February 2012
25 posts
5 tags
6 tags
7 tags
Telemedicine - remotely medicating you in a timely...
What if you have a chronic condition that requires regular medication at regular intervals - would it be a big enough inconvenience for you from achieving a good quality of life? Would you fear going on holidays abroad in case you lose your medication, or would you fail to remember to take the prescriptions altogether?
Well, all those worries may soon become a thing of the past as MIT researchers...
3 tags
WatchItalian scientists created a robotic octopus tentacle that can grasp objects and move fluidly underwater. Can you imagine the undiscovered specimens we could now collect from the ocean floor…!
7 tags
German police uses Facebook to help catch...
Hannover police force has arrested 8 individuals since implementing “Fahndung via Facebook,” or “Manhunt via Facebook,” since March 2011. This is definitely a prime example of the intersection between social network and crowdsourcing for social good!
5 tags
How safe are your secured e-mails?
An unexpected weakness in the random-number-generator behind the encryption system that is commonly used for e-mails, online banking, e-commerce, and a host of Internet services intended to remain private and secure has been uncovered by a team of researchers.
The New York Times explains the inner workings:
The system requires that a user first create and publish the product of two large...
5 tags
5 tags
Breath test that can detect lung cancer
A Californian start-up is trialling a breath test that can spot lung cancer with 83% accuracy, or about the same level as low-dose computerized tomography imaging of the lungs.
According to MIT Technology Review:
Existing tests for lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer death worldwide—cause too many false positives, which means patients face unnecessary biopsies or exposure to radiation...
4 tags
Free 'Automated University' coming to an...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has announced its first free course which can be studied and assessed completely online.
You may remember my post about MITx back in December, and now further details have emerged about the programme. BBC reports:
There are already online degree courses, but the MIT proposal is unusual in that it is inviting students anywhere in the world, without...
3 tags
3 tags
Are smart meters and smart grids prone to attacks?
While utilities companies and Western governments have been pushing for smart meters and smart grids to more effectively manage power supply, it may seem that the rush to provide these devices might have left consumers - and even the power supply companies - at risk.
An internal audit by the US Energy Department found that found that about one-third of these projects funded to provide smart grids...
7 tags
Disrupting the textbook industry with free...
You might think that Apple’s iBooks 2 partnering with major textbook publishers to bring low-price textbooks to iPad-toting college students is disruptive to the textbook industry. After all, $14.99 for a e-copy of a textbook beats the $200 you might have to pay for a hardcopy.
But what if textbooks for free? This is what Rice University is proposing through OpenStax College. According to...
4 tags
Security flaw allows strangers to tap into...
Many consumers may have bought IP cameras to keep a close eye on their homes when they are out, or maybe check on their children to make sure they are behaving. But last thing on their mind is having their security and privacy taken away via the very mean that is meant to protect them.
Well, that’s seemingly occurring to many customers of certain models (including TV-IP110W, TV-IP110WN,...
5 tags
6 tags
Skin Scan to fight cancer with mobile app and big...
Skin Scan is currently an iPhone app created by a Romanian company that let users determine whether the suspicious looking mole might be cancerous.
As GigaOm summarises, the app works by:
users take a picture of a mole;
the photo is sent to Skin Scan’s servers;
Skin Scan’s algorithm analyzes the image;
and results are sent back to the user.
The app won’t diagnose any condition, but will...
5 tags
Stealing your identity in seven easy steps
Herbert Thompson, computer science professor at Columbia University, recently shared his experience on Scientific American about how he cracked someone’s identity and got into her bank account in just a few hours of web searches.
SmartPlanet sums up the seven steps he took:
Google search. He googles her. Finds a blog and a resume. (Thompson called her blog a “goldmine.”) He gets...
4 tags
Smart pills that monitor your body from the inside
Microchips are getting so small they can be ingested and send feedback about your own body.
UK’s Lloyd Pharmacy and Silicon Valley’s Proteus Biomedical have teamed up and will be bringing ingestible, intelligent pills with embedded microchips to the market by the end of this year.
The smart pills contain a small amount of copper and magnesium that is activated by stomach acid. The...
4 tags
New tools to battle stomach cancer
Singaporean researchers have devised new tools that will slice away early-stage stomach cancer while simultaneously coagulating the wounds to stem blood loss.
According to The Verge:
The minuscule robot is placed at the tip of an endoscope and travels to the afflicted region by entering through a patient’s mouth. Armed with a pincer for grabbing hold of cancerous tissue, the...
6 tags
Dance Dance Revolution Classroom Edition to help...
Konami will be showcasingDance Dance Revolution: Classroom Editionduring the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (CAPHERD) State Conference (happening between February 23rd - 26th).
(Source: elPadawan on Flickr)
Details are scant at the moment but apparently the new game will let up to 48 dance mats to be connected. This really sums up the gamification...
4 tags
WatchPosture-correcting suspenders make you sit up straight
3 tags
What if your car was hacked and infected with...
(Photo credit - Flickr’s Andraseal)
As the number of electronic gadgets and gizmos built into our automobiles grow (from sat-navs and media players to sensors and diagnostics), so do the risks of our cars being hacked and infected.
In 2010, a team of researchers from the University of Washington and the University of California at San Diego ran a script on a computer connected to a car...
3 tags
Retailer gives products away for free in exchange... →
Increasingly consumers are relying on consumer reviews to guide their decisions, from the choice of hotels, where to dine, which product to buy, and which retailer to trust.
A recent article from NY Times reveals that a retailer was asking buyers to give its product top reviews (hint: 5-star ratings) and in exchange would refund the cost of the item.
This worked so well on a leather case for the...
5 tags
4 tags
SpareOne Mobile lasts 15 years on stand-by using...
This mobile lasts on stand-by mode for 15 years with 1 AA battery in case you need to make emergency calls. Just make sure you have the spare mobile handy…!
3 tags
Google+ opens its doors for teenagers aged 13-17
At the end of January 2012, social network Google+ officially opened its sign-up process for users aged 13+ (compared to its previous policy of 18+).
Teenage accounts are reported to have extra safety features, such as warning teenage users when they are about to share something publicly on Google+ or kicking the user out of Google Hangout chats when a stranger outside of their circles join the...