FROM now on Feedback will be looking a lot more closely at TV images of crowds apparently listening intently to a politician, nodding support for the company chairman or swaying in time with the music at a concert. A Californian called John Stanier has been granted a patent on a way of making politicians and performers look a lot more popular than they really are.
Stanier鈥檚 idea was originally cooked up for movie and TV producers who need to show a crowd scene but cannot afford the huge cost of computer-generated graphics, let alone real members of Actors鈥� Equity. Instead, they can now use a gaggle of 鈥渋nflatable humanoid forms鈥� 鈥� life-size dolls that are blown up when needed and positioned far enough behind the main action to be slightly out of focus.
The many pages of drawings that come with the patent (US 6688940) duly show dolls of all descriptions. Some are casually dressed or downright scruffy 鈥� presumably intended for less-than-sell-out rock concerts or third-rate sporting events. Others are suited and smart, doubtless for VIPs who would prefer not to be seen on TV talking to three men and a dog.
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FOUR weeks ago we heard how the world needs more marine geologists to combat terrorism (17 April). Now it鈥檚 the turn of space researchers.
鈥淭errorists will thrive in the desperately poor urban areas of many megacities in the developing world,鈥� wrote Gregory Anderson in The Space Review last month. 鈥淭he attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, while monstrous, are only mild tastes of what terrorists in the future could do. To save the planet, however, means reaching creatively beyond the planet. To jump-start the essential work of the century, therefore, meshing the Information Age and the Space age is necessary.鈥�
BACK in April we also wondered whether silkworm larva specialists could show their discipline is crucial in the fight against terrorism. So thanks to Michael Strawson for informing us that, according to Discovery Channel, a Thai police officer has designed a bullet-proof vest consisting of 37 layers of silk. It apparently passed the FBI鈥檚 standards for such garments and could clearly come in useful in the event of terrorist attacks.
Strawson also informs us that during their conquest of large parts of the world, Mogul warriors wore silk shirts. Arrows that pierced their bodies ended up wrapped in the silk. By pulling on the silk to gently open the wound, the arrows could be removed with little damage to the victim, enabling them to survive the experience and return to the fray. But when the Moguls鈥� enemies were hit, they were often obliged to push the arrow all the way through rather than risk the damage caused by pulling it out.
Clearly, the military importance of silkworm larva specialists has been underestimated until now.
But what about other disciplines? Come on you palaeontologists, it鈥檚 your turn.
SPARE us from helpful computers. Alan Chattaway tried to register a newly purchased Adobe product online. He entered his street address, which ends in 鈥淐ourt鈥�. Adobe said it was 鈥渁pplying postal service standards鈥�, and changed 鈥淐ourt鈥� to 鈥淐enter鈥�. He tried using 鈥淐ourt_鈥� instead. Adobe鈥檚 鈥減ostal standards鈥� changed it to 鈥淐tr Court_鈥�. He tried appending 鈥淐ourt鈥� to the word before it. Adobe separated the words and changed 鈥淐ourt鈥� to 鈥淐tr鈥�. He tried 鈥淐our鈥檛鈥�. Adobe changed that to 鈥淐tr Cour鈥檛鈥�. Finally, he tried 鈥淐rt鈥�, even though that could also mean 鈥淐rescent鈥�. Adobe changed that to 鈥淐tr鈥�.
So he gave up and accepted that Adobe had renamed his street.
COMPUTERS and lavatories are very different things, and ne鈥檈r the twain should meet. One of the features of the ultra-modern London hotel One Aldwych is, we hear, aircraft-style vacuum-operated toilets. Executives from the US technology company PalmSource had to tell visitors meeting them there recently that the clever system had crashed or, er鈥�, gone down the pan. For two days, whenever nature called they had to contact reception to be escorted to the facilities in the building next door.
According to the PalmSource people, the hotel鈥檚 plumbing is run by a Windows-based computer system. The hotel had to get a technician flown down from Scotland to fix it and reboot the loos.
FINALLY, New Yorker Renee Colwell writes to tell us that our example of motorists being requested to achieve a state of quantum superposition on English roads (鈥淯se both lanes for A34鈥�, 20 March) is unimpressive compared to what New York subway riders are expected to accomplish. They are routinely exhorted to 鈥渦se all doors when exiting the train鈥�.
THE container of a supermarket own-brand 鈥渢hick bleach鈥� tells us that it 鈥淜ills bacteria as well as the leading brand鈥�. Reader Robert Harding suggests that this may be taking competition too far