Aubrey Manning
We do need much more the voice of science in society and I hope that this financial turmoil, which is operating in the world at the moment, may have some good results. They’ve been living on unreal expectations. They’ve been living on denial that growth can be perpetual. Perpetual growth is impossible. The only thing that can go on growing for ever is ideas, and we’re not short of those. We should be pushing hard for better science.
Gerry Johnston
He was a master of his craft was Spielberg. He knows so much about effects.
Dave Fanning
Were you involved big time in Curracloe Beach for Saving Private Ryan?
Gerry Johnston
Curracloe? I was only involved in the first half hour, you know.
Dave Fanning
But, sure, that’s the most talked about half hour in movies in the last 10 years.
Gerry Johnston
Well, it was, and it was, at the time it was great. In actual fact, the adrenaline was running through you when you were, when there was the first shot up was a master shot of all the amphibious craft coming in
Dave Fanning
And do you feel you are on more attention than–
Gerry Johnston
Oh, yes.
Dave Fanning
‘Stephen Spielberg is right in front of me and I’m in charge of all that.’
Gerry Johnston
Well, it’s like, the minute you touch those buttons are firing…
Dave Fanning
Yeah.
Gerry Johnston
Well it strikes you like, it’s like, you know the minute you touch those buttons they’re firing. You’ve got to look all around you, wait for your cues; you’ve got to take the cues yourself.
Dave Fanning
Are we talking rain, are we talking sea, are we talking shots, are we talking fire, are we talking about everything you were doing there?
Gerry Johnston
Yeah, everything. We were creating explosions there in the water; we were creating bullet hits in the water.
Cynthia Breazeal
I’m going to show a video of the social referencing interaction with Leonardo. Leonardo now has the fur on –
Researcher (in video)
Hello, Leo.
Cynthia Breazeal
so we can show the robot. And I don’t know if you guys know the Sesame Street characters –
Researcher
Leo, this is Big Bird.
Cynthia Breazeal
but this is a novel thing. Leo’s never seen
Researcher
Can you find Big Bird?
Cynthia Breazeal
Clearly, Leo has some basic speech recognition. This is basically to show that he can see Big Bird, he can associate the name Big Bird with it
Researcher
Hey, Leo –
Cynthia Breazeal
and he’s verifying that he can see it.
Researcher
look at Big Bird. Look at Big Bird, Leo.
Cynthia Breazeal
Okay. So that’s positive. And now, of course, you can imagine doing the other side as well.
Researcher
Leo, the Cookie Monster is very bad. He’s very bad, Leo. The Cookie Monster is very, very bad. He’s a scary monster. He wants to get your cookies.
Patrick Collison
11 o’clock the next morning, you know, the phone started ringing, and I’m kind of in some sort of half-asleep stupor, just, like, slamming the floor trying to find it. Eventually I pick it up, it’s, ‘Hey, it’s Josh’s secretary,’ and ‘can you hold for one second,’ you know, she’ll put Josh on the line. I’m trying to figure out, like, what’s going on, it’s only 11 o’clock. And then it dawns. It was two o’clock Eastern Time, and we were in San Francisco, which is Pacific Time.
And so Josh duly comes on the line, and it’s, ‘Josh, sorry, can you just hold on for one second while I, um, get the team together.’ And so I run into the next room and kick the other guys awake, and it’s like, ‘Hey, Josh is on the line.’ And so, basically, the three of us, myself, Harjeet and Kulveer sort of gathered around the shitty speakerphone in our underwear, giving our pitch to Josh Kopelman.
Stephen Attenborough
And if you ask any of the cabin crew on that airline "who are the worst people at getting back in their seats?", you know, when the seatbelt light comes on, they’ll always say it’s the upper-class passengers, because they sort of feel they’ve paid a lot for this flight and nobody’s going to tell them when they’re going to sit down. And there’s almost sort of a race to see who can be the last standing before you land. And so, we do have to think about that. The great advantage in the spaceship is that they will be forced to get back down on the floor, because, you know, when you go from zero gravity to 1G, there’s only one way that you go. And when that’s followed by 6G, you’re very definitely on the floor.
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