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COVER STORY
Robots
Kurt Andersen and scientist Rodney Brooks look at
how metal men are jumping from pop culture into real life.
  Robot
Hut
The toy collector John Rigg began
wiring circuits in kindergarten. He was still little when he gave his
mom a cardboard robot he built with motors, electric lights, and a little
candy-filled drawer. Today, John Rigg displays thousands of “metal
men” in a big barn near Spokane, Washington. Produced by Harriet
Baskas.
 Go
to the Robot Hut Museum
Fembot Factor
Most of the robots you know from the movies are male.
There’s Robbie the Robot, C-3PO, Data the sensitive android on Star
Trek, and the violent cyborgs of Terminator and Robocop. But what about
the female robots? Writer Susie Bright has some thoughts on the ways they’ve
been imagined on the big screen. Produced by Jocelyn Gonzales.
Visit
Susie Bright at audible.com
Go
to Susie Bright's official site
Go
to The Stepford Wives
Go
to Austin Powers
Go
to Star Trek
Voyager
The Voyager computer program is a powerful robot.
It composes music--improvised, unpredictable music--using a virtual 64-piece
orchestra. The Voyager’s inventor, George Lewis, improvises with
his robotic partner, and creates music that we’d like to think only
humans could make. Produced by Ted Panken.
Go
to an interview with George Lewis
Read
an essay on Voyager written by George Lewis
Go
to George Lewis at Tzadik
 SPECIAL
GUEST
Rodney Brooks
Rodney Brooks is a scientist, professor, and director
of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab. He is the inventor of many robots,
including the Roomba, the intelligent vacuum cleaner. His latest book,
Flesh and Machines, comes out next month in paperback.
Go
to Rodney Brooks’ Official Site
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Audio
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Commentary
Counting Culture
Read
the full text
Now
Playing
Old Timey Music.
Portland Oregon is the unlikely center of old-timey,
jug-band music. The city just wrapped up its the fourth annual Old-Time
Music Gathering and the people who came out to out to hear and play
early gospel, country, and folk weren’t the nineteen-sixties holdovers
you'd expect. Some have blue hair by choice. Produced by Jon Kalish.
Visit
Foghorn Stringband’s official site
Go
to the Siren Music Company
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