Brandon Sanderson: Sanderson's First Law Introduction I like magic systems. That’s probably evident to those of you who have read my work. For a while now, I’ve been working on various theories regarding magic systems. I’d like to approach the concept of magic in several different essays, each detailing one of the ‘laws’ I’ve developed to explain what I think makes good magic systems. The Law Sanderson’s First Law of Magics: An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic. When I applied to be on the programming of my very first Worldcon (following my sale of Elantris, but before the book was actually released) I saw that they were doing a “How does the magic work?” It my very first panel at the convention. I said something I took as a GIVEN. “Well,” I said. And every other person on the panel disagreed with me violently. I was dumbfounded. Then, I thought about it for a while. I disagree with this soundly—but in Mr. Soft Magic Hard Magic The Middle Ground
Cyc The project was started in 1984 by Douglas Lenat at MCC and is developed by the Cycorp company. Parts of the project are released as OpenCyc, which provides an API, RDF endpoint, and data dump under an open source license. Overview[edit] The project was started in 1984 as part of Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation. The name "Cyc" (from "encyclopedia", pronounced [saɪk] like syke) is a registered trademark owned by Cycorp. Typical pieces of knowledge represented in the database are "Every tree is a plant" and "Plants die eventually". Much of the current work on the Cyc project continues to be knowledge engineering, representing facts about the world by hand, and implementing efficient inference mechanisms on that knowledge. Like many companies, Cycorp has ambitions to use the Cyc natural language understanding tools to parse the entire internet to extract structured data.[3] Knowledge base[edit] The concept names in Cyc are known as constants. "All trees are plants".
New Glasses Help Colorblind To See Normally With a new pair of stylish shades, people with colorblindness are beginning to see the world just as the rest of us do. The corrective glasses were actually created as tools to detect blood oxygenation and flow beneath the surface of the skin. But then colorblind people started trying them on, and they began to see the world in a whole new way. The glasses were created by 2AI Labs, a company co-founded by evolutionary biologist Mark Changizi when he left Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in New York. At 2AI, Changizi continues to conduct research, investigating how the brain processes visual information and searching for the answers to questions such as why we see color and what sort of tricks occur in the brain to create optical illusions. Last summer the Boise, Idaho-based company developed three pairs of glasses called O2Amps. There are some drawbacks to the glasses, however.
Brandon Sanderson: Sanderson's Second Law A few years back, I wrote an essay on creating magic systems that I titled Sanderson’s First Law. It had to do with the nature of foreshadowing as it relates to solving problems with magic. In that essay, I implied that I had other “laws” for magic systems that I’d someday talk about. I’ll start, however, by noting that none of these “laws” are absolute. These work for me. The Law Sanderson’s Second Law can be written very simply. Limitations > Powers (Or, if you want to write it in clever electrical notation, you could say it this way: though that would probably drive a scientist crazy.) Let’s do some explaining here. If I were to ask you about Superman’s magic, you’d probably talk about his ability to fly, his super strength, the lasers he can shoot from his eyes. However, is this what makes Superman interesting? I’d put forth that it is not. Think about it for a moment. But why is he weak to kryptonite? Superman is not his powers. What This Means for Writers This core is not original.
Hackers backdoor the human brain, successfully extract sensitive data With a chilling hint of the not-so-distant future, researchers at the Usenix Security conference have demonstrated a zero-day vulnerability in your brain. Using a commercial off-the-shelf brain-computer interface, the researchers have shown that it's possible to hack your brain, forcing you to reveal information that you'd rather keep secret. As we've covered in the past, a brain-computer interface is a two-part device: There's the hardware -- which is usually a headset (an EEG; an electroencephalograph) with sensors that rest on your scalp -- and software, which processes your brain activity and tries to work out what you're trying to do (turn left, double click, open box, etc.) Both of these commercial BCIs have an API -- an interface that allows developers to use the BCI's output in their own programs. Moving forward, this brain hack can only improve in efficacy as BCIs become cheaper, more accurate, and thus more extensively used.
Space medicine NASA astronaut Dan Burbank (foreground), Expedition 30 commander, and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, flight engineer, participate in a Crew Health Care System (CHeCS) medical contingency drill in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. This drill gives crewmembers the opportunity to work as a team in resolving a simulated medical emergency on board the space station.(Nasa[1]) Space medicine is the practice of medicine on astronauts in outer space whereas astronautical hygiene is the application of science and technology to the prevention or control of exposure to the hazards that may cause astronaut ill health. Both these sciences work together to ensure that astronauts work in a safe environment. The main objective is to discover how well and for how long people can survive the extreme conditions in space, and how fast they can adapt to the Earth's environment after returning from their voyage. History[edit] Benefits[edit] Effects of space-travel[edit]
How to Create a Unique Magic System for Your Book: 6 steps Edit Article Edited by Jonta, Maluniu, Grendle, Anonymo and 14 others Ever feel that books such as Harry Potter have taken all the good Magic set-ups in books? Despite the thousands of types of magic in books, it's still possible to make a brand new magic. Ad Steps 1Remember that magic is distinguished from science by the measure of mystery in its elements. 6Write your book and remember to follow your own guidelines! Tips Use abstract thinking. Warnings Use care when borrowing ideas from others. Things You'll Need A source of informationImagination and a lot of time
Breakthrough in Augmented Reality Contact Lens | MC²Quantum December 6, 2012 LCD lens. Credit: Image courtesy of Ghent University The Centre of Microsystems Technology (CMST), imec’s associated laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium), has developed an innovative spherical curved LCD display, which can be embedded in contact lenses. The first step toward fully pixilated contact lens displays, this achievement has potential wide-spread applications in medical and cosmetic domains. Unlike LED-based contact lens displays, which are limited to a few small pixels, imec’s innovative LCD-based technology permits the use of the entire display surface. The first prototype presented December 5 contains a patterned dollar sign, depicting the many cartoons that feature people or figures with dollars in their eyes. “Normally, flexible displays using liquid crystal cells are not designed to be formed into a new shape, especially not a spherical one. Source: Ghent University, retrieved December 5, 2012 from:
Top 10 Amazing Lost Or Suppressed Inventions Technology This list looks at some amazing past inventions that have been lost. Some may be cause for skepticism but almost all of the items here are things that we would definitely love to understand better today. Keep an open mind as some entries are famous for their part in conspiracy theories. Be sure to list other lost or suppressed inventions in the comments. Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. Orgone energy is a hypothetical form of energy first proposed and promoted in the 1930s by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. Perpetual Motion Viktor Schauberger Schauberger and his works have become part of an internet-based conspiracy theory claiming that Schauberger invented free energy/perpetual motion devices and that this was “covered up” by the US government. Some people, including a number of doctors and biochemists, believe ozone has remarkable healing properties. Anti-Gravity Device Thomas Townsend Brown Cold Fusion Device Eugene Mallove Water Fuel Cell
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