computer science

    Amid all the publicity given to the more "famous" people recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom was Margaret Hamilton . She invented the term " software engineer " starting her career as a computer programmer at MIT in the 1960s. In August 1961, NASA issued a contract to MIT to design the Apollo spacecraft's guidance and navigational system. Hamilton presided over the in-flight software group. You can read more about her work on NASA's website . from The Universal Machine http://universal-machine.blogspot.com/ Universal Machine post to email (CS blog)    

The Royal Shakespeare Company is putting on a groundbreaking production of The Tempest in which the sprite Ariel, a central character in the play, is visualised by an avatar driven in real-time by an actor, Mark Quartley. Both the actor and the digital avatar are visible to the audience. As a big Shakespeare fan I'd love to see this performance and I can see how this fusion of technology and acting could be used in other Shakespeare plays; obviously Puck and the fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream and  Banquo's ghost in Macbeth. Ars Technica has an interesting review of the production and you get a behind the scenes look in the video below. from The Universal Machine http://universal-machine.blogspot.com/ Manage this Applet

It looks inevitable that more and more jobs will be lost to robots in the foreseeable future. With the advent of self-driving vehicles it's clear that many driving jobs are under threat. However, less obvious jobs, like working in fast-food restaurants, are now under threat.  McDonald's has recently announced that it plans to open 25,000 robot-run restaurants . Now it's clear that McDonalds has missed its 2016 target, but the threat is still there. from The Universal Machine http://universal-machine.blogspot.com/ Manage this Applet