July 11, 2006, 10:49 PM CT

Japan to open robot museum!

Japan's first bot museum is set to open this October in a refurbished auto showroom in Nagoya, of all places.

Once cleansed of cars and sales staff ("Nice robot here, one owner only!"), the site will become home to cast-off bots from the 2005 Aichi Expo and their industrial brethren. The 2,600-square-meter museum will also feature a shop and a cafe set in a "near future" environment where humans and robots coexist peacefully. The entry fee hasn't been fixed yet. ........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

July 11, 2006, 7:55 PM CT

MoGo Mouse Highlights

See what the MoGo Mouse looks like and get a feeling on how I like it with this Experience Mobility Preview Video.

The limitations of YouTube for video length (maximum of 10 minutes) only give me a few minutes to demonstrate and show you some of the unique characteristics of this device. But I think you will see how cool it is as well as how it will help you to Experience Mobility at a higher level.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 11, 2006, 7:35 PM CT

Steam Power To The Digital Revolution

In a field near Sandwich in Kent, Alan Gibbs, a local model maker, is firing up his steam engine. Its chimney is coughing out irritated little clouds of smuts and its pistons are bobbing up and down.

At a table, curator Rob Tufnell is using an Apple Mac powered by the engine. For this is the Steam Powered Internet Machine: the latest deeply eccentric project from Turner-prizewinning artist Jeremy Deller and his collaborator Alan Kane. "We were thinking about something that connects the industrial revolution and the digital revolution," said Deller. Kane added: "They are worlds apart but there's also a proximity. The steam age and the digital age are not so far apart".........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

July 11, 2006, 6:57 PM CT

Portable Finger-size Mouse

LG International is introducing its new portable finger mouse 'FINGER'. Top button works for the left button of a regular mouse while rear part works for the right button of the regular mouse. A wheel at the right side is used to scroll.

Does it look very comfortable to use?........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 11, 2006, 7:34 AM CT

DPP-FP35 Compact Photo Printer

Not to let Canon Selphy CP510 steal all thunder, Sony Korea has launched the DPP-FP35 portable compact photo printer boasting a print resolution of 300×300dpi.

This photo printer supports Supercoat 2, AutoFine 3, and Exif print functions and hardly takes a minute to print a postcard-sized photograph. It also features PictBridge that helps you print a photo directly from camera without the need for a PC.

Moreover, it will not put you out of the budget since DPP-FP35 comes for a reasonable price of $104 and that is a sound factor to buy one.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

July 7, 2006, 7:19 AM CT

Large Quantum Computers

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and built a novel electromagnetic trap for ions that could be easily mass produced to potentially make quantum computers large enough for practical use. The new trap, described in the June 30 issue of Physical Review Letters,* may help scientists surmount what is currently the most significant barrier to building a working quantum computer--scaling up components and processes that have been successfully demonstrated individually.

Quantum computers would exploit the unusual behavior of the smallest particles of matter and light. Their theoretical ability to perform vast numbers of operations simultaneously has the potential to solve certain problems, such as breaking data encryption codes or searching large databases, far faster than conventional computers. Ions (electrically charged atoms) are promising candidates for use as quantum bits (qubits) in quantum computers. The NIST team, one of 18 research groups worldwide experimenting with ion qubits, previously has demonstrated at a rudimentary level all the basic building blocks for a quantum computer, including key processes such as error correction, and also has proposed a large-scale architecture.

The new NIST trap is the first functional ion trap in which all electrodes are arranged in one horizontal layer, a "chip-like" geometry that is much easier to manufacture than previous ion traps with two or three layers of electrodes. The new trap, which has gold electrodes that confine ions about 40 micrometers above the electrodes, was constructed using standard microfabrication techniques.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

July 7, 2006, 6:49 AM CT

Established Ebay Sellers Get Higher Prices

EBay sellers with established reputations can expect about 8 percent more revenue than new sellers marketing the same goods, a new University of Michigan study shows.

"People with good reputations are rewarded and people with no reputations are not trusted as well as people who have established reputations," said Paul Resnick, professor in the U-M School of Information and the study's principal author.

The study is the first known randomized controlled look at the value of eBay reputations in the natural setting of actual eBay auctions. The findings showed that eBay's feedback system-the cornerstone of the online auction site-works as it should, by rewarding sellers who have more positive feedback.

The study, "The Value of Reputation on eBay: A Controlled Experiment," is available online in the journal Experimental Economics. It was co-written by Resnick, Richard Zeckhauser of Harvard University, graduate student Kate Lockwood and eBay seller John Swanson.

Surprisingly, the scientists found that one or two negative feedbacks did not hurt new sellers, but it remains unclear why buyers are willing to cut new sellers with negative feedback a little slack.

They offer several explanations, but Resnick said it's likely that buyers are leery of new sellers no matter what the feedback.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

July 7, 2006, 6:46 AM CT

Computer Poker Program Sets Its Own Strategy

A Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist has demonstrated that you don't necessarily need to know much about poker to create a computer program that can play a winning hand of Texas Hold'Em. A knowledge of game theory, not the specialized expertise of a human poker player, is at the heart of the poker robot called GS1 developed by Tuomas Sandholm, director of Carnegie Mellon's Agent-Mediated Electronic Marketplaces Lab, and graduate student Andrew Gilpin.

Though still not the equal of the best human players, GS1 outperformed the two leading "pokerbots" in playing heads-up, limit Texas Hold'Em in tests at Carnegie Mellon earlier this year. Both of GS1's opponents were commercially available programs that, like other pokerbots, incorporate the expertise of human poker players. GS1, by contrast, develops its strategy after performing an automated analysis of poker rules.

Sandholm and Gilpin have since developed an improved version of their game-theory-based program, called GS2, which will compete in the American Association for Artificial Intelligence's first Computer Poker Competition during the 21st National Conference on Artificial Intelligence July 16-20 in Boston.

Much as computer chess was an early test of artificial intelligence (AI), computer poker has emerged as an even greater AI challenge. "Poker is a very complex game," said Sandholm, a professor of computer science in Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. "Computer poker programs really require sophisticated technology."........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

July 5, 2006, 8:40 AM CT

Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010

Fujitsu-Siemens notebooks are generally known for their solid build and plain design. They never lean too far from the "regular notebook appearance". So the Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010, a stunning piece of technology, is way beyond the usual Fujitsu design guidelines. The Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook Q2010 is probably one of the lightest and most expensive sub-notebooks on the market. This one's an eye catcher -- a gem even.

And Fujitsu is treating and speaking about the Q2010 in terms of a gem. They say that it is the "world's most desirable laptop". This notebook is designed and meant for people who travel a lot, and for those that want to stand out from the crowd when doing so. It's pure style and a begs to be looked at. And what does the "Q" mean? Q could mean Quality, but definitely not Quantity of mass or size.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

June 30, 2006, 9:59 AM CT

Illuminated Mousepad With 4 USB Ports

Though, we have earlier told you about mousepad with built-in multi color LED light system, but, this Illuminated Mousepad featured here has more to it than Blue LEDs.

The mousepad features 4 high-speed USB ports located at the back of the mousepad. So, now you don't need to make a fuss over the shortage of USB ports to plug-in four of your favorite USB gadgets into it. The 4-Port USB Hub Mousepad sells for $26.99 at ThinkGeek.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source