Technology

Here is a list of Windows 10 Hits and Misses, points which I consider a good point or a area still in need of work.   Right now it is mostly hits.  Over time I will find and post the misses. Hits: The start menu/screen transition is now a smooth and sensible continuum from a mouse friendly start menu to a finger friendly start screen.  If one has a convertible tablet PC like the Surface Pro this matters.  If you have the Surface Pro 3 you have the pen.  When one clicks the button on top in Windows 8.1 it launches one note.  Click twice you get a screen shot…

Researchers have created a new approach that protects animal models against a type of genetic disruption that causes intellectual disability, including serious memory impairments and altered anxiety levels.  The method focuses on treating the effects of mutations to a gene known as Syngap1. Damaging mutations in Syngap1 that reduce the number of functional proteins are one of the most common causes of sporadic intellectual disability and are associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Early estimates suggest that these non-inherited genetic mutations account for two to…

A new device developed by ROX Medical and named the 'Coupler' is a paper clip-sized implant which is inserted between the artery and vein in the upper thigh that has been shown to significantly lower blood pressure among patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure, compared to those treated with usual drug measures.  It can be inserted in a procedure lasting around 40 minutes under local anesthetic.   Queen Mary University researchers led a randomized, blinded endpoint clinical trial with patients from multiple European Centres of Hypertension Excellence - including the…

An analysis of marijuana-related Twitter messages sent during a one-month period in early 2014, shows that the "Twitterverse" is a pot-friendly place. How friendly? 15X as many pro-pot Tweets as anti-pot ones among more than 7 million tweets referenced marijuana. What is the explanation for that? People who don't smoke a lot of pot are likely at work while those sending and receiving pot tweets were under age 25, with many in their teens, a demographic group at increased risk for developing marijuana dependence and other drug-related problems.  "It's a concern because frequent…

From hashtag to the streets. The All-Nite Images, CC BY-SA By Imaani El-Burki, Lehigh University The public response to the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner has been compared to the 1960s civil rights movement. There are many differences between what happened 50 odd years ago and today but one of the biggest is the existence of the Internet. The Internet is often portrayed as a mobilization tool and, as demonstrated during President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, one capable of effective grassroots organizing. However, I would question the true impact of the Internet upon social…

Wine, medicine and movies are two great examples of how the naturalistic fallacy - the old ways are better - retain a vice-like grip on aspects of culture.  The naturalistic fallacy issues of wine tasting and medicine have been well-documented on Science 2.0 and, as anyone who got stuck watching "Crash" or "American Beauty" can tell you, awards and and critical acclaim in films also needs to be replaced with 21st century technology. Researchers at Northwestern University have done just that; they have found that the best predictor of a movie's significance is how often a movie is…

We don't need any more Internet off-switches, thanks. deadhorse, CC BY-NC By Bill Buchanan, Edinburgh Napier University Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that the UK government will look at “switching off” some forms of encryption in order to make society safer from terror attacks. This might make a grand statement but it is impossible to implement and extremely technologically naïve. Encryption is a core part of the Internet; it’s use is increasing every day – Google’s services, including search and email, use encrypted streams, as do Facebook and Twitter and many other widely used…

No one in the United States or foreign governments like that the Obama administration was caught spying on everyone at unprecedented levels - it was always a 'gentleman's agreement' to use some prudence and not get caught. But in response to claims that there should be a better way than bulk collection of signals intelligence,  there just isn't. Not yet in software. But methods can be developed to more effectively conduct targeted collection and to control the usage of collected data, according to a new report from the National Research Council. Automated systems for isolating…

Air Asia Fuselage Found - Photos The fuselage of Air Asia 8501 has been found.  Underwater photos taken by a ROV were posted on Facebook by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, reposted below. Singapore Navy ship locates fuselage of AirAsia QZ8501 >> Chief of Navy RADM Lai Chung Han just informed me that one of SAF’s ships, the MV Swift Rescue, has located the fuselage of the AirAsia plane in the Java Sea. Images taken by the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) show part of the wing and words on the fuselage. We have informed BASARNAS, the Indonesian search authority who can now begin…

A recent study showed that a virtual reality cognitive training game could be a screening tool for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among a sample of older adults. Mild cognitive impairment  is a condition that often predates Alzheimer's disease and is characterized by memory loss and inability to execute complex activities such as financial planning.  Virtual reality game-based applications have been used as cognitive training applications and as measures of cognitive functions, although it has been shown that they can detect MCI only when used in combination with…