The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines
If I ever go to Russia, the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines will be on my must-see list.
Here's a nice video of machines making little tiny springs
It makes me so happy that this tiny spring-making video is over 7 minutes long. It's so mesmerizing to just watch these little tiny machine arms twist, turn, and poke at these metal rods to turn them into tiny springs. Who knows what these springs are used for. Maybe clicky pens?
This is how Edward Snowden moves around in the United States
This is an interesting cover and story about Edward Snowden. While he's essentially in hiding from US authorities somewhere in Russia, Snowden has maintained a sense of realness through an unlikely place -- robotics. Using a BeamPro, a wheeled video-chatting machine that I've seen used in classrooms and conference spaces, Snowden has been able to "move" freely in the US.
Snowden’s body might be confined to Moscow, but the former NSA computer specialist has hacked a work-around: a robot. If he wants to make his physical presence felt in the United States, he can connect to a wheeled contraption called a BeamPro, a flat-screen monitor that stands atop a pair of legs, five-foot-two in all, with a camera that acts as a swiveling Cyclops eye. Inevitably, people call it the “Snowbot.” The avatar resides at the Manhattan offices of the ACLU, where it takes meetings and occasionally travels to speaking engagements.
If you want to see a video of it in action, here is Edward Snowden giving a TED Talk through the BeamPro.
An aside note: Connecting to this thing must be one of the most secure connections around the world. Right?