Author Archives: nickquest

Feb 15 2013
Leave a comment
Science

A Valentines Song about Alan Turing

Eliza was the first chattbot and first program to take the Turing test. Technically of course she didn’t pass, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t make an impression.
For those of you who don’t know. Alan Turing was forced by the British government to take hormone treatments for his homosexuality, which was illegal at the time. Though I think his true love was really computers. The governments treatment of him no doubt contributed to his suicide… No I don’t think that is too much of a bummer for Valentines Day.

Just so there isn’t any confusion, Alan Turing actually died 1o years before the invention of ELIZA. I just have the bad habit of liking to fictionalize and romanticize real events in science history.

Tagged , , ,
Feb 05 2013
Leave a comment
Art

8-bit Alberto Salazar

It’s been quite a while since last post. Roboheart has once again joined the legions of zombie blogs on the interwebs. It’s not because I am lazy, even though I am. I’ve just been too busy doing contract work to muse about the future. Well, too busy to do it in any organized way. The above video is one of several freelance jobs I’ve had since the last robo post. It was a contract job for Adam Gothelfo of gothelf.tv. I’ll post links to some other freelance pixel art at a later date.

Oct 01 2012
2 Comments
Art

Pixel Island

I made a 32×32 pixel animation for some reason. I guess the appeal was to do something as minimal as possible.

Tagged , , ,
Sep 25 2012
Leave a comment
Art, Scifi

The Doctor and a Dalek (Spoilers)

The first episode back in this season of Doctor Who introduced the woman who will play the next companion in the form a of Dalek who used to be human and who still thinks she IS. It seems likely that this is just a case of the show starting her off in a different role, to then be reintroduced later as someone else. They have done it before. But I really hope that is not the case. I want a Dalek as the next companion. Continue reading →

Tagged , , ,
Sep 07 2012
Leave a comment
Art, Gaming

Oh No! Its a Another Beast Jesus Meme


I feel kind of sorry to join the meme parade and don’t mean this to be insulting to Christians.

Elderly-woman-destroys-19th-century-fresco-with-DIY-restoration.html

I promise not to make a “Long Cat” video or something like that. On second thought, that actually sounds like a good idea, but I’m sure by now someone must have already imagined that as a video game. Also this is the second Shadow of the Beast related animation I’ve made.
http://www.nickquest.com/animations/Shadow.swf
I loved that game growing up, yet for some reason I keep violating its memory with oddball videos.

Tagged , , , ,
Aug 18 2012
Leave a comment
Art, Gaming, Software

The Roboheart Game That Never Was

Once upon a time, this guy was to be the roboheart mascot and star of his own video game, but I totally lost interest and never made it much past basic character design. The idea was to have the robot upgrade himself as the game progressed eventually filling the heart shaped hole in his chest. Yeah… not brilliant. A sympathetic if basic character that may have deserved better though. I started making it with Power Game Factory which was a cool piece of software at the time, but hasn’t been updated in years. Anyway you can now look at these 3 rough game animations I made back then.

3 robo animations

Tagged ,
Aug 12 2012
1 Comment
Psychology, Science, Software

A Social Network for Climate Scientists

I’ve recently decided that human kind needs this even more immediately than brain augmentation.

There is no reason why large organized discussions about climate should be limited to yearly conferences. In fact it’s inexcusable in the internet age. I want to see a website that exclusively connects climate scientists, not only to expedite problem solving, but also to provide the public with a single reliable place to go to for the definitive scientific consensus on climate change. One reliable place for up to date data analysis on the front page that is easy enough for the layman to understand. Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , ,
Aug 04 2012
Leave a comment
Futurism, Gaming, Technology

I Want a Telepathic Computer

Or Else!!

Is that too much to ask?

I want more direct interaction. I want to draw with my mind. I want my computer to know when I’m frustrated. I want to navigate the digital realm like I am flying effortlessly through a lucid dreamscape.

Maybe it IS a lot to ask, but advances are being made. So much so that if some amount of mind control computing isn’t common and practical in a decade, I’ll be very disappointed.

The Mindflex and Star Wars Force Trainer are good examples of a very simple implementation of this technology. The user can levitate a ball with their mind, by controlling the speed of a fan. The user puts a gizmo on their head that measures their level of concentration and transmits a corresponding signal to the fan. You could easily see how this tech could be used to move a mouse pointer up and down with the exact same mechanism. An only slightly more advanced version could move it in all directions and have left and right click as well. Let’s not forget The Mindflex and Force Trainer are sub $100 toys that are now several years old. They don’t represent anything close to the cutting edge of technology. Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jul 06 2012
Leave a comment
Futurism, Science

An Open Letter to Neil deGrasse Tyson

Dear Dr. Tyson,

I respect and admire you for many reasons. I know plenty of people who feel the same. You are a stirring speaker. Your passion and clarity can move me to tears. For an astrophysicist, you are very down to earth. You come across as so level headed, friendly, and warm that even when disagreeing with someone, you never seem to argue.

I am writing this letter in appreciation, but also to ask you a question. When you speak about the future of humanity, you have brought up the meger 1% difference between us and Chimps. You have said this leads you to worry deeply that human beings lack the intelligence to fully understand and explore the universe. I guess my question is why? Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Jun 25 2012
6 Comments
Psychology, Science

Psychics are Fake, James Randi is Awesome

Okay, I want to start this off by saying that there could be psychic powers in the world. I would love if it were true. It could be so well utilized in the information age. I am totally drawn to tv shows and movies about psychic powers and the like. It’s so appealing on a primal and emotional level, but I think  it is so very unlikely such things exist in the real world that there’s no point in living my life as though it were even remotely possible. Just as I wouldn’t live my life with the expectation that I might one day win the lottery. Not to mention that the chances of winning the lottery are without a doubt far far better than the likelihood of discovering psychic powers. After all, people have actually won the lottery before. Not just in an anecdotal “I swear it’s true” “friend of a friend” kind of way, but in a (verifiable) (no doubt about it) kind of way. No one in the history of the world has ever exhibited psychic power under reasonable repeatable experimental conditions, not once. This leads me to one of four conclusions. Three of them might seem slightly absurd. Lets see if you can guess which. Continue reading →

Tagged , , ,
← Older posts
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

%d bloggers like this: