For more info, visit:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/29/dead.satellite.ap/index.html
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Technology Fails.. Satellite to hit North America
Technology doesn't always work as was the case with the spy satellite, US 193, launched in December 2006. It immediately lost power and now cannot be controlled. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor but the satellite's central computer failed shortly after launch. The U.S. military is developing plans to deal with the possibility that the satellite, expected to fall to Earth in late February or early March, could hit North America. The satellite includes some small engines that contain a toxic chemical - hydrazine (rocket fuel). However, an official said they are not large booster engines with substantial amounts of fuel. "Where the satellite lands will be difficult to predict until it falls to about 59 miles above Earth and enters the atmosphere. It will then begin to burn up and be visible from the ground," said Ted Molczan, a Canadian satellite tracker. "From then on," he said, "it will take about 30 minutes to fall."
Free Rice.com
My roommate is obsessed with this website, so I thought I'd find out a little about it.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-01-23-freerice_N.htm
It's pretty new, but it's had some success already. It's also from the people who developed thehungersite.com
Some more information about how the rice is distributed:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23050536-5003418,00.html
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-01-23-freerice_N.htm
The game presents a word and four choices of definition. Pick right, and the cash equivalent of 20 grains of rice is donated by site advertisers to the U.N.'s World Food Program.
It's pretty new, but it's had some success already. It's also from the people who developed thehungersite.com
By mid-January, players had donated more than 15 billion grains of rice — enough to feed more than 700,000 people for one day, says Jennifer Parmelee of the World Food Program. The agency gets the donations in cash — $258,000 thus far — and buys the rice locally.
Some more information about how the rice is distributed:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23050536-5003418,00.html
The world of tomorrow
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/nyregion/thecity/30year.html?scp=4&sq=+technology+communication&st=nyt
Consumers Not Splurging on HDTVs for the Super Bowl
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/displays/news/2008/01/hdtv_superbowl
This articles talks about technology having to do with the Super Bowl, a major cultural event in the US.
German BWM abuses Google Technology
BMW given Google 'death penalty'
Some of the suspect pages already appear to have been removedSearch giant Google has "blacklisted" German car manufacturer BMW for breaching its guidelines.
Investigations by Google found that BMW's German website influenced search results to ensure top ranking when users searched for "used car."
Google has now reduced BMW's page rank to zero, ensuring the company no longer appears at the top.
BMW admitted using so-called "doorway pages" to boost search rankings, but denied any attempt to mislead users.
BMW's activities were revealed in a blog by Google software engineer Matt Cutts.
If Google says all doorway pages are illegal we have to take this into consideration
BMW spokesmanBMW's German website, which is heavily reliant on javascript code unsearchable by Google, used text-heavy pages liberally sprinkled with key words to attract the attention of Google's indexing system.
However, once a user clicked on the link displayed in Google's results window, they were redirected to a regular BMW Germany page, which contained far fewer of the key words.
'Do not deceive'
A BMW spokesman admitted the company used the doorway pages, which are created to do well in searches for particular phrases and direct users to a final website.
But the spokesman insisted the company's intentions were honourable.
Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users
Google website guidelines"We did not provide different content in the search results to the final website," Markus Sagemann told the BBC News website.
"However, if Google says all doorway pages are illegal we have to take this into consideration."
On Google's own website the company lists a series of quality guidelines.
First among those is a requirement to design websites for users, not for search engines.
"Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as 'cloaking'," Google says.
Google confirmed that BMW.de had been removed from search results, adding that it would not tolerate any attempts to manipulate searches.
"The quality of our index and search results is of the utmost importance to Google," the company said in a statement.
Google would continue to strive to protect the accuracy and quality of its results, it added.
Testing times
The action against BMW comes as Google faces criticism over its expanding activities.
Last month Google unveiled a new Chinese site, agreeing to Chinese government restrictions on search results.
The company's shares fell sharply on Wall Street after the California-based firm announced a $9m drop in profits, falling short of expectations for the first time.
It also bought a 5% stake in AOL, worth $1bn, fuelling fears of preferential treatment for AOL within Google searches.
Google has also remained quiet over accusations that business rivals have manipulated its click-based advertising system.
Some of the suspect pages already appear to have been removedSearch giant Google has "blacklisted" German car manufacturer BMW for breaching its guidelines.
Investigations by Google found that BMW's German website influenced search results to ensure top ranking when users searched for "used car."
Google has now reduced BMW's page rank to zero, ensuring the company no longer appears at the top.
BMW admitted using so-called "doorway pages" to boost search rankings, but denied any attempt to mislead users.
BMW's activities were revealed in a blog by Google software engineer Matt Cutts.
If Google says all doorway pages are illegal we have to take this into consideration
BMW spokesmanBMW's German website, which is heavily reliant on javascript code unsearchable by Google, used text-heavy pages liberally sprinkled with key words to attract the attention of Google's indexing system.
However, once a user clicked on the link displayed in Google's results window, they were redirected to a regular BMW Germany page, which contained far fewer of the key words.
'Do not deceive'
A BMW spokesman admitted the company used the doorway pages, which are created to do well in searches for particular phrases and direct users to a final website.
But the spokesman insisted the company's intentions were honourable.
Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users
Google website guidelines"We did not provide different content in the search results to the final website," Markus Sagemann told the BBC News website.
"However, if Google says all doorway pages are illegal we have to take this into consideration."
On Google's own website the company lists a series of quality guidelines.
First among those is a requirement to design websites for users, not for search engines.
"Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as 'cloaking'," Google says.
Google confirmed that BMW.de had been removed from search results, adding that it would not tolerate any attempts to manipulate searches.
"The quality of our index and search results is of the utmost importance to Google," the company said in a statement.
Google would continue to strive to protect the accuracy and quality of its results, it added.
Testing times
The action against BMW comes as Google faces criticism over its expanding activities.
Last month Google unveiled a new Chinese site, agreeing to Chinese government restrictions on search results.
The company's shares fell sharply on Wall Street after the California-based firm announced a $9m drop in profits, falling short of expectations for the first time.
It also bought a 5% stake in AOL, worth $1bn, fuelling fears of preferential treatment for AOL within Google searches.
Google has also remained quiet over accusations that business rivals have manipulated its click-based advertising system.
CES 2008 in Las Vegas
The consumer electronics show just past. It was held in Las Vegas. Did anybody go?
Heres an article on some of the things that were there. There is also a video showing some new electronics and a link to the sight...
"In any case, the trends are similar to last year: smarter, wireless, more efficient gadgets. Thin is REALLY in with TVs, including flat-panels from Sony that measure only a few millimeters thick with an eye-popping OLED display. Big is back, too, as the largest plasma weighs in at 150" from Panasonic. There's plenty of touchscreen around like LG's Voyager (likely thanks to the success of the iPhone -- no sign of Apple here with MacWorld happening post-CES). Most analysts here see a slow shift in the high-def DVD format as Blu-Ray surges and major companies like Warner Bros. pull out of HD-DVD. What a difference a year makes. And GPS is absolutely everywhere in watches like one from Garmin to nearly every cell phone. Plus, a major presence from companies who produce in-dash technology for vehicles, which is a rapidly growing market. There's also an SUV from GM that drives itself...but I'll have more on that later. "
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zsLVCIueNHM
i like the dancing music player... haha.
Find out more at:
www.cesweb.org/
Heres an article on some of the things that were there. There is also a video showing some new electronics and a link to the sight...
"In any case, the trends are similar to last year: smarter, wireless, more efficient gadgets. Thin is REALLY in with TVs, including flat-panels from Sony that measure only a few millimeters thick with an eye-popping OLED display. Big is back, too, as the largest plasma weighs in at 150" from Panasonic. There's plenty of touchscreen around like LG's Voyager (likely thanks to the success of the iPhone -- no sign of Apple here with MacWorld happening post-CES). Most analysts here see a slow shift in the high-def DVD format as Blu-Ray surges and major companies like Warner Bros. pull out of HD-DVD. What a difference a year makes. And GPS is absolutely everywhere in watches like one from Garmin to nearly every cell phone. Plus, a major presence from companies who produce in-dash technology for vehicles, which is a rapidly growing market. There's also an SUV from GM that drives itself...but I'll have more on that later. "
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zsLVCIueNHM
i like the dancing music player... haha.
Find out more at:
www.cesweb.org/
Gibson's Robot Guitar Hero
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/04/gibson-robot-guitar-face-markets-cx_ll_1204autofacescan01.html
this article is about the new Gibson Robot Guitar that just came out in December of 2007. This is a fascinating instrument...
this article is about the new Gibson Robot Guitar that just came out in December of 2007. This is a fascinating instrument...
Double amputee walks again due to Bluetooth
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/01/25/bluetooth.legs/index.html
What says "Technology!" more than...
...a robot playing the violin?
This video is a few weeks old, but Toyota has developed a humanoid robot that has the capacity to play violin. Though this use is clearly just for entertainment, it has all sorts of implications for what we may entrust to electronics in the future.
Here
This video is a few weeks old, but Toyota has developed a humanoid robot that has the capacity to play violin. Though this use is clearly just for entertainment, it has all sorts of implications for what we may entrust to electronics in the future.
Here
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
http://www.microsoft.com/business/peopleready/business/innovation/casestudy/miamidade.mspx
the article discusses the practical and usefulness of having school systems transfered onto online forums. students will be able to access their grades and documents. parents will be able to check online to see how their child is doing in school, as well as seeing what important documents they might need to turn in and important dates to mark off on the calendar. teachers and administrators also have access to the whole system.
the article discusses the practical and usefulness of having school systems transfered onto online forums. students will be able to access their grades and documents. parents will be able to check online to see how their child is doing in school, as well as seeing what important documents they might need to turn in and important dates to mark off on the calendar. teachers and administrators also have access to the whole system.
rethinking diesel
the words "diesel" and "race car" don't really go hand-in-hand. Technologically, diesel motors have become a lot more advanced since the ill-fated GM diesel engines of the 1980's, but the technology hasn't caught on in the US. Car modifier and DIY enthusiast Gale Banks wants to change the image of diesel by providing a different user experience, one that could change people's minds. He's built diesel racing truck capable of speeds over 220 miles per hour. Perhaps more amazing is that while racing, the truck is capable of attaining a respectable 24 miles per gallon. To put this in perspective, a (gasoline-powered) Bugatti Veyron at top speed (253 mph) consumes one gallon of fuel per mile... which works to one gallon every 14 seconds.
Gasoline as a technology conttributed greatly to the car culture, especially here in America. Obviousy, to solve the impending fuel crisis, serious cultural changes will need to be made, but diesel could provide a temporary solution.
click below for the video (via boing boing)
http://tv.boingboing.net/2008/01/21/gale-banks-diesel-an.html
Gasoline as a technology conttributed greatly to the car culture, especially here in America. Obviousy, to solve the impending fuel crisis, serious cultural changes will need to be made, but diesel could provide a temporary solution.
click below for the video (via boing boing)
http://tv.boingboing.net/2008/01/21/gale-banks-diesel-an.html
technology use of asian consumers
http://www.podtech.net/home/1445/forresters-michaela-ion-asias-technology-use
great interview to get an understanding of Asian consumers and how they compare with the US.
great interview to get an understanding of Asian consumers and how they compare with the US.
MySpace to Launch Developers Platform
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-MySpace-Developers.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
This NY Times article gives a brief overview of the direction MySpace is heading in. As of next Tuesday, this leading social-networking site will be launching a Developer Platform, which will open up MySpace to new applications, a technological feature most of us are familiar with via facebook applications. This will hopefully broaden MySpace's inventory of uses and smaller companies alike (ie: ilike.com) which depend on social networks for publicity.
While I am not a big fan of MySpace and its limited privacy, I'm all about online social networking, which most teenagers and young adults use these days. It's no surprise that smaller companies, marketers, and advertising agencies are following these social networking sites so closely.
This NY Times article gives a brief overview of the direction MySpace is heading in. As of next Tuesday, this leading social-networking site will be launching a Developer Platform, which will open up MySpace to new applications, a technological feature most of us are familiar with via facebook applications. This will hopefully broaden MySpace's inventory of uses and smaller companies alike (ie: ilike.com) which depend on social networks for publicity.
While I am not a big fan of MySpace and its limited privacy, I'm all about online social networking, which most teenagers and young adults use these days. It's no surprise that smaller companies, marketers, and advertising agencies are following these social networking sites so closely.
Kids With Cameras
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/home/
The above link is the homepage for Kids With Cameras, a non profit organization inspired by Zana Briski's Academy Award winning documentary, Born into Brothels, where Zana teaches Indian children of Calcutta's red light district about photography, and by doing so positively affects their futures.
This non profit is similar to the One Laptop Per Child project that Ben discussed in lecture today. The technology is not only a tool for the children, but also has the power to shape their culture, beliefs, and provide them with the possibility for a better future. The Kids With Cameras mission statement reads:
Kids With Cameras is a non-profit organization that teaches the art of photography to marginalized children in communities around the world. We use photography to capture the imaginations of children, to empower them, building confidence, self-esteem and hope. We share their vision and voices with the world through exhibitions, books, websites and film. By linking with local organizations, we work to strengthen the children's education and general well-being, providing financial support through sales of their prints or by developing our own homes with a focus on leadership and the arts.
Also, if Kids With Cameras interests you, I recommend watching the documentary Born into Brothels. I studied it in Comm last semester and it was really a great film.
The above link is the homepage for Kids With Cameras, a non profit organization inspired by Zana Briski's Academy Award winning documentary, Born into Brothels, where Zana teaches Indian children of Calcutta's red light district about photography, and by doing so positively affects their futures.
This non profit is similar to the One Laptop Per Child project that Ben discussed in lecture today. The technology is not only a tool for the children, but also has the power to shape their culture, beliefs, and provide them with the possibility for a better future. The Kids With Cameras mission statement reads:
Kids With Cameras is a non-profit organization that teaches the art of photography to marginalized children in communities around the world. We use photography to capture the imaginations of children, to empower them, building confidence, self-esteem and hope. We share their vision and voices with the world through exhibitions, books, websites and film. By linking with local organizations, we work to strengthen the children's education and general well-being, providing financial support through sales of their prints or by developing our own homes with a focus on leadership and the arts.
Also, if Kids With Cameras interests you, I recommend watching the documentary Born into Brothels. I studied it in Comm last semester and it was really a great film.
India Creates the World's Cheapest Car
Although it's not very attractive (in my opinion!), it'll get you from point A to B and only costs around $2,500 brand new...I'll take it!
(Sorry you must copy and paste to see the video. It wouldn't let me form a link).
http://in.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=74217&videoChannel=101
(Sorry you must copy and paste to see the video. It wouldn't let me form a link).
http://in.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=74217&videoChannel=101
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/many-are-already-at-work-on-fulfilling-gatess-vision/?em&ex=1201842000&en=09a7c13881cb0d34&ei=5087%0A
This article discussed how Microsoft's CEO, Bill Gates, is trying to make technology more afordable and useable to those in need around the world.
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
"Reinventing the Book"
This article is super long, but it is interesting. Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon.com) aims to reinvent the book because "Books are the last bastion of analog," he says. In an increasingly technological world, the book is being forgotten.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983
http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983
Film and television writers plan “Strike TV” Internet programming
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jan2008/writ-j14.shtml
Film and television writers attempt to raise money through the ownership of their material. The writers hope that the advertisements on their websites featuring their original shows will help them raise profits and revenue.
Film and television writers attempt to raise money through the ownership of their material. The writers hope that the advertisements on their websites featuring their original shows will help them raise profits and revenue.
Short and Sweet: Save your pictures for photo albums.
An article from Wired briefly sums up a "security threat." A downloadable file, which is a combination of MySpace photos from both private and public users, was downloaded by more people this weekend than Sweeney Todd, or other popular new movies. Bottom line: If it's on the Internet, it's accessible.
MySpace's Leaked Photos More Popular Than Sweeney Todd:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/myspaces-leaked.html
MySpace's Leaked Photos More Popular Than Sweeney Todd:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/myspaces-leaked.html
Monday, 28 January 2008
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244503,00.html
Interesting article on the currency of Ipods around the world.
CLICKERS impact in schools
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/education/28neck.html?ref=technology
Students Click, and a Quiz Becomes a Game
Mr. Sckalor said that he was sold on the clickers because he could check on the progress of every student, not just the ones who frequently raised their hands and tended to dominate the discussions.
Students Click, and a Quiz Becomes a Game
Mr. Sckalor said that he was sold on the clickers because he could check on the progress of every student, not just the ones who frequently raised their hands and tended to dominate the discussions.
Assignment for Friday
http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm
-discusses the implementation of new technologies in third world countries, and the improvements this practice may lead to.
Diana Siegel
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Illegal downloading on campus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v34GCQwcxIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OcjBe4ZRco&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OcjBe4ZRco&feature=related
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Movie Industry Admits It Overstated Piracy on Campus
January 23, 2008, 9:38 am
Movie Industry Admits It Overstated Piracy on Campus
By MIKE NIZZA
While it’s not quite time for them to sing “Ding-Dong, The Witch Is Dead,” technology-obsessed writers on the Web are certainly celebrating an awfully embarrassing admission by the Motion Picture Association of America.
For more than two years, the association has drawn attention to a statistic that one blogger today termed “a big old lie” — that college students were responsible for 44 percent of the movie industry’s claimed domestic losses, because of prodigious illegal downloading.
On Tuesday, reports confirmed that the crow-eating had commenced, starting with this sharper-than-usual lead paragraph from The Associated Press:
Hollywood laid much of the blame for illegal movie downloading on college students. Now, it says its math was wrong.
The math was wrong by a factor of three; the new estimate is down to 15 percent of the industry’s losses. The A.P. deemed that a “mistake” in its headline, while bloggers joyously chose words like “bogus,” “botched,” “grossly inflated” and “lying” in theirs.
The M.P.A.A. said the original figure, from a 2005 study, was wrong because of “human error,” without elaborating. In a statement obtained by Inside Higher Education, the association said it was taking the error “very seriously” and vowing to investigate how it happened. But the association stuck to its offensive against college students:
“The latest data confirms that college campuses are still faced with a significant problem. Although college students make up 3 percent of the population, they are responsible for a disproportionate amount of stolen movie products in this country.”
At stake is the industry association’s campaign for a federal law requiring that colleges act to prevent “peer to peer” movie and music piracy on campus, known as P2P. Both the Senate and the House are considering versions of the measure, and it was unclear whether the news about the exaggerated loss estimates would affect the legislative climate. Education leaders, for one, are certainly hoping that it will, as Kenneth C. Green, the director of The Campus Computing Project, explained to Inside Higher Education:
“The corrected M.P.A.A. numbers clearly confirm what many of us have said for a very long time: that P2P piracy is primarily a consumer broadband issue, not primarily a campus network issue, and that colleges and universities are more concerned and far more engaged in efforts to stem illegal P2P activity than are consumer broadband providers.”
Not only is the industry group’s math wrong, Mr. Green said, but so are its manners: “The M.P.A.A. owes an apology to the campus community,” he is quoted as saying.
Movie Industry Admits It Overstated Piracy on Campus
By MIKE NIZZA
While it’s not quite time for them to sing “Ding-Dong, The Witch Is Dead,” technology-obsessed writers on the Web are certainly celebrating an awfully embarrassing admission by the Motion Picture Association of America.
For more than two years, the association has drawn attention to a statistic that one blogger today termed “a big old lie” — that college students were responsible for 44 percent of the movie industry’s claimed domestic losses, because of prodigious illegal downloading.
On Tuesday, reports confirmed that the crow-eating had commenced, starting with this sharper-than-usual lead paragraph from The Associated Press:
Hollywood laid much of the blame for illegal movie downloading on college students. Now, it says its math was wrong.
The math was wrong by a factor of three; the new estimate is down to 15 percent of the industry’s losses. The A.P. deemed that a “mistake” in its headline, while bloggers joyously chose words like “bogus,” “botched,” “grossly inflated” and “lying” in theirs.
The M.P.A.A. said the original figure, from a 2005 study, was wrong because of “human error,” without elaborating. In a statement obtained by Inside Higher Education, the association said it was taking the error “very seriously” and vowing to investigate how it happened. But the association stuck to its offensive against college students:
“The latest data confirms that college campuses are still faced with a significant problem. Although college students make up 3 percent of the population, they are responsible for a disproportionate amount of stolen movie products in this country.”
At stake is the industry association’s campaign for a federal law requiring that colleges act to prevent “peer to peer” movie and music piracy on campus, known as P2P. Both the Senate and the House are considering versions of the measure, and it was unclear whether the news about the exaggerated loss estimates would affect the legislative climate. Education leaders, for one, are certainly hoping that it will, as Kenneth C. Green, the director of The Campus Computing Project, explained to Inside Higher Education:
“The corrected M.P.A.A. numbers clearly confirm what many of us have said for a very long time: that P2P piracy is primarily a consumer broadband issue, not primarily a campus network issue, and that colleges and universities are more concerned and far more engaged in efforts to stem illegal P2P activity than are consumer broadband providers.”
Not only is the industry group’s math wrong, Mr. Green said, but so are its manners: “The M.P.A.A. owes an apology to the campus community,” he is quoted as saying.
Welcome to Comm202 blog!
Hi, all, welcome to your space of communication and technology. This blog is initiated to create a database and exchange platform for you all.
You are more than welcomed to post news,video and random thoughts here, hopefully you would have great fun doing this!
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