Monday, 3 March 2014

Scientists get a shark's eye view using wearable computers


Sure, Sharknado and Sharktopus are fun to watch with friends on a weekend, but they also prove that sharks still get a bad rap. Clearly, what we've learned about the animal's behavior since Jaws came out isn't nearly enough, so a group of researchers are attempting to find out more... by strapping a bunch of gadgets to a bunch of sharks. Think of these things as a combination of a GoPro and asportsband -- they're equipped with sensors and cameras that monitor and video a shark's adventures.
Thanks to the researchers' efforts, they were able to disprove a couple of misconceptions about how the animals move. Unlike what scientists previously thought, sharks power swim (rather than glide effortlessly) to traverse vast expanses of water, and deep sea species aren't lazy slowpokes compared to their shallow water brethren. The researchers (who hail from University of Hawaii and University of Tokyo) even got some sweet underwater footage that the subjects (unknowingly) took themselves embedded after the jump.
So, what's next for these shark-loving scientists, you ask? Well, now that they know what's going on around the sharks outside, the next step is inward -- they're planning an ingestible device. Hopefully, that can give us a better understanding of the predators' diet, so people will stop assuming that human limbs are a shark's favorite snack.

Watch out Kinect, AllSee does gesture control without a camera



What if you could turn the music down on your phone by just waving your hand? That's the idea behind AllSee, a new gadget under development by computer scientists at the University of Washington. Built by the same guys who created the gesture-recognition in the Galaxy Nexus, the tiny sensor works completely different than the feature in devices like the Galaxy S5 that require the use of the forward-facing camera. Instead, AllSee uses TV signals to not only help it recognize gestures, but also as exceptionally efficient source power. That means it doesn't need a battery to operate and can see your movements even when your phone is out of sight in your pocket -- pretty awesome.
AllSee is able to do that by working essentially as a wireless receiver. When you move your hand, you disrupt the wireless signals around you in a way that it can recognize and then translate into a command. The best part? AllSee is able to do it all at a price of less than a buck. While the tech is currently being demoed on a phone, it's a pretty neat trick that we can see implemented a number of pretty fantastic ways. A robot to bring you a drink with a simple 'come hither' motion, anyone?

Leaked screenshots reveal Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant for Windows Phone

We already know that Microsoft is set to become the last major player to launch a digital assistant, but previews of what "Cortana" will look like have been almost non-existent. Now, thanks to leaked screenshots from The Verge, we're getting our first look at what to expect when the company's Siri rival makes its public debut with the launch of Windows Phone 8.1. Confirming earlier reports, Microsoft has opted for a circular animated icon as its primary UI element, which will use the same highlight color you've chosen on your Windows Phone device. That icon will reportedly jump about the screen as it asks you questions and responds to your requests.
Cortana can also be tweaked to personalize greetings, allowing you change your name or set a nickname for when it provides alerts, offers suggestions or displays reminders. Microsoft appears to be taking a few pages out of Apple and Google's playbooks, which is further evidenced by the inclusion of a setting that will index your emails in order to track flights and other services -- just like Google Now. It's not clear whether Microsoft will add more services to its assistant before Windows Phone 8.1 makes its way to devices, or if it will even stick with Cortana codename, but we may only have to wait a month until we find out for sure.

'Breatharian' Barbie Valeria Lukyanova Says She Wants To Live Off Light And Air Alone

Valeria Lukyanova
A Ukrainian model who has cast herself as a real-life Barbie doll says she eventually hopes to live without eating or drinking.
Valeria Lukyanova, whose doll-like features and ultra-thin waist have stirred controversy in the past, has apparently made it her goal to survive "on air and light alone."
"In recent weeks I have not been hungry at all," Lukyanova said, according to the International Business Times. "I'm hoping it's the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone."
The website linked that dietary desire to a New Age practice known as Breatharianism, in which followers neither eat nor drink, believing they can exist solely on "cosmic micro-food."
Lukyanova, who believes in reincarnation and claims to have been in contact with transdimensional beings, has said she uses her appearance to promote her "spiritual ideas."
But Jezebel.com maintains that Lukyanova is merely starving herself in order to maintain her dollish proportions.
Last year, a 65-year-old Seattle woman who went 47 days living only on water and tea, cited Breatharian yogis as her inspiration. Naveena Shine's goal was to maintain the extreme fast for 100 days, but she called it off after receiving what she called "a message from the universe that it is time to stop."
Commenting on Shine's case, Dr. Ronald Hoffman, medical director of the Hoffman Center and host of a weekly health talk podcast, told the Guardian that it is "delusional to think that you can escape the laws of biology."
At least one person has starved to death trying to adhere to a Breatharian regimen.

$1 fix could secure your garage from thieves

The automatic garage door isn't as secure as many think, and thieves have discovered a simple way (according to KOAT, it takes just six seconds) to get inside.
Luckily, there is a very simple, inexpensive way to fend off garage bandits: the zip tie. Just thread a plastic zip tie through the emergency release latch (check out the video for a visual).
The zip tie should be strong enough that it would prevent a hanger from opening the garage door, but make sure you have enough strength to bust it in an emergency. An important note: If anyone in your family isn't strong enough to disable it if necessary, this may not be the right option for you.

Friday, 28 February 2014

FIFA 14 is now available for Windows Phone footie fans

FIFA 14 for Windows Phone
Windows Phone owners no longer have to watch from the sidelines as their friends battle for supremacy in FIFA 14. EA has released a native version of the free-to-play soccer (aka football) title for Microsoft's platform with the same on-the-pitch action that you'd expect on Android and iOS, including options to buy both team points and special game modes like Manager or Kick Off. There's nothing specifically taking advantage of Windows Phone here, but Lumia owners wanting to dominate a virtual Premier League should be very happy.

Walter Williams Wakes Up In Body Bag At Morgue


LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP) — Workers at a Mississippi funeral home say they found a man alive and kicking when they opened a body bag.
Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard calls it a miracle that 78-year-old Walter Williams is alive.
The coroner was called to Williams' home in Lexington, a community north of Jackson, where family members believed he had died.
Howard says Williams had no pulse and was pronounced dead Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Early Thursday, workers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home were preparing to embalm Williams when he started to kick in the body bag.
Family members were called and Williams was taken to a hospital. Howard says he believes Williams' pacemaker stopped working, then started again.
Family members say Williams, a farmer, told them he's happy to be alive.