Category Archives: Tech

Behold: the very first images of the sun taken by the new Inouye Solar Telescope at the 3050m summit of Haleakalā in Hawaii. Three times more detailed than any previous image of the sun, each of the cells you see is around the size of Texas.

It’s hot work, ogling that fiery ball:

Focusing 13 kilowatts of solar power generates enormous amounts of heat — heat that must be contained or removed. A specialized cooling system provides crucial heat protection for the telescope and its optics. More than seven miles of piping distribute coolant throughout the observatory, partially chilled by ice created on site during the night.

kottke

Impressionist Jim Meskimen performs his poem ‘Pity the Poor Impressionist’ in the voices of 20 celebrities enhanced by SHAM00K using deepfake imaging.

The video required 1,200 hours of footage, 300,000 images and nearly a terabyte of data to create.

Previously: Jim Meskimen’s Nano Impressions

laughingsquid

Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot – it does parkour now. To wit:

We created the manoeuvres using new techniques that streamline the development process. First, an optimisation algorithm transforms high-level descriptions of each manoeuvre into dynamically-feasible reference motions.  Then Atlas tracks the motions using a model predictive controller that smoothly blends from one manoeuvre to the next.

…and then kills all humans.

Previously: Warehousebot

kottke

The 1982 Seiko T001 TV Watch – a portable television receiver linked (by wire) to a 3cm LCD watch screen.

Three decades ahead of its time and the technology required to make it viable.

G’wan the Seiko though, in fairness.

MORE: The History Of The Smartwatch Goes Back Much Further Than You’d Think (Gearpatrol)

thisisnthappiness