You’ve seen/read I, Robot …well everyone talks about doing it, but now someone’s actually doing something about it. Our robots, in the future, are going to have ethics! There’s something very “Star Trek” about this story – very “Data”. Or in this case Alex Hubo.
” South Korea is drawing up a code of ethics to stop humans misusing robots — or vice versa.”
Linux is an open source computer operating system that is FREE. By using it you can save money and the environment according to EcoGeek. My favourite linux operating system is Ubuntu, which is running on my computer and is easier to use than Windows.
“A typical hardware refresh period for Microsoft Windows is 3-4 years. A major UK manufacturing organisation quotes its hardware refresh period for Linux systems as 6-8 years.” A significant difference…a doubling even, of the lifetime of a computer.
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A widespread switch to Linux could prevent millions of tons of waste from going into landfills. Every computer not needed would prevent the use of 240 kg of fossil fuels. Spread that out over the 17.5 million computers that wouldn’t be going obsolete every year and Linux could deliver the world a much more sustainable future.
Honda’s F1 team has announced it’s 2007 driver line-up: Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello & Mother Earth.
The team’s 2007 Formula One race car, named the RA107, will feature no commercial logos at all, replacing the former Tobacco sponsorship with a giant image of the Earth.
By using planet earth as the car’s livery Honda hopes to raise awareness about climate change in the world’s second most viewed sport (150+ million viewers for each race) and welcome the proposed 2009 addition of devices for energy recovery to all F1 cars.
By passing on messages about simple tips for reducing CO2 output and making carbon positive changes to the team’s factory Honda hopes to raise their image a manufacturer of sporty low emissions vehicles.
The Honda F1 Team’s press release has more details.
A robotic jacket has been designed to help patients suffering from paralysis heal. By using compressed air the jacket can help strengthen the upper body as the patient recovers. This thing looks neat and I like to think that one day this technology can help with my knee pain.
Sensors at the elbow and wrist allow a healthy arm to control the eight artificial muscles, which are powered by compressed air, on the paralyzed side.
Two interesting takes on software popped up on the interweb recently. I find it interesting the potential that using software has for reducing pollution thanks to digitization.
First, we have a blogger arguing that iTunes saves the environment because less people are buying CDs (and the CDs don’t need to be shipped).
“Steve Jobs also announced that Apple is currently selling 5,000,000 songs per day. This is about 416,000 CD’s per day. By buying your music from the Apple Store, you are helping to prevent a stack of CD’s 2.6 miles high from having to be manufactured PER DAY.”
Apple uses DRM (Digital Rights Management, which is bad), and so does Microsoft Vista. Vista, the new windows, will harm the environment thanks to DRM (see why it’s bad?).
“There will be thousands of tonnes of dumped monitors, video cards, and whole computers that are perfectly capable of running Vista — except for the fact they lack the paranoid lock down mechanisms Vista forces you to use. That’s an offensive cost to the environment. Future archaeologists will be able to identify a “Vista Upgrade Layer” when they go through our landfill sites”
Be lazy and don’t upgrade to the awful Windows Vista.