Cymascope machine translates dolphin-speak into Egyptian-like hieroglyphics

UK-based acoustics engineer John Reid has been working on a machine for a decade that may be able to translate dolphin talk in much the same way that we decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. Called the Cymascope, the device analyzes the noises the mammals make and shapes them into a map of reproducible sound patterns, termed CymaGlyphs.

"Until now the complexity of a dolphin's speech has been virtually impossible to translate," Reid told the News & Star. "The Cymascope can pinpoint the structure of sound and simplify this into a basic pattern of speech."

His Cymascope uses a basin of water monitored by a video camera, and a few other odds and ends, including sand, brass plates and a violin bow. "What we're going to do is excite the water by introducing the whale song, then look at what happens on the TV monitor," Reid said, speaking to The Sun. "What you see is the image of the sound."

So, is he just doing this because he couldn't get enough of Darwin from Sea Quest DSV or Jones from Johnny Mnemonic? "Our ultimate aim," Reid said, "is to speak to dolphins with a basic vocabulary of dolphin sounds and to understand their responses."

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Living in Los Angeles is like living in some kind of alternate universe. A universe that's one big reality show. A universe where everyone lives off the fat of the land and eats lunch at outside cafes trying to become the next best thing as power agents walks the streets in hopes of making their afternoon meeting, as actors hurry to make their auditions, and as assistants are getting yelled because even though they placed the right lunch order, the wrong one came, and now their job is on the line. And somewhere out there, is me - an unemployed writer trying to make it out in Hollywood. Just like everybody else.

Then reality sets in, and I realize that I'm not the only one with a dream. I'm not the only one who has talent. There are a million kids out here just like me. Some with more talent, some with less, and some with a powerhouse father who can get them one simple meeting with the real Ari Gold, and bam, they are in. But for most of us, life isn't that easy. For most of us, life is about struggling. It's about trying to be happy, and trying to make something of ourselves.

Most people in this world have ordinary lives with jobs they don't like and have dreams they never pursued, well... just because. But the truth is, life is pretty crazy and you never know what's going to happen. If there's something you want to do - you should do it. If there's one thing I've learned from my aunts untimely death a couple of months ago, and the "Grey's Anatomy" season finale, it's that you have to live everyday as if tomorrow will never come. Life is unexpected. Life is short. You only get one, so it's your choice to make it anything but ordinary.

So as I drive down Sunset Boulevard, as I lay on the beaches in Malibu, or drive through the gates of a studio lot to an interview, I come to realize that I've made it. I'm not a famous writer just yet. Nor do I even have a job. But my whole life I always said I was going to move to Hollywood to pursue my dream, and now I'm finally doing it. For the first time in my life, I'm proud of myself. I'm happy. And for the first time, I really have absolutely no idea what's going to happen.

Colour Picker - Innovation has no end

Designer Jinsun Park from Korea has come out with a simple tool called Color Picker. Place the pen against an object and press the scan button, the color will be detected by the color sensor and the RGB cartridges in the pen will mixed the required inks to create the target color.

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