The world is growing more and more futuristic by the day, what with Taser International, an electronic stun gun manufacturer announcing its partnership with IRobot corporation in a project to manufacture robots that can actually direct electric shocks at people.
This shocker of a robot will be sold to the police and military as a nonlethal weapon that can be used to control unruly mobs and violence. The companies have announced that they have developed a prototype which they are to put on display in a conference in Chicago.

Meanwhile some people have expressed their fears that projects like these may ultimately aid robots in taking indepedent kill decisions.
John Pike, director, GlobalSecurity.org said:

``It’s one more step in that direction, it is not the first step in that direction, but I think at some point toward the end of the next decade, you’re going to start seeing RoboCops, or a Terminator, we may see autonomous robots capable of inflicting lethal force.’’

With the rolling out of stuffs like these, the day when attack robots can reprogram themselves and take control with independent combat scheduling capabilities is not far away.

Via: slipperybrick.com

South Korean company, Soundgraph have unveiled their 7″ touchscreen LCD display called ‘Front View.’ The device can be used as a secondary display and control panel that can give sideshow like features to media center PCs and even old computers.

Dongkwan Jeong, CEO of the company said:

“while the Microsoft, Intel and various IT giants are trying hard to move a PC to the living room, Soundgraph has been focusing on developing convenient PC interfaces from hardware to driver, firmware, and to applications based on its independent technological competitiveness. The touch screen display also allows you to check the weather forecast and control multimedia system.’

When not used for control purposes,it can be used to check latest news and weather updates, play music and even videos. The price of this device is yet to be disclosed by the company, which is showing off this new gadget in CES 2007.

Via: aving.net

A team of researchers in Duke University have invented a 3-D ultrasound probe to monitor the brain in real-time. Currently brain surgeons use MRI and CT but it is not in real time - the scanning is done before the surgery. But during the surgery the brain may realign slightly due to cutting of the tissue and hence the previously taken scan may provide a wrong information. The new method avoids this problem by imaging the brain while the surgery is actually taking place.

According to the inventor of the method, Stephen Smith, the 2-D ultrasound scans may miss some vital information of the patient’s brain which is actually 3-D. Also the existing method requires a large hole (one to two cm) on the patient’s skull whereas the new 3-D probe needs only a hole that is less than a centimeter in diameter.

The 3-D endoscope was tested in imaging the blood vessels in a dog’s brain (see figure). A needle was inserted into a region of its brain and some cerebro spinal fluid was drained, also dye was injected into the blood vessels to make it clearer.

The newly developed device is a smaller version of a previous probe developed by Smith for imaging the heart from outside the body. If this new method proves to be successful in human beings, it could very well replace MRI and CT as a much cheaper and more effective option for brain surgeries.

Via: technologyreview.com

This is the age of flash-drive memory and flash drives are selling like hot cakes in the market. At a competitive time like this, sandisk has launched SanDisk Cruzer Contour, a new USB Flash memory with high speed data storage, more memory and improved style. The device has a sleek and smooth glossy black design, its USB connector can be slid into the body when not in use, so there is no cap that gets lost so often. It’s write speed is double that of its previuos model and its read speed is 2/3 times faster. Have you ever wished that you had a particular application installed on a public computer? Thanks to its U3 feature, you can carry your programs with you.

Currently, there are two capacities offered for the SanDisk Cruzer, and those are 4GB and 8GB. Other features include password management, games, file syncing and security along with pre-installed applications for Avast, Skype, CruzerSync, HP Photosmart and SignupShield. Another important feature is the lifetime limited warranty. Flash drives can easily get damaged and its good to have a long warranty time.

Via: slipperybrick

NASA has selected seven lunar experiments from a highly competitive submission of 70 under the Lunar Sortie Science Opportunities Program. The selection of these experiments would pave way to the development of compact research technologies for future explorations on the moon’s surface.

The seven experiments chosen were:

• Autonomous Lunar Geophysical Experiment Package
• Lunar Laser Transponder and Retroreflector Science
• Volatile Analysis by Pyrolysis of Regolith on the Moon using Mass Spectrometry
• Seismology & Heat flow instrument package for Lunar Science and &nbsp Hazards
• Lunar Radiation Environment and Regolith Shielding Experiment
• Lunar Suitcase Science: A Lunar Regolith Characterization Kit
• Autonomous Lunar Dust Observer.

Alan Stern, associate administrator, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate said:

“The proposals we received show that the scientific community is excited about the opportunity to capitalize on the nation’s planned lunar outpost. The moon has much to teach us about itself, the history of our solar system, and even the history of the sun. In the future, more and more scientists will be able to participate in lunar research as we focus attention on Earth’s fascinating satellite.”

The expedition will have goals such a studying the moon’s interior, finding a solution to the lunar dust problem that trouble astronauts, exploring natural resources on the moon’s surface and analyzing the already collected data about the moon.

Images: siec.k12.in.us, noao.edu

Via: jpl.nasa.gov

According to Fink, the powerful technologies that is currently used to study molecules, rely on crystallography - many proteins need to be arranged in a crystal structure. But high energy beams like X-rays, that we currently use can actually damage this structure. This is why Fink and Latychevskaia propose a low-energy electron beam, which can be gentler on the molecule.

According to Latychevskaia, when the low energy approach is used the twin image problem is inevitable.

She said :

‘In early years, the solution was to separate the beams in two and the twin image would be at the side. An electron beam such as we use, though, can’t be separated. So the twin image obstructed the view of the molecule.’

A hologram records the interference pattern created when laser light is reflected by an object. Light that is reflected by this hologram recreates a pattern of waves that gives an impression that the viewer is looking at the original object in 3D. But the problem here is the double vision caused by superimposition of the out of focus second image on the main one. This double vision effect is called the twin image problem - which has existed ever since holography was invented.

Latychevskaia realised that the blurry superimposed twin image makes some area of the light field brighter than what it could have been with a single image.

Based on these observations, Latychevskaia designed a computer program that was able to remove the twin image. It was found that the image quality improves significantly as the number of computer processing iterations increases from 0 (left) to 500 (right)- see image.

With the twin image problem solved, it would now be possible to study the 3-d structure of an individual biological molecule.

Via:physorg
Image:newscientisttech

How often have we longed for some more USB ports on our PCs ? Now with the new 16-port USB hub ‘CHMP -16′ from Century, the greed for USB ports is sure to be satisfied.

This is one hell of a USB hub that can be simultaneously switched between two personal computers with a simple slide of a selector switch. This shoe-box resembling USB hub requires an external AC power supply to operate.

So now you can connect all your USB compatible gadgets to your PC.
Have fun !

Via: akihabaranews

June 15th was the D-day for Superstar Rajnikanth, his millions of fans and the makers of Sivaji. The much hyped movie at last hit movie halls around the world. Tickets were mostly sold out in advance bookings. News is that the movie has been released in 17 theaters in Chennai; this being the highest number for a single movie.

Sivaji, on a Rs 80 crore budget, is said to be the most expensive in tamil movie history. It is the first Indian movie to use 4K resolution technology which is normally a standard for Hollywood blockbusters.

Abirami Ramanthan, managing director of Abirami Mega Mall along with GV Films Ltd have bought the movie’s Chennai distribution rights for a whopping Rs 6.5 crore. This is the highest ever bid for screening rights in Chennai city.

With the massive media hype around the movie, super star Rajnikanth was tensed prior to the release. In a statement he said:

‘Actually, I wasn’t nervous before. But the media and the press have hyped about the movie so much, that I’m tensed now. The picture is a great picture, it’s a complete commercial family entertainer. It entertains and caters to all the classes. But definitely, I have to see how big a commercial success it will become.’

The story: Sivaji (Rajnikanth), is a NRI returning from the US with ambitions to start a business in India that will help the country to evolve into a developed one. But in the process, he gets cheated and looses everything he had. The remaining story is all about how our hero rises from the ashes and achieves his goal of helping the poor. The first half of the movie is filled mostly with comedy and romance. The Second half projects a different and serious side of the hero with some fast paced action scenes.

A.R. Rahman has composed the music with lyrics by Vairamuthu. Sivaji’s audio has already created a record in audio sales. Vaaji Vaaji, Balleilaka and sahana are the current hit numbers, but the most innovative number is Style, a peppy and beautifully arrogant song; with this one, the maestro has broken all musical protocols, creating an out of the world mix of pop, hip-hop, rap, reggae and the list goes on.

Ace Director, Shankar has done an excellent job by creating a script that is fast moving and refreshing. Kudos to Rajnikanth’s histrionics in the movie, especially in the scene where he imitates MGR, Sivaji, and Kamal Hassan. Vivek’s comedy in partnership with the superstar is simply hilarious. Shriya has done her part wonderfully; she is gorgeous in the song sequences. Nayanthara adds some glamour to the song balleilaka, which is already a big hit with the fans.

Extravagant art director, Thotta Tharani has created some really lavish sets and his effort shows in the frames of songs like Vaaji Vaaji and Sahanna. The video for the song Adhiradikaran has also been stylishly picturised.The climax scene is easily the best part of the movie.

This film coming from kollywood is simply state of the art. A film that will be enjoyed by all age groups. The movie is overall a through entertainer for movie enthusiasts and a treat for millions of Rajni fans.

More - galatta.com , behindwoods.com

This is part of a deal where Michael Jackson bought “Famous Music“ (the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures) from the american media company called Viacom . The cost of this deal is undisclosed.

The legendary moon walker is not new to buying catalog rights. In the year 1985 , Jackson bought the publishing rights to a majority of songs by the then famous band “Beatles” . Now Jackson has again revived his interest in catalog ownership , probably because he recently pocketed a reported 10 million dollars just to show up at the 25th birthday of Prince Azim of Brunei.

In a statement, Jackson said:

“This is a milestone event for Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The diverse collection of songs in this catalog range from timeless classics to contemporary hits, and I am pleased to add the acquisition of Famous Music to Sony/ ATV.”

It should be noted that Eminem had made fun of Jackson in the hit video “Just Lose It“. The video featured Eminem dressed like Jackson, sitting on a bed with kids , with his nose falling off and his hair catching fire.This is a mocking reference to the child molestation charges against Jackson , his surgery troubled nose and an embarrassing fire accident during the filming of his 1984 Pepsi commercial video.

The mischievous rapper had also mocked Jackson’s baby-dangling act when, during his stay at the Art House Hotel in Glasgow, he wore a surgical mask and dangled a baby-doll from a balcony at fans gathered below.

By way of this deal , it seems like Michael Jackson is having the last laugh in Eminem’s serial mock episodes.The superstar rapper , must be a dejected man by now.

Via: gigwise

During the launch ,Alan Chang, General Manager of ViewSonic Asia Pacific said,

‘ViewSonic introduced several monitor industry firsts in 2006, including LCD monitors with 2ms response times and built-in ipod docking stations.’

He further added,

‘We are again leading the way in meeting digital lifestyle trends and customers needs by integrating features, such as easily accessible USB ports and webcams as well as voice and video recording into these innovative display offerings.’

The new monitors provide ergonomic benefits such as 3.2-inches height adjustment and a full 360-degree swivel for adjusting the display.Also,the eye strain for the user is considerably reduced with a brightness of 300 nits and a contrast ratio of 1000:1 .Its high definition resolution of 1680×1050 will provide crisp and clear images . Ghosting and blurring effects during gaming and while watching movies is eliminated by the super fast 5ms response time.
The monitors carry the Windows Vista Premium logo, which ensures reliability,security,stability and compatibility with the latest Windows features .

The LCDs are available in Glossy , Piano Black (VX2255wmb) or Piano -White (VX2255wmh) finish at a price of Rs 29,900 along with a three-year warranty .

Via: pcworld