couple of /. links

usc robotics gets shoutout
An Anonymous Reader writes "LivingCreatures.com has released several new photos of the humanoid robot platform that it developed for the USC Interaction Lab. The yet to be named robot is about the same size as an 18-month-old child and will serve as a human-robot interaction (HRI) testbed for studies involving imitation, learning, and the effects that interaction with humanoid robots has on children."

mike, will and i were discussing reappropriation of media last night (from mashup tunes to cut n paste video), so this story caught my eye:
slashdotbs writes "The New York Times writes that 'A handful of Web users are programming their own virtual TV newscasts and eclectic collections of video clips using a free media-sharing tool called Webjay. The site makes it easy to build, share and watch playlists of audio and video links culled from around the Internet.' Although the site was originally intended to be used for audio playlist creation, it turns out that it can also be used effectively for video. In addition, you can create "video mashups", where you blend audio and video together to present a new message. By using simple smil commands in a URL, a CBS news report can become a short clip of George Bush saying "I can't do my job" (the third track on this playlist)."

and finally, again for brinker cause we were talking about mods and games and this reminded me of his final last year (or what i knew about it before i got sick):
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the official 'The Ship' website, featuring "a free downloadable [multiplayer] Half Life 1 mod" described by a forum poster as "a twisted version of Agatha Christie meets Clue." The welcome page details: "You've just won a free ticket to a dream cruise onboard a spectacular, replica 1920's cruise ship!", and the official play guide explains some of the intriguing game mechanics, which involves each player needing to "find out the name [of each fellow 'passenger' on the Ship], eliminate unknown passengers, and find out which one is your quarry", then "kill them without being caught by security or too many witnesses." There are also additional wrinkles in the recently released mod, since: "To curb excessive killing, players are traumatised by committing murders", and "Each player has basic needs [including going to the bathroom] which must be taken care of."