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Sunday, March 24, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sergey Brin: Using A Smartphone Is Emasculating - Business Insider
Google founder Sergey Brin did a TED talk on Google Glass, and we're just seeing the video now via Hacker News.
He explained the motivation behind Google Glass saying that he didn't think the best way to interact with people and technology was by staring into a phone.
He also said he thinks there's something emasculating about the smartphone. You're just rubbing this featureless piece of glass. As we noted back in February, it's a weird choice of words since it somehow suggests Google Glass is manly.
Anyway, it's interesting to see Brin talk about the project. He also makes a joke about Yahoo and Bing at the end, saying if you want to find out information on Glass, just search for "If I had Glass" on Yahoo or Bing.
Watch his full talk below.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sergey-brin-using-a-smartphone-is-emasculating-2013-3
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Friday, March 22, 2013
ScienceDaily: Child Development News
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/mind_brain/child_development.xml
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Monday, March 18, 2013
Transistor in the fly antenna: Insect odorant receptors regulate their own sensitivity
Mar. 18, 2013 ? Highly developed antennae containing different types of olfactory receptors allow insects to use minute amounts of odors for orientation towards resources like food, oviposition sites or mates. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have now used mutant flies and for the first time provided experimental proof that the extremely sensitive olfactory system of fruit flies ? they are able to detect a few thousand odor molecules per milliliter of air, whereas humans need hundreds of millions ? is based on self-regulation of odorant receptors.
Even fewer molecules below the response threshold are sufficient to amplify the sensitivity of the receptors, and binding of molecules shortly afterwards triggers the opening of an ion channel that controls the fly's reaction and flight behavior. This means that a below threshold odor stimulation increases the sensitivity of the receptor, and if a second odor pulse arrives within a certain time span, a neural response will be elicited.
Results of the research are published in the online journal PLOS ONE.
A sensitive sense of smell is vital
It is amazing how many fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) find their way to a rotting apple. It is known that insects are able to detect the slightest concentrations of odor molecules, especially pheromones, but also "food signals."
Dieter Wicher, Shannon Olsson, Bill Hansson and their colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology were looking for answers to the question why insects can trace odor molecules so easily and at such low concentrations in comparison to other animals. They focused their attention on odorant receptor proteins in the antenna, the insects' nose. These insect proteins are pretty young from an evolutionary perspective and their molecular constituents may be the basis for the insects' highly sensitive sense of smell.
Receptor system Or22a-Orco
Insect odorant receptors form a receptor system that consists of the actual receptor protein and an ion channel. After binding of an odor molecule, receptor protein and ion channel trigger the neural electrical response. This mechanism was recently described in the receptor system Or22a-Orco (Wicher et al., Nature 452, 2008); Sato et al., Nature 452, 2008). Apart from functioning as so-called ionotropic receptors, which enable ion flow through membranes after binding of odor molecules, odorant receptors also elicit intracellular signals. These stimulate the formation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP or cAMP), which activates an ion flow through the co-receptor Orco. The role and relevance of this weak and slow electrical current, however, was until now unclear.
Drosophila mutant Orco mut
Merid N. Getahun, a PhD student from Ethiopia, and his colleagues have conducted numerous experiments on Drosophila olfactory neurons. They injected tiny amounts of compounds that stimulate, inhibit or imitate cAMP formation directly into the sensory hairs housing olfactory sensory neurons on the fly antenna. The researchers tested the flies' responses to ethyl butyrate, which has a fruity odor similar to pineapple, and measured activity in the sensory neurons by using glass microelectrodes. As a control, they used genetically modified fruit flies where the co-receptor Orco had been inactivated. "The fact that these mutants are no more able to respond to cAMP or the inhibition/activation of the involved key enzymes, such as protein kinase C and phospholipase C, shows that the highly sensitive olfactory system in insects is regulated intracellularly by their own odorant receptors," says Dieter Wicher, the leader of the research group. The combination of odorant receptor and co-receptor Orco can be compared to a transistor, Wicher continues: A weak basic current is sufficient to release the main electric current that activates the neuron. The process can also be seen as a short-term memory situated in the insect nose. A very weak stimulus does not elicit a response when it first occurs, but if it reoccurs within a certain time span it will release the electrical response according to the principle "one time is no time, but two is a bunch." [JWK/AO]
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Merid N. Getahun, Shannon B. Olsson, Sofia Lavista-Llanos, Bill S. Hansson, Dieter Wicher. Insect Odorant Response Sensitivity Is Tuned by Metabotropically Autoregulated Olfactory Receptors. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e58889 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058889
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/v7OmrLYkyp0/130318132635.htm
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
DoubleTwist launches Magic Radio streaming service, we go hands on
doubleTwist needs little introduction really. Charting over 10 million downloads from the Google Play Store, it's without question one of the finest and most popular music players available on the Android platform. The ability to interact with Apple's iTunes and Airplay services provides a path many iTunes users rely upon to manage their music on their Android device with minimal fuss. Besides the iTunes integration, doubleTwist also offers -- albeit via in-app purchases -- a range of add-ons such as full podcast support, an equalizer and high quality artwork.
Today, doubleTwist launches their latest add-on package, Magic Radio, their answer to a music streaming service. Subscriptions to Magic Radio cost just $3.99 per month through Google Wallet and come with a 7 day free trial, so you get a good chance to put it through its paces before committing your money. But, the music streaming space already has some heavy hitters with the like of Sony, Spotify and Rdio all having their own offerings. Does Magic Radio have enough to provide a compelling experience? We've been playing with it for a few days now, and the tl;dr version is this; It's really good. Well designed, well executed and pretty good value for money. However, the Magic Radio approach may not be for everyone. So, click on past the break and we'll take a look.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/OEfx9Z_hwnc/story01.htm
Monday, March 4, 2013
Egypt's army intervenes in Port Said clashes
FILE - In this Saturday, June 2, 2012 file photo, Egypt's former President, Hosni Mubarak, lays on a gurney inside a barred cage in the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's state news agency, MEAN, announced Sunday that the retrial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak on charges related to the killings of protesters during the uprising against him will begin April 13. MEAN said Sunday six security officials will also be tried and that Mubarak's two sons and a business associate will be retried on corruption charges. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, June 2, 2012 file photo, Egypt's former President, Hosni Mubarak, lays on a gurney inside a barred cage in the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's state news agency, MEAN, announced Sunday that the retrial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak on charges related to the killings of protesters during the uprising against him will begin April 13. MEAN said Sunday six security officials will also be tried and that Mubarak's two sons and a business associate will be retried on corruption charges. (AP Photo, File)
An Egyptian activist holds a piece of paper with Arabic that reads, ?down with the Muslim Brotherhood, down with Morsi,? in a tent in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the Egyptian revolution, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Security forces re-opened Tahrir Square removing barbed wire across the entrances to allow traffic to flow normally for the first time in months. Protesters have held a sit-in in the square since Nov. 22, 2013 after President Morsi issued a controversial constitutional declaration that rendered his decisions above judicial supervision. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Vehicles pass through Tahrir Square, the focal point of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, for the first time in months, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Security forces re-opened Tahrir Square removing barbed wire across the entrances to allow traffic to flow normally. Protesters have held a sit-in in the square since Nov. 22, 2013 after President Morsi issued a controversial constitutional declaration that rendered his decisions above judicial supervision. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011 file photo, the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sits during his meeting with Emirates foreign minister, not pictured, at the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's state news agency, MENA, announced Sunday that the retrial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak on charges related to the killings of protesters during the uprising against him will begin April 13. MENA said Sunday six security officials will also be tried and that Mubarak's two sons and a business associate will be retried on corruption charges. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
Egyptians walk next to protester's empty tents in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Security forces re-opened Tahrir Square removing barbed wire across the entrances to allow traffic to flow normally for the first time in months. Protesters have held a sit-in in the square since Nov. 22, 2013 after President Morsi issued a controversial constitutional declaration that rendered his decisions above judicial supervision. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
PORT SAID, Egypt (AP) ? The military intervened in clashes between thousands of protesters and police in a restive Egyptian canal city on Sunday, the latest in a cycle of violence that killed two security members and two civilians, and which continues to rock Egypt two years after the uprising that ousted longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.
Also on Sunday, a court ruled that Mubarak will face a new trial next month on charges related to the killings of hundreds of protesters during the revolution that forced him from power.
Around 5,000 protesters threw rocks and firebombs at police in Port Said late Sunday, the scene of a civil strike now in its second week. Riot police responded with tear gas and bird shot in street battles that lasted for hours.
The battle outside the police and government buildings started early Sunday and continued until past midnight. At one point, Egyptian soldiers intervened by forming a line between the two sides, as protesters climbed the tanks chanting support for the country's armed forces that, unlike the police, have not cracked down on rioters in the city. "The people and the army are one hand!" the demonstrators shouted, urging the soldiers to side with them.
Late on Sunday, the military spokesman denied that soldiers were firing at the police in a short statement indicating the tense situation.
"The armed forces personnel are on the scene to protect the government building and to separate the protesters and the interior ministry force," military spokesman Ahmed Mohammed Ali said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
Health official Helmy el-Afani said 325 people were injured in the clashes. Most suffered tear gas inhalation while others were wounded by bird shot. The Interior Ministry said one policeman was killed by gunfire, and one soldier and at least 10 policemen were wounded. A medical official in Port Said later said one of the policemen died of his gunshot wounds and two civilians were killed but the cause of their deaths was not immediately clear. He was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Many residents of Port Said are demanding retribution for what they claim was excessive police force that led to the deaths of more than 40 civilians in late January. Most were killed during what the security forces said was an attempt by some to storm a prison there.
The embattled Interior Ministry, which oversees Egypt's police force, was unable to contain the anger in the city at the time and the president leaned on the military to protect key installations and buildings. Sunday was the first time the army intervened between police and protesters in Port Said since the military was put in charge of securing the city in late January. The police had all but disappeared since.
Protests swept the city Jan. 26 after a Cairo court issued death sentences against 21 people, most from Port Said, for their part in Egypt's deadliest soccer riot in February 2012.
The latest street battles broke out when word emerged that 39 defendants in the case had been transferred to prisons outside the city. A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the case, said the transfer was necessary to ensure calm before a March 9 court hearing that is expected to issue new verdicts for police officers and other Port Said defendants also charged in connection with the soccer incident.
In Cairo, die-hard soccer fans of the Al-Ahly club, known as the Ultras, are also gearing up for the March 9 verdict. They staged protests around the capital on Sunday that blocked traffic going to the airport, and closed off an area around the central bank.
Most of those killed in the Port Said stadium were Al-Ahly Ultras fans, and the group is pressing for retribution from Port Said soccer fans as well as security officials.
In Cairo, police briefly cleared protesters from Tahrir Square ? once the epicenter of protests against Mubarak. The demonstrators, who have held a sit-in there for the past three months, returned soon after, burning two police vehicles near the famed Egyptian Museum. By nightfall, a handful protesters and riot police continued to clash along a major street near the square.
Amid the tension, President Mohammed Morsi met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Cairo for more than two hours on Sunday, a day after the top American diplomat met six opposition figures out of 11 who were invited. The other five declined to meet Kerry because of Washington's insistence that all Egyptians take part in next month's elections.
Morsi and his government argue that parliamentary elections will help put the country on the right track, enabling him and the legislature to tackle a deteriorating economy.
But the opposition argues that elections are likely to inflame the already tense atmosphere and have called for a boycott of the vote. The mostly liberal and secular opposition accuses the Islamist president of failing to seek consensus over critical issues, such as the drafting of the constitution and the elections law. Morsi opponents accuse him of working to empower his Muslim Brotherhood and ensuring its lock on power.
Meanwhile, the opposition has threatened to escalate its anti-government street campaign and organize its boycott of the elections.
The retrial of Mubarak, beginning April 13, is likely to intensify the tense political atmosphere in Egypt. It is due to start about a week before the beginning of parliamentary elections.
Many Egyptians want to see a conviction against Mubarak that leads to a death sentence for the former autocrat for his role in the crackdown that killed nearly 900 people during the 2011 uprising against his regime. Mubarak, 84, has been in detention since April 2011 and is currently being held in a military hospital.
He and his former interior minister were each sentenced in June to life in prison for failing to prevent the killing of demonstrators during the 18-day uprising that ended his 29-year rule. In January, an appeals court overturned the sentences and ordered a retrial, raising public anger over what was seen as a shoddy prosecution in the first case.
Morsi promised during his election campaign that he would put former regime officials back on trial if new evidence was discovered.
The proceedings in Mubarak's retrial could help resolve unanswered questions over who ordered the crackdown and who executed it. Nearly all security officials were acquitted in separate trials related to the deaths of protesters.
In January, the appeals court ruled that during Mubarak's first trial, the prosecution's case lacked concrete evidence and failed to prove the protesters were killed by the police, indirectly giving credence to the testimony of top Mubarak-era officials that "foreigners" and others were behind the killings between Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, 2011.
Authors of a recently concluded confidential report by a fact-finding mission appointed by Morsi told reporters that they have established the use of deadly firearms by the police against protesters.
Judge Samir Aboul-Maati said the retrial before a criminal court will include six other senior security officials who were acquitted in the first trial.
Mubarak's two sons and a business associate also will be retried on corruption charges. The sons, onetime heir apparent Gamal and wealthy businessman Alaa, are in jail while on trial for insider trading and using their influence to buy state land at a fraction of its market value. Their business associate, Hussein Salem, was tried in absentia. He is currently in Spain.
___
El Deeb and Associated Press Writer Aya Batrawy contributed reporting from Cairo.
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