Brian Gerkey wanted a common robotic control language. Taking inspiration from the LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL Python) open source tools in the 1990s Brian worked to develop ROS, the Robot Operating System. ROS is an open source kit of tools, libraries and programming conventions for programming robots.

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3D printers may be trendy, but they are hardly new. One of the earliest of all is the RepRap project, which began back in 2005. As its name implies - it's short for "replicating rapid" prototyper - RepRap is designed to be able to produce copies of itself, or at least most of its parts. Not only that, it is completely open source, both in terms of its hardware (which uses Arduino kit) and software.

Because of its open nature it has gone on to form the basis of many other 3D-printing systems, including those from MakerBot.

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In past articles, I have looked at distributions that were built with some scientific discipline in mind. In this article, I take a look at yet another one. In this case, I cover what is provided by NeuroDebian.

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linuxfordevices.com: Open source hacker community Gizmo For You is developing a Linux-based controller and separate receiver device to remotely control a model airplane or other vehicle.

cnet.com: It seems, though, that economics is putting a difficult hue on our quest. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the SETI (Search For Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute has announced that it is setting aside some of its telescopes, as it cannot afford to run them.

dedoimedo.com: Not everything about advancement is inherently good. Let me tell you about five pieces of modern technology that actually made life worse.

informationweek.com: Separating machine failures and negligent maintenance from unforeseeable circumstances isn't easy and no doubt there are some accidents worthy of mention that we've missed. In any event, these are the eleven worst tech-related disasters where mechanical or engineering failure played a significant role.

• Top 10 Things Science Fiction Promised Us That Didn’t Happen in 2010
• Top 10 Things Science Fiction Promised Us That DID Happen in 2010

techrepublic.com: Choosing the worst tech disgraces of the past 10 years isn’t easy, but CNET News recently took a crack at it. The incidents that made the cut involve sexual harassment, stripper-crazed CEOs, spies, congressional investigations, and even murder.

cnet.com: Think how awesome it was the first time you saw a lightsaber in action. Or how your mind was officially shredded when Neo mastered the Matrix. Technology in movies is cool. But for every thrilling example of cool-ass tech, Hollywood seems to produce a tired, dated cliche.

computerworlduk.com: A British scientist claims to have become the first human to be infected by a computer virus, in an experiment he says has important implications for the future of implantable technology.

pcauthority.com.au: From Albert Einstein to Robert X. Cringley, these are the famous people who make progress understandable.

theregister.co.uk: A video games programmer has rather boldly taken Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and remastered it as a Nintendo Entertainment System extravanganza, with surprisingly plausible results.

pcworld.com: Here's a look at standout good guys and bad guys -- from passionate heroes who balance profit with innovation and social responsibility to money-mad, egomaniac villains who simply cannot be trusted.

This is not the place to debate the immense subject of climate science but it is necessary to say something about “climategate” in order to explain what happens when scientists and politicians collude to distort, hide and even destroy critical (raw) data and methodologies which, unlike the output of CERN, have absolutely colossal financial implications for every man, woman and child on this planet. Read the full article at Free Software Magazine.

dedoimedo.com: Geeks and Terminator fans despair! Here comes the ultimate proof why you should not fear Austrian-born robots from the future. We have an article explaining the physical and biological limitations preventing machines from ever becoming alive and self-aware, shattering the myth of machine doomsday.

• Motorola DROID: A Sleek and Powerful Android Phone
• Linux is Here, the Vodafone 360 H1
• Enabling jabber in WebOS on the Palm Pre using a binary patch

foxnews.com: In a bizarre sci-fi theory, Danish physicist Dr Holger Bech Nielsen and Dr Masao Ninomiya from Japan claim nature is trying to prevent the LHC from finding the elusive Higgs boson.

reuters.com: Panasonic Corp and NEC Corp unveiled nine new cell phone models on Tuesday that run the open-source LiMo operating system, wireless Linux group LiMo said.

makeuseof.com: Once you finish this article, I’m sure you’ll be amazed that the Internet works at all! It’s easy to complain about slow download speeds, or lost e-mail, but, geez, it’s the Internet!