Techno Talkies

Gadget if the Day 24/02/08 - BenQ E900WA LCD

2008-02-25T04:45:00.001+05:30

BenQ recently launched the E900WA, a 19-inch widescreen LCD monitor that boasts of a native resolution of 1440x900 pixels, with a contrast ratio of 700:1 and a response time of 5ms. Besides a 160-degree viewing angle, the device features proprietary Senseye+Photo technology, giving the user four preset usage scenarios, one of which is optimised for photo-editing. For more about the gadget, that retails at Rs 9,400, visit www.benq.co.in

Website of the Day 24/02/08

2008-02-25T04:43:00.004+05:30

It may be rather elementary, from a design point of view – still – today’s resource is a “must-visit” for those who love martial arts. The Web site serves as a convenient, one-stop shop for information about various fighting styles, its icons, and events. And yes, FightingMaster is updated regularly…

www.fightingmaster.com

Candy that fights tooth decay

2008-02-25T04:43:00.001+05:30

Researchers at US’ University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hope that they have created a tooth-friendly lollipop just as appealing as any other.

Dentistry professor and microbiologist Wenyuan Shi discovered an ingredient from licorice roots that combats a main bacterium that causes tooth decay; and this ingredient is now infused and available in a sugar-free, orange-flavoured, bacteria-killing lollipop.

The licorice root extract in his lollipop can effectively kill Streptococcus mutans, a common bacterium that could release harmful cavity-causing acids.

“Only 15 milligrams of licorice powder per lollipop eliminates 99.9 per cent of this bacteria in the mouth within five to 10 minutes,” Shi said.

Before the growth of cavities, harmful bacteria in the mouth produce acids that create holes in the outermost layer of the teeth.

“Streptococcus mutans is one of the more virulent cavity-causing bacteria, and the licorice root extract specifically kills only the harmful bacteria in the mouth, not other beneficial bacteria,” said Aria Eshraghi, a microbiology graduate student who worked with Shi in the past.

Since the inception of the project, it has not been easy for Shi and his researchers to meet the stringent expectations of this project, wherein they have tried to use medical rather than surgical approaches to combat tooth decay.

The lollipops had to not only please consumers, but also garner positive feedback from many other groups such as clinical trials and research staff, Shi said.

There are reasons why the special licorice root is extracted and pulverised into a lollipop.

The lollipop form gives fewer chances for consumers to choke, so it is better than a candy or gum form. Also, for candy or gum, the ingredient could only be released briefly, making them less effective than the longer-lasting lollipop, Shi said.

“One thing I definitely find interesting is the approach they are taking to treat cavities. Instead of putting the drug into a pill or a treatment from the dentist, they put it into a lollipop, which makes it appealing to children and adults,” Eshraghi said.

Shi’s lollipop was originally targeted to special needs people who have trouble brushing their teeth, said Dr Maxwell Anderson, president and CEO of C3 Jian, the company that sells the lollipop online.

But clinical trials revealed positive testing results from schoolchildren and the elderly.

According to data from US’ Centres for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, young children and the elderly are the most susceptible to cavities, Anderson said.

“I think the technology is simply awesome. It is also very nice to see that (companies) have taken an interest,” Eshraghi said.

The gradual public attention he and his research have been receiving is only the start, Shi believes.

He sees his lollipop as part of a trend toward medicined dentistry, which means less surgical approaches to dental problems, he said.

The lollipop is now available online for anyone to buy at C3 Jian’s Web site: www.c3-jian.com.

Within the next year, Shi thinks that they could be in medical stores.

“We do find it is a very rewarding experience; it can actually benefit society,” Shi said. “The project is a rewarding experience in terms of working in a big industry.”

Soon, sensor beds that check heart health

2008-02-25T04:42:00.001+05:30

London: Electronics giant Philips is all set to create a sensor bed that keeps a close watch on the health of heart failure patients. One of the aims of the ‘My Heart’ project – funded by the EU – is to help spot heart problems several days before they become life threatening, say reports.

The new initiative results from health experts’ belief that the need for emergency hospitalisation may be reduced if beds and clothing are equipped with such devices that monitor heart patients’ condition.

Philips will install an electronic weight scale and blood pressure monitor in the new bed. The devices to be packed in the bed will also include sensors that measure heart rate, breathing rate, and body movements while sleeping.

The new bed has sensors to measure heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, etc; data collected can be transferred via a telephone or broadband connection

Besides, the patient could wear a vest with woven-in electrodes that provide a full electro-cardiogram reading.

The information gathered through such devices would be analysed on a PDA, and the results sent via a telephone line or broadband connection to doctors.

People involved in the project say that the device could even provide clues to interrupted sleep by measuring sleep phase patterns.

However, Dr Nick Robinson, a member of UK’s Royal Society of Medicine’s Telehealth forum, believes that it will be difficult for doctors to accurately interpret the information gained through such technologies.

“We are used to making decisions based on taking a blood pressure reading on an occasional basis – and all the evidence we have for intervening is based on this,” he said.

“The real challenge for this technology is not taking the measurements, but working out what to do with it, so that we are not constantly getting false alarms,” he added.

Information regarding further tests or commercial marketing of the four-year project was not released.

Japan launches experimental Internet satellite

2008-02-25T04:41:00.002+05:30

Tokyo: Japan launched an experimental communications satellite on Saturday as part of an ambitious space program that could help ensure super high-speed Internet access in remote parts of Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

The H-2A rocket carrying the 2.7 tonne ‘KIZUNA’ communications satellite took off into over the tiny island of Tanegashima, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo, at 5.55 pm (0855 GMT).

The KIZUNA - equipped with three antennas targeting Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions - is referred to as the Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite or WINDS.

The geostationary satellite will be used to conduct experiments on large-volume, high-speed data communications on remote mountains and islands with little Internet access.

Japan’s scientists say the $490 million launch of WINDS will help build one of the world’s most advanced information and telecommunications networks.

The launch comes 12 years after the project started - due mainly to technical glitches involving launch vehicles.

“The WINDS will help develop a society with no digital divide where everyone can enjoy high-speed communications equally no matter where they live,” said an official at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Space-based Internet access through Japan’s domestically built satellite could also be used in various fields including “remote medicine,” which allows patients in remote areas to receive treatment from doctors in urban cities.

High-speed Internet access would play a key role in ensuring communications between a disaster-stricken area and rescue authorities in the event of major natural disasters such as earthquakes, JAXA officials said.

“The infrastructure on the ground may not withstand a major earthquake, and remote areas may not have any access to optic-fibre networks, one official said.

“In such cases, the satellite will play a great role.”

JAXA’s launch is part of a bold space program, which sent the nation’s first lunar probe into orbit around the moon last September.

Keen to compete with its Asian rivals, China and India, in space exploration projects, the Japanese space agency has said it hopes to send astronauts to the moon by 2025, although Japan has not yet attempted manned space flight.

Japan’s space program was in tatters in the late 1990s after two unsuccessful launches of a previous rocket, the H-2.

Disaster followed in 2003 when Japan had to destroy an H-2A rocket carrying two spy satellites minutes after launch as it veered off course.

Sun probe, Ulysses freezes in space...

2008-02-25T04:41:00.001+05:30

Paris: Ulysses, a US-European space scout that has been orbiting the Sun for 17 years, almost four times its expected lifetime, is on the brink of dying, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Friday.

A joint mission between ESA and NASA, Ulysses was launched by space shuttle in 1990 in the first mission to study the environment of space above and below the poles of the Sun.

The probe is on a huge, six-year orbit of the Sun that takes it out as far as the orbit of Jupiter.

A radioactive isotope provides Ulysses with power for communications and scientific equipment and for onboard heaters to warm its hydrazine fuel, which freezes when the temperature falls below minus two degrees Celsius.

But the isotope source is running low, and the craft can no longer send back large quantities of data, nor can it ward off the deep chill of space.

As a result, the fuel lines will freeze up in the next month or two, leaving Ulysses unmanoeuvrable and doomed to encircle the Sun for aeons.

“Ulysses is a terrific workhorse. It has produced great science and lasted much longer than we ever thought it would,” said Richard Marsden, the project’s chief scientist and mission manager.

The team plan to continue operating the spacecraft for as long as they can before the curtain comes down, some time in the next month or two, ESA said in a press release.

“The reams of data Ulysses has returned have forever changed the way scientists view the Sun and its effect on the space surrounding it,” the agency said.

Lost in an Lost in an odyssey

2008-02-25T04:39:00.000+05:30

With its splendid story-telling and gorgeous graphics, Mistwalker’s new role playing game leaves Andre Rodrigues…

Once famous for its brand of turn-based combat and unique storytelling, Japanese role playing games (J-RPG) have lately been as rare as an empty train to Virar in the evening. Thankfully, creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of the Final Fantasy series, has not given up on the genre, bringing a classic J-RPG to the Xbox 360 with Lost Odyssey – a gorgeous game that gets the formula right, but leaves you thinking it could be so much more.

If you ever wondered what it would be like to live forever, Lost Odyssey lets you find out by playing 1,000-year-old immortal Kiam, who – in a classic storytelling clich – has lost his memory. Your journey to find who or what Kiam is lasts four DVDs and over 40 hours of gameplay, all the while presenting some eye-popping cinematics in developer Mistwalker’s picturesque world.

Right from the beautiful opening movie, you know you’re in for something special. As he searches for his memories, Kiam is joined by a colourful cast of mortals and immortals alike: from the alluring Queen Ming to the drunken, staggering, womaniser Jansen.

But while the characters are great, it’s the storyline that grabs you: Some scenes will make you guffaw, while others force a lump in your throat. Still, there are points where the story takes you on a high, only to drop you with a painful thud as it takes an absurd twist.

In fact, this is the most annoying part of an otherwise great game. These sudden switches between “Wow! Brilliant!” and “Well, that was downright silly” are quite a dampener. However, you tend to overlook these once you get used to it.

But the best part of the game has to be the memories, revealed as you rest at an inn or at certain situations you encounter. All these flashbacks are presented in short text stories. Yes, text! This may send most people crawling for the nearest exit, but believe me, the writing will have you hooked. Penned by award-winning Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu, these stories are written for a mature mind, talking of the pain of losing people, the happiness of finding love, etc. Beautifully penned and almost lyrical, the text stories provide a wonderful contrast to the stunning art and design.

And with the game having standard turn-based gameplay, it’s the enemy design that stands out – the most beautiful and diverse I have seen in this genre. Of course, that isn’t to take anything away from the gameplay. As you select your actions from the menu, strategy will be your best friend: The attacks need to be meticulously planned based on the enemy’s elemental status, and your position on the battlefield .

In the end, Lost Odyssey may not be the best game in its genre, but it’s still a must-have. If not to experience the first breed of next-generation J-RPGs, the game deserves to be picked only to immerse yourself in one hell of a good story.

PRICE: Xbox 360 – Rs 1,895

RATING : * * * *

Website of the day 23/02/08

2008-02-23T20:22:00.001+05:30

Today’s resource is an easy, online application for converting
files from one format to the other. Simply paste your URL or
upload your file, choose the format it is in and the format you want to convert it to. With support for documents, movies,
music, pictures and more, this one deserves a bookmark.

http://media-convert.com/

Gadget of the Day 23/02/08 Jabra BT 5020

2008-02-23T20:21:00.000+05:30

For people who are tired of holding their cell phone to their ear, Jabra recently introduced their BT 5020 Bluetooth headset. A new call is alerted by a vibrating and visual signal on this device that can be charged from the PC via a USB. Boasting 10 hours of talktime and 250 hours of standby time, the battery status is indicated by its multi-coloured LED. The gadget, which can be paired with two handsets at a time, retails at Rs 3,080. For more details, visit www.jabra.com

Clean water from nanotechnology

2008-02-23T20:20:00.000+05:30

Washington: Scientists have said that it would be possible to obtain clean water through the process of nanotechnology.

This process would involve removing toxic chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other hazardous materials from water by using tiny particles of pure silica coated with an active material.

This method would be much more effective and at a lower cost than conventional water purification methods, according to researchers.

According to Peter Majewski and Chiu Ping Chan of the Ian Wark Research Institute, at the University of South Australia, the availability of drinking quality water is fast becoming a major socio-economic issue across the globe, especially in the developing world.

More than 6,000 people die everyday due to water-related diseases, including diarrhoea, worm infections, and infectious diseases. Organic pollutants from industrial waste water are a major cause of illness.

However, water purification technology is often complicated, requires sophisticated equipment and is expensive to run and maintain.

The Australian team has suggested that nanotechnology could provide a simple answer to the problem.

The team investigated how silica particles can be coated easily with a nanometre-thin layer of active material based on a hydrocarbon with a silicon-containing anchor. The coating is formed through a chemical self-assembly process; so, it involves only stirring the ingredients to make the active particles.

These active particles, known as Surface Engineered Silica (SES), were tested to demonstrate that they could remove biological molecules, pathogens such as viruses like the Polio virus, bacteria like Escherichia coli, and Cryptosporidium parvum, which is a waterborne parasite.

“The results clearly show that organic species can efficiently be removed… by stirring the coated particles in the contaminated water for up to one hour and filtering the powder,” the researchers said.

The team’s nanotech approach to water purification could help prevent disease and poisoning for potentially millions of people.

A gentle squeeze

2008-02-23T20:19:00.001+05:30

University of Leeds PhD student David Keeling shows the web material that will be used in the development of the heart-assist device. The biocompatible material, which is not rejected by the body, detects when the heart wants to beat, and assists it by contracting and expanding

A new device could put the beat back into weak hearts – and free patients from a lifetime of anti-rejection drugs.

Current heart-assist devices suck blood from ventricles and expel it into downstream vessels. While these have been successful in prolonging the lives of heart patients, they come into contact with the blood stream and hence require life-long drug therapy to suppress the immune system and prevent blood clotting. In addition, many of these devices can damage cells within the blood, increasing the chance of clots forming.

An ingenious new device being developed by engineers at the University of Leeds provides a less invasive alternative. The team has developed a specially-woven web made from biocompatible material that will not be rejected by the body.

The webbing wraps around the heart and, therefore, does not come into contact with the blood stream. Inbuilt sensors recognise when the heart wants to beat and trigger a series of miniature motors which cause the web to contract – increasing the internal pressure and assisting the heart to pump the blood around the body.

The team consists of Peter Walker, who devised the original concept, and Martin Levesley from the University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, cardiac consultants Kevin Watterson and Osama Jaber from Leeds General Infirmary and engineering PhD student David Keeling.

“It’s a really simple concept that works in the same way as when you squeeze a plastic bottle, forcing the liquid inside to rise,” says PhD student David Keeling who has built a special rig to test the device.

The device is currently a prototype, with the team using a computer simulated model of the human blood flow circuit coupled to David’s mechanical rig. The rig replicates the motion of the heart within the simulation under different conditions, and allows the team to test their web device.

The group is currently testing their latest prototype, in order to refine design and assist strategies.

“We’ve been looking at finding the optimum timing to trigger and also length of the compressive squeeze,” David says.

Once perfected, the team intends to simulate the effects of different heart diseases to gauge the potential success of the device.

Potential uses for the device are huge. As well as offering support to people suffering from heart and valve problems, the device could also be a bridging aid to patients as they wait for transplants, providing them with a better quality of life.

“Recent research has found that with some heart diseases, supporting the heart for a short period with an assistive device reduces the work-load on the heart and allows it to rest and recover,” David says.

“Our device also allows for a controlled relaxation of the heart muscle, which means that it’s being supported throughout the whole heartbeat process. It’s the same as when you pull a muscle in any other part of your body, rest can often be the best therapy,” he added.

Portal wins ‘best video game’ award

2008-02-23T20:16:00.000+05:30

A still from Bioshock, that won three awards

San Francisco: Valve’s Portal and 2K Studio’s Bioshock dominated the eighth annual Game Developers Choice (GDC) Awards as video game-makers heaped laurels on the action puzzle and morality-probing shooter titles.

Portal was voted the best video game of 2007, and took home awards for innovation and design excellence on Wednesday.

In the game, players must solve a series of puzzles by transporting their characters through a maze-like network via “portals” made with a “portal gun.”

Bioshock, the brainchild of 2K’s creative director Ken Levine, won top honours for story writing, visual arts, and audio.

“I wanted to challenge people a little bit,” Levine said of his game, set in an under-sea city fallen to ruin amid scientific chaos, which has been lauded for its play and potentially disturbing moral choices.

Urban action game Crackdown was voted the best game to debut in the past year, while flash-based Flow, which features a worm-like organism devouring others to evolve, won in the newly-created Best Downloadable Game category.

Science-fiction shooter Crysis was honored for having the best technology. The award for Best Handheld Game went to Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

“It’s pretty incredible,” said Ralph Baer – ‘the father of video games’ – who built the first ever home video game console and was honoured with the GDC Pioneer Award. “The talent curve in game making is going straight up to heaven. There is no telling what we are going to see in five years.”

500 million Firefox downloads: complete; 500 million grains: in progress

2008-02-23T00:59:00.002+05:30

Firefox just reached 500,000,000 downloads. This is an absolutely phenomenal milestone for Firefox. It is sort of hard to imagine what that number means. For some perspective, that’s roughly the audience size of 10,000 Rome Colosseums combined. It would be the weight, in kilograms, of 8,500 Boeing 747 airplanes. In dollars, for $500 million you and 15 of your friends can fly to the International Space Station.

OR, you can affect change and invite 15 of your friends to play a game and feed 25,000 people. With your help we can break another milestone today with FreeRice.com –500,000,000 grains of donated rice in one day. Imagine helping to feed the hungry while picking up some new vocabulary too!

Gadget of the day 22/02/08 Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras

2008-02-22T18:28:00.001+05:30

Sony showcased two new entry-level digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, Alpha 200 (left) and Alpha 350 (right) in Tokyo, Friday. The Alpha 350 features quick auto-focus and live-view functions, along with an adjustable LCD screen. The device will retail in March at about 90,000 yen (Rs 34,000 approx). The Alpha 200, on the other hand, will be available in mid-February for a price of around 60,000 yen (Rs 22,000 approx)

Website of the day 22/02/08

2008-02-22T18:27:00.002+05:30

The cool thing about flash-based games is that new ones keep popping up all the time, and new sites that collect and host them. Today’s resource is one such collection that lets you choose the type of game from various genres, such as action, arcade, puzzle, sports, shooting and more. Our recommendation: ‘Galactic Tennis’, which can be especially addictive!

www.playfree.in

Power of touch

2008-02-22T18:26:00.001+05:30

The power of human touch might soon be used to transmit data. Japan’s telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) is planning to launch a system that frees users from the trouble of rummaging in their pockets or handbags for ID cards or keys, whenever they want to enter rooms, unlock car doors, etc.

It uses technology to turn the surface of the human body into a means of data transmission.

“In everyday life, you’re always touching things,” said NTT’s research engineer Mitsuru Shinagawa. “These simple touches can result in communication.”

Future applications of the technology, dubbed ‘RedTacton’, could include a walk-through ticket gate, a cabinet that opens only to authorised people and a television control that automatically chooses favourite programmes.

How it works

The RedTacton system comprises a super-sensitive sensor – which has to be carried on the person – that uses the minute electric field emitted on the surface of the human body to transmit data to a transceiver at a maximum speed of 10 Mbps.

Technically, it is completely distinct from wireless and infrared.

A transmission path is formed when a part of the human body comes in contact with a RedTacton transceiver; thanks to the sensor-equipped special card that the user is carrying.

The transmitter induces a weak electric field on the surface of the body. The receiver senses changes in this electric field, and converts the same to an electrical signal.

Communication is possible using any body surfaces, such as the hands, fingers, arms, feet, face, legs or torso. The system works through shoes and clothing as well.

So, as data travels through the user’s clothing, handbag or shoes, anyone carrying a special card can unlock doors simply by touching the knob or standing on a particular spot without taking the card out.

The system also improves security. It ensures that only drivers can open their cars by touching the doors if the keys are in their pockets, not people around them.

NTT employee Akiko Shimojima, holding the new RedTacton smart-card, touches a printer to make prints (top right), and a knob to open a cabinet while standing on a special mat (above), demonstrating the system’s identification of data through her hands and feet

The company plans to start sales of the room-entry system in the coming months.

“There is demand for hands-free entry as there are workplaces where you always have your hands occupied. In some factories, it’s simply dangerous to dangle something from your neck,” said NTT business creation official Toshiaki Asahi.

Shinagawa said his technology’s ultimate aim was to go beyond human-to-machine communications and focus on interaction among humans.

“Eventually, doctors and nurses may be able to record patients’ data, such as their pulse and temperature, just through physical contact,” he said.

NTT has already developed technology that allows swapping data as heavy as motion pictures through a handshake, although it has not been commercialised.

“We started the research to develop a new concept of telecommunication through touching,” Shinagawa said.

Snap! Scientists make a self-healing rubber band

2008-02-22T18:25:00.001+05:30

Chicago: Anyone who has heard the snap of a rubber band breaking knows it’s time to reach for a replacement. But now, a group of French scientists have made a self-healing rubber band material that can reclaim its stretchy usefulness by simply pressing the broken edges back together for a few minutes.

The material, described on Wednesday in Nature, can be broken and repaired over and over again. It is made from simple ingredients – fatty acids like those found in vegetable oils, and urea, a waste compound in urine that can be made synthetically.

The material would be an asset to industry and might even help shed light on the physics of elasticity, wrote Philippe Cordier and colleagues from the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution in Paris.

Researcher Ludwik Leibler displays the self-mending rubber that heals itself in 15 minutes by simply pressing the damaged pieces together

Standard rubber bands, which can stretch up to several hundred per cent then snap back into shape, are made from long chains of cross-linked polymers.

The new material is linked by short chains of a type of molecule called ditopic, which can associate with two other molecules, and multi-topic molecules, which can associate with more than two molecules. This network of molecules is strengthened by hydrogen bonds that allow the material to stretch up to several hundred per cent, then snap back into shape.

If severed, the material mends itself when the ends are pressed together at room temperature. This is because the molecules re-partner with molecules on the other end of the break.

However, if they aren’t brought together within several hours of the break, the molecules will just pair up with other molecules on their respective end, and the material can no longer be repaired.

“Mended samples can sustain large deformations and recover shape and size when stress is released,” the researchers wrote.

The material can “withstand multiple fractures, and is otherwise straightforward to produce,” Justin Mynar and Takuzo Aida of the University of Tokyo wrote in an accompanying article.

“A final blessing is that it can be broken down with heat and easily recycled – so it is environmentally friendly, too.”

Toxic US spy satellite brought down by missile

2008-02-22T18:24:00.000+05:30

Washington: A US Navy missile soaring around 210 km above the Pacific smashed a dying and potentially deadly US spy satellite Wednesday and probably destroyed its tank carrying 450 kg of toxic fuel.

Officials had expressed cautious optimism that the missile would hit the satellite, which was the size of a school bus. But they were less certain of hitting the smaller, more problematic fuel tank, whose contents posed what government officials deemed a potential health hazard to humans if it landed intact.

In a statement, the Pentagon said, “Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours.”

A defence official said later that officials monitoring the collision saw what appeared to be an explosion, indicating that the fuel tank was hit.

The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile launched the attack at 10:26 pm EST (08:56, Thursday IST), according to the Pentagon.

It hit the satellite – travelling in polar orbit at over 27,000 kmph – about three minutes later.

“Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days,” the Pentagon said.

The use of the Navy missile amounted to an unprecedented use of components of the Pentagon’s missile defence system, designed to shoot down hostile ballistic missiles in flight – not kill satellites.

The US has also organised hazardous materials teams to be flown to the site of any dangerous or otherwise sensitive debris that might land in the US or elsewhere.

Insulin cells from stem cells might help long-term diabetes treatment

2008-02-22T18:23:00.000+05:30

Washington: Human embryonic stem cells transformed into insulin-producing cells when implanted into mice, possibly offering a long-term way to treat diabetes, researchers in the US reported on Wednesday.

Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, researchers at Novocell Inc said their work showed that human embryonic stem cells might fulfil the promise of treating, or perhaps even curing diabetes.

“Our data provides evidence that human embryonic stem cells can serve as a renewable source of insulin-producing cells for diabetes therapies,” said Emmanuel Baetge, the chief scientific officer of Novocell.

At least 170 million people globally have diabetes. In the disease, the body cannot use insulin properly or make enough of it to regulate glucose in the blood. Patients must monitor their blood sugar and often must take insulin as needed.

One hope is to use embryonic stem cell technology to create insulin-producing cells.

Embryonic stem cells are master cells, producing all the other cells and tissues in the body. They can live virtually forever in lab dishes, producing generations of new cells.

Novocell used embryos discarded from fertility clinics.

The team used hormone-producing stem cells (endocrine). But each cell produced a mishmash of hormones, instead of specialising into insulin-producing cells.

So they took a step back, and implanted immature cells into mice, under the skin and in other areas.

“Something in the mouse directed the cells to mature properly; producing and releasing insulin in response to glucose,” Baetge said.

He says his company also has technology to encapsulate cells, protecting them from the immune system rejection response.

He hopes that would mean patients could use donations of stem cells from other people without taking immune-suppressing drugs.

The company is now looking for a large pharmaceutical company to partner with for further development.

Motorola W230 - Gadget of the Day - 21/02/08

2008-02-21T13:39:00.000+05:30

Motorola recently unveiled their new music phone, the MotoYuva W230. The device is equipped with a 1.6-inch screen that displays 65k colours at 128x128 pixels. The gadget supports MP3 playback and stereo FM radio, and offers quick-access keys for the same. It also boasts of a battery life of 9 hours of talktime and 450 hours of standby time. The phone offers storage of 500 phone book entries and the same number of SMSes, which can be expanded using a microSD card. For more information on the device that is available for Rs 3,247, visit www.motorola.com/in

Website of the Day 21/2/08

2008-02-21T13:35:00.003+05:30

If you have a bunch of ingredients and can’t figure out what you can cook with them, do take a look at today’s site. At SuperCook, you can simply type an ingredient, and get a list of preparations that use it; then, simply key in another, and you will see a list of those items that can be made by combining the two food stuffs. It’s a great way to utilise your resources, and a cool way to learn some new recipes. Try it out!

www.supercook.com

A thinking game

2008-02-21T13:34:00.001+05:30

Epoc, a new headset, interprets brain signals to let users play video games by using their thoughts and emotions alone

It is said that ‘mind rules the body’, but now your brain will also be controlling your moves while playing video games.

Scientists at Emotiv, a US/Australian neuro-engineering firm, have developed a neuro-headset called Epoc that interprets the interaction of neurons in the brain, and will enable gamers to interact with the virtual world using their thoughts and emotions alone.

“It picks up electrical activity from the brain and sends wireless signals to a computer. It allows the user to manipulate a game naturally and intuitively,” said Emotiv’s president, Ms Tan Le.

The brain constitutes billions of nerve cells, or neurons, that send out an electrical impulse at the time of interaction. Epoc makes use of a technology called non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) for reading the neural activity.

The Epoc headset, being displayed, reads electrical impulses in the user’s brain and translates them into commands that a video game can accept

“We’ve created a brain-computer interface that reads electrical impulses in the brain and translates them into commands that a video game can accept and control the game dynamically,” said Le.

Headsets that read neural activity are not new, but Le said that the Epoc was the first-of-its-kind consumer device that can be used for gaming.

“This is the first headset that doesn’t require a large net of electrodes, or a technician to calibrate or operate it and does require gel on the scalp. It also doesn’t cost tens of thousands of dollars,” she said.

One of the prominent features of this headset is that it could be used to improve the realism of emotional responses of all the characters in games.

It may also provide authentic facial expressions to gamers’ avatars in virtual worlds. So it will be possible for the headset to detect the player’s expressions when he smiles, winks, grimaces; and translate it to the avatar in game. It can also read his emotions and translate those to the virtual world.

“The headset could be used to improve the realism of emotional responses of AI characters in games. If you laughed or felt happy after killing a character in a game, then your virtual buddy could admonish you for being callous,” said Le.

Costing around $299 (Rs 12,000 approx), this headset has a gyroscope for catching the movement and also makes use of Wi-Fi to communicate with a USB dongle plugged into a computer.

According to Emotiv, Epoc can detect more than 30 different expressions, emotions and actions. These include excitement, meditation, tension and frustration; facial expressions such as smile, laugh, wink, shock (eyebrows raised), anger (eyebrows furrowed); and even cognitive actions such as push, pull, lift, drop and rotate (on six different axes).

Epoc will allow gamers to move virtual objects just by thinking of the action.

Emotiv is now working with IBM to develop it for uses in “strategic enterprise business markets and virtual worlds.”

According to Paul Ledak, vice president, IBM Digital Convergence, brain computer interfaces, like the Epoc headset are an important component of the future 3D Internet and the future of virtual communication.

Gravia: A lamp lit by the force of gravity

2008-02-21T13:33:00.000+05:30

A student in the US has created a floor lamp powered by gravity. Clay Moulton, who received his Master of Science in Architecture from Virginia Tech’s College of

Architecture and Urban Studies in 2007, conceptualised the lamp as a part of his master’s thesis.

Illustrations of Gravia depict an acrylic column a little over four feet high. The entire column glows when activated.

To “turn on” the lamp, the user moves weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp. The slow fall of the weights causes a mechanism – via a ball screw – to spin a rotor. The rotor, in turn, generates electricity that powers the lamp.

The resulting energy powers 10 high-output LEDs that fire into the acrylic lens, creating a diffuse light. The operation is silent, cord free, and completely independent of electrical infrastructure.

The light output is estimated to be 600-800 lumens – roughly equal to a 40 watt incandescent bulb over a period of four hours.

“It’s more complicated than flipping a switch but can be an acceptable, even enjoyable routine, like winding a beautiful clock or making good coffee,” Moulton said.

He estimates that Gravia’s mechanisms will last more than 200 years, if used eight hours a day, everyday.

“The LEDs, which are generally considered long-life devices, become short-life components in comparison to the drive mechanisms,” he said.

The acrylic lens will also be altered by time, Moulton said.

“The LEDs produce a slightly blue-ish light. As the acrylic ages, it

yellows through exposure to ultraviolet light,” he said. “The yellowing will tend to mitigate the unnatural blue hue of the LED light. Thus, Gravia will produce a more natural colour of light with age.”

He predicted that the acrylic will begin to yellow within 10 to 15 years when Gravia is used in a home’s interior room.

The lamp recently won second place in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition as part of the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York.

Atlantis returns

2008-02-21T13:31:00.001+05:30

Cape Canaveral: Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew returned to Earth on Wednesday, wrapping up a 5 million-mile journey highlighted by the successful delivery of a new European lab to the International Space Station.

The shuttle and its seven astronauts landed at 9:07 am EST (19.37 IST) at NASA’s spaceport at Kennedy Space Centre, where the crew’s families and top space program managers gathered to welcome them home.

Commander Stephen Frick safely guided Atlantis down through a sky dotted with thin, wispy clouds and onto the runway.

“We’re extremely happy to be home,” Frick told Mission Control.

NASA wanted Atlantis back as soon as possible to clear the way for the US Navy to shoot down a dying spy satellite on the verge of smashing into Earth with a load of toxic fuel. The missile could be launched as early as Wednesday night from a warship in the Pacific.

Atlantis circled Earth 202 times during its mission, which began Feb 7. Nine of those 13 days were spent at the International Space Station, where the two crews installed the European science lab, Columbus, that was ferried up by the shuttle.

A French astronaut, Leopold Eyharts, remained at the orbiting outpost with an American and a Russian to get Columbus up and running. He replaced NASA astronaut Daniel Tani, who was returning home aboard Atlantis after 120 days in space.

After two months of delay because of fuel gauge trouble, Atlantis ended up with an unusually trouble-free flight.

NASA’s next mission is just three weeks away:

Endeavour is scheduled to blast off with the first piece of Japan’s massive space station lab on March 11. The second piece of the Japanese Kibo lab – Kibo means hope – was supposed to go up in April aboard Discovery, but has been delayed until May because of shuttle fuel tank work.

Atlantis, meanwhile, won’t fly again until the end of August, when it takes a team of repairmen to the Hubble Space Telescope for one final tune-up.

Logitech Audiohub - Gadget of the day - 20/02/08

2008-02-21T01:33:00.002+05:30

Logitech recently announced the launch of their AudioHub Notebook Speaker System that combines a 2.1 ‘one-piece’ speaker set with three integrated USB ports in a design that fits neatly behind most laptops. The device, which features an adjustable three-chamber speaker system with an integrated subwoofer, is also equipped with a mute button that turns off the sound without cutting power to the USB hub. For more on the set that measures just 3.5 inches in height, and retails at Rs 6,595 – complete with a 2-year warranty – visit www.logitech.com.

Website of the Day 20/2/08

2008-02-21T01:30:00.006+05:30

Today’s Web site is for those that love tweeking their computers to make sure its running in peak condition. The more ‘.exe’ files you’re running on your system, the slower it gets. This is because each of those .exe files is consuming valuable processor “attention”. Now exeLib provides you with an accurate database of executable programs. Each program is stored with information such as the file name, description, the effects, the risk factor, etc. Users can therefore check their system’s task manager, and then look up the executables on the site to figure out which they need, which they don’t need, and which they really don’t want on the computer. Lesser “.exes” = faster computer.

www.exelib.com

Gecko feet inspire waterproof bandage

2008-02-21T01:29:00.001+05:30

Chicago: Scientists have long admired the gecko lizard for its gravity-defying feet. Now US researchers have made a waterproof bandage inspired by the sticky surface of a gecko’s paws.

The finding, published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be used in the operating room in surgeries or to repair wounds.

“What we did was to mimic what the gecko does,” said Robert Langer, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who invented a biorubber material for the bandage.

Langer, along with colleague Jeff Karp of Harvard Medical School, used computer technology to sculpt extremely tiny hills and valleys on the surface of the bandage to grip the underlying tissue, thus improving its adhesion.

While different teams have created gecko-inspired glues that could be used in dry environments, the bandage would be suitable for use in wet environments, such as in heart, bladder or lung tissue.

Also, being biodegradable, it can be left inside the body.

“There is a big need for a tape-based medical adhesive,” Karp said.

He said such adhesives must stick well when wet without causing undue inflammation or toxic effects. They also must be flexible.

To make it sticky on wet surfaces, Langer and Karp added a thin layer of a sugar-based glue to the tape. In tests, the glue was twice as strong as adhesives with no pattern.

Langer said the bandage could be used to prevent leaks in gastric bypass surgeries or to augment sutures.

“You could also put drugs in these and use them as drug or cell-delivery mechanisms,” he said.

MS unveils free design and developer tools for students

2008-02-21T01:28:00.001+05:30

Seattle: Microsoft unveiled a new initiative on Monday that will give students around the world free access to technology tools used to develop and design software.

The ‘DreamSpark’ initiative will allow students to use MS’ developer and designer tools to write software applications, design Web pages or create video games for the Xbox 360 console.

Although the tools are currently available in the US, China, and Western Europe, Microsoft said it will eventually extend the program to other countries.

Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates wanted to give access to software that can be difficult to get for students.

“I can relate to these student developers,” said Gates, who unveiled DreamSpark on Tuesday. “For them, any fee is a barrier.”

Students can download Visual Studio – MS’ main development tools used by professional developers – and Expression Studio – design software that rivals Adobe’s Creative Suite offering.

Microsoft said it will also make available XNA Game Studio software development tools for writing video games, and a free one-year membership to the ‘XNA Creators Club’ so they can bring those games to the Xbox 360 platform.

“For the individual developer ... getting their hands on these tools hasn’t been that simple,” Gates said.

Gates said he hopes this latest initiative will deepen the pool of potential developers as well as the fields of study where software can lead to breakthroughs.

Breath test for cancer

2008-02-21T01:26:00.004+05:30

Scientists show that a person’s breath can be used to detect various diseases including asthma and diabetes

Dr Yousef carries out sampling, to trap tell-tale disease molecules from the subject’s breath

Scientists in the UK and US - in two separate studies - have shown that various diseases such as diabetes, asthma and cancer can be detected by merely checking a person’s breath.

The researchers at UK’s Swansea University - for their part - are using “GCMS-TD” (gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and thermal desorption) technology to analyse the concentrations of “Volatile Organic Compounds” (VOCs) in breath.

Whereas the team of US scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado (CU), have shown that by sampling a person’s breath using “optical frequency comb spectroscopy” they can detect molecules in the breath that may be markers for diseases.

How the technology works

Every time we breathe in, we inhale a mixture of gasses – mostly nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapour, but also traces of other gasses, such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, etc.

Each time we exhale, we blow out a slightly different mixture with less oxygen, more carbon dioxide, and a rich collection of more than a thousand types of other molecules – most of which are present only in trace amounts.

Some of these tracer breath molecules are biomarkers of disease. Just as bad breath may indicate dental problems, excess methylamine can be used to detect liver and kidney disease, ammonia on the breath may be a sign of renal failure or hepatitis, elevated acetone levels in the breath can indicate diabetes, dimethyl sulphide is linked to cirrhosis, and nitric oxide levels can be used to diagnose asthma.

When many breath molecules are detected simultaneously, highly reliable and disease-specific information can be collected.

Research In the United Kingdom…

“Studies have shown that high concentrations of certain VOCs in breath can correlate with disease,” said Dr Masood Yousef, a senior research assistant at Swansea. “If unique markers for diseases can be recognised earlier than traditional techniques, then there is a potential to diagnose disease before any symptoms have developed, and without the need for invasive procedures.”

The GCMS-TD system works by analysing all the chemicals and compounds that make up a patient’s breath. It creates a breath profile, which allows scientists to identify VOCs that may signify the presence of disease.

Dr Yousef believes that the breath test will provide a more convenient method for diagnosing serious diseases than blood or urine analysis.

It is hoped that the research in Swansea will lead to the development of diagnostic tools such as test strips that give positive results for specific illness markers.

... and In the United States

While many studies have been done to showcase the potential of optical technologies for breath analysis, the JILA approach takes an important step toward demonstrating the full power of optics for this prospective medical application.

“Our technique – called cavity-enhanced direct optical frequency comb spectroscopy – can give a broad picture of many different molecules in the breath all at once,” said research leader Jun Ye, a fellow of JILA, NIST and a professor at Colorado University’s Department of Physics.

“Optical comb spectroscopy is powerful enough to sort through all the molecules in human breath,” Ye said, “but it is also sensitive enough to find those rarest molecules that may be markers of specific diseases.”

In the experiments performed by Ye and his colleagues, the technique was used to analyse the breath of several student volunteers.

The researchers had the students breathe into an optical cavity – a space between two standing mirrors. The optical cavity was designed so that when they aimed a pulsed laser light into it, the light bounced back and forth so many times that it covered a distance of several kilometres by the time it exited the cavity. This essentially allowed the light to sample the entire volume of the cavity, striking all the molecules therein.

In addition, this lengthens the light-molecule interaction time thereby increasing the sensitivity.

By comparing the light coming out of the cavity to the light that went in, Ye and his colleagues could determine which frequencies of light were absorbed and by how much. This information allows them to sensitively identify many different molecules.

From labs to dispensaries

While the efficacy of these techniques has yet to be evaluated in clinical trials, monitoring the breath for such biomarkers is an attractive approach to medicine because breath analysis is the ultimate non-invasive and low-cost procedure.

“Breath samples are much easier to collect than blood and urine,” Dr Yousef said. “They can be collected anywhere by people with no medical training, and there are no associated biohazard risks.”

Small Wonder - Part robot, part child

2008-02-21T01:23:00.001+05:30

Part robot, part child, the new automaton built by Swiss scientists promises to change the way people view machines...

There’s this kid, just like any other: It will amuse you, will ask you lots of questions, and it might even bother you a little bit. But unlike most kids, it doesn’t walk or talk, and it pays perfect attention.

Meet Wizkid: A Swiss creation – part computer, part robot – that might just change our concept of how people interact with machines.

The robot is the result of a collaboration between an engineer, Frderic Kaplan and an industrial designer, Martino d’Esposito.

Kaplan, a researcher at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne), worked ten years for Sony, creating “brains” for entertainment robots, while D’Esposito currently teaches at ECAL (The University of Art and Design Lausanne).

Their collaboration – which resulted in Wizkid – merged engineering, design and architecture.

The gadget looks like a computer with a neck. The screen on the mobile neck moves about like a head, and it’s trained to hone in on human faces.

On seeing you, the contraption focuses on you and follows your movement.

Also, there’s neither a mouse, nor a keyboard. On Wizkid’s screen, you see yourself surrounded by a “halo” of interactive elements that you can simply select by waving your hands.

If you move away or to one side, Wizkid adapts itself to you.

If you’re with a friend, the robot finds and tracks both of you and tries to figure out your relationship, expressing surprise, confusion or enjoyment when it gets a response.

Its inventors see their creation as playing a new and important role in the transitional world we currently inhabit.

“Wizkid gets us AFK – away from keyboard – and back into the physical world,” explains Kaplan.

Kaplan is not suggesting that Wizkid will replace the interfaces of today’s ordinary computers. However, he does believe that there are many areas in which Wizkid’s augmented reality could ease and enhance the human experience.

Hold up your favourite CD cover and Wizkid will start the stereo.

In the office, Wizkid could add a new dimension to conferences, paying attention to who is speaking – and who is not.

A creature of habit, Wizkid is also capable of keeping track of your preferences: Walk in the door, and the robot will start playing some light jazz.

If you go out of range, and then come back, the robot might just remember you and try to continue from where you left off.

“Unlike a personal computer, it doesn’t force the human to accommodate, and it’s fundamentally social and multi-user,” Kaplan said.

What it does...

Expression: Wizkid expresses itself by “shaking” its head, nodding, bending its neck in various ways and with a very simple “eye brow” system consisting of two horizontal bars that can go up and down.

Interaction: The robot introduces a novel interface system entitled “Halo”.

Interacting with the machine, the user sees himself in a kind of augmented mirror. Around him, several widgets and other interface elements appear. He can just select them by waving his hand. This “interactive halo” follows the user everywhere so that Wizkid’s tools are always “at-hand”.