Ronald Reagan
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Hitting the Books: How Ronald Reagan torpedoed sensible drug patenting
Alexander Zaitchik's new book, Owning the Sun, is a fascinating look at the long, infuriating history of public research being exploited for private profit.
Hitting the Books: How NASA survived the Reagan era 'Dark Ages'
The US has not always led from the front when it comes to interplanetary exploration.
PAX Prime 2014: Upsilon Circuit debuts to the public
I'll echo what Eliot wrote back at PAX East earlier this year: Upsilon Circuit is almost certainly one of the strangest and most intriguing video game concepts I've ever seen. Part Diablo clone, part Smash TV, part Hunger Games, and part Max Headroom, it's a virtual game show there eight contestants fight to stay alive while the larger player audience helps or hurts the contestants as they wish. This is all overseen by a Ronald Reagan-ish game show host who will snark and deadpan the proceedings. The Robot Loves Kitty dev team said at this year's PAX Prime that the genesis for Upsilon Circuit came from seeing the surge of popularity for folks who watched other people livestream games. Why not take that voyeurism and make it more interactive? Thus, Upsilon Circuit was born.
Ronald Reagan library adds 250 iPod touch tour guides
Ronald Reagan would have celebrated his 100th birthday this past week, and the Presidential Library that bears his name has been updated with a US$15 million renovation. The Library has a variety of new exhibits and new technology, including 180 video screens, two teleprompters, a green screen and 250 iPod touches. More than a static display, the iPod touches are your virtual tour guide through the library and museum. The iPod touch provides an audio narrative of various exhibits throughout the building. Besides providing additional information about the museum, the iPod touch also lets you record video and take pictures of your experience. When the tour is over, these images and video clips are uploaded to a central server from which you can download your memories or share them with your friends on Facebook or Twitter.
Air Force pushing for ground-based, satellite-killing lasers
In a proposal that would surely bring a tear to the late Ronald Reagan's eye, Air Force officials are attempting to co-opt $5.7 million from the 2007 budget for developing high-energy lasers that could be used to destroy enemy satellites (because, you know, al Qaeda is launching birds left and right). So far a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee has "shot down" the program, which would build on a 1997 Pentagon study of a two-million-watt laser, although the full committee could reinstate the provision following analysis of the entire bill. While certain military interests have pushed for anti-satellite weapons since the Cold War, concern over the space junk that destroyed sats would create has kept the international community from serious pursuit of any "Star Wars"-like programs. Although we're always keen on new military tech (hey, it gives us something to write about), we're gonna have to side with the Doubting Thomases on this one, because the impending "ROBO-ONE in the Space" satellite is simply too important to risk even a single stray laser strike.
