Techno-News Blog

October 31, 2010

Why organizations need some new rules to thwart social-media fiascos

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By Gina Smith, Technology Review

Though there’s no way to control what customers and other outsiders are saying, some organizations have imposed policies on Twitter usage for their own employees and affiliates. The NBA is a case in point. During a game last season, the famously outspoken entrepreneur Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, tweeted his irritation at a referee during a game that his team lost.   Days later, after Cuban was slapped with a $25,000 fine for his digital disruption, he poked fun at it. “Can’t say no one makes money from Twitter,” he joked. “The NBA does now.” The episode inspired the NBA to officially forbid all tweeting by players, coaches and owners during games and for 90 minutes before and after.

http://www.technologyreview.com/business/26443/?p1=A5

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Robotic Limbs that Plug into the Brain

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By Emily Singer, Technology Review

A new generation of much more sophisticated and lifelike prosthetic arms, sponsored by the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), may be available within the next five to 10 years. Two different prototypes that move with the dexterity of a natural limb and can theoretically be controlled just as intuitively–with electrical signals recorded directly from the brain–are now beginning human tests.

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/26622/?p1=A4

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Adobe Fights to Keep Flash Vital

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By Erica Naone, Technology Review

Adobe is fighting to keep its place as the middleman of choice for creative professionals. Its Flash platform, which is designed to distribute interactive content to all manner of devices and operating systems, has been embattled since Apple refused to allow the technology on the iPhone. Adobe struck back this week with a series of announcements at its MAX conference in Los Angeles, hoping to show that its technology can still bring content to the widest possible audience.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/26624/?p1=A2

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October 30, 2010

Low-power computing promises to boost companies’ profits

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By Sharif Sakr, BBC News

The IMEC laboratory in Belgium is a surprising place. Nestled in the sleepy university town of Leuven, its low-key entrance gives little clue to the high-tech facility within. The heart of the complex is a massive, dust-free ‘clean room’, staffed by carefully-wrapped technicians. Here, microchips are developed based on sophisticated and carefully guarded designs. The ‘clean room’ where energy harvesting chips are manufactured But unlike unlike consumer chips from Intel or AMD, IMEC’s microchips are not meant to be powerful – they are the exact opposite. They have been tweaked to run on the tiniest amounts of power – so tiny, in fact, that they can run on energy harvested from small movements or temperature differences in the environment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11609667

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The robot that reads your mind to train itself

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By Lakshmi Sandhana, BBC

Rajesh Rao is a man who believes that the best type of robotic helper is one who can read your mind. In fact, he’s more than just an advocate of mind-controlled robots; he believes in training them through the power of thought alone. His team at the Neural Systems Laboratory, University of Washington, hopes to take brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to the next level by attempting to teach robots new skills directly via brain signals. Robotic surrogates that offer paralyzed people the freedom to explore their environment, manipulate objects or simply fetch things has been the holy grail of BCI research for a long time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11457127

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Fear of new technology begins in womb?

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by Times of India

Technophobia or fear of new technology begins before we are born, say researchers. University of Bath researchers claim pre-natal testosterone exposure has an effect on the way the brain develops that makes it either easier or more difficult to grasp technology. Mark Brosnan, study leader at Bath said: “Lower levels of pre-natal testosterone exposure were related to anxieties concerning the use of new technologies, such as computers.” Levels of exposure were measured by comparing the length of the students’ ring finger to the index finger, with the greater difference in length indicating higher exposure to pre-natal testosterone, according to the Daily Mail.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Fear-of-new-technology-begins-in-womb/articleshow/6752725.cms

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October 29, 2010

How the mobile network got chatty

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By Jane Wakefield, BBC

iPhones have caused data explosions on 3G networks When 3G hit the headlines in 2000 it wasn’t the network that was garnering column inches but the extraordinary amount – £22bn – that the mobile operators were prepared to pay for it. Surely with this price tag it was going to be the technological equivalent of alchemical gold, turning the internet as we knew it then into a magical, fast, and, most importantly, a mobile experience? Anyone who remembers WAP (Wireless Application Protocol or Worthless Application Protocol as it became known to its detractors) would probably say it turned out to be a very base metal indeed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11504035

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One third of iPad users shun apps

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by the BBC

Many iPad owners are only using the apps that come with the device, research suggests. About one-third of iPad owners have never downloaded any apps for the device, suggests a study. Compiled by research firm Nielsen, the study questioned 5,000 people to find out how they used their notebooks, tablets, e-books and game gadgets. It found that 32% of the iPad owners it quizzed had never downloaded any extra programs onto the device. Of those that had bought apps, 62% bought a game and 54% paid for an e-book.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11605682

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China unveils own mapping service

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by the BBC

The site has high resolution images of many Chinese cities China has launched an official online mapping service called Map World. The web-based service gives people access to increasingly detailed satellite images of China and high-level images of other nations. The flat maps can be viewed in 3D if visitors download and install a browser plug-in to convert the images. China said the service was still in development and would be updated regularly. It said it could currently handle about 10 million visits per day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11605940

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October 28, 2010

New 3D Technology at BSU

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by Fox12 Idaho

BSU is one of three Idaho universities that is now home to a 3-D Visualization System donated by the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. Designers say it could be used to improve things like cancer studies and test new renewable energy technology. It’s an exciting prospect for students. “In the case of the human skull, you can’t go into the skull and look out or look up or look down the spinal column when you have the skull in your hand. Where with this software, you can manipulate it like that,” said BSU engineering student Aaron Smith. Right now, the machine is housed in the engineering and technology building. Leaders at Boise State hope to get more just like it spread across campus.

http://www.fox12idaho.com/Global/story.asp?S=13320755

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Social Media: The Wild, Wild West of New Technology

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From knowIT, October 5, 2010

Leigh Dow, director of the Toolbox for IT at Toolbox.com, addressed the new developments in social media at a recent Showcase Series event sponsored by the Center for Advancing Business Through Information Technology (CABIT) at the W. P. Carey School’s Department of Information Systems. Dow started her career in politics, then went to work at Intel where she became excited about innovation environments and technology. From there she went back to school for an MBA in technology management. After graduating she joined Honeywell Aerospace in various marketing positions, eventually bridging into e-commerce and customer relations management. After the speech, CABIT Director and Professor Julie Smith David talked to Dow about what’s happening in the fast-expanding world of social media.

http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1932

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Apple Patents New “Anti-Sexting” Technology

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by Andy Chalk, the Escapist

Apple was awarded the patent yesterday for new technology that will let an “administrator,” which I guess would be somebody like your mom, block offensive content on iPhones by either cutting out the naughty bits or preventing entire messages from being received. Unlike conventional profanity filters, Apple claims its new technology can be adjusted based on a child’s grade level and will also filter out abbreviated words that other software may miss. Furthermore, instead of just blocking specific nasty words, this system attempts to “recognize the overall offensiveness of a message and [compare] that to a kid’s age and learning level.”

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104350-Apple-Patents-New-Anti-Sexting-Technology

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October 27, 2010

It’s digital, but is it art?

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by Bill Thompson, BBC

At a recent conference on the future of the arts in a digital world the opening night panel was asked to name a digital art work that had impressed them. All stumbled, perhaps unsure of who was doing ‘interesting’ work in this rapidly changing field, leaving the delegates at the Media Festival/Arts with the sense that digital might not really count as far as they were concerned. My first thought was that the most interesting piece of digital art I’d come across in the last year was definitely the new album from The Editors.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11582423

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Cambridge engineers make old phones into smart phones

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By Dave Lee, BBC World Service

Are you ashamed of your primitive, non-touchscreen phone? Does your lack of flashy technology expose you – Engineers in Cambridge may just have the answer to your woes – and you do not even need to splash out on a new mobile. Acoustic processing specialists Input Dynamics has developed software which can tell exactly where you tap on a screen simply by listening to the sound it makes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11453148

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Facebook, Amazon and Zynga bet on social web

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By Maggie Shiels, BBC

The lion’s share of the sFund’s $250m (£160m) will come from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Details were announced at an event at Facebook’s California headquarters. “There’s going to be an opportunity over the next five years or so to pick any industry and rethink it in a social way,” said Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11603380

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October 26, 2010

What would you do with gigabit internet speeds?

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By Richard Taylor and Alex Hudson; BBC Click

South Korea is already ahead of the global technological curve but it is looking to forge even further ahead by boosting broadband speeds across the nation. It is not aiming at 100, 200 or even 500 megabits per second (Mbps). Instead it has devised a national plan for 1,000Mbps connections to be commonplace by 2012.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9093991.stm

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Microsoft bets to win in the cloud and rival Google

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By Maggie Shiels, BBC

A beta of Office 365 is available in a limited number of countries now Microsoft has ramped up its battle with Google in wooing business customers with its next generation cloud-based product. While the software giant dominates the office space with a 94% market share it has been facing increased competition from Google. At a San Francisco event, Microsoft unveiled Office 365.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11571613

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Apple marries iPad with laptops in new MacBook Air

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By Maggie Shiels, BBC

The MacBook Air is 0.11 inches thick at its thinnest point Apple is cashing in on the popularity of its iPhone and iPad to boost demand for its oldest product, the Macintosh. The company announced that its popular app store for the iPhone and the iPad would soon be coming to its laptops. It also launched a revamped MacBook Air at an event at its headquarters. The computer is seen as a marriage of what Apple has learned from desktop computing and mobile devices. Like the iPad, the Air will have no hard drive and rely on flash memory.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11590805

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October 25, 2010

Microsoft’s Bing deepens ties with Facebook

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by the BBC

Another feature will suggest Facebook friends via Bing Microsoft’s Bing search engine has begun showing US users which sites and products their Facebook friends like. The move is an attempt to make web search results more personal. It is part of a four-year alliance between the two companies and marks another step in Microsoft’s attempt to displace market leader Google. The function is optional and only works when users are logged into Facebook or have “cookies” on their PC that store Facebook data.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11540661

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Facebook and Skype deal to dial friends and family

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By Maggie Shiels, BBC

Together the deal means access to around 1 billion users Skype is integrating with Facebook to make it easier to call and video chat with friends and family on the social network. The deal comes amid fevered rumours that Facebook plans to launch a phone of its own. Meanwhile Skype is gearing up for a $100m (£62m) share issue. “The essence of the Skype experience is communicating with the people you care about,” said Rick Osterloh, Skype’s head of consumer products.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11547799

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Fibre optic cables’ data capacity may soon be reached

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By Jason Palmer, BBC News

Optical fibres themselves will eventually need a design overhaul Technology may stretch the capacity of the fibre optic cables used to carry data sooner than has long been thought, according to a report in Science. The capacity limit has until recently been in the preparation of the light signals that pass through the cables. But the report reviews recent laboratory results showing data rates that are more than half the ultimate limit of fibre optic cables. It calls for urgent research to develop higher-bandwidth cables.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11544459

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