The vast majority of us is used to interact with 2D objects, such as a computer screen. But how do you deal with a volumetric display, such as an architectural model? In this short article, "Gestures control true 3D display," Technology Research News (TRN) writes that researchers from the University of Toronto have devised a method which involves a multi-finger gestural interaction with the 3D display. The users, who carry 'markers' on their fingers which are tracked by cameras, can pick, manipulate or control objects existing in the 3D environment.
As the TRN article was only wetting my appetite, I've done my own research on the subject. And among other facts, I discovered that these computer scientists won the Best Paper Award at the 17th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (UIST 2004). This review contains additional details and pictures.
As the TRN article was only wetting my appetite, I've done my own research on the subject. And among other facts, I discovered that these computer scientists won the Best Paper Award at the 17th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (UIST 2004). This review contains additional details and pictures.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 9:06 AM | Comments (0)
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Thursday, December 30, 2004
Transparent Transistors Are Coming
Transparent electronics is an emerging technology which aims to produce invisible electronic circuits. Now, researchers from Oregon report they made a major advance in transparent electronics.
Their zinc-tin-oxide 'thin-film' materials are amorphous, physically robust, chemically stable and cheap to produce at just above room temperature. These new materials and transistors offer many new possibilities for consumer electronics, transportation, business and the military.
Even if these transparent transistors don't show up inside your next computer, they might soon appear in flat panel screens, flexible electronics devices you'll carry with you, and even in your car windshields. But it should take some time. Read more for additional details and an illustration.
Their zinc-tin-oxide 'thin-film' materials are amorphous, physically robust, chemically stable and cheap to produce at just above room temperature. These new materials and transistors offer many new possibilities for consumer electronics, transportation, business and the military.
Even if these transparent transistors don't show up inside your next computer, they might soon appear in flat panel screens, flexible electronics devices you'll carry with you, and even in your car windshields. But it should take some time. Read more for additional details and an illustration.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 6:58 AM | Comments (0)
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Wednesday, December 29, 2004
A Flexible Scanner For Your Phone
A flexible image scanner that you could roll up and carry in your pocket along with your cell phone will soon help you to capture an accurate image of a curved surface such as the label on the wine bottle you just shared with friends. In "Flexible scanner works on curved surfaces," New Scientist writes that a recently introduced prototype weighs less than 1 gram.
Its dimensions are 50 by 50 millimeters and it's only 0.4 millimeter thick. You connect it to your phone, which acts both as a power provider and as a display. So far, this flexible scanner can only capture images of its own size and has only a resolution of 36 dots per inch. But more advanced scanners should be on the market within three years, with better resolutions and in various sizes.
The Japanese inventors say that a 7-centimeter-square scanner should cost about $10. This overview contains many more details, references and pictures.
Its dimensions are 50 by 50 millimeters and it's only 0.4 millimeter thick. You connect it to your phone, which acts both as a power provider and as a display. So far, this flexible scanner can only capture images of its own size and has only a resolution of 36 dots per inch. But more advanced scanners should be on the market within three years, with better resolutions and in various sizes.
The Japanese inventors say that a 7-centimeter-square scanner should cost about $10. This overview contains many more details, references and pictures.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:21 AM | Comments (0)
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Monday, December 27, 2004
DURL, a Search Tool for del.icio.us
I've been a strong advocate of the social bookmarking service named del.icio.us since it started (check here for an example). And almost every single day, a new tool appears and enhances the use of this service. This new one, DURL, written by Robin Millette, lets you type an URL and see if some other people already "delicious'ed it."
And this is very efficient because it leads you to people who not only bookmarked the URL, but also assigned to it some pertinent keywords or tags, giving you new and fresh ideas. Services like Bloglines or Technorati among others certainly can return hundreds of links, so they are good for 'popularity contests.' But for building social communities and introducing you to sources you wouldn't have thought of, they don't compare to del.icio.us.
This overview contains more comments, examples and screenshots.
And this is very efficient because it leads you to people who not only bookmarked the URL, but also assigned to it some pertinent keywords or tags, giving you new and fresh ideas. Services like Bloglines or Technorati among others certainly can return hundreds of links, so they are good for 'popularity contests.' But for building social communities and introducing you to sources you wouldn't have thought of, they don't compare to del.icio.us.
This overview contains more comments, examples and screenshots.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 9:33 AM | Comments (0)
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IBM Prepares 100-Terabyte Tape Drives
It's a well-known fact that we're living in an era of data explosion, and that's it not about to stop. So it's not really surprising that IBM researchers are eyeing 100T-byte tape drive. Yes, you read correctly. They want to increase the capacity storage of their largest units by 250 times, from 400 GB to 100 TB.
In order to achieve this goal, they're borrowing "nanopatterning" techniques derived from the microprocessor division. Today, the size of a tape track is about 10 microns. They want to reduce it to 0.5 micron -- or 500 nanometers -- in about five years.
IBM doesn't really say when a 100-Terabyte tape drive will be available. But more importantly, the company doesn't say a word about future data transfer rates, which today reach 80 MB/s. Read this overview for more comments about this problem of data transfer rates.
In order to achieve this goal, they're borrowing "nanopatterning" techniques derived from the microprocessor division. Today, the size of a tape track is about 10 microns. They want to reduce it to 0.5 micron -- or 500 nanometers -- in about five years.
IBM doesn't really say when a 100-Terabyte tape drive will be available. But more importantly, the company doesn't say a word about future data transfer rates, which today reach 80 MB/s. Read this overview for more comments about this problem of data transfer rates.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:20 AM | Comments (0)
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Thursday, December 23, 2004
Will Your GPU Replace Your CPU?
Today, your computer has at least two processors, the main unit or CPU, and the GPU, dedicated to graphics. But it's a little-known secret that the GPU is now much more powerful that the CPU. The GPU has some drawbacks, such as a small memory, a difficult programming model or an almost general lack of floating-point precision. However, it's tempting to harness the GPU power to help the main CPU to do the general computation.
In "Supernova collapse simulated on a GPU," EE Times describes how computer scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed the Scout project to do this. With the use of an Nvidia Quadro 3400 card, "Scout has achieved improved computational rates that are roughly 20 times faster than a 3-GHz Intel Xeon EM64T processor without the use of streaming SIMD extensions, and approximately four times faster than SIMD-enabled, fully optimized code."
Impressive, isn't? Now, they want to go further and operate hundreds of GPUs in parallel. Read more for selected excerpts, other references, images and some remarkably simple and elegant of Scout code.
In "Supernova collapse simulated on a GPU," EE Times describes how computer scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed the Scout project to do this. With the use of an Nvidia Quadro 3400 card, "Scout has achieved improved computational rates that are roughly 20 times faster than a 3-GHz Intel Xeon EM64T processor without the use of streaming SIMD extensions, and approximately four times faster than SIMD-enabled, fully optimized code."
Impressive, isn't? Now, they want to go further and operate hundreds of GPUs in parallel. Read more for selected excerpts, other references, images and some remarkably simple and elegant of Scout code.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:41 PM | Comments (0)
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Perfect Visibility with Synthetic Vision
Four months ago, in "NASA Helps Clearing the Fog," I was commenting on NASA's Synthetic Vision program which goal is to reduce airplane accidents by 80 percent. This week, in "Synthetic Vision is no fake," Washington Technology brings us more details about the technologies used by this program.
Synthetic Vision integrates GPS, a high-resolution display, detailed terrain databases and an integrity monitor that ensures the land below corresponds to the synthetic view. The pilot sees the terrain, the potential obstacles, his approach and the runway. NASA says these technologies could also be used for air traffic control or military applications. This overview contains selected excerpts, pictures and references.
Synthetic Vision integrates GPS, a high-resolution display, detailed terrain databases and an integrity monitor that ensures the land below corresponds to the synthetic view. The pilot sees the terrain, the potential obstacles, his approach and the runway. NASA says these technologies could also be used for air traffic control or military applications. This overview contains selected excerpts, pictures and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:36 PM | Comments (0)
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Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Washington Post Buys Slate
The Washington Post is buying Slate from Microsoft in a deal said to be in the millions of dollars. From the Post's article on the sale:
Jeff Jarvis, who writes a blog called BuzzMachine.com and is president of Advance Publications' Internet arm, called the sale "a smart move" because "The Washington Post has been in many ways clever and smart about online. It will support Slate in a good environment that understands media in a way that Microsoft, God bless them, which tried many times, didn't." Had the sale fallen through, Jarvis said, Microsoft "wouldn't necessarily have been a happy home" for Slate once "they already tried to give you up for adoption and failed."
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
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Recent Exciting Advances in Robotics
Robotics news are dominated these days by the $100 Robosapien toy or by the latest version of Honda's ASIMO, that you will never been able to buy, even if you put a cool US$1 million on the table. But other recent news are worth mentioning.
In Florida, according to the Miami Herald (free subscription), a small company is developing a robotic arm for surgeons which could save the healthcare industry $15 billion a year. And did you know that solar-powered autonomous underwater robots are now monitoring the waters of Lake George, N.Y.?
On the other coast, PARC's pliable 'polybots' will reconfigure themselves to act independently on earthquake scenes or in space. And in New Zealand, robot experts are creating servants of the future able to serve us the drink we want.
Elsewhere, in Korea, the government wants to deploy two-legged networked robots in post offices later this year. In a long interview to the Korea Times, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professor Raj Reddy says the network-based robot is a great idea.
Please read all the linked stories above if you have enough time, or check this summary for short selected excerpts and pictures.
In Florida, according to the Miami Herald (free subscription), a small company is developing a robotic arm for surgeons which could save the healthcare industry $15 billion a year. And did you know that solar-powered autonomous underwater robots are now monitoring the waters of Lake George, N.Y.?
On the other coast, PARC's pliable 'polybots' will reconfigure themselves to act independently on earthquake scenes or in space. And in New Zealand, robot experts are creating servants of the future able to serve us the drink we want.
Elsewhere, in Korea, the government wants to deploy two-legged networked robots in post offices later this year. In a long interview to the Korea Times, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professor Raj Reddy says the network-based robot is a great idea.
Please read all the linked stories above if you have enough time, or check this summary for short selected excerpts and pictures.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:26 AM | Comments (0)
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Monday, December 20, 2004
A Message from the Future
In this must-read article, MIS, from Australia, asserts than in 10 to 15 years, we'll be unable to use today's technologies to build electronic devices always smaller and more powerful. Instead, three disruptive technologies will converge and deeply change our lives: nanotechnology, sensors and wireless technology.
The author explains how this will influence molecular computing or quantum information processing. She also describes future advances in robotics, including nanobots. And the transportation industry will welcome the arrival of skycars, which are under development today. But will we travel anymore when holographic videoconferencing tools are available?
Please take a moment to check this fascinating article or read this summary for selected excerpts and to discover where you can buy a skycar today.
The author explains how this will influence molecular computing or quantum information processing. She also describes future advances in robotics, including nanobots. And the transportation industry will welcome the arrival of skycars, which are under development today. But will we travel anymore when holographic videoconferencing tools are available?
Please take a moment to check this fascinating article or read this summary for selected excerpts and to discover where you can buy a skycar today.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 9:38 AM | Comments (1)
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Sunday, December 19, 2004
Satellites Draw Best-Ever Mediterranean Heat Map
Observations from several satellites launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) and other organizations have been gathered to produce the most detailed heat map of the Mediterranean.
With a resolution of two square kilometers for an area of about 3 million square kilometers, an equivalent ground-based map would have needed almost 1.5 million thermometers put into the water. This ESA news release adds that sea surface temperature (SST) is an important variable for weather forecasting and for checking the rate of global warming.
In fact, as water takes longer than air to warm up or cool down, the top layer of our oceans is basically acting as a reservoir of heat. Did you know that "the top two meters of ocean alone store all the equivalent energy contained in the atmosphere?" I didn't, so read more to discover great pictures and other selected excerpts and references.
With a resolution of two square kilometers for an area of about 3 million square kilometers, an equivalent ground-based map would have needed almost 1.5 million thermometers put into the water. This ESA news release adds that sea surface temperature (SST) is an important variable for weather forecasting and for checking the rate of global warming.
In fact, as water takes longer than air to warm up or cool down, the top layer of our oceans is basically acting as a reservoir of heat. Did you know that "the top two meters of ocean alone store all the equivalent energy contained in the atmosphere?" I didn't, so read more to discover great pictures and other selected excerpts and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 5:27 AM | Comments (0)
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The World's Fastest Elevator
The two world's fastest elevators are now installed in the world's tallest building, the Taipei 101 office tower, in Taipei, Taiwan. In this short article, the Japan Times writes that the Guinness Book of Records has certified the elevators' specifications.
These elevators, built by Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp. (TELC), can move 24 passengers up at a speed of 1,010 meters per minute (about 60 km/h), or down a little bit slower at only 600 meters per minute (about 36 km/h). Going up 382 meters inside this 508-meter-high building will take you only 39 seconds using these elevators.
And don't worry about 'ear popping': these elevators include new technologies, such as a pressure control system. This overview contains many more details, references and pictures.
These elevators, built by Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp. (TELC), can move 24 passengers up at a speed of 1,010 meters per minute (about 60 km/h), or down a little bit slower at only 600 meters per minute (about 36 km/h). Going up 382 meters inside this 508-meter-high building will take you only 39 seconds using these elevators.
And don't worry about 'ear popping': these elevators include new technologies, such as a pressure control system. This overview contains many more details, references and pictures.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 5:22 AM | Comments (0)
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Friday, December 17, 2004
Wearable Solar Panels For Your Cell Phones
Researchers from the Netherlands, France and Portugal are working together on a European Union research project called H-Alpha Solar. And they have developed very thin flexible solar panels that can be woven into fabrics, reports the Scotsman in this article.
In about three years, you'll be able to wear jackets that will recharge your phones while you walk. Or you'll become a very happy camper under a tent covered with flexible films of solar modules. No more batteries to carry! And there are even more good news. This will not empty your wallet. This technology is cheap, about $2 per watt. You'll find more details, references and pictures in this overview.
In about three years, you'll be able to wear jackets that will recharge your phones while you walk. Or you'll become a very happy camper under a tent covered with flexible films of solar modules. No more batteries to carry! And there are even more good news. This will not empty your wallet. This technology is cheap, about $2 per watt. You'll find more details, references and pictures in this overview.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:14 AM | Comments (0)
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Thursday, December 16, 2004
Do You Wear 'Airport Friendly' Clothing?
I'm almost certain that some of you experimented some problems at security counters before boarding a plane. You were asked to remove your shoes or your belt -- while your laptop was left unattended on the other side of the counter. How frustrating!
But I have some good news for you. In "Functional Fashion Helps Some Through Airport Checkpoints," the Washington Post (free registration) reports these incidents are now so frequent that retailers are offering new products -- such as bras and shoes -- labeled as 'airport friendly.' In fact, a Google search on the 'airport friendly' subject returns more than 22,000 results!
This column contains more details and pictures of a metal-free bra. It also shows the painted shoes of a man who understood a long time ago how to manage easily the airport security process, Howard Rheingold, the author of Smart Mobs.
But I have some good news for you. In "Functional Fashion Helps Some Through Airport Checkpoints," the Washington Post (free registration) reports these incidents are now so frequent that retailers are offering new products -- such as bras and shoes -- labeled as 'airport friendly.' In fact, a Google search on the 'airport friendly' subject returns more than 22,000 results!
This column contains more details and pictures of a metal-free bra. It also shows the painted shoes of a man who understood a long time ago how to manage easily the airport security process, Howard Rheingold, the author of Smart Mobs.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:10 AM | Comments (0)
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When Will We Switch From Light Bulbs to LEDs?
The holiday season is coming, and you've probably already bought some lights and decorations for your Christmas tree, your house or even your street. But did you know that the market for light bulbs is a $12 to $15 billion one? Now, several companies making light-emitting diodes (LEDs) want a piece of this market, claiming that LEDs are more efficient than light bulbs and could save a staggering $17 billion a year in energy costs.
In "Switching off bulbs for LEDs," the San Jose Mercury News reports that in ten years, you'll go to your Wal-Mart store to buy LEDs instead of light bulbs, thanks to fantastic improvements in performance by the LED industry.
And did you know that each decade since the first LED appeared in 1962, prices have fallen by a factor of 10 while performance has grown by a factor of 20? In the world of LED engineers, this is known as Haitz's Law, named after retired Agilent scientist Roland Haitz. You'll find pictures and other references in this overview.
In "Switching off bulbs for LEDs," the San Jose Mercury News reports that in ten years, you'll go to your Wal-Mart store to buy LEDs instead of light bulbs, thanks to fantastic improvements in performance by the LED industry.
And did you know that each decade since the first LED appeared in 1962, prices have fallen by a factor of 10 while performance has grown by a factor of 20? In the world of LED engineers, this is known as Haitz's Law, named after retired Agilent scientist Roland Haitz. You'll find pictures and other references in this overview.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:07 AM | Comments (0)
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With Linux Clusters, Seeing Is Believing
As the recent release of the last Top500 list reminded us last month, the most powerful computers now are reaching speeds of dozens of teraflops. When these machines run a nuclear simulation or a global climate model for days or weeks, they produce datasets of tens of terabytes. How visualize, analyze and understand such massive amounts of data? The answer is now obvious: using Linux clusters.
In this very long article, "From Seeing to Understanding," Science & Technology Review looks at the technologies used at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which will host the IBM's BlueGene/L next year. Visualization will be handled by a 128- or 256-node Linux cluster. Each node contains two processors sharing one graphic card. Meanwhile, the EVEREST built by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has a 35 million pixels screen piloted by a 14-node dual Opteron cluster sending images to 27 projectors.
Now that Linux superclusters have almost swallowed the high-end scientific computing market, they're building momentum in the high-end visualization one. The article linked above is 9-page long when printed and contains tons of information. This overview is more focused on the hardware deployed at these two labs.
In this very long article, "From Seeing to Understanding," Science & Technology Review looks at the technologies used at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which will host the IBM's BlueGene/L next year. Visualization will be handled by a 128- or 256-node Linux cluster. Each node contains two processors sharing one graphic card. Meanwhile, the EVEREST built by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has a 35 million pixels screen piloted by a 14-node dual Opteron cluster sending images to 27 projectors.
Now that Linux superclusters have almost swallowed the high-end scientific computing market, they're building momentum in the high-end visualization one. The article linked above is 9-page long when printed and contains tons of information. This overview is more focused on the hardware deployed at these two labs.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:04 AM | Comments (0)
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Monday, December 13, 2004
New Wearable Armyware
Military forces are increasingly relying on wearable computers and other gadgetries designed by commercial companies, only slightly more ruggedized because of mission critical requirements. In this long article, Military & Aerospace Electronics gives various examples of how these wearable technologies are networking soldiers.
For instance, the military version of Microvision's Nomad helmet-mounted display delivers a virtual cockpit interface to commanders in the field. Or take Xybernaut, which is developing belt-mounted mobile and wearable computers with integrated satellite communications units allowing soldiers to export wirelessly and continuously their location. In the mean time, General Dynamics C4 Systems is building GoBook tablet computers powered by direct-liquid fuel cells which could become potential replacements for current ground air-traffic-control computers.
The original article describes other wearable technologies as well, so be sure to read it. In this column, I'm just focusing on the Microvision's Nomad helmet-mounted display.
For instance, the military version of Microvision's Nomad helmet-mounted display delivers a virtual cockpit interface to commanders in the field. Or take Xybernaut, which is developing belt-mounted mobile and wearable computers with integrated satellite communications units allowing soldiers to export wirelessly and continuously their location. In the mean time, General Dynamics C4 Systems is building GoBook tablet computers powered by direct-liquid fuel cells which could become potential replacements for current ground air-traffic-control computers.
The original article describes other wearable technologies as well, so be sure to read it. In this column, I'm just focusing on the Microvision's Nomad helmet-mounted display.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:47 AM | Comments (0)
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Technology Trends for 2005
Here is December, and countless articles are published every day about gifts for the holiday season and forecasts about the year to come. Red Herring chose, cautiously, to focus on technology in the Top Ten Trends for 2005.
By limiting itself to predictions for only next year, the online magazine doesn't take much risks. However, the link above will lead you to no less than ten different stories. Some trends started this year, such as the war for searching files on your desktop or for putting double cores on computer chips. Other articles talk about Internet telephony, the battle for your digital home, fuel cells or biotech advancements.
But the one which caught my eyes is about baby boomers and the exploding market for the global medical devices market, which could reach $160 billion worldwide next year. Amazing! This overview contains selected excerpts.
By limiting itself to predictions for only next year, the online magazine doesn't take much risks. However, the link above will lead you to no less than ten different stories. Some trends started this year, such as the war for searching files on your desktop or for putting double cores on computer chips. Other articles talk about Internet telephony, the battle for your digital home, fuel cells or biotech advancements.
But the one which caught my eyes is about baby boomers and the exploding market for the global medical devices market, which could reach $160 billion worldwide next year. Amazing! This overview contains selected excerpts.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:44 AM | Comments (0)
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Saturday, December 11, 2004
'Body Area Networks' in 2020?
This is almost certain, according to Ian Pearson, a futurologist working for British Telecom. In fifteen years, local area networks will be replaced by body area networks. As writes BBC News Online, "when technology gets personal," you can expect a "pervasive ambient world" where "chips are everywhere."
Not only we'll be surrounded by intelligent objects in the streets, but we'll wear clothes made of nano-engineered smart fabrics or we'll carry implants. Pearson thinks that we'll use wearable technology that runs on body heat such as intelligent electronic contact lenses functioning as TV screens when we are in the subway for instance.
Of course, this raises interesting questions about our privacy. Pearson adds that security should be integrated into the design of these future devices. He's obviously right, but as usually, making money will always have a higher priority than protecting privacy. This overview contains more details and references.
Not only we'll be surrounded by intelligent objects in the streets, but we'll wear clothes made of nano-engineered smart fabrics or we'll carry implants. Pearson thinks that we'll use wearable technology that runs on body heat such as intelligent electronic contact lenses functioning as TV screens when we are in the subway for instance.
Of course, this raises interesting questions about our privacy. Pearson adds that security should be integrated into the design of these future devices. He's obviously right, but as usually, making money will always have a higher priority than protecting privacy. This overview contains more details and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 7:04 AM | Comments (0)
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Thursday, December 09, 2004
A Cell Phone to Detect Radiations
Engineers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have designed a phone which contains a compact radiation detector, making easy for police forces to check for radioactive material hidden in large cities.
In "Cellphone sniffs out dirty bombs," New Scientist writes that the phone measures continuously the level of radiation around it and transmits it to a central computer via an always-on Internet connection. The phone will also send time and location information gathered from its GPS unit. When these phones are deployed around the U.S., they will form a radiation monitoring network dubbed the RadNet.
Such phones should be available for about $1,000 in a few months first to military personnel or police officers, then to U.S. Postal service personnel or delivery service workers. It should take more time before you can buy one yourself at a Wal-Mart store. This overview contains more details, references and a picture of a prototype of such a smart phone.
In "Cellphone sniffs out dirty bombs," New Scientist writes that the phone measures continuously the level of radiation around it and transmits it to a central computer via an always-on Internet connection. The phone will also send time and location information gathered from its GPS unit. When these phones are deployed around the U.S., they will form a radiation monitoring network dubbed the RadNet.
Such phones should be available for about $1,000 in a few months first to military personnel or police officers, then to U.S. Postal service personnel or delivery service workers. It should take more time before you can buy one yourself at a Wal-Mart store. This overview contains more details, references and a picture of a prototype of such a smart phone.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 10:22 AM | Comments (0)
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No Mouse Wheel? Use a Virtual Scroll Ring
It's easy to scroll up and down a large document if you have a mouse with a wheel. But many laptop users, tablet PC owners and people with touchscreens are out of luck. In this article, Technology Research News tells us that this era is over.
Computer scientists at Brown University have developed a software simulation of the mouse wheel. A transparent ring appears on your screen. Touch it, move your finger clockwise, and the text will move down. And of course, counterclockwise motion scrolls up. According to their study, users actually preferred this virtual scroll ring to a mouse wheel, because it's faster and the scrolling continuous.
This method can be implemented in any software as of today, so keep an eye around. This overview contains more details, references and a screenshot of the virtual scroll ring.
Computer scientists at Brown University have developed a software simulation of the mouse wheel. A transparent ring appears on your screen. Touch it, move your finger clockwise, and the text will move down. And of course, counterclockwise motion scrolls up. According to their study, users actually preferred this virtual scroll ring to a mouse wheel, because it's faster and the scrolling continuous.
This method can be implemented in any software as of today, so keep an eye around. This overview contains more details, references and a screenshot of the virtual scroll ring.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
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Monday, December 06, 2004
Smarter Traffic Lights
If you're like me, I bet you hate moments when you're in a hurry and all the traffic lights seem to intentionally switch to red just in front of your car. Now, according to Nature, a Belgian traffic researcher thinks that traffic lights that respond to local conditions could ease congestion and reduce your frustration.
His method would not give you the individual power to switch the light to green. But if you were part of a group of cars approaching a red light, inexpensive traffic-flow sensors would detect your group in advance and turn the light to green. His simulations show that such adaptive traffic control is 30% more efficient than traditional ways of regulating traffic.
However, his system has not been adopted by any large city. So you'll continue to be frustrated by these ?%&$!§ traffic lights for a while. You'll find more details and references in this overview.
His method would not give you the individual power to switch the light to green. But if you were part of a group of cars approaching a red light, inexpensive traffic-flow sensors would detect your group in advance and turn the light to green. His simulations show that such adaptive traffic control is 30% more efficient than traditional ways of regulating traffic.
However, his system has not been adopted by any large city. So you'll continue to be frustrated by these ?%&$!§ traffic lights for a while. You'll find more details and references in this overview.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:38 AM | Comments (0)
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Saturday, December 04, 2004
Argo, a Robotic Network System that Watches Our Oceans
I bet most of you have never heard about Argo, an ambitious scientific project about the observation of our oceans. This project is endorsed by 18 countries and just reached a milestone: there are today more than 1,500 robotic floats reporting about salinity changes or predicting El Niño events, among other ones.
This news release from the University of California at San Diego says that the Argo floats, which are autonomous ocean-traveling robots programmed to sink more than a mile below the ocean surface, are helping scientists all over the world to look at the future of our whole planet.
And in 2007, when the deployment is completed, 3,000 underwater robots will help us to better understand the changes in our climate. You'll find more details, pictures and references in this overview.
This news release from the University of California at San Diego says that the Argo floats, which are autonomous ocean-traveling robots programmed to sink more than a mile below the ocean surface, are helping scientists all over the world to look at the future of our whole planet.
And in 2007, when the deployment is completed, 3,000 underwater robots will help us to better understand the changes in our climate. You'll find more details, pictures and references in this overview.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 5:04 AM | Comments (0)
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Friday, December 03, 2004
Counterculture Confab
This just in, from RU Sirius.
Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA
December 14, 2004
Rebels and Visionaries, the Impact of Counterculture - Panel Discussion
Moderator: Laura Fraser
Panelists: RU Sirius, Larry Harvey (Burning Man), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys, Alternative Tentacles), Louis Rossetto (Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief & CEO, Wired Magazine and Wired Digital)
6:30PM
595 Market St
San Francisco, CA
$12 for Members, $20 for non-Members, $7 for Students (w/ID, call 415/597-6705 to reserve student tickets)
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 7:21 PM | Comments (0)
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Liquid Lenses For Camera Phones
In this article, the Register writes that "camera phones will soon have lenses made from nothing more substantial that a couple of drops of oil and water, but will still be capable of auto focusing, and even zooming in on subjects." The lenses, developed by the French company Varioptic, contain drops of oil and water, acting respectively as conductor and insulator, and sandwiched between two windows.
These liquid lenses could replace glass or plastic ones because of several advantages: no moving parts, leading to better reliability; a very small power consumption; very small dimensions (diameter: 8mm; thickness: 2mm); and a very fast response time of 2/100th of a second. You can expect the first camera phones using these liquid lenses as early as Christmas 2005.
These lenses might also appear in medical equipment, such as endoscopes, optical networking equipment or surveillance devices. This overview contains other details and references.
These liquid lenses could replace glass or plastic ones because of several advantages: no moving parts, leading to better reliability; a very small power consumption; very small dimensions (diameter: 8mm; thickness: 2mm); and a very fast response time of 2/100th of a second. You can expect the first camera phones using these liquid lenses as early as Christmas 2005.
These lenses might also appear in medical equipment, such as endoscopes, optical networking equipment or surveillance devices. This overview contains other details and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 7:41 AM | Comments (0)
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Thursday, December 02, 2004
Microsoft Launches Blog Service
Microsoft took the wraps off MSN Spaces today, its new blog service. The free service promises to make blogging accessible to the average user and offers tight integration with other MSN services like Messenger and Hotmail. But as one Boing Boing reader pointed out, there's a disconcerting ©2004 Microsoft Corporation notice at the bottom of every MSN Spaces page. Clicking on their Terms of Use reveals the following bit of useful information:
For materials you post or otherwise provide to Microsoft related to the MSN Web Sites (a "Submission"), you grant Microsoft permission to (1) use, copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, modify, translate and reformat your Submission, each in connection with the MSN Web Sites, and (2) sublicense these rights, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Microsoft will not pay you for your Submission. Microsoft may remove your Submission at any time. For each Submission, you represent that you have all rights necessary for you to make the grants in this section. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Microsoft may monitor your e-mail, or other electronic communications and may disclose such information in the event it has a good faith reason to believe it is necessary for purposes of ensuring your compliance with this Agreement, and protecting the rights, property, and interests of the Microsoft Parties or any customer of a Microsoft Party.Microsoft's complete announcement is here.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 4:01 PM | Comments (0)
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Nintendo Sells a Half Million DS Systems in First Week
Nintendo said today that it has sold over 500,000 Nintendo DS systems in its first week of release, and expects to sell 1 million by years end. In Canada, retailers sold 90% of their stock in within the first week. The original GameBoy Advance and GBA SP also continue to do well, selling a combined 800,000 units in the same week.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 1:58 PM | Comments (0)
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Mobile TV is coming to a cell phone near you
You might consider this idea with enthusiasm or skepticism, but mobile TV might soon represent a much larger market for the cell phone industry than today's ringtones or text messages. In "TV Phones Prep for Prime Time,"BusinessWeek says that according to In-Stat, revenues could grow from $32 million in 2004 to $1.9 billion in 2008. (I'm always amazed by analysts' forecasts.)
For example, a small Californian company, Sling Media, will launch its first product to deliver streaming video content to your handheld devices in just a few months. And wireless operators, phone makers and cable companies are all working on similar programs. Of course, they only plan to sell you short programs, such as news or music clips.
Besides the facts that the screen of your phone is small and that you'll need faster networks than today's ones, would you subscribe to such a service? Read more before posting your comments."
For example, a small Californian company, Sling Media, will launch its first product to deliver streaming video content to your handheld devices in just a few months. And wireless operators, phone makers and cable companies are all working on similar programs. Of course, they only plan to sell you short programs, such as news or music clips.
Besides the facts that the screen of your phone is small and that you'll need faster networks than today's ones, would you subscribe to such a service? Read more before posting your comments."
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 4:19 AM | Comments (0)
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Wednesday, December 01, 2004
And the World's Stinkiest Cheese Is...
If you ever came to France, you probably tested (and tasted) some -- very good -- cheeses that you were unable to buy back at home because of some European or other international regulations. If you have been one of these daring travelers, you surely noticed that some of these cheeses smell strong. The Cranfield University in the UK decided to find what was the world’s whiffiest cheese. They used both human testers and an electronic nose consisting of a sensor array linked to a computer with specialized software.
And the French cheese with the strongest smell is the 'Vieux Boulogne,' a relatively recent cheese from North of France, similar in taste with Boulette d'Avesnes or Maroilles. You can find this cheese -- and smell it -- in France or in London, but if you live elsewhere, forget about it. Anyway, this overview contains more details and pictures about the scientists' experiments with cheeses.
And the French cheese with the strongest smell is the 'Vieux Boulogne,' a relatively recent cheese from North of France, similar in taste with Boulette d'Avesnes or Maroilles. You can find this cheese -- and smell it -- in France or in London, but if you live elsewhere, forget about it. Anyway, this overview contains more details and pictures about the scientists' experiments with cheeses.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:40 AM | Comments (0)
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Use Your Walls to Control Your House
In a brief story named "Anywhere Interface," Technology Review writes that a small French company, Sensitive Object, has found a way to turn any rigid surface into an interface for all kinds of electronic devices. The technology involves only very cheap sensors and a process named "time reversal acoustics." When you tap on a surface equipped with the technology, you can use up to 544 'virtual' keys to start your heating system, type your e-mails or stop the DVD player. In retail stores, you could 'click' on a mannequin to find the price of the clothes.
The Register ("Keyboards are old -- tap tables to send email") and the New York Times ("Knock 3 Times on the Ceiling (to Turn on the DVD Player)") also published stories about this interesting technology. This summary contains selected details from these different sources.
The Register ("Keyboards are old -- tap tables to send email") and the New York Times ("Knock 3 Times on the Ceiling (to Turn on the DVD Player)") also published stories about this interesting technology. This summary contains selected details from these different sources.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:37 AM | Comments (0)
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