Archive for the 'Technology' Category
And Now… Pills Containing Microchips
November 9th, 2010Via: Reuters: Novartis AG plans to seek regulatory approval within 18 months for a pioneering tablet containing an embedded microchip, bringing the concept of “smart-pill” technology a step closer. The initial program will use one of the Swiss firm’s established drugs taken by transplant patients to avoid organ rejection. But Trevor Mundel, global head of […]
Nuclear Bunker Houses World’s Toughest Server Farm
November 4th, 2010Via: Wired: Deep inside the Swiss Alps, a former nuclear bunker is now the ultimate hiding place for the world’s most sensitive secrets. Wired gains access to the server farm designed to survive a full-scale military attack. … “Sixteen years ago, nobody took us seriously,” Oschwald says. “They said to us, ‘Storing data under a […]
University of Arizona Researchers Develop Moving Holographic Display
November 4th, 2010It’s pretty rough, but give it a decade or two. And R2-D2’s holographic projector worked fine with just the air inside the Millennium Falcon. No special media was required. Via: University of Arizona: Remember the Star Wars scene in which R2D2 projects a three-dimensional image of a troubled Princess Leia delivering a call for help […]
Panasonic Invests in Tesla
November 4th, 2010Via: Reuters: Tesla Motors has just picked up a $30 million investment from Japanese electronics giant Panasonic. The two companies announced late on Wednesday that Panasonic — a preferred battery cell supplier for Tesla’s electric vehicles — has bought a $30 million stake in the Palo Alto, Calif.-based car maker. Panasonic made the investment through […]
“Internet of Things” Is On The Way
November 3rd, 2010Via: Technofascism Blog: The latest marketing-speak word from the architects of the “Internet of Things” at IBM is “smart.” So, in the near future, when the CIA can log into any device you own–from your toothbrush to your bookshelf–and determine who’s been using them and when and where, that’s not an invasion of privacy–it’s “smart.” […]
2% of Netflix Users Account for 20% of U.S. Internet Traffic at Peak Times
November 3rd, 2010Via: Slate: On Sept. 22, Netflix began offering its streaming movie service in Canada. This was Netflix’s first venture outside of the United States, and because the company wasn’t offering its traditional DVD-by-mail plan to Canadians, its prospects seemed questionable. How many people would pay $7.99 per month (Canadian) for the chance to watch Superbad […]
British Innovation: New Speed Camera Can Catch Drivers Committing Five Offenses at Once
November 2nd, 2010Via: Guardian: A speed camera designed to catch motorists committing up to five offences at the same time could be heading to Britain’s roads. As well as catching speeding motorists, the Asset camera should be able to pick out drivers who are not wearing seatbelts and accurately measure distances between moving cars to identify tailgating. […]
Canada: Tories Reintroduce ISP Intercept Bill
November 2nd, 2010Via: CBC: The federal Conservatives have reintroduced legislation that would allow police and intelligence officials to intercept online communications and get personal information from internet service providers (ISPs) about their subscribers without first obtaining a warrant.
3D Building Projection
November 1st, 2010This will definitely be old news to many of you, but I just randomly stumbled across this tonight. 3D animated scenes are projected onto building exteriors. The computer generated imagery incorporates the building’s architecture. The effect can be pretty astonishing. Here are several clips of work done by a company called NuFormer. I’ll include one […]
World’s Fastest Supercomputer… Is In China
October 28th, 2010Via: Nvidia Press Release: Tianhe-1A, a new supercomputer revealed today at HPC 2010 China, has set a new performance record of 2.507 petaflops, as measured by the LINPACK benchmark, making it the fastest system in China and in the world today. … Tianhe-1A was designed by the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) in China. […]
