Randall Munroe
An article on one of my favourite scientists
TRUE STORY:
One time, Randall was experimenting with this experimental Mars – rover – bot when he wrote some new code for it. He tried it out, and sent it around the lab in explorer mode. After a while, it started analysing the room, scanning, and loading the results of its investigation onto Randall’s computer. And then, he got
an idea. He hitched his chair up to the back of the rover bot, as he described it “like a sort of chariot”. He then started writing some more code, editing the robot’s “Explorer Mode”. So, there he was, the robot pulling him round the lab, having a great time. And then, as all good explorer – robots do, it found the door, leading out of the lab, and took off, screeching down the corridors, and Randall getting thrown about every time it turned a corner. And he was quite excited
because he’d never got anything like this to ever work before. And eventually, because the building was shaped like a square, so he reached the far side, and as he whizzed past, he was yelling “Hi, I’m Randall!” And then, he went back to the lab,
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