Robots Playing Synths Way Back in 1984
November 3, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Robots
1984 was an eventful year for geekdom. That was when Apple released the Macintosh, people breathed a collective sigh of relief over George Orwell’s predictions failing to pass, and The Terminator debuted, bringing the concept of machines taking over mankind to contemporary mainstream consciousness.
1984 was also the year when Japan’s Waseda University developed the WABOT-2, an “intelligent humanoid keyboard player”. As SynthGear reports:
When it was made, it was considered the ‘most advanced robot of its time’ – it could speak Japanese, and it could play a song on a synthesizer, using both hands and feet, while reading the sheet music …read more
Why I Feel Like Throwing My Keyboard Down to the Floor and Stomping It
August 31, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Desktops, Peripherals
Either I’m being punished for scrimping on my keyboard or I got spoiled by my laptop. As I write this, I’m doing my best to stay cool and keep my anger down. For some reason, one typographical error accompanies every phrase I type, and I believe it that has a lot to do with my keyboard.
My desktop keyboard, a no-name afterthought that cost around $5, seems to lack the spring and responsiveness of my laptop keyboard. There’s nothing wrong with the keyboard, but there’s something awfully wrong with the feel of it. My fingers for some reason can’t go on …read more
