Commercial Break: Eager Scientist vs. Lava Lake

When I was a kid, I had this eschewed vision of what lava could do. I had weird fantasies of lining up my toys next to the base of a volcano and watching the toxic plastic, become deformed representations of what Hasbro initially sold my mom. Not for once thinking that my shoes, feet and legs would be destroyed in the process of watching my toys turn to ash. I've always wanted to get close enough to touch a "super-teensy" portion and taste it. Because when you're a kid you think lava tastes like hot orange sherbert.

Which, even in theory, is a terrible taste to imagine. When I see this eager scientist running up to the lava lake. I see an educated man tapping into that child that [momentarily] threw away logic and is dead-set on putting is toys as close to destruction as possible.

It's cool that he got the sample and can study the inner-workings of how our planet reacts to our existence. I'd still like to see what lava does to some die-cast metal though.

Enjoy

Commercial Break: da Vinci Robot Is Both Expensive And Peels Grapes

As the title indicates, the surgical da Vinci robot is clearly being used for it's intended purposes. That purpose being: stylin' on all other robots that wish they had the swag and technological bling that this one cleary possess. What with having them arms and grape peeling power. One day, yes, one day this surgical robot will see the inside of -- a melon.

[In all honesty, The da Vinci robot has been quite the achievement for modern medical science. It's been zapping cervical, prostate and all sorts of cancers for years. For more info, go here]

Commercial Break: Bill Gates Got Ups

Prior to spewing that yang and dumping that slang for the internet. I need to get energized. I need a guiding light that will channel my ideas into words of various fonts and font sizes. Oh, wait. You're telling me there is a clip of a young Bill Gates jumping the s**t over a chair? Well, see now this? This right here? This is just what I needed.

Peep his recovery? Didn't even flinch. Like nothing ever happened. "What? Oh that? Yeah, I just jumped the f**k over that and will probably make a billion dollars in the next twenty years. Become one of the biggest philanthropist and out live ya boy Steve Jobs. What? Huh? I cross a line? Do I need to jump over another chair to prove my swag?"

I'm paraphrasing, of course.

Commercial Break: Sonic The Hedgehog = Gateway To Furry-dom

I see why the aliens won't abduct us anymore. Hey, I know a lot of you out there support furries and truth-be-told, I kinda like the fact that there's a sect of people out there that kinda weirds me out. I see it as a benchmark for me when I think I've become too desensitized. Just yesterday I explained to one of my young dancing students what felching is.

But here we are headed into 2012 with possible damnation and post-apocalyptic events in tow. Yet there is a man, doing his friend group a service. Well sir, who am I to judge?

Seriously though, you're weirding me out with the "I'm going to judge sexiness of fictional female video game characters by the size and length of their pony tails."

We could have a possible Bronie on our hands. 

Commercial Break: Can You Remember The First Time You Saw Yourself?

I can't quite vocalize specifics of the tech being used here, so I'll let the engineers responsible do that for you here. However, I want to highlight a portion of their synopsis that struck a chord with me.

This quite simple experiment touches interesting psychological aspects of self-consciousness, whose complexity can be proved by the fact I already mentioned of the few species that can recognize themselves in front of the mirror.

I'm realizing my next batch of upcoming articles deal largely with how personally I process detail in art and/or the production of said art. When I saw Qbo, looking at himself ... itself, I first thought [skeptically] how much assistance is being used. I hear keyboard clatter, is this playing a role?

Then I let go. I looked at the robot's optical movements as if looking at a car being manufactured. Jigsaw puzzles being aligned but not wedged together. Then the instructor tells Qbo that the reflection is of him ... of it. 

I tried thinking long and hard about the first time I saw my reflection. It was so far back that my consciousness takes for granted how our brains adjusted and have been adjusted time and time again, in how we see ourselves, and how we see each other.

A very human side of me wondered if a 'second Qbo' was there looking at an adjacent mirror, would the litany of pre-programmed reactions have still been "Nice?" What if Qbo's reaction wasn't so cheerful?

I love that the next frontier of artificial intelligence is of aspects of the self-conscious. But I do find it funny that we must build something wholly new, to understand something about ourselves. Thoughts?

Commercial Break: Robot Starfish Isn't Lame

So the Harvard engineering research department has been up to no good. In by that I mean, they've possibly created several breakthroughs with just one robo-project. Here we see a video that has all the fireworks of paint drying, but what you don't see are the many uses that could come as a result.

By creating a "soft robot" we can come closer to understanding how inverterbrates function. Their muscle structure and movements could lead to several marine biological studies. Not only this, but there is a clear military use that will most-likely follow. And I'm all for more robots and less humans out on the battlefield [at least, when asked].

One result I hope comes from this is an advancement in prosthesis and amputee studies. We could finally be closer to giving those in need something past a mannequin limb.

Anyway, that's it from me. I'll get back to writing about games and stuff...

Commercial Break: Comedy Gold -- Schwarzenegger Commentates Total Recall

Right right, this is primarily a games site. I know. I've been playing more games [Demon's Souls namely]. However, let the soothing, nonsensical words of Arnold Schwarzenegger ease your fears. I'm still writing everyday. You'll see gaming related stuff eventually, but until then, enjoy.

Also realize that the American public, at one time, thought this man was suitible to be a govenor. Yeah. Chew on that one for a bit.

Commercial Break: Naked People Humping

The Humping Pact, Zollverein Coalmine (excerpt) from Dmitry Paranyushkin on Vimeo.

So here we are. Getting ready to go stuff ourselves with large plates of food, while others who are less fortunate go [potentially] forgotten. But everyone hates seeing those Sally Struthers commercials right? No one wants to see a group of Natives on C-SPAN demanding that the actual holiday of Thanksgiving be abolished. No. We want sports, an Adam Sandler movie of questionable quality and Black Friday deals.

I can't compete against that. But before you cart yourself off to your incubated home of familial love. I want the first thing you think of, prior to shoving corn fed meats into your gullet, to be a group of naked dudes humping stuff.

Why? I mean, when you think about it, why not. There was someone out there that had the presence of mind to ask some models, "Hey, mind rubbing your pee-holes up against sharp, rusty metal and dried twigs?"

Now go on and have yourself a delicious dinner. 

Commercial Break: What The S**t!? Mass Effect

My juggling act on this end has prevented me from delving into plenty of topics that have been crowding my Google Documents page. What is the outside world like? Please tell me. I've been toiling away here and I've been neglecting you lovely people.

Here, take this incredibly creepy series, What The S**t. Brought to us by Youtube user, Axeface1, What The S**t seems to cover a branching path of the Mass Effect series. Let's call it a disfigured path.

In the mean time kids, I'll keep looking at these Google Docs. I'm sure something will pop up on the brog soon. You'll see.

Commercial Break: How To Steal In Skyrim

Sure it'll probably be patched by the time you read this, but aren't bugs like this fun? Come one Bethesda, be a pal and leave this one be. 

Sidenote: If you've taken a break from your Skyrimathon, please, I beg of you. Go to the bathroom, because that sock just isn't cutting it anymore.