The company Figure has a robot that is powered by Open AI called Figure 01. This robot shows us super-smooth dexterity guided by his own vision, and naturalistic logic when conversing with a human. You will notice a few things. This robot has learned to use the human "uh" in its language when there is a pause caused by information loading -just like we do. There's also a stutter at one point, which is just too human, especially when partnered with a natural inflection. Also notice that when it puts all the dishes together, at about 1:34, the robot shows a slight hesitation when the plate wobbles, and gives the rack a tiny shove to make sure it falls into place. It was a snap decision, probably unnecessary, but a much faster reaction than most decisions in the video. The only real "mistake" I see is that he identifies the dishes in the rack as a (singular) plate and (multiple) cups. If pluralizing nouns is its only language flaw, it's doing better than most humans.
Throughout the video, I was waiting for Figure 01 to say, "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that." but it can. (via the Awesomer)
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Figure 01 Robot
Severus Snape and the Marauders
In 1978, James Potter graduated from Hogwarts and celebrates at a bar with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. It seems like a perfect evening until young Severus Snape walks in. This Harry Potter fan film was written and directed by Justin Zagri and shot in just four days. (via Buzzfeed)
Tweet of the Day
Fake Injury = House Entry pic.twitter.com/G3dEYgJfii
— Why you should have a cat (@ShouldHaveCat) March 16, 2024
Monday, March 18, 2024
Easter Hat Parade
Get ready for that song to play in your head... "In my Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it..." This newsreel is from 1955. (via Weird Universe)
About Diet Coke
Since I avoid sweet drinks, carbonated drinks, and cold drinks, one soda pop seems the same as all the others to me. People who drink soda pop would consider that sacrilege, since everyone has their favorite. Apparently, Diet Coke is particularly popular. Weird History Food explains why by going through the entire history of soda, especially diet sodas. The upshot is that a product's name is more crucial than what's in it.
Miss Cellania's Links
St. Patrick Opened a Portal to Purgatory on This Little-Known Irish Island.
The Lost Pilot of Vietnam: What Happened to Charles Shelton? (via Strange Company)
Wildlife Rehabilitation Sometimes Involves Dress-Up.
'Drinking bird' toys upgraded to generate clean energy from water. I knew those things had to be good for something. (via Damn Interesting)
Moai in Video Games. 954 of them so far. (via Metafilter)
Salty foods are making people sick − in part by poisoning their microbiomes. (via Geeks are Sexy)
What’s the most expensive piece of glassware you ever broke? Chemists share their stories. (via Real Clear Science)
Can witches fly? A historian unpacks the medieval invention − and
skepticism − of the witch on a broomstick.
(via Strange Company)
I'm A Little Teapot
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Murder by Death
If you liked Clue even a little bit, or even if you didn't, you'll enjoy Murder by Death. It's a 1976 parody of whodunnits, written by Neil Simon and starring Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Maggie Smith. We know the butler didn't do it, because he's the murder victim. But who killed him? Not that it matters, because this is a comedy, and getting there is all the fun.
The Arctic Is Drowning in Plastic
Garbage is garbage, and we need to find something to do with it that's better than just letting it sit in the environment. We thought making plastic biodegradable would be a good start, but degraded plastic just turns to microplastics, with is tiny bits of plastic that can go completely unnoticed as they poison the environment and the creatures that depend on that environment. What's surprising is how many microplastics that end up in the Arctic, far from cities or industrial facilities. SciShow brings us up to speed on this problem, and what we might be able to do about it.
Snif & Snüf
Two characters, Snif & Snüf, we assume, encounter a circle and a square -which eventually becomes a "wreck-tangle." The story involves one-upmanship and learning to share. But it's not the story that's the most remarkable thing about the cartoon. Snif & Snüf is a new animation by Michael Ruocco, but it evokes the early days of the medium, when the whole point of animation was to illustrate things that cannot be done by live actors. The retro look is delightful. Another thing that's particularly impressive is the musical score- the music emphasizes every movement perfectly, which is rarely seen in modern animation. (via Metafilter)
2084
Set 100 years after George Orwell’s 1984, this dystopian scenario is, once again, about Big Brother and the state bending people into obedient sheep. But when you try to take away everyone’s free will with the power of fear, you’ll occasionally run into someone who’s not even smart enough to be afraid. Before this is over, you might even feel a little compassion for Big Brother. Taz Goldstein produced this sci-fi comedy short all by himself, except for the three actors. (via Geeks Are Sexy)