Google has developed an algorithm that can decipher house numbers from Street View images with impressive accuracy. The problem is that the algorithm can match or even outperform humans when confronted with Google’s own use of CAPTCHA tests. Because so much of the data collection for Google Maps is automated, the first drafts of the […]
Roberta Firstenberg was dying of cancer and only had a few months to live. Priscilla, her granddaughter, emailed the Oculus Rift team, and they donated one so her grandmother could “go outside” again, as her mobility was extremely limited. Despite being able to use virtual reality to “travel” outside and even to other countries, Roberta got the greatest […]
On Friday we looked back at psychics’ predictions made in the 1975 book The People’s Almanac, forecasting the rest of the 20th century. With New York still above water, cancer uncured, and solar energy pills yet to replace food, the results were somewhat off the mark. However, the authors of the book also asked scientists […]
You know how something is so outrageous, it’s just gotta be true? Well, this concept is so outrageous, it totally exists. From what I can tell, BLACKSOCKS uses a “sorter” and an app to determine a) which sock goes with which sock; b) how many times each sock has been washed; and c) how ‘black’ each […]
The Asimo’s latest edition, unveiled on April 16, can run briskly, climb stairs with ease, dance like Travolta, kick a ball and jump up in down in what can only be described as a robot tantrum. The 4 feet tall, 115-pound robot now features five dextrous fingers on each hand with force feedback sensors. As […]
During a recent trip to Hay-on-Wye — a magical small town with around 30 new and used bookshops — I picked up two 1970s books by David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace, the kings of trivia lists. The two volumes of The People’s Alamanac are billed as “the first reference book ever prepared to be read for […]
First the Kindle brand, then the new Kindle Fire TV, and now…a smartphone! Amazon is rumored to be releasing a new smartphone by the end of June. Seattle and San Francisco have reportedly been shown demo versions by the company. Features include a screen that appears to be three-dimensional without special eyeglasses, similar to a […]
An MIT student is working on a way for unmanned drones to recharge their power supply by perching on power lines like a bird. Joseph Moore may have to get his skates on if he wants to make something of the idea however: it’s recently emerged that the Air Force Institute of Technology is working […]
The pattern of veins in the human hand is unique to everyone on Earth — like fingerprints — except it can’t be forged. Fredrik Leifland realized this, and while studying engineering at Lund University in Sweden a few years ago, “he got the idea to use vein-scanning for point-of-sale payments,” according to PC Magazine. His […]
The man who revolutionized the way hard drives work has been awarded the Millennium Technology Prize, an honor awarded only every second year. Stuart Parkin received the prize of one million euros (approximately US$1.39 million) from Technology Academy Finland, a partnership of industry and government in the country. It’s sometimes described as the tech equivalent […]