Tim Hardy

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology figured they could learn more from neuron clumps that acted more like real brains, so they’ve developed “neurally controlled animats” — a few thousand rat neurons grown atop a grid of electrodes and connected to a robot body or computer-simulated virtual environment.

It’s Alive (ish) | Wired

A fascinating - but frustratingly brief - look at a something that blurs the boundary between animate life and machines. I, for one, welcome our animat overlords.

OK, so I’m about a month late on this but I’ve been too busy with my studies to keep abreast of news and my toread pile is overflowing.

New Scientist are running a nine-week pilot of podcasts: details here. I’m downloading the last six weeks of shows as I post but I’m sure I won’t be disappointed. Another otherwise wasted 15-mins a week is now filled. Funny how much less stressful having to queue is when you’ve got something intelligent to listen to on your mp3 player.

Microsoft are trying to strong-arm the internet community into using their technology as a standard by pushing Sender ID. From November email sent to MSN or Hotmail that does not comply with the controversial method will be marked as spam.

Will this turn Hotmail into a walled garden rejecting mail from users of other systems who refuse to comply?

Demonstrators chained themselves to the Uzbek Embassy earlier today and daubed the building in paint in protest against the alleged murder of hundreds of civilian protestors by the government in Andijan last Friday and in Pakhtabad on Saturday.

This is how the building looked when I walked past earlier.

According to the website Muslim Uzbekistan, a larger demonstration has been planned for tomorrow.