Techno-News Blog

by the BBC

Help Google has demonstrated its operating system aimed at people who ‘”live on the web”. Chrome OS enables people to switch their computers over from Windows. Google’s Sundar Pichai told an audience in northern California that the pilot scheme is aimed at early adopters, developers and users who are used to using beta software. They will be given an unbranded black notebook, called the Cr-48

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/11946895

by the BBC

The conflict between Wikileaks supporters and the companies withdrawing their services from the whistle-blowing website has been dubbed a “cyber war”. Activists have targeted firms such as PayPal, Mastercard and Visa for their opposition to the site’s publication of thousands of secret US diplomatic messages. But there are fears the online battle could lead to everyday internet use becoming much more heavily regulated.

(video)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11966628

By Jimmy Smallwood, BBC

Social networking has added a rather tricky new dimension to family relationships When Facebook was entirely dominated by people under the age of 25, things were simple. But now an important social question has arisen – should you “friend” your child, or accept a parent as a “friend”? For a generation brought up on social networks, your “friends” can range from closest confidants to someone you met at a conference. People you’ve “friended” for networking purposes are afforded equal status to your sister.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11968954

By JOE COONEY, Courier-Post

Parag Sheth and Colee Carr have an innovative idea to create a pacemaker that carries a battery that can be recharged through a person’s breathing. “You see,” said Parag animatedly, “There’s energy going from the pacemaker to the heart, but as the person breathes that action is energy that comes into the battery through a tiny wind-driven fan.” Parag is 12-years-old and Colee is 13. Their concept earned the Robot Rangers team top honors Saturday at the FIRST LEGO robot competition for middle school students held at Rowan University.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20101205/NEWS01/12050342/Robot-competition-allows-children-to-invent-explore

By Olivia Reed, Kalamazoo Gazette

The Internet is a priceless tool for researching papers and reading the latest news. It also has its drawbacks. For example, instead of citing academic journals, some students print free essays off the web. Technology causes students to be lazy with foreign language homework when they can use translators, finishing in half the time, with half the effort and none of the knowledge.

http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/12/our_turn_are_people_too_depend.html

By Mae Kowalke, TMCnet

It’s been said many times before that necessity is the mother of invention. Often, that adage seems to apply especially well in the realm of emerging technology infrastructures. Take cloud computing, for example. This industry has seen significant growth in the past few years, despite a down economy. Actually, it’s more likely that cloud computing has grown because of the recession.

http://ip-telephony.tmcnet.com/topics/ip-telephony/articles/122712-technology-improvements-recession-driving-growth-cloud-computing.htm

by Carl Bagh, International Business Times

IBM unveiled a new technology that uses pulses of light instead of electrical signals to transfer data between chips that will bolster its plans to create an Exaflop supercomputer, capable of one million trillion calculations per second. Recently crowned fastest supercomputer in the world, the Chinese Tianhe-1A, clocks in at 2.57 petaflops. A petaflop is equivalent to thousand trillion operations per second. The new chip technology evolved by IBM is called CMOS Integrated Silicon Nanophotonics. The new technology integrates optical and electrical devices on the same silicon chip, thus translating electric signals into photons thus speeding communication between chips which is faster than transferring data through embedded copper wires.

http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/87991/20101202/ibm-microprocessor-chip-gpu-silicon-optical-electrical-gpu-supercomputers-exaflop-petaflop-tianhe-cm.htm

by Electronista

Sony has detailed its new LCD technology, Hybrid FPA. The technique delivers fast response times of less than 3ms and picture quality enhancement in 3D and high frame rate video. It will also result in faster production times as the manufacturing process is optimized and yield is increased. The Hybrid FPA technique is built on Sony’s current FPA technique, which creates a stable and even alignment of liquid crystal molecules that improves response time and the contrast ratio. The new technique refines the alignment process further resulting in significantly faster response times.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/12/02/delivers.response.times.of.less.than.3ms/

by Nicole Zivalech, the Feed

Apple has been granted a patent on a way to project 3D images without the use of glasses. The picture above is super easy to understand but on the off chance you don’t get it: pixels will be projected on reflective and textured surfaces. The reflected pixels are then bounced into your left and right eyes. Voila, stereoscopic effect. Apple and I clearly have something in common, we think 3D glasses look silly. Their technology will rely on “inexpensive auto-stereoscopic 3D displays that allow the observer complete and unencumbered freedom of movement,” which means no glasses and you don’t have to sit still to enjoy. It will also be capable of sensing multiple eyes so more than one person can watch the 3D projection at once.

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/708960/Apple-Patents-New-3D-Projection-Technology—-No-Glasses-Needed.html

By James Rogers, the Street

IBM has unveiled a new form of chip technology which it claims will pave the way to smaller, faster and more power-efficient processors. The new technology, which goes by the catchy name of CMOS Integrated Silicon Nanophotonics, combines both electrical and optical components on the same piece of silicon. This lets chips communicate using pulses of light, as opposed to traditional electrical impulses, according to the tech giant.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10935601/1/ibm-unveils-new-chip-technology.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN

by Tris Hussey, the Next Web

Hot from the GooglePlex is that iPad users can now not only view docs in Google Docs, edit them in Google Docs, but now we can also switch to the Desktop view to get the full power of Google Docs editing. This update comes on the heels of Google turning on editing on for the mobile version of Docs.

http://goo.gl/I5dvB

by Zee, the Next Web

With Smart TV’s, Google TV’s, Apple TV’s and whatever else round the corner, it’s no surprise that its left many questioning whether the era of the desktop computer has finally come to an end. Personally, I’ve fully backed the idea that Smart TV’s are the desktop replacement, that is until I spotted The Bend Desk over on Design Boom.

http://goo.gl/JdPBP

by Brad McCarty, the Next Web

It seems that lately just about everyone is developing a Web application version of their site. Most recently, with the introduction of the Chrome Web Store, the shift toward more stylized, specialized function can only be expected to increase in frequency. But why? The jovial, yet misguided answer is that all publishers want to provide their readers with content in the best way possible. While that much might be true to an extent, the larger idea is that publishers are trying very hard to find better ways to monetize that content. In order to get you to purchase an “application” displaying the content of a website, only the very best presentation will do.

http://goo.gl/grpeZ

by Brad McCarty, The Next Web

Oh Google, your hijinks are legendary. As the company is presently running a riddle-turned-scavenger hunt for the Nexus S phones, there was apparently another competition out there as well. One eagle-eyed Google fan, however, found the question that was never asked.

http://goo.gl/mVY82

by Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine

I. We have the right to connect.

II. We have the right to speak freely.

III. We have the right to assemble and act.

IV. Information should be public by default, secret by necessity.

V. What is public is a public good.

VI. All bits are created equal.

VII. The internet shall be operated openly.

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2010/12/10/bill-of-rights-in-cyberspace-amended-2/

by James Silver, The Guardian

Under a railway arch in Shoreditch, east London, on a dark September evening, a crowd gathered to watch an advertising shoot for the new Toyota Auris Hybrid. The commercial – which involved a crew of 45 and seven projectors – used a complex technique known as projection mapping to throw a mix of “keyframe, 2D, 3D, algorithmic and dynamic animation” on to an Auris, bringing the car to life in a blaze of pulsing ice blue lights. Made by the digital agency glue Isobar, “Get Your Energy Back” set out to dramatise the technology within the car, which recycles energy as it drives. Glitzy and costly TV car ads are nothing new, of course, but what sets the Auris campaign apart is that it wasn’t conceived as a 30-second TV spot. Rather the Shoreditch event itself, along with its digital afterlife, was the advert.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/15/advertising-social-networking-digital-technology

by Alex Cohen, KPCC

What’s your spending strategy this holiday season?

A new Nielsen survey suggests that Apple’s iPad is the most desired electronic item for the holidays among kids ages 6- to 12-years-old. The survey, which Nielsen conducted in October, found nearly one-third of kids (31 percent) want an iPad in the next six months. The iPod Touch and “a computer” tied for second, followed by the Nintendo DS or D Si hand-held gaming system. New York Times technology columnist David Pogue says he was initially surprised kids that young would want an iPad.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/11/26/survey-ipad-tops-kids-wish-lists/

by Chris Smith, Nexus 404

Just a few days ago we found a little rumor slash speculation saying that the iPad 2 is coming out in January 2011 (something we already knew) but most importantly that the next-gen MacBook Pro generation will arrive in April 2011 with new features on board and a new overall design, all similar to the new MacBook Air notebooks unveiled by Apple this fall. It looks like today we have more information for you on the next-gen MacBook Pro, but, again these are just speculations at this time and it will be a while until we see some sort of solid confirmation from Apple or anyone else with access to its future product lines.

http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/11/27/new-macbook-pro-coming-in-april-2011-with-macbook-air-features-new-rumors-say-next-gen-macbook-pro-to-sport-light-peak-support-ssd-no-dvd/

By ERIC DEGGANS, St. Petersburg Times

When you fire up two new TV products made by the biggest names in computer technology, you don’t expect a funky diversion headed quickly for the Goodwill pile. You expect to see the future of television. But which vision of tomorrow will survive? Is it Google TV’s plan to meld a tricked-out Web browser with your television? Or will it be Apple TV’s more modest model, connecting the small screen with all the media already packed into your iTunes program and a few select online destinations? It boils down to an issue the TV industry has fumbled with for a while: How do you best combine the active, searching spirit of Internet use with the passive, relaxing acceptance of watching TV? Where is the “killer app” uniting active and passive home entertainment?

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/58076

By Amanda Reed, Enterprise

New technology will help reduce the language gap between doctors and patients at Good Samaritan Medical Center, hospital officials say. Good Samaritan has purchased 130 “Interpreter Phones,” which will be installed in patient rooms. The technology, called “NexTalk” will ease language barriers for patients and patrons who speak limited English and improve medical interpreters’ abilities to communicate with patients in a language they understand. NexTalk uses a webcam and portable computer that works as a communication medium for deaf patients and those who speak limited English. The program supports American Sign Language and multiple spoken languages. The medical center has 10 laptops equipped with the technology.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/brockton/news/x1621194469/New-technology-will-reduce-language-barriers-improve-communication-in-city-hospital

by Media Caster

Radio – one of the oldest media platforms – may well be one of the best platforms suited to take advantage of the new media technologies available. As the broadcast business buzzes about mobile media and cable-cutting, of course, radio is already wireless. As new technology offers geo-located and granular connections to an audience, radio has long established one of its greatest strengths as local. Even so, radio is undergoing a fundamental shift triggered by interactive and digital developments. Internet streaming and online interactivity, portable media devices, smartphones and the applications they run; real-time measurement of – and update capabilities for – local marketing and national advertising campaigns.

http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000394209