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How Small Can a Speaker Get?

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:15:00 GMT

And still be any good?

Speakers are getting smaller and smaller these days, but can a speaker be both truly portable and worthwhile? A spate of reviews of one of the leading mini-speakers suggests we aren’t quite there yet.

What Happened to A123?

Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Once the rising star of the clean-tech industry, the advanced battery maker faces an uncertain future.

A few days after A123 went public in the fall of 2009, the value of the company's stock nearly doubled as investors rushed to get a piece of one of the hottest clean-tech companies. The company boasted advanced lithium-ion battery technology, developed at MIT, that promised to popularize electric cars by making batteries more powerful, safer, and longer-lasting.

Startup Helps You Connect with Those You Don't Yet Know

Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Bangalore-based Hachi connects the dots between your social-network contacts and recommends the best "people path" to someone new.

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn make it easy to keep in touch with people you already know, but what if you want to connect with someone you haven't met?

Smallest Artificial Heart Keeps Baby Alive

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:51:00 GMT

Italian doctors implant tiny pump into a 16-month-old boy awaiting his new heart.

Here's a new twist on an long-running story: an artificial heart kept a baby boy alive for 13 days while doctors waited for his new heart, reports Reuters. The bridge-to-transplant device was an infant version of the Jarvik 2000 and weighed only 11 grams (you can see the device in this slideshow). The titanium implant does not beat but instead uses a rotating motion to pump blood from the heart and through the body.

Software Better at Detecting Frustration Than Humans

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:43:00 GMT

And it's not because subjects have been trained to smize.

Did you know that you smile when you're frustrated? Starting at 1:20 in the video below, witness a behavior that you may find novel -- and doubly so because you're a human being who is exquisitely tuned to reading the emotional expressions of others.

SpokenLayer Makes an Audio Book of the Web

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:14:00 GMT

What if you could have actual humans read websites to you?

A friend of mine, a graduate student in history, says he sometimes so tires of reading that he’ll highlight large amounts of text and have his Mac’s automated voice read aloud to him, while he cooks or exercises. While this seems logical enough to me, it also seems like a stopgap solution. I love being read to, but the last person I would have read to me would be Stephen Hawking. For all the wonders of text-to-voice and voice synthesizing technology, there’s still no match for an old-fashioned, human voice when it comes to having someone read aloud to you.

A SIM Card for Domineering Parents

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:08:00 GMT

Look out, kids. Big Mother is watching.

This week, Vodafone starts offering a service called Bemilo that gives parents unprecedented control over how their kids use their cell phones. Bemilo, a £2.95-a-month service (that’s about five bucks), uses a special SIM card that can go in any phone or tablet. Amazingly, and somewhat terrifyingly, parents can log on to a web interface that basically serves as a remote dashboard to their kid’s phone or tablet. There, parents can read all texts, including deleted ones, and can even control who their kid has contact with. Parents can also monitor and restrict browsing of certain websites (read: porn). The BBC has the full story, as does The Telegraph.

A Photonic C-NOT Gate Breakthrough for Quantum Computing

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:23:00 GMT

Physicists have built a quantum logic gate that combines a quantum dot that fires photons with a photonic circuit that processes them

In the race to build powerful quantum computers, many groups are competing to build logic gates that can process quantum information and still be connected together on a large scale.

My So-Called Quantified Life

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

After tracking my walking, biking, drinking, and stress levels for weeks, I've learned I'm more a creature of habit than I thought.

Until recently, I didn't pay much attention to the data that makes up my life—how many steps I take each day or miles I bike each week, how often I update my Facebook status, feel stressed out, or have a drink.

Science Journal Produces a Different Kind of Viral Video

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The world's first peer-reviewed video journal gives scientists a better way to show others how to replicate experiments.

If a photo is worth a thousand words, imagine the understanding that can be captured from 10 minutes at 30 frames per second. A scientific journal dedicated to video—a medium seldom seen in peer-reviewed publications—is finding out.

We Spot Google's Goggles on the Streets of San Francisco

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:47:00 GMT

Co-founder Sergey Brin takes Project Glass for a test walk.

I spotted Google co-founder Sergey Brin on Wednesday, wearing the search leader's forthcoming augmented reality goggles in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood.

Advertisements in Books Latest Thing to "Save Publishing"

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:02:00 GMT

BookBoon's books are free and ad-supported. Oh the humanity.

I hope the Department of Justice is happy -- now that ebook monopolists like Amazon can charge whatever the hell they want, the price of books, like all other content, is rapidly approaching zero. The latest broken-down show pony to enter this race to the bottom is BookBoon, which publishes free ebooks that are supported through advertising.

How Men and Women Manage Their Social Networks Differently

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:40:00 GMT

A new study of online behavior reveals that men and women organize their social networks very differently.

One of the interesting insights that social networks offer is the difference between male and female behaviour.

Brain Scan for Alzheimer's

Wed, 23 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

A recently approved plaque-tracking dye can improve doctors' ability to identify Alzheimer's.

Beginning next month, doctors can use a brain scan to better diagnose Alzheimer's. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a fluorescent dye that binds to amyloid plaques, a physical hallmark of the disease, as a diagnostic tool.

Data Mining Your Desktop

Wed, 23 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

HP Labs says the best office social networks require no effort.

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter work well because people enjoy sharing their lives with friends. At the office, however, social networking with colleagues can feel forced. Many businesses are adopting social-networking tools in hopes of fostering collaboration, but if employees don't sign up or participate, the effort fails.

Biophoton Communication: Can Cells Talk Using Light?

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:27:00 GMT

A growing body of evidence suggests that the molecular machinery of life emits and absorb photons. Now one biologist has evidence that this light is a new form of cellular communication.

One of the more curious backwaters of biology is the study of biophotons: optical or ultraviolet photons emitted by living cells in a way that is distinct from conventional bioluminescence.

The Facebook Fallacy

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

For all its valuation, the social network is just another ad-supported site. Without an earth-changing idea, it will collapse and take down the Web.

Facebook is not only on course to go bust, but will take the rest of the ad-supported Web with it.

Can Japan Thrive without Nuclear Power?

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

After shutting down its last reactor, Japan is now even more heavily dependent on imported oil, gas, and coal.

This month, Japan shut down the last of its 54 nuclear reactors. When and if any of those reactors are to be restarted is uncertain. One thing is for sure, though: as long as it is without nuclear power, Japan will be almost completely dependent on imported fossil fuels.

Leap 3D Out-Kinects Kinect (Video)

Tue, 22 May 2012 03:03:00 GMT

It's 200 times more accurate, tracking even your fingers.

It’s something that pretty much has to be seen to be believed. So check out this video first, and then let’s continue the conversation below.

For $74, a Mini-Android Computer

Tue, 22 May 2012 02:59:00 GMT

The menu of low-cost mini-computer options expands.

Ars Technica and others report on a cool miniature Android computer that can plug directly into your TV. The whole thing is housed in a 3.5-inch plastic case, weighs in at 200 grams, and measures roughly the size of a USB thumb drive (a tiny bit bigger, actually.) It’s being sold by Chinese retailers, and you can get yourself one online for the low price of $74 (or 5% off, if you order 5 or more).