Iran to release computer game “The Age of Heroes” based on Shahnameh

Reposted from the Tehran Times:

The Ferdowsi Foundation proposed the initial concept and Iran’s Modern Industry Center produced the game.

The game has been produced in the action genre by Iranian experts, and revives the Iranian culture and traditions of championship with the help of good deeds and decency.

The locations and the environment of the game are based on Iran’s culture, geography and climate, featuring its epic music and Persian characters in traditional costumes situated in Persian historical monuments.

Over ninety legendary figures based on Shahnameh’s stories are designed into this game. The main story happens in nine legendary lands including Sistan, Sarsabz, Kuhestan, and Atashfeshani.

The user must make use of various kinds of weaponry to fight against the evil characters of the story in order to learn the secret of invulnerability.

Dialogues play major roles in the game and the user must talk with the characters inside the story to find the right path.

The major character is named Atar who is the son of Pishdad, the Sistan’s wise and honorable commander. Zabol, the capital of Sistan, is the cradle of Persian art and literature and is the initial location where the game begins. The land has been captured by the demons and Atar is invited by other Iranian heroes and the men of letters to fight against the demons.

The other tales and characters in this game are derived from Shahnameh’s characters such as Arash, Siavash, Fereidun, Kaveh, Esfandiar, Rustam, and Zal.

The Ferdowsi Foundation is planning to introduce the game “The Age of Heroes” as an Iranian cultural production among the Persian speaking nations in Iran and the world.

The Allegory of the Cave

Is ignorance bliss? Plato seems to argue against ignorance in his writings, but with a cautionary tone. Two relatively recent movies entertain Plato's allegory, concerning acceptance of a comfortable illusion versus the knowledge of a disturbing truth.

The Wachowski Brother's The Matrix is loaded with references to Plato's juxtaposing themes. Whether or not Ancient Greek philosophy was the primary inspiration was put to rest by Matrix producer Joel Silver. After Larry and Andy Wachowski screened the Japanese anime film Ghost in the Shell for Silver, they told him they wanted to make that film with live actors[1,2].
Ironic to their message of anti-materialism, both have spawned a mini-industry of sequels and spin-offs.

Variations of The Cave:

• Simulacra and Simulation by the French Philosopher Jean Baudrillard. In the movie, the book is used as a hiding place for Keanu Reeves' illegal disks .
  
• Psychoanalyst and theorist Bracha L. Ettinger's "Matrix" notebooks from the 1980s and her Matrixial theory from the 1990s. The image at the beginning of this post is one of her paintings.

What does it mean?

The cave is the world.

The chains are our imagination

The shadows represent our knowledge.

Individual education can save you; each of us has the ability to think beyond the limits.

Think for yourself; question authority.



References

1. ^ Joel Silver, interviewed in "Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime" featurette on The Animatrix DVD.
2. ^ Joel Silver, interviewed in "Making The Matrix" featurette on The Matrix DVD.

Sustained Emotionally coloured (sic) Machine-Human Interaction using Nonverbal Expression

Recent articles concerning the emotional development of machines lead to some interesting conjectures.

Cordis Article

Eureka Alert

How much emotion would be required to classify something as human-like in intelligence?

And just how complex is an emotional mind?

As we learn more about the human brain, it is starting to look like we might be underestimating the complexity as well as the adaptability of human cognition. If knew pathways can develop (see previous post in this blog), can a machine attain human emotion without the same spontaneous, undirected flexibility? My guess is that this flexible dynamic is going to be an extremely difficult obstacle to overcome.

As with most discoveries, it isn't always what we find out. It's the questions and what we don't know that are the most intriguing outcomes.

Neuroplasticity:

How Technology and Biology Combine to Cure Brain Damage

Neuroplasticity is the name given to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. For example, if one hemisphere of the brain is damaged, the intact hemisphere may take over some of the damaged section's functions.

In order to reconnect, neurons need to be stimulated through activity. Some recent inventions have shown technology's promise in augmenting the stimulation of neurons to compensate for injury and disease.

Paul Bach-y-Rita's Tactile Vision Sensory Substitution (TVSS), developed with Carter Collins at Smith-Kettlewell Institute has helped the blind see again. As the next video shows technical developments, such as miniaturization and electrical stimulation, have helped advance the use of sensory substitution devices.



Understanding the abilities of the brain is fundamental to effective teaching and learning. By stimulating appropriate sensory inputs, we can help learners build neural connections that enhance their cognitive abilities. For some under-served populations it would be like seeing education for the first time.

The Darwin chip

Darwinian Evolution on a Chip Paegel BM, Joyce GF PLoS Biology Vol. 6, No. 4, e85 doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060085.

The article cited above was published by the peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Public Library of Science (PloS). In their paper the researchers detail how an automated device evolves a biological molecule, on a chip, propagating a population of RNA enzymes.

Relax, this won't immediately spawn the rise of complex Artificial Intelligence. It does pushes a couple more steps down the path though. Combining the concept behind the Pleo, mentioned in yesterday's story, with the ability to produce biological growth will either excite that inner geek you've been cultivating or we'll see you at the sporting goods store stacking up on survival gear for the robot wars.

Maybe it's true; I watch too much Battlestar Galatica, but this is a good starting point for discussing ethical developments in the biology and technology realms. The American Journal of Bioethics covers topics ranging from cloning and genetics to health law and research ethics. Traversing these domains gives us a chance to get our bearings and understand the slippery terrain of bioethics. Some further resources for your digital traveling pleasure are:

National Institutes for Health (NIH)
The Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania
The President's Commission on Bioethics

As long as the dialogue continues we have a chance. It's when they stop talking that it's time to start stockpiling resources. Good luck and say hi to the Cylons for me.

Pleo

Ugobe, the innovative Emeryville, Ca. based toy company, has achieved quite a feat with their robotic life-form called Pleo. The oft delayed release of Pleo was worth the wait.

Pleo is designed to resemble a Camarasaurus. The Camarasaurus was a late-Jurassic North American herbivore. They grew to 60 feet in adulthood, but were Pleo's size as a newborn. The rest of Pleo is a product of technology, applied design principles, and psychology.


Technology:

• camera-based vision system (for light detection and navigation)
• two microphones, binaural hearing
• eight touch sensors (head, chin, shoulders, back, feet)
• four foot switches (surface detection)
• fourteen force-feedback sensors, one per joint
• orientation tilt sensor for body position
• infrared mouth sensor for object detection into mouth
• infrared transmit and receive for communication with other Pleos
• Mini-USB port for online downloads
• SD card slot for Pleo add-ons
• infrared detection for external objects
• 32-bit Atmel ARM 7 microprocessor (main processor for Pleo)
• 32-bit NXP ARM 7 sub processor (camera system, audio input dedicated processor)
• four 8-bit processors (low-level motor control)

Design Principles:

Ugobe designs lifelike creatures, capable of displaying organic movement and adaptable behaviors. Ugobe accomplishes this by combining sensory, electro-mechanical articulation, and synthetic neurostimulation to create the lifelike appearance of its robots.

Psychology:

Particular attention was paid to the human neurological responses; those elements are exhibited through interaction between Pleo and the environment. The classic push and pull between nature (programming) and nuture (stimulus) determines Pleo's personality.

The line between them and us was always so definite. I'm less certain these days. That's fine with me, though. Certainty never was all it was cracked up to be anyway.

Applied Biomelds

Time to climb back aboard for the biomeld journey. The three video logs describe applied instances of technology integrated with biology.

Each step taken is a step toward enhancing our abilities. Fortunately, the need for specialization and collaboration has led to an unprecedented level of information sharing and we are able to see, hear, and read about these innovations. Which do you find the most surprising?