School day's romance

A note passed to a young woman during class. A rather novel way of showing affection.

Romance via a paper on physics

Unusual and unique, but let's see what the emotions will be in 10 years.

"Scientist floors girlfriend with physics paper-like proposal"

February 28th, 2013

THE TIMES OF INDIA

It could well be the geekiest marriage proposal when an Australian physicist got down on his knees to propose to his scientist girlfriend, pulling out a scientific report rather than a ring.

Christie Nelan revealed online how Brendan McMonigal asked her the all-important question in the form of a proposal that had, like any university paper, an introduction, results, difficult lingo such as "principle bodies" and even a graph, according to news.com.au. Nelan, who said 'yes' to the unusual proposal, published a link to a digital copy of the 'report' that went viral, viewed over 1.7 million times with umpteen Facebook shares and dozens of news articles. Interestingly, the graph in the proposal plots their future happiness if they spent the rest of their lives together.

The couple, who now plan to tie the knot next month, said they met as first-year science students at the University of Sydney. "We got to know each other pretty quickly since we had a lot of common classes, both doing advanced maths and advanced physics," McMonigal said. Seven years later, Nelan who returned from a work trip received the 'scientific proposal', a plan McMonigal was working on for some time and who "knew it would be perfect".

Nelan didn't notice that he had gone down on on his knees when he handed her the report and she put it away to read after dinner. "I hesitated because it was only one page, which is very short for your average physics paper, and then I realized Brendan was giving me a very odd look. So I looked at the paper more carefully and realized Brendan was the author," Nelan said. The report titled 'Two Body Interactions: A Longitudinal Study', examined the couple's attraction over an extended period of time, including their love for hydrometeors, the effects of a two-week break up and homemade cooking.

"... I read the abstract and conclusion first, which means it was a proposal before reading the whole thing," she said. It "projected happiness with high confidence" if she accepted his proposal that the "study goes on indefinitely".

"Justice League", issue #12--Superman and Wonder Woman get romantic, etc., etc.

What will comic editors do to prolong a superhero?

"Wonder Woman and Superman are now officially doing it"

by

Cyriaque Lamar   

August 22nd, 2012

io9

After decades of cavorting with human women — and occasionally being brainwashed into making pornos with superhuman gals — Superman has found a cervix hardy enough to withstand his ballistic Kryptonian seed. In next week's issue of Justice League, Superman and Wonder Woman will officially become the DC Universe's new power couple. Commence the atmospheric diddling!

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Justice League writer Geoff Johns revealed that "this is the new status quo" for the two iconic heroes. Where's Lois Lane? Her marriage to Superman was annulled when reality was rewritten, which is the easiest way to weasel your way out of a prenuptial agreement in a comic book universe.

Johns also claimed that many people will have a lot to say about these heroes shacking up, presumably...because they're orbiting the Earth as a star-spangled beast with two backs, their supersonic coitus destroying satellites, flocks of geese, and weather balloons. This story hits next Wednesday, August 29 in Justice League #12. Hopefully this will go better than that time Maxima, an alien warrior, became a supervillain because Superman refused to act as a big blue turkey baster.

Robotic romance?

"Tomorrow’s Romantic Robots could Capture our Hearts"

by

Dick Pelletier

April 29th, 2012

Instititute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

Although many today might find the idea of romance with a machine repulsive, experts predict that as the technology advances and robots become more human-like, we will view our silicon creations in a much friendlier light.

By 2025-to-2030, robots are expected to fill rolls as caregivers and servants, as well as avatars that manage our auto-drive cars, automated homes, and complex entertainment systems.

James Irvine and Sandra Schwarzbach, in a recent Futurist Magazine article, predict that the world will predominantly be driven by two fields: robotics and biotech. These areas will surpass information technologies by 2025, and dominate science research over the next 50 years.

Today’s machines can vacuum our homes, stand in as pets, explore planets, and assist in surgeries. Future ‘bots will do much more. Think brain-machine interfaces that allow handicapped patients to control prosthetic limbs. Or imagine swarms of mosquito-size flying ‘bots that can search collapsed buildings for trapped victims; and spy on terrorists holding people hostage, then relaying Intel back to authorities.

Technologies to build robots that perceive their surroundings, move themselves, and perform tasks without human oversight should reach fruition by 2030 or before, experts say. By 2035, our silicon friends could exhibit human-like consciousness with flesh-like skin; and possess traits vital for a loving partner.

Jason Nemeth, in his essay Should Robots Feel, believes love-companion robots will be practical in the future, and may one day satisfy all our intimate desires. Nemeth is not sure whether human/robot love will experience higher success rates than love between two humans, but he says tomorrow’s robots will unlock the possibilities, and a few bold humans willing to experiment will take it from there.

Carnegie Mellon’s Hans Moravec believes that by late 2020s, we will create robots in humanoid form, powered by fuel cells and cooled by a squeeze pump that beats like a heart with alcohol cooling its circuits. Robots would ‘drink wine’ for fuel, breathe air like us, and appear amazingly human-like.

Design tricks like these, along with soft ‘nanoskin’ will make tomorrow’s ‘bots seem uncannily human, encouraging us to perceive them as friends. Author Ray Kurzweil says tomorrow’s ‘droids could quickly learn to flesh out our positive feelings, providing an addictive allure almost impossible for us to resist.

David Levy, author of Love and Sex with Robots, predicts that as robots become more sophisticated, growing numbers of adventurous humans will enter into intimate relationships with these intelligent ‘bots.

A robot partner would be the perfect mate, never showing boredom or being inattentive, Levy says. You will always be the focus and centerpiece of their existence and you never need worry about their being unfaithful or going astray, because loyalty and being faithful are embedded in their programming.

What about the seamy side of, say, robo escorts. Would this be legal where human prostitution is not? Would we call it infidelity if a spouse indulges in robot passion? In addition, how will religious supporters react to confirmation that the deepest human thoughts and achievements can be duplicated in machines?

Levy doesn’t deny that romantic robots won’t pose problems. In fact, at first, robo-loving may only appeal to loners and misfits, he says; but that really shouldn’t matter. There are millions of lonely people without regular sex lives or relationships. A world where everyone has someone to love and to be loved would raise happiness levels everywhere. It could even be instrumental in achieving global peace.

However, there are robots rights issues to consider. Tomorrows ‘bots may prompt lawmakers to make it illegal to ‘turn off’ a robot without their permission. In addition, should robots and humans marry? If future robots can evoke true love, robo-human marriages might one day become legal and socially acceptable.

As wild as human-machine relationships might seem today, there are reasons to think that love and sex with robots will happen. Robots are already better in math, logic, chess, and games like Jeopardy. With an intelligent mind, and a beautiful sexy human-like body, these ‘bots could easily capture our hearts.

This romantic robot journey winds around unknown turns; but whether you love it or hate it; strong commercial support insures that this futuristic world will be ours to experience. Comments welcome.

 The all-singing, all-dancing female robot that can now be operated using just a mouse

Nano undies

Was it worth billions to discover long-lasting underwear? This may provide a new twist to seduction.

"To boldly go where no undies have gone before"

by

Jeff Mullin

August 1st, 2009

Commentary

Many people doubt the value of America's manned space program and the billions of dollars spent on it annually.

These naysayers simply don't see what good comes from going to space.

The value of human exploration of space is lost on them. They get no thrill from knowing men and women have left this mortal coil for the blackness of space, that men have walked on the moon and littered the rocky orb's surface like inconsiderate campers.

The fact is, the U.S. space program has spawned dozens of products, from enhanced baby formula to advanced means of breast cancer detection.

NASA research has helped give us scratch-resistant lenses, more aerodynamic golf balls, voice-controlled wheelchairs, improved aircraft engines and advanced lubricants.

But the latest innovation to come through the space research and development pipeline may just be the most significant — semi-permanent underwear.

Astronaut Koichi Wakata spent the past four and one-half months aboard the International Space Station. He only had four pairs of underwear. And he didn't wash them, not even in the sink. He wore the same pair of bionic BVDs for a month.

The space-age, Japanese-designed skivvies are made of cotton and polyester, are silver-coated and seamless. The high-tech drawers are kind of a cross between briefs and boxers — call them broxers.

According to Wakata, who returned to earth last week with the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, he says he received no complaints from crew mates on the space station about his long-term long johns. Of course in space no one can hear you say "What is that smell?"

Also, the toilets on the ISS always are malfunctioning, so perhaps Wakata's uncommon union suit was merely a minor contributor to the station's ambiance. However, after the shuttle left the station, one of the major air-purifying systems failed. There is no word whether Wakata's interplanetary panties were a contributing factor.

But maybe they really work. The out-of-this-world underclothes, dubbed J-Wear, are anti-bacterial, water-absorbent, odor-eliminating, anti-static and flame retardant. J-Wear also comes in socks, shirts and pants.

Underwear that doesn't require frequent washing would be a must on long-term space missions like an eventual trip to Mars or beyond. There are no laundromats on other planets, and, even if there were, who would want to spend their whole trip watching a dryer spin?

Beyond the space program, if J-Wear passes the smell test, so to speak, it could be a boon to humanity that could rank right up there with the greatest inventions of all time, like the wheel, penicillin and pizza.

Think of the advantages for young men leaving home for the first time, bachelors or busy mothers. No more once a week trips to the laundry room, those could be reduced to monthly visits instead. Or perhaps could be reduced to zero. J-Wear is disposable.

During my college days I didn't wash clothes until the laundry bag was full and/or the drawers in the battered old dorm dresser were empty. I would stuff as many clothes as I could in one washer, plug in a couple of quarters and leave. When I returned my undies were not only clean, but often had taken on lovely pastel hues.

Moms, do you feel like your entire life is spent shuttling kids around, cooking or doing laundry? J-Wear won't help you with the first two problems, but your wash-day chores could be lessened considerably. This could be seen as one small step for a man, one giant leap for Mom-kind.

Can you imagine being able to wear the same clothes for a month before they needed to be washed? Not that you'd wear the same outfit every day, but instead of putting your clothes in the hamper every night, you'd just hang them up and wear them again — rather like I do now anyway.

I will wear clothes day after day until my wife gets wind of me and tosses them in the laundry basket. Sometimes the cats will give me away when they begin pawing the ground next to me like they are trying to bury something foul in their litter box.

The success of J-Wear would be detrimental to the makers of washers and dryers, as well as companies marketing laundry detergent. Sales of deodorant, perfume, cologne and body wash, however, likely would skyrocket.

For the record, Wakata brought his dirty drawers home with him in his suitcase, much like a college student returning home on break. If the NASA technicians opening the astronaut’s suitcase don't gag, faint or run screaming from the room, the experiment will be a success. Either that or they are mothers of teen-agers and are immune to such olfactory shocks.


ISS necessary?

Sex in space--redux

This morning I received a reply to "Sex in space taken seriously" by reader David. The link he offered was quite relevant and deserved a better presentation than a mere reply buried in this blog. It concerns a rather serious and complicated issue of "sex in space". David's reference was to a documentary that appeared on the History Channel on December 2nd, 2008.

David also cites...

"Outer-space sex carries complications"

Sex in space taken seriously
Sex in space--amusing but a problem

In passing...

Philip José Farmer
January 26th, 1918 to February 25th, 2009

"Philip José Farmer, Daring Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 91"

Clyde Caldwell's cover art for Philip José Farmer's Strange Relations