Octopus Overlords

This has been making its way around as "bats filmed upside down looks like a goth nightclub":

Flying foxes are cute. They are like Chihuahuas with wings.

Here is another high quality Hagerty car video drag race.

Just wanted to turn you on to a channel Ive found recently to be fun and interesting. Its a site with a guy who tells info and stories on many different things with a pleasing voice and good info.

Thoughty2

Are you a Trekkie?

Police Squad was so ahead of its time when it aired on ABC. It was the funniest thing I ever watched on TV and I have fond memories laughing hysterically with my Uncle.

I loved this show. We even had a thread on it here at OO.

I like that Maverick.

TIL that you can watch Isabella Rossellini's pornos on Youtube.

wtf

and what is TIL?

TIL = Today I Learned

I dont get exactly what that robot is or how much it does on its own or under a persons controls with a controller. Like that video where he gets the tools puts a board up to walk on then twist tosses the tools up to the guy knocks off a box to hop down on then flips on down. Is that some one controlling it? Is it all pre programmed into him and he just starts a planned movement phase from point a to point b or does someone just say they need that tool bag there and the robot does all its own thinking and decides what to do and how to do it? Because that last seems way sci fi yet and would entail a very smart very near sentient robot like in Star Wars and such.

The second video explains most of that. Humans give the high level commands and the robot is gradually getting better at carrying them out autonomously. It's still a long way to "hey, do this" and the robot doing it. But they're getting there in baby steps.

It's interesting to notice that they are now seemingly comfortable letting the robot fall from a height and with huge weights attached ("we can fix it").

I'm pretty sure that Boston Dynamics has always been of the mindset that "we can fix it" when it comes to their robots getting knocked about. IIRC, their earliest videos went viral specifically because they were putting the boots to one of their quadruped robots to demonstrate that it could get knocked around and regain it's footing and balance.

Max Peck wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 2:51 pm I'm pretty sure that Boston Dynamics has always been of the mindset that "we can fix it" when it comes to their robots getting knocked about. IIRC, their earliest videos went viral specifically because they were putting the boots to one of their quadruped robots to demonstrate that it could get knocked around and regain it's footing and balance.

Sure, but this is the next level. I recall those videos being impressive for the same reason - they were able to perform and handle true adversity better than anything before. And the videos before that were impressive because they could walk by themselves and had no bungee cords. And the videos before that were impressive because they could walk by themselves, never mind the bungee cords.

So, again... I'm truly impressed they are doing running backflips with 100lb barbells in hand. Leave me alone.

Did anyone else find it off-putting when the robot fell down and the engineers yanked it around the room to fix it treating it like the machine it was? It's so lifelike that I had trouble remembering it's just a bunch of gears and pistons that needed to be fixed at times.

I did not.

stessier wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 4:51 pm Did anyone else find it off-putting when the robot fell down and the engineers yanked it around the room to fix it treating it like the machine it was? It's so lifelike that I had trouble remembering it's just a bunch of gears and pistons that needed to be fixed at times.

It's not just you. From Ars Technica:

For anyone else that fell in love with synths and emulators in the 1980's.

Max Peck wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 2:51 pm I'm pretty sure that Boston Dynamics has always been of the mindset that "we can fix it" when it comes to their robots getting knocked about. IIRC, their earliest videos went viral specifically because they were putting the boots to one of their quadruped robots to demonstrate that it could get knocked around and regain it's footing and balance.

And that's the sequence that got lampooned / twisted by Corridor DIgital.

Only one minute long.

Kinda nice and nuts. But that couch is right in the way of everything. maybe he uses it as a ladder to reach the higher controllers.

This made me happy

For a few seconds I thought Cool a new muppets movie and its a crime one...doh. Then I noticed actors I knew weren't the younger age they were in the 70s and 80s lol.

Dog the acting pet from Mad Max 2.

Ok this is a really GREAT video on dogs and their intelligence and love. Dont skip it if you're a animal lover. Its another feel good thing. Pretty amazing too. I wasn't sure to put it in Science or the Pet stories thread but decided it would be seen more here.

Also dont allow the 13 minute time to intimidate you as it will fly by.

If he could make a plasma accordion Weird Al might be interested.

heres you'z strumpets zomething special.



Then theres this...I built my share of them in the early 90s. Still have many hanging from fishing line on the ceiling.

15 minutes of your time but worth every bit.

This is not new, obviously, but it's been a long time since I watched it.