Shops and restaurants in the US have joined a coalition against the abuse of patents. The group says patent trolls are now targeting businesses that aren’t even involved in the relevant technologies. The Stop Bad Patents campaign, run by a group called the Internet Association, gives the example of somebody claiming to have a patent […]
Skype has confirmed rumors it has been working on 3D video conferencing. But the company says it could take many years’ work before it becomes viable. Speaking to the BBC, Skype chief (and Microsoft vice-president) Mark Gillett said the company had indeed been carrying out lab work to explore 3D calls, something he said was […]
A British man has brought together two forms of communication technologies, making a tickertape machine that can print tweets. Tickertape machines were used in the late 19th century to transfer stock prices over telegraph lines, printing them out on paper tape at the destination. In effect they were simply Morse code machines that printed out […]
The definition of a second could get even more precise thanks to a new model of atomic clock. The advance has been made by changing the element used for the timekeeping. An atomic clock uses the same principle as a pendulum in a physical clock, just on a tiny scale. It measures the signal emitted […]
A website specializing in legal news relating to open source software says it will cease activity because of the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. Pamela Jones, who runs Groklaw, says it’s no longer possible to guarantee confidentiality to sources. The site covered many of the patent and other legal cases relating to technology including battles […]
If you’re tired of arguing with a partner about who gets to watch TV and who’s banished to a spare room or a small-screen device, Samsung has an (expensive) answer. The company’s new $9,000 TV has a “Multiview” feature that allows two people to watch different programs at the same time. Samsung’s David Das (or […]
Facebook has bought out the developer of an automated voice recognition and translation app. Though plans haven’t been officially announced, it seems likely Facebook will use the technology to bring together users who speak different languages. The purchase is of Pittsburg firm Mobile Technologies, which offers an app called Jibbigo, available on iOS and Android. […]
Researchers from the University of Essex have been collaborating with some United States researchers — especially those at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory — to develop “brain-computer interface” (BCI) technology, “which allows two people to steer a virtual spacecraft using only their brain power, via electroencephalography (EEG).” To start, they have been working on a BCI mouse […]
Lima, Peru, and its nearby villages do not have much potable water. Despite humidity at 98%, rainfall is nearly 0%. But by implementing SCIENCE, the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Peru created a BILLBOARD THAT MAKES USABLE WATER. http://utec.edu.pe/utec.html [via Upworthy]
Nerdist was — natch — part of YouTube’s Geek Week that ran from August 4-10. As part of its programming, Nerdist premiered the first installment of its “Doctor Who TARDIS In Orbit Project,” that features Robert Doyle and his daughter Alex and their fully-funded (nearly three times over!!!) Kickstarter project: Launching a small TARDIS into […]