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Pop culture's many takes on artificial intelligence
Over the years, artists, writers, filmmakers and game studios have all tackled the concept of artificial intelligence. Often their vision is of machines that are brutally hostile to humans. Philip K. Dick envisioned androids that murder their owners. The iconic HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey ... also murders his human companions. Of course, there's Skynet, which launches an all-out war on mankind. We could go on like this for a long time. But there are also those, like Spike Jonze, who envision us having a more complex relationship with computer-based personalities; one in which they could even be love interests. And in Star Trek: The Next Generation Data is not only a "good" android, but he's often the hero of the show. We've pulled together 13 of our favorite portrayals of AI over the years and put them in the gallery below. It is by no means comprehensive. So please, let us know what we missed in the comments or tweet at us (@engadget) to let us know your favorite AI character from the film, TV or books using the hashtag #EngadgetAIWeek.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy app coming to the iPad, Don't Panic decal not included
Canadian indie developer Hothead Games is producing a Hitchhikers Guide app, aiming to replicate the titular guide itself (rather than the novels). When it arrives this fall, we can expect beautifully animated sequences describing the Babel Fish and Vogon Poetry -- but just a single word about planet Earth (the addition of the word "Mostly" should come in a second, more sinister update). Visit the holding page and you'll hear the unmistakably honeyed tones of Simon Jones who played Arthur Dent in the original TV and radio series. If he's voicing the guide then this will be a must-have for fans, taking over a role made famous by Peter Jones, and later Stephen Fry in the movie. As the app is iOS only, Android users should probably still panic -- or make a trip to their local laser etching station.
Video: Kindle 2 sees the wrong end of a laser, recommends you don't panic
If there were anything a frequent traveler needs more than a towel (and money, and identification, and maybe a cellphone...) it's a Kindle 2. To celebrate its ability to provide free access to the world's great information repository from absolutely anywhere (within in the United States that has cellular access), Adafruit Industries has turned the K2 into something of an ode to Douglas Adams's great epic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. After a little burning action courtesy of its Epliog 35 watt laser (which we've seen in action before), the e-book reader now sports the most valuable advice ever given to a man (or alien). Sadly it still won't give you directions to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but it will at least let you download and start reading it in under a minute. Ford Prefect would be proud.
1.5 weeks with no 360, and somehow I live
Douglas Adams probably put it best when he said:"It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the phrase, 'as pretty as an airport.' Airports are ugly. Some are very ugly. Some attain a degree of ugliness that can only be the result of a special effort."It's unfortunate that any overseas flight must be bookended by airports, conductors of human misery that they are. Still, my new wife and I managed to have a nice time in Hawaii. I'm back now if you haven't already gathered. Was it just like Test Drive Unlimited? I really can't say, as I didn't actually drive anywhere on Oahu. Kauai -- the "Garden Isle" -- on the other hand, has a system of roads devised by a mad man. With, speed limits that go up and down for no apparent reason, outbound lanes that become inbound lanes at certain times of day, and mountain roads that could accurately be called evil, Kauai driving has a treacherous quality that belies the beautiful scenery. Anyway, I'm readjusting from Hawaii time -- it feels like 3:45AM to me -- and ready to get back to posting. I was going to post the happy news that Dig Dug is now available on XBLA for 400 points, but I see that Ken has gotten to it first. Bastard.
Q: What's better than a game? A: a free game
If you're itching to play a game but are short on cash, then don't panic: here's a list of more than 42 free games and places to find free games. The list ranges from the obvious (Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory) to the classics (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and all the way back to the original controversial game (Grand Theft Auto). A few of the games don't exactly fall into the "free" bracket (Air Hockey for example is actually a shareware game) but if you ignore this, there's a lot of fun to be had for not much more than a short wait while your download finishes. Make sure to drop us a line in the comments if you've found any other free titles.Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to try and figure out how to stop a bulldozer from pulling my house down.
