Robots invent their own language

"Australian scientists have invented a new breed of robots called Lingodroids, programmed to make, use, and share language. The bots can coin words to describe places they have been, places they want to go, and plans for getting there. “When they need a new word, they invent one.” (discover magazine)




are you freaking kidding me? robots that can coin their own language? we're doomed. (we say that a lot don't we?)

[image via google image search for "scary robot"]

Most Awesome Things of All Time - #95 - Having some time off to contemplate life, loss and ...

#95 in our ongoing project of the 100 most awesome things of all time...


#95 - Having some time off to contemplate life, loss and new beginnings.



(And trying to figure out what the fuck comes next)

Least Awesome Things of All Time: #94 - Watching Your Team Lose in the NLDS after tearing your Achilles

#94 in our ongoing project of the 100 least awesome things of all time...


#94 - Watching your team lose in the NLDS, from the ground, after tearing your Achilles.

What an epic collapse, both individually and as a team.

Robot Soccer Players

Tiny Robots playing soccer (poorly) are almost cute. But holy shit, check out the mother f*cker below. That's terrifying.

The group that runs the robot soccer games - RoboCup - was created "with the aim of, by 2050, creating a team of humanoid robots that can take on and beat the best human players." (bbc.co.uk)

2050!?! If I ever saw this thing on the field I'd run and it would win now.

[images via google images]

Birds and Fish Dying Unexpectedly Arkansas

Thousands of birds have fallen out of the sky, inexplicably dead. The red-winged blackbirds fell near a tiny town of Beebe. Can you imagine seeing thousands of birds falling from the sky?

And thousands of dead fish have washed up on shore in a 20 mile stretch of shore on the Arkansas River.

And guess what. Scientists, once again, cannot explain either mass species death. Shocking.

The end really may be near.

Happy new year.

[links via a lot of places. image via dailymail.co.uk]

EPA Kills Bees

Okay, the title may be a bit of an overstatement but according to some random site that we've never heard of that is obviously legitimate, a leaked government document says that the Environmental Protection Agency knowingly allowed a bee-toxic pesticide to be wildly used as a pre-treater for corn seeds. (corn seed pre-treatment? wtf?)

The pesticide, known as Clothianidin, is lethal to a variety of bee species including the I'm not yet extinct but I will be soon and you'll all be dead suckers honey bee and it's even rarer cousin, visible only for a few days each year, the halloween honey bee. (see photo below)


Thanks, EPA!

The halloween honey bee

[images via illinois.edu and flickr licensed under creative comments so EIGN was legally allowed to post and modify this file for non-commercial purposes]

Most Awesome Things of All Time - #95 - Apple Pie

#95 in our ongoing project of the 100 most awesome things of all time...

Apple Pie


photo by eign friend k. via flickr

Flying Snakes and the Department of Defense

According to this washington post report, the Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (you know, those guys that created the internet) has been funding research for FLYING FUCKING SNAKES. No one here at EIGN has ever heard of these terrifying creatures abominations that are native to China and Southeast Asia before.

...and here we have yet another reason I am glad I don't live in China:


video via washingtonpost.com