Time reversal in the real world
If time went backwards life would look like a video recording played in reverse - or would it? New findings demonstrate that this common assumption may not hold true. Experiments showing for the first time that time is not symmetrical are explained today by Dr John Fry from the University of Liverpool at the British Association Festival of... view more... (2000-09-04)
Voice-controlled electronics
Not only older and disabled people have trouble coping with the blessings of modern information technology. A lot of users have at some point ultimately faced exasperation in trying to understand printed user instructions for computers or answering machines, although the situation has meanwhile somewhat improved: Integrated electronic handbooks -... view more... (2002-09-20)
The cradle of golf not in Scotland
Until the beginning of the British Open, everything had been just fine for the unsuspecting Scots who had always considered themselves the inventors of golf. But now Dr Heiner Gillmeister, English language lecturer and sports historian at the University of Bonn, in an article published in the prestigious London The International Journal of the... view more... (2002-07-19)
More than meets the eye
Ever watch a jittery video made with a hand-held camera that made you almost ill? With our eyes constantly darting back and forth and our body hardly ever holding still, that is exactly what our brain is faced with. Yet despite the shaky video stream, we usually perceive our environment as perfectly stable. view more (2006-10-09)
UC San Diego computer scientist turns his face into a remote control
A computer science Ph.D. student can turn his face into a remote control that speeds and slows video playback. The proof-of-concept demonstration is part of a larger project to use automated facial expression recognition to make robots more effective teachers. view more (2008-06-25)
New laryngoscope could make difficult intubations easier
A new tool developed by a Medical College of Georgia resident and faculty member may make it easier to place assisted breathing devices under difficult circumstances. view more (2009-10-16)
Virtual world offers new locale for problem solving
Second Life, a virtual world created in 2003, currently boasts more than 12 million users worldwide who go there for everything from college recruiting to shopping. Now, Penn State researchers are investigating how virtual teams can better solve real world problems by collaborating in Second Life. view more (2008-09-30)
A Trusting Boss is a Successful Boss
'Everyone only does as much as they absolutely have to,' is a key tenet of Economics. However, a new study by the University of Bonn proves the exact opposite: most people do more than they have to - unless they are being supervised. If they are, motivation and efficiency nosedive. view more (2005-04-18)
Consumers with Health Insurance Are Willing to Help Cover Costs for Uninsured People
The subject of universal healthcare is always a hot topic but never more so than in an election year. A recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine may have the answer to the question - Will those who currently have health insurance be willing to sacrifice in order to insure the millions of people who do not? The findings suggest that... view more... (2004-09-08)
The digital face
Computer-generated characters are becoming ever more realistic. But technologists have found that the key to building a believable digital face is not to be found in the face itself. Rather, it is in how that face responds to the presence of others. Peter Molyneux is Managing Director of Lionhead Studios in Surrey. His computer game `Black and... view more... (2002-01-05)
Phoning home quietly could net sound engineers £50,000
Telling the whole carriage which train you're on could be a thing of the past thanks to new 3D audio technology targeted for incorporation into the next generation of mobile phones. The engineers who may have saved travellers from each other's small talk are now in line for Britain's biggest engineering prize, the Royal Academy of Engineering... view more... (2001-07-03)
Fears learned by observing others are similar to those learned from direct experience
Humans acquire fears using similar neural processes whether they've personally experienced an aversive event or only witnessed it, according to a study by researchers at New York University's Departments of Psychology. view more (2007-03-16)
First Personalised UMTS Services Tested
The first prototype of personalised UMTS Services was tested on the TU Delft campus. A number of congress visitors and a group of students were able to use UMTS and GPS to find their way to a lecture or restaurant, contact other visitors, get a tour of the campus, play a game together or watch a movie clip on internet. Both groups reacted... view more... (2004-01-15)
University of Western Ontario cameras capture 'fireball'
For the second time this year, The University of Western Ontario Meteor Group has captured incredibly rare video footage of a meteor falling to Earth. The team of astronomers suspects the fireball dropped meteorites in a region north of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, that may total as much as a few hundred grams in mass. view more (2008-10-27)
Monkeys' ability to reflect on their thoughts may have implications for infants, autistic children
New research from Columbia's Primate Cognition Laboratory has demonstrated for the first time that monkeys could acquire meta-cognitive skills: the ability to reflect about their thoughts and to assess their performance. view more (2007-04-23)
Science teachers compete for ocean research cruise prize
Southampton Oceanography Centre is inviting science and geography teachers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to compete for an all expenses paid fortnight aboard a marine research cruise to Portugal. The winning teachers will be asked to send back reports and video messages to classrooms across the country via an interactive website - the... view more... (2003-04-02)
Pioneering Video Link Signals Way For Future Communications Between Deaf Community And Health Providers
The Leicester Centre for Deaf People, supported by funding from Leicestershire Health Authority, has launched a groundbreaking video communications initiative to provide a round-the-clock remote sign language interpretation service which will drastically improve communication between healthcare providers and the deaf community. Part of the... view more... (2002-01-16)
Why not mashed paper towels on the Thanksgiving menu?
Why do people eat mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day but not mashed paper towels? That's not such an odd question from a chemistry standpoint because potato and paper are almost as similar as two peas in a pod in terms of the carbohydrates they contain. view more (2009-11-24)
Swimming pool game inspires robot detection
Scientists have used a popular kids swimming pool game to guide their development of a system for controlling moving robots that can autonomously detect and capture other moving targets. view more (2009-03-19)
Watching the radio
The days are over when all that radio listeners could expect were words and music. At the International Audio and Video Fair (IFA) in Berlin, researchers from the Applied Electronics Department of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS presented multimedia radio. It is able to transmit small-sized moving pictures as well as sound.... view more... (1999-09-03)
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