Spore is a game that has the potential to fundamentally change games. The idea is that if you give people a framework and allow them to build their own content and build in a way to share that content without allowing a few users to degrade the experience of the other users, you will end up with a different experience for every user and many hours glues to the glow of an LCD panel. I am really excited that this if FINALLY coming out after many years in development. Check out the video if you want to find out more about the game.
http://www.spore.com/screenshots.php?movieID=5&play=lo
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Hybrid school buses
This was an interesting story about how some school districts in a few states (PA and VA are two of them but I don't FX County is buying them at this point) are buying a few hybrid school buses. They are 50% more efficient but the are also 70K more per bus. Some guy says that the break even point would be in 6 years (15 year expected bus life) if they were bought in batches of 1000 or more because of volume discounts (reduces to 40k more per bus.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-14-hybridbus_N.htm?csp=34
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-14-hybridbus_N.htm?csp=34
Wine power, baby!
You've heard that Jesus turned water into wine, now Canada's wine country will turn it into electricity -- for homes in the Niagra area. StormFisher Biogas is offering Ontario's wine producers a productive way to get rid of about 2,000 tons of smooshed grape stuff, which up until now had been sent to landfills.It basically works like this: dump grape remnants into an industrial digester (whatever that is) then use the methane created by the decomposing grape skins and seeds to produce both electricity and natural gas. Cheers!
How Much is Your Right to Vote Worth?
Posted by samzenpus on Thursday November 15, @07:56AM
from the how-much-are-you-offering dept.
from the how-much-are-you-offering dept.
Attila Dimedici writes "Two thirds of the students at NYU would give up their right to vote in the next election for a full scholarship. Some would be satisfied with an ipod. A few would be willing to give up the right for the rest of their lives for one million dollars."
On the cutting edge of green tech
This one was actually worth the click. This was 9 items on the cutting edge of green technology. Here is a quick breakdown.
http://www.news.com/2300-13838_3-6218577-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg
- Microcars were interesting in the 70s and now there are companies looking at making them.
- Recycle your used tires into the perfect lawn
- Those crazy scientists are still trying to get the whole fusion thing working. New info but nothing earth shattering...
- This one was about harnessing the wind at a consumer level. Looks worth while if you live somewhere where the wind blows. My guess is that here, this will not really catch on unless the process becomes really efficient. On the other hand, every little bit helps.
- This one was slick. a company figured out how to distill not only salt water, but industrial waste and makes it safe to drink. This could help with the first of the big changes with global climate change, drinkable water.
- This one talks about commercializing the production of methane from manure.
- Recycling all those bottles is nice but where does it all go? Floor tiles, counter tops, rugs etc.
- Producing electricity from tiny vibrations in ordinary matter or simply from the heat in a room. Sounds cool but this one is a ways off.
- Do you go to the dry cleaners? This one was as dull as it sounds. Apparently it is more eco friendly to use cardboard hangers than to use wire ones.
http://www.news.com/2300-13838_3-6218577-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
OLPC XO and iRobot Create brought together for telepresence hack
While the project is still classified as "ongoing," Damon Kohler nonetheless looks to have made some considerable progress in his OLPC XO / iRobot Create combo, which together forms a makeshift telepresence robot. Among other things, if you decide to build your own, you'll apparently be able to control the robot via a web interface, and make use of the OLPC's webcam and microphone to monitor its surroundings. Some of the more recent additions include some text-to-speech capabilities to totally freak out your pets, and a high-tech night vision system (pictured above). If that's enough to tempt you, hit up the links below for the complete details on how to put together your own.
Read - Instructables, OLPC Telepresence
Read- Project Blog
[Via Gadget Lab]
Read - Instructables, OLPC Telepresence
Read- Project Blog
[Via Gadget Lab]
Close but no Cigar for Netflix Recommender System
Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday November 14, @10:00AM
from the fifty-grand-aint-bad dept.
from the fifty-grand-aint-bad dept.
Ponca City, We Love You writes "In October 2006, Netflix, the online movie rental service, announced that it would award $1 million to the first team to improve the accuracy of Netflix's movie recommendations by 10% based on personal preferences. Each contestant was given a set of data from which three million predictions were made about how certain users rated certain movies and Netflix compared that list with the actual ratings and generated a score for each team. More than 27,000 contestants from 161 countries submitted their entries and some got close, but not close enough. Today Netflix announced that it is awarding an annual progress prize of $50,000 to a group of researchers at AT&T Labs, who improved the current recommendation system by 8.43 percent but the $1 million grand prize is still up for grabs and a $50,000 progress prize will be awarded every year until the 10 percent goal is met. As part of the rules of the competition, the team was required to disclose their solution publicly. (pdf)"
Facial Recognition Vending Machine Debuts
I wonder if this is able to detect a mask?
Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 13, @07:23PM
from the no-more-candy-for-you-chubby dept.
Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 13, @07:23PM
from the no-more-candy-for-you-chubby dept.
Peter Hanami writes "Yesterday in Japan, a facial recognition vending machine went on sale that can tell the age of the buyer based on a range of features including number of wrinkles, bone structure and how the skin sits on the face. It was developed as a way to stop minors from buying cigarettes from vending machines. In Japan, cigarette vending machines are a common feature on the street and presently few safeguards exist to stop younger users from purchasing them. This new machine is seen as a positive step to reduce under age smoking. If the machine doesnt deem the buyer to be of suitable age, 20 years old, the buyer must provide further identification such as a drivers licence."
A Giant Step in Cloning
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday November 14, @07:53AM
from the a-barrel-full-of-clones dept.
from the a-barrel-full-of-clones dept.
mernil writes "The Independent reports: "A technical breakthrough has enabled scientists to create for the first time dozens of cloned embryos from adult monkeys, raising the prospect of the same procedure being used to make cloned human embryos."
The Rules of the Swarm
Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 13, @08:47PM
from the welcome-to-the-collective dept.
from the welcome-to-the-collective dept.
Hugh Pickens writes "Researchers are starting to discover the simple rules that allow swarms of thousands of relatively simple animals to form a collective brain able to make decisions and move like a single organism. To get a sense of swarms, Dr. Iain Couzin, a mathematical biologist at the Collective Animal Behaviour Laboratory at Princeton University, builds computer models of virtual swarms with thousands of individual agents that he can program to follow a few simple rules. Among the findings are that swarm behavior has patterns common to many different species, that just as liquid water can suddenly begin to boil, swarm behavior can also change abruptly in character, and that just a few leaders can guide a swarm effectively by creating a bias in the swarm's movement that steers it in a particular direction. The rules of the swarm may also apply to the cells inside our bodies and researchers are working with cancer biologists to discover the rules by which cancer cells work together to build tumors or migrate through tissues. Even brain cells may follow the same rules for collective behavior seen in locusts or fish. "How does your brain take this information and come to a collective decision about what you're seeing?" Dr. Couzin says. The answer, he suspects, may lie in our inner swarm."
Stopping Cars With Microwave Radiation
Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 13, @10:10PM
from the stops-in-under-a-minute dept.
from the stops-in-under-a-minute dept.
Ponca City, We Love You writes "Researchers have created an electromagnetic system that can quickly bring a vehicle to a stop by sending out pulses of microwave radiation to disable the microprocessors that control the central engine functions in a car. A 200-pound unit attached to the roof of a police car can be used to stop fleeing and noncooperative vehicles. The average power emitted in a single shot is about 10 kilowatts at 100 hertz and since each radiated pulse lasts about 50 nanoseconds, the total energy output is 100 joules at a distance of 15 meters. One concern with the device is that it could cause an accident if a car is disabled and a driver loses steering control. The device could also disable other vehicles in the area so the most practical application may be for perimeter protection at remote areas. Criminals have a work-around too. Since electronic control modules were not built into most cars until 1972, the system will not work on automobiles made before that year."
Yahoo Settles With Imprisoned Chinese Journalists
Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday November 13, @04:59PM
from the stepping-up-to-the-plate dept.
from the stepping-up-to-the-plate dept.
Terms of the deal are secret, but Yahoo has reached settlements with two Chinese journalists who were arrested based on information the company provided to the ruling Communist government. "[...] a source at Yahoo said the company has been 'working with the families, and we're working with them to provide them with financial, humanitarian and legal assistance.' Yahoo has also agreed to establish a global human rights fund to provide 'humanitarian relief' to support dissidents and their families. The source said that details still have to be worked out."
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Vinegar + water + bacteria + electrons = hydrogen?
Currently the most cost effective means of producing hydrogen is through steam reformation of natural gas. While this process is efficient, it does produce CO2. Electrolysis of water produces only oxygen and hydrogen but takes more electricity than the energy you can get from the hydrogen produced and is at best 50-70 percent efficient.Bruce Logan and Shaoan Cheng of Penn State University may have devised a mechanism that can produce more hydrogen energy than the energy that must be added to the process. They have developed a bacterial electrolysis cell that can consume a variety of organic compounds and produce hydrogen with only a small amount of electricity added to the process. The total efficiency of hydrogen production ranges from 63 percent for cellulose to 82 percent for acetic acid (vinegar) when both the electricity and the energy in the feedstock are factored in. The process produces 144 percent more hydrogen energy than the amount of electricity added. If the process can be scaled up it could be a major breakthrough in carbon-free hydrogen production.
[Source: PhysOrg, thanks to Jason for the tip]
Green truckers in short supply
Although hybrid truck technology took center stage at the European Road Transport Show in Amsterdam, green forms of transportation took a backseat to different kind of green. Money (what did you think I was going to say?) is the primary roadblock standing in the way of a more eco-friendly trucking industry.Because hybrid trucks require a lot of extra mechanization (a 2nd drive train), they are significantly more expensive and heavier (less freight capacity) than their conventional diesel counterparts. Not to mention they have no real track record as far as maintenance goes.
There is hope however, as some small fleets are investing in the new technology. Fedex leads the pack with 95 hybrid trucks in its fleet, and other delivery companies could benefit from a more efficient vehicle for their "stop and go" type of work, where they would see the greatest gains.
As for long haul vehicles, its a different story. With many skeptics claiming that hybrids won't get significantly better highway mileage, don't expect to see hybrid trucks gassing up at the local truck stop anytime soon.
Targeted muscle reinnervation enables your brain to control prosthetic limbs
[Image courtesy of ScienceDaily]
Monday, November 12, 2007
Pedal powered laptop charger
For those of your obsessed with multi-tasking, here's a clever gadget that lets you use your laptop while you're working out. But the best thing about this cycling machine isn't that it saves time, but rather that it saves the planet -- simply by using the energy generated by your pedaling to power your computer.
Developed by MIT students, this invention seems so straightforward -- so obvious, in fact -- that it's almost shocking no one had thought of it before. Needless to say, I want one -- especially as I type this, sitting on my couch, glancing down at my ever-expanding waistline.
Reduce my energy usage while reducing my gut and my work load? Genius!
Welsh village under attack by GPS-blind drivers
We tend to shed a tear or two for humanity each time one of these stories crosses our radar, and unfortunately, this one had us bawling. Apparently, residents in Llangadog have been frustrated time and time again as drivers of large trucks came rumbling through blindly following directions spat out by navigation systems. Wide vehicles have now failed to successfully traverse a very narrow road and not destroy any property in the process not once, not even twice, but three times, leaving a previously restored building in the community damaged (thrice) by recklessness. Reportedly, around £1.5 million ($3.12 million) is being spent to beautify landmark properties in Llangadog and Llandovery, but there's mounting concern that GPS-reliant motorists could reverse any progress by striking buildings as they attempt to squeeze through. It sounds as if signs are being erected to inform drivers of their navigator's cluelessness, but who knows if folks will actually take their eyes off of the LCD long enough to notice.[Thanks, Josh]
Sunday, November 11, 2007
It pays to build a green home in Portland, OR
Portland, OR may be going where no city has gone before. They are in the process of considering the implementation of regulations for new home construction that will force builders to pay up if the homes they construct aren't exceptionally energy efficient. On the flip side, they will give builders cash rewards if they construct homes that are at least 45% more energy efficient than the minimum standard.This plan will go before Portland residents in a series of hearings in January. If the new regulations are passed, they will go into effect in 2010.
[via Apartment Therapy: green home]
Related Story
Filed under: Home, GreenTech
Blockbuster unclear on how the Internet works
Ah, the wonder of Pay-Per-View and the Internet, making it possible to download movies directly to your home. No need to use gas driving to the movie store, or all that plastic for the DVD case -- even the DVD itself is unnecessary. What a fantastic way for the eco-conscious person to reduce their energy consumption!
That is, unless you download your movies at Blockbuster. In yet another desperate attempt to bring people back to their stores, the company will be installing kiosks that allow you to download movies straight to your iPods (or whatever you use as portable media player). Why anyone who likes to watch movies on their portable device would schlep up to Blockbuster when they already have a computer in their house is beyond me.
But what I do know, is that the company has succeeded in taking two good ideas -- centralized movie rental and digital distribution -- and combined them to make something completely useless (not to mention the additional waste and drain on the environment).
Lame.
Related Story
Recycled beer makes cows happy
Remember that one time you and your frat buddies got really loaded and decided to put beer in the dog's water bowl? Dude! Bro! That was totally outrageous!
Just think of how awesome that'd be if you did it with a bunch of cows!
Of course I'm joking, so you can hold off on that tersely worded email to PETA. However, some UK farmers really are feeding beer to their cattle -- and apparently it's good for them.
The idea comes from Greene King, the brewery behind Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale. They've started recycling beer dregs (from the bottom of kegs and pint glasses) into alcoholic (yet somehow non-harmful) animal feed. That feed is then used by local farmers who've noticed "rather a lot of happy cows" out in the pasture.
Not only is this a novel way to cut back on waste, but I'm sure it has drastically reduced the never-ending boredom of bovine life. Everyone wins.
[Via Treehugger]
Related Story
Filed under: Food
IT: Hidden Music Claimed In Da Vinci Painting
Posted by kdawson on Sunday November 11, @02:30AM
from the tinfoil-palletes dept.
from the tinfoil-palletes dept.
snib sends us to CNN for coverage of an Italian musician and computer technician who claims to have uncovered a hidden musical score in Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper." Giovanni Maria Pala published this and other findings about the 'Last Supper' painting in his book The Hidden Music, released in Italy Friday. "[This raises] the possibility that the Renaissance genius might have left behind a somber composition to accompany the scene depicted in the 15th-century wall painting. 'It sounds like a requiem,' Giovanni Maria Pala said. 'It's like a soundtrack that emphasizes the passion of Jesus.'"
- Read More...
- 60 of 78 comments
- it.slashdot.org
Your Rights Online: FBI May Have Datamined Grocery Stores With Help From Credit Companies
Posted by Zonk on Friday November 09, @10:01AM
from the so-you-like-hummus-do-you-mr.-smartguy dept.
from the so-you-like-hummus-do-you-mr.-smartguy dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Recent media reports indicate that in 2005-06, the FBI went trawling through grocery store records in order to track down Iranian terror cells. They hoped to locate 'Middle-Eastern terrorists' through the purchase of specific food items. Many of these items, though, are not sold through big-box supermarket chains, and the majority of mom and pop ethnic markets do not have the detailed computer purchase histories that Safeway or Whole Foods have. What the FBI seems to have done is instead put together a list of everyone who shopped at a Middle Eastern food market. All signs point to the credit card companies providing this data, and not the individual stores. If so, this could be the tip of a (potentially illegal) data-mining iceberg."
- Read More...
- 353 of 434 comments
- yro.slashdot.org
Science: Adult Brains More Flexible Than Previously Thought
Journal written by stemceller (975823) and posted by Zonk on Friday November 09, @10:32PM
from the you-must-unlearn-what-you-have-learned dept.
from the you-must-unlearn-what-you-have-learned dept.
stemceller passed us a link to the official site for Johns Hopkins, which is reporting on some research into cognition. Generally, doctors have understood our best learning to be done at a young age, when the brain has a 'robust flexibility'. As we get older, our brain cells become 'hard-wired' along certain paths and don't move much - if at all. Or, at least, that was the understanding. Research headed by the hospital's Dr. Linden has taken advantage of 'two-photon microscopy', a new technique, to get a new picture inside a mouse's head. "They examined neurons that extend fibers (called axons) to send signals to a brain region called the cerebellum, which helps coordinate movements and sensory information. Like a growing tree, these axons have a primary trunk that runs upward and several smaller branches that sprout out to the sides. But while the main trunk was firmly connected to other target neurons in the cerebellum, stationary as adult axons are generally thought to be, 'the side branches swayed like kite tails in the wind,' says Linden. Over the course of a few hours, individual side branches would elongate, retract and morph in a highly dynamic fashion. These side branches also failed to make conventional connections, or synapses, with adjacent neurons. Furthermore, when a drug was given that produced strong electrical currents in the axons, the motion of the side branches stalled.'"
- Read More...
- 88 of 112 comments
- science.slashdot.org
Dude, you're getting a drink: Dell dude now a waiter
NASA helps predict, prevent disease outbreaks
We could almost swear we've heard this same scenario played out in a 80s era sci-fi drama, but apparently, this ain't out of any movie script. By utilizing 14 orbiting satellites and enlisting the assistance of NASA's Applied Sciences Program, scientists are reportedly observing our planet's environment to "help predict and prevent infectious disease outbreaks around the world." Apparently, the satellites collect environmental change data, which is then forwarded on to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Defense and broken down to estimate and track epidemics. The remote sensing technology is currently be used to target and track malaria (among other things), and NASA surveillance systems can also be used to determine if a given outbreak was caused by "natural circumstances" or if bioterrorism was to blame. Phew, at least we know 28 Days Later won't become an infamous example of life imitating art... right?[Via Slashdot]
Solar-powered ferry could be headed to San Francisco
[Image courtesy of Solar Sailor]
Paramagnetic paint lets you change your car's color on a whim
Posted Nov 9th 2007 3:07PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Transportation
Sure, the whole "temporary vehicle paint" idea was a fine concept if you adored hassles, but Nissan's got a much cleaner approach for those who appreciate easy. Yep, the same folks who dreamed up that self-healing paint some two years back are now talking up their paramagnetic concoction, which purportedly enables motorists to change the color of their ride at the press of a button. The secret is a "special polymer containing paramagnetic iron oxide particles," which is applied to the whip's exterior; an "applied electric current then adjusts the spacing of small crystals within the iron oxide particles, and therefore affects their ability to reflect light and change color." Essentially, vehicles could rock a default color when turned off, and then your imagination could go wild once you turned over the ignition. If all goes well, expect to see commercial applications ready to roll by the time Fast and the Furious: 10 Times 2 Many hits theaters (or 2010, whichever comes first).
[Via Autoblog]
* Read Open in new window
Filed under: Transportation
Sure, the whole "temporary vehicle paint" idea was a fine concept if you adored hassles, but Nissan's got a much cleaner approach for those who appreciate easy. Yep, the same folks who dreamed up that self-healing paint some two years back are now talking up their paramagnetic concoction, which purportedly enables motorists to change the color of their ride at the press of a button. The secret is a "special polymer containing paramagnetic iron oxide particles," which is applied to the whip's exterior; an "applied electric current then adjusts the spacing of small crystals within the iron oxide particles, and therefore affects their ability to reflect light and change color." Essentially, vehicles could rock a default color when turned off, and then your imagination could go wild once you turned over the ignition. If all goes well, expect to see commercial applications ready to roll by the time Fast and the Furious: 10 Times 2 Many hits theaters (or 2010, whichever comes first).
[Via Autoblog]
* Read Open in new window
New helmet allows fighter pilots to peer through the jet
Posted Nov 10th 2007 12:13PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Wearables
No, the headgear in the photo above wasn't some unused prototype created for The Terminator; rather, it's a snazzy new helmet designed to give fighter pilots a better look at their surroundings. Within the tinted faceplate are two projectors which sync up with plane-mounted cameras and display images from the outside for the pilot to view. Essentially, this enables the operator to view high-resolution images (yes, even at night) of areas previously imperceptible without a warplane constructed entirely of plexiglass, and onboard sensors make sure that the imagery reflects exactly where the pilot is looking at any given moment. Furthermore, computerized systems can even feed in "essential flight and combat data on to the display," as well as target symbols of friendlies / enemies. The new visual system is apparently just one amenity on the oh-so-sophisticated Joint Strike Fighter, which the British are planning to pay £66 million ($139 million) apiece for after it hits the production line.
[Via Switched]
* Read Open in new window
Filed under: Wearables
No, the headgear in the photo above wasn't some unused prototype created for The Terminator; rather, it's a snazzy new helmet designed to give fighter pilots a better look at their surroundings. Within the tinted faceplate are two projectors which sync up with plane-mounted cameras and display images from the outside for the pilot to view. Essentially, this enables the operator to view high-resolution images (yes, even at night) of areas previously imperceptible without a warplane constructed entirely of plexiglass, and onboard sensors make sure that the imagery reflects exactly where the pilot is looking at any given moment. Furthermore, computerized systems can even feed in "essential flight and combat data on to the display," as well as target symbols of friendlies / enemies. The new visual system is apparently just one amenity on the oh-so-sophisticated Joint Strike Fighter, which the British are planning to pay £66 million ($139 million) apiece for after it hits the production line.
[Via Switched]
* Read Open in new window
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