Knife-wielding robots to debone chickens at superhuman speed

23 hrs.

Devin Coldewey

Robots are more than capable of painting cars, firing rivets and doing other mechanical tasks, but it seems that cutting up a chicken properly presents quite a challenge. The Georgia Tech Research Institute hopes to change all that with a chicken-deboning robot that slices meat from the bone faster and more efficiently than any human can.

The problem is that every chicken is different, and while experts can tell at a glance where to cut, when and which way to turn the blade, and how much force?to exert, robots aren't quite as sensitive. Gary McMurray is the head of GTRI's Food Processing Technology Division, and presides over the Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System project. It's essentially a robotic hand and knife that can see in 3-D and sense when and how to cut up each individual chicken.

One robot arm holds the bird while a computer vision system contemplates its contours. After determining the depths and locations of joints, bones, and so on, it goes to work. The knife itself only makes simple cutting movements, but the arm holding the chicken can move freely, and they work together to debone with what McMurray hopes will be unprecedented precision and speed, as he explains in GTRI's press release:

Our statistics research shows that our external measurements correlate very well to the internal structure of the birds, and therefore will transition to ideal cutting paths.?In our prototype device, everything is registered to calibrated reference frames, allowing us to handle all cut geometries and to precisely align the bird and the cutting robot.

It's no niche business, either: The poultry industry comprises some $20 billion of Georgia's agriculture business, and tiny variations in efficiency are worth millions to processing plants. And robots could do it more safely as well as more quickly; with bone-sensing algorithms and millimeter precision, bone chips and other mistakes could be a thing of the past.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

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creative ideas - How To Be Inspired To Generate Extraordinary Ideas

How do we generate ideas? The means is classified into two; the ordinary process and the extraordinary process. If you are going to get new ideas, it is essential that you eradicate negative thinking from your mind. You will not be able to produce creative ideas if you think negatively. All of the body functions, including the brain, are controlled by words.

Scientists discovered several years ago that the nerves at the speech centre of the brain control the nerves that control all the other parts of the body. So when a word is spoken, the whole body responds accordingly. Negative speech and negative thinking are major reasons why some people will not receive the ideas that will launch them into breakthrough because their mind cannot nurture creative ideas.

Sometimes we do not attempt great things for lack of money. If only we knew that it is the quality of ideas that flow through out mind that matters. Ideas magnetize resources. We must never say that things are impossible. The great French General, Napoleon once declared "The word ?impossible' can only be found in the dictionary of fools".

In reality, nothing is impossible, impossibility only exists In the mind. I will recommend the following steps for receiving ideas. Natural Process: Identify a need: Find a need and fill it. The problem with the average person is that our inner eyes are closed. One man's problem is another man's opportunity. Some people only see the problem and never see the opportunity. For example, people need to wear clothes, make the clothes.

We love to sing and dance; that creates the need for music and musical instrument. We need to get ideas to meet the variety of needs around us. We have need with respect to housing, transportation, communication, recreation, feeding, information and many more.

Simplify an existing process or products: For example, cables have been used for telephone but now we do not need cables. Someone got the idea for a wireless phone system. Wires have been used to send signals from security cameras to the monitors, but now there are wireless cameras. Create a need: Before, man used only water to entertain visitors but now we use soft drinks. Exposure: Reading, traveling and asking questions helps to arrange and re-arrange thoughts in our mind.

Supernatural Process: All the methods in the ordinary process use the five senses. But with respect to extraordinary process, we receive information from the invisible realm. The greatest ideas that man will ever know are the ones coming from the invisible realm.

We must cultivate our minds and faculties to be able to receive from that realm. Some have called it the sixth sense. Some called it intuition. In the church it is called the voice of the spirit. It is the ability to receive what the five senses cannot know.

One man?s problem is another man?s opportunity. Find the need and fill it. Read books, travel and ask questions. Take a bold step and click on this link: http://6da6e9fllw3e6o7ryewso0fcvh.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=VH5ZXTS6 and you?ll find one of such extraordinary and timeless books ever known to man

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Asia Satellite (HKG:1135): unfavourable finance bill passed

Asia Satellite Telecommunications (HKG:1135) (AST) has released a further announcement in relation to the finance bill previously proposed in India which, when passed by the Indian Parliament, would result in unfavourable consequences to the AST group's current tax proceedings in the Indian Courts.

It has come to the attention of AST's board of directors that the finance bill was recently passed by the Indian Parliament and was enacted with retrospective effect after presidential assent was given to it. Under the Indian Income Tax Act (as amended by the finance bill), revenues received from the provision of satellite transponder capacity to the AST group's customers which carry on business in India or earn income from any source in India will be charged to tax in India.

As the finance bill was enacted with retrospective effect, this would result in unfavourable consequences to the AST group's current tax proceedings in the Indian Courts where orders in favour of the group were made in the past. However, the portion of revenue earned by the group that would be deemed to be Indian sourced is yet to be decided by the Indian Courts and is therefore still uncertain.

The AST group is currently seeking clarifications from its legal and tax advisors in order to assess the potential exposure of the above to the group and is evaluating various options available to it to deal with the issues arising from the retrospective amendments to the Indian Income Tax Act introduced by the finance bill.
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Microsoft Office said to be coming to iPad, Android tablets

It looks as if fall could be a very busy season for Microsoft. The software maker appears poised to release Office for iPad and Android tablets and an Outlook Web app for iOS this fall, according to reports.

Although officially Microsoft has no comment, reports have surfaced that the full suite of Office apps will have a November release, according to website BGR. And the app is said to look almost identical to the leaked images from a few months ago, according to BGR's source. The source also claimed the app's loading screen read "Office for iOS," suggesting iPhone and iPod Touch could have the software in their future as well.

The App Store may see yet another Microsoft offering ahead of it. An Outlook app

known as "OWA Mobile Client for iOS" is reportedly in the works for devices running iOS 5 or later, according to AppleInsider.

Microsoft is currently planning for both Outlook Web App and the new Lync to debut on the iOS App Store before the end of October, a person familiar with the upcoming software revealed. Both will be native iOS applications that render Web content with the same tiled Metro user interface style that can be found on Windows Phone.

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National Small Business Ombudsman visits Chatham | Chicago ...

Posted on 25. May, 2012 by citizen in Chatham, Local News

Community stakeholders and local business owners pose for a photo at Thursday's roundtable with Esther H. Vassar at the QBG Foundation. (L to R) Front row: Margaret Boyd, Margaret's Boutique & Day Spa; Ananias Granger, A&D Property Services, Inc.; Wanda Wright, Chicago State University; Jack Stonebraker, Best Buy; William Garth, CEO, Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group; Esther H. Vassar, National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Enforcement Fairness; Melinda Kelly, executive director, Chatham Business Association; Terri Zhu, Louis' Groceries NFP. Back Row: John Paul Jones, Developing Communities Project; Donnie Brown, Genesis Home Development; Brian Sleet, chief of staff, Alderman Roderick Sawyer (6th); Forest Brown, Silver Line Development; Ken Bennett, U.S. Dept. of Labor and Kim McCullough,Director of External Affairs, AT&T. (Photo by Thelma Sardin)

Members of the Chatham Business Association (CBA) received a wealth of information on Thursday afternoon from Esther H. Vassar, U.S. Small Business Administration National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator of Regulatory Enforcement Fairness.

The Office of the National Ombudsman assists small businesses when they experience excessive or unfair federal regulatory enforcement actions, such as repetitive audits or excessive fines and other unfair actions by a federal agency. Established in 1996 with the passage of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, the National Ombudsman?s office collaborates with 10 regional fairness boards, served by 50 small business owners from across the country.

Vassar was appointed National Ombudsman in August 2009. In her former roles as director of a state regulatory agency and Virginia?s Department of Minority Business Enterprise and her prominent roles working with businesses and community organizations, Vassar brings first hand experiences that enhance the communication and relationships between small businesses and federal regulatory agencies.

Vassar was in Chicago as part of her on-going journey around the country speaking with community stakeholders and entrepreneurs.

The roundtable discussion was held at the QBG Foundation building located at 806 E. 78^th Street.

?An ombudsman serves as kind of a liaison between two points,? Vassar said during the meeting.? ?It also offers a service too, in this case small businesses and it has an element of community service.?? I managed throughout my life to work in community service throughout every job I occupied.?

The national ombudsman is familiar with the challenges small business owners face; she owned two small businesses over the course of a decade.

Vassar encouraged business owners to write down their concerns on a comment form so that she can find solutions to their questions and issues. The comment form is also located online at www.sba.gov/ombudsman.

Vassar is passionate about her job and wants small business owners to know that she is working on their behalf. ?In order to be accessible to the many entrepreneurs she meets, Vassar takes one of her assistants with her as she travels the country; not only to take notes but she also wants them to meet the business owners face to face.

?I look at my staff and say you all are the people who really handle the problems as they come in,? Vassar said.? ?In order to develop sensitivity to these problems I?m going to take one person from the staff with me everywhere I go.?

Vassar said her first year on the job she traveled alone but quickly found out she wasn?t able to engage with entrepreneurs and take notes at the same time.

?It?s very difficult to talk and take notes,? she said. ??It?s almost impossible. So I said no matter what, I?m going to make the budget work. So one person accompanies me everywhere I go. Not only for them to take notes but for them to see you. And they go back with a different sense of their job.?

Melinda Kelly, executive director of the CBA moderated the forum and thanked Vassar sharing the useful and vital advice with the CBA Membership.

William Garth, CEO of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group and chairman of the CBA also thanked Vassar for meeting with local business owners.

?I just want to thank you for coming out and explaining to us how to deal with the governmental side of business.?

Coincidently, May 20-26 is National Small Business Week for more information visit www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com.

Source: sba.gov

By Thelma Sardin

Twitter: @thelmasardin

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Leica M9-P

The Leica M9-P ($7,995 list, body only) is a beautiful camera with an absurdly high sticker price. Its lack of bells and whistles will confound casual snapshooters, but its an appealing choice for seasoned photographers who fell in love with rangefinder film cameras and want a digital equivalent. If you're looking for a camera that supports autofocus, video recording, and offers a library of zoom lenses, the M9-P ?is not for you. But if a compact camera with a large image sensor, bright optical viewfinder, and minimalist controls is what you're after, the M9-P may be what you're looking for?the only question is whether you can afford it. This high-end interchangeable lens camera doesn't offer the mass market appeal or flexibility of our Editors' Choice Olympus OM-D E-M5 ($1,299.99, 5 stars), but if you're set on a new digital rangefinder, your choices are all Leica.

Why Choose a Rangefinder Camera?
If you've never shot with a rangefinder, you must first understand that there are some fundamental differences that set the camera apart from an SLR. When you look through the optical viewfinder of an SLR, you're seeing exactly what the lens sees. This has its advantages?you get an accurate view of your frame and can preview the depth of field of your shot. With a rangefinder, two sets of framelines, which change along with the lens, are displayed in the viewfinder to give you an idea of what your frame will capture, but you'll want to keep shots a bit loose with the intention of cropping, as they aren't entirely accurate. You'll also see a bright rectangle in the middle of the finder with a double image?that's how you focus. As you adjust the focus on the lens barrel, the double image turns into one. Once you've mastered this technique, it's quicker than manually focusing an SLR, but obviously lags behind the best D-SLRs in terms of speed and precision.

So, why put up with the convoluted focusing and framing system? For one, the finder is always bright?regardless of whether you're using an f/0.95 lens or an f/4 lens. Depending on how wide your lens is, you'll also be able to see outside of the frame. This is ideal for shooting on the street where pedestrians may wander into a shot unexpectedly, or for tracking action. There's also no finder blackout when you take a photo?so you'll see the exact moment that you're capturing as you hear the shutter click. There aren't a lot of other digital cameras on the market that offer this?the Fujifilm X-Pro1 ($1,699 list) comes closest. It doesn't offer the manual focus rangefinder patch so you'll have to trust its autofocus when shooting with its hybrid digital/optical viewfinder in optical mode.

The other advantage is lens design. Because there's no mirror or focus motors, rangefinder lenses are amazingly small?especially when you consider that they provide full frame coverage. The rear element can be very close to the film plane, which makes it possible to design wide-angle lenses that are incredibly compact. The Leica Elmarit 28mm f/2.8 ASPH lens has a 2-inch diamater and is just 1.2 inches long, much smaller than any 28mm SLR lens of similar speed.

The short span between the lens mount and film plane also reduces the distance that light has to travel before it is captured, resulting in images that are much sharper around the edges and in the corners than those from SLRs. The M9-P has a series of microprisms built into the sensor that further help to increase corner performance, as digital sensors require light to hit the photosites straight on in order to be properly recorded?this isn't required when shooting film. The sensor also omits an antialias filter, which makes sharper photos possible. Along with the X-Pro1 and Nikon D800E ($3,299.95), it's one of the few cameras on the market that takes this approach to sensor design.

If you discover that shooting with a rangefinder is for you, your choice of camera bodies is limited?they're niche products at this point. Leica currently produces two other models. The M9 ($6,995 list) is essentially the same camera with slightly different styling and without a protective sapphire glass cover over its LCD. The recently announced M-Monochrom ($7,995 list) is basically an M9 ?that shoots only black-and-white photos. You can also look for an M8, M8.2, or Epson R-D1 (2 stars) on the used market. The 10-megapixel M8 and M8.2 will handle much like the M9, although the image sensor in those cameras is smaller than full frame, so your lenses will suffer from a 1.33x crop factor, and you'll need to use special UV/IR filters on your lenses to prevent unwanted color shifts when shooting certain fabrics and vegetation. The RD-1 is a 6-megapixel camera and uses a 1.5x APS-C crop sensor, the same size that is found in consumer D-SLRs, and is unique in that it is a digital camera that requires you to manually advance the shutter after taking a photo, just as you would with a film camera.

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?Sleep No More,? Enhanced by MIT Media Lab

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A test drive of the MIT Media Lab?s electronic enhancements to the site-specific theater piece ?Sleep No More.?

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Effortless Strategies For Preparing a ... - Famous Food Recipes

Picking Healthy Diet Foods primarily is determined by the general orientation of the body. In case you are lean, slim or thin and also you need to obtain some pounds, your food would comprise items, that are wealthy in calories. On the other hand, folks who could be wanting to shed some added pounds will opt for the foods that are low in calories. But once more calories might be healthful or harmful. Thus, there is a ought to strike a suitable balance though taking healthy diet foods.

Your body calls for a certain level of nutrients from the food taken. Prominent of these nutrients are Protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and water. Carbohydrates are the supply of power, proteins are the fundamental making blocks of a cell, vitamins and minerals are vital within the body functioning when the fats gives calories in substantially quantity in the physique.

Now, among the wholesome eating plan foods, my favourite food is Potatoes, which contain fiber, potassium and vitamin-C, is often cooked in distinct strategies, no matter if streamed, boiled or fried, it to give you necessary beta-carotene. It?s going to also add some good fats for your physique.

Speaking of healthy diet regime foods, Fruits and diverse vegetables are also essential as they include lots of vitamins, minerals and water. Fruits and vegetables preserve you healthy by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels and offer you fiber and photo-chemicals. Green fruits and leafy vegetables are fantastic sources of Vitamin C, A and K, which also provide you iron, potassium and manganese. Standard use of fruits and vegetables also reduces the threat of establishing cardiovascular illnesses.

Whole grains and beans are also wholesome eating plan foods. Whole grains like brown rice, millet and maize contain fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and photo-chemicals. Similarly, beans cater for your demands of iron, zinc, protein and potassium. Proteins identified in beans are considered greater than those obtained from animal sources.

Soups are one of the most healthy diet foods because of the number of ingredients you could put in. Offered your calorie priorities, it is possible to lessen or boost the amount of calories inside a single serving of soup. They are able to be created with meat, vegetables, dry fruits and variety of spices, thus giving you all crucial nutrients. Soups are also effective for folks on a diet plan since it satiates your stomach and keeps your hunger pangs in manage.

Animal meat is a great source of Protein, iron and fiber. This meat becoming richer in calories should be consumed moderately by men and women struggling with weight difficulties. People today who desire to consume meat and yet stay wholesome ought to prefer white meat like chicken and fish. White meat specially of fishes also contains Omega three, which assists to increase blood flow in veins and perks up heart performance. Moreover, meat also supplies you needed Amino acids and Trans-fats, unnecessary consumption of which can trigger wellness challenges.

Milk, yogurt, cheese and other Dairy merchandise are also healthy diet plan foods as they are wealthy in calcium and fats. Calcium increases reproduction rate of cells and strengthens our teeth and bones. You can encounter weaker bones, arthritis and dental illnesses because of lack of Calcium in body. Flavored dairy merchandise give you with additional calories as a result of their flavor. As a result, you should consume skimmed milk and unsweetened yogurt, which are low in calorie, in case you are on a low calorie diet regime. Nevertheless, they would still supply you with calcium.

Different kinds of drinks has to be included within your wholesome diet foods. Coffee as an example supplies you caffeine, which refreshes your brain cells. In the exact same manner, red and green tea provides you flavonoids, which keeps the body active and relaxes tense muscles. It is possible to get Vitamin-C and minerals from fresh fruit juices. Besides, low calorie alcoholic drinks could also be consumed with moderation which has nice effects on your skin and improves blood flow inside your veins.

Besides all-natural sources, processed diet program foods are also excellent for preserving a wholesome body. They play an essential function in our everyday meals. Loaf, brown bread, crisp-breads and quite a few other processed foods are rich in fiber, Vitamin A and C. These foods are enriched and processed by style to include calculated calories. Nonetheless, you could usually get low calorie alternatives on the market.

To sum up the discussion, we can say that we have gotten a vast variety of wholesome diet plan foods to consume, but a cautious balance is normally necessary to provide your physique with all necessary nutrients and also the correct level of calories. A balanced diet regime won?t only maintain you healthy and sturdy, but will also avoid you from lots of illnesses, commonly suffered because of poor option of foods intake.

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JPMorgan stops stock buybacks, maintains dividend

By David Henry, Reuters

NEW YORK -- JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon took another step that showed humility and caution in the wake of a stunning $2 billion loss, or more, on derivatives by announcing on Monday that the company will quit spending capital on stock buybacks.?

The company will suspend for now a $15 billion share repurchase plan that Federal Reserve regulators had just approved in March after running stress tests on the bank's capital, Dimon said at an investor conference.

The move will give JPMorgan added protection against having to reduce its quarterly dividend of 30 cents a share, which Dimon said the bank will maintain. It also gives Dimon a hedge against the long-shot chance that the bank's cash payouts might equal its reported earnings in a quarter.

Dimon's latest move reflects his strategy of handling the embarrassment from the loss by trying to get ahead of criticism.

"By getting ahead of the issue, JPMorgan is reducing the pressure on Capitol Hill for more severe responses, such as cutting the dividend," said Jaret Seiberg, a senior policy analyst in Washington for Guggenheim Securities.

"The further ahead you can get, the more you can mitigate the response and I think that is what we are seeing at play," said Seiberg.

When JPMorgan disclosed the losses on May 10, Dimon called the bank's handling of the credit derivatives portfolio "stupid" and said "egregious mistakes" were made with the trades.

JPMorgan shares fell as much as 3.6 percent after Dimon began speaking as the market opened. The shares were down 3.2 percent at $32.43 in afternoon trading in New York.

Dimon normally relishes the chance to buy back shares at prices below $45, he said in early April in his annual letter to shareholders. Paying prices that are lower than what he believes is the company's true value increases the value of remaining shares held by investors, he explained. He complained last fall that regulators would not allow the bank to buy back more stock at low prices under a prior capital plan.

But without suspending the current repurchases, or booking gains on asset sales to offset the derivatives losses, JPMorgan would have run a heightened risk of paying out as much cash for shares and dividends as it reports in profits in a quarter.

That would have looked bad at a time when regulators want banks to continue building up capital to become safer.

The company has already paid out $2.1 billion this quarter,$1 billion for buybacks and $1.1 billion for dividends, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Betsy Graseck's calculations.

That would be as much as net earnings if the loss from the derivatives trade reaches $5 billion, before taxes, by end the of June, Graseck said.

Other analysts also have said the losses could reach $5 billion by year-end. Dimon has said the $2 billion in losses as of May 10 could rise another $1 billion or more.

Dimon said at Monday's conference that the bank is holding off on buybacks to make sure it stays on its planned "glide path" to reach rising capital requirements being imposed under so-called Basel 3 standards.

JPMorgan already had many ways to keep its reported profits above its payouts, Graseck said. She listed them in a report: selling assets to book gains, cutting costs, and drawing down on reserves already taken for bad loans.

Dimon said Monday the bank has made progress working down the losing trades. "We are going to wrestle the problem down," he said.

JPMorgan's stock has lost more than 20 percent, or $30 billion, of market value since the trading losses were announced.

Dimon said the bank intends to restart stock buybacks once it has replenished the lost capital. The bank is capitalized well enough to withstand the losses, analysts said. It had $190 billion of shareholder equity supporting $2.32 trillion in assets at the end of March.

The faulty portfolio was built of layers of supposedly offsetting bets with credit derivatives tied to corporate bonds, both investment grade and junk. A model for measuring risk in the portfolio was changed sometime during the first quarter. The change made the portfolio look less dangerous than it would have under an older risk model the bank had used for years.?

Below, Deutsche Bank analyst?Matt O'Connor discusses the?drama surrounding JPMorgan's trading loss and how to make money in the banking industry on CNBC.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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Jon Eig: The New Abnormal: What Modern Sitcoms Can Learn From the Past

The networks announced their 2012/13 seasons this week. Many years ago, this was a big event. It isn't anymore. But the media still trots out a few column inches on the new shows we can expect to see cancelled next fall. And I always look, hoping to find some vestige of brief, glorious part of America's cultural past.

Most current sitcoms can be traced to one of several family trees. You can still see the spawn of Lucy and Ricky in Mike and Molly, just as you can scratch The Middle hard enough and find Father Knows Best. The Seinfeld/Friends juggernaut is visible in the Fox hit The New Girl, among others. And workplace comedies that sprang from The Dick Van Dyke Show make up most of NBC's current line-up.

The networks' new shows mostly fall into these generic categories. Chances are, one or two will strike a chord, most will flounder. At this point, it's hard to care. But I do find myself cheered by several titles: ABC's The Neighbors, NBC's Save Me, and Fox's last second resurrection of Raising Hope.

These shows all have the chance to be absurdist, thereby bucking the overwhelming trend toward realism in American situational comedy that has ruled our networks for forty years. They almost certainly won't succeed. Other shows have tried and few have even gotten out of the starting gate, let alone made any significant impact. But there was a time -- a marvelous time -- in our past when absurdism had its day. We called this time The Sixties.

We all date The Sixties differently. JFK takes office -- 1961. He is assassinated -- 1963. The Beatles on Sullivan -- 1964. I use 1962 as my start date, when Paul William Henning launched The Beverly Hillbillies. That makes the decade of free love and protest fifty years old. That makes The Sixties old enough for an AARP card. What makes the Hillbillies so important? In the most turbulent of decades, a war was raging. Not over civil rights or Viet Nam. Not over the length of Mitt Romney's classmates' hair. In sitcoms across the land, youthful, at times childish, imagination was battling mature, adult responsibility. The Beverly Hillbillies was locked in a death struggle with The Andy Griffith Show.

From 1962 to 1964, the Hillbillies was the number one show in the country. It would maintain a strong showing for several more years, doing battle with more realistically-grounded comedies like Dick Van Dyke. Eventually, by the late sixties, Andy Griffith's small town sheriff would take over as number one, and absurdity would never reign again. Pretty soon, the '70s would dawn and television content would grow up in the living room of Archie Bunker's weathered Queens home. After All in the Family, relevance was in and aliens were out.

But throughout most of the decade, there was silly magic. Maybe it was because of the social and political turbulence, or maybe it was because of the drugs. Maybe it was because television was still relatively young and foolish. Millions of Americans tuned in faithfully each week to watch the supernatural and the absurd. Some of the shows were quite good. Some were truly awful. But they all made a cultural impression.

The absurdist sitcoms from The Sixties can be broken down into two broad camps. In the supernatural column, you could watch witches (Bewitched) and genies (I Dream of Jeannie). There were aliens (My Favorite Martian) and ghosts (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir). Horses talked (Mr. Ed), as did cars (My Mother the Car). There were two distinct monster families (The Addams Family and The Munsters). And a nun could fly (need I say it, The Flying Nun).

Then there was absurdity in its even purer form -- real life situations in which character behavior was exaggerated to the point of farce, so that the real-life aspect of the premise was overwhelmed. The situations could be innocuous, as in the aforementioned Beverly Hillbillies, and its stablemate Green Acres (with the poster pet for sitcom absurdism, Arnold Ziffel). But often, the background situation was serious, covering the military (Gomer Pyle, USMC and F Troop), cold war espionage (Get Smart), castaways (Gilligan's Island) and POWs (Hogan's Heroes). Throw in The Monkees and Batman and you have 18 shows that had impact throughout a decade in which there were only three networks providing the vast majority of original programming.

Of course there has been the occasional Alf or 3rd Rock since then. Fox took the seed planted with The Flintstones and supercharged it with The Simpsons to develop an entire night's worth of absurdist, animated comedy. Animation allows for more suspension of disbelief, which may be why South Park is probably the purest distillation of the absurdist vibe. But those shows are few and far between. Maybe there's a good reason for that. I mean, I can't honestly say that I miss Herman's Head. But that won't keep me from hoping for Raising Hope, and keeping an eye open for The Neighbors and Save Me.

?

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NATO Summit: Protests Head Saturday To Chicago Mayor's Neighborhood (PHOTOS, UPDATES)

May 18: Police lined up with bicycles to prevent protesters from entering the street... accept there weren't any protesters after the first few minutes. <em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanryanryan/" target="_hplink">Photo by Ryan Williams</a>.</em>

May 18: CPD blocked stairwell exits off Michigan Ave at Illinois to push Occupy protesters from the splinter march down Michigan. <em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanryanryan/" target="_hplink">Photo by Ryan Williams</a>.</em>

Protesters block traffic on Michigan Ave., as they march through the city during a demonstration Friday, May 18, 2012, ahead of this weekends' NATO summit in Chicago. Thousands of nurses and other protesters gathered for the noisy but largely peaceful demonstration with a broad spectrum of causes, from anti-war activists to Occupy protesters to a Chicago Women's AIDS project. The demonstrations Friday were the largest yet ahead of a two-day NATO summit that is expected to draw even larger protests. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

A member of National Nurses United, protests at a NATO summit demonstration at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. Thousands of nurses and other protesters gathered for the noisy but largely peaceful demonstration with a broad spectrum of causes, from anti-war activists to Occupy protesters to a Chicago Women's AIDS project. The demonstrations Friday were the largest yet ahead of a two-day NATO summit that is expected to draw even larger protests. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Tom Morello

Eminent musician Tom Morello performs at a NATO summit demonstration at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. Thousands of nurses and other protesters gathered for the noisy but largely peaceful demonstration with a broad spectrum of causes, from anti-war activists to Occupy protesters to a Chicago Women's AIDS project. The demonstrations Friday were the largest yet ahead of a two-day NATO summit that is expected to draw even larger protests. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A protester tears down a NATO summit banner from one of the bridge towers along the Chicago River at the Michigan Ave. bridge in Chicago. Friday, May 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Nomaan Merchant)

A member of National Nurses United, protests at a NATO summit demonstration at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Protesters dance in the street as they block traffic during a demonstration Friday, May 18 2012, ahead of this weekends' NATO summit in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

A protester pounds out a beat on a newspaper stand as they block traffic while marching through the city during a demonstration Friday, May 18 2012, ahead of this weekends' NATO summit in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

May 18: Probably at the older end of the movement. This "greatful grandmother" was a big hit. <em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanryanryan/" target="_hplink">Photo by Ryan Williams</a>.</em>

May 18: At the end of the break-off march, people gathered at one of the places where it all began - the horse statue at Congress and Michigan. <em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanryanryan/" target="_hplink">Photo by Ryan Williams</a>.</em>

A Member of National Nurses United holds a sign during rally at a NATO summit demonstration in downtown Chicago, Friday, May 18 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Protesters march through the streets of downtown Chicago at a NATO summit demonstration in downtown Chicago, Friday, May 18 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Members of National Nurses United rally at a NATO summit demonstration in downtown Chicago, Friday, May 18 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

An unidentified Chicago police officer removes himself from marching protesters on Michigan Ave., during a demonstration Friday, May 18 2012, ahead of this weekends' NATO summit in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Protesters block traffic on Michigan Avenue as they march through the city during a demonstration Friday, May 18 2012, ahead of this weekends' NATO summit in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Steve Salsman, 38, from Galesburg, Ill., is taken into custody by a Chicago Police officer during a demonstration Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. Thousands of nurses and other protesters gathered for the noisy but largely peaceful demonstration with a broad spectrum of causes, from anti-war activists to Occupy protesters to a Chicago Women's AIDS project. The demonstrations Friday were the largest yet ahead of a two-day NATO summit that is expected to draw even larger protests. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

The Chicago police department mounted patrol watches while protesters march through the city during a demonstration Friday, May 18 2012, ahead of this weekends' NATO summit in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Members of National Nurses United rally in Daley Plaza on Friday, ahead of the NATO Summit in Chicago, Friday, May 18, 2012. Thousands of nurses and other protesters gathered at the downtown Chicago plaza for a noisy but largely peaceful demonstration demanding a "Robin Hood" tax on banks' financial transactions, before a smaller but more raucous crowd broke away and began marching through city streets. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago police mounted patrols chase protesters on the Michigan avenue, ahead of a two-day NATO summit, in downtown Chicago, Friday, May 18, 2012. Police horses blocked some intersections as the breakaway groups wound through the city. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Members of the Occupy movement demonstrate at Daley Plaza, ahead of a two-day NATO summit in Chicago, Friday, May 18 2012. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Protester Darrin Annussek, second left, accompanied by fellow protesters, speaks to reporters outside a Chicago police station after being arrested and released, Friday, May 18, 2012, in Chicago. Annussek was one of nine protesters allegedly arrested Thursday by Chicago police for making Molotov cocktails. But lawyers say the charges are groundless and the arrests improper. Chicago police have not commented.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Protester Darrin Annussek, center, is comforted by fellow protesters at a Chicago police station after being arrested and released, Friday, May 18, 2012, in Chicago. Annussek was one of nine protesters allegedly arrested Thursday by Chicago police for making Molotov cocktails. But lawyers say the charges are groundless and the arrests improper. Chicago police have not commented.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy attends a demonstration in advance of this weekend's NATO summit, at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

An unidentified homeless man, left, ask protesters at the NATO summit for money at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. The protesters offered food, but the man declined their offer during a demonstration. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Journalists gather as Lori Healey, executive director of Chicago NATO host committee, shows off Chicago Welcome Pavilioin in the NATO summit Media Center at The McCormick Place Friday, May 18, 2012 in Chicago. The gathering of heads of state begins this weekend. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Megan Felt, left, sits with her husband, Aaron Jorgensen-Briggs, and their 4-month-old son Henry Wallace Goodner-Felt during a NATO summit demonstration at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Protesters gather in Daley Plaza near Chicago police officer Ruzas during a demonstration in advance of this weekend's NATO summit, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Evelyn Dehais, from Chicago, participates in a healthcare demonstration in advance of this weekend's NATO summit, at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

LaShon Hart, a registered nurse from Detroit, right, sits with her daughter Leah at a NATO summit demonstration at Daley Plaza, Friday, May 18 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Demonstrators conduct a die-in covered in oil as they protest against the Keystone Pipline and the Alberta Tar Sands outside of the Canadian Consulate in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Demonstrators conduct a die-in covered in oil as they protest against the Keystone Pipline and the Alberta Tar Sands outside of the Canadian Consulate in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

A demonstrator holds a canadian flag as he protests against the Keystone Pipline and the Alberta Tar Sands outside of the Canadian Consulate in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Demonstrators hold a sign as they protest against the Keystone Pipeline and the Alberta Tar Sands outside of the Canadian Consulate in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

A demonstrator holds a sign during rally as she protests against the Keystone Pipline and the Alberta Tar Sands in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Margaret Nelson, center, from Evanston, Ill., joins about 100 anti-war activists as they march down Michigan Ave. after rallying outside President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, protesting for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Demonstrators ride their bicycle during rally against Canadian pipeline in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ Nam Y. Huh)

Members of the Diplomatic Security Service, (a division of The State Department), man their work stations inside the NATO Multi-Agency-Communications Center, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Suburban Chicago. The MACC is the central point of communications for the agencies involved in the operational security efforts for the NATO Summit, During the summit 43 different local, state, and national agencies will man the center 24 hours a day.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Anti-war activists demonstrate outside President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, on Thursday, May 17, 2012, protesting for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and 50 heads of state arrive for a NATO summit that takes place Sunday and Monday at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago along Lake Michigan.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

About 100 anti-war activists demonstrate outside President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, Thursday, May 17, 2012 protesting for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and 50 heads of state arrive for a NATO summit that takes place Sunday and Monday at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago along Lake Michigan.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Nathan Tigus, holds a cut-out of President Barack Obama's face as he joins anti-war activists outside President Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago. The group demonstrated and marched for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Anti-war activists demonstrate outside President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, protesting for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

About 100 anti-war activists march down Michigan Ave. after rallying outside President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, protesting for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan, Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Chicago. President Barack Obama and 50 heads of state arrive for a NATO summit that takes place Sunday and Monday at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago along Lake Michigan.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Anti-war activists demonstrate outside President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, on Thursday, May 17, 2012, protesting for an end to NATO operations in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and 50 heads of state arrive for a NATO summit that takes place Sunday and Monday at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago along Lake Michigan.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

About 100 anti-war activists demonstrate outside the Canadian Consulate in downtown Chicago, Th

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