Four short links: 15 July 2016
Cybernetics History, Cybersecurity Report, Ranch Robots, and Planned Obsolescence
- Digging into the Archaeology of the Future — review of Rise of the Machines, a history of cybernetics. See also The Future as a Way of Life.
- Royal Society’s Cybersecurity Research Report (PDF) — RECOMMENDATION 1: Governments must commit to preserving the robustness of encryption, including end-to-end encryption, and promoting its widespread use.
- Swagbot to Herd Cattle on Australian Ranches (IEEE) — researchers from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney, led by Dr. Salah Sukkarieh, have designed and tested an all-terrain robot called SwagBot that’s designed to be able to drive over almost anything while helping humans manage their ranchland.
- The LED Quandry: Why There’s No Such Thing as Built to Last (New Yorker) — building bulbs to last turns out to pose a vexing problem: no one seems to have a sound business model for such a product.
