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POPSPentagon plans microchips for soldiers brains. Like with 'IBM Verichip' this seems to be an attempt to introduce 'Organic Tracking Cookies'. All they have to do is convince people they are safe, or introduce them in a way that will not bother people (Like when they are unconscious, or offline) Soldiers, maybe, but when they talk about injecting them into trauma victims, they don't mention any approval by patients. Will it be left to the discretion of the treating physician ? Will they be obliged to tell the patient ? Will they consider the ignorance of the patient to be in the best interests of the patient, and the health system. Not long ago these might have seemed stupid questions "What is there to doubt" Surely we can trust the pentagon.They won't need an electoral roll, they'll have a catalog. Whoever gets the contract is going to make a fortune.
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POPSone step closer to building artificial human brain Markram believes that with the state of technology today, it is possible to build an entire rat's neocortex, which is the next phase of the Blue Brain project, due to begin next year. From there, it's cats, then monkeys and finally, a human brain. Markram is banking on Moore's law holding steady, as a computer with the power of the human brain, using today's technology, would take up several football pitches and run up an electricity bill of $3bn a year. But by the time Markram gets around to mimicking a full human brain, computing will have moved on.
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POPSIntelligent Computers Put To The Test It could also raise profound questions about whether a computer has the potential to be 'conscious' - and if humans should have the 'right' to switch it off. >>> I haven't seen humans having too much problem in 'shutting off' each other. What does it say about consciousness ?
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POPSClassic Underestimates of Technology All these statements prove only one thing--that accurately predicting future technology is next to impossible. In other words, backward and forward time travel, which is one of my undying fantasies since childhood, is still possible. I just have to stay healthy (very) long enough to see it happen. Now, that may not be possible....
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POPSIBM Is Working on DNA-Based processors This new goal is an addition to the research on the "DNA origami," conducted by Paul Rothemund of California Institute of Technology. Currently, more and more researchers are turning to DNA in search of an older goal, the "self-assembly". The advantages of building semiconductors based on DNA and nanotubes are especially concerning the chips' size, given the fact that DNA can work at a 2-nanometer scale. Imagine a chip built at two-nanometer node, then compare it to a state-of-the-art processor built with the 45-nanometer production node.
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POPSCuil: Search engine to ravel Google Launches For one, Cuil has an impressive pedigree with its three founders: Tom Costello of IBM's WebFountain project, plus Anna Patterson and Russell Power of Google's TeraGoogle project, Google's massive search index. Cuil also counts former AltaVista founder Louis Monier -- who later went to eBay and then Google -- as part of the team. These people know search. In particular, they know on-the-firing line, heavy duty, industrial strength search. Not only that, they're unleashing what appears to be a comprehensive service that anyone can use. Indeed, Google already did a blog post in reaction to Cuil and its size claims on Friday, before Cuil even launched or those claims became public. If Google's paying that much attention, then anyone should.
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POPSLogo Can Make You 'Think Different' >> “These experiments demonstrate that most any brand that has strong associations with particular traits could have the capacity to influence how we act,” Chartrand said. Consumers should be aware that they are susceptible to influences they may not detect and use this knowledge to their advantage. “If you know you need to perform well on some task, say something athletic, you may want to surround yourself with images and brand logos that represent success in athletics.” <<
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POPS Forget about forgetfulness- "Pensieve" ,new high-tech , help you remember...:-) "Pensieve, a new application from IBM. The software interacts with one's cell phone and computer by linking information collected throughout the course of the day -- photos, notes, maps, documents -- and automatically cross-associating it, recreating the noteworthy events of a day for later playback. Of course, it does require the user to remember to take notes in the first place."
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POPSMachines will revolutionize education These education machines will also become the home of future artificial intelligence that will complement the teacher’s ability, guiding students through course work, supplementing the teacher’s knowledge and answering simple queries to liberate teachers to concentrate on individuals without the rest of the class sitting idle. To a larger degree than ever before, students will explore information and educate themselves, calling on teachers when they need extra help or special insight. Computers have infinite patience and time and can easily adapt to the skill and knowledge level of individual children without making them feel backward. Children will fearlessly ask questions of a computer that they wouldn’t dare ask in front of their classmates.
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POPSThe Greatest Gadgets of All Time Gadget Lab asked people to submit entries and vote for what they think is the 'Greatest Gadget of All Time' . The ancestors of whatever we have today win of course. ;) The tiny numbers that appear in different places in the clip are the votes given to each gadget. Numbers to the left are "up" votes; right are "down" votes. More gadgets at the site.
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POPSMicroft Says Open Source Is Illegal! MS can have OpenOffice and Firefox when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers. I hate MS almost as much as I do the Yankees. And that's a lotta hate considering I'm a Sox fan.
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POPSRoo Reynolds, Metaverse Evangelist I like job titles that make you do a double-take. I recently spotted this in the Beeb online. These types of articles are becoming more common; I can't imagine it's too long before the novelty wears off and they become ubiquitously meshed yet valuable, like what Steve Jobs thinks of Levi jeans. ;) From an insider perspective (I work for Linden Lab), I should note how dapper Roo aka Algernon looks, and how unique his head is shaped: you'll often not find prominent eyebrows like that in Second Life, especially paired with big blue eyes and a teardrop-shaped head not unlike that of a classic Gray alien. Lots of room for avatar customization, that's for sure.