Aug 20 2009 Wonderful News: Robots Learn How To Lie
In an experiment that shouldn't surprise anybody with half a brain that sleeps with a giant robot-burning laser under their pillow, scientists have shown that robots have the ability to evolve and lie. And this is to one another -- imagine what they'd tell a human! Also, this quote is kind of long, but it's interesting and important to read if you want to understand the experiment. However, if you just want to type FIRST! in the comments and not learn anything, you should probably skip it (and then off a building). Did I say skip? I meant dive. Just kidding, I don't care.
In an experiment run at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, Switzerland*, robots that were designed to cooperate in searching out a beneficial resource and avoiding a poisonous one learned to lie to each other in an attempt to hoard the resource.
The experiment involved 1,000 robots divided into 10 different groups. Each robot had a sensor, a blue light, and its own 264-bit binary code "genome" that governed how it reacted to different stimuli. The first generation robots were programmed to turn the light on when they found the good resource, helping the other robots in the group find it.The robots got higher marks for finding and sitting on the good resource, and negative points for hanging around the poisoned resource. The 200 highest-scoring genomes were then randomly "mated" and mutated to produce a new generation of programming. Within nine generations, the robots became excellent at finding the positive resource, and communicating with each other to direct other robots to the good resource.
However, there was a catch. A limited amount of access to the good resource meant that not every robot could benefit when it was found, and overcrowding could drive away the robot that originally found it.
After 500 generations, 60 percent of the robots had evolved to keep their light off when they found the good resource, hogging it all for themselves. Even more telling, a third of the robots evolved to actually look for the liars by developing an aversion to the light; the exact opposite of their original programming!
Notice how I bolded that last line? Reread it. Anybody else see something inherently wrong with that? Now, if you will recall the first law of robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. See where I'm going with this? OUTERSPACE BITCHES, I'M NOT WAITING AROUND FOR THIS SHIT TO GO DOWN.
Evolving Robots Learn To Lie To Each Other [popsci]
Thanks to Sarah, biggity2bit, greg, Phil, John, Pepper, Sven, Shawn, Rossco, Terrance, timpeva, ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff, SharaSue, Sn0zz, SeanJon, billcollider, Tyrogyro and yayinternets, who only lie about their age and marital status.
Jul 15 2009 Awesome: These Garage Door Covers
Style Your Garage covers are printed tarps made to attach to your garage door to make it appear your garage is something it's not. For example, this one makes it look like you're running a rotisserie chicken business. But the fun doesn't stop there! Hit the jump to see a bunch of my other favorites, then head to the site to see a ton more. They all retail for about $275 and were made for one piece garage doors, but can be modified (read: cut) to fit on sectionals. And speaking of sectionals, my new couch has a chaise. Ladies? First to make me a sandwich can sit on it (until I'm full, then it's dishes time for you)!
Hit it to see some other cool ones.
Jul 14 2009 Cats Manipulate People With Their Purrs
So apparently cats can exploit their caretakers to get what they want through the use of a special purr. I can't say I'm surprised, that's a picture of two of my old cats there (rest in peace, guys). One minute they were purring -- and the next I was teaching them how to read!
Researchers at the University of Sussex have discovered that cats use a "soliciting purr" to overpower their owners and garner attention and food.
Unlike regular purring, this sound incorporates a "cry", with a similar frequency to a human baby's.The team said cats have "tapped into" a human bias - producing a sound that humans find very difficult to ignore.
I dunno, I'm not really that big into babies crying. But maybe that's just my fatherly instincts talking. Read: impregnate and run. What can I say -- I'm a nurturer.
Cats 'exploit' humans by purring [bbcnews]
Thanks to FDSY, Sharkey, RealLifeF***up and Ryan, who are all controlled by an entirely different kind of cat.
This post dedicated in loving memory of The Little Man, October, Jimmy and The Terrorist.
May 3 2009 Sure: Art Student Paints Car To Be Invisible
University of Lancashire art student Sara Watson painted an old Skoda Fabia to appear invisible when looked at from just the right angle. This happens to be the right angle. If you were standing next to it it would just look like a spraypainted piece of shit. Still, good looking, Sara. You, not the car. Let's do it.
Hit the jump for one more picture.
Continue Reading " Sure: Art Student Paints Car To Be Invisible "
Apr 7 2009 Man Finds Card Number Skimmer Attached To ATM, Removes, Takes Pictures, Internets
A man, Dan we'll call him, because that's his name (or is it? Allegedly it is), visited a Washington Mutual ATM to get some money. Pretty normal story so far, right? Did I mention he was wearing a dinosaur costume? He wasn't -- but you're right, that would have added a sexy twist. Well, when Danald was about to stick his junk in the machine, he noticed something fishy -- the junk receptacle just didn't feel right. So he ripped it off and, HIYO, a card skimmer! For those of you not in on the government conspiracy, skimmers are used to steal your credit card numbers and join adult websites. *ahem* So I've heard. Seriously though, I don't need technology to score women's numbers. Here, watch me work my magic on this chick.
Hey good lookin', what's your name? Oooh, Jenny, I like that. I'm Dick Dragon. I write Geekologie -- maybe you've heard of it? G-E-E-K-O-L-O-G-I-E. It's a website. Just Myspace, huh? Well listen -- you wanna come back to my place later and play strip Risk? No? Well how about you write your number down on this bar napkin anyways. Whoa, you actually did. 867-5309, I'll be calling you later. *wink*
A Man Finds an Actual Card Skimmer in the Wild, in the Flesh [gizmodo]
Feb 25 2009 Even Parking Meters Are Out To Get Us
Thought you were safe from robotic parking meters? Think again. Apparently the clever little bastards are pretending to be broken, then, once you've limped away without feeding them, auto-correct themselves and POW, parking ticket.
How is this possible? One explanation, according to DDOT, is that 74 percent of D.C.'s 15,453 meters are designed to self-correct, but are also "at the end of their useful life." So a person who parks at a meter displaying a "fail" message may return an hour later to find a working meter flashing zero time and a ticket on the windshield -- a process that may repeat several times a day.
"It was a news flash to me that we had this huge number of meters that are self-repairing," Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham, chairman of the public works committee, said Thursday.
First of all, I think it's time for a new Ward 1 Councilman. And secondly, I live here in DC and just write BROKEN in black Sharpie across the glass of all parking meters. Law breaker or handsome vigilante -- you decide. But if you decided law breaker you should reconsider. Because -- you see this? No, down here. Yeah, the knife in my hand -- It's got your spleen's name on it. Well, it will. What's your spleen's name? Okay, now what'd I do with the Sharpie?
Parking Meters Out to Destroy the Human Race [nbcwashington]
Thanks spudtheimpaler, you in DC? We should drink beer together.
Feb 9 2009 Invading The Real World!: Fake Parking Tickets Used To Spread Computer Viruses
Hackers operating around Grand Forks, North Dakota (not to be confused with Giant Spoons, South Dakota) have been issuing fake parking tickets in order to get their victims to download viruses from a website.
Drivers found the following message on the yellow ticket on their windscreen: "PARKING VIOLATION This vehicle is in violation of standard parking regulations".
The ticket then instructed drivers to visit a website, where drivers could "view pictures with information about your parking preferences".Anti-virus firm McAfee says the Vundo Trojan then gets users to install a fake anti-virus scanner.
Listen folks, if you don't want to fall victim to this sort of scam, you need to do what I do: not be a senior citizen.
Parking ticket leads to a virus [bbcnews]
Thanks to Bungo, who doesn't pay parking tickets because they're just a sorry attempt by the man to keep him down.
Dec 3 2008 Look, I'm A Magician!: Levitating Water
Levitating water isn't actually levitating at all. In fact, the shit's just falling. Like rocks. Rocks of water. Did that just blow your mind? It only LOOKS like it's levitating due to sorcery and, quite possibly, a little witchcraft as well. Fine, strobe lights. Regardless, it's still pretty damn cool, and I would definitely drink from it. I'd drink it dry! Like a desert. No oasis here folks, just a guy spooning a camel. And speaking of Camels: Joe. Who else had a crush on him?
Youtube
Thanks to Melissa, who thinks levitation is weak sauce because she can fly. I just want X-ray vision.
Nov 13 2008 Good Idea!: Man Submits Drawing Of Spider Instead Of Payment For Overdue Account
David Thorne didn't have the $233.95 to pay an overdue account. So what did he do? What any other budding young genius would do, he submitted a picture of a spider he drew instead. Unfortunately, Jane Gilles, who is clearly a mega-bitch to the nth degree, wouldn't accept it. So what happened next? Hit the jump to find out. But I'll give you a hint: time travel! And also, David's account not getting paid.
You really want to read the rest, so hit it.
EDIT: Here's the original page which provides a little more info.
Sep 5 2008 Guy Ghetto Rigs License Plate Flipper
Orlando Payano is a Queens truck driver that doesn't like paying tolls. So what did he do? Simple, he jerry-rigged a license plate flipper.
Apparently, Orlando Payano mounted his license plate on a hinged piece of metal then ran an attached cable through his cigarette lighter. When he went through a toll booth, all he had to do is pull the cord and abracadabra! No license plate caught on camera.
Everything was going smoothly until a Port Authority officer spotted Payano's disappearing plate in action. Orlando has denied the existence of the cable system and insists he pays tolls with an EZ-Pass tag. Good luck arguing that to the judge, Orlando. Tip: Now's the time to start working out and/or juicing, lest you find yourself in the slammer with your own EZ-Pass tag -- on that ass.
Ghetto Disappearing License Plate Hack Rigged to Avoid Tolls [gizmodo]
Jul 14 2008 More Iranian Missile Photoshoppings
Remember last week's story about Iran Photoshopping their missile launch pictures? Well it turns out that several other individuals, inspired by the fine work by yours truly, have taken to Photoshopping their own versions of the picture. Hit the jump for several more, and if you happen to have seen another one, or have made one yourself, send me a link and I'll throw it up in the gallery. Like my grandfather used to say while squinting one eye and pointing his finger like a gun at anybody who walked past his house, "Pew pew, bitches, pew pew! Words to live by folks.
Hit the jump for the gallery.
