My renewed posting, if anything. But somehow, this seemed significant. A node, marked:

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080528/full/453577c.html

"Japan to allow limited human embryonic cloning

Last week, an expert committee in Japan's science ministry agreed to lift a 2001 ban on human cloning for research purposes."
...

What was equally interesting to me is a comment to the post, that Japan can (apparently) already produce mass quantities of iPS (Induced pluripotent stem) cells which are artificially produced, and supposed to be as good as the real thing, i.e. embryonic stem cells. So, the comment says, why ^bother^ cloning...

Uhm, sure, ok...

The choices that confront us in the CE21st.
According to Wikipedia iPS cell tech is 2yo already. I must have missed it, or forgotten it again.

And so we ride the peaks and troughs of the wave of novelty.



Cross-posted to the Neuro News topic: Check this entry on boingboing:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/28/bionic-monkeys-eat.html

robotic arms jacked into monkey, monkey uses them to eat.



Times like these I like to remind myself that we've had cybernetics since the ancient oracles...informations systems interface...

quote:

Originally posted by protoshodan:
Cross-posted to the Neuro News topic: Check this entry on boingboing:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/28/bionic-monkeys-eat.html

robotic arms jacked into monkey, monkey uses them to eat.

See also Warren Ellis' reaction to news of robotic monkey arms:

quote:

Monkeys are well known, after all, for, well… non-consensual sexual activities. And I frankly refuse to end my life desperately trying to fend off a monkey-powered robot fisting. I mean, is that really the future you wanted?

Yikes!

quote:

I mean, is that really the future you wanted?

I was once offered $50 (30 years ago), by two drunk gay truck drivers, for a blue corduroy Future Farmers of America jacket.

They liked the acronym: FFA: Fist Fuckers of America. I declined and gave it to my girlfriend, who was delighted, and promptly dumped for a woman.

When monkeys have manic robotic fist-fuck arms, I'll have a titanium rectum with zirconium teeth.

But I still won't have that way cool jacket.

quote:

Originally posted by colin:

quote:

Originally posted by protoshodan:
Cross-posted to the Neuro News topic: Check this entry on boingboing:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/28/bionic-monkeys-eat.html

robotic arms jacked into monkey, monkey uses them to eat.

See also Warren Ellis' reaction to news of robotic monkey arms:

quote:

Monkeys are well known, after all, for, well… non-consensual sexual activities. And I frankly refuse to end my life desperately trying to fend off a monkey-powered robot fisting. I mean, is that really the future you wanted?

Funny stuff.