How is technology shaping the way we view writing? November 6, 2009

It used to be you weren’t an “author” until you’d had your name come out above a few paragraphs of text in some hard, durable format involving ink and parchment. With the Internet, that is changing entirely. SEED Magazine’s take on it:

Nearly everyone reads. Soon, nearly everyone will publish. Before 1455, books were handwritten, and it took a scribe a year to produce a Bible. Today, it takes only a minute to send a tweet or update a blog. Rates of authorship are increasing by historic orders of magnitude. Nearly universal authorship, like universal literacy before it, stands to reshape society by hastening the flow of information and making individuals more influential.

To quantify our changing reading and writing habits, we plotted the number of published authors per year, since 1400, for books and more recent social media (blogs, Facebook, and Twitter). This is the first published graph of the history of authorship. We found that the number of published authors per year increased nearly tenfold every century for six centuries. By 2000, there were 1 million book authors per year. One million authors is a lot, but they are only a tiny fraction, 0.01 percent, of the nearly 7 billion people on Earth. Since 1400, book authorship has grown nearly tenfold in each century. Currently, authorship, including books and new media, is growing nearly tenfold each year. That’s 100 times faster. Authors, once a select minority, will soon be a majority.

But does increasing authorship matter? And is this increase a blip or a signpost? Authorship has risen steeply before. The period of the first steep rise, near 1500, coincides with the discovery of the New World and Protestantism, which saw the publication of the first vernacular Bible, translated by Martin Luther. The second, near 1800, includes the Industrial Revolution and its backlash, Romanticism. The current rise is much steeper.

Read on…

Science video on Humanity November 5, 2009

What elusive gem of inspiration causes a scientist to choose his or her vocation? And more importantly, is there a way to draw inspiration from these stories, in order to motivate the next generation? That’s the mission of The Elements of Humanity, a new series of inspirational interviews published online by MAKE magazine.

These interviews of working scientists and technologists were recorded at SciFoo, an unstructured conference on Science and Technology organized this past summer by O’Reilly Media along with Nature Magazine and Google. In an ongoing effort to get more students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Dale Dougherty, founding editor and publisher of MAKE, sought to uncover each person’s own fascination with science and how that has shaped their life’s work. “It is important to see that scientists are human and they have lots of passion for what they do. They connect their own personal interests to work they enjoy doing and which benefits others,” says Dougherty. The interviews are informal and offer a view of scientists that is not often seen in traditional media. “I wanted to know what fascinated them most about science when they were young and how they were fascinated with the work they are doing today,” said Dougherty.

The site currently features interviews with over a dozen scientists, including Drexel University mathematician Andrew Hicks, who creates unusual custom mirrors using mathematics, Fiorenzo Omenetto, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Physics at Tufts who is experimenting with silk as a high-tech material, and Heather Lang, who earned a PhD in “the gray area between biochemistry and physics” and who runs an after-school program teaching chess to students. While topically each scientist’s specialty differs radically from the next, what they share is a passion for science. What spark of inspiration can be harnessed to encourage more kids to become scientists? Hopefully the project finds out.

Visit ElementsOfHumanity.com to learn more.

Stolen from Wired

Biotech Performance Festival October 30, 2009

Albany, NY – The unique intersection of the worlds of art and science – including the impact of ever-evolving technologies on the emerging definition of humanity – will take center stage during the first-ever Biotech Performance Festival presented jointly by the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (“CNSE”) and UAlbany’s Department of Theatre.

The performances, to be held October 30 through November 7 at UAlbany’s Performing Arts Center, will transform the theatrical stage into a laboratory and the role of a playwright into that of a researcher, courtesy of a 90-minute evening of plays that explore how technology is redrawing what constitutes the living and the mechanical, the generated and the engineered, the synthetic and the natural.

The theatrical stage offers a unique opportunity to raise a community’s awareness and understanding of the issues that surround the cutting-edge research that defines the 21^st century technological revolution. Five plays to be offered at each performance provide an outlet for a theatrical response to a world in which our perceptions of nature and culture have been greatly affected by new technologies – and provide a platform to investigate the technological revolution in our classrooms and communities.

Featured playwrights at the festival include Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy, executive director of the New York State Writers Institute at UAlbany, and Jackie Roberts, assistant professor of theatre at UAlbany and curator of the Biotech Performance Festival.

University at Albany President George M. Philip said, “This cross-campus, interdisciplinary collaboration combines the groundbreaking education and research of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering with the distinctive artistic expression of the Department of Theatre.  I applaud this exciting partnership and look forward to a performance that will be equal parts enlightening, educational and entertaining.”

CNSE Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros said, “The UAlbany NanoCollege is delighted to partner with the Department of Theatre to present the first-ever Biotech Performance Festival, which offers an exciting opportunity to explore the educational, cultural and societal impacts of the scientific revolution being driven by nanotechnology. As the 21^st century is increasingly shaped by the emergence of new and transformative technologies, this pioneering effort will promote further understanding of the growing connection between modern-day innovation and our humanity.”

Roberts said, “We are thrilled to present the Biotech Performance Festival in partnership with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, which truly exemplifies the exciting world of modern-day scientific discovery and exploration. The collision of science with the performing arts gives us a chance to raise issues, promote dialogue and offer a bold perspective on our world as it is shaped by the emergence of new technologies. It should prove to be a unique and wonderful experience.”

Kennedy said, “The technology that is abroad in the land these days, and which is shaping a new reality for everybody, is indeed a wonder to many.  But it is also a grand mystification for just as many.  The Biotech Performance Festival opens up windows on how a few of these disparities might collide, how some people cope with them (or don’t) and what we might learn from the collision.”

In his play In the System, Kennedy tells the story of two small-time gamblers who embrace technology to make a killing at the racetrack. Roberts’ A Tale for Children is a modern-day mermaid story with a genetic twist. Other featured plays include It’s a Small, Small World by Alice Kauffman, in which a 15-year-old boy teaches his mother about nanotechnology; Stained Glass by Lindsay Price, which recounts the first human trial of a breakthrough cancer treatment; and the apocalyptic tale spawned by a mad scientist in The Second Coming by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro.

Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31 at 8 pm; Sunday, November 1 at 2 pm; Wednesday-Friday, November 4-6 at 8 pm; and Saturday, November 7 at 2 pm. For more information, please visit http://www.albany.edu/theatre/biotechfestival.html.

3-D printed glass melds art, science October 14, 2009

An object printed from powdered glass, using the Solheim Lab’s new Vitraglyphic process

U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE—

A team of engineers and artists has developed a way to create glass objects using a conventional 3-D printer. The technique allows a new type of material to be used in such devices.

Named the Vitraglyphic process, the method is a follow-up to the Solheim Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory’s success last spring printing with ceramics.

“It became clear that if we could get a material into powder form at about 20 microns we could print just about anything,” says Mark Ganter, a University of Washington professor of mechanical engineering and codirector of the Solheim Lab. (Twenty microns is less than one thousandth of an inch.)

Three-dimensional printers are used as a cheap, fast way to build prototype parts. In a typical powder-based 3-D printing system, a thin layer of powder is spread over a platform and software directs an inkjet printer to deposit droplets of binder solution only where needed. The binder reacts with the powder to bind the particles together and create a 3-D object.

Glass powder doesn’t readily absorb liquid, however, so the approach used with ceramic printing had to be radically altered.

“Using our normal process to print objects produced gelatin-like parts when we used glass powders,” says mechanical engineering graduate student Grant Marchelli, who led the experimentation. “We had to reformulate our approach for both powder and binder.”

By adjusting the ratio of powder to liquid the team found a way to build solid parts out of powdered glass. Their successful formulation held together and fused when heated to the required temperature.

Read full article

Latest from Science Gallery October 14, 2009

I occasionally report on events happening at the Science Gallery housed in Dublin. Here’s a cool event which spans two continents, in a way:

15 Oct 09 at 18:30
UPDATE FROM SILICON VALLEY, by Joel Slayton
Paccar Theatre, Science Gallery

Joel Slayton, Executive Director of ZER01 (the art and technology network responsible for the ultra-hip art, technology and digital culture event- 01SJ Biennial), will discuss upcoming plans for the 3rd 01SJ Biennial in 2010 and tell the tale of his work with C5 Corporation – a 10 year collaborative initiative focused on blurring the boundaries of art, research and business practice.  http://www.c5corp.com/.  

Students free (must show student ID) €5 for non-students (10% off original price for members) | Pre-book on http://www.sciencegallery.com/events

In association with TRIARC (Trinity Irish Art Research Centre) and Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, TCD.

Origami explained in ‘Between the Folds’ October 8, 2009

Between the Fold

I just came across a pretty awesome documentary explaining the math behind the art of paper folding, more commonly called Origami.

The blurb for the film:” ‘Between the Folds‘ filmmaker Vanessa Gould explores the expression of mathematics through origami. The film chronicles 10 fine artists and eccentric scientists who have devoted their lives to the unlikely medium of modern origami”…

Director’s statement:

“When I first learned about the curious phenomenon of fine artists, scientists and mathematicians from all over the world working in the very same medium of origami, I knew there had to be something special about it—that in the simplicity of a paper square must be hiding some untold potential for new connections and ideas.”

Check out the official webpage of “Between the Folds” to see the trailer.

The DVD became available online this week.

*Edit*: Just as an interesting side note, a team at IBM is working to create faster computers using the principles of…origami!

More robot dancing October 1, 2009

There are so many dancing robot competitions these days, from LEGO to Soccerbots, it’s almost not even worth mentioning anymore…but I can’t help myself:

Robo-One Competition write-up from Gadget Lab:

This year’s event showed some interesting new robots such as a thought-controlled robot, a robot that can flip its head back so you can ride it, and a mini-Gundam robot.

Check out the videos at GadgetLab

Ancient Manhatten Tour September 30, 2009

As featured on GeekDad, a virtual tour of what Manhatten Island looked like at the turn of the 17th century:

Mannahatta by Eric W. Sanderson, illustrated by Markley Boyer

The tour shows Manhattan and the surrounding land in its original shape and topography. They’re all there: the salt marshes, ponds, rivers and native  settlements, all available at the click of a mouse.

The virtual tour is part of the Mannahatta Project, a decade-long project of the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo. It includes not only the website but a beautifully illustrated hardcover book, and an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York that closes on October 12.

I found the book when I was researching for a fiction story I’m writing  set in ancient Manhattan.  I quickly discovered that information on this period is scarce. When I found this book, I thought “hey! someone wrote a research book just for me!”

It’s more than a dry list of maps, it’s a  fascinating comparison of now and then and a detective story that relied on modern technology for the solution.

The project started with the discovery of a detailed map created by the British military in 1782. This inspired the Wildlife Conservation Society to re-create the island all the way back to 1609 when Henry Hudson sailed in New York Bay. The re-creation relied on old maps, soil cores, and other information which was fed into a geographic information system (GIS) database developed for the project.  The result is a virtual map that can be laid over present-day  Manhattan with an error of less than 40 meters, or half a block.

Check it out and leave your review in the comments.

Review of the latest in science culture September 29, 2009

I’m a little late today with my posts (and not very insightful), my apologies. I’m also taking the rest of this week off, so we’ll see if this blog will magically keep itself alive.

From Discover Magazine, a review of all the latest in science culture, including cinema, books, and other art/science goodies.

The most intriguing to me?

How to Build Your Own Spaceship, by Piers Bizony
When it comes to actually building a craft, your mileage may vary, but Bizony delivers an engaging survey of the commercial space technology that could soon send multitudes of civilians into orbit. Explanations of modern rocketry are remarkably readable, and there are even tips for space-bound entrepreneurs on lunar-base placement and space suit redesign.

Free Museum Day tomorrow September 25, 2009

September 26th is Annual Museum Day, and lots of museums and parks are offering free admission in celebration. Read on for more:

On Sept. 26, as part of the fifth annual Museum Day program, Smithsonian magazine has convinced more than 1,200 other museums, zoos, and arts and cultural attractions across the country to also welcome visitors for free.

In California, you’ll can use your Museum Day admission card to visit the classic cars displayed at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento (regular adult admission: $8), in New York City you can use your pass at the South Street Seaport Museum (regular adult admission: $10), and in Dallas, your pass will get you into the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (regular admission: $13.50), which explores the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. 

To see the full list of all the participating museums so you can plan your day, visit the Smithsonian’s Museum Day 2009 Web site and poke around. Be ready to be a bit overwhelmed.