And I wonder if you've ever heard of Jonas Salk Who invented the polio vaccine and could have been an overnight billionaire but refused to patent his discovery which meant that his vaccine could be cheaply produced and led to the virtual eradication of this awful disease, with all it's money maybe Apple could make a similar difference to the world, but maybe I'm missing the point of capitalism. 

[Raizor]

People seem to idolise Jobs, like some kind of rock star or movie star. Everything I've read about him seems to indicate he was a bit of a shit person. That probably sounds a bit harsh, but I think it's true.

I doubt Ritchie or Silk were concerned about being revered as god like beings. As for Dennis Ritchie, there was certainly enough awareness of his passing in circles such as ours and I think most of us probably hold him in much higher regard than Steve Jobs. Polio ceased to be a problem for us thankfully, and the average person probably has no idea what UNIX or C is, which I think is the reason for so little coverage.

I have no idea who invented peanut butter, pesto, elastic or the computer mouse (which are some of my favourite things in the world). Maybe we should all take a moment now and again to appreciate the people who brought about the things in life we love so much, or the things that stop our pants and socks falling down...

[Kirl]

Meaby we should idolise the inventions instead of the inventors. This is a slightly unpopular view perhaps (in my own opinion as well) but I'm honestly starting to doubt free will exists at all...

I mean all systems that make up our thought are well acounted for, biochemistry, electricity etc. These systems behave in a predictably similar way, every time. An electric charge (in our brain for example) always follows the way of least resistance, a chemical substance (in our body for example) always behaves the same in the context of other chemicals. There really is no room for free will within these systems at all. Our last hope might hide somewhere at sub-molecular level...

This reminds me of Waking Life, a highly philosophical movie about consiousness. It's rotoscoped nature might bring about some motion sickness but makes for some fantasic effects as well. It's quite slow at times, but 2nd to none in terms of food for thought... Touches on many of the most fascinating subjects regarding consiousness.

You can view it entirely on Google videos, the bit that concerns free will can be found at 27:25. 

[neriakX]

Navis of ASD holding a seminar about democ coding. Very cool!

http://archive.assembly.org/2010/seminars/your-next-demo-masterpiece

[Shockwave]

 

Been looking for some cool browser intros..

Found this which fucking rocks.

http://www.wab.com/?screen=2

[benny!]

Been looking for some cool browser intros..

Found this which fucking rocks.

http://www.wab.com/?screen=2

Woooha ... this intro rocks! Good find!

[Hotshot]

Been looking for some cool browser intros..

Found this which fucking rocks.

http://www.wab.com/?screen=2

+1

P.S. I like the first one....that is so Cool 

[combatking0]

An electric charge (in our brain for example) always follows the way of least resistance

I'm no biologist, but that statement isn't quite correct.

If there are two paths for a current to follow, and one path has 1/9 the resistance of the other path, then 90% of the current will flow along the path of least resistance, and the remaining 10% will flow along the path of most resistance.

[Kirl]

I really enjoyed the browser intro and the ASD seminar! 

If there are two paths for a current to follow, and one path has 1/9 the resistance of the other path, then 90% of the current will flow along the path of least resistance, and the remaining 10% will flow along the path of most resistance

Thanks for the correction, but that doesn't really change anything. Point is the behaviour of the entire system can be predicted with 100% acuracy, how does free will figure into that?

[Raizor]

Cool browser intros and that ASD seminar was great! Watching the rest of them too now

[copse]

Been looking for some cool browser intros..

Found this which fucking rocks.

http://www.wab.com/?screen=2

From there to here to here.  Sweet, there's no reason someone shouldn't be able to take this and make something with flat-shaded polygons.

[benny!]

Awesome find, copse. Thanks for sharing the links. I havent seen them before!!!

[Shockwave]

Some of the best sync I've seen in a demo for a long, long time;