Virtual Eve: first in human computer interaction

Shaun Saunders sends in this piece from Physorg.com with the comment

Meet the software behind the Infopanels of mallcity 14!!!!!!!!!!

The near-human performance of a virtual teacher called Eve created by Massey researchers has drawn the attention of scientists across the computing world. Eve is what is known in the information sciences as an intelligent or affective tutoring system that can adapt its response to the emotional state of people by interaction through a computer system. he ability of virtual Eve to alter her presentation according to the reaction of the child facing her at the keyboard has been hailed as an exciting development. Although Eve was developed for one-to-one maths teaching with eight-year-olds, she is a significant new character in the future of human computer interaction and could be a personalised virtual tutor by any name.

(of course Shaun would say that it will make intelligent billboard or his "infopanels" that closer to reality. Yep, dead on Shaun!)

Beowulf - just a minor bitch

Ok, not having seen the film yet, and not even sure we can even really classify this one AS science fiction, though in truth it does seem to resemble what we have come to accept as a space opera...oh I know already....there ain't in Beowulf... but all you have to do is look at the promos and you will see the similarities. No, my bitch is just an observation on the script writers who are doing the trailer scripts. I know you have seen this one... its where you see non-stop carnage and the announcer is saying "Beowulf, you'll leave the theater screaming for more!" Now this precious line caught my interest right off the bat. My first reaction was..."what idiot wrote that line?!" I mean, think about it for a second.....at the end of a satisfying meal, you don't kick back and scream "I want more!" No! you might say..."Damn, I can't wait until I have that meal again!" Or "I will be back to eat here again!" Nope, coming out of a theater screaming for more, came across as...what? that's all!? That's it?! WTF! Gimme my money back! What a gyp! I want more! ok, I know, nit picking, but screaming for more sounds like your dissatisfied - Don't you think it should be....Beowulf, you'll want to see it over and over again....
ok, I'm done

Actor Dick Wilson, "the Charmin man," Dies

British-born actor Dick Wilson, who will forever be known as the "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin" man, died 19 November 2007 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. From 1964 to 1985, he played the grocer, Mr. Whipple, who always found himself squeezing the product. His few genre film roles included parts in The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) and Diary of a Madman (1963). But he was far more a television actor, and his genre appearances on the small screen were much more numerous, including: Fantasy Island (1978), Tabitha (1977), the two-part Disneyland episode "The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton" (1974), 18 episodes of Bewitched (1965-1972), two episodes of I Dream of Jeannie (1969), two episodes of Get Smart! (1966 and 1968), The Flying Nun (1967), My Mother the Car (1966), The Munsters (1965), three episodes of My Favorite Martian (1963 and 1964), My Living Doll (1964), and two episodes of The Twilight Zone (1959 and 1963).
ap photo Wilson as Mr. Whipple

The Best Science Fiction Books of the Year

Michael Berry at the San Francisco Chronicle has put together a list of what he considers the best Science Fiction books of the year. It's a very interesting list with a great mix of authors. Here is the list, for Michael's reviews click here or on the article title to go to the complete story in the Chronicle

Michael Berry

The Sons of Heaven By Kage Baker
One for Sorrow By Christopher Barzak
Territory By Emma Bull
20th Century Ghosts By Joe Hill
Un Lun Dun By China Mieville
Empire of Ivory By Naomi Novik
The Name of the Wind By Patrick Rothfuss
Bad Monkeys By Matt Ruff
The Terror By Dan Simmons
Halting State By Charles Stross

post from SFSignals.com

Bionic Woman, other shows "suspended"

From SF Scope online

Variety reported this morning that "Universal Media Studios on Thursday began notifying the regulars on NBC's Bionic Woman, The Office, and 30 Rock that the studio is suspending them, citing the force majeure provisions in their SAG contracts."

Force majeure essentially equates to "act of God," meaning the studios are pretending that they had no control over these circumstances. By throwing everyone out of work, they are hoping to make the actors and directors angry at the writers, hopefully splitting the solidarity of the strike. We'll see how that works out in that notoriously incestuous town. I tell you, it's like watching the Medicis at work.