Bees as Efficient and Effective Homeland Security
1. A disability-themed anthology of speculative fiction.
"The fifteen authors and nine artists in this volume bring us beautiful, speculative stories of disability and mental illness in the future. Teeming with space pirates, battle robots, interstellar travel and genetically engineered creatures, every story and image is a quality, crafted work of science fiction in its own right, as thrilling and fascinating as it is worthy and important. These are stories about people with disabilities in all of their complexity and diversity, that scream with passion and intensity. These are stories that refuse to go gently."
2. A trip to see South Korea's semi-autonomous weaponry.
"The 'we' is important. The Super aEgis II, South Korea’s best-selling automated turret, will not fire without first receiving an OK from a human. The human operator must first enter a password into the computer system to unlock the turret’s firing ability. Then they must give the manual input that permits the turret to shoot. 'It wasn’t initially designed this way,' explains Jungsuk Park, a senior research engineer for DoDAAM, the turret’s manufacturer. Park works in the Robotic Surveillance Division of the company, which is based in the Yuseong tech district of Daejon. It employs 150 staff, most of whom, like Park, are also engineers. 'Our original version had an auto-firing system,' he explains. 'But all of our customers asked for safeguards to be implemented. Technologically it wasn’t a problem for us. But they were concerned the gun might make a mistake.'"
+ The hint of disappointment in the engineer's quote is disconcerting.
3. The bees of war.
"Rather than being used simply as weapons of war, bees have become involved in the search for what is beyond the reach of human senses. The behavior and physiology of bees have become instrumental in extending the capacity of the human senses. Bees have become zoosensors. The deployment of bees, or what military scientists call 'six-legged soldiers,' has resulted in new and intimate relationships. Experts have inscribed economic and military designs into the honeybee's nervous system, migration patterns, and community relations. There is a new bee managerialism. The capacities of bees for detection and intelligence gathering have been harnessed. As Homeland Security states, they are 'deploying bees as efficient and effective homeland security detective devices.'"
4. The lost museum of P.T. Barnum, including his 'amusement devices.'
"By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, inventors had created a range of automata, including automatic flute players, jugglers, singing birds, mechanical theatres and puppet shows, and all manner of animated clocks. Like many other showmen in Europe and America, Barnum recognized automata’s popular combination of science and illusion. While not exhibited at the American Museum, this automaton writer was created by Swiss clockmaker Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz and first displayed in 1774. With pad, pen, and inkwell, this automaton was capable of writing any phrase of up to 40 letters."
5. A 23-year-old South African woman received Africa's first drone pilot license.
"Many countries were still formulating regulations for the administration of drones, or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in aviation jargon. They are controlled either from the ground or by another aircraft. SACAA is currently processing approximately 10 drone pilot licences and 15 operator ones, following regulations for drones that came into effect at the beginning of the month. Swart could use her licence to fly a drone for corporate, commercial, or leisure purposes. 'It was important for me to get an RPAS pilot’s licence, as I believe technology is advancing rapidly and in the near future this mode of transport will be as common and necessary as cellular phones are in this era,' Swart said in the statement."
On Fusion: Digitally disentangling after a breakup or divorce has gotten so so complicated.
1. futurefire.com | @annegalloway 2. bbc.com 3. wiley.com | @npseaver 4. lostmuseum.cuny.edu | @dollyjurgenson 5. news24.com
Bees as Efficient and Effective Homeland Security