Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Scientists Grow a Brain Equivalent in Development to That of a Human Fetus at Nine Weeks
August 29th, 2013Via: Independent: Scientists have grown miniature human brains from skin cells in a laboratory for the first time as part of a study into the development of the most complex of all our organs, and the ultimate source of human creativity and consciousness. The mini-brains are less than 4mm across but researchers say that they […]
Nissan: Multiple Autonomous Drive Vehicle Models Available by 2020
August 28th, 2013Via: Nissan: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the company will be ready with multiple, commercially-viable Autonomous Drive vehicles by 2020. Nissan announced that the company’s engineers have been carrying out intensive research on the technology for years, alongside teams from the world’s top universities, including MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Carnegie Mellon and the University […]
Researcher Controls Colleague’s Finger in First Human Brain-to-Brain Interface
August 28th, 2013Via: University of Washington: University of Washington researchers have performed what they believe is the first noninvasive human-to-human brain interface, with one researcher able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of a fellow researcher. Using electrical brain recordings and a form of magnetic stimulation, Rajesh Rao sent a […]
Facebook Friends Could Change Your Credit Score
August 26th, 2013Via: CNN: Choose your Facebook friends wisely; they could help you get approved — or rejected — for a loan. A handful of tech startups are using social data to determine the risk of lending to people who have a difficult time accessing credit. Traditional lenders rely heavily on credit scores like FICO, which look […]
Australia: Giant Robotic Mining Trucks Haul Iron Ore
August 24th, 2013😯 Via: Medium: In the dusty red earth of Western Australia, robot trucks haul iron ore. The trucks themselves weigh about 500 tons when loaded—they are truly massive. They operate more or less on their own, navigating mining roads connecting the sprawling Pilbara iron mines with a guidance system provided by global positioning satellites, radars […]
Computer Can Read Letters Directly from the Brain
August 24th, 2013Via: Radboud University: By analysing MRI images of the brain with an elegant mathematical model, it is possible to reconstruct thoughts more accurately than ever before. In this way, researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen have succeeded in determining which letter a test subject was looking at.
‘Either Write the Software that Eats the World, or Be Eaten’
August 24th, 2013Via: TechCrunch: Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe everything will be fine. Maybe the “widening gap between rich and poor” is temporary. Maybe the steady growth in the proportion of jobs that are part-time and/or low-paid will soon reverse. Or maybe the idea that all the homeless need are old laptops and a few JavaScript textbooks is […]
Documentary: Terms and Conditions May Apply
August 23rd, 2013Via: Terms and Conditions May Apply: Terms and Conditions May Apply (trailer) from ro*co films on Vimeo.
GCHQ Intercepts Data on Middle East Fiber Optic Cables
August 23rd, 2013“It’s a definite WTF moment.” —Problems with Five Undersea Fiber Optic Cables, 2008 See: 2008 submarine cable disruption: 2008 submarine cable disruption refers to three separate incidents of major damage to submarine optical cables. The first incident caused damage involving up to five high-speed Internet submarine communications cables in the Mediterranean Sea and Middle East […]
DARPA Wants a Synthetic Neocortex
August 23rd, 2013Via: Network World: The military’s advanced research group recently put out a call, or Request For information, on how it could develop systems that go beyond machine learning, Bayesian techniques, and graphical technology to solve “extraordinarily difficult recognition problems in real-time.” Current systems offer partial solutions to this problem, but are limited in their ability […]
