Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Stanford Researchers Advance Performance of Thought-Controlled Computer Cursors
November 20th, 2012Via: Stanford University: Stanford researchers have designed the fastest, most accurate mathematical algorithm yet for brain-implantable prosthetic systems that can help disabled people maneuver computer cursors with their thoughts. The algorithm’s speed, accuracy and natural movement approach those of a real arm.
Homeland Security Spent $430-Million To Tune Its Radios To A New Frequency, And Failed
November 20th, 2012Via: TechDirt: Of 479 radio users the DHS inspector general tested, only one knew how to tune into the common channel, the report stated. Personnel either were unaware the channel existed, could not find it, or switched to an outdated channel inherited from the Treasury Department. “Personnel do not have interoperable communications that they can […]
Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots
November 19th, 2012Via: Human Rights Watch: Governments should pre-emptively ban fully autonomous weapons because of the danger they pose to civilians in armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. These future weapons, sometimes called “killer robots,” would be able to choose and fire on targets without human intervention. The 50-page report, “Losing Humanity: […]
14 Year Old Girl Invents New Solar Water Purification System
November 18th, 2012Her presentation describes how it works: Via: Good News Network: A 14-year-old New York student was named “America’s Top Young Scientist” for inventing a solar-powered water jug that changes dirty water into purified drinking water. Deepika Kurup not only surpassed 9 finalists with her science and math skills to win $25,000 from Discovery Education and […]
They Cracked This 250 Year-Old Code, And Found a Secret Society Inside
November 18th, 2012Shachtman’s dismissal of the modern day significance of secret societies is unfortunate. The fact that the two main candidates in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election were both members of the same secret society, Skull and Bones, is just, “Fodder for conspiracy theorists.” Overall, though, the article is pretty interesting. Via: Wired: The master wears an […]
Ingress: Google’s Strange New Game
November 16th, 2012John Hanke is the head of Niantic Labs, the Google unit that created Ingress, a new global augmented reality game. Let’s quickly look at some of what Hanke was up to before he worked at Google. After graduation from the University of Texas at Austin, Hanke, “Worked in foreign affairs for the US Government in […]
Open Sourced: Google Engineer Builds Page-Turning Scanner Out of Sheet Metal and a Vacuum
November 15th, 2012Via: The Verge: For the past eight years, Google has been working on digitizing the world’s 130 million or so unique books. While the pace of new additions to the Google Books initiative has been slowing down, members of the team have come up with a new automated scanner design that could both make the […]
LTE Networks Vulnerable to Simple, Inexpensive Attack
November 15th, 2012Via: MIT Technology Review: High-speed wireless data networks are vulnerable to a simple jamming technique that could block service across much of a city, according to research findings provided to a federal agency last week. The high-bandwidth mobile network technology LTE (long-term evolution) is rapidly spreading around the world. But researchers show that just one […]
Salt Lake City: Police to Wear Video Cameras
November 15th, 2012Can they turn the cameras off as they’re about to beat the shit out of someone or kill them for no reason? Via: KSL: Mounted on the side of a pair of sunglasses is what Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank says is the future of police work. The body cameras work like dash […]
Vegetative Patient Communicates with Scientists Via fMRI
November 14th, 2012Via: BBC: A Canadian man who was believed to have been in a vegetative state for more than a decade, has been able to tell scientists that he is not in any pain. It’s the first time an uncommunicative, severely brain-injured patient has been able to give answers clinically relevant to their care. Scott Routley, […]
