Real Cars. Real Time. Fake Frog.

CNet News:

Frogger was a popular arcade game that had kids hooked in the 1980s. Now, with a little help from advertising creative director Tyler DeAngelo, the game takes on the world in real time.

DeAngelo used a Webcam to record traffic in real time on New York's busy Fifth Avenue. He wrote code that corresponded with the position of carsand turned it into live, streaming data. That means the frog in the game dodges cars as they make their way through New York traffic.

After the game was finished, it was installed in a real arcade cabinet. The game was then placed on the sidewalk along Fifth Avenue in New York and played in real time.

"This year is Frogger's 30(ish) birthday. To celebrate, I wanted to imagine what Frogger would be like if it was developed today," DeAngelo said on his Web site.

video at http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57419527-1/frogger-fifth-ave-dodges-real-time-traffic/?tag=mncol;1n

They don't write adverts like this anymore

 

 

How many is fifteen?

 
There was a story from Boston about a college student in an "10 items or fewer" checkout line with 20 items.
The checkout person said, "You're either from Harvard and can't add, or from MIT and can't read."

News Item: Kansas wind erosion laboratory blown away

Dear Alanis Morrisette, *this* is ironic:


Kansas wind erosion laboratory blown away
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1234841820080612

A can of 18th Century WhoopAss

George Washington named Britain's greatest ever foe

 

Washington was the winner in a contest run by the National Army Museum to identify the country's most outstanding military opponent.

George Washington (1732-99) – 45 per cent of the vote in the final round

Guided the American rebels to victory over the British in the War of Independence. Often outmanoeuvred by British generals with larger armies, his leadership enabled him to hold together an army of secessionists from 13 different states and keep it in the field – and ultimately prevail – during the protracted struggle.

Stephen Brumwell, author and specialist on eighteenth century North America, said: "Washington scores highly as an enemy of Britain on three key grounds: the immense scale of damage he inflicts upon Britain's Army and Empire – the most jarring defeat that either endured; his ability to not only provide inspirational battlefield leadership but to work with civilians who were crucial to sustain the war-effort; and the kind of man he was. As British officers conceded, he was a worthy opponent."

full @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9204961/George-Washington-named-Britains-greatest-ever-foe.html

Parkland High School, Allentown PA

 

You've never heard of Parkland?
 It's the school that did the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

I love ThinkGeek

Bacon Jam - Savory sweetness

On those mornings when you have time for toast but not enough to fry up some bacon, Bacon Jam will come to your rescue. It's a combination of bacon, onion, garlic, honey, maple syrup, coffee, and spices. Sweet and savory, Bacon Jam is delicious on toast, muffins, biscuits, and even waffles. We'll warn you, though, once you've had a taste of Bacon Jam, you won't go back to mere fruity jams. You'll be ruined saved for life.
Bacon Jam - Savory sweetness

 

 

Fancy Bacon Candy Necklace - For special bacon occasions

Bacon makes everything better, including dressing up. But do you really want bacon grease dripping all over your fancy clothes? Sometimes, but not always. Well, for those very special-est of occasions, try this Fancy Bacon Candy Necklace. Why is it fancy? Well, see that little dangly bacon bit? FANCY!! And what's best is, while you are waiting around being fancy, you can totally eat this necklace. It's the perfect combination of style and substance. And bacon. Yup, this candy necklace not only has bacon styling, but also bacon taste. You're welcome.
Fancy Bacon Candy Necklace - For special bacon occasions

 

 

 

The original Tweets ?

 

Trophy Hunter's Peep

   

Didja ever notice... 
that if you hold a Peep vertically it looks like a trophy bird head mounted on a wall plaque?

Beatles 2.0? Fab Four’s sons may form band

Sons of the Beatles could come together in their own second-generation supergroup if Paul McCartney's son, James, has his way.

James McCartney has reached out to Sean Lennon, Dhani Harrison and Zak Starkey to gauge the fellow Beatles kids' interest in forming a band, he told the BBC.

full article@ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/beatles-20-fab-fours-sons-may-form-band/2012/04/03/gIQAt9wWtS_blog.html

Showing our age.

 

You, too, can be a Computer Programmer !

 

"Take my WiFi. Please..."

Why Computers can't joke

Can a computer be taught to be funny? It doesn't seem nearly as important an endeavor as getting computers to identify malignant tumors or prevent airplanes from crashing, but being able to model humor is a key problem in attempting to model human thought. There are few things more identifiably human than cracking wise.

Among the few researchers trying to make computers understand humor are Lawrence Mazlack, a computer science professor at the University of Cincinnati, and his former student, Julia Taylor, a professor at Purdue. Puns and jokes work, Mazlack argues, because of expectations: We expect one thing and we're surprised when we get another. ("Orange who?" "Orange you glad to see me?") But game-playing programs such as Dr. Fill, or Deep Bluefor that matter, rely on brute-force calculation, rather than interpretation. Dr. Fill isn't trying to figure out what the clue actually means, it just cycles through every possible option until it finds the best fit. Computers don't get jokes (or metaphors, for that matter) because they have no expectations to subvert

full @

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-23/artificial-intelligence-ill-say-dot-why-computers-cant-joke

Probability is a Harsh Mistress

news item: 

Kansas lotto player hit by lightning after buying Mega Millions tickets  - 
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kansas-lotto-player-hit-lightning-buying-mega-millions-tickets-article-1.1054086




(Apologies if I'd already sent this to you)