Science Fiction Novels from Japan #SciFiSunday

Any list of the greatest movies ever made worldwide would feature far more movies from Japan than any other country. That is a provocative, unfounded statement totally dependent on personal taste. But it’s also a true fact, scientifically. Not really. Still, for a country that small, Japan has a disproportionate number of filmmakers considered masters. But how about science fiction books? There’s plenty of manga and anime and yes, science fiction films, but where does the archipelago nation sit when it comes to science fiction novels? Here’s more from the Science Fiction Writers of America:

Hyakuoku no hiru to senoku no yoru (Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights) by Ryu Mitsuse (1967)

An epic, cosmic adventure in the manner of Arthur C. Clarke, covering the evolution of humanity, the lives of Plato, Christ, and the Buddha, a future technodystopia, and the very heat death of the universe itself.  For pure “sensawunda,” it gets no better. Haikasoru will be releasing this book in its first English translation in November 2011. Longtime US SF readers may remember Ryu Mitsuse’s “The Sunset, 2217 A.D.,” which appeared in Frederik Pohl’s Best Science Fiction for 1972.

See and learn more!

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2025 Clarke Award Shortlist #SciFiSunday

The shortlist for the annual Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced. The award celebrates the best science fiction novel published in the UK. Locus shares the list and ceremony details.

The winner will be announced on June 25, 2025 and receives an engraved bookend and £2,025 in prize money. The 2025 judges are Dolly Garland and Gene Rowe for the British Science Fiction Association, Nic Clarke and John Coxon for the Science Fiction Foundation, and Glyn Morgan for the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival. Andrew M. Butler represented the Clarke Award directors as non-voting Chair of the Judges.

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Posterr: A Digital Poster App

petersem shares how to make your own digital poster. The app can be used for Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, and Readarr. Check out the details on GitHub.

*Displays movies, shows, music poster for what is currently playing.
*Displays random (on-demand) titles from multiple Plex libraries.
*Displays custom pictures, background art, and themes
*Shows coming soon titles from Sonarr (or Season premieres).
*Shows coming soon titles from Radarr.
*Shows coming soon books from Readarr.
*Optionally plays TV and Movies themes, if available
*A playing progress bar (green for direct play and red for transcoding)
*Various metadata displayed, such as run time, content rating, studio, etc.
*Move the mouse cursor to the bottom footer of the page to hide it
*Background artwork option for improved landscape view (when available)
*Automatically scales for most display sizes and orientation.
*’Sleep timer’ disables the display during set hours.
*Trivia Quiz (multiple selectable topics)
*Support LED Matrix displays running Awtrix software
*Display custom web pages as slides (if web page compatible) – EXPERIMENTAL!
*Rotate display -90° (for running on display devices, like Firesticks, which do not support portait rotation)
*Post API (at ‘/api/sleep’) to toggle sleep mode. (Pass in header ‘psw: your *Posterr password’)

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6 Arms, 3 Thumbs: @Wired Tested The Future of Robotic Limbs #Wearable

Katwala and Professor Masahiko Inami of the University of Tokyo discuss the potential future of wearable robotics, via WIRED

 

Do you ever feel like you could use an extra hand (or 4?). Advancements in wearable robotics may make that a reality. One  wearable arm-suit being developed by the University of Tokyo gives major Doc Ock vibes. The device is actually inspired by puppetry and is controlled by a mini version of the arms.

See more advances in wearable robotics with Amit Katwala of WIRED

WIRED Editor Amit Katwala traveled far and wide for a hands-on look at the future of robotic artificial limbs. Watch as he puts a wearable set of arms inspired by traditional Japanese puppetry through the paces with Dr. Masahiko Inami University at the of Tokyo. Can Amit intuitively manipulate his newly added arms to pick up objects or write with a marker? Then, we visit with Dani Clode and Tamar Makin at the University of Cambridge to get a grip on the technology behind a 3D-printed sixth digit designed to give you two working thumbs one one hand. Will these robotic augmentations be the path to superhuman performance?

Dani Clode Design / www.daniclodedesign.com / instagram: @dani_clode
The Plasticity Lab / www.plasticity-lab.com / @plasticity-lab.bsky.social
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, part of Cambridge University: Instagram:@mrccbu / @cambridgeuniversity

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From the Learning System vault: Trainable Robotic Arm:

You can build one of these trainable robotic arms because Adafruit sells the crucial analog feedback servos that make this technology possible.

3D printing allows anyone to make robotic parts. We will be printing an arm and gripper for this project, but you could swap out the servos in an existing robotic arm also.

For more details on the servos, check out the About Analog Feedback Servos write up.

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We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on the Blog!

 

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Celebrating Malcolm X at 100 #MalcolmX

Born May 19, 1925, Malcolm X would have been 100 years old this year! Celebrations, discussions and more are happening across the country in his memory. Check out the events below and look for some in your area.

Malcolm X 100: Shaping Movements, Minds, and Memory with Mark Whitaker

Malcolm 100X: A Radical Centenary

MX100: Why Malcolm, Why Today?

Malcolm X at 100: A Commemoration of His Life and Legacy

Malcolm X at 100, The Moving Image and Malcolm X

“You Had Better Make Some Noise”: Malcolm X at 100

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JP’s Product Pick of the Week 5/13/25 @adafruit @johnedgarpark #adafruit #newproductpick

If you missed this week’s livestream of John Park’s Product Pick of the Week, not to worry, here’s the video. This week’s pick is the Adafruit PiCowbell Adalogger for Pico – MicroSD, RTC & STEMMA QT! Watch the video to find out about the Adafruit PiCowbell Adalogger for Pico – MicroSD, RTC & STEMMA QT, how to use it, a live demo, and more. Want more JP’s Product Pick of the Week?! Tune in every Thursday at 4pm ET and 1pm PT on Youtube LIVE, Twitch, Periscope (Twitter) and Facebook. LIVE TEXT CHAT IS HERE in the Adafruit Discord chat! Catch previous editions on YouTube and don’t miss our gift guide!

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A typical workday at a Japanese hardware tool store

A typical Japan workday at a KIRAKUYA, a local Japanese second-hand hardware tool store tucked away in the quiet neighborhood of Ichikawa, Chiba.

Since 1948, this low-key shop has been a trusted go-to for local construction workers and Do-it-Yourself enthusiasts alike as it’s filled from floor to ceiling with every tool imaginable.

The video starts the morning with Imazono san opening the store and sharing his daily work activities at the hardware store. As part of his morning routine, he cleans up around the shop. In Japan, it’s common practice for businesses to keep the street in front of their store neat and tidy, even if it’s a public road. It’s about more than just cleanliness; it reflects a deep-rooted cultural value of community responsibility and pride in one’s surroundings.

See the video below and the store website is here.

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The US and China agreed to drastically roll back tariffs …

Looks like a 90 day “break” … “The US and China agreed to drastically roll back tariffs on each other’s goods for an initial 90 days, de-escalating a punishing trade war and buoying global markets. By May 14, the US will temporarily lower its overall tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China will cut its levies on American imports from 125% to 10%.“ Stay tuned on social, here, and our weekly segment tariff talk, things are changing fast! NYTimes & CNN.

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How Funny Can Science Fiction Get? #SciFiSunday

The correct answer to the question “What is the funniest science fiction book?” is Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But what is the second funniest science fiction book? Or the third? Are there any other funny science fiction books? The answer is yes. And here are a bunch, from Epic Reads:

Two words: space pirates. As in, the 17-year-old protagonist, Ana, was raised by them. She also has a best friend who’s an android called D09. And don’t forget about Jax, a pilot with the driest wit in the galaxy. This [Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston] has it all. Really.

Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Learn more!

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The SC16IS74x is an I2C to UART converter

If you know us, you know we luuuuuv I2C as a near-universal interface for sensors, GPIO expanders, OLEDs, and other various devices under our Stemma QT family . But we still bump into some UART devices here and there—GNSS/GPS units, MP3 playback chips, fingerprint sensors, LIDARs, and more.

These can be annoying if you only have one UART port-or none at all! So we put together this SC16IS74x breakout. It can use either the SC16IS740 or SC16IS741 chips-both essentially the same for our purpose: providing a bidirectional UART with flow control. Address jumpers on the back allow you to select up to four devices on one I2C bus—and there’s even native Linux kernel drivers .

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New Products 5/7/25 Feat. Raspberry Pi Pico 2 with Header

We’ve got the New nEw NEW for you right here

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New Products 5/7/25 Feat. Raspberry Pi Pico 2 with Header

This week we debuted 1 New Product.

Visit www.adafruit.com/new for more info.

Want to get new products info beamed straight into your inbox? New nEw NEWs From Adafruit is an email newsletter sent once a week to subscribers only. It features new products, special offers, exciting original content, and more. Sign-up for the Adafruit weekly Newsletter here: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter

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New nEw NEWs From Adafruit is an email newsletter sent out once a week to subscribers only. It features new products, special offers, exciting original content, and more. Sign-up NOW for the Adafruit weekly Newsletter here: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter

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Memory Card Storage Box #3DPrinting #3DThursday

天天快乐 shared this project on Makerworld!

A memory card storage case, capable of holding eighteen memory cards (TF cards); featuring a secure locking mechanism, the lid fits snugly after closing, requiring slight pressure to open; excellent sealing

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Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

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The Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: subscribe for free

The Python for Microcontrollers Newsletter is the place for the latest news involving Python on hardware (microcontrollers AND single board computers like Raspberry Pi).

This ad-free, spam-free weekly email is filled with CircuitPython, MicroPython, and Python information (and more) that you may have missed, all in one place!

You get a summary of all the software, events, projects, and the latest hardware worldwide once a week, no ads! You can cancel anytime.

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It arrives about 11 am Monday (US Eastern time) with all the week’s happenings.

And please tell your friends, colleagues, students, etc.

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NEW PRODUCT – Mini OLED USB C Power Analyzer

NEW PRODUCT – Mini OLED USB C Power Analyzer

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Here is a handy measurement data display to help you see in real time the load flowing into your devices as they charge via USB-C. You’ll have immediate readings of voltages, amps, and watts along with their peaks.

This Tootsie Roll-sized power meter has a small OLED display (18mm x 10mm) that shows off voltage, watts, amps, and mAh and instantly reads the numbers for testing devices, such as chargers, cables, and devicess. It comes packed with a few nice extras, such as showing the ambient temperature (press the button on the back) and calculating the cumulative Watt-hours and milliAmp-hours over a running time. Basically, it’s an all-in-one power management solution that doesn’t require any calculation or data logging on your part.

We use it to help analyze our USB PD projects, and also to do rough power measurements on circuits when we don’t want to haul out our power supply – or to do it on the go!

Pairs nicely with our switch-able Adafruit USB C power delivery dummy board: get power over the terminal blocks and monitor voltage and current input.

If you need a power meter for projects with a non-USB connector, consider the Mini Power Meter with Voltage, Current, Watts, mAh & mWh Display.

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If you like the TLV320DAC3100, you’ll love the TLV320AIC3100!

With the successful launch of the TLV320DAC3100, we can do two things: keep jamming on Fruit Jam, and whip up a new breakout for its sister chip, the TLV320AIC3100 .

This one features stereo microphone inputs instead of two mix-in analog inputs and a DOUT pin. Technically, it has three mic inputs—one is differential/route-able, and we’re connecting that to the headphone jack since most headsets have an electret mic these days.

This chip is a really nice all-in-one I²S codec: perfect when you want stereo inputs, stereo headphone out, and mono speaker out. Honestly, we’re exploring whether it could be a viable replacement for the now-super-discontinued WM8960, especially since it can be configured not to require an external MCLK.

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Speculative Botany in Science Fiction #SciFiSunday

Do you remember the first time you understood the nature of a Venus flytrap? The very first time you heard that there lives, on this planet, a plant that with teeth and a mouth that eats animals. When you’re a kid, plants are tall and magestic like redwood trees or yucchy like broccoli or benign like the grass you’re suppored to mow. Plants are not, in any way, supposed to have a mouth and teeth and be able to eat living creatures. When you’re a kid, the first time you see a Venus flytrap slowly close its glistening jaws on a squirming ant seems might have felt like an encounter with an alien creature. As it turns out, the botanical worls is rich soil for speculative fiction. Here’s a review of Plants in Science Fiction by Octavia Cade at Strange Horizons:

Let’s start with creepy plants (“Botanical Tentacles in the Chthulucene” by Shelley Saguaro), because creepy plants are awesome and because there’s never any getting away from bloody Lovecraft, it seems, so let’s get shot of him first. Saguaro points out that “Tentacles are most often attributes of animal species, from giant squids and octopuses to microscopic flagellates and ciliates” (p. 56). Transplanting this animal imagery onto plants, then, gives a monstrous hybrid of a creature, one neither fully plant or animal, a creature defined by its boundary-crossing nature. Looking closely at plant tentacles in the works of H. P. Lovecraft, John Wyndham, and John Boyd, Saguaro comments that these “(frightened) men” (p. 73) were looking to navigate a world that increasingly did not centre them. While plant tentacles can represent the threat of a hybrid other, however—and it’s no coincidence that these creatures are often sourced from regions that white men such as the authors were trying to colonise—they can also be interpreted as a “liberating multi-species” flowering that encourages more diverse relationships and ways of living.

Learn more!

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Using Internet Cables for Quantum Teleportation

Back in December, engineers at Northwestern University successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation over a fiber optic cable already carrying Internet traffic. Check out the study published in Optica.

Only limited by the speed of light, quantum teleportation enables a new, ultra-fast, secure way to share information between distant network users, wherein direct transmission is not necessary. The process works by harnessing quantum entanglement, a technique in which two particles are linked, regardless of the distance between them. Instead of particles physically traveling to deliver information, entangled particles exchange information over great distances — without physically carrying it.

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Galactic Bone Fracture #SpaceSaturday

NASA shares how astronomers used the Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio telescopes to explain a fracture in a huge cosmic “bone” in the Milky Way galaxy.

The bone appears to have been struck by a fast-moving, rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar. Neutron stars are the densest known stars and form from the collapse and explosion of massive stars. They often receive a powerful kick from these explosions, sending them away from the explosion’s location at high speeds.

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500 Years of Space Drawings #SpaceSaturday

The public domain is filled with celestial treasures, even in the most unexpected ways. boing boing shares how we always looked up.

“Flowers of the Sky” is a stunning collection of celestial art throughout the ages from the Public Domain Review. The artwork in this collection covers nearly a millennium of illustrations (chronologically) depicting comets, meteors, meteorites, and shooting stars. The earliest work in the collection is a shooting star, drawn in what looks to be pen and ink, from 1493. The latest is a surrealistic painting of space with a skull and large heads floating in the sky from 1910.

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Recreating the digital art of Georg Nees’ “23 ecke” #ArtTuesday

Zellyn Hunter has been looking to recreate the digital art of Georg Nees in the 1960s. Thee current effort focuses on Nees’ 1964 work “23 ecke” (literally 23 corners or 23 vertice polygons).

From the 5^th to the 19^th of February, 1965, the world’s first exhibition of digital art was staged in the Studiengalerie of the University of Stuttgart. Georg Nees displayed a dozen or so drawings on the walls, and in the accompanying nineteenth edition of Max Bense’s booklet series rot (“red”), Nees provided short descriptions in his usual clear style. 23 ecke was one of the works displayed.

Through careful research in rot and other references, along with programmatic trials of algorithms that may have been used,  Hunter finally finds the algorithm and random seed used to generate the work (source on GitHub).

Read the whole article here. Via BlueSky and blog.

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