Silk- the future of engineering

Silk- the future of engineering

Silk- the future of engineering

Silkworm cocoon inspires new technology for lightweight armour and cars.

About 500 million kilograms of raw silk is produced for the global market each year, according to the researchers in an Oxford University press release. Although most of this is boiled down and unraveled for textiles, researchers from Oxford University believe silkworm cocoon properties could inspire advanced materials for use in technologies such as car panels, protective helmets and light-weight armour.

Researchers David Porter, Fujia Chen and Fritz Vollrath examined the structure of silkworm cocoons to find clues as to how the structures manage to be so tough, but also light and able to “˜breathe’. They reveal in the paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface that these advances in materials could transform industries struggling with the rising cost and scarcity of raw materials, especially those in developing nations such as China and India.

Silkworm cocoons have evolved a wide range of different structures and combinations of physical and chemical properties in order to cope with different threats and environmental conditions. They protect silkworms as firstly a hard shell, secondly a microbe filter and thirdly as a climate chamber. Researchers note that the structure and morphology of the cocoons are far more important than the material properties of the silk fibres themselves.

“By controlling the density of the “˜weave,’ the animal controls the material properties of each layer, and by having different properties for each layers the animal can make tough yet light structures,” Vollrath says.

Given the vast availability of silkworm cocoons and the virtually carbon neutral production process, the utilisation of the cocoons for technologies such as car panels would be totally sustainable. The next stage of the scientist’s research is to find a way to replicate the structures found in cocoons or use them as a base material impregnated with gels as a way of developing a scalable production process.

“Silk cocoons are fully sustainable, non-perishable and climate-smart agricultural products,” Vollrath says. “They are also very light, tough composites. Using cocoons as base materials, in combination with equally sustainable fillers should help us make sustainable composites with many layers of complexity.”

Source: University of Oxford

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Could Turn To LCD Instead Of AMOLED [Rumor]

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Could Turn To LCD Instead Of AMOLED [Rumor]

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Could Turn To LCD Instead Of AMOLED [Rumor]

With the success of the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Note 2, we expect that the third iteration of the Galaxy Note will be equally impressive. Interestingly though, the folks at SamMobile claim to have been tipped off by their inside sources regarding one aspect of the rumored phablet, which is its display. Apparently instead of using their AMOLED displays, which is typically found on most Samsung mobile devices, their insider claims that the Galaxy Note 3 could instead turn to LCD. Apparently the LCD panels made by Sharp are supposed to be “better” in terms of use with the S Pen, although we’re not sure what exactly that means. Could they mean it is better in terms of display quality, responsiveness, sharpness, etc.? While it might seem a little odd that the Galaxy Note 3 might use a different display technology from AMOLED, it isn’t so far fetched because if you recall, the Galaxy Note 8.0 uses an LCD display as well. In any case we suggest you take this with a grain of salt for now, but what do you think? Will the Galaxy Note 3 be better or worse with an LCD display?

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Sundar Pichai, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus takes charge of Android at Google

Sundar Pichai, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus takes charge of Android at Google

He was one of the most brilliant students of the college during his time there. Sundar Pichai, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus has taken charge of Android at Google

Google Android head Andy Rubin steps down for an undisclosed reason. Google’s CEO Larry Page has announced the news on company’s corporate blog. Though leaving Android, Mr. Rubin will stick around the company and will join another project, which is not yet known. Replacing Mr. Rubin, Google Chrome and Apps Project head Sundar Pichai will handle the additional duty of Android. Larry Page hasn’t disclosed any particular reason for such a move.

The new Android head will now take care of a host of Google services including his former tasks like Chrome web browser, Chrome OS, Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive, etc. Sundar Pichai, an Indian American computer engineer, is one of promising executives of the web search engine. There is no info available about the new task of the Rubin, who is the co-founder of Android and became a part of Google when the company took it over in 2005.

“Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Sundar has a talent for creating products that are technically excellent yet easy to use – and he loves a big bet,” says Larry Page on the Google official blog. For Rubin, Google CEO says, he has something hard to do in the company. “So while Andy’s a really hard act to follow, I know Sundar will do a tremendous job doubling down on Android as we work to push the ecosystem forward,” he added.

Larry has started the write-up remembering the time Rubin turned up to Google’s headquarters back in 2004 with his Android project. Larry says that it was a time people considered Rubin as mad to emerge with such an idea. “Sergey and I first heard about Android back in 2004, when Andy Rubin came to visit us at Google. He believed that aligning standards around an open-source operating system would drive innovation across the mobile industry. Most people thought he was nuts,” the blog says.

But, after nine years, Android is now the world’s number one operating system for mobile phones and tablets. “The pace of innovation has never been greater, and Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world,” he adds. For Android, Google has now partnered with mover than 60 tech manufacturers. It currently features on over 750 million gadgets with 900,000 devices activated a day across the word. Customers have downloaded over 25 billion apps from Google Play.

On course of time, Android has surpassed the challenge from iOS, Apple’s operating system for mobile phones and tablets. In fact, Google, though taking over Android in 2005, barged to the mobile market only in 2008 after Apple’s successful launch of the original iPhone in 2007. But, within a few years, the company could ensure its dominance thanks to a huge variety of tech makers from mobile and tablet arenas. The label of being an open source OS has also helped Android become a key player.

Latest Android Versions

Over the last several years, Google has updated Android many a time. Let us make a look into the latest versions of the software. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is the most advanced version that is available in market today. But, it is only running on Google’s Nexus gadgets, as of now. In near future, it will come to the regular devices, most likely debuting with Samsung’s next Galaxy S4 phone. The major attraction of the software is its ability to let users set multiple user profiles as in a Windows PC.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, predecessor to the 4.2 JB, is the version that many high-end, midrange and low-end Android products of the last year are expecting now. It is yet to come to lots of popular devices of Samsung, Sony, HTC and more. In the meantime, talks over the next major version the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie have just kicked in. The KLP is to turn up on Google’s projected next Nexus phone the X-Phone from Motorola.

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GOOGLE ACQUIRES NEURAL NETWORK STARTUP TO IMPROVE SPEECH AND IMAGE RECOGNITION SOFTWARe

GOOGLE ACQUIRES NEURAL NETWORK STARTUP TO IMPROVE SPEECH AND IMAGE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE

GOOGLE ACQUIRES NEURAL NETWORK STARTUP TO IMPROVE SPEECH AND IMAGE RECOGNITION SOFTWARe

Google (GOOG) has acquired a startup from the University of Toronto’s computer science department. The “ground-breaking” startup called DNNresearch Inc was founded by University professor Geoffrey Hinton and two of his graduate students in 2012. Google was interested in the company’s research on deep neural networks, which will assist the company in improving its speech and image recognition software. Professor Hinton will now split his time between his work at the University and continuing his research with Google. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The University of Toronto’s press release follows below.

U of T neural networks start-up acquired by Google

TORONTO, ON – Google has picked up a ground-breaking start-up out of the Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto.

University Professor Geoffrey Hinton and two of his graduate students, Alex Krizhevsky and Ilya Sutskever, incorporated DNNresearch Inc. in 2012, and the company has been acquired by Google for its research on deep neural networks.

Hinton is world-renowned for his work with neural nets, and this research has profound implications for areas such as speech recognition, computer vision and language understanding.

“Geoffrey Hinton’s research is a magnificent example of disruptive innovation with roots in basic research,” said U of T’s president, Professor David Naylor. “The discoveries of brilliant researchers, guided freely by their expertise, curiosity, and intuition, lead eventually to practical applications no one could have imagined, much less requisitioned.

“I extend my congratulations to Professor Hinton for this latest achievement.”

Recently, Krizhevsky and Sutskever, who will both be moving to Google, developed a system that dramatically improved the state of the art in object recognition.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Geoff, and a great opportunity for the department,” said Computer Science Chair Sven Dickinson. “In recent years, we have been expanding our industrial relations, and this acquisition represents a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our existing ties with Google, one of the world’s most innovative IT companies.”

The Google deal will support Prof. Hinton’s graduate students housed in the department’s machine learning group, while protecting their research autonomy under academic freedom. It will also allow Prof. Hinton himself to divide his time between his university research and his work at Google.

“I am extremely excited about this fantastic opportunity to keep my research here in Toronto and, at the same time, help Google apply new developments in deep learning to make systems that help people,” said Professor Hinton.

Professor Hinton will spend time at Google’s Toronto office and several months of the year at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

This announcement comes on the heels of a $600,000 gift Google awarded Professor Hinton’s research group to support further work in the area of neural nets.

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Google to retire more services in new round of spring cleaning

Google to retire more services in new round of spring cleaning

Google to retire more services in new round of spring cleaning

Google announced today that it's taking the ax to a handful of services, including Google Reader, in its latest round of spring cleaning.

Google said it will retire the RSS reader on July 1, giving users and developers a little more than three months to export their data with Google Takeout to alternative RSS readers. The Web giant said in a company blog post today that its decision was based on declining usage of the RSS reader, which Google launched in 2005.

The company also revealed a half dozen other services or features to be eliminated this year, bringing the total number of closures to 70 since it started its spring cleaning campaign in 2011. Google cited the dramatic shift to mobile devices as the impetus behind the latest round of cuts.

"It's been a long time since we have had this rate of change -- it probably hasn't happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago," Urs Hölzle, senior vice president of Technical Infrastructure, wrote in the blog. "To make the most of these opportunities, we need to focus -- otherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact." The company announced today that it will immediately cease sales and updates for photo-editing software Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows, though it will continue to offer the related mobile app on iOS and Android for free. Next week, Google with end support for Google Voice App for BlackBerry and recommends that BlackBerry users wishing to continue using the app switch to its HTML5 app.

For developers, Google is shutting down its Search API for Shopping, GUI Builder and five UiApp widgets, and CalDAV API, which will still be available only to white-listed developers. These tools will close on September 16.

Other closures announced today include Google Building Maker, which allowed people to make 3D building models for Google Earth and Maps, and the Google Cloud Connect plug-in, which automatically saved Microsoft Office files from Windows PCs in Google Drive.

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GALAXY S IV CALLED SAMSUNG’S ‘LAST ACT IN APPLE’S SHADOW’

GALAXY S IV CALLED SAMSUNG’S ‘LAST ACT IN APPLE’S SHADOW

GALAXY S IV CALLED SAMSUNG’S ‘LAST ACT IN APPLE’S SHADOW’

Samsung (005930) is about to blow open the smartphone industry with innovative next-generation smartphones that break the mold and reinvent the smartphone experience — but not with the Galaxy S IV. So says Forbes contributor Haydn Shaughnessy, who recently chatted with IBB analyst Jefferson Wang about Samsung’s future. According to Wang, the Galaxy S IV will be Samsung’s “last act in Apple’s (AAPL) shadow” and the flagship smartphones that the company is developing for 2014 and beyond will feature a complete reimagining of the digital experience.

“When Samsung launches the [Galaxy S IV] later this week it will be the last time that they operate within the Apple mobile computing paradigm,” Shaughnessy wrote. ”Right now that is where it is stuck. With Apple’s form factor and Apple’s design language, chipping away and trying to make a good iPhone, iPad-like product.”

Shaughnessy says that modern smartphones simply represent each vendor’s interpretation of Apple’s vision of a phone, but Samsung will change that in 2014 when it finally breaks away from Apple’s form factor and interface designs with things like the Tizen operating system and exciting new proprietary flexible display technology.

“Samsung is probably taking its last steps in Apple’s shadow. In 2014 it will transform the computing and online experience, in a way that is unique to its own vision. Critics who think it lacks vision need to think again,” Shaughnessy wrote. “Look a little down the road and Samsung has put in place all the components to redefine the online experience. It won’t be called mobile or desktop but it might be called pervasive or ‘lifestyle.’ And it will take place wherever Samsung can fit a (flexible) screen (an industry it dominates).”

In the meantime, he says the Galaxy S IV will just be “yet another good iPhone competitor.”

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Chrome and Android’s Excellent Collision Course!!

Chrome and Android’s Excellent Collision Course!!

Chrome and Android’s Excellent Collision Course!!

Andy Rubin left Android, and Chrome and Apps boss Sundar Pichai is taking over. Desktop melts into mobile. It's a familiar dance, following iOS and OS X and the whole Windows 8 philosophy down the same convergence rabbit hole. But this one is a little different.

It's clear by now that the merging of desktop and mobile is the endgame for tech's major players. Apple has been moving iOS and OS X closer together for years; bits like Reminders and Notes and iMessages traverse seamlessly from one OS to the other. Microsoft went in even harder with Windows 8, tying Windows desktop to a whole new interface aimed at bringing mobile and desktop experiences closer together. Both approaches worked, mostly. Windows 8 tablets and hybrids and Windows Phone 8 handsets are great in conjunction with Windows 8 computers. iPhones and iPads work quantifiably better with OS X.

But what if Android were brought under Chrome's umbrella wholesale? If its reminders and syncing and everything else were all handled natively in the Chrome browser? By converging on Chrome, Google can give Android the same level of integration that Apple and Microsoft strain to provide within their own OS gardens, except on any computer that runs Chrome. Just plug your Android phone or tablet into any laptop, and it's as at home in Chrome as an iPhone would be on a MacBook. After a Chrome convergence, Android could work perfectly with anything. That would be huge.

At the very least it would be an improvement over Android's current relationship to most desktops, which is basically nonexistent. Syncing files requires cumbersome and anachronistic syncing apps, and even more fluid cloud solutions like Drive and Play Music require apps that are less than seamless to get things done. Which makes no sense, really. It can feel like you're using third party hacks to get your stuff onto your phone or the cloud, where it exists wonderfully thereafter. All you can really do with a Chrome/Android pairing is fling web pages and bookmarks back and forth.

A merger with the Chrome ethos would offer welcome short-term benefits for Android as well. For a company that has such wide-reaching capabilities, Google's parts haven't really worked in harmony. For years, Search was its own app. The Android Gmail app is wonderful, but closed off from deeper integration like BlackBerry 10's Hub idea. And only recently has Google Now started to synthesize the power of having all this data, spitting out useful cards keyed into your searches, calendar events, and email alerts. A tighter integration would go a long way to breaking down some of these walls between services, like not being able to pull a Google Drive photo into your Google+ account. It's probably not a coincidence that Google Now coming to Chrome, iOS, and Windows 8 was announced just a few days ago in the latest Chrome beta build.

And then there's this: mixing Chrome with Android puts Google in perfect position to build a Surface-like hybrid that beats Microsoft to finding the sweet spot of desktop and tablet. The Pixel is flawed in a lot of ways—specifically its insane price tag—but it's a drop-dead gorgeous piece of hardware. And it's easy to see how its tall screen could pull double duty as a tablet—just tap and swipe the screen. It's already got a tablet-ready resolution on it, unlike other laptop/tablet hybrids. Google's also gotten pretty good at building kits to export Android apps, like you saw with the droves of BB10 apps made from converted Android versions. The benefit to a desktop OS like Chrome OS might be limited, but could help get some butts in the seat.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Big picture? Services like Search and Gmail are more popular than Android. Bringing everything under the same tent makes Android vaguely more pleasant to use if you're already an established user, but more importantly would go a long way to dispelling the image of Android as an overly complicated pain in the ass to anyone who hasn't used it, or even subverting the entire "Android" brand. Oh, you got an Android? Just plug it into Chrome and you'll be fine.

It will be a slow process, of course. There will probably be additions made here and there, features added as they're needed. Getting Android's messy notifications under control with a push to a Chrome-based notification center would be a great start. But the future of Android is clearly Chrome, and Chrome's is Android. That's welcome news for Google, and even better for you.

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Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner goes on sale for $59

Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner goes on sale for $59

Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner goes on sale for $59

Lomography's Smartphone Film Scanner has reached that moment that every crowdfunding project strives for, but often seems elusive: everyday sales. The peripheral is now sitting in stock at an ordinary, post-Kickstarter $59 price. As you'd expect, the functionality remains what we were promised earlier in the year. Slot in an iPhone, or certain Android smartphones, and scanning 35mm film or a slide is just a matter of lining things up and snapping a photo with the phone's camera. Anyone who's sitting on a treasure trove of old photos -- or is just holding on to that film SLR for dear life -- can shop for the scanner at the source link.

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Watch a Chinese Hacker Launch an Invasion in Real Time

Watch a Chinese Hacker Launch an Invasion in Real Time

Watch a Chinese Hacker Launch an Invasion in Real Time

Are the Chinese after US? According to a new report, yes. Security firm Mandiant has detailed the exploits of a Chinese cyber espionage group it calls APT1. Mandiant claims to have evidence that APT1 has stolen "hundreds of terabytes of data" from 141 American organizations. Evidence that includes this video of an elite Chinese hacker in action.

In other words, the report confirms what educated observers have been saying for ages: That the Chinese military is after our secrets. Watch the video for a narrated blow-by-blow of an APT1 attack. The video may not be quite as riveting as a spy movie, but it's captivating—and plenty terrifying—nonetheless. [Mandiant via Washington Post via Digg]

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6p7FqSav6Ho

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Solar energy in a suitcase saves lives

Solar energy in a suitcase saves lives

Solar energy in a suitcase saves lives

Here are some somber statistics: a doctor in the Congo said that of 50 percent of patients who died, 80 percent of those died at night. The reason was two-fold: not enough adequate light to perform treatment and/or not enough light to offer any treatment at all.

In fact, a leading cause of death in many third world countries for both babies and the women delivering them during childbirth was a lack of adequate light.

Cue Dr. Laura Stachel and her nonprofit We Care Solar. What the nonprofit does might seem simple, but the impact it has is untold. It offers solar kits in suitcases to medical facilities in Africa, Asia and South America.

Since 2009, it has given out about 250 of these free kits. The fact that so many of these facilities are operating with kerosene lighting makes this a godsend. Take, for example, the story of a doctor in the Congo who faced an outbreak of cholera the day after receiving a kit. For the first time in his memory, no one died from the outbreak.

Just from solar energy in a suitcase. Sometimes, the simplest technology can have the most lasting impact.

Via CNN

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Wood iPad Register Stand

Wood iPad Register Stand

Hand crafted wood and satin finished, solid metal, this Landscape for Square iPad stand is specifically for use with the Square payment system and Square Reader. No tools are required for installation. Just loosen the bolt, slide the iPad in through the front, making sure the wake up button is clear on the bottom right. Install the Square Reader at the top right. Solid aluminum alloy arm components are hand machined and bead blasted to a finish complimentary to the iPad.

Source: Fancycrave.com

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HOW FACEBOOK DESIGNED THE NEWSFEED - WITH A PANDA AS INSPIRATION

HOW FACEBOOK DESIGNED THE NEWSFEED - WITH A PANDA AS INSPIRATION

HOW FACEBOOK DESIGNED THE NEWSFEED - WITH A PANDA AS INSPIRATION

Robyn Morris, the designer of the new Newsfeed, told MailOnline he has been working on the project for a year.

'When we began we weren't sure what we would be doing,' he admitted.

'One early study used cut up paper to get people to rearrange their newsfeed.

'We found people really want to be able to see just posts from friends, and see photos 

'We decided if we're going to be showing photos, we need to have a design that gave them centre stage.'

The new look was inspired by the firm's mobile apps.

'It starts to feel like mobile and desktop are made of the same material, we don't want people to have to learn things twice.'

Morris also said the firm still treated Facebook as a third party app -even thought the firm owns the retro picture service.

'Instagram remain an independent app - even thought they are in house

It's been really interesting to have them here, to make sure third party apps look good - they are guinea pigs in many ways.

The team behind the redesign was tiny - with Morris and one other designer working with engineers.

'The design team was small - me and one other designer, in fact. 

'It's been a big undertaking, it's a high profile page - and we've had a lot of help.

'We've been bunkered down in a room working closely with engineers - 15 of us in a conference room turned war room.'

'Panda was the mascot - black and white like a newspaper, so somewhere along the way we adopted it - we all call each other pandas.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2289777/Facebook-reveals-major-magazine-redesign-make-sharing-pictures-easier.html#ixzz2N2zbaJ6m

Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook 

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Should We Use Big Data To Punish Crimes Before They're Committed

Should We Use Big Data To Punish Crimes Before They're Committed

Should We Use Big Data To Punish Crimes Before They're Committed

John Anderton is the chief of a special police unit in Washington, D.C. This particular morning, he bursts into a suburban house moments before Howard Marks, in a state of frenzied rage, is about to plunge a pair of scissors into the torso of his wife, whom he found in bed with another man. For Anderton, it is just another day preventing capital crimes. “By mandate of the District of Columbia Precrime Division,” he recites, “I’m placing you under arrest for the future murder of Sarah Marks, that was to take place today....”

Other cops start restraining Marks, who screams, “I did not do anything!” The opening scene of the film Minority Report depicts a society in which predictions seem so accurate that the police arrest individuals for crimes before they are committed. People are imprisoned not for what they did, but for what they are foreseen to do, even though they never actually commit the crime. The movie attributes this prescient and preemptive law enforcement to the visions of three clairvoyants, not to data analysis. But the unsettling future Minority Report portrays is one that unchecked big-data analysis threatens to bring about, in which judgments of culpability are based on individualized predictions of future behavior.

Of course, big data is on track to bring countless benefits to society. It will be a cornerstone for improving everything from healthcare to education. We will count on it to address global challenges, be it climate change or poverty. And that is to say nothing about how business can tap big data, and the gains for our economies. The benefits are just as outsized as the datasets. Yet we need to be conscious of the dark side of big data too. Read the full article here: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-03/should-we-use-big-data-to-punish-crimes-before-theyre-committed?single-page-view=true

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Solar powered autoclave sterilizes medical equipment in off-grid locales

Solar powered autoclave sterilizes medical equipment in off-grid locales

Solar powered autoclave sterilizes medical equipment in off-grid locales

Sterile medical equipment is crucial in preventing infection, and something we take for granted with our powerful, industrial autoclaves. But in the thousands of off-the-grid clinics and health stations around the world, creating sterile equipment isn't so easy. That's why The Little Devices group at MIT choose it as a challenge, and their solution was a solar concentrating system that sterilizes medical tools using locally sourced materials and the sun.

The SolarClave uses the build up of the sun's power to heat and pressurise a chamber filled with medical equipment, killing any dangerous microbes. The system suspends an insulated "cooker" in a bucket over an array of 140 pocket sized mirrors. On a clear day, the mirrors concentrate the sun's power over 45 - 60 minutes to 250 degrees Fahrenheit - the temperature needed to sterilze the equipment. The sterilization cycle then takes 20 minutes.

The system meets U.S. Centers for Disease Control standards.

One of the critical measures for the team at MIT was that the system not be developed in the vacuum of laboratory conditions. They worked with nurse practitioners and health care workers in the field in Nicaragua to get feedback on how the device would best work in real world conditions - and how it could be sustainable in remote locations.

The team at MIT are the first to point out the input from the users in the field helped create a simpler, more effective solution in the end. First attempts used a boiler suspended over foil reflectors and a system of tubing to power a sterilization chamber a few feet away. This proved complicated to build, operate and fix in the field. 

The current solution with the mirror array uses a simpler "pressure cooker" over the mirror array, which is easier to fix if there is damage to one of the mirrors. It doesn't knock out the entire system, and replacement mirrors are more readily available than specialized foil or large mirror panels. 

Currently, remote clinics in Nicaragua and around the world have to rely on existing kerosene powered autoclaves or in more dire conditions, boiling medical tools. In many cases, the only solution is transporting a patient to one of these clinics or more sterile hospitals - incurring added time and risks a patient may not be able to bear. 

The SolarClave could prove to be a viable first line of defense against infection for those treated in local off-the-grid clinics. The system will be tested in three locations in Nicaragua over the summer and a search for local producers will follow. 

SolarClave via SmartPlanet, MIT News

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Facebook's News Feed: Behind the scenes of site's changes

Facebook's News Feed: Behind the scenes of site's changes

Facebook's News Feed: Behind the scenes of site's changes

On Thursday, when Facebook announced the first major redesign of its popular News Feed, the announcement was the culmination of one long year of work by 70 engineers and designers.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "News Feed is one of the most important services that we build."

Product marketing manager Kate O'Neill has been logging long days trying to get things just right. "News Feed hasn't changed very much since 2006, when it started, and this is just really about making News Feed more enjoyable for people," she said. "We just don't have the option of not moving forward, not modernizing and making the experience better."

At least, that was the message from Facebook members. The social network surveyed hundreds of thousands of users, and many responded with the same request.

Jane Justice Leibrock and her team of researchers also conducted dozens of face to face interviews on the Facebook campus to get feedback from users. "The number one thing that people said they wanted to see was a News Feed that was less cluttered," said Leibrock. "The clutter was this feeling that there was all this different type of news mixed together."

One of the users Leibrock's team met with was Alex Liu. He's been on Facebook since 2004 and says he's "addicted to it".

Liu said his biggest complaint about the social networking site was that he wished "the things that came through on my Facebook feed were just the people that I cared about. I wish I could not see all these different things."

Satisfying heavy users involves a lot of heavy lifting, and that task falls on Facebook's vaunted engineers, like Chris Struhar. "We've been working on this for about a year, working 12-16 hour days just sitting in front of our computers and writing code and throwing together these prototypes," Struhar said.

Zuckerberg and vice president of product Chris Cox were updated weekly, and the final result is a News Feed that takes up a larger part of the screen, with bigger pictures and content, while moving everything else to the side.

"Any time that you have a billion people using a product, and many of those people using it every day, you're going to see a diversity of opinion. We know that change can be difficult for people. We're taking a very measured approach here," O'Neill said.

For Facebook, a measured approach means rolling out the News Feed to only a fraction of its users, which still means that several million people are experiencing what 70 Facebook employees have devoted the last year of their lives to creating.

"It's not a question of huge budgets or lots of people, it's a question of really, really focused effort over a year for a very small group of people that did this design," said O'Neill. "But we're just so glad to be at a place where we can start releasing it to people and seeing how they're using it and how they feel about it."

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A few issues plaguing Google’s self-driving car

A few issues plaguing Google’s self-driving car

A few issues plaguing Google’s self-driving car

Self-driving cars are the future and various groups are currently working on perfecting their self-driving cars and preparing them for the masses. Oxford University tested out their own self-driving car system recently to much success. It’s able to perform well on regular commutes and in traffic jams, and the team is currently working on a system that will allow their car to easily map surrounding areas. Google’s self-driving car system is doing well too, being able to perform daily tasks with ease, and most of time being able to drive better than humans. A few reports from Google’s team, however, state that there are a few flaws that need to be worked on. While Google’s self-driving car may be able to handle normal driving tasks, it can hit a few roadblocks under certain circumstances. These problems are fixable, but will require much creative thinking amongst the Google team (something they are obviously pretty good at). The 3 issues plaguing the self-driving car system include: Driving in snow, driving in areas with unsuspected changes in the road, and driving in areas where a human is directing traffic.

While driving in the snow, the car’s sensors have a hard time analyzing the lane markers on the road, which it needs to be able to do in order to stay correctly in its lane. When the cars come across an unexpected change in the roads that is not recorded in its mapping system, it becomes lost and is unable to find its way around, or find an alternate route to its destination. And last, while driving through areas where traffic needs to be directed by a human, such as construction zones, the car is unable to analyze the traffic director’s gestures and thus becomes confused.

The engineers are currently working on fixes for these problems, and it may require some out-of-the-box thinking. Development of self-driving cars is advancing further and further and I can’t wait for them be available to the masses. Currently, the prices of self-driving car systems are speculated to cost an arm an a leg, but the teams are working on reducing those costs down to a much more affordable price tag.

[via Business Insider]

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Samsung reveals Passbook rival called Wallet

Samsung reveals Passbook rival called Wallet

Samsung reveals Passbook rival called Wallet

Samsung is taking its cue from Apple for a new mobile app.

Dubbed Wallet, the app is basically Samsung's version of Apple's Passbook. As described on the app's API page for developers, the app "allows users to store and manage event tickets, boarding passes, membership cards, and coupons all in one place."

The app lets providers integrate their apps with Samsung Wallet so that mobile device users can add their electronic tickets and coupons. Those tickets display bar codes that can then be scanned at terminals. Demoing the app at Mobile World Congress today in Barcelona, Spain, Samsung showed how a person could add an electronic airplane ticket from a provider such as Lufthansa into the Wallet app.

Like Passbook, Wallet uses push notifications to alert people when they're in the right location to use one of their stored coupons or tickets. Wallet users can also receive updates to their boarding passes and membership card points.

So far, Samsung has signed up Walgreens, Major League Baseball, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Lufthansa as Wallet partners. The API (application programming interface) for developers is still in beta and available only to select partners. But Samsung will open up the playing field to everyone starting in May.

Samsung Wallet doesn't support near-field communications, so mobile tap-to-pay payments aren't part of the picture, at least not yet. The company told the Verge that it decided not to include an NFC option as retailers still prefer bar codes because no additional hardware is needed. But Samsung didn't rule out the feature for some future date.

Below is a video about Samsung Wallet: http://youtu.be/qXSQicmVOtg

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China to launch its first solid fuel rocket before 2016

China to launch its first solid fuel rocket before 2016

China to launch its first solid fuel rocket before 2016

China plans to launch its first solid fuel rocket by 2016, marking a strategic shift from liquid fuel rockets, which so far has been used in over 170 successful launches in the last two decades.

China's first solid-fuel rocket Long March-11 is expected to make its first launch before 2016, said Liang Xiaohong, deputy head of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

The rocket will be easy to operate and cost-efficient to launch. It can remain in storage for long periods and reliably launched at a short notice, Liang said.

China has launched more than 170 liquid-fuel rockets successfully, but is yet to make breakthrough in developing solid-fuel rockets, which analysts say can be applied in missiles as well.

"The development of Long March-11 will greatly improve China's capabilities to rapidly reach space and meet any emergency launching demand in case of disasters and emergencies," Liang told state-run Xinhua news agency.

The Long March-11 rocket will use China's largest solid-fuel rocket engine and a brand new launching support system, Liang added.

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Y-Drum- Portable Bluetooth Drum System

Y-Drum- Portable Bluetooth Drum System

Ever caught yourself doing the air-drums in the middle of a song? It is kind like inevitable behavior when you are so immersed in your beloved music. However, the traditional drum set is probably one of the least portable musical instruments. Thanks to Kévin Depape, who comes up with a wonderful concept of portable drum system – Y-Drum. It consists of 9 pads, 2 cymbals, a Bluetooth module and a companion app, either mobile or desktop. Just lay out the pads, link them to the app, select a drum kit and you’re ready to practice. All of the hardware is stored in a box that doubles as an amplifier. Too bad it is still a concept

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Journalism Students Are Learning To Operate Drones For…Journalism

Journalism Students Are Learning To Operate Drones For…Journalism

Journalism Students Are Learning To Operate Drones For…Journalism

In an attempt to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, the journalism schools at the University of Missouri and University of Nebraska both offer classes on drone reporting, in spite of the fact that this practice is currently illegal for professional journalists.

Domestic drone regulations are changing quickly. For example the Missouri state government is currently considering a bill that would prohibit the use of drones for agricultural monitoring. Such practices are being championed by companies like Monsanto, which claim that using drones to collect data about crops would reduce operating costs. While drones offer clear advantages for field checks and reporting, a slippery slope of privacy concerns have largely sidelined their use thus far.

In the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln started in 2011, and the Missouri Drone Journalism Program at the University of Missouri started this year, students learn how to fly unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs), collect video footage and photographs, interpret Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and grapple with ethical questions. Nebraska's program is a collaboration between the journalism school, Information Technology program, and radio station KBIA, the local NPR affiliate.

Both schools consider the classes to be experimental and are using the drones for things like water sampling, drought surveillance and controlled fire tracking. Get ready for a descending swarm of over-eager drones reporting from the skies above. [Fast Company]

Image credit: Shutterstock/Stephane Bidouze

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GOOGLE CFO ADMITS MOTOROLA’S PHONES HAVEN’T HAD A ‘WOW’ FACTOR

GOOGLE CFO ADMITS MOTOROLA’S PHONES HAVEN’T HAD A ‘WOW’ FACTOR

A Google (GOOG) executive revealed that Motorola’s current line of devices don’t include anything that would “wow” consumers. Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference on Thursday, Google’s chief financial officer Patrick Pichette said the company inherited a pipeline of unimpressive products, at least by Google’s standards.

“The case with Motorola is that we’ve inherited a pipeline,” he said, according to The Verge. “Motorola has a great set of products, but they’re not really like ‘wow’ by Google standards. Dennis Woodside and his team have inherited 18 months of pipeline that we have to drain right now.”

These products include recent releases such as the DROID RAZR MAXX HD and DROID RAZR M, both of which have received positive feedback from critics and consumers. Recent rumors have suggested that Google is working on a high-end flagship smartphone with Motorola codenamed X Phone that could debut at the company’s annual I/O Developers Conference in May.

Pichette also revealed that Google hopes Chrome OS will become the PC equivalent of what Android is on mobile. The executive praised the operating system’s security for enterprise users and its integrated Google Docs support. While the company previously offered low-end and affordable Chrome OS computers, the recently announced Chromebook Pixel highlights Google’s plans to attack the high-end market as well.

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Samsung touts market share, infographic style

Samsung touts market share, infographic style

Samsung shipped a hell of a lot of phones last year, and a bunch of them were smart phones -- 213,000,000 according to their latest infographic. That's a number which equates to over 30-percent of all smart phones shipped in 2012, and as we see is more than the total population of Brazil.

Samsung of course hopes to keep this trend going into 2013, with new releases like the Galaxy Note 8.0 and the upcoming Galaxy S4, as well as the multitude of entry-level phones and tablets for emerging markets. We'll have to see if this strategy works for them as well this year as it did in the last.

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WINDOWS 8 FAILS TO IMPRESS HOLIDAY SHOPPERS

WINDOWS 8 FAILS TO IMPRESS HOLIDAY SHOPPERS

Following the seemingly tepid launch of Windows 8, critics were told to wait until after the holiday shopping season was over to properly assess Microsoft’s (MSFT) newest operating system. The latest monthly numbers from analytics firm Net Applications are in and Windows 8 usage remains low. After two months into the new year, the operating system only accounts for 2.67% of web traffic, a small increase from 2.36% in January. Windows 8 continues to lag behind Windows Vista (5.17%), Windows XP (38.99%) and Windows 7 (44.55%). Last month also marked the end of Microsoft’s deep discount on Windows 8. The operating system now costs a whopping $119.99, making it even more difficult for the company to entice consumers to upgrade.

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Why Google Made Its Own High-End Laptop, the Chromebook Pixel??

Why Google Made Its Own High-End Laptop, the Chromebook Pixel??

Why Google Made Its Own High-End Laptop, the Chromebook Pixel??

Google unveiled the Chromebook Pixel, a laptop that it designed and built itself. Unlike prior Chromebooks, whose main draw was their value, this one is built to compete with the top end of the market.

The three biggest appeals of the Pixel will likely be its touchscreen and high-density display, its elegant design, and the fact that it’s a Web-based device. Google set out to build the best possible device for “power users living in the cloud,” said Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Chrome, speaking at a launch event in San Francisco today.

Like other Chrome OS products, the Pixel does not support desktop software, and would have its users live entirely in browser windows using Web-based applications.

The Pixel, which will ship as early as next week and starts at $1,299 for a Wi-Fi-only model (more specs analysis here), evolves from previous products Google made with partners such as Samsung. But it’s a far step above them.

Most notably, the screen has more pixels per inch than any other laptop, Google said.

The focus on detail and design is unheard of for a Google product. Where the company had tiptoed into hardware before, it’s striding in wholeheartedly now.

The smooth device’s hinge gives “the feeling of a luxury car door opening and closing,” Pichai said. The touchpad is made of glass, and has been tuned with a laser to have a maximally grippy surface. There are three microphones, with an additional one set below the keyboard so typing noises can be canceled out. At one point, a Google hardware designer at the event started waxing poetic about “tuning the force function of the mechanical keys to be more responsive.” Really.

In many ways, the Pixel is similar to Google’s Nexus device line, which sets the bar for production of Android mobile phones.

But the Pixel goes beyond that, because Nexus devices are explicitly built with hardware partners, and Google isn’t even naming the Taiwan-based OEM it is working with for the Pixel.

At the same time, this is very much a first-generation device. Some of the Pixel’s hardware capabilities — like the third microphone, and gestures on the touchscreen — aren’t even supported by Google’s own services yet.

And that’s not the only awkwardness. The Pixel brings Google back to the perpetual question of why Google is building two operating systems, Chrome and Android, that are converging on each other.

“What we are showing here is once you build a touchscreen laptop, the lines blur,” Pichai allowed. But he added, “We’re comfortable at Google with two viewpoints, and we are doing both.”

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Reach Into Transparent Computer, Grab Content

Reach Into Transparent Computer, Grab Content

Whether you’re surfing the Web, scrolling though your iTunes library or trying to find that spreadsheet for your boss, all of your day-to-day computer interactions exist in a two-dimensional realm. But it’s about to go 3-D. A transparent computer lets users “reach inside” and move files and data with their hands.

The SpaceTop 3D computer, developed by Jinha Lee, a grad student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was unveiled last week at the TED conference in California.

The system uses a transparent display equipped with two cameras — one that tracks users’ gestures and one that tracks the eyes to evaluate one’s gaze. This second camera helps adjust the perspective of the projection one sees when looking through the screen. Imagine reaching under your monitor and seeing your hand going through a list Web pages like you’d they were physical documents in a file cabinet. You would simply place your hands behind the screen to type, manipulate icons and handle documents.

“If you somehow allow computers to accept different types of modalities in the same workflow, that will be much more effective,” Lee said in an interview, according to Wired.

While still in its early stages, Lee’s system could represent, as Wired’s Ryan Tate noted, a sort of quantum leap in computer interfaces should it go mainstream. Whether it does or not, Lee’s system is a bridge between the physical and digital realm. This union will permit more automated physical interactions — something Lee calls “programming the world.”

“Programming the world will alter even our daily physical activities,” he told the crowd at the TED conference. “With our two hands we’re reaching into the digital world.”

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This Wireless Charging Device from Poweredbyproxi is the Future

This Wireless Charging Device from Powered by proxi is the Future

This Wireless Charging Device from Powered by proxi is the Future

Powered By Proxi is the next wireless charging device that might rid you of that annoying search for your misplaced cellphone charger. 

Everyone with a cell phone has last a charger at some point and stared at their dead cell phone wishing there was a better way. Powered By Proxi looks like a cutting board and simply sits on any counter, table or desk. When you want to charge your device, you simply place it on the plate and walk away.

An extension of this product works to wireless recharge batteries in everyday devices like television remote controls or high end headphones. This particular device is shaped like a big bowl and the devices just sit inside it while they charge. This company has even developed the first ever wireless rechargeable AA battery. See the video here: http://youtu.be/NuLuAVJXJfc

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Embrace+- A notification bracelet for iPhones, Android smartphones

Embrace+- A notification bracelet for iPhones, Android smartphones

What can EMBRACE+ do?

The EMBRACE+ bracelet keeps you connected to your smartphone and notifies you by flashing different colors for different apps and contacts. Choose colors for incoming calls from your girlfriend, boyfriend, boss, a contact group, unknown callers and more. 

With the EMBRACE+ you can set notifications for:

Incoming Calls (for Specific Contacts or Groups)

Text Messages

Email

Instagram

Twitter

Tumblr

Facebook

LinkedIn

Skype

Calendar Alerts (Birthdays, Reminders, etc.)

Alarm and Timer

Low phone battery

Phone out of range

Additionally, we will look into the possibility of adding WhatsApp, Ruzzle and Vine to our compatibility list and we are continuously looking at new apps to add! Read the details at : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/embraceplus/embrace-1

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Facebook’s Providing Free (Or Cheap) Data Around the World—For Facebook Apps

Facebook’s Providing Free (Or Cheap) Data Around the World—For Facebook Apps

Facebook has announced that, over the coming months, it will be partnering with 18 network operators in 14 countries to provide users with free or discounted data for some of its mobile apps.  Specifically, it'll let users of Messenger for Android and iOS, and Facebook for Every Phone (the Java app for feature phones), save money on data. Sending messages will either be free, or much cheaper, overseas. So far, Facebook has struck deals with the following carriers:  TMN in Portugal Three in Ireland Airtel and Reliance in India Vivacom in Bulgaria Backcell in Azerbaydzhan Indosat, Smartfren, AXIS and XL Axiata in Indonesia SMART in Philippines DiGi in Malaysia DTAC in Thailand Viva in Bahrain STC in Saudi Arabia Oi in Brazil Etisalat in Egypt Tre in Italy There's currently no news on whether such a deal might roll out in the US—but AT&T is planning some form of "toll-free data" scheme later this year, so something could be in the works. [Facebook via Verge]

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Volvo Introduces the World's First Car Equipped With Pedestrian Airbags

Volvo Introduces the World's First Car Equipped With Pedestrian Airbags

Swedish carmaker Volvo has unveiled the world’s first car with external airbags to ensure the safety of pedestrians and protect them from serious had and neck injuries. The airbag is located under the hood and inflates at the base of the windshield while enabling the driver to see ahead. The new Volvo V40 hatchback goes on sale in Australia today.

In addition to the external airbag mechanism, the new car—which was recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland—also features a pedestrian detection system. Once a pedestrian steps in front of the vehicle, the car’s brakes apply automatically if the driver doesn’t react fast enough. If the sensors detect an imminent collision with a pedestrian while driving at high speed, the airbag pops-up and inflates in a U-shape.

Numbers state that there has been a decrease in pedestrian deaths in Australia, but these still account for 13 percent of all traffic related fatalities. According to Volvo, nearly 12 percent of all road accident deaths in the US are still pedestrian related.

“It’s fantastic technology and every car should have it,” said Harold Scruby, road safety campaigner and the chairman of the Pedestrian Council Of Australia. She pointed out the lack of federal regulations when it comes to pedestrian protection, which is partially to blame for a small number of cars like Volvo V40 on the streets.

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Snapzoom connects any scope to any smartphone

Snapzoom connects any scope to any smartphone

There are adapters out there that allow you to hook up your phone with a telescope or a pair of binoculars. Most of them, though, aren't universal. And we mean that on both sides of the equation -- they wont connect to all scopes or all phones. Snapzoom wants to be all things to those with a hankering for long distance photography, such as bird watchers or amateur astronomers. The solution is so simple that it actually stuns us that no one had thought of it before. That's not to say there isn't a lot of smart design involved, but ultimately the Snapzoom boils down to a set of adjustable clamps that provide an incredible amount of freedom. While image quality will rest largely on your choice of smartphone, there's no shortage of incredible shooters out there that you can slide into the mount. See the video here: http://youtu.be/NXgwRJwBsXs

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Qimini to offer wireless charging through USB while on the move

Qimini to offer wireless charging through USB while on the move

The Qimini (pronounced "Chee-mini") is a new wireless charging concept that would see consumers carry around a small charging station with their laptops for use with a compatible smartphone - the Lumia 920 or Lumia 820 (with supported shell) in our case. Acting just like the Nokia (or equivalent) wireless charging station that's plugged into the wall, the Qimini will power a smartphone without any wires.

The product is an idea by European company Tektos, which is based in Hong Kong. Boasting support for the Qi standard (hence the product name), the Qimini is just 9mm thick and has a "tuck-away" USB cable for use with laptops, desktops or even Windows tablets. Speaking of which, this product is aimed at those who are continuously on the move, and the Windows tablet range is a perfect source of power.

Check out the official video above, showing off how the Qimini can be utilised in the real world for those who are mobile. Just like any charging station, the Qimini will begin charging a smartphone when placed on top, and will reportedly receive the same amount of juice as a standard cable. Instead of fiddling with the USB cable to charge the smartphone, this is a potential solution to help solve such issues. As noted in the above photo, the Qimini will be available in four colours - black, ivory, emerald and dragon fruit. 

So when can we expect to see the product hit markets? There's no pricing detailed on the website, but consumers can pre-order their choice of colour, and resellers can also get in touch with the company. Our thoughts? This could be pretty big, especially if the products are high quality. We'll look to get a unit in for review.

We've contacted the company and will update you all should we receive more details on the Qimini. But if you're the impatient type, be sure to follow Qimini on Twitter for the latest updates. See the video here: http://youtu.be/VghOEZKCNHQ

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