Custom Mix Your Lipstick With Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Sur Mesure Powered By Perso

Design your very own personal lip shade on the app and watch it be brought to life at your very fingertips.

The yves saint laurent rouge sur mesure powered by perso uses color cartridge sets from YSL’s velvet cream matte finish lipstick range. You have a choice of four color families: reds, nudes, oranges, and pinks. each set comes with three different pods, allowing you to make endless bespoke shades with a single touch.

Once you’ve designed your shade, the bluetooth-connected device will do proceed and three squirts of creamy color will appear out from the top, which are then mixed together and then detach the top part and take your bespoke lipstick to-go in a classic black compact. the rouge sur mesure costs $299 USD

Opening Soon-The National Museum Of African American Music

Rendering Courtesy of The National Museum of African American Music

 

The National Museum of African American Music is set to open near the end of 2019 on a date to be announced; a grand-opening ceremony will follow in 2020 in Nashville Tennessee

The museum is slated to occupy a 56,000-square-foot corner of the mixed-use Fifth + Broadway development, facing Bridgestone Arena on one side and the Ryman on the other. CEO Henry Beecher Hicks III and his team are focused on making the museum a place to look closely at the threads of black musicians’ influence and to follow them in the many directions they extend.

To serve that mission, the museum’s exhibits will be organized into five galleries. “Wade in the Water” tells the story of gospel music and its evolution into soul and other related genres, while “Crossroads” outlines the blues’ history and its effects on a huge variety of music. “A Love Supreme” traces the deep roots of jazz, while “One Nation Under a Groove” looks at R&B and its myriad offshoots, from funk to techno and beyond. “The Message” looks at how hip-hop became an integral part of the past four decades of popular music. 

Rendering Courtesy of The National Museum of African American Music

The story is massive, so patrons will have some navigational help from an app called Rivers of Rhythm (preview it at rofr.nmaam.org). It’s similar to a streaming music service — users can choose an artist, and the app will suggest other musicians to check out: those who influenced that artist, as well as others who were inspired by their work. 

The museum has about 1,000 artifacts in its collection now and expects to have some 1,400 by the time it opens. Items displayed at a media preview in August included movie posters, instruments and stage costumes.

In addition, some 25 technology-enhanced interactive features are planned, including one that will allow visitors to sing in a choir (with a little green-screen magic) under the direction of Nashville gospel legend Dr. Bobby Jones.

Apps For Artists

Google Arts & Culture

Procreate Pocket

Are.na

Just a Line

Obscura 2

Paste

 

 

Google’s Art & Culture App

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The Future Of Shopping

WHAT IS DASH BUTTON?

Amazon Dash Button is a Wi-Fi connected device that reorders your favorite product with the press of a button. Each Dash Button is paired with a product of your choice, which is selected during the set-up process. When you’re running low, simply press Dash Button—ensuring you never run out of your essentials again.

SIMPLE TO SET UP AND USE

Dash Button is set up and managed through the Amazon App on your Android or iOS smartphone, and works in any location with a Wi-Fi connection. Once set-up is complete, a notification (if enabled) is sent to your smartphone every time an order is placed.

ORDER PROTECTION

With this setting, Dash Button responds only to your first press until your order is delivered—regardless of how many times Dash Button is pressed. And you will receive an order notification (if enabled) for every order placed, allowing you to cancel an order before it ships.

Restaurant Companies Will Become Tech Companies

Over the past year, restaurant chains have invested heavily in recruiting serious tech players into top management in chief information officer or chief technology officer roles. Starbucks Corp. hired a former Adobe executive Gerri Martin-Flickinger. Chipotle Mexican Grill hired Starbucks’ former CIO Curt Garner. And countless other restaurant chains have announced the hiring of a first technology chief or vice president who will develop and implement new digital strategies that will fundamentally increase customer engagement, from RAVE Restaurant Group to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Blue Apron, HelloFresh, Plated and others are popping up across the country offering consumers the promise of a restaurant-quality meal they can make themselves without the fuss of shopping or the need for cooking skills. Typically meal kits are ordered online and delivered straight to consumers at a reasonable price. Some argue that the meal-kit trend will be a flash in the pan and peter out. Guests will be able to use their smart phones to order, pay ahead and get their meal delivered by Postmates.

A new service called Dispatch, scheduled to debut before the end of the year, will allow guests to order and pay through the restaurant apps, then at checkout select a delivery option. Guests will then see a selection of delivery price quotes from local courier providers and to track their delivery selection in real time.

ChowNow likewise is developing online ordering platforms designed to allow restaurant operators to control the ordering-to-payment-to-delivery process through their own branded apps or websites. In San Francisco, Chicago and New York, the software company is partnering with specially trained Uber drivers to offer delivery, and the service is expected to expand to more markets next year.

53 New York Film Festival

The 53rd New York Film Festival Convergence will run September 26-27 and delve into the world of immersive storytelling with a mix of unique films, panels, and live interactive experiences.

The (Dis)Honesty Project Presents The Truth Box

Tell The Truth About A Lie—- The Truth Box is a traveling story booth and part of the larger (Dis)Honesty Project, a collaboration between behavioral scientist Dan Ariely and filmmaker Yael Melamede that aims to improve our behavior and ethics. The Truth Box explores the complex impact dishonesty has on our lives, asking participants to sit inside and come clean, on camera, about a lie they have told.

The Doghouse

A table is set for five, and on each plate rests a virtual-reality headset. Slipping them on plunges the viewer into a fully immersive experience—one of five unique points of view within the same film. Mom and Dad are meeting the older brother’s new girlfriend for the first time while the younger brother just tries to avoid an inevitable disaster. A 360 degree experience

Gamescape

Some of the most compelling stories being told today are coming from game designers blending sharp narrative and gameplay in new and exciting ways. This selection of gripping, engaging, storytelling games was co-curated by the NYU Game Center and is free and open to the public. Presented with Support from the NYU Game Center.

Sherlock Holmes & the Internet of Things

Participants attempt to solve a string of crimes unfolding throughout Lincoln Center. Do you have what it takes to become a 21st-century Sherlock Holmes? A prototype developed and run by the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab, Sherlock Holmes & the Internet of Things is part of a massive connected crime scene taking place in over 20 countries this fall. For more information, visit sherlockholmes.io. Presented in partnership with the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab.

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Fashion Force, The App That Will Change How You Shop

Fashion Force is an app that will help you decide what to buy at retail stores. The app uses a combination of dressing rooms with photo-sphere mirrors and 360-degree cameras —and fashion experts via the Community Cloud platform— to advise the user on the best items to purchase. Artful Gentleman in Mid-Market is one of the first stores to participate in partnership with the app’s official rollout on February 9th.The store is equipped with the Fashion force-supplied technology with the hope that SF customers will be early adopters to use photos and input to make shopping decisions. While customers shop, Fashionforce and Artful Gentleman can collect valuable data. In return, the app can offer more options in the store based on what the shopper has already chosen to try. The data can also help inform the store on future collections based on what their customers want to wear.

Other stores like Rebecca Minkoff and the Bloomingdale’s at Stanford Shopping Center are attempting similar ventures with their eBay-powered dressing rooms and tech screens. The added time and effort with using these shopping platforms may eventually pay off with an underlying efficiency: shoppers discover new items quickly, and retailers focus on making and ordering pieces that customers want.

Two Nordstrom locations, one in Seattle, the other in San José, the upscale retailer is about to provide customers with technology by eBay to help you make decisions in your fitting room. Nordstrom will test full-length mirrors that, with the tap of a customer’s finger, turn into interactive screens, effectively creating smart fitting rooms.

The idea is to bring tech to an untapped part of a store where many customers ultimately make their purchasing decisions: the fitting room.

Bloomingdale’s, the upscale chain owned by Macy’s Inc has recently began trying out smart fitting rooms, equipped with wall-mounted iPads rather than Nordstrom’s interactive mirrors, at five of its stores.

Wearable technology Grows Way Out

 

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Free Access To Rare Manuscripts via British Library

 

The British Library has opened up a huge online collection of literary treasures and scholarly articles via its new website, Discovering Literature, in a bid to get young students’ interested in classic books.

The new project covers the Romantic and Victorian periods, from William Blake to the science fiction of H G Wells. However, the British Library aims to extend this online collection up to present day authors and as far back in time as the Old English epic Beowulf.

Among the artefacts digitized for the first time are Jane Austen’s notebooks, the childhood works of the Brontë sisters, manuscripts by Keats, Wordsworth and many others plus intriguing early drafts of William Blake’s classic poems ‘Tyger Tyger’ and ‘London’.

The British Library has commissioned over 150 articles and 20 short films from leading scholars designed to illuminate the changing society and cultural scene behind the literature.  The topics are illustrated with newspaper clippings, playbills, artworks and other contemporary material.

The article on Crime in Oliver Twist, for instance, uses an 1809 Dictionary of Criminal Slang to reveal that “twist” was a word for “hanged”, while the article on Inventing the Future uses satirical cartoons and works such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to explain how the the Industrial Revolution’s technological advances inspired nineteenth century writers to set their novels in the future.

Fashionware 2014

 

The GER MOOD SWEATER interprets emotion and displays excitement levels instantly with an illuminated collar. It is a whimsical approach to new forms of communication inspired by the body.

The Mood Sweater in currently on tour with Futurotextiles 3 photo by Roger Dyckmans

How it works
SENSOREE has crafted a soft sensor design called the The GER: Galvanic Extimacy Responder, as it promotes extimacy – externalized intimacy. The sensors are located on the hands and reads excitement levels and then, translates the data into a palette of affective colors. The design of the bowl shaped, high collar is positioned with LEDs that reflects onto the self for instant biofeedback as well as act as a tele-display or external blush for the other. Located around the larynx, the visual interface replaces speaking, as the wearer’s truths are instantly expressed with color.

Currently taking pre-orders for a limited edition run of 100! 

kristin neidlinger design concept
Scott Minneman, Anthony Asterisk, Erik Johnson electronic
Roger Dyckmans running pink/excited photo
Gabi Carneiro blue/calm  photo
Defne Beyce red/nervous photos
Phil Martin video
Katie Scarlett talent

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Banking Trends 2014

Self Service

The top trend for banking in 2014 will be to provide more customer access and functionality for self-serve options. The predominant discussion regarding technology focuses on whether banks can match customers’ want and need for mobile applications that address their changing requirements.  Many banks are providing solutions to customers through remote applications that their staff cannot perform at their own banking centers and call centers. Making this consistent will become a necessary technology in 2014.  Tablet applications will be advancing to point-of-sale staff in banks so that the face of the bank is uniform and not on two generations, as it is viewed by customers today. There has been much discussion about a cloud-based design and, if this  strategic direction is selected, the shift will come quickly.

Identity 2.0

The most important bank tech trend will be the adoption of “Identity 2.0”—augmenting the contact center’s authentication process with predictive analytics across voice biometric, account, call and other metadata. Verifying identity becomes not just a fixed question-and-answer process, but a data science across multiple factors. By analyzing an interaction via a combination of “voiceprint” screening and other predictive factors, financial institutions can stop more attacks and fraudulent transactions, better identify and track known fraudsters, and improve the authentication process for legitimate customers.

 The Customer Service Experience

This will include continued enhancements to online dashboards that place greater control in the hands of customers. Gone are the days of banks determining what and how information is presented to customers at the point of login to online banking sites. Through the use of customization tools and widgets, customers will determine their experience and have faster and easier access to the information they choose. The banks will also have their own dashboards better informing them of customer needs, profitability, and product usage so they can better serve them. The ways in which information is presented will also advance. Finally, as mobile payment capabilities advance in consumer banking, the corporate side of the bank will play catch up with new mobile offerings for both the smartphone and tablet.

Advanced Analytics  Customers and  Business

Armed with this information, banks have an opportunity to significantly impact the success of their marketing efforts to both new and existing customers. Social media is one component of the Big Data equation. The key to successfully utilizing social data lies in transforming it into truly actionable insights by layering in analytics and combining it with other sources of data. Social media, Big Data, and Predictive Analytics are some of the forces reshaping the way that bank marketers think about their roles.

Mobile App Hotel Bookings

Last-minute, mobile-app-driven hotel booking is a trend on the rise. Market research firm PhoCusWright projects that by 2014, 20 percent of hotel bookings will be made by tablet and mobile phones. Currently, the flash travel app a hot market, and 2013 has been their year. Pioneering U.S. brands like Hotel Tonight offer last-minute deals on hotel rooms that have attracted millions of mobile users, and nearly $50 million in venture capital. The popularity of Flash Travel results from its simplicity. The typical flash travel business model is a free mobile app. Once credit card information is entered, (sometimes by snapshot, to avoid the annoyance of typing numbers) users select their city and are presented with three to five vetted hotels. A few taps, and they’re booked. Whether reservations are made on the morning of the flight, or in the cab at midnight, flash travelers are relieved of the burden of searching and the pain of planning, and get a chance to embrace the fun of spontaneous travel. Services often feed information based off the user’s GPS location, showing the closest hotels. Most of them accept reservations made within minutes of check-in, and all of them offer some pretty serious discounts on hotel rooms. Great for the users, but this last aspect has some in the hotel industry intoning notes of impending gloom.

Last-minute, mobile-app-driven hotel booking is a rising trend, reforming the landscape of the hospitality industry. Leaving laptops behind, forgoing search and compare on their home computers, more travelers are just going mobile (phone). Market research firm PhoCusWright projects that by 2014, 20 percent of hotel bookings will be made by tablet and mobile phones. Projections like this make the flash travel app a hot market, and 2013 has been their year. Pioneering U.S. brands like Hotel Tonight offer last-minute deals on hotel rooms that have attracted millions of mobile users, and nearly $50 million in venture capital. In Europe, flash travel app providers like Hot Hotels and Blink are fighting to capitalize on the lure of last-minute travel in the attraction-dense landscape of the Continent. Just around the globe, Hotel Quickly, flush with Hong Kong venture capital, is staking out South East Asia, perhaps the most mobile-friendly, smart-phone-drenched market in the world. Clearly, as the world changes, the way we travel through it is also transforming.

The popularity of Flash Travel stems from its simplicity. The typical flash travel business model is a free mobile app. Once credit card information is entered, (sometimes by snapshot, to avoid the annoyance of typing numbers) users select their city and are presented with three to five vetted hotels. A few taps, and they’re booked. Whether reservations are made on the morning of the flight, or in the cab at midnight, flash travelers are relieved of the burden of searching and the pain of planning, and get a chance to embrace the fun of spontaneous travel. The Services often feed information based off the user’s GPS location, showing the closest hotels. Most of them accept reservations made within minutes of check-in, and all of them offer some pretty serious discounts on hotel rooms. Great for the users, but this last aspect has some in the hotel industry intoning notes of impending gloom.

 The American Hotel & Lodging Association and Smith Travel Research report that, by 2015 the hotel industry will pay $7.5 billion in commissions annually to businesses that help sell hotel rooms, up from $3.8 billion in 2010. With an increasingly mobile-driven populace travelling through the madness of an ever more complex world, large parts of that profit will be made through last-minute hotel providers. Whether Flash Travel will be a blessing or a curse to the industry is impossible to predict. Travel is a complicated business.

Google’s Winter Wonder Labs

Google will showcase their showrooms in six American cities, in addition to at least two showrooms, previously announced, that are being built on barges.

The city-based showrooms will be so-called pop-up stores, only during the holidays. Named Winter Wonderlabs, they will present Nexus 7 tablets, Chromebook computers and Chromecast dongles for video streaming. Stores will be located in malls in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Paramus in New Jersey.

After viewing the products, visitors can order them online in the stores or at home. The stores will also feature a large snow globe containing fake falling snow, so that visitors can frolic inside the globes, video/photograph themselves on store equipment, and then receive and share the video/photos. A Web site connected to the Winter Wonderlabs will include a gallery with selected slow-motion videos of visitors in the snow globe.

Winter Wonder Labs In U.S.

Find My Phone

Apple’s iOS 7, which has some new security measures intended to deter theft, New York’s finest and other police agencies around the U.S. are making an effort to get people to download it.

The new feature is called Activation Lock (read the official information from Apple here) and basically what it does is force anyone who has the phone — including anyone who has stolen it — to enter an Apple ID and password before they can turn off the “Find My Phone” security feature, erase it or reactivate it.

Naturally, this feature is helpful to police who are often called upon to locate stolen phones, so they’re pushing iPhone owners to download the new OS.

Earlier in the week, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco’s District Attorney George Gascón issued a joint statement praising Apple and urging people to download iOS 7.

The NYPD were handing out fliers as well.

Unique Vending Machines

New York-based spectacles company ‘Monocle Order’ placed its first vending machine  New York

 

 

 

Touch Sensor

The research revealed that, although touch is universally soothing, the best placement for sensors would be the arms, shoulders and upper back. The study not only used innovative technology within the research, but also provides illuminating guidance for creating interactive clothing in the future.

Automakers Is Seeking Codaholics

Automakers are venturing on an ambitious drive to hire software “codaholics,” thats pitting Detroit against its technology partners in Silicon Valley. The auto industry is so much more high-tech than people realize,” Nair said in an interview early this year. “So we’re really competing against West Coast industries.

Four years the auto industry restructuring that included massive job cuts, Ford and its U.S. rivals need to hire thousands of engineers at a time when software is playing a much more prominent role in vehicle design than even a few years ago.

Millions of lines of computer code increasingly are the  core vehicle functions such as  braking and air-conditioning. Electronic parts including sensors and microcontrollers, used in laptop computers and smartphones, are the backbone of such vehicles. This  shift has General Motors Co., Ford and Chrysler Group LLC  seeking a  a new kind of talent — engineers with software, electronic and computer network skills — that has typically ignored Detroit. The auto industry  has been forced to increase salaries and seek promote Michigan’s image as a good place to work -this is no easy task for the automaker.

Ford is about halfway through its goal of hiring 3,000 salaried employees this year, as part of its largest hiring blitz in more than a decade. The bulk of these jobs will be engineers and IT specialists who will be based in Michigan.

General Motors CEO  wants to hire thousands of “codaholics” to write software applications for GM’s lineup of vehicles.

But these same candidates are also pondering attractive offers from other industries –like Apple Inc. and Google Inc. Executives, engineers and recruiters expect the war for talent only to intensify over the next several years.

The skill sets in  the computer industry, cell phones, all the other technology have become the same type of skill sets thats wanted in the auto industry. 

The role of computer systems in the vehicle is increasing as consumers clamor for “connected” cars that can sync with smartphones, provide real-time traffic reports or parallel-park themselves. Ernst & Young predicts that 104 million vehicles worldwide will have some form of connectivity in the next dozen years. Currently,automakers are redoubling their recruiting efforts to combat that image, by showing how they have changed since the 2009 economic crisis that pushed GM and Chrysler Group LLC into bankruptcy

 

Healthcare & Technology

 Venture capitalists have invested $955 million in the healthcare IT industry. The federal government of the United States is planning to invest nearly $29 billion as incentives to motivate hospitals and clinics to digitize their healthcare records.

1. Watson is the name of the supercomputer that the researchers at IBM are developing in order to help doctors make better diagnoses and treatment recommmendations. Physicians can depend on Watson to keep track of the patient’s history, keep abreast with the recent medical research and evaluate treatment options. In the later part of the current year, doctors at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center in New York will begin testing ‘Dr. Watson’.
2. Science Applications International Corporation or SAIC has developed a translation program for physicians and other professionals in the medical field. It is called Omnifluent Health. The range of products involves a great mobile application which allows doctors to speak into the application. For instance, if a patient suffers from an allergic condition due to penicillin, the message can be translated into another language instantly. Given the fact there are more than 50 million U.S. residents who do not speak fluent English, the program can work as a boon for physicians who require relying on translators in order to communicate with their patients.
3. Can social networking help physicians work together better to take care of their patients? The answer is yes and Doximity has made it possible. It is a social network designed exclusively for physicians. With the help of Doximity, physicians throughout the United States can make an online discussion on different critical cases. This venture has received a whopping $27 million of funding.
4. The connection between doctors and patients is now easier.  Sherpaa, a New York City start-up which provides patients with medical consultations both online and over the phone. Patients can get advice from some of the leading medical specialists of the city. Tumblr is one of the big names who have become a part of this service.
5. Staying energetic, sleeping well and eating good – these three are an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. An increasing number of mobile applications and gadgets are designed to motivate people to make healthy choices when it comes to their lifestyle. Fitbit is a pedometer. It keeps track of daily sleep and activity using social networking and gaming to encourage the users.Lark, a silent alarm clock and sleep monitor tracks and evaluates an individual’s  sleep habits over time. It offers advice on how to get better rest. 

Along with these, there are several other food-monitoring, menu-tracking and calorie-counting applications to alarm the foodies and help the diet-conscious people. 

 The healthcare industry has been waiting for a much-needed boost. The wait is said to be worth it.  Although the implementation of mobile applications and medical translation tools is in a preliminary stage, the technological advancements can upgrade patient treatment and save a considerable amount in health care costs. 

iPhone and Fingerprints

 

Apple reports that the  latest prerelease version of the operating software iOS 7 for iPhones and iPads that will be released later this year contains a folder called “BiometricKit UI”.

The folder contains code that says the phone will display a photo of a person holding an iPhone while touching their thumb on the home button and then will display a fingerprint image that changes colour during the setup process. Apple bought a fingerprint sensor company Authentec last year for $365 million. Authentec makes technology that cannot only identified fingerprints through scanning but also identifies the different fingers, so that each finger can be assigned a different task.

It’s certain whether Apple would use fingerprint scanning as a way letting people log into their phone, rather than type a PIN, or whether it would be linked to an eCommerce transaction system.

Apple so far has not installed Near Field Communication into its phones, which is the wireless communication system preferred by other smartphone makers including Samsung that lets people pay for goods by touching their phone against a scanner.

There also are rumours the new iPhone range will include a budget model that has been labelled the iPhone 5C.

 

 

Car Hacking

New vehicles equipped with modern technology offer more conveniences and luxury to drivers while simultaneously making cars more vulnerable to hackers.

Vehicles coming off the production line over the last decade have evolved into  powerful modes of transportation, in addition to  technology that has produced drivable computers. These new digital cars, trucks and SUVs give the driver touch screens, digital radio and car controls such as temperature, music and more. However, just as PCs and other digital devices are vulnerable to  hackers, so  are the vehicles on the road.

US security experts conducted an investigation to determine just how serious the issue of car security may be revealing through experiments the shocking truth of just how much damage can be done in the wrong hands. Experts managed to take control of a vehicle, while someone else was behind the wheel through the simple use of a laptop computer.

Using cables, the researchers were able to hack into the cars on-board diagnostics port and electronic control units. They were able to take complete control of the two models used in the experiments including steering, using the breaks and even invading the monitor displays all from the backseat using a laptop computer. Two popular cars the 2012 Ford Escape and Toyota Prius were used to demonstrate this dangerous security problem.

In a another experiment, security experts managed to convert the touch screen instrument panel into a clock. Counting down from 60 seconds the team forced the vehicle to begin honking its horn in the last few seconds on the countdown and completely disable the car by shutting off the engine and locking doors as the clock reached zero.

Teams of researchers found that everything in these new models is vulnerable to hackers from the lights, instrument panels, steering and brakes to the engine itself. Its conclusion is that newer model vehicles are too fragile and that security should be a top issue for car makers light of this new information.

The only positive to this situation currently, according to the security team, is that cars are not yet connected to the internet where hackers could truly do some serious and dangerous damage. For the moment this means that hackers must have physical access to the vehicle in order to implement an attack.

More cars are becoming internet accessible. Researchers are urging manufacturers to develop hacker proof devices for these moving computers. The potential damage hackers could do from the internet poses a real threat to driver’s security and can even threatens loss of life.

Two computer hackers who have successfully managed to hack into and manipulate a pair of widely-owned automobiles will present their findings at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas this week, various media outlets are reporting.

Can Wearable Technology Make You Lose Focus

 

The Autographer 

ecouterre

Muse

Keyglove is a wireless open-source input glove 

A new robotic suit 

Read More 

Google To Sell Digital Textbooks

 Google will start selling and renting digital textbooks through their Play store in August.In another announcement, Google’s Chromecast, a TV dongle that lets you stream online videos straight from your phone, tablet or laptop to your TV. Chromecast is based on a stripped-down version of Chrome OS, and interoperable with a multitude of devices.during the announcement Wednesday.

The Chromecast dongle is plugged into the HDMI port of a TV, and can then be auto-discovered by apps like the YouTube app on a mobile device. Users can then send videos straight to their TV, change the volume and compile collaborative playlists to queue up videos with the help of their mobile devices that are then displayed on the TV. This is basically the same functionality that’s been available on for Google TV devices but without the whole Google TV UI.

Big Data & It’s Use

The Durkheim Project, has been launched to help prevent suicide among veterans. The predictive analytics company Patterns and Predictions uses its machine learning data fabric built on technologies from Attivio and Cloudera. Patterns and Predictions is providing technology  that will help military mental health experts fight an alarming incidence of suicide among veterans. Patterns and Predictions’ founder Chris Poulin has been working with Dartmouth researchers to address the problem since 2010.

In 2011, Patterns and Predictions engaged big data analytics experts Attivio and Cloudera, and secured a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Staff from Patterns and Predictions, Dartmouth and the U.S. Veterans Administration conducted an investigation to validate the machine learning data fabric. Initial findings indicated the data model’s predictive accuracy was statistically significant (65 percent or more) in predicting suicidality risk among a veteran control group. Patterns and Predictions is leading the second phase of the project,  with the hope of eventually providing a real-time triage of interventional actions upon detection of a critical event.

Infographic On Big Data

Google Glass Can Be Hacked

 

A mobile security company named Lookout, have proven  that Google Glass can be hacked  the development of a malicious QR code.

Up till now QR codes have needed specialised software to scan them and turn the code into an executable command (usually a redirect to a webpage) but Glass automatically processes any QR codes it detects when taking a picture.  Lookout took advantage of this and created a QR code that – when snapped – directs the device to connect to a certain wi-fi network. Given this entry point the researchers were able to intercept data passing through Glass, and even stream live images to a remote display.

“We could become the middleman, and if we needed to strip out the encryption on the connection,” Mark Rogers, principal security analyst at Lookout, told The Guardian. “Then we could see the pictures or video that it’s uploading. We could also direct it to a site on the web which exploits a known vulnerability in Android 4.0.4 which hacked Glass at it browsed the page.”

This particular exploit is no longer a ‘threat’ to the rare-breed of Glass owners (Rogers disclosed the information to Google who fixed the problem with a software update back in May) but it’s certain that other, similar, vulnerabilities exist – and Google won’t be able to find them all before release.

AT & T Follows Behind T-Mobile With Frequent Upgrades

AT&T Inc customers will be able to upgrade  their phones once a year instead of waiting two years. AT&T is defending itself against challenges from T-Mobile US . AT&T’s latest offering, does  not require upfront device fees, comes as the No. 2 U.S. mobile provider strives to regain the market share it has been losing to market leader Verizon Wireless, and to fight back against tougher competition from smaller rivals like fourth-ranked T-Mobile US. AT&T’s offer, soon to be available on July 26, appeared to be a direct response to T-Mobile’s announcement last week that its customers can now upgrade smartphones as often as twice a year. AT&T will charge customers $15 to $50 per month, depending on the device, on top of monthly service fees under the new offering, which does not require a long-term service contract. By excluding upfront device fees in its plan, AT&T is hoping to compete with T-Mobile US, which still requires an upfront payment. T-Mobile US Chief Marketing Officer Mark Sievert says the monthly phone installments is a “trick” to get more money out of customers because it is not changing its monthly service fees. “If you’re going to charge separately for the phone like they’re doing then you need to reduce the price of the service. Otherwise you’re paying twice for the same phone.” According to data reported a Wall Street Journal article, Americans are upgrading their devices less often as innovation slows and current smartphones are more than adequate for their needs.

Microsoft’s Smart Watch Supposed To Surface In 2014

Sources indicated that the watch will be available in a number of different colors (red, yellow, black, grey, white and blue), and that the watch will be made out of Oxynitride Aluminum. Oxynitride is 80% transparent, however, it is four times harder than glass. The Surface watch will run an adapted version of Windows 8, and will have its own built-in radios so it can be used independently from a smartphone. Both Apple and Microsoft’s smart watches are rumored to be coming late next year.

Policy Research Center To focus On Data Innovation

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has established the Center for Data Innovation to better educate policymakers around the world about the economic and social benefits.  The center will focus its research and education efforts on developing public policies that  will increase the potential benefits of data.

Data literate’ policymakers at the national, state and local levels, in order to make smart decisions about how information is collected, managed, analyzed and shared. The center will seeks  make sense of data for those working in government and for those working in data industries.

The center’s first projects will be “Data Innovation Across America,” a component of the Millennial Trains Project. The effort, conducted by ITIF research analyst Travis Korte, seeks to investigate how data is changing communities and industries across the nation and will assist lawmakers in understanding how this transformation impacts policymaking and governance.

In addition, the center will take lead in the organization of Data Innovation Day, which will be held on January 24, 2014. ITIF launched the event in 2013 and the inaugural celebration brought together over 60 organizations from around the world to raise awareness about the benefits and opportunities that come from the increased use of information.

The center will produce a free weekly newsletter to provide leaders in business, government, and the non-profit sector with access to the latest information on big data, open data, data analytics, and data visualization.

 

Apple Aggressively Hiring For Their iWatch Project

It appears that sources familiar with the company’s plans spoke to the Financial Times, stating that designing such a product involves “hard engineering problems that they’ve not been able to solve”. The fact that Apple are running into problems also mean that it’s likely that device won’t be launched “until the latter part of next year”.

The smart watch market is  set to esculate over the next couple of years. What started out as an icon of crowd-funding success (MetaWatchand Pebble are notable examples) has become an attractive target for virtually any tech company with a hardware arm. Dell has suggested that they’ll be joining the boom, and everyone from Microsoft to Sony to Samsung have hinted at a project or already brought a device to market. However, although smart watches are becoming increasingly popular that have their limitations.

The devices are hindered by inadequate battery life, low-resolution screens and under-developed apps that fail to sync, have difficulties displaying on small screens or just don’t function.

Another difficulty to navigate is the social status of the watch. Whether you choose to wear a Patek Philippe or a Casio F-91W will reveal something about your character (and your income) – be it aspirational or apathetic. The caché carried by a phone is similar in kind, but not in degree: smartphones have all trended towards the black-slice-of-glass aesthetic and remain hidden in your pocket anyway – a watch is on display all the time.

 Apple is said to have up to 50 employees working on solving the challenges posed by developing an iWatch.

Five Year Olds To Learn Computer Programming Under New Curriculum

Children in England will be taught computer programming from their first year of primary school under the new national curriculum for five to 14 year olds published this week.

Under the plans, Key Stage 1 students ages five to seven – will be expected to “learn how to create and debug simple programs” and “understand what algorithms are and how they are implemented as programs on digital devices.”

By the age of  nine, pupils will be expected to be able to “use two or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual” and “design and develop modular programs that use procedures or functions.”

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the new “rigorous” curriculum combines elements from the world’s best education systems and is designed to boost England’s standing internationally.

“I want my children, who are in primary school at the moment, to have the sort of curriculum that children in other countries have,” he said. “We’ve looked at what’s been happening in parts of the world like Massachusetts and Singapore where children are facing a much tougher curriculum, sitting much more rigorous exams and as a result are better equipped to succeed than our own children.”

The students will also learn about robotics and how to use 3D printers. In addition children will learn fractions from the age of five. History will now have a much bigger focus on dates and chronology.

Facebook Etiquette

 

1. Private conversations should be private,  private details should not be made public

2. Accidentally making a post  meant only for a few friends but instead went  to everyone or posting publicly what you meant to send in a private message. It is an all too easy mistake to make—especially when Facebook’s privacy settings aren’t always obvious. Fortunately, you can delete any post you make. Just hover over the upper right corner of the message and you’ll see a pencil icon. Click on it, then click the delete option in the drop down menu that appears. 

3. Not everyone wants photos of themselves posted online and practically no one wants uncomplimentary photos posted, let alone being tagged and linked to their Facebook profile. To remove a tag of yourself that someone has made on a photo, hover over the upper right hand corner of the update, click on the pencil icon that appears, then choose “Report/Remove Tag” from the drop down menu that appears. You can also manage who can see posts you’ve been tagged in on our timeline and choose to review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on Facebook by going to “Settings” >> “Privacy Settings >> “Timeline and Tagging.”

4.  Tread carefully when you talk about hot button topics. It’s frustrating when your friends post political diatribes—and you get shouted down for disagreeing with them. 

5. Check you typos.

Wearable Tech Expo

 

View here

The Wii Vitality Sensor and What Happened To It

Back in 2008, Nintendo announced an interesting peripheral called the Wii Vitality Sensor. This device, which fit over the user’s fingertip and measured their pulse and level of relaxation, was never released to stores. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said “We pushed forward its development on the academic assumption that by observing the wave patterns of the human pulse, we could quantify how tense or relaxed a person is, or to be more specific, how much the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves work as functions of the autonomic nerve,” Iwata said in the Q&A. “However, after a large-scale test of a prototype inside the company, we found out that for some people the sensor did not work as expected. We wondered if we should commercialize a product which works as expected for 90 people out of 100, but not so for the other 10 people.” Moreover, Iwata said that the Vitality Sensor was an “interesting” device.

Nintendo performed experiments with the sensor in conjunction with video games but has not provided any specifics. When the device was first announced, Nintendo said that it could be used to measure how scared a player is in a horror game. Alternately, it could be used to help a gamer learn to relax in order to improve their life. However, the Sensor’s narrow use doesn’t seem to be a reason that Nintendo axed it. Iwata suggests that if they could make the device more reliable, they’d release it.

Technology Should Be Used Ethically

A United Nations meeting based on  science, technology, and innovation, the Holy See’s chief diplomat at the UN office in Geneva cautioned that progress in technology does not always lead to authentic human development.

At the July 4 meeting of the Economic and Social Council Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said that “Technology and innovation are not neutral: their outcome will vastly depend on what they are used for,” . “Most importantly, we need not surrender to the idea that science has embedded a notion of self-determination according to which whatever can be done is feasible.”

In addition, Archbishop Tomasi said that  “an ethically responsible use of technology,” science and technology “carry a social mortgage that finds expression in solidarity with poorer individuals and countries and in a lifestyle based on human relations that take precedence over technical mechanisms, as useful as these are.” He concluded by saying that “Investing in education and innovation opens the way toward a future of greater equality and prosperity as they sustain growth, employment and distribution, but with an indispensable condition, that the human person with her dignity, aspirations and fundamental rights be placed at the center of all policies and programs,” he concluded

New York First To Secure Its own Domain Name

New York City will be getting  its own domain name. This is said to be  a big hit with local businesses, travel sites and possibly cybersquatters looking to make some fast cash.

Approved by Internet address regulator ICANN, website owners in the East Coast metropolis will be able to apply for a .nyc address from later this year, although fees has yet to be announced.

More Here

Modern Kitchen Tools

A new app has been designed for Google Glass that promises hands-free cooking and works by voice commands and swipes.  KitchMe, developed by Coupons.com, for example, is a free app that appears in the Glass timeline and allows users to search for a new recipe either by naming the dish out loud by name or by ingredients. The app, launched this week, will also search for recipes based on what’s already in the fridge, making it a handy tool for using up leftovers, wilting vegetables and foods nearing their expiration date.  Users can  swipe through recipe cards and ingredient lists. In addition,  can also ask Glass to read the directions out loud for a hands-free cooking experience.

Coupons.com CEO Steven Boal says “Wearable technology is a huge opportunity and where better to focus than in the kitchen where so much of what we do today can be augmented by technology.” Developers are also working on new features like the ability to snap photos of meals and share them with friends, and enhanced voice recognition features for the next generation of KitchMe.

Apple TV and The Time Warner Deal

Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Apple and Time Warner Cable are about to close a deal that would bring new channels to the computer maker’s set-top box, Apple TV, for subscribers of the cable television service. A deal would bring the set-top box a significant influx of channels, and its first flood of live ones. Apple has been expanding its offerings on the device, which connects Web videos and other media to the traditional television but lacks the the broad array of channels that its chief competitor Roku offers.  Roku already has Time Warner Cable content streaming 300 channels through it where you can view TV through your iPhone iPad or computer.

X-Ray Vision Technology

Scientists are working on  a new technology that could give us ‘X-ray’ vision with the ability to track moving humans hiding in closed rooms or behind walls. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory are using low-cost wi-fi technology to develop the system that spots movement of people in rooms or behind walls.

Dina Katabi, a professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science say they wanted to create a device that is low-power, portable and simple enough for anyone to use, to give people the ability to see through walls and closed doors. This new system, called “Wi-Vi”, is based on a concept similar to radar and sonar imaging. But in contrast to radar and sonar, it transmits a low-power wi-fi signal and uses its reflections to track moving humans. It can do so even if the humans are in closed rooms or hiding behind a wall. As a wi-fi signal is transmitted at a wall, a portion of the signal penetrates through it, reflecting off any humans on the other side.  The system uses two transmit antennas and a single receiver. The two antennas transmit almost identical signals, except that the signal from the second receiver is the inverse of the first. As a result, the two signals interfere with each other in such a way as to cancel each other out. Since any static objects that the signals hit – including the wall – create identical reflections, they too are cancelled out by this nulling effect.In this way, only those reflections that change between the two signals, such as those from a moving object, arrive back at the receiver,” researcher Fadel Adib said.

Trekking The World With Google Maps

Google is asking third-party organizations to take along its Street View Trekker back-pack and contribute imagery to help the company “build the very best map of the world.” Google first partnered with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. People at the bureau have already started hiking around the Big Island of Hawaii, collecting images on the island’s most popular spots, such as Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls, Waipio Valley, and more. They plan to continue onto the other islands next.

 People  from all over the world can see and explore the beautiful islands before they go, including some remote and hard-to-reach places with 360-degree interactive imagery of the islands. The Trekker backpack is comes with a 15-lens camera system that pops out of the top of the wearable pack and  records images ongoing. Each lens points in a different direction so that when combined all of the images can be held into 360-degree panoramic views.

National Science Foundation’s 911 App

On Tuesday, the National Science Foundation  showcased a smartphone app that allows 911 operators critical insights into what’s going on at the scene of an emergency call. This  app  can relay crucial biometric data to dispatchers, enabling them to gather vital signs and other information that helps them assist victims and assist first responders.

The software, which was developed by researchers at the University of North Texas, led by Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Ram Dantu, offers users a host of features that could be life-saving in an emergency.

These include text-to-speech technology for clear communication; remote control of smartphone cameras to help 911 operators view emergency scenes; and monitors that relay breathing, blood-pressure and other vital signs to emergency responders. In addition, the app even includes a sensor that helps guide someone responding to an emergency through the proper steps to perform CPR.

The software is still in its pilot phase and will be demonstrating it next week at the 2013 National Emergency Number Association conference in Charlotte, N.C. 

The app offers  advantages over traditional 911 calls.

Its text-based communication capabilities, for instance, are -suited for deaf or hearing impaired users.  Crucial in contacting officials during a scenario – a hostage or domestic abuse situation – where speaking aloud could be dangerous. They might also be critical in a mass-casualty emergency. The app’s biometric tools make full use of the capabilities of smartphones. A first-responder can place the phone on chest of victim, relaying the number of breaths per minute to the operator. It also enables monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate. If someone has irregular heartbeats, the operator is able to  clearly see them on his end.

The app was devised on the Android platform, the next phase will be to develop it for the iPhone platform. Next phase an app  store.

Big Data and Personality

Big Data Analytics  can allow us to automatically analyze digital records such as our updates, photos and ‘Likes’ on Facebook. But your ‘Likes’ on Facebook could expose intimate details about you as well as personality traits you might not want to share with anyone? A recent study reveals that it is possible to accurately predict a range of highly sensitive personal attributes simply by analyzing the ‘Likes’ you have clicked on Facebook.  Researchers at Cambridge University and Microsoft Research shows how the patterns of Facebook ‘Likes’ can very accurately predict your sexual orientation, satisfaction with life, intelligence, emotional stability, religion, alcohol use, smoking, drug use, relationship status, age, gender, race and political views as well as whether your parents are separated. 

The most predictive ‘Likes’ identified in their study:

• For high intelligence: Curly Fries, Science, Mozart, Thunderstorms or The Daily Show
• For low intelligence: Harley Davidson, Lady Antebellum, Chiq, and I Love Being a Mom

• For Satisfaction with Life: Swimming, Jesus, Pride and Prejudice and Indiana Jones
• For Dissatisfaction with Life: Ipod, Kickass, Lamb of God, Quote Portal and Gorillaz

• For being emotionally unstable (neurotic): So So Happy, Dot Dot Curve, Girl Interrupted, The Adams Family, Kurt Donald Cobain
• For being emotionally stable (calm and relaxed): Business Administration, Skydiving, Soccer, Mountain Biking and Parkour

• For being old: Cup Of Joe For A Joe, Coffee Party Movement, The Closer, Freedomworks, Small Business Saturday, and Fly The American Flag
• For being young: Body By Milk, I Hate My Id Photo, Dude Wait What, J Bigga, and Because I Am A Girl

• For being gay (male): Kathy Griffin, Adam Lambert, Wicked The Musical, Sue Sylvester, Glee and Juicy Culture
• For being straight (male): X Games, Foot Locker, Being Confused After Waking Up From Naps, Sportsnation, WWE, and Wu-Tang Clan
• Predicting personality traits and attributes is nothing new
• When we click ‘Like’ it shows our friends on Facebook that we feel positive or supportive of specific online content such as status updates, photos or products, books, music or other individuals such as celebrities. What many of us don’t realize is that by doing so you openly share information about yourself that can then be used to predict other, more personal, attributes that you would not share so openly. We now live in a world where everything is digitalized – were we consume music in digital formats, read eBooks, where we shop online and interact with friends and colleagues in social media. This also means that there is  a digital trail of your life and your preferences, which in turn can make it easy to figure out your attributes and personality traits.  The information you reveal by clicking on a ‘Like’ button can – by default – be used by others using analytics – some with good intentions others with bad ones. Commercial companies could use this type of Big Data Analytics to dynamically customize the ads you see on your Facebook page. predictive models are not perfect – no model ever is. Therefore, not everyone who likes curly fries is automatically highly intelligent.  On the downside using the insights from predictive modeling can label people wrong.

Apple Creating Over 7,000 New Jobs

 

Apple, will open a $5 billion dollar new facility and is predicted to create over new full-time jobs, and giving the local town an additional $13 million dollars in tax revenue annually.

Apple is currently working on an environmental impact report for the four-story, donut-shaped headquarters which will be called Apple Campus 2. The company is also rumored to spend around $5 billion on the new project. When Campus 2 opens, Apple will then have 24,000 full-time employees in Cupertino, and around 41,100 in the Santa Clara County.

Chrome’s Apps

Just like web apps, packaged apps are written in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS. However packaged apps look and behave like native apps, and they have native-like capabilities that are much more powerful than those available to web apps.