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Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Cybraphon Autonomous Emotional Robot Band
Cybraphon is the latest project from Edinburgh-based artist collective FOUND (Ziggy Campbell, Simon Kirby and Tommy Perman).
Inspired by early 19th century mechanical bands such as the nickelodeon, Cybraphon is an interactive version of a mechanical band in a box. Consisting of a series of robotic instruments housed in a large display case, Cybraphon behaves like a real band. Image conscious and emotional, the band’s performance is affected by online community opinion as it searches the web for reviews and comments about itself 24 hours a day.
Personally, I think it looks a lot better than it sounds.
Inspired by early 19th century mechanical bands such as the nickelodeon, Cybraphon is an interactive version of a mechanical band in a box. Consisting of a series of robotic instruments housed in a large display case, Cybraphon behaves like a real band. Image conscious and emotional, the band’s performance is affected by online community opinion as it searches the web for reviews and comments about itself 24 hours a day.
Personally, I think it looks a lot better than it sounds.
Crime-ridden residents say police suggest they move elsewhere
Allen Carrel recently called police to tell them about the latest drug deal he watched go down in his Columbus city, South Side neighbourhood.
"Police say, 'Well, why did you move here? Why don't you move out if you don't like it?'" said Carrel, who said he calls police at least once a week.
Others complain that they have heard the same. "They tell us to move out of the neighbourhood," said Ellen Bowers, who also lives on the South Side. "We just want to clean our neighbourhood up," she said this week.
James Ragland, aide to Columbus City Council member Charleta Tavares, said he has received more than 20 similar calls from residents from areas including the South Side, Linden and the King-Lincoln District.
"We don't want to see a mass exodus of our best residents leaving the community because police are recommending (it)," Ragland said. "We don't want our officers to be the tipping point."
Jim Gilbert, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said officers become weary over time. "It's like the OK Corral out there," he said. "I know it's very frustrating for officers on the street, we're so overworked. We want citizens' support."
"Police say, 'Well, why did you move here? Why don't you move out if you don't like it?'" said Carrel, who said he calls police at least once a week.
Others complain that they have heard the same. "They tell us to move out of the neighbourhood," said Ellen Bowers, who also lives on the South Side. "We just want to clean our neighbourhood up," she said this week.
James Ragland, aide to Columbus City Council member Charleta Tavares, said he has received more than 20 similar calls from residents from areas including the South Side, Linden and the King-Lincoln District.
"We don't want to see a mass exodus of our best residents leaving the community because police are recommending (it)," Ragland said. "We don't want our officers to be the tipping point."
Jim Gilbert, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said officers become weary over time. "It's like the OK Corral out there," he said. "I know it's very frustrating for officers on the street, we're so overworked. We want citizens' support."
Woman calls police to report herself for drink driving
911 dispatchers often get calls from people observing an impaired driver on the road. What makes the call Mary Strey of Clark County, Wisconsin, made unique, is that she called 911 on herself.
"Somebody's really drunk driving down Granton Road," she told the 911 dispatcher.
The dispatcher asked if the Strey was behind the drunk driver, to which she replied "No, I am them."
The dispatcher asked, "Okay, so you're calling to report you're driving drunk?" "Yes," Strey said.
The dispatcher told Strey to pull her vehicle over, and she complied. She waited for a deputy to arrive with her hazard lights flashing. According to the police report, Strey failed field sobriety tests, and a preliminary breath test showed she had a blood alcohol content of .19, more than twice the legal limit to drive.
She was given a citation for operating a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol content of .10 or more. She's due in court in December, facing charges of first offence operating under the influence.
"Somebody's really drunk driving down Granton Road," she told the 911 dispatcher.
The dispatcher asked if the Strey was behind the drunk driver, to which she replied "No, I am them."
The dispatcher asked, "Okay, so you're calling to report you're driving drunk?" "Yes," Strey said.
The dispatcher told Strey to pull her vehicle over, and she complied. She waited for a deputy to arrive with her hazard lights flashing. According to the police report, Strey failed field sobriety tests, and a preliminary breath test showed she had a blood alcohol content of .19, more than twice the legal limit to drive.
She was given a citation for operating a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol content of .10 or more. She's due in court in December, facing charges of first offence operating under the influence.
Boy sleeps after losing arm in washing machine
A shocked mother mum woke her son up for school - and discovered his arm had been severed in the night. The lad's limb was ripped off in a horrific accident on Wednesday night. But amazingly the four-year-old boy - helped by his older brother - went to bed with his stump wrapped in a towel.
When his mother woke him up in the morning he said: "Sorry mami, I've gone and lost my arm. I didn't mean to." An ambulance with a police escort raced the boy to a local hospital with the severed limb. But it was too late for surgeons to reattach it. The boy is now recovering in hospital but is lucky to be alive. Police spokesman Wolfgang Juergens said: "It is nothing short of a miracle that he didn't bleed to death in the night."
The accident happened when the boy and his 11-year-old brother played with an old washing machine in the kitchen at their home in the city of Ulm, southern Germany. The appliance had been stripped down so the drum was exposed. The pair switched it on and the boy's arm was caught between the revolving drum and the frame — before being ripped off.
But the older brother picked up the severed limb and put it in the family freezer. Afraid to tell their mum what had happened, the boy astonishingly went to bed. Police say an electrical defect meant that a sensor which should have not allowed the drum to spin while the front-loader's door was open was not working.
When his mother woke him up in the morning he said: "Sorry mami, I've gone and lost my arm. I didn't mean to." An ambulance with a police escort raced the boy to a local hospital with the severed limb. But it was too late for surgeons to reattach it. The boy is now recovering in hospital but is lucky to be alive. Police spokesman Wolfgang Juergens said: "It is nothing short of a miracle that he didn't bleed to death in the night."
The accident happened when the boy and his 11-year-old brother played with an old washing machine in the kitchen at their home in the city of Ulm, southern Germany. The appliance had been stripped down so the drum was exposed. The pair switched it on and the boy's arm was caught between the revolving drum and the frame — before being ripped off.
But the older brother picked up the severed limb and put it in the family freezer. Afraid to tell their mum what had happened, the boy astonishingly went to bed. Police say an electrical defect meant that a sensor which should have not allowed the drum to spin while the front-loader's door was open was not working.
Academic claims Bill Clinton met a fake Kim Jong-il
Jong-il? Or was it a fake North Korean leader that entertained Bill Clinton on that mission to Pyongyang to retrieve the two imprisoned American journalists?
In the absence of fact, the Hermit Kingdom has long been a free-fire zone for outlandish rumour. And they got more outlandish than ever after Mr Kim reputedly suffered a stroke in August 2008. Mr Kim was variously said to be close to death, about to be toppled by a coup, or desperately fixing the succession for his youngest son. Or was he really someone else?
The mainstay of the Kim-is-fake cottage industry is a Japanese university professor called Toshimitsu Shigemura, who once claimed that the real Mr Kim died in 2003, and that everything since has been make-believe. One Mr Kim, he maintains, even flatly confessed to a Japanese visitor, "I am a double."
The Clinton visit in August had Mr Shigemura's alarm bells ringing again, when the former President was pictured alongside a far healthier looking Mr Kim than the wan and feeble Great Leader seen after North Korea test-fired a long range missile on April 5 2009. "They were totally different people," Mr Shigemura asserted to the Christian Science Monitor this week.
Most experts can't quite believe the North would have sent out a bogus Kim to spend more than three hours in Mr Clinton's company, including what the North's official media called 75 minutes of "exhaustive" private talks.
But evidence that he sometimes uses doubles is strong. Did the man who reportedly had a stroke 14 months ago really make 122 visits this year to factories, state-run farms, military bases and the rest, as logged by the media – to prove, presumably, that Mr Kim was alive, well and very much in charge? A double, or doubles, are "possible", Choi Jin-Wook, a specialist at the Korea Institute of National Reunification told the Monitor. "These dictators always need lookalikes for national security reasons. Kim Jong-il is giving 'on the spot guidance' too often for his health."
In the absence of fact, the Hermit Kingdom has long been a free-fire zone for outlandish rumour. And they got more outlandish than ever after Mr Kim reputedly suffered a stroke in August 2008. Mr Kim was variously said to be close to death, about to be toppled by a coup, or desperately fixing the succession for his youngest son. Or was he really someone else?
The mainstay of the Kim-is-fake cottage industry is a Japanese university professor called Toshimitsu Shigemura, who once claimed that the real Mr Kim died in 2003, and that everything since has been make-believe. One Mr Kim, he maintains, even flatly confessed to a Japanese visitor, "I am a double."
The Clinton visit in August had Mr Shigemura's alarm bells ringing again, when the former President was pictured alongside a far healthier looking Mr Kim than the wan and feeble Great Leader seen after North Korea test-fired a long range missile on April 5 2009. "They were totally different people," Mr Shigemura asserted to the Christian Science Monitor this week.
Most experts can't quite believe the North would have sent out a bogus Kim to spend more than three hours in Mr Clinton's company, including what the North's official media called 75 minutes of "exhaustive" private talks.
But evidence that he sometimes uses doubles is strong. Did the man who reportedly had a stroke 14 months ago really make 122 visits this year to factories, state-run farms, military bases and the rest, as logged by the media – to prove, presumably, that Mr Kim was alive, well and very much in charge? A double, or doubles, are "possible", Choi Jin-Wook, a specialist at the Korea Institute of National Reunification told the Monitor. "These dictators always need lookalikes for national security reasons. Kim Jong-il is giving 'on the spot guidance' too often for his health."
Naked cheat gets frozen out
Love cheat Sun Meng has been given the cold shoulder by his community after snaps of him cowering naked on an air conditioner were posted online by a furious husband.
Terrified Sun, 25, fled onto the vent when his lover's husband caught them romping at their flat in Chengdu, central China.
Now snaps of the showdown - taken by a neighbour - have been uploaded onto a local community website.
"My family is ashamed and none of my own neighbours will talk to me any more. I know what I did was wrong but I was afraid he would kill me. People are even laughing at how I look naked - but I have to point out it was a very cold day," said Sun.
Terrified Sun, 25, fled onto the vent when his lover's husband caught them romping at their flat in Chengdu, central China.
Now snaps of the showdown - taken by a neighbour - have been uploaded onto a local community website.
"My family is ashamed and none of my own neighbours will talk to me any more. I know what I did was wrong but I was afraid he would kill me. People are even laughing at how I look naked - but I have to point out it was a very cold day," said Sun.
Woman driving at 90mph was trying to inject heroin
A woman who drove at 90mph while trying to inject herself with heroin has been given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a year.
Rachel Curtis, 23, led officers on a 30-mile chase at the wheel of a stolen Ford Focus that had been spotted driving “erratically” on the Severn Bridge in the early hours of April 24. Curtis admitted dangerous driving, possessing Class A drugs and driving while uninsured.
Sam Jones, for the prosecution, told Bristol Crown Court that the officers had been on “a dangerous high-speed pursuit, lasting more than 20 minutes. They could see the person driving had a tourniquet and a syringe and was trying to inject while driving.” Curtis sped along the M4 in the direction of London before turning off at junction 18 before for Bath and driving through a red light.
Mr Jones said: “The car travelled at 90mph in a 60mph limit and overtook a heavy goods vehicle. The car went at twice the speed limit through a village.” After careering over a roundabout with two of the car’s wheels in the air Curtis doubled back and rejoined the eastbound M4. With police in hot pursuit she pulled off at the Leigh Delamere services where she braked so suddenly that the patrol car ploughed into the back of the car she was driving.
An officer approached the Ford and saw Curtis trying to finish injecting, before he smashed his way into the car with a baton. Curtis, from Swansea, told police she had not stolen the car but had bought it from her dealer for £50.
Georgina Buckley, for Curtis, said that her client was “extremely remorseful” and had been under pressure from her former partner's mother to get the car and pick him up. The court was also told that the defendant came from a loving and stable background and had aspired to go to university before being introduced to drugs by the former partner.
Rachel Curtis, 23, led officers on a 30-mile chase at the wheel of a stolen Ford Focus that had been spotted driving “erratically” on the Severn Bridge in the early hours of April 24. Curtis admitted dangerous driving, possessing Class A drugs and driving while uninsured.
Sam Jones, for the prosecution, told Bristol Crown Court that the officers had been on “a dangerous high-speed pursuit, lasting more than 20 minutes. They could see the person driving had a tourniquet and a syringe and was trying to inject while driving.” Curtis sped along the M4 in the direction of London before turning off at junction 18 before for Bath and driving through a red light.
Mr Jones said: “The car travelled at 90mph in a 60mph limit and overtook a heavy goods vehicle. The car went at twice the speed limit through a village.” After careering over a roundabout with two of the car’s wheels in the air Curtis doubled back and rejoined the eastbound M4. With police in hot pursuit she pulled off at the Leigh Delamere services where she braked so suddenly that the patrol car ploughed into the back of the car she was driving.
An officer approached the Ford and saw Curtis trying to finish injecting, before he smashed his way into the car with a baton. Curtis, from Swansea, told police she had not stolen the car but had bought it from her dealer for £50.
Georgina Buckley, for Curtis, said that her client was “extremely remorseful” and had been under pressure from her former partner's mother to get the car and pick him up. The court was also told that the defendant came from a loving and stable background and had aspired to go to university before being introduced to drugs by the former partner.
Father to use son's ashes in tattoo
A father from Herefordshire is to have a portrait of his dead son tattooed on his chest using the child's ashes. Mark Richmond, 39, and his wife Lisa, 31, said they wanted to do something as a lasting tribute to their son Ayden.
He had a rare condition which meant he was unable to process fats and died in 2005, aged two years and four months.
The couple, who own a tattoo parlour in Greater Manchester, plan to mix some of Ayden's ashes in the ink for a 7in black and white portrait of him. Mr Richmond said he still "feels at a loss and a little bit angry" about losing Ayden.
He has not been to visit his grave yet in Evesham, Worcestershire, and said he hoped the tattoo would help him cope. He came up with the idea of using the ashes after his wife inquired about having a locket made by one of their customers so that she could always keep the ashes near her.
He said: "I just thought, why not. I'm an artist, what better way to express myself than by designing a tattoo of my son using some of his ashes." The ashes contain carbon, which is what tattoo ink is usually made from, Mr Richmond said.
He said: "Some people might think it's a bit morbid, but until they have been through what we have, I don't think they can really judge us."
He had a rare condition which meant he was unable to process fats and died in 2005, aged two years and four months.
The couple, who own a tattoo parlour in Greater Manchester, plan to mix some of Ayden's ashes in the ink for a 7in black and white portrait of him. Mr Richmond said he still "feels at a loss and a little bit angry" about losing Ayden.
He has not been to visit his grave yet in Evesham, Worcestershire, and said he hoped the tattoo would help him cope. He came up with the idea of using the ashes after his wife inquired about having a locket made by one of their customers so that she could always keep the ashes near her.
He said: "I just thought, why not. I'm an artist, what better way to express myself than by designing a tattoo of my son using some of his ashes." The ashes contain carbon, which is what tattoo ink is usually made from, Mr Richmond said.
He said: "Some people might think it's a bit morbid, but until they have been through what we have, I don't think they can really judge us."
Pensioner trapped alone in ambulance for five hours
A sick pensioner was abandoned inside an ambulance for more than five hours after the its driver forgot about him and went home. The 65-year-old man was trapped inside the vehicle at Sharston ambulance station in Wythenshawe until he was found at 1.15am following a major police alert.
The driver was supposed to take him back to his Northenden care home after he left a hospital appointment at 7pm. But it's understood that after dropping off three other patients, the driver took the vehicle back to the station and locked it up for the night when his shift ended at 8pm.
The North West Ambulance Service has launched an urgent inquiry and the driver has been suspended. Ambulance chiefs have apologised to the man, who was unhurt, in person.
The blunder has been slammed by other ambulance staff. A source said: "He was reported to police as a high risk missing person. I find it a disgrace that a member of the ambulance service can forget about a patient in the back of an ambulance and lock it up. Most staff are very annoyed about this."
The driver was supposed to take him back to his Northenden care home after he left a hospital appointment at 7pm. But it's understood that after dropping off three other patients, the driver took the vehicle back to the station and locked it up for the night when his shift ended at 8pm.
The North West Ambulance Service has launched an urgent inquiry and the driver has been suspended. Ambulance chiefs have apologised to the man, who was unhurt, in person.
The blunder has been slammed by other ambulance staff. A source said: "He was reported to police as a high risk missing person. I find it a disgrace that a member of the ambulance service can forget about a patient in the back of an ambulance and lock it up. Most staff are very annoyed about this."
Police apologise over football violence film error
Scotland Yard have issued an unreserved apology after issuing pictures of actors from a hit film among images of football fans wanted after rioting broke out at a match. Earlier this week police issued 66 pictures of people supposedly caught on camera during violent clashes at the game between West Ham and Millwall.
But it has emerged that the images mistakenly included stills of six of actors from recent hooligan-themed movie The Firm. The Metropolitan police said: "We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected."
Police used a Sky TV report to capture images of fans fighting at the Carling Cup clash in August. But it appears that because the officers turned off the sound from the report, they failed to realise it included footage from the movie.
Among the actors who faces were swept up among those at the match and issued to media on Wednesday was Paul Anderson, who plays Bex in the film. The error was described by Yard insiders as a "bad day at the office" for those responsible.
Scotland Yard said: "Six images in individuals who were not involved in the violence were mistakenly included. These images appear to have been taken from a motion picture.
"We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected. We are going to be actively trying to contact those people to offer our apologies."
But it has emerged that the images mistakenly included stills of six of actors from recent hooligan-themed movie The Firm. The Metropolitan police said: "We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected."
Police used a Sky TV report to capture images of fans fighting at the Carling Cup clash in August. But it appears that because the officers turned off the sound from the report, they failed to realise it included footage from the movie.
Among the actors who faces were swept up among those at the match and issued to media on Wednesday was Paul Anderson, who plays Bex in the film. The error was described by Yard insiders as a "bad day at the office" for those responsible.
Scotland Yard said: "Six images in individuals who were not involved in the violence were mistakenly included. These images appear to have been taken from a motion picture.
"We wish to apologise unreservedly to those affected. We are going to be actively trying to contact those people to offer our apologies."
Hedgehog was as drunk as a skunk
A hedgehog had to be rescued in Braunton after getting drunk by eating fermenting apples. The animal — now named Tipsy — was discovered in an orchard on his back and squealing loudly last Wednesday.
The Prickly Ball Hedgehog Hospital in South Devon asked local wildlife rescue expert Ann McCormack to help the hedgehog. It had been found by homeowners in Chaloners Road who were alerted by the squeals.
Ann said: "They had placed it in a guinea pig cage and it kept going round in circles. The hedgehog kept falling over and was on its back with its legs up in the air for most of the time. It was legless.
"This is definitely the first drunk hedgehog I have found."
Tipsy was taken home by Ann and given painkillers, antibiotics and some non- alcoholic apple juice. Ann said: "The next morning I came in and turned the light on and she squealed really loudly. She obviously still had a big headache."
Tipsy, aged about six months, is due to be hibernating for the winter now but is currently underweight and without sufficient body fat to keep her warm. Ann will feed Tipsy to a healthy size of 600g and release her in the spring.
The Prickly Ball Hedgehog Hospital in South Devon asked local wildlife rescue expert Ann McCormack to help the hedgehog. It had been found by homeowners in Chaloners Road who were alerted by the squeals.
Ann said: "They had placed it in a guinea pig cage and it kept going round in circles. The hedgehog kept falling over and was on its back with its legs up in the air for most of the time. It was legless.
"This is definitely the first drunk hedgehog I have found."
Tipsy was taken home by Ann and given painkillers, antibiotics and some non- alcoholic apple juice. Ann said: "The next morning I came in and turned the light on and she squealed really loudly. She obviously still had a big headache."
Tipsy, aged about six months, is due to be hibernating for the winter now but is currently underweight and without sufficient body fat to keep her warm. Ann will feed Tipsy to a healthy size of 600g and release her in the spring.
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