Switched

And the Oscar Goes to.... Nexi, the Emotional Robot

Andrew McKinnon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:01:00 EST

"Nexi" has the legs of R2D2, the face of C-3PO and the emotional I.Q. of HAL 9000, and she is preparing for her debut at the Boston Museum of Science for the summer of 2009. You can catch a sneak peak of her at the MIT Personal Robots Group home page.

Nexi represents the current generation of MDS robotics. MDS stands for Mobile, Dexterous and Social. The Mobile refers to a two-wheel base, the Dexterous refers to arms that can pick up, grip and throw objects, and the Social refers to the head's ability to understand and express emotions. Nexi expresses emotion by combining movements of the eyebrows, head, eyelids and mouth. When she's excited, for example, Nexi will raise her eyebrows and open her eyelids and mouth. She can be sad, mad, bored, frightened.

Continue reading And the Oscar Goes to.... Nexi, the Emotional Robot

And the Oscar Goes to.... Nexi, the Emotional Robot originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wallet Phones are coming!

Andrew McKinnon — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:21:00 EST

Wallet-phones featuring "contactless" transactions are inevitable. It is not a question of "if" but "when": when you are able to make all your transactions via cell-phone. In Japan, 50 million people currently use cell phones to make purchases, borrow library books and ride the subway. They simply wave their cell phones across a glass-covered infrared signal, instead of pulling out the dead cow skin, handing over the cheap plastic, signing with the dirty pen, and stuffing the paper into a clump that will eventually land in the garbage.

Japan began this service of contactless transactions in 2004 through a partnership between NTT DoCoMo, Sony and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. Contactless payments are now a common feature of Japan's wireless landscape. The service uses a technology similar to Bluetooth called Near Field Communication or NFC. NFC, with shorter range and lower data feeds than Bluetooth, provides for better security. NFC, more importantly, has a shorter set-up time than Bluetooth, making for smoother transactions. Japan's version of NFC is called Felica and is produced through a joint venture between Sony and DoCoMo.

Japanese cellphone manufacturers, telecom operators and financial institutions have been cooperating for years in the development and deployment of Wallet-phone technology, leaving the US and Europe lagging far behind. Why can't the U.S. get their act together and get with the program?

Developing and deploying a service like wallet-phones requires the cooperation of three major industries: finance, telecom operators, and phone manufacturers. Wallet-phones also present regulatory and infrastructure issues that require complex congressional approvals.

The future, despite all these hassles, looks bright. Javelin Strategy projects 700 Million wallet-phones worldwide by 2013, and currently Visa is developing software for Google's Android system that will facilitate contactless payments. Hopefully, the wallet will soon be joining the Sony Walkman and the typewriter in your closet.

[From Reuters]

Wallet Phones are coming! originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook app incites a murderous rage

Andrew McKinnon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:10:00 EST

If you are a Facebook user ,then you are familiar with the status update feature in the profile section. It allows you to share with your friends things like what you're doing right now, what you're wearing and your relationship status, married, single, dating or divorced. Recent divorcee Emma Forrester, 34, and mother of two, after 15 years of marriage changed her status from married to single on her Facebook profile. Wayne, her now ex-husband, noticed the change and went homicidal.

On the 18th of February 2008, in the Croyden section of South London, Wayne, drunk and high on cocaine, repeatedly stabbed Emma with a kitchen knife in the head and neck. The attack woke up the neighbors, and he was discovered by the police sitting outside Emma's home covered in blood. Wayne was ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years, a shockingly lenient sentence for such a horrendous crime.

What lesson can we draw from this tragedy? In this new world of sharing personal information with large groups of people at the click of mouse, the emotional stakes are higher. It is one thing to share with your friends that you are back on the market, but to share with a community with the aggrieved present is another issue entirely. Facebook is a powerful social interaction tool and people get hurt, and when people get hurt, some lose it. Switched has been following some of these cases and perhaps will write the Facebook etiquette guide to help you avoid any major disasters.

From the BBC

Facebook app incites a murderous rage originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cash Rich Tech Companies

Andrew McKinnon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:25:00 EST

Valleywag has run a stock screener using the Yahoo Finance screening tool to determine the most cash rich tech companies of today. A vital question for the Investor and the spectator of these high-tech firms is how are the Microsofts, Intels and Apples managing their balance sheets during these shaky economic times? Are these firms over-leveraged?

To the casual observer Silicon Valley may seem like a profligate culture, spending large amounts of money on massages and exotic buffets for even the lowliest programmer. Technology companies do indulge on pool tables and team- building t-shirts but they generally keep large reserves of cash in order to stay competitive in the cutthroat technology marketplace where a 20-year old MIT dropout may render your business model obsolete at the drop of a hat.

The top ten is a who's who of the technology world, Microsoft, Cisco, Apple, Google, Intel. China Mobile is the most cash rich with $31.0 Billion, with Cisco in second with $26.2 Billion followed by Microsoft and Apple. China Mobile's place at the top should come as no surprise, given that China has over one trillion US dollars in its cash reserves and China Mobile is, like most Chinese Multinationals, largely government-owned.

[From Valley Wag, image courtesy of ]

Cash Rich Tech Companies originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC clears the air

Andrew McKinnon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:37:00 EST

There has been a movement spearheaded by the FCC and a few Silicon Valley start-ups to provide free wireless Internet service nationwide. The service would operate on a spectrum of bandwith that the US Government currently owns and operates. Companies like T-Mobile and AT&T charge for wireless Internet services that operate on adjacent spectrums, and these companies have opposed the plan for free wireless because of the belief that use of the government spectrum would disrupt the service of their paying customers. A Federal Communications Commission report released Friday concluded however that these concerns about interference with other carriers are overblown.

The "free-use" wireless spectrum will be auctioned off by the government and several Silicon Valley start-ups are positioned to take over the operation and deliver the service, most notably M2Z Networks, Inc., a Kleiner Perkins-backed start-up that two years ago proposed the original plan. M2Z would use the 25 megahertz block of spectrum to provide a free service nationwide. M2Z would then try to recoup costs through advertising and subscriptions for consumers willing to pay for faster service.

The FCC requires the auction winner to provide free family-friendly wireless broadband services to 50% of the population in four years and 95% of the population within 10 years.

from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385228422827027.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

For more on the free wireless Internet movement and its benefits see http://www.FreeBroadbandNow.org/

FCC clears the air originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Popular Mechanics 2008 Breakthrough Awards

Andrew McKinnon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:16:00 EST

The Leadership Award, the top honor, went to Amy Smith from MIT's D-Lab, an incubator
which introduces students to the technical, social and economic problems of the third
world. The Editors have come up with a clever device, an "equation", to help the layman
understand each engineer's contribution. Amy Smith's prize-winning equation: "brilliant
design + broad experience in developing countries + passion = a movement to tackle
complex problems with simple technology."

Amy Smith is a worthy successor to Buckminster Fuller, except that she succeeds in
areas where Fuller failed. She, like Bucky, asks the big questions but she meets the challenges with
products and solutions that are simple, efficient and empowering. One big question is:
"What is the number one cause of death for children under five?" Quick, think. Is it HIV,
malnutrition, land mines? The number one cause of death is acute respiratory failure
brought on by indoor cooking fires.

Ms. Smith met this challenge by developing a charcoal briquette maker that converts
carbonized corn cobs into a clean burning fuel. The machine was on display on the third
floor atrium of the Hearst Building along with the Mars Phoenix lander,a motion capture
system developed by Organic Motion, and a car-shaped test tube containing renewable diesel

A car, the Aptera Typ-1e, was parked in front of the Hearst Building on 57th and 8th Avenue,
drawing a huge crowd. Steve Fambro the CEO and co-founder of Aptera Motors could not have
dreamed of better placement for his ultra-high-mileage, 120-150 miles per charge car which
also appeared on the front cover of Popular Mechanics' November Issue. It was the most
charismatic of the products on Breakthrough Awards red carpet, addressing the sins of us
gas guzzlers. Aptera's equation: "aerodymanic design + lightweight composite-fiber body +
real-world experience = a new, ultraefficient automotive category". The Typ-1e will be
available by the end of 2008 and will be priced at $30,000.

Will Wright of Sims fame was awarded a Breakthrough award for his Spore, a game where players guide
the development of the game itself. Will sat down with Popular Mechanics senior technology
editor Glenn Derene to discuss his development as the Game Master and the future of game media.
The interview along with extensive coverage of the event are available on the Popular Mechanics
website.

From Popular Mechanics 2008 Breakthrough Awards

Popular Mechanics 2008 Breakthrough Awards originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Underage Cellphone Users Beware!

Andrew McKinnon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:38:00 EST

A 15-year-old Newark, Ohio girl was arrested last Friday for allegedly sending nude cell phone photos of herself to classmates. The Licking Valley High School student spent the weekend in jail and on Monday pleaded deny, the juvenile equivalent of not guilty, to two charges: the illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material (a second degree felony) and possession of criminal tools (a fifth degree felony).

The defendant could be labeled a Tier I sex offender and be required to register annually for 10 years. According to Ohio law, 2907.323(A)(3), anyone possessing material that shows a minor in a state of nudity is guilty of a fifth-degree felony. State Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark helped write the state's Adam Walsh Act that organizes sex offenders into three tiers, mandating that Tier 3 offenders, the most serious, must check in with authorities every three months for the remainder of the offender's life. Representative Hottinger says that this case was not something the legislature envisioned and that the Judge will have flexibility on the verdict and whether the defendant will have to register as a sex offender.

Authorities will not identify the girl by name because she is a minor and her alleged offenses are not violent. The juvenile Division of the Licking County Court of Common Pleas placed the girl, a foster child, under house arrest, barring her from using a cell phone or having access to the Internet. The Licking County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt said Wednesday that the investigation into the incident remains open.

This case highlights how legislators and law enforcement officials are grappling with the moral dimensions of young people's use of sophisticated technology. Young people have, at their disposal, tools that make a high level of interactivity and creative use possible. Should parents and authorities limit the access to certain technology features, like the camera phone or will that just encourage the youth to commit an act he or she would otherwise never considered?

Underage Cellphone Users Beware! originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ringo to Fans "Peace and Love" and "No More Signing Stuff"

Andrew McKinnon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:15:00 EST

Ringo Starr, in a video posted on his website, has told his fans to stop sending him fan mail. The former Beatles drummer in a post titled "Sorry, No More Signing Stuff" told his fans to stop sending him fan mail because he is too busy to sign or read it and it will be thrown out.

"I'm warning you with peace and love I have too much to do. So no more fan mail, thank you, thank you, and no objects to be signed, nothing! Ah anyway peace and love, peace and love." The post was delivered in typical Ringo fashion, in his deadpan Liverpudlian accent.

The "No More Signing Stuff" video has the appearance of a quirky, impulsive move of a teenager and shows Ringo adapting brilliantly to the technological advances in the rock star's world. 45 years ago Ringo would have had to organize a press conference, hire a flack and bring the major television broadcasters. Now he can sit in his living room and address his millions of fans.

The website is run by Signatures Network International, one of the largest music merchandising and artist fan club companies in the world. Perhaps the company will have to change the company name as the result of Ringo's latest missive. Or perhaps Ringo will have a change of heart. Ringo is currently holding a Ringo All Starr Tour 2008 Photo Contest where the participants send in their photos from the Ringo 2008 tour. The winner will go home with an autographed Ringo drumhead!

From http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081013/en_afp/entertainmentbritainmusicpeoplebeatlesstarroffbeat via http://www.popeater.com/music/article/ringo-starr-too-busy-for-fan-mail/209216

Ringo to Fans "Peace and Love" and "No More Signing Stuff" originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are You a Conversation Hog? New Research Can Help You Find Out.

Andrew McKinnon — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:31:00 EST

Dr. Alex (Sandy) Pentland, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at M.I.T., a pioneer in computational social science, has developed a system that will help you understand the tone and turn-taking behavior of your conversations. Dr. Pentland's system, called "Reality Mining," monitors conversations using a cell-phone like gadget, observes body movements using a badge with sensors, and analyzes the data with a software program.

The Reality Mining system is designed to help problem speakers and their victims better handle face-to-face and group interactions by studying the cadences, tones and movements behind their words. The system is being tested in select banks and universities, where participants in the trials wear the badges and carry the gadgets for weeks or even months on end. Words are not recorded, so you need not worry about trade secrets being leaked.

Are you a conversation hog? Are you the victim of a conversation hog? Said conversation hog will interrupt and chatter on with no regard for the group, not to mention wander off when you are speaking. The Reality Mining team at M.I.T. believes it has a "hog" management solution.

We have high hopes that Reality Mining will help us all better handle the subtleties of face-to-face and group interactions by acting as a kind of personal assistant or butler that will monitor the conversation game, letting us know whether we've become the life of the party or the most annoying chatterbox in the room. [From The New York Times]

Are You a Conversation Hog? New Research Can Help You Find Out. originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Muxlim Aims to Be a Facebook for Muslims

Andrew McKinnon — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:12:00 EST

Muxlim.com, a Finnish-based social network site for Muslim communities, has announced the arrival of "Muxlim Pal," a virtual world that adheres to the Muslim code. Muxlim Pal, essentially, is a Second Life for Muslims, where the women wear virtual hajibs, or veils, that cover their faces and and where everybody goes to the prayer 'room' five times daily.

Muxlim Pal hopes to reach citizens of Muslim countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Iran that seek the virtual world experience, but are unable because authorities block sites like Second Life, MySpace and Facebook (or at least parts of them). These sites -- or parts of them (like the dating apps on Facebook) -- are blocked because they do not adhere to Muslim codes of conduct.

A notable Muslim code-breaker occurred in May 2008 when a Gary Kasparov political rally was interrupted by a flying penis on Second Life. Muslim authorities didn't like that stunt. There won't be any flying penises on Muxlim Pal, but the community will be open to both Muslim and non-Muslim alike, creating an environment for these "civilizations" to clash without any collateral damage.

Muxlim Pal's motto is "enhancing the Muslim Lifestyle," and with nearly one-fifth of the world's population being Muslim, corporate marketeers and advertisers will be eager to enter this virtual world in order to promote and sell their brands, just as they do on Facebook and MySpace. Okay, so maybe it'll be a nice place for Muslim and non-Muslim folks to stay in touch and socialize, but we hope the site will also provide US Foreign Policy movers and shakers an opportunity to experience and understand the Muslim life before engaging in any unilateral invasions. [From: Muxlim via The Machinist]

Filed under: Computers

Muxlim Aims to Be a Facebook for Muslims originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ebay's Controversial New(ish) Rating System Is Kicking Off Small Sellers

Andrew McKinnon — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:03:00 EST

In January 2008, eBay instituted a new policy that effectively de-lists (a.k.a. shuts down) sellers whose Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) ratings fall below 4.3 on a 5 point scale. An eBayer's DSR is judged on four categories: whether the item is as described, communication is good, shipping time is reasonable, and shipping and handling charges are appropriate. A 5 is great, a 4 is reasonable and a 3 is neutral. Receiving a string of 4s can easily drop a rating below 4.3 and knock out the seller, who in most cases relies on eBay as their main source of income.

There have been grumbles since the policy was implemented in January, but according to a recent article in Business Week, the sellers are becoming increasingly vocal in their frustration. The tightening of the credit markets, drop in consumer spending, and higher fees have fueled the frustration. The biggest complaint centers on the shipping and handling charge, with which many of the smaller sellers are having a difficult time keeping costs down, resulting in 3s and 4s on the ratings. Larger operations such as actual brick and mortar retail stores can offer free shipping and still come out ahead.

Many of the sellers knocked off of eBay's sellers list are finding it extremely difficult to contest these expulsions as a result of eBay's canned e-mail responses and frustrating mazes of automated phone trees. The article cites examples of sellers who wake up one morning to find that access to their sellers' accounts is denied.

Continue reading Ebay's Controversial New(ish) Rating System Is Kicking Off Small Sellers

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Ebay's Controversial New(ish) Rating System Is Kicking Off Small Sellers originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA's New $7.6B Storm Tracker to Save Lives, Money, and Time?

Andrew McKinnon — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:43:00 EST

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, will be awarding a $7.6 billion contract in December for a storm tracking system that significantly lowers the margin of error of current satellite systems, giving a five-day forecast the accuracy of a three-day forecast. The new system, dubbed GOES-R, will comprise two satellites and ground support and is scheduled to be launched in 2015. The current tracking systems have been in space since the early 1980s and need to retire.

GOES-R, or the Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite, will scan the continental US every five minutes while taking a snapshot of a storm area every 30 seconds, versus the current satellites that scan the US every 15 minutes while taking a scan every 7.5 minutes. The new system will save lives and money by more accurately determining the time and location of a hurricane. Evacuations of hurricane areas are costly productions, after all, since people need to walk away from homes, jobs and support systems for an indeterminate amount of time, so knowing better when, where and if a storm will hit can only make the process more cost-efficient and less costly.

The government is always held accountable when a mistake is made, whether the tornado or hurricane comes or not. Two million people fled the Louisiana coast because of last summer's Hurricane Gustav, creating a frenzy on the highways as schools closed and businesses shut down -- all for nothing in the end. These hurricanes cost taxpayers big bucks -- Katrina cost $82 billion, Gustav cost $15 billion -- so to us a mere $7.6 billion for a new toy is a drop in the bucket, right? [From USA Today]

NASA's New $7.6B Storm Tracker to Save Lives, Money, and Time? originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brits Hopes to Break Land-Speed Record With 1,000MPH Super Car

Andrew McKinnon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:15:00 EST

Speed-record legend Richard Noble and driver Andy Green of the England-based Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) project want to break the current world land-speed record of 994 miles per hour, with a goal of reaching a speed target of 1,050 miles per hour. In order to achieve this target, Noble and Green will need $16M US and three years of development, but they are enthusiastic and believe that it is time and money well spent. They will be making an appeal for financing tomorrow at the Science Museum of London.

Green and Noble have a track record of successful speed trials, having developed the Thrust SSC that reached 763 mph in Neveda in 1997 (Noble himself held the land-speed record from 1983 to 1997). They have already invested 18 months of labor in the initiative, so far developing the Bloodhound SSC, a 42 foot-long machine, weighing 6.4 tons, made of solid titanium with a rocket and parachute.

Richard Noble believes that achieving a land-speed 1.4 times the speed of sound will inspire a generation of children to get excited about science and technology. The record attempt will be scheduled for sometime in 2011. The team is currently scouting locations for the record drive. The Neveda desert has been the site of the previous record drives, but the surface has become too brittle, so suggestions for a new test location are welcome. We wish them the best of luck! [From the Daily Mail]

Filed under: Car Tech

Brits Hopes to Break Land-Speed Record With 1,000MPH Super Car originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STD E-Mail Warns Former Sexual Partners They Could Be at Risk

Andrew McKinnon — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:06:00 EST

More than 19-million new cases of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) are diagnosed each year in the United States and most health professionals agree that notification is the key to prevention. Now, say one finds oneself with an STD and has had a casual encounter with someone -- what's the best way to let them know?

Yes, we know you want to say e-mail. And guess what? It turns out that e-mail is perfectly okay, at least according to the San Francisco Department of Health (SFDPH) and the non-profit Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS), which have partnered together to create inSPOT, an e-mail service that provides anonymous form letters e-cards to send out to recent sexual partners! The e-mails offer up information on where to get tested, what questions to ask, and, most importantly, that the recipient may be carrying an STD.

Now, would you notify everyone you've had sex with, including oral sex, in the past six months? ISIS reports that in 2006 and 2007, 23,594 e-cards went out and only 10 recipients have received e-cards in error since the program was started. Apparently it works, as long as no one knows the identity of the sender.

The cards are cheeky, but we wish they'd use a little more tact. Some examples are, "It's not what you brought to the party, it's what you left with," and "Got laid.Was happy. Got tested. Wasn't Healthy." The cards encourage the recipient to get tested for an STD as soon as possible. But still, however sweet and friendly the e-card, the message is always the same, "You've got an STD," and maybe there just isn't much of a way to say that nicely. And said it must be, particularly with STDs that are potentially lethal.

ISIS is currently available in San Francisco, Philly, Portland and a handful of other US cities, with plans for reaching all 50 states. [From Scientific America].

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Filed under: Computers

STD E-Mail Warns Former Sexual Partners They Could Be at Risk originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Michelin Guides on Cell Phones Turn Us Into Rude Diners?

Andrew McKinnon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:16:00 EST

Michelin guides, the oldest and most illustrious European hotel and restaurant guide, has finally arrived on the mobile Internet scene. Mobile Michelin guides will partner with "jet set" mobile content provider Ubi Ubi to provide the latest reviews of restaurants in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The Mobile Internet restaurant guides are online now at www.ubiubi.mobi and can be accessed on your mobile phone's browser.

Michelin, like all publishing companies, is adapting to a new generation that has been weaned on the Internet. The mobile site offers links to restaurant reviews by Michelin reviewers, as well as reviews by popular bloggers and forums for users sharing tips and reviews.

Ubi's Michelin platform will also, for the first time, allow reviewers to post comments during their meals (assuming they decide to be rude a whip out a cell phone between the main course and dessert, but what else can you do when you want to say "Madonna is sitting next to us and just ordered the French Onion Soup!").

Leaving comments is encouraged, as Michelin's team of experts will consider the users' comments and reviews when evaluating a restaurant's star ratings, the gold standard for restaurant reviews for over 100 years. This is nothing new, of course, as Zagat's has been providing user comments in its restaurant reviews since the get-go, but Michelin is a great deal older and more stodgy -- the gold standard for restaurant reviews for over 100 years -- so its embrace of user-generated content in real-time is somewhat revolutionary. It remains to be seen, however whether or not its reviewers incorporate those user-reviews in any significant way -- let's hope they do, as it'll put some of those Michelin-star institutions to be on their best behavior 100% of the time. [From Yahoo! Tech]

Filed under: Cell Phones

Will Michelin Guides on Cell Phones Turn Us Into Rude Diners? originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Telemedicine's Rise Means More Doctors Are Phoning It In

Andrew McKinnon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EST

The booming cost of health care in the United States and the successful deployment of international telecommunications infrastructure has created a booming market in Telemedicine, the practice of providing medical services from remote locations. US Hospitals are currently sending a large number of your x-rays, MRIs and CT scans to Bangalore, India to be processed and analyzed. Most of the outsourcing occurs during the middle of the night, during which there is the greatest shortage of available radiologists.

Banagalore is fast becoming the global center of Telemedicine, where a $1,500 US cost per scan is 35% cheaper than the US. The scans are performed by Western-educated Doctors who are able to leverage the extensive outsourcing infrastructure built up over the past 10 years of India's outsourcing boom.

A major obstacle to continued growth is a lack of supporting international regulatory framework for malpractice. Who will be liable if a mistake is made, if there is a mis-diagnosis? But the cost savings and the quick turnaround, 20-45 minutes, make the service indispensable. If you are concerned, ask your doctor if and when you get a scan. Your doctor should make all the information about the Teleradiologist available. [From Reuters]

Telemedicine's Rise Means More Doctors Are Phoning It In originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playboy Cutting Back, Focusing on Digital Content

Andrew McKinnon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:54:00 EST

Playboy is reducing annual costs by $12 Million dollars, and closing down its DVD division in order to return to profitability by 2009. In reducing costs, Playboy will lay off approximately 80 positions and significantly reduce travel, entertainment and overtime as well as forgo profit-sharing payments. The business has taken its biggest hit from the downturn in print advertising sales as well as the easy access to limitless "blue" photos on the internet.

In a company-wide letter dated October 15th, Christie Hefner, Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, laid out the plan for how Playboy will do business and serve their customers in the future with a little nod to social responsibility: The company will install energy-efficient light bulbs in its offices and change to a lighter weight of magazine paper. The key focus will be on the management and delivery of Playboy's digital assets (Web sites and mobile phone services ) over the Internet.

Playboy is a brand that is most closely associated with its 82-year-old founder Hugh Hefner, who is putt-putting around his Bel-Air Mansion with women one-quarter his age. The two new arrivals at the Playboy Mansion are 19-year-old twins. Maybe Christie should, along with installing new light bulbs, quietly turn the lights off in the Playboy Mansion and take Hef to a smaller place. Or, is it time for all those at the Playboy Mansion to frolic in the dark? They could always use that blurry night vision setting on camcorders if video-making is necessary. And what about installing an energy-producing-disco-dance-floor and getting that gaggle of barely legal bunnies to cut a rug on it? We can see a market for videos of that kind of action!

{From PaidContent and Times Online]

Filed under: Cell Phones, Computers

Playboy Cutting Back, Focusing on Digital Content originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ID Scammers sentenced

Andrew McKinnon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:53:00 EST

Jocelyn Kirsch 23 and boyfriend Edward Anderton 25 went on an identity-theft and spending spree last year, stealing an estimated $100,000 to finance trips to Paris, Hawaii and London and $2,000 hair extensions. The couple were originally caught when a neighbor, believing her identity was stolen, tipped the police. The police arrested Kirsh and Anderton while they were picking up a UPS package under the neighbor's name, and proceeded to uncover a cache of fake driver's licenses, keys, $17,500 in cash, and an industrial machine for making ID cards.

The search also uncovered a copy of "The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims." Kirsch and Anderton, the tricky little schemers, have been rolling around the court system until Friday when Kirsch was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution. Anderton will be sentenced Tuesday and should receive a similar sentence.

Kirsh's attorney was pushing for a lighter sentence, claiming his client "is so clearly mentally ill," because she made up stories of her past, like that she was a former Olympic Pole vaulter. Thank God the lawyer's diagnosis was rejected by the sentencing Judge.

From CBS News

ID Scammers sentenced originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Carcade' Turns Passenger Seat Into Real-Time Gaming Experience

Andrew McKinnon — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:16:00 EST

Berlin-based designers have developed an in-car video game prototype that records the outside environment as a car moves, integrating features to create an 'Asteroids'-like experience on a laptop. Don't worry, in this case, it's the passenger who plays the game on his or her laptop. With the help of a window-attached film camera that captures the landscape as the car cruises, the program translates real-time action outside into a rendered gaming experience on screen in which players maneuver a spaceship and try to shoot space junk. (In other words, if the car speeds up, then the spaceship speeds up, and so on.)

Kudos to the designers of the Carcade System, Andreas Nicolas Fischer, Martin Kim Luge and Korbinian Polk. The execution of a videogame that captures objects in the environment while you drive is laudable. It's certainly an entertaining alternative to sitting and staring out the window while your buddy drives , but the application is misguided.

The trend in car safety, after all, is in the prohibition of all distracted-driving activities (text-messaging, talking on your phone, etc). As a driver, it might be distracting having your wing man tripping on a computer-game that simulates the real environment. "Dude, I just crashed into the space-McDonald's!" This is what the safety-experts might characterize as a triggering activity that causes a cognitive-distraction, thus impairing driving-performance. For more on the emerging "distracted-driving" field see : International Standards Organization NHTSA [From Universität der Künste Berlin via Boing Boing]

Filed under: Car Tech, Video Games

'Carcade' Turns Passenger Seat Into Real-Time Gaming Experience originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Worker Getting Baby's Name From Internet Poll

Andrew McKinnon — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:50:00 EST

Google programmer Jason Morrison needs your help in naming his baby, which is due November 16th 2008. Using the Google Docs poll-creation tool, the Ohio-based programmer has created a survey in which anyone can vote on one of 17 different names. Olivia and Dylan are currently the front runners, but the poll is still open and participants are encouraged to offer their own suggestions. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Jason and his wife Ann say they reserve the right to ignore the polls. After all, who knows what kind of feedback you'll get when a personal and traditionally private matter is opened to the general public?

Has anyone, beside your closest relative or significant other, ever asked you for input on a name for the baby? It's highly personal thing, right? As a product marketing tactic, Jason has succeeded brilliantly in promoting one of his employer's newest offerings. As a baby-naming method, however, it'll give the kid a nice story for the playground, especially if someone suggests (and everyone votes for) this baby name. [From JasonMorrison.net via Daily Telegraph]

Filed under: Google

Google Worker Getting Baby's Name From Internet Poll originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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