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SCIENCE FESTIVAL
_ Setting Sail
Captain James Cook is sounding tired having just spent the day in the Scottish Borders, but surelythis is a drop in the ocean tor a man who has sailed the seven seas. Then again, he is surprisingly sprightlylora 262-year-old and has recovered well lrom what he calls ‘the unfortunate incident in Hawaii‘. I asked him which at his voyages had been most satisfying.
‘I would say, sir,‘ he replies, ‘thatthe voyage with which I was most pleased
was the second one -to prosecute
discoveries into the southern reaches
' at exceeding high latitudes. We was
the lirst to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773. It was a most arduous voyage, butthe strange thing is, thatthe disovery we made was that there was no land there.‘
The Captain's three great voyages ol discovery were made using the latest 18th century navigational equipment and astronomic tables. He and his crew would observe the position at the moon and measure the angulardistances between it and certain lixed stars, then relerto the tablesto discoverthe time at Greenwich in London. ltwasthen
possible to calculate how lareast and west at Greenwich the ship was positioned.
Conditions tor the crew were lar lrom
easy, as the Captain explains, 'The
measures that l exercised tor preventing scurvy, I did take 'em up lrom the ideas at a certain Dr Lind lrom Edinburgh. It you run a ship in good
orderto the first principles, sir, then
your men will go with you — it you pardon me language—through hell and high water.‘ (Alan Morrison)
Captain James Hook Navigates by the
Stars, Mon 1—Wed 3 Apr, 11.45am,
Friends Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace.
Hardware
Anyone who missed the lirst Robotic Olympics last year in Glasgow has a second chance at this year‘s Science Festival when Dr Peter Mowlorth otters an insight to Scottish Projects on Advanced Robotics. Turing Institute organised the event, which welcomed robotslrom all overthe worldto compete in various tasks, ranging lrom Olympic-style javelinthrowing to the more unusual wall-climbing and maze-lollowing. Some olthese events can be seen on video at the talk.
very intellectual, buttaken-tor-granted human skills such as rellexes. This is the conundrum of robotics: things we
considerintellectuallydemanding— chess playing, devising legal systems —are simplelorthe robot, buttryingto simulate sensory perceptionis
extraordinarily ditticult. Richard II is part at a Scottish project
hoping to develop capabilities
synonymous with our sense ol smell and spontaneous rellexes. Although he may bear no resemblance to Robocop and his chums, it is hoped that he could be developed into a stupid but honest security guard, who could respond to sights and smells and take appropriate action. (Laura Noble)
Peter Mowlorth and Richard II talk on
liven in these davs ol' inereasing openness. parents still find it dit'l'ieult to talk to their ehildren about sex. While almost evervone agrees that it is important to encourage honestv and trust on both sides. most parents. eonl'ronted b_v the prospeet
ol'that‘littletalkhstilllind
themselves blushing. developing a sudden starnrner and mumbling ineoherentlv about birds. bees and babies.
lo help people over this slumbling—bloek. the Brook Advisorv (‘entre is running a da_v for ‘parents. grandparents. aunts. uneles anvone involved in the
l‘uture ol' voung people.‘ ‘We all pav
lip serviee to the idea that it‘s the parents~ job. but vvhen it eomes to the eruneh. hovv manv parents aetuallv do it'." sa_vs .lean .\laleolm. the direetor ot‘ Brook in Seotland.
‘Maybe this vvill give them a ehanee to think about vvhv the_v don‘t. or
ean't. and perhaps give them some pointers as to hovv the_v eould talk
about it more easilv.‘ During the morning session.
entitled ‘l’ast 'l‘ense. l‘titure l’erl‘eet'T.doetorsandother experts will talk about the vvav ahead for
eontraeeption. ineluding diseussion
ol nevv methods eurrentlv being
tested. In the al‘ternoon. (ateli 'l‘heatre (‘ompanv vvill perlorm How To Die ()flim/mrmssmerit. a pla_v intended to illustrate some olthe real-lite situations vvhere sex rears its ugly head for teenagers. 'lt‘s basieallv about three bo_vs and three girls going to the loeal diseo, looking at the dillerent attitudes people have. bringing in issues like drinking too mueh. to help people reeognise vvhat happens in the proeess of growing up in the lWlls.‘
’l‘he primarv task for those involved in sex edueation. .‘vlaleolm believes. is to overeome ‘the beliet~ that the nastv things. vvhether it‘s pregnanev or HIV infection. vvon‘t
happen to me. We‘ve all gone through that. and in a vvav it‘s rather
' sad that we have to break the spell
l i l
for young people. On the other hand. it‘the'v're going to get into adult sorts of behaviour. the_v have to also get into adult vvavs ot‘thinking.’ (Sue Wilson)
Love, Sex. Rhythm and the Blues is
Richard II is not anyone regal but a robot head which will be present to i show all his skills, which at present ! don't require a body. His talents are not
on Tuesday 2 April m the .S'vmpusizmz Hall, 9._t’()um—4.3()pm. Free Ire/vets from [he Serenee l’es'ti'i'u/ Hut (lithe.
the current state ol robotlcs, Thurs 4 Apr at 4.15pm, Scandic Crown Hotel, High Street.
72'l‘he 1.51:2 .‘vlareh — 4 April 1991