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GE develops ultra-thin, almost-silent cooler for next-gen...

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:37:56 -0500

GE develops ultra-thin, almost-silent cooler for next-gen laptops and tablets

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/143102-ge-develops-ultra-thin-almost-silent-cooler-for-next-gen-laptops-and-tablets

Google Puts Its Virtual Brain Technology to Work - Technology Review

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:34:08 -0400

Google Puts Its Virtual Brain Technology to Work - Technology Review:

This summer Google set a new landmark in the field of artificial intelligence with software that learned how to recognize cats, people, and other things simply by watching YouTube videos (see “Self-Taught Software”). That technology, modeled on how brain cells operate, is now being put to work making Google’s products smarter, with speech recognition being the first service to benefit.

Google’s learning software is based on simulating groups of connected brain cells that communicate and influence one another. When such a neural network, as it’s called, is exposed to data, the relationships between different neurons can change. That causes the network to develop the ability to react in certain ways to incoming data of a particular kind—and the network is said to have learned something.

Neural networks have been used for decades in areas where machine learning is applied, such as chess-playing software or face detection. Google’s engineers have found ways to put more computing power behind the approach than was previously possible, creating neural networks that can learn without human assistance and are robust enough to be used commercially, not just as research demonstrations.

poniesareevil: Stars in a Dusty Sky Image Credit &...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:46:59 -0400

poniesareevil:

Stars in a Dusty Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: John Davis

Explanation: Bright star Markab anchors this dusty skyscape. At the top right corner of the frame, Markab itself marks a corner of an asterism known as the Great Square, found within the boundaries of the constellation Pegasus, the flying horse. The wide and deep telescopic view rides along for some 5 degrees or about 10 times the angular diameter of the Full Moon, with blue reflection nebulae scattered around the scene. And even though this line-of-sight looks away from the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, it covers a region known to be filled with nearby molecular clouds. The associated dust clouds, high latitude galactic cirrus, are less than 1,000 light-years distant. Still apparent, but far beyond the Milky Way, are background galaxies, like the prominentedge-on spiral NGC 7497 near picture center.

thesmithian: … if our incredibly thirsty power plants,...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:52:08 -0400

thesmithian:

… if our incredibly thirsty power plants, factories, and municipalities don’t figure out how to cope with a hotter, drier climate, the Texas Miracle might disappear in a cloud of dust.

more.

thisistheverge: Google Build brings Lego to Chrome Google...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:54:54 -0400

thisistheverge:

Google Build brings Lego to Chrome

Google Australia and Lego have launched Build, a WebGL Lego simulator. Build takes a (Google) map of Australia and New Zealand, divides it into tiny plots of land, and invites you to get creative with 3D lego blocks. Once you pick your plot, you’ll have a 32 x 32 grid to build in. There are 120 (12 shapes in 10 colors) standard Lego blocks as well as a pre-fabricated door and window to choose from.

Build here.

the-star-stuff: Star trails over the Australian Outback by...

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:16:01 -0400

the-star-stuff:

Star trails over the Australian Outback by photographer Lincoln Harrison

Photographer Lincoln Harrison spends hours with his camera in the Australian Outback to create these magnificent star trail pictures. The colourful spirals are the result of the Earth moving, creating the impression that the stars are travelling across the night sky.

laughingsquid: Machine Lights, Beautiful Light Sculptures by...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:53:54 -0400

laughingsquid:

Machine Lights, Beautiful Light Sculptures by Frank Buchwald

the-star-stuff: Star Trails: Incredible Long Exposure...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:54:00 -0400

the-star-stuff:

Star Trails: Incredible Long Exposure Photographs Shot from Space

Over the past two months NASA has been releasing a number of wonderful long exposure photographs taken by astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station. While there are many photos like these taken from the perspective of the Earth’s surface, Pettit’s images are unique in that they incorporate the passing blur of entire illuminated cities, aurora, and the sporadic flashes of lightening from thunderstorms. Check out many more photos from the series here. (via petapixel)

32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:48:22 -0400

32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com:

The Kindness Hack - Catherine Rampell via NY Times

Researchers at Wharton, Yale and Harvard have figured out how to make employees feel less pressed for time: force them to help others. According to a recent study, giving workers menial tasks or, surprisingly, longer breaks actually leads them to believe that they have less time, while having them write to a sick child, for instance, makes them feel more in control and “willing to commit to future engagements despite their busy schedules.” The idea is that completing an altruistic task increases your sense of productivity, which in turn boosts your confidence about finishing everything else you need to do.

Engineers at GE Global Research partnered with a New York...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:53:52 -0400

Engineers at GE Global Research partnered with a New York robotics company, International Climbing Machines (ICM) that developed a remote-controlled wall climbing robot, and strapped a wireless high-definition video camera to its back to inspect Wind Turbine Blades! http://www.gereports.com/go-go-gadget/

emergentfutures: Paul Higgins: This is great but from my...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:57:54 -0400

emergentfutures:

Paul Higgins: This is great but from my veterinary experience vastly increasing sensitivity also has its problems with false positives and detecting micro trace of things that do not matter, resulting in interventions when they are not needed. Each case needs to be carefully thought through when using these sorts of technologies

futurescope:

Nanotechnology breakthrough could dramatically improve medical tests

via kurzweilai:

A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to Princeton researchers.

The increased performance could greatly improve the early detection of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders by allowing doctors to detect far lower concentrations of telltale markers than was previously practical. […]

[read more @kurzweil] [paper] [image credit: Stephen Chou/Analytical Chemistry]

thisistheverge: Apple’s desktop computers will get redesigned,...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:35:25 -0400

thisistheverge:

Apple’s desktop computers will get redesigned, says anonymous Apple exec

After today’s incredibly tiny update to the Mac Pro, you might be wondering if Apple plans to kill off the venerable desktop. Apparently, that’s not the case. New York Times technology columnist David Pogue spoke to an anonymous Apple executive who said that the company’s desktops are getting a makeover, perhaps by 2013.

thisistheverge: Corning launches slim, flexible ‘Willow Glass’...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:55:13 -0400

thisistheverge:

Corning launches slim, flexible ‘Willow Glass’ that can be wrapped around devices

With Gorilla Glass 2 and Lotus Glass already in production, Corning is today adding yet another glass to its portfolio with the launch of an ultra-slim and flexible substrate called Willow Glass.

Apples, figs, eggplant & okra should be in your shopping...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:59:48 -0400

Apples, figs, eggplant & okra should be in your shopping card this summer, according to this Infographic!

By http://russellvankraayenburg.com/

the-star-stuff: Partial Eclipse Sequence 1. Composite image...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:55:38 -0400

the-star-stuff:

Partial Eclipse Sequence

1. Composite image showing the different stages of the partial eclipse on June 4th 2012. The water is a real shot taken on that same day with the silver light of the moon reflected on a lagoon.

2. The eclipse is just begining and there’s a very noticeable darkening on the top of the Moon. This is not very common as this stage can go unnoticed.

Photographed by Luis Argerich.

“I was a native, I felt unquestioningly, of...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:16:01 -0400

“I was a native, I felt unquestioningly, of Tomorrow.”

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/06/04/120604fa_fact_gibson#ixzz1wpaYlWk4

newyorker:

In this week’s issue, William Gibson writes about seeing the future in science fiction: http://nyr.kr/KbbHwL

"This ability to innovate and to invent and to discover and to develop new manufacturing methods will..."

Mon, 28 May 2012 14:24:32 -0400

““This ability to innovate and to invent and to discover and to develop new manufacturing methods will still play a central role in the future prosperity of this country.” Energy Secretary Chu spoke live at GE Global Research this past friday, check out the article capturing his visit.”

- http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/585662/energy-secretary-tours-ge-facility-in-niskayuna/

Telephone voice quality has remained essentially unchanged for a...

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:50:44 -0400

Telephone voice quality has remained essentially unchanged for a century. Would you pay more for HD voice quality?

the-star-stuff: Edge-on Beauty (NGC 891) Visible in the...

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:16:31 -0400

the-star-stuff:

Edge-on Beauty (NGC 891)

Visible in the constellation of Andromeda, NGC 891 is located approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope turned its powerful wide field Advanced Camera for Surveys towards this spiral galaxy and took this close-up of its northern half. The galaxy’s central bulge is just out of the image on the bottom left.

Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble

The Internet in 10 Years

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:44:31 -0400

The Internet in 10 Years :

Will Facebook swallow the Internet whole, locking us into a fully socialized online experience? Very interested read!

emergentfutures:

2022 is a long way off, but key digital developments are already in hand. The current explosion of mobile connectivity will surely exert an influence 10 years from now. Desktops and laptops — even tablets — may be hardware of the past, as we access the information stream using voice, gesture, and retinal displays. Immersion in this all-enveloping data field will change the way we work and think.

The displacement of information from devices will be reflected in the displacement of the worker from the workplace. Accessing the collaborative environment anywhere, anytime, a nomadic workforce will expect IT to manage the streamlining of data through virtual platforms.

As for social media, we’re not going too far out on that unpredictable limb. Will Facebook (or perhaps a successor) swallow the Internet whole, locking us into a fully socialized online experience? Or will an adverse reaction set in, driving users back into isolated silos?

Full Story: Internet Evolution