Techno-News Blog

February 28, 2011

Computers Get In Touch with Your Emotions

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By Erica Naone, Technology Review

Computers could be a lot more useful if they paid attention to how you felt. With the emergence of new tools that can measure a person’s biological state, computer interfaces are starting to do exactly that: take users’ feelings into account. So claim several speakers at Blur, a conference this week in Orlando, Florida, that focused on human-computer interaction. Kay Stanney, owner of Design Interactive, an engineering and consulting firm that works with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research, says that a lot of information about a user’s mental and physiological state can be measured, and that this data can help computers cater to that user’s needs.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32429/?p1=A1&a=f

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Voice Will Rule the Road

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by Erica Naone, Technology Review

For years, people have been predicting that speech recognition will soon be the primary way we interact with computers, but it’s never really taken off. Speaking at Blur, a conference in Orlando, Gary Clayton, chief creative officer at voice-recognition company Nuance, talked about what’s still holding the technology back and why he thinks everything’s about to change. People will always want to use whatever interface is fastest and most convenient, Clayton said. On the desktop, it’s still hard to beat the keyboard. In a mobile device, however, especially in a distracted situation such as driving, there’s finally a real need for an alternative way to input information. Clayton said he felt the environment shifting when he realized that dictation was the best way for him to send an e-mail from a smart phone.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/26429/?p1=A6

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Eliminating the Laptop Charging Brick

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By Kevin Bullis, Technology Review

A Google-backed startup says gallium nitride could make power electronics more efficient. The startup called Transphorm has announced a technology that could eliminate the bulky charging bricks that come with laptops and other devices. It could also make data centers and electric cars more efficient. The company has been developing the technology in secret over the last four years and has raised $38 million so far from investors such as Google Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. It will unveil its first products in two weeks.

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/32430/?p1=A5

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February 27, 2011

Watson Goes to the Hospital

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By Katharine Gammon, Technology Review

Last week, IBM’s Watson computer beat two human competitors on Jeopardy. Before the contest was even over, IBM and Nuance, a leading maker of voice-recognition software, announced plans to put Watson to work in the health-care industry. The idea is for Watson to digest huge quantities of medical information and deliver useful real-time information to physicians, perhaps eventually in response to voice questions. If successful, the system could help medical experts diagnose conditions or create a treatment plan. But it could prove a far more challenging trick than winning a game show.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32427/?p1=A3&a=f

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New Materials Make Photovoltaics Better

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By Kevin Bullis, Technology Review

A startup called Solar Junction says its pilot manufacturing plant is producing solar cells units that are more efficient than the best ones on the market today. The advance, based on new semiconductor materials that the company has developed, could help make a type of solar power system called concentrated photovoltaics a far more attractive way to generate electricity from the sun.

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/32425/?p1=A1

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Superconducting Cables

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By Prachi Patel, Technology Review

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to make high-temperature superconducting power cables that can carry as much current as existing superconducting cables while being a tenth of the diameter. The thin, flexible cables could open up new applications in electrical power transmission and could lead to powerful new magnets.

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/32424/?p1=A2

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February 26, 2011

Web surveillance maps global disease trends

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By the BBC

Software-based disease alert systems are considered to be excellent indicators Type in a search for flu in Google and you will not only find out how sick you are but your data will also be recorded on its flu monitoring service. The service, which is part of the search engine’s philanthropic arm, google.org, is just one of many software-based disease alert systems dotted around the worldwide web. By gathering aggregate data from millions of people or by scouring the web for online news reports, blogs and chat room postings, these programs are considered to be excellent indicators of disease levels across the globe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12176180

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The world of cyber threats

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Maggie Shiels, BBC

The boss of the world’s biggest security company said the Stuxnet virus that targeted Iranian industrial facilities last year came as no big surprise. But Enrique Salem of Symantec admitted the ability of the worm was “unprecedented”. Speaking to a small group of reporters after his keynote address to the world’s biggest security conference, he said “as much as we have been planning and preparing for an attack like Stuxnet, what we saw was a different level of sophistication. “What we had been anticipating was an attack on critical infrastructure – instead of someone flying over and dropping a bomb they would use cyber warfare to do the attack.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/maggieshiels/2011/02/the_next_uber_cyber_threat.html

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Why Twitter Should Never Expand Beyond 140 Characters

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by Francis Tan, the Next Web

Last week, I came across an interesting article on ReadWriteWeb titled: “Why Twitter Must Expand Beyond 140 Characters.” Going by the title alone, I can say without hesitation that calling it ‘a bad idea’ would be an understatement. In fact, I believe it would completely kill the very essence of Twitter. To give RWW the benefit of the doubt (and to prepare for this piece) I of course read it and expectedly, there were some interesting points but alas, nothing particularly convincing. The post was inspired by the new Tweetdeck feature, deck.ly, that allows users to tweet more than 140-characters. RWW founder and Co-Editor Richard McManus believes that longer messages will eventually be a requirement for Twitter to “expand to the mainstream.”

http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2011/02/21/why-twitter-should-never-expand-beyond-140-characters/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29

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February 25, 2011

A look at The Channer’s mobile social TV browser [Video]

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by the Next Web

There’s little doubt that TV is becoming more social thanks to platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and dedicated apps like Miso and GetGlue that let you share and discuss the shows you watch. At Mobile World Congress this week I met Nina Alastruey, CEO of The Channer. This Barcelona-born startup (now with a base in San Francisco) offers an app that allows you to watch a range of TV channels and discuss them with others. The plan is to help free and ad-supported TV channels monetise their online output and engage with their audiences. In the future, expect the app to support paid-for premium content and real-time in-app discussion.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNextWeb/~3/V4iW61gzbM4/

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Can premium VOD and buy once, view anytime save film studios from piracy and Netflix?

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by Media of the Next Web

According to a University of Texas media professor, in a move to fight piracy, Netflix and others, a number of studios are planning to bring movies to consumers through video-on-demand (VOD) in as short a time as 28 days after theatrical release. If true, this move would circumvent the standard 120 day window before movies are offered anywhere other than in theaters, and would be offered at a premium fee – an astounding/ridiculous $20-50 according to Tom Schatz, who runs UT Austin’s Film Institute.

http://thenextweb.com/media/2011/02/19/can-premium-vod-and-buy-once-view-anytime-save-film-studios-from-piracy-and-netflix/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29

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A 3G-capable, Linux powered computer…in your car’s dashboard?

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by Brad McCarty, the Next Web

When I got my latest car, the first thing that I did was start thinking about ways that I could geek it up a bit. While the main options that I’ve seen surround using a small form-factor computer installed with a touch screen in place of your radio, this just didn’t seem like the right answer for me. I might have found the right answer in the Navisurfer II. It is a full-blown Linux-based computer, with touchscreen monitor and 3G HSDPA modem all built in. Oh, and as the name implies, it also has a built-in GPS receiver with the Navit navigation system.

http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2011/02/21/a-3g-capable-linux-powered-computer-in-your-cars-dashboard/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29

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Meet Jazz, Europe’s Telepresent Answer to the Anybot

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by Courtney Boyd Myers, The Next Web

Europe’s long time maker of robotic software has decided to take a stab at developing its own telepresence robots. Meet Jazz, a line of robots that includes “Jazz Connect” technology for telepresence in the office or anywhere in the world, “Jazz Icon” for companies who want to promote their image and “Jazz Security” for surveillance and security. Measuring just 1-meter tall, Jazz robots are mobile, fitted with a camera and connected to the Internet via WiFi. Users can connect to the robot via any web browser to take part in a meeting or check in on employees in an interactive way by talking though Jazz’s embedded loudspeaker while controlling the robot’s moves via an intuitive interface.

http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2011/02/20/meet-jazz-europes-telepresent-answer-to-the-anybot/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29

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February 24, 2011

Light-Emitting Rubber Could Sense Structural Damage

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By Kate Greene, Technology Review

The new type of sensor could be an early warning system for bridges and buildings under stress. Researchers at Princeton University have built a new type of sensor that could help engineers quickly assess the health of a building or bridge. The sensor is an organic laser, deposited on a sheet of rubber: when it’s stretched—by the formation of a crack, for instance—the color of light it emits changes.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32336/?mod=chfeatured

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PlayStation Phone: Innovator or Imitator?

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By Duncan Graham-Rowe, Technology Review

Sony’s new phone is aimed at avid gamers, but it’s unlikely to challenge the iPhone. After seeing the mobile gaming market invaded by smart-phone makers in recent years, Sony Ericsson has now launched the first “Playstation phone,” called the Xperia Play. The device resembles a regular smart phone but has gaming buttons that slide out from beneath the screen. The Xperia Play, launched this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, is designed to fend off growing competition in the mobile gaming market while carving out a new niche among many other mobile devices.

http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/32370/?mod=chfeatured

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Smart Phone – The New Money

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by Technology Review

Square, founded by the creator of Twitter, lets people accept credit cards with their smart phones. That innovation could transform transactions in surprising ways. Square’s innovative payment system eliminates all of this: there’s no credit check, no hardware costs, and no fixed costs. For any transaction, Square charges 2.75 percent plus 15 cents, a blended fee from which it repays the card companies and earns its profit. That’s it.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32360/?p1=A1

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February 23, 2011

IBM’s Watson supercomputer crowned Jeopardy king

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by the BBC

IBM’s supercomputer Watson has trounced its two competitors in a televised show pitting human brains against computer bytes. After a three night marathon on the quiz show Jeopardy, Watson emerged victorious to win a $1million prize. The computer’s competitors were two of the most successful players ever to have taken part in Jeopardy. But in the end their skill at the game was no match for Watson. Ken Jennings had previously notched up 74 consecutive wins on the show – the most ever – while Brad Rutter had won the most amount of money, $3 million . “I for one welcome our new computer overlords,” Mr Jennings wrote along with his correct final Jeopardy question.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12491688

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Thought-controlled wheelchairs and bionics that ‘feel’

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By Neil Bowdler, BBC

Thought-controlled wheelchairs and nerve-controlled prosthetic arms are some of the latest innovations in bionics being discussed at a science conference in Washington. The wheelchair can be directed by brain signals detected using a cap fitted to the user and is the work of scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland (EPFL). It is part of efforts to control machines directly via brain signals, which could lead to new devices for the paralysed and disabled.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12490048

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Barack Obama ‘friends’ Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

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by the BBC

US President Barack Obama has met Silicon Valley bosses, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Apple’s Steve Jobs and Google chief executive Eric Schmidt were also present at the private get-together in California. The president had been seeking the views of technology leaders as he works to turn around his country’s ailing economy. Mr Obama has said he wants to encourage American businesses to invest more money in innovation. Among those meeting the president were the bosses of Twitter, Yahoo and Oracle.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12503494

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February 22, 2011

New technologies may change textbooks’ future

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By Lauren Kirkwood, Diamondback Online

The textbook industry may be on the verge of a major transformation if students, faculty and publishers embrace potentially game-changing new technology that a professor at this university has already begun to use. Because in-state students will likely face a 3 percent tuition increase next year, innovative ways of saving money on textbooks are more relevant than ever, and professors and student groups are taking steps to solve the issue of affordability. Like many of his colleagues, psychology professor Charles Stangor recently authored a textbook on material he has researched and taught in his classrooms. But unlike traditional books, Stangor’s work, Introduction to Psychology, is available online free of charge.

http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/new-technologies-may-change-textbooks-future-1.1969091

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New Technology To Fight Texting & Talking While Driving

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by the Yeshiva World

There is a new tool available to combat distracted driving and it is different because it puts much of the control in the hands of parents. The wireless company T-Mobile unveiled a new service called Drive Smart Plus that disables a cell phone once the GPS registers that the vehicle it is traveling in is in motion. “It’s like a reaction,” said Lindsey Wagner, a sophomore at Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey. “Your phone buzzes and you want to see who is talking to you.” Wagner and hundreds of other high school students attended a presentation on distracted driving organized by a group called FocusDriven.org. The main story was told by a victim of distracted driving, Jacy Good.

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/83531/New-Technology-To-Fight-Texting-%26-Talking-While-Driving.html

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