unbillable hours

Boing Boing: Cory's fictional "Whuffie" is now running code

Link: Boing Boing: Cory's fictional "Whuffie" is now running code.

Joseph Petviashvili is a fan of ... novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom -- he likes it so much that he's created a software version of "Whuffie," the reputation currency that forms the basis of the Bitchun Society ... described in the book.

Bitchun.org is runs on open source code (still in alpha release), creating a marketplace for trading and rewarding favors for your friends and like-minded strangers....

For those interested, my Skype/Whuffie username is atticusfunk.  For those interested, check out the Whuffie blog and the direct link to where you can download a copy of the book, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, from where the concept is derived. Here' the link to the Skype plug-in needed for Whuffie.

Uncrewed aircraft swarm together indoors - tech - 27 September 2006 - New Scientist Tech

Link: Uncrewed aircraft swarm together indoors - tech - 27 September 2006 - New Scientist Tech.

A flock of indoor uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) is helping engineers develop smart swarming strategies for larger autonomous surveillance aircraft.

The multiple-rotor radio-controlled aircraft provide a simple and cheap way to test out strategies before they are scaled-up for real world use.

"We're focusing on persistent surveillance," says project leader Jonathan How at MIT in the US. "This would be useful for, say, convoy protection." His team is working in collaboration with Phantom Works, the research and development arm of Boeing.