<b>Designing remote-controlled cockroach swarms for a future with ubiquitous computing</b>; Alan Turing's missing memorabilia is being returned from the US to Britain; <b>Research productivity sees diminishing returns from additional researchers</b>; Lidar technology once cost $75,000. Now it will be in the iPhone 12; and <b>The World Economic Forum says blockchain is a key to a sustainable future</b>
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<h3>Administrivia</h3>
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<center><b><i>Fresh and Informative STEM Content: Welcome to my little corner of the blockchain</i></b></center>
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<tr><td><h5>Straight from <A HREF=https://theoldreader.com>my RSS feed</A></h5></td><td><h5>Whatever gets my attention</h5></td></tr>
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<h6>Links and micro-summaries from my 1000+ daily headlines. I filter them so you don't have to.</h6>
First posted on the Steem blockchain: <A HREF="https://steemit.com/@remlaps/posts">SteemIt</A>.
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<h6> pixabay license: <a href="https://pixabay.com/es/photos/las-cucarachas-errores-insectos-2804366/">source</a>.</h6>
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<li> <A HREF="https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/swarm-of-cyborg-cockroaches">A Swarm of Cyborg Cockroaches That Lives in Your House</A> - The <A HREF="http://digitalnature.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp/">Digital Nature Group</A> in Japan's <i>University of Tsukuba</i> is working towards a seemless integration of computational and non-computational resources for a time in the future that they describe as the <i>post ubiquitous computing era</i>. The author of this article expresses the unsettling idea that although insects are more capable than robots and there is nothing knew about using remote-controlled cockroaches to accomplish things, the logical outcome of this research is that people of the future may have armies of cyborg cockroaches roaming around our homes all day every day. The researchers suggest that the reason for choosing cockroaches is that they have an impressively high power-to-weight ratio, good mobility, efficiency, and ruggedness. Also, when the swarming remote-control is deactivated, the cockroaches are able to eat and sustain themselves autonomously.<br><br>
<div class=phishy><sub>Warning: This video contains images of cybernetically modified cockroaches that may be upsetting to some people</sub></div>
<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/utXoQBEky3k" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The article concludes with video embeds of two other uses for remote-controlled cockroaches, so click on <A HREF="https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/swarm-of-cyborg-cockroaches">through</A>.
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<li> <A HREF="https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/10/turing_memorabilia_recovery/">Missing Alan Turing memorabilia to be returned to Blighty from the US, 36 years after it went walkabout</A> - Decades ago, some items that had belonged to Alan Turing disappeared from the world-famous <i>Sherborne School</i>, and they stayed missing until 2018. These items included school reports, photos, and his OBE medal, and they had been given to the school by Turing's family in 1954. After disappearing, they finally resurfaced in 2018 when a woman who claimed to be Turing's daughter tried to sell them to the University of Colorado. During some cursory research, however, the university discovered that Alan Turing was gay and had no children. Subsequently, the items were found behind a bathroom wall in the woman's Colorado home, and the woman, Julia Mathison Turing, has been accused of stealing the 250 items during a 1984 visit to the Sherborne School and leaving behind a note that said, <blockquote>Please forgive me for taking these materials into my possession. They will be well taken care of while under the care of my hands and shall one day all be returned to this spot.</blockquote>After protracted legal maneuvering, a settlement has now been reached that will finally return the items to the custody of the Sherborne School. According to the article, it was agreed that a plaque will be displayed near Turing's diploma from Princeton to say, "<i>that it was in Ms Turing's care from 1984-2020</i>", but the school was not party to the agreement.</li><br>
<li> <A HREF="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165176520304067">A global decline in research productivity? Evidence from China and Germany</A> - Replicating a previous study in the United States, a study finds that despite an increase in researchers, the volume of "high value research" is declining. This suggests a phenomenon of "diminishing returns on idea production" and suggests that countries should deprioritize investments that lead to large increases in numbers of researchers. -h/t <A HREF="https://lemire.me/blog/2020/10/31/science-and-technology-links-october-31st-2020/">Daniel Lemire</A></li><br>
<li> <A HREF="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/10/the-technology-behind-the-iphone-lidar-may-be-coming-soon-to-cars/">Lidar used to cost $75,000βhereβs how Apple brought it to the iPhone</A> - Light detection and ranging (Lidar) was first available more than a decade ago, and it cost $75,000. Now, however, Apple released a Lidar capability in its iPad last March, and the technology will also be available in the upcoming iPhone 12. This feature enables the phone's camera to focus more quickly, especially in low-light situations. This is made possible through the combined use of <i>vertical cavity surface emitting laser</i>, or VCSEL and <i>single photon avalanche diode</i> (SPAD) technologies. VCSEL has been widely used for decades in things like optical mice and other low-end devices, but as the technology matures it is able to deliver higher quality and meet the needs of more and more applications. SPAD has a similar history to VCSEL, and by combining the two, Apple is able to deliver an affordable version of Lidar to its customers. -h/t <A HREF="https://lemire.me/blog/2020/10/31/science-and-technology-links-october-31st-2020/">Daniel Lemire</A></li><br>
<li> <A HREF="https://cointelegraph.com/news/world-economic-forum-calls-blockchain-key-to-sustainable-digital-finance">World Economic Forum calls blockchain key to sustainable digital finance</A> - In contrast with concerns that have been expressed by others, the <i>World Economic Forum</i> (WEF) noted in <A HREF="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/sustainable-digital-finance-low-carbon-economy/">a report</A> that blockchain and <i>distributed ledger technology</i> (DLT) provide the cornerstone to a sustainable path forward for digital finance. Quotes from the report include:<blockquote>We believe that sustainable digital finance will play an essential role in efficiently channeling this capital to fuel innovation, growth and job creation, at the same time supporting the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.</blockquote> and <blockquote>The core properties of blockchain and other DLT can enable deeper technological integration, standardisation, and the possibility of new business models.</blockquote></li><br>
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