Perhaps I should say “Can you tell how we made this image?”, because there is more going on here than just my mind and hand. Sure, as far back as a decade ago it might’ve been possible for someone to make the same edits, but that person would need to be far more experienced than I.

To view the original, click below and hover over the image above.
Turn hover mode on.

When comparing the images side-by-side, it’s easy to tell that the part of the picture that was filled in is lower detail and has a few errors, but unless you’ve worked with a lot of images in the past I’m guessing that it wasn’t apparent before seeing the original. My partner in crime here was a tool called Resynthesizer for the GIMP. This is the open-source version of the “content aware fill” that will be included in the next version of Photoshop.

The reason that I’m able to perform such a complex fill on an image is not because I am experienced. It is because the tools have knowledge and skill embedded into them by their creators. As AI becomes more successful, our tools will become more competent at doing complex things with little supervision. This will put people out of work. This is the future. We don’t need or want more capable people, we want more capable autonomous systems; systems that can mow lawns, shovel snow, cook, clean, write, watch, build, experiment, and teach.

Other cool stuff:

1-Billionth Scale USS Enterprise

The internet is a basket of wonderful things.

My favorite web tool, Google Reader, recently added a feature called Popular Items, which has opened up the best of the internet that I don’t actively follow. I am increasingly pleased with my ability effortlessly to coast on a wave of interesting items which trigger the quiet drip of pleasure chemicals deep within my skull. The trick now is to learn to reward myself with novelty, and not drown myself in it.

Web Data:


* Huge number of volunteers for genome database

Telepathy:
* “Force Trainer” toy provides MRI for kids.
* Implant wires motor cortex to computer.

“Green” tech:
* “Mission One” electric motorcycle goes 150mph, with a 150-mile range and an optimum charge time of 2 hours.

I’ve been thinking about the future of currency this evening, and oh! I made a quick little simulation of the Fibonacci sequence the other day.

The following (including music) is entirely the product of computer algorithms; a.k.a. procedurally generated content:

We’re getting closer to good brain-interfaces:

I think that the above video is the equivalent of watching a tech demo of cell phones in the late 1980s. Give it 20 years and it’ll be everywhere, give it 40 years and it’ll be unthinkable to control a computer with something other than the brain.

Other things that have been exiting for me:
* Exoplanets
* Exoskeletons
* Netbooks (more)

Take note: The collision between cellphones and personal computers is happening. A good amount of resistance to adopting netbooks probably comes from PC gaming (it certainly does for me) and lack of good cloud-based applications. These problems are being solved though, and I anticipate a full integration by 2015.

EDIT: Oh! I forgot this one!