The Deep

Remember PES, the fellow who did the video of humping furniture....

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 07, 2011 - Comments (5)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Fish, Stop-motion Animation

Kitchen Kabaret

Kitchen Kabaret Tribute from Martins Videos on Vimeo.

How many, many nightmares Walt Disney & Co. did inspire!

Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 27, 2010 - Comments (1)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Food, Music

Grape Escape

A major contributor to youth violence, no doubt, and consequently banned forever! But it would be fun to be able to still buy this today, on Black Friday.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 26, 2010 - Comments (7)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Death, Games, Children, 1990s

Weird Science – Watch and Learn

Outside it is not much to look at, little more than a discoloured rock dredged up from the sea floor. But an x-ray scan of the object, actually a pocket watch recovered from a 17th century shipwreck, has revealed that the internal mechanism has been perfectly preserved. The computer aided tomography system used was sensitive enough to pick out the tiniest details, included the engraved name of the master watchmaker, one Niccholas Higginson of Westminster, London (Gizmodo).

As if more proof were needed that they don’t build them like they used to, a UK group has started collecting donations to build the first fully working version of Babbage’s “Analytical Engine”. The original design, dating from 1837, was never completed, possibly due to a combination of the strict engineering tolerances needed and Babbage’s notoriously prickly temperament. If the final machine works as advertised, it will be very strong confirmation of the claim that Babbage designed the first general purpose, programmable computer (BBC News).

Meanwhile, in Slovenia, Borut Povse and his team are busy teaching a modern descendant of Babbage’s design to hit people. Somehow Povse has convinced six volunteers to let an industrial robot hit them on the arm with various sharp or blunt implements in an effort to determine how much pain each blow causes. Obviously this has a beneficial use in that robots can be programmed not to exceed certain levels of force near a human obstacle, but will also be of immense interest to the machines during any future robot uprising (New Scientist).

Another robot out to supplant humans is HRP-4, a gynoid (female android), that has learnt to sing by copying the inflection and expressions of a human performer, right down to the breathing. The hope is to make robots behave in a more convincingly natural way, and so overcome the so called ‘uncanny valley’. From the video, it looks like they’ve still got a way to go (Daily Mail).



More in extended >>

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Fri Oct 22, 2010 - Comments (5)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Charities and Philanthropy, Futurism, History, Archaeology, Injuries, NGOs, Robots, Science, Technology

Wombles

Are there any UK adults of a certain generation who remain undamaged by THE WOMBLES?

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 23, 2010 - Comments (7)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Drugs, Nature, Pop Culture, Television, 1970s, Europe

Follies of the Mad Men #106

[From Life magazine for September 12, 1949.]

This is someone's foot. With a face drawn on the sole. Wearing a collar and tie, glasses, and a hat. With fake "head" hair attached. I know it's "just a drawing." But the concept is ludicrous and creepy. I will not buy your shoes, Mr. Roblee!

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 01, 2010 - Comments (3)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Body, Feet, Business, Advertising, Products, Fashion, Shoes, 1940s

Follies of the Mad Men #104

[From Life magazine for April 13, 1942.]

Oh, God, no! Take it away! Make me unsee the horrible monster known as "Pipe with a Human Face!"

Posted By: Paul - Fri May 28, 2010 - Comments (7)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Horror, Tobacco and Smoking, 1940s