Yearly archives: 2013

A Neuroscientist’s Radical Theory of How Networks Become Conscious – Wired Science

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I can’t be the only person who’s tried to plot out “the network’s alive!” story.

It’s a question that’s perplexed philosophers for centuries and scientists for decades: Where does consciousness come from? We know it exists, at least in ourselves. But how it arises from chemistry and electricity in our brains is an unsolved mystery.

Neuroscientist Christof Koch, chief scientific officer at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, thinks he might know the answer. According to Koch, consciousness arises within any sufficiently complex, information-processing system. All animals, from humans on down to earthworms, are conscious; even the internet could be. That’s just the way the universe works.

A Neuroscientist's Radical Theory of How Networks Become Conscious – Wired Science.

BBC News – 2013 ‘one of warmest’ on record

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This year is likely to be among the top 10 warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

It continues a pattern of high temperatures blamed directly on man-made climate change.

The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, told BBC News that warming could no longer be ignored.

He urged action to reduce emissions to minimise the likelihood of disasters like Typhoon Haiyan, which has claimed thousands of lives in the Philippines.

via BBC News – 2013 'one of warmest' on record.

Forget LED bulbs—the future of interior lighting is lasers – Quartz

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Steven DenBaars, a research scientist at UC Santa Barbara, has been working on LED lights for 20 years. He has been instrumental in pushing them to the point that they are the true heir to Edison’s electric bulb. But in his own head, and in his lab, DenBaars is already onto the next big thing: Replacing a substantial portion of indoor lights, and the archaic bulb and socket infrastructure on which they depend, with lasers.

If the thought of illuminating an office, airport or even your home with lasers conjures up images of rock concerts, dance clubs or 80′s-era superweapons, fear not: The results could be much more accessible, even naturalistic. And some experts say we could get there within 10 years.

Forget LED bulbs—the future of interior lighting is lasers – Quartz.

Newton Heath dad Thomas McNeill hit in the face by stray firework at Manchester council Bonfire Night display in Platt Fields Park – Manchester Evening News

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This happened quite close to where we were standing watching the display last night-

Newton Heath dad Thomas McNeill hit in the face by stray firework at Manchester council Bonfire Night display in Platt Fields Park – Manchester Evening News.

BBC News – Nazi looted art ‘found in Munich’ – German media

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A collection of 1,500 artworks confiscated by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s has been found in the German city of Munich, media reports say.

The trove is believed to include works by Matisse, Picasso and Chagall, the news magazine Focus reports.

I started a story a while back that was going to have looted art as a plot point, but then shelved it thinking it wasn’t relevant any more. Perhaps not.

via BBC News – Nazi looted art 'found in Munich' – German media.

Eyes in the Sky

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The BBC has reports from opposite ends of the drone spectrum. Their reporters can now use a ‘Hexacopter’ camera drone for interesting new perspectives on their items.

Quadcopters have been around for a while, with some rather neat little films made using them. Most often, those films have been of extreme sports and fast cars, but here’s a neat fly around Blackpool-

This is the sort of technology that could give low budget film makers access to stunning footage. They could have helicopter shots worthy of big budget movies- then go where a chopper couldn’t for new and interesting perspectives.

The Global Hawk is not a budget device, and much about it is secret. But the Beeb did get in to have a little look around the main Global Hawk base in North Dakota.

Greater Manchester Police seize 3D printer used to make guns in raids, as well as crack cocaine, £2m of counterfeit goods, lethal weapons and high-powered cars – Manchester Evening News

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Component parts of what could be the UK’s first-ever 3D gun were seized in Greater Manchester’s biggest-ever crackdown on gangs.

Police and other agencies have been involved in around 100 raids during a week of hush-hush operations, with more expected this morning. Fifty people have been arrested so far.

via Greater Manchester Police seize 3D printer used to make guns in raids, as well as crack cocaine, £2m of counterfeit goods, lethal weapons and high-powered cars – Manchester Evening News.

The perfect Christmas gift for any teachers you know

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gove-teach

Over 90 blank pages of Gove’s teaching wisdom – the perfect gift to put a smile on the face of any UK-based teacher. Empty chapters have individual headings, including: “My teaching experience”; and “Why teachers admire me”. Pages are lined for convenient use as a notebook.

Everything I know about teaching: Amazon.co.uk: Mr Michael Gove: Books.

The 8:15 To Manchester

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Manchester Indie Bands Rail Map Art Poster by indieprints on Etsy

Manchester Indie Bands Rail Map Art Poster by indieprints on Etsy

via manchestergalore.tumblr.com

I’ve written before about the Radio 2 series The Peoples Songs. A few weeks ago, they did an episode about musicals and I tweeted about my desire for a MadChester based one. A piece of whimsy I soon forgot about.

Then I found out about Sunshine On Leith.

If the Proclaimers can have a musical, then surely there’s room for one dedicated to dodging the rain and the bullets.

It’s still whimsy, but I’m going to kick ideas around and something may yet come of it. I’ll probably have a list of songs from ’88 to ’93 that I’d love to see in a film before I have any hint of the story they’d be hung on. But it’s a great excuse to create myself a Madchester playlist and watch videos like this-