Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities

Judy the Robot Name: May Chau- Date: 2002-03-29 15:58:43 Link to this Comment: 1637

Overall, I thought the performance was very enjoyable. Even though I was skeptical the whole time whether or not Judy was just a voice recording and puppet. Every time Judy said she "felt" or "liked" something, I was wondering how that was possible. I was a little disappointed at the end when they called the performance a fraud. Judy was just a mechanical puppet. It had never learned to read with his daughter and never did the dishes. I was expecting a little more from the so called "robot", but it was still a good and funny performance.

Comments and Questions Name: Doug Blank Date: 2002-04-01 12:10:24 Link to this Comment: 1658

Thanks to the Center for Science in Society, the discussion leaders (Deepak Kumar, Paul Grobstein, Anjali Thapar, and Mark Lord), Tom, Judy, and the others who helped make the show possible (Lisa, Lisa, and Ralph). Also, thanks to everyone that made it to the show.

Feel free to post any comments and questions (like May has already done) that you have regarding the show, or any of the many issues that the show brought up.

Some questions you might ponder: What aspect of the show did you find yourself reacting to the most? Why? Which portions of Judy's behavior do believe may be possible someday? Which parts stretched your imagination?

Name: Hedya Arya Date: 2002-04-02 13:45:16 Link to this Comment: 1679

I too enjoyed the general theme of the performance. Much of the interactions with Judy involving the "keeping busy" aspects (such as playing chess, having simple conversation, etc.) I could see in robot technology at some point. With the more "philosophical" questions, however, I doubt that it would be in the capacity of a robot. For example, when Judy was asking why she would ever need to be updated or modified, and seemed to be offended by the idea, I think that requires too much of a human conception of itself to be affected that way.

C-Sem Name: Lelani Date: 2002-04-02 15:56:00 Link to this Comment: 1680

I thought that the show was pretty cool. I had to keep checking the program though--I kept thinking the guy was a robotics engineer. But then I realized that it was just theatrics (I think that the program said he used to be a circus performer), but it offered some insight into what we are discussing in class. I especially enjoyed the funny part at the end when Judy tricks Tom into changing places with her and then Tom tries to trick Prof. Blank and Prof. Kumar.

But I would still like to see some *real* robots...

Judy and Harding Name: Liz Nuttin Date: 2002-04-02 19:21:21 Link to this Comment: 1685

I found myself thinking this week how would Sandra Harding respond to Judy? In some ways, the show's "punch" relied on precisely the sort of essentializing that Harding suggests we want to move away from. Judy was upset by the idea that Tom might dismantle her or use some of her components for another robot; but Harding suggests that is precisely one of the strengths of cyborg culture! Do we have to see Judy as a "whole" in order to see her as a distinct entity? Do we do cyborgs a disservice by anthropomorphizing them? Is that a way of neutralizing them (and is that why we do it)?

Oops Name: Liz Nuttin Date: 2002-04-03 13:49:41 Link to this Comment: 1701

Did I say Sandra Harding? I meant Donna Haraway! (Both are feminist scientists who write both feminist theory and about science, so I tend to conflate them on occasion. My apologies.)

Name: Jacqueline Date: 2002-04-06 21:10:42 Link to this Comment: 1731

I really liked the ending where Tom and Judy switched places too. Though it isn't very likely that it would actually happen, it did make me think of what being a robot would be like. I also thought it was really ironic that Judy broke down in the middle of the performance when we were just discussing in class that day how the robots in Westworld could suddenly go haywire. At first I thought he was addressing that issue in his performance but then I realized that it was real.

Binaural Beats Name: Date: 2008-03-03 01:36:24 Link to this Comment: 22068

There is a new project called Psyche Sonics. That uses binaural beats and isocronics for research in human potential, meditation, brainwave entrainment, and more. Binaural beats is a technique of brain entrainment that allows you to enter deep trance states, help stress, sleep patterns, and more. Here are a few 'sets' to download...

http://www.4shared.com/file/36148033/f5e9ef5f/Techo_Mage.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/36481238/898ad181/Metaprogramming.html

listen to them in a quite setting with headphones.

They have been studying human potential of the mind. There is a philanthropy website called Ideablob that pays a 10,000 grant for the idea with the most support. They are using this resource to put funding towards research on altered states of consciousness with sound, psionics, deprivation tanks, and other cutting edge technology.

You could help us get the word out about this exciting opportunity to push research in these Fields in an open source setting of gifting the knowledge back to the community.

The web site is
http://ideablob.com/ideas/1707-Psyche-Sonics

These new types of grants may make a funds available for alternative research.

Universal Consciousness Message Name: Date: 2008-04-21 11:03:13 Link to this Comment: 22069

I found a website that has a pretty interesting concept. Basically, it attempts to form a message from the universal consciousness; everyone contributes to build the message over time. This could be really interesting to see what it has to say... or maybe it will just be a jumble of garbage. Either way it's pretty entertaining :-)

http://secret.getenjoyment.net/