Virtual Santa Visits the Children’s Hospital Boston

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Alan Shazan

On Wednesday, the Children’s Hospital Boston held its annual Virtual Santa event, during which some of the sickest children of the city had an opportunity to speak with Santa, who was beamed in from the North Pole. “You kids have been on my ‘nice’ list for a long time,” Santa told them. More than 75 children got to talk to Santa on the video chat, first in the hospital’s play area, and then in the oncology ward for those who could not leave their rooms.

“To have a brief talk with Santa is a magical moment for the kids,” explained Patrick Regan, the enterprise account manager for healthcare at Cisco Systems, the company which provides the video technology and the Santa for the event. “It means the world. We help to heal them, physically and emotionally,” said Kirsten Getchell, a child life specialist at the hospital.

The event is helpful for the staff as well. “You get to see the kids smile when they haven’t smiled all day- and to see them as children, as people, not just as patients,” Getchell said. The experience reminds the staff what they are working for, and helps them from getting discouraged during their work.

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IBM Predictions

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Air-breathing-batteriesThey may seem unrealistic and far-fetched, but IBM predicts that within the next five years, these four technology inventions will have a significant impact on people’s daily lives:

• 3D communication
• Air-breathing batteries
• Personalized commutes
• City-energizing computers

Many companies are working on developing a 3D interface that does not require glasses. This technology will undoubtedly be used in holographic chats and 3D telepresence. Batteries will use air instead of using lithium and iron. If this is indeed a successful enterprise, batteries will be lighter, more effective and at least ten times as strong. It may be difficult to picture, but many researchers are working on ways to eliminate traffic and crowded public transportation. Lastly, experts are working on ways to capture the heat and energy which is emitted on a daily basis in data centers and computer-filled offices. The energy will then be used to do things like heat buildings and power air-conditioning.

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Ignoring the Internet is Not a Good Policy for Advertising

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Alan Shazan

The last election brought into sharp focus the debate about where to best place those precious advertising dollars. According to an article which appeared in Advertising Age entitled “Why Online Advertising Didn’t Matter in the 2010 Elections,” TV is still king if you want to win an election. According to the article, unless you are fund raising for your campaign, the internet is not where to place your bets.

The fact of the matter is that, although at the moment television is still more effective as a way to communicate your message as a candidate, television is undoubtedly in decline as a media outlet. Although voters still watch about 30 hours of TV every week, and own almost 3 TVs per household, on average, reaching voters on TV just ain’t what it used to be. Over 40% of families now own a DVR, which is an 18% increase since 2009. Combined with DISH and DirecTV, representing 33 million families unreachable with local political advertising, reaching the voters is becoming more difficult.

On the other hand the internet is without a doubt on the rise as a source for information for voters. More voters than ever before are using their computers as substitutes for television viewing, and those numbers are only going up. This does not mean that television is dead, but it does mean that the internet cannot be ignored as a vehicle for candidates to get their message out. As the internet continues to grow, so must politicians likewise advertise on that medium if they want to reach the most possible voters.

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Apple Developing Holograph Technology

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Alan Shazan

HologramApple has been working to develop a device which allows viewers to enjoy a 3D image without glasses. The device uses a screen which shows images taken from slightly different angles, resulting in a stereoscopic image which the brain converts into three dimensions.

The primary goal is to create a live-action movie which is entirely holographic. In order to do so, new filmmaking techniques will be required to capture the actors from various angles. The technology will most probably be used with computer displays, particularly the iPad.

Here is the patent excerpt provided by The Telegraph:
An exceptional aspect of the invention is that it can produce viewing experiences that are virtually indistinguishable from viewing a true hologram.
Such a ‘pseudo-holographic’ image is a direct result of the ability to track and respond to observer movements.

By tracking movements of the observer’s eye locations, the left and right 3D sub-images are adjusted in response to the tracked eye movements to produce images that mimic a real hologram.

Therefore, the invention can continuously project a 3D image to the observer that recreates the actual viewing experience that the observer would have when moving in space around and in the vicinity of various virtual objects displayed therein. This is the same experiential viewing effect that is afforded by a hologram.

It allows the observer, for example, to move around a virtual object and to observe multiple sides from different angles.

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Couple Given Second Chance for $800,000 on Fox TV Game Show

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Alan Shazan

A couple on the new Fox game show called “Million dollar Money Drop” were disqualified from winning $800,000 for giving what the show thought was a wrong answer, but it turned out that it was the correct answer.

On the episode which was aired last Monday, the couple, Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayti chose to bet $800,000 that they would know the answer to the question: “Which product was sold first in stores: the Sony Walkman, Post-It Notes or the Macintosh computer?”

The couple was immediately able to rule out the Macintosh, and had to decide between the two remaining choices. After deliberating for a few moments, they decided that Post-It Notes were available in stores before the Walkman.

Due to faulty research on the part of the research department the couple was told they had picked the wrong answer. When the answer was checked later on the internet. It was revealed that the show had the wrong date for the introduction of the Post-It product. According to a statement from the 3M company, who had originally given the show the wrong data, the truth was that, “the product was originally tested for sale in four cities under the name ‘Press ‘N Peel’ in 1977. Then it was sold as ‘Post-its’ in 1979 when the rollout introduction began and it sold nationwide in 1980,” according to the executive producer or the show.

Although the Walkman from Sony also debuted in 1979, the Post-It Notes came out first, making the couple’s answer the correct one.

The show’s executive producer, Jeff Apploff has invited the couple back to the show for another try, releasing the following statement:

“Unfortunately, the information our research department originally obtained from 3M regarding when Post-it notes were first sold was incomplete. As a result of new information we have received from 3M, we feel it is only fair to give our contestants, Gabe and Brittany, another shot to play ‘Million Dollar Money Drop’ even though this question was not the deciding question in their game. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the viewers who brought this to our attention, and we’re thrilled to give Gabe and Brittany the opportunity to return to play the game.”

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“Racetrack Memory” Being Developed

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Alan Shazan

racetrack-memory2IBM’s “racetrack memory” is becoming more and more possible every day. The memory is basically a technology which provides a mobile handset with massive storage space; so much that copies of all of the movies made this year can be stored. IBM Fellow Stuart Parkin has been thinking of this technology since 2004.

The technology is different from a hard drive. Hard drives uses a motor to spin magnetically-charged atoms around, while the new “racetrack memory” uses electric currents to move various electrons up and down a tiny wire. Parkin explained that “it is like a kind of magnetic wave that we’re moving along without having to move the atoms. It would be a million times faster to access the first bit, and use much less energy, and there would be no problem with crashes.”

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Rovi Corp Buys Sonic Solutions

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Rovi Corp is purchasing Sonic Solutions for $720 million in cash and stock. By acquiring the company, which owns the digital video player software DivX, Rovi Corp hopes to become more known in the digital entertainment industry. The deal comes only shortly after Sonic purchased DivX Inc. in June for $323 million. That exchange supported Sonic’s internet-based video delivery products.

The two companies believe that the merge will better enable Hollywood studio clients to sell content in the rapidly-growing digital entertainment industry. Consumers will be able to sort through the content and locate their preference effortlessly. The better service may make them more willing to pay higher prices.

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Fox News Responds to University of Maryland Study

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Alan Shazan

University-of-MarylandMichael Clemente, senior vice president for news at Fox News, responded harshly to the study conducted by the University of Maryland which reported that Fox News viewers are the least informed of any other consumers of news media outlets.

Mr. Clemente issued his statement to Brian Stelter of the New York Times, which reads in part:

“The latest Princeton Review ranked the University of Maryland among the top schools for having ‘Students Who Study the Least’ and being the ‘Best Party School’ – given these fine academic distinctions, we’ll regard the study with the same level of veracity it was ‘researched’ with,” Clemente said.

As if proving the veracity of the U of Maryland Study Stelter retorted,

“For the record, the Princeton Review says the University of Maryland ranks among the ‘Best Northeastern Colleges,” Stelter notes. “It was No. 19 on the Review’s list of ‘Best Party Schools.'”

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NXT Now Called HiWave Technologies

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Alan Shazan

The inventor of flat speakers and haptic touch technology, NXT, has changed its name to HiWave Technologies. The name change echoes the company’s transformation to being a developer and vendor of components and modules that present its Bending Wave Technology.

James Lewis, the company’s CEO explained that “in today’s world of converged consumer electronics and control systems, end-users need to employ all their senses to optimize the experience. Audio cues, voice prompts and tactile feedback each enhance the user’s productivity. Consumers also deserve the best in audio entertainment, and HiWave’s technology enables compelling user-experience at an affordable price.”

HiWave targets markets which require high-quality human interface, such as hand-held computing and telecommunications, computer-centric music, motorized entertainment and control systems, and industrial and home computerization.

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Fox News Viewers Least Informed: Study Shows

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Alan Shazan

Fox-NewsThe University of Maryland recently conducted a study which suggests that viewers of Fox News are the most mis-informed on issues than regular viewers of any other channel. The study found that the general level of trust which viewers have in the news media is low, with 90% of all respondents saying that they believed they had heard incorrect information during the election campaign of 2010.

However, although it is true that consumers of practically every one of the many news sources believed that news media frequently disseminate false information, the study learned that viewers of Fox News were more likely to believe that false information, including the following:
• –Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
• –Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
• –The economy is getting worse (26 points)
• –Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
• –The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
• –Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
• –The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
• –When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
• –And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)
Belief in the above statements increased with increased viewing of Fox News.

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