Blue Brain
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One of the big philosophical questions could be answered soon; “What is consciousness?”. Perhaps, in the process, a more unexpected question may be also answered; “Can we build it?” After 15 years and more than 150 000 neuroscientific experiments exploring anatomical, electrical and genetic properties of the rat’s neocortex, Henry Markham and his team at Blue Brain project could finally start building the most complex structure known to man – a brain. The goal of the project is to simulate the rat’s neocortex which is the most recently evolved brain structure and could be found only in mammals. Any neocortex is the center of higher cognitive processes, and as such, very complex even in such a small creature. Neocortex is organized in six layers, with thousands of columns that span through all of them. Each column consists of thousands of neurons, which create tens of millions of neural connections. To simulate a single neuron, in its full functionality, the amount of energy needed is equal to that of a lap-top computer. An estimate of annual electrical bill was put at $3 billion. Apart from that, very powerful computing was necessary to simulate even of the cortical columns. The problem was obvious, and so was the solution – talk to IBM. The project received a green light (in form of the Blue Gene supercomputer), and is go from 2005. In just two years, Mr. Markham and his team managed to simulate the works of a rat’s cortical column, and noted behavior already observed in years of neuroscientific experiments. What this means is that the Blue Brain team managed to create a working, self-determined, virtual part of a rat’s brain. Implications of this success are immense, one of the obvious being – the technique for simulating the work of any brain is established! With a bit of juice and some computing power, the Emancipation of the Machines is just around the corner. But, taking it slowly, it’ll suffice to simulate an entire rat brain first.
Individual neuron
Blue forest; A forest of neurons
The neurons from the fifth layer of neocortex
Images © IBM/EPFL Source: 1
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The Shooting Artist
A painstakingly dull process of repeatedly firing a small caliber gun, close range, into a painted sheet of aluminium, is called Deweaponizing the gun. This seemingly useless task, one which should never involve a sane person, is not, as we find
The Shooting Artist
A painstakingly dull process of repeatedly firing a small caliber gun, close range, into a painted sheet of aluminium, is called Deweaponizing the gun. This seemingly useless task, one which should never involve a sane person, is not, as we find
We found a fingerprint, detective!
You know how a forensic artist can draw/sketch a suspect’s face using information from an interview with the victim? Kevin Van Aelst, in an exercise similar to those of the CSI, replicates, to a very high degree of accuracy, his own
We found a fingerprint, detective!
You know how a forensic artist can draw/sketch a suspect’s face using information from an interview with the victim? Kevin Van Aelst, in an exercise similar to those of the CSI, replicates, to a very high degree of accuracy, his own
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Earlier we published an article about fashion accessories made from various foods. Now, with appropriately cooked clothing, we can finally be, fully and tastefully dressed. A crew of 15, led by Ami Goodheart, designed, cooked and assembled the tasty garments.
That’s a tasty dress!
Earlier we published an article about fashion accessories made from various foods. Now, with appropriately cooked clothing, we can finally be, fully and tastefully dressed. A crew of 15, led by Ami Goodheart, designed, cooked and assembled the tasty garments.
Rest in Peace, Doc!
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Rest in Peace, Doc!
Seeing how all of the favorite cartoon characters of our childhood are now deceased or living exclusively in Disneyland, replaced by various Pokemon clones on TV, we find this Natural History museum – like setting quite appropriate. “What’s up, Doc?”
Disgruntled Facebook Friends
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Disgruntled Facebook Friends
This is what happens – Adam Ellis, who never eats tomatoes, ever, has some time on his hands. Feeling somewhat bored, he browses through photos of his friends on Facebook and creates cartoonish, caricaturish drawings of the ones he finds
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Wordscapes
Paris, Zurich, New York and London have been verbally mapped. Ursula Hitz has designed detailed and accurate maps of these cities, using typography. She hand creates letters that name city boroughs with respect to their placement and size. These maps
Skulls and Bones
A frequent subject of Maskull Lasserre‘s sculpting work is a skull. This Canadian/South African artist is a highly imaginative explorer of the mundane, whose expeditions, in the end, reveal anything but. He studied philosophy, visual art and sculpture – all
Skulls and Bones
A frequent subject of Maskull Lasserre‘s sculpting work is a skull. This Canadian/South African artist is a highly imaginative explorer of the mundane, whose expeditions, in the end, reveal anything but. He studied philosophy, visual art and sculpture – all
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Happy Winter & the Time of Your Life
Innovation is key, and a playful mind is what will get you there. Owen Gildersleeve is a London based illustrator and a designer with a taste for new. Although he uses computers, naturally, his work is characterized better by unique
Matt Groening’s Apple
In 1989, father of The Simpsons was commissioned by Apple to create a brochure to advertise Macs to students. He used characters from his comic book Life in Hell, and various student stereotypes. It was called Who needs a computer
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In 1989, father of The Simpsons was commissioned by Apple to create a brochure to advertise Macs to students. He used characters from his comic book Life in Hell, and various student stereotypes. It was called Who needs a computer
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Gerhard Mayer is an educated German multidisciplinary artist, with varied interests. In his sculptures, he investigates visible effects of quantum physics – his drawings are made using seven simple shapes – and his puzzle work is, well, puzzling. It’s in