09 JAN 2017 by ideonexus
The Machine
Vashanti"s next move was to turn off the isolation switch, and all the accumulations of the last three minutes burst upon her. The room was filled with the noise of bells, and speaking-tubes. What was the new food like? Could she recommend it? Has she had any ideas lately? Might one tell her one"s own ideas? Would she make an engagement to visit the public nurseries at an early date? - say this day month. To most of these questions she replied with irritation - a growing quality in that acce...A world where everyone lives in isolated rooms underground and communicates through social networking tools. Very prescient for 1909.
23 MAY 2015 by ideonexus
Why Do We Like Certain Tunes or Understand Certain Senten...
Contrast two answers to the question, Why do we like certain tunes? Because they have certain structural features.Because they resemble other tunes we like. The first answer has to do with the laws and rules that make tunes pleasant. In language, we know some laws for sentences; that is, we know the forms sentences must have to be syntactically acceptable, if not the things they must have to make them sensible or even pleasant to the ear. As to melody, it seems that we only know som...20 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Dogs are Evolved from Wolves Through Artificial Selection
Take the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), a single species that comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and temperaments. Every single one, purebred or mutt, descends from a single ancestral species—most likely the Eurasian gray wolf—that humans began to select about 10,000 years ago. The American Kennel Club recognizes 150 different breeds, and you’ve seen many of them: the tiny, nervous Chihuahua, perhaps bred as a food animal by the Toltec of Mexico; the robust Saint Bernard, thick...Breeders are able to sculpt dogs into whatever they desire. Experimental proof of evolution.