Computing
Artificially intelligent game bots pass the Turing test on Turing's centenary
September 27, 2012 8:50 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsAn artificially intelligent virtual gamer created by computer scientists at The University of Texas at Austin has won the BotPrize by convincing a panel of judges that it was more human-like than half the humans it competed against. The competition was sponsored by 2K Games and was set inside the virtual world of "Unreal Tournament 2004,"
U.S.-based Micron takes 20 percent share of the NAND flash market
September 26, 2012 11:12 am | News | CommentsFor the first time since it entered the industry seven years ago, U.S.-based Micron Technology Inc. managed to cross the 20 percent market share threshold in the NAND flash memory business during the second quarter. Micron posted the strongest sequential performance of all NAND suppliers, with second-quarter revenue amounting to
Nobody's driving: California governor signs legislation paving the way for driverless cars
September 26, 2012 9:10 am | by TERENCE CHEA Associated Press | News | CommentsGov. Jerry Brown rode to Google headquarters in a self-driving Toyota Prius before signing legislation Tuesday that will pave the way for driverless cars in California. The bill by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla will establish safety and performance regulations to test and operate autonomous vehicles on state roads and highways.
How a space hater becomes a space junkie
September 26, 2012 8:55 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor, Space Nerd | Articles | CommentsSpace has never really interested me. When I was forced to go to a Star Trek museum at age 10 and a man dressed as a Klingon--the fictional warrior race--chased me around the gift shop, I was pretty much done with how “fun” space could be.
Einstein's brain is now interactive iPad app
September 25, 2012 9:51 am | by CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsThe brain that revolutionized physics now can be downloaded as an app for $9.99. But it won't help you win at Angry Birds. While Albert Einstein's genius isn't included, an exclusive iPad application launched Tuesday promises to make detailed images of his brain more accessible to scientists than ever before
This app could save your teen driver’s life
September 25, 2012 9:26 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsWe’ve all seen it. You’re driving down the road and see someone driving erratically only to find that person is messing with the radio, yelling at their reprobate children, shaving, eating, or applying makeup. Distracted driving has taken on an entirely new meaning with the advent of texting.
Toyota drops plan for widespread sales of electric car
September 24, 2012 8:53 am | by DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press | News | CommentsToyota Motor Corp has scrapped plans for widespread sales of a new all-electric minicar, saying it had misread the market and the ability of still-emerging battery technology to meet consumer demands. Toyota, which had already taken a more conservative view of the market for battery-powered
Swiss railway weighs challenge to Apple over trademark clock
September 21, 2012 2:11 pm | by Reuters | News | CommentsSwiss railway operator SBB and a Swiss watchmaker are considering challenging Apple over the striking similarity between the country's trademark station clocks and the clock on a new operating system for the iPad."We now have to agree on the legal framework between SBB and Apple,
Virtual boundaries: How environmental cues affect motivation and task-oriented behavior
September 21, 2012 2:08 pm | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsMuch of our daily lives are spent completing tasks that involve a degree of waiting, such as remaining on hold while scheduling a doctor's appointment or standing in line at an ATM. Faced with a wait, some people postpone, avoid, or abandon their task. Others endure the wait but feel dissatisfied and frustrated by the experience.
Researchers examine how characteristics of automated voice systems affect users' experience
September 21, 2012 2:08 pm | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsThe personality and gender of the automated voices you hear when calling your credit card company or receiving directions from your GPS navigational system may have an unconscious effect on your perception of the technology. Human factors/ergonomics researchers have studied
Intelligent systems add brainpower to everyday electronics
September 21, 2012 9:56 am | by Fernando Mujica, Director of System Architectures Lab of the Systems and Applications R&D Center, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) | Articles | CommentsWhat is an intelligent system? It’s any system that can input information, analyze it, and intelligently make decisions or take actions as a result. Intelligent systems have been emerging for decades, but they are on the brink of an intelligence explosion that will revolutionize the way we interact with machines, making our world smarter, safer and more fun.
Optical waveguide connects semiconductor chips
September 21, 2012 8:53 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsA team of KIT researchers directed by Professor Christian Koos has succeeded in developing a novel optical connection between semiconductor chips. "Photonic wire bonding" reaches data transmission rates in the range of several terabits per second and is suited perfectly for production on the industrial scale.
Computers get a better way to detect threats
September 21, 2012 8:52 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsUT Dallas computer scientists have developed a technique to automatically allow one computer in a virtual network to monitor another for intrusions, viruses or anything else that could cause a computer to malfunction.The technique has been dubbed "space travel"
TECNALIA develops smart furniture
September 21, 2012 8:50 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsTECNALIA has taken another step in the manufacture of furniture of the future. Along with GRUMAL, companies, NUEVA LINEA, ELSON ELECTRONICA and EKOLEDS,, and framed in the WoodTouch project, it has developed a new concept of touch interaction with furniture and wood surfaces,
Once usability becomes secure
September 21, 2012 8:49 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsRisk increases with comfort: "Single Sign-On" permits users to access all their protected Web resources, replacing repeated sign-ins with passwords. However, attackers also know about the advantages such a single point of attack offers to them. Andreas Mayer, who is writing his PhD thesis
3-D display screen on mobile devices could be on the horizon
September 21, 2012 8:46 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsImagine a mobile device that visually displays a street map and whose screen physically mutates to show the hilly terrain and buildings. A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, have developed a new type of screen display that not only moves but also physically tilts.
Complaints, jibes greet new Apple Maps app as users compare it to disappearing Google Maps
September 21, 2012 8:45 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer, The Associated Press | News | CommentsWith a touch of geek whimsy, Google Maps warns anyone who seeks walking directions to Mordor -the land of evil in "The Lord of the Rings"- to use caution. "One does not simply walk into Mordor," it says. Apple is finding this week that creating an alternative to Google Maps isn't a simple walk, either
Emergence of thinking networks
September 20, 2012 4:53 pm | by Mike Fahrion, director of product management, B&B Electronics | Articles | CommentsWhen examining Flame, the most sophisticated malware that has appeared to date, investigators discovered an interesting feature: Flame can steal and transmit data from computers that have no Internet connections. Flame does it by using unsuspecting humans for bi-directional data transport.
Computers get a better way to detect threats
September 20, 2012 2:26 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsUT Dallas computer scientists have developed a technique to automatically allow one computer in a virtual network to monitor another for intrusions, viruses or anything else that could cause a computer to malfunction. The technique has been dubbed "space travel" because it sends computer data to a world outside its home, and bridges the gap between computer hardware and software systems.
Software helps developers with driver assistance systems
September 20, 2012 2:13 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSPACE Automotive Simulation Models (ASM) now work with PreScan, a software program from TASS for high-quality sensor and environment simulation. This tool combination enables developers to optimize the efficiency of intelligent assistance systems at an early stage with highly precise sensor simulation and flexible, reproducible traffic simulation.
Two-gigabyte, LPDDR3 memory module transfers data at 1600 Mbps per pin
September 20, 2012 1:53 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd., is mass producing the a two gigabyte (GB), low power double-data-rate 3 (LPDDR3) memory, using 30 nanometer (nm) class technology, for next-generation mobile devices. The new LPDDR3, in which a 2GB LPDDR3 density is available in one package, uses four LPDDR3 chips stacked together.
Industrial-grade, high power Class 1 Bluetooth module touts broad transmission range
September 20, 2012 1:46 pm | Murata Power Solutions Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMurata Americas introduced a new industrial grade, high-power Class 1 Bluetooth module - the SN2100 With the Class 1 power output, the module is asserted to achieve a broader transmission range than typical Bluetooth solutions
New airport system facilitates smoother take-offs and landings
September 20, 2012 9:13 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsFor airline passengers who dread bumpy rides to mountainous destinations, help may be on the way. A new turbulence avoidance system has for the first time been approved for use at a U.S. airport and can be adapted for additional airports in rugged settings across the United States and overseas.
Robotic tuna is built by Homeland Security
September 20, 2012 9:11 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsNo question about it… they're very good at what they do. But they don't take well to orders, especially those to carry out inspection work in oily or dangerous environments, or in any kind of harsh environment, for that matter. Still, they're one of the fastest and most maneuverable
Final tests under way on Wyoming supercomputer to be used in weather research projects
September 20, 2012 9:07 am | by MEAD GRUVER Associated Press | News | CommentsFinal testing is being done on a National Center for Atmospheric Research supercomputer on the outskirts of Cheyenne that will be used for climate modeling and other Earth sciences. Research is expected to begin this fall on the new computer,
