A working robot controlled by a slime mould, and designed and built in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, will play a starring role in a major BBC4/Discovery Channel feature to be aired in the autumn. A production team from BBC Scotland spent a whole day in ECS this week, filming with… Continue reading A working robot controlled by a slime mould, Dalek anyone?
Author: Stable Genius
I am the very model of a Stable Genius Liberal.
European and US Employment
Lots of people have an image of Europe as an economic pit of doom, with millions of prime-age workers sitting idle thanks to the welfare state. And there was some truth to that image 15 years ago. But things got better over there even as they got worse here: Even before the Great Recession struck,… Continue reading European and US Employment
Freedom and The Weak State
Francis Fukuyama challenges the assumption that freedom and a strong central state are opposing values: … In contemporary China, many of the worst abuses of peasant rights, violations of environmental and safety laws, and cases of gross corruption are the work not of the central government in Beijing but of local party officials or of the… Continue reading Freedom and The Weak State
Marxist class struggle as the root of Conservative activism
If you replace the phrase Liberal Elite with Bourgeoisie the rants of many social conservatives sound disturbingly like Marxist class struggle. Notably, talk about the Liberal Media is phrased like Marxist class struggle with the phases like real American as place holders for the word proletariat.
The Moore’s Law of solar energy
That is changing. Over the last 30 years, researchers have watched as the price of capturing solar energy has dropped exponentially. There’s now frequent talk of a “Moore’s law” in solar energy. In computing, Moore’s law dictates that the number of components that can be placed on a chip doubles every 18 months. More practically… Continue reading The Moore’s Law of solar energy
Paul Ryan booed at his own town hall
A constituent lays out the problem of growing concentration of wealth in the top 1 percent of the U.S. population, and then questions the wisdom of continuing to give tax breaks to the wealthy. He is applauded by the audience. Ryan, in response, attacks the notion that wealth should be redistributed, and says “we do… Continue reading Paul Ryan booed at his own town hall
More Crony Appointments From Scott Walker
In picking a new register of deeds for Marinette County, Gov. Scott Walker picked a Republican campaign worker with no experience with land records and vital records. From More Crony Appointments From Scott Walker Anyone surprised?
30 percent of households making 250k+ think “upper-income” people pay too little?
Gallup poll that found only 6 percent of households making over $250,000 think their taxes are too low but 30 percent of that same group thinks “upper-income” people pay too little in taxes. She blames “this disconnect on the fact that upper-income people don’t realize they’re upper income.” From Andrew Sullivan – The Daily Beast Maybe… Continue reading 30 percent of households making 250k+ think “upper-income” people pay too little?
Koch Industries Says That Koch Political Activities Are Motivated By Considerations Of Corporate Profit
From Koch Industries Says That Koch Political Activities Are Motivated By Considerations Of Corporate Profit Anyone surprised by this?
The Party’s Over?
A listing of events on the umbrella group Trea Party Patriots’ website for Monday and Friday showed a total of 145 events — the same listing shows 638 events on tax day 2010. From The Party’s Over? Can we stop pretending the Tea Party movement is something other than the republican base with funny hats?