A Robot In Every Home Within The Decade?

Simon the Robot, created in the lab of Andrea Thomaz (School of Interactive Computing), learns a new task from a participant in a study seeking to determine the best questions a robot learner can ask to facilitate smooth human-robot interaction. (Credit: Image courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology)

Teach Your Robot Well -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2012) — Within a decade, personal robots could become as common in U.S. homes as any other major appliance, and many if not most of these machines will be able to perform innumerable tasks not explicitly imagined by their manufacturers. This opens up a wider world of personal robotics, in which machines are doing anything their owners can program them to do -- without actually being programmers.

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My Comment: I think we are still far away from having 'crude personal robots' in our homes .... but we will one day get there.

Location Of Lost Leonardo Da Vinci Painting Found?

Threading the endoscope into the Vasari wall to find signs of the lost Leonardo painting "The Battle of Anghiari" in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. (Credit: Dave Yoder)

Data Support Theory On Location Of Lost Leonardo Da Vinci Painting -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2012) — Evidence uncovered during research conducted in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio late last year appears to support the theory that a lost Leonardo da Vinci painting existed on the east wall of the Hall of the 500, behind Giorgio Vasari's mural "The Battle of Marciano." The data supporting the theoretical location of the da Vinci painting "The Battle of Anghiari" was obtained through the use of an endoscopic probe that was inserted through the wall on which the Vasari fresco was painted. The probe was fitted with a camera and allowed a team of researchers, led by scientist Maurizio Seracini, to see what was behind the Vasari and gather samples for further testing.

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My Comment: Why did someone cover over a Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece? I guess there are some mysteries that we will never know.

How Yahoo Weaponized My Work

A Patent Lie: How Yahoo Weaponized My Work -- Epicentre

While most of the tech world was partying at South by Southwest in Austin yesterday, Yahoo announced it was filing a lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly infringing on 10 patents from their 1,000+ patent warehouse.

I’m no fan of Facebook, but this is a deplorable move. It’s nothing less than extortion, expertly timed during the SEC-mandated quiet period before Facebook’s IPO. It’s an attack on invention and the hacker ethic.

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My Comment: Lawyers and patent law .... not a good place to be if you are the target, and right now Facebook is the target..

Close Encounter Between Jupiter And Venus Dazzles Amateur Astronomers

Jupiter And Venus Conjunction Dazzles Amateur Astronomers -- The Telegraph

Jupiter and Venus last night appeared next to each other in the night sky in a display that delighted amateur astronomers.

The planets are 450 million miles apart in space, but because they are aligned in the same direction from Earth they last night appeared just three degrees apart.

They were visible towards the West just after sunset and before the stars appeared. They will appear bright and relatively close over the next few weeks, and will be most visible in rural areas where there is less light pollution.

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South Korean And Russian Scientists Agree To Try And Clone A Mammoth

A near-perfect frozen mammoth resurfaces after 40,000 years, bearing clues to a great vanished species. National Geographic

South Korean And Russian Scientists Bid To Clone Mammoth -- The Telegraph

Russian and South Korean scientists signed a deal on Tuesday on joint research intended to recreate a woolly mammoth, an animal which last walked the earth some 10,000 years ago.

The deal was signed by Vasily Vasiliev, vice rector of North-Eastern Federal University of the Sakha Republic, and controversial cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk of South Korea's Sooam Biotech Research Foundation.

Hwang was a national hero until some of his research into creating human stem cells was found in 2006 to have been faked. But his work in creating Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog, in 2005, has been verified by experts.

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My Comment: I wish them luck.

Live World-Wide Earthquake​s Map

CSN Editor: The following web page gives an up-to-date report of earthquake incidences around the world. The link to the website is here.

Google 'To Unveil Seven-Inch iPad Rival' In May

Asus's hit EEEPad - the tablet maker is said to be developing a seven-inch tablet in collaboration with Google which would carry both Asus and Google branding

Google 'To Unveil Seven-Inch iPad Rival' In May - And Android Tablet Could Cost As Little As £130 -- Daily Mail

* Built to play music and video from Google's Play store
* Seven-inch Android device to compete with Kindle Fire
* Apple rumoured to be working on 'iPad Mini'

Google is to unveil a smaller, cheaper Android rival to Apple's iPad as early as May - made in partnership with tablet-maker Asus.

The tablet could sell for as little as £130, and will have a seven-inch screen, according to a leak reported in Digitimes.

The device would be a competitor to Amazon's Kindle Fire - and like Fire, would be built to sell content such as video and music via Google's own online store.

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My Comment: You got to love the competition and the market choice that is now happening.

Astronauts' Eyeballs Deformed By Long Missions In Space

Astronaut Leroy Chiao performs an ultrasound examination of the eye on Salizhan Sharipov aboard the space station. Brain and eye problems have surfaced in astronauts who spent more than a month in space. Discovery News

Long Space Missions 'May Damage Eyesight' -- BBC

The eyes and brains of astronauts who have spent long periods of time in orbit can develop abnormalities, new research has suggested.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 27 spacefarers found effects similar to those that can occur in intracranial hypertension, which results in a build up of pressure within the skull.

The concern would be that astronauts could suffer eyesight problems.

The study is reported in the Journal of Radiology.

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More News On How Space Missions May Damage Eyesight

Space travel 'may damage eyesight', brain study shows -- FOX News
Spaceflight may harm astronauts' vision, study finds -- MSNBC/Space.com
Eye Problems Common in Astronauts -- Discovery News
Astronauts' eyeballs deformed by long missions in space, study finds -- The Guardian
Astronauts show brain and eye abnormalities -- TG Daily
Astronaut brain scans spark space flight fears -- Sydney Morning Herald
Space flight linked to eye, brain problems -- CBC
Is long-term space travel really possible? Scans on astonauts reveal serious damage to eyes and brains -- Daily Mail
Zero Gravity Can Cause Brain Abnormalities in Astronauts -- Epoch Times

A Universal Translator Becomes Reality

William Shatner as James T Kirk: The new device is similar to the Universal Translator used in Star Trek, and takes around one hour to get used to a person's voice then works by comparing the words that have been recorded with stock models for the target language

Star Trek Becomes Reality As Microsoft 'Universal Translator' Turns Spoken English Into Any Of 26 Different Languages -- Daily Mail

* Software speaks in user's own voice
* Can translate into languages from Spanish to Mandarin
* Speaks smoothly in sentences, not individual words
* Could be built into smartphone language apps

It has long been used by James T Kirk to speak to aliens and blue women from space - but now Microsoft is on the brink of making a real, working Universal Translator.

Frank Soong and Rick Rashid have created software which converts English language speech into any of 26 foreign languages - and which 'speaks' in the user's own voice.

All the user has to do is speak English into the machine and it will convert it into anything from Spanish to Mandarin.

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My Comment: I am traveling this summer .... so faster please.

Five Leadership Lessons From Jean-Luc Picard

Image from Wikipedia

Five Leadership Lessons From Jean-Luc Picard -- Forbes

“He’d ensure the safety of his ship and his crew
And then complete the mission
And make himself a better person
Bring peace to the galaxy
And do it for free
Oh yeah, that’s what Captain Picard would do.”

– from “What Would Captain Picard Do?” by Hank Green

Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the model of a great 24th Century Starfleet captain. On his watch, the crew of the Enterprise successfully defended humanity against the judgement of the Q-Continuum, defeated the Borg, prevented the Romulans from installing a puppet government in the Klingon Empire, and encountered countless new species.

Although Captain Picard’s style was very different from Captain Kirk’s, he was also an incredibly successful leader. Here are five lessons in leadership that can take away from Picard’s voyages as you take your organization on its journey to boldly go where no one has gone before.

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My Comment: No disagreements from me on this list.

Apple's New iPad: 10 Things You Should Do When You Take It Out Of The Box

Apple's New iPad: 10 Things You Should Do After Breaking It Out Of The Box -- eWeek

Apple’s new iPad is launching March 16. But according to the latest reports, Apple’s tablet has already sold out of its preorders, and those hoping to get their hands on the device on launch day will have little to no chance of it. Demand is so high for Apple’s new iPad that the company doesn’t anticipate having a new supply available to customers for two to three weeks after its launch.

But for all those who will be lucky enough to get their hands on the new iPad at launch day, it might be a good time to provide a refresher on what they should do to ensure the device is ready to go as soon as it’s home. From the simple, like applying the Smart Cover, to the more complex, like setting up iTunes, there are a host of things that new iPad buyers must know before they break the device out of the box.

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My Comment: Yup .... these 10 points are valid.

Reporters Without Borders: 2012 Enemies Of The Internet

A new report from the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders names the Internet's greatest enemies. (Reporters Without Borders)

Bahrain, Belarus Newly Dubbed As 'Internet Enemies' -- L.A. Times

After a tumultuous year of protests and crackdowns, the island nation of Bahrain has been labeled as an “enemy of the Internet” by a nonprofit group that advocates for press freedom.

Reporters Without Borders said Bahrain had smeared free-speech activists, arrested bloggers and harassed human rights activists to create “an effective news blackout.” Earlier this year, Bahrain turned down New York Times columnist Nick Kristof and other reporters seeking to cover the one-year anniversary of protests against the Sunni Muslim monarchy, saying it had received too many requests.

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More News On Who Made The "Internet Enemies" List

Media Watchdog Names 'Enemies of the Internet' -- Voice of America
Watchdog group reveals ‘Enemies of the Internet’ list for 2012 -- FOX News
Global media watchdog names enemies of Internet -- AP
Belarus, Bahrain Blacklisted 'Enemies Of Internet,' India 'Under Surveillance' -- RTT News
Group lists 2012 enemies of the Internet -- UPI
Meet the 'Enemies of the Internet' 2012 -- CNET
Bahrain, Belarus Added to 'Enemies of the Internet' List -- PC Mag
Reporters Without Borders Releases Its 2012 “Internet Enemies” List -- Scientific American

Shark Feeding Frenzy Off Australian Coast (Video)

Shark Feeding Frenzy Off Australian Coast – Video -- The Guardian

A school of sharks feed on a school of tuna that in turn are feeding on a school of smaller fish a few hundred metres off the coast north of Perth. About 50 sharks were spotted by the crew of an air sea rescue helicopter. Some of the sharks were estimated to be 2.5 metres long

Most Polar Ice Ever Recorded

Most Polar Ice Ever Recorded -- Don Surber

So much for an ice-free Arctic. Henry Hudson’s long-ago dream of a Northwest Passage that would link England to the Orient by sea will have to wait another century as Mother Earth gives him the cold shoulder. Again.

From Real Science: “1979 was the peak year for Arctic ice, yet 2012 has more ice around Greenland and Alaska than 1979 did.”

Same date satellite data seems to show that Iceland and everywhere else is iced over this year when they were feeling a little green 33 years ago.

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My Comment: Surprise, surprise. Any bets that the main stream media will NOT cover this.

China 'To Send Its First Woman Into Space'

The Long March rocket carrying the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou 8 blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre Photo: REUTERS

China 'To Send Its First Woman Into Space' -- The Telegraph

China may send its first woman into space this year after including female astronauts in the team training for its first manned space docking, state media said on Monday.

Three astronauts will blast off on board Shenzhou ("Divine Vessel") IX between June and August to conduct a manual docking with the Tiangong-1 module currently orbiting the Earth, Xinhua news agency said, quoting an official with China's manned space programme.

A team of astronauts, including an unspecified number of women, are training for the docking mission and the three-person crew will be selected at the last minute, said Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief.

After the space rendezvous, the astronauts will move temporarily into Tiangong-1 ("Heavenly Palace"), where they will perform scientific experiments.

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My Comment: What took them so long?

Genetic Manipulation Boosts Growth of Brain Cells

UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators have identified a genetic manipulation that increases the development of neurons in the brain during aging and enhances the effect of antidepressant drugs. (Credit: © rolffimages / Fotolia)

Genetic Manipulation Boosts Growth of Brain Cells Linked to Learning, Enhances Effects of Antidepressants -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2012) — UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators have identified a genetic manipulation that increases the development of neurons in the brain during aging and enhances the effect of antidepressant drugs.

The research finds that deleting the Nf1 gene in mice results in long-lasting improvements in neurogenesis, which in turn makes those in the test group more sensitive to the effects of antidepressants.

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Why Android Tablets Have Not Succeeded Against The iPad

Android Tablets: Little Headway Against iPad -- Christian Science Monitor

Android tablets, poised to challenge Apple's iPad a year ago, have largely fallen by the wayside. Here's why Android tablets and other tablet computers have a hard time against the iPad.

Apple certainly has lots of buzz and corporate cache behind its products, but there's a hidden — almost mundane — reason its newest iPad is likely to dominate the competition: the advantageous deals the company cuts with components manufacturers.

Apple's size, and the fact that the iPad shares components with the highly popular iPhone, means that the company can buy crucial parts such as processing chips and display screens at lower prices. Any company that wants to make a tablet computer that matches the iPad's $499 starting price has to endure higher costs.

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Super Telescope 'Favours South Africa Over Australia'

The Square Kilometre Array will take to the middle of the next decade to finish

Super Telescope 'Favours South Africa Over Australia' -- BBC

Australian media are reporting that the country is running behind South Africa in the selection process for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

The huge £1.3bn ($2bn) radio telescope facility is being designed to answer some key questions about the Universe.

The Saturday editions of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age carried a leak from a panel that has looked at the technical strengths of each bid.

But commentators said South Africa's selection was not yet a done deal.

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My Comment: That's one expensive telescope. My money is on Australia, with the reason being that it is more politically stable than South Africa.

DARPA Unveils HELLADS, A Portable Laser Weapons System

DARPA Unveils Drone-Slaying War Laser -- Fast Company

A weapon that used to be the size of a passenger jet now fits on the back of a flatbed truck. (Shark mounting apparatus sold separately.)

DARPA is unveiling a portable laser weapons system, HELLADS, which seems like something out of a sci-fi movie. The new laser application, created by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems with a custom power system from Saft Batteries, will help change the way the American military fights future wars. Current military laser systems are bulky contraptions which are mainly the size of a passenger jet, while the proposed DARPA weapon can fit on the back of a flatbed truck. The 150-kilowatt, solid state laser weapon is strong enough to take down drones or other aerial targets; a prototype is expected to be available by the end of 2012.

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My Comment: I can easily see this tech being applied on naval ships.

Pentagon Unveils Non-Lethal Heat Ray Weapon

US Military Unveils Non-Lethal Heat Ray Weapon -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP

A sensation of unbearable, sudden heat seems to come out of nowhere - this wave, a strong electromagnetic beam, is the latest non-lethal weapon unveiled by the US military this week.

"You're not gonna see it, you're not gonna hear it, you're not gonna smell it: you're gonna feel it," explained US Marine Colonel Tracy Taffola, director the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, Marine Corps Base Quantico, at a demonstration for members of the media.

The effect is so repellant, the immediate instinct is to flee - and quickly, as experienced by AFP at the presentation.

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Update #1: U.S. military unveil latest weapon ... a ray beam that makes the enemy feel 'quite hot' -- Daily Mail
Update #2: $120 million heat ray waiting for first action -- Stars and Stripes
Update #3: New Marine Corps non-lethal weapon heats things up -- Divds
Update #4: Nonlethal ray beam is latest US weapon -- Inquirer News

My Comment: I see this as a very effective weapon in flushing out the enemy from a building or enclosed space.