The Zephyr-6, as it is known, stayed aloft for more than three days, running through the night on batteries it had recharged in sunlight.
It was demonstrated for the
They could also be used to relay battlefield communications.
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Online shopping is always dangerous, unless otherwise you protect your identities. The information, personal, professional and financial what you give online to shop, join as member to any website, online clubs etc... is being stolen by someone and used against you without your knowledge.
It is not necessarily to be a professional hacker to steal your identities which is stored online, a simple insider from the particular company can access the database and collect as many information as he could.
There a few companies gives you protection against identity fraud, one of them is Shop Shield, read the full story here
Geolocation method leverages power of Flickr image collection
PITTSBURGH�Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have devised the first computerized method that can analyze a single photograph and determine where in the world the image likely was taken. It's a feat made possible by searching through millions of GPS-tagged images in the Flickr online photo collection.
The IM2GPS algorithm developed by computer science graduate student James Hays and Alexei A. Efros, assistant professor of computer science and robotics, doesn't attempt to scan a photo for location clues, such as types of clothing, the language on street signs, or specific types of vegetation, as a person might do. Rather, it analyzes the composition of the photo, notes how textures and colors are distributed and records the number and orientation of lines in the photo. It then searches Flickr for photos that are similar in appearance.
"We're not asking the computer to tell us what is depicted in the photo but to find other photos that look like it," Efros said. "It was surprising to us how effective this approach proved to be. Who would have guessed that similarity in overall image appearance would correlate to geographic proximity so well?"
Hays and Efros found they could accurately geolocate the images within 200 kilometers for 16 percent of more than 200 photos in their test set � up to 30 times better than chance. And even if their algorithm failed to identify the specific location, they often found that it could narrow the possibilities, such as by identifying the locale as a beach or a desert.
"It seems there's not as much ambiguity in the visual world as you might guess," said Hays, who will present the research at the IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition June 24-26 in Anchorage, Alaska. "Estimating geographic information from images is a difficult, but very much a doable, computer vision problem."
Identifying the locale of a photo could enhance image search techniques, making them less dependent on captions or associated text. A computer system for geolocating photos could be useful in finding family photos from a specific trip and in some forensic applications. Determining the location of photos also makes it possible to combine them with geographic data bases related to climate, population density, vegetation, topography and land use.
Knowing the locale also can aid in such computer vision tasks as object identification, Hays said. If a computer recognizes that a photo likely was taken in Japan, for instance, the computer will have a better idea of what a taxicab should look like.
Hays said many online photos have some sort of geographic label, but these human descriptions can often be incorrect, or overly broad, such as a photo of the Grand Canyon labeled "U.S." The growing number of online photos that have GPS tags, by contrast, are unambiguous regarding their location, even though many are photos of rooms, people or events such as birthday parties that are useless for geolocation tasks. By using photos with both geographic keywords and GPS coordinates, Hays and Efros were able to find more than six million photos that were useful and accurately geolocated.
The IM2GPS algorithm readily located photographs of such landmarks as the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. More surprisingly, it was able to recognize that a narrow street in Barcelona was typical of Mediterranean villages, rather than an American alleyway.
But some odd matches also occurred. The architecturally unique Sydney Opera House seemed to the computer to be similar to a hotel in Mississippi as well as a bridge in London. A shot of the Eiffel Tower at dusk was matched to other Eiffel Tower shots, but also to San Francisco's Coit Tower and New York's Statue of Liberty, both shot at dusk.
One reason for this confusion, Hays explained, is that the algorithm is not designed to recognize specific objects so much as it is to recognize geographic areas. For instance, an image of Utah's Monument Valley caused the IM2GPS algorithm to successfully retrieve a number of other images from Monument Valley and the American Southwest, rather than images of a specific rock formation.
Source: EurekAlert!
Microsoft Introduces Limited-Edition Zune Player Designed by Peter Saville to Commemorate Release of ‘Joy Division’ Documentary
Five hundred 80GB digital media players to come pre-loaded with critically acclaimed film.
Microsoft Corp. announced that a limited-edition Zune digital media player designed by Peter 
Saville will be made available to commemorate the DVD release of “Joy Division,” the critically acclaimed documentary. The film will come pre-loaded on a custom black Zune 80 player that is etched with an adaptation of Saville’s iconic artwork from Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures” album. Five hundred limited-edition players will be available for purchase June 17 for $399.99 through http://www.zune.net/joydivision/zuneoriginals and http://www.zuneoriginals.net/. In addition, Zune Marketplace will feature exclusive outtakes from the DVD.
“Joy Division” chronicles the story of the seminal post-punk band via firsthand accounts from the surviving band members and those who worked closely with them during their brief but highly influential existence.
“Partnering with Zune gives us a unique platform to tell the story of an iconic band and present something special to their fans,” said Tom Atencio, the film’s co-producer. “It also opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities regarding innovative promotion and distribution methods for independent films.”
The DVD release of “Joy Division” is also set for a June 17 release through Genius Products and The Weinstein Company, and has been widely praised for highlighting the enduring influence of the Manchester quartet while poignantly conveying the story of their brief career. The film was directed by Grant Gee, director of “Meeting People Is Easy” and “Demon Days.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to create a customized product in conjunction with an important project like the ‘Joy Division’ film,” said Richard Winn, director of Entertainment Development for Zune. “Building innovative consumer experiences around music and providing a platform to showcase the work of artists is what Zune is all about.”
“We are happy to be involved in this innovative alliance with Zune, and we’re honored that Zune chose our film ‘Joy Division’ for its limited-edition player,” said Barry Gordon, executive vice president of Home Entertainment at The Weinstein Company.
The world’s most advanced player piano just took an evolutionary leap forward. The Yamaha Disklavier, the piano that can play itself, teach you to play melodies and perform in sync with many of your favorite CDs, is now available in the all-new Mark IV series, which continues Yamaha’s 20-year tradition of performance reproducing player piano innovation with a range of 21st-century twists.
The Mark IV series takes the Disklavier’s remote control functions to the next level: all Mark IV models include the PDA-type Pocket Remote Controller, a wireless remote with dedicated buttons and a full-color LCD touch screen. In addition to the Pocket Remote, select models also feature the tablet-PC type Tablet Remote Controller, a portable 10.4” touch-screen LCD color control panel that offers different animated, customizable visual environments to operate from. Both remote controllers use the 802.11b wireless specification to communicate with the piano over long distances, enabling full-function control of the Disklavier through walls and with a flexibility never before possible.
The Yamaha Mark IV line features new, open-ended software-based architecture built on a rock-solid Linux Operating System that will facilitate future upgrades and expansions, thus offering outstanding investment protection. Another first for the Mark IV series is the inclusion of a built-in, high-capacity hard drive for easy, high-volume storage of MIDI, CD-audio and graphic data. The Mark IV’s 80-gigabyte hard drive replaces the 16-megabyte flash memory found in previous models, which were only capable of storing MIDI files.
The new Disklavier also incorporates several new family entertainment features, including karaoke-file compatibility, microphone input and vocal harmony heard via either the piano’s built-in speakers or an external sound system. Lyric data is displayed either via the composite video output found on all Mark IV models, or on the higher-end Tablet Remote Control. The current OS is compatible with Tune-1000 karaoke files available at www.yamahamusicsoft.com, but other formats will be supported.
Beyond its many new features, the Mark IV series also includes capabilities that have made its predecessors so popular. Users of Yamaha’s PianoSmart® technology already know how current Disklavier models can synchronize the piano’s playback with other instrument and vocal tracks from a standard audio CD for a fully orchestrated performance. They simply buy the piano MIDI files that correspond to CDs they probably already own. Once the data is loaded onto the internal hard drive, users simply select song names and the piano plays the appropriate MIDI and Audio files together.
New touches abound in the Mark IV. The Disklavier’s Media Center, where basic playback controls and the motorized CD tray are located, has a new low-profile configuration with a retractable glossy cover. The piano integrates seamlessly with standard or whole-house sound systems, enabling the piano’s outputs to be configured so that home speakers near the piano produce only the backup orchestration, while speakers in another part of the house add a digital piano sound. This lets users hear the piano’s performance in any room in the house with speakers. An SP/DIF digital audio output is also featured.
The Mark IV adds a unique video synchronization capability that lets users videotape their own performances and play them back later with the Disklavier in perfect step with the image. The only extra hardware required is a video capture device with audio inputs, and a playback device with audio outputs, such as a typical camcorder.
“The Disklavier Mark IV represents the most advanced player piano technology available to the consumer today,” says Paul Calvin, general manager, Yamaha Piano Division. “Its wide range of technological enhancements reinforces Yamaha’s leadership position in the player piano market and underscores our commitment to deliver the very best instruments to our customers.”
The Disklavier also includes the revolutionary SmartKey software, which guides beginners through simple melodies while the instrument provides professional-sounding accompaniment. It does this by moving the correct keys slightly, cueing the user to strike them, and waiting until they do.
The experience of playing the piano for pleasure takes on a new dimension with Yamaha CueTIME™ software, which offers orchestrated arrangements that automatically follow the user’s pace. For privacy, courtesy or stress-free practice, the Disklavier includes a Quiet Mode that replaces the acoustic piano action with a digital piano users can hear through headphones.
Disklavier pianos are available in a variety of models and configurations starting at about $11,000. For more information on Yamaha Disklavier pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/disklavier.
Jake Loniak, a student at the Art Center College of Design, has came up with a system that will act as an extension of your body.His idea came from Biomechatronics and he dubbed his concept as the Deux Ex Machina and will consist of an vertically parking motorcycle that will be managed by 36 pneumatic muscles with 2 linear actuators.
The Deus Ex Machina is Yamaha-branded and it will be worn as an exo-skeleton and the helmet will be pneumatically attached.The in-wheel motor will be able to power t
he motorcycle from 0 to 60mph in 3 seconds and it will have a maximum speed of 75mph. The Deus Ex Machina is electric and it can cycle one hour with a recharge time of 15 minutes.
There’s been quite a few ingenious alarm clock concepts of late. They all have one thing in common - force you to physically get up to turn them off. The Carpet Alarm Clock is a variation to that whole meme. In order to turn it off, you have to get up and step on it. If you really want to make it a challenge, place it far away from your bed. Of course it wouldn’t be a clock if it didn’t have and LCD 
screen to indicate time too.
- Robot Suit HAL is a cyborg-type robot that can expand and improve physical capability.
- When a person attempts to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles via motoneuron, moving the musculoskeletal system as a consequence.
- At this moment, very weak biosignals can be detected on the surface of the skin. HAL catches these signals through a sensor attached on the skin of the wearer.
- Based on the signals obtained, the power unit is controlled to move the joint unitedly with the wearer's muscle movement, enabling to support the wearer's daily activities. This is what we call a 'voluntary control system' that provides movement interpreting the wearer's intention from the biosignals in advance of the actual movement.
- Not only a 'voluntary control system' HAL has, but also a 'robotic autonomous control system' that provides human-like movement based on a robotic system which integrally work together with the 'autonomous control system'. HAL is the world's first cyborg-type robot controlled by this unique Hybrid System.
- HAL is expected to be applied in various fields such as rehabilitation support and physical training support in medical field, ADL support for disabled people, heavy labour support at factories, and rescue support at disaster sites, as well as in the entertainment field.
HAK-5 Type-B Specifications
Size: wearable robot Height 1,600mm
Weight: Full Body Type approx. 23kg
(Lower body approx. 15kg)
Power: Battery Drive
Charged battery( AC100V)
Continuous operating time: Approximately 2 hours 40 minutes
Motions: Daily Activities( standing up from a chair, walking, climbing up and down stairs)
Hold and lift heavy objects and more...
Operation: Hybrid Control System
Working Environment: Indoor and outdoor
If you’re a caffeine junkie and a coffee snob, you’ll often find yourself gritting your teeth while drinking subpar java from the office pot. To make sure you’ve got fresh coffee whenever you want it, you might try investing in a single-serve coffee brewer like a Senseo.
As Web Worker Daily points out, Senseo’s currently got a web promotion going on wherein you can score a new machine (and a few coffee pods) for only $15 including shipping if you’re willing to take a short survey.
Once you get your Senseo, they’ll want you to keep buying the special coffee pods from them at a markup. You can get around this by ordering cheaper pods from somewhere like bettercoffee.com.
Source: BNET.com
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