Google At Work On Desktop Linux

Google is preparing its own distribution of Linux for the desktop, in a possible bid to take on Microsoft in its core business – desktop software. A version of the increasingly popular Ubuntu desktop Linux distribution, based on Debian and the Gnome desktop, it is known internally as ‘Goobuntu’. Google has confirmed it is working on a desktop linux project called Goobuntu, but declined to supply further details, including what the project is for. It’s possible that it’s just one of the toys Googleplex engineers play with on Fridays, when they get time off from buffing the search engine code or filtering out entries about Tiananmen Square. It could be for wider deployments on the company’s own desktops, as an alternative to Microsoft, but still for internal use only. But it’s possible Google plans to distribute it to the general public, as a free alternative to Windows.

Site – http://www.theregister.co.uk

Move Over, Rover: Robotic Pet Can Be Best Friend

In his excellent 1968 novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ (the basis of the film “Bladerunner”), science fiction author Philip K. Dick writes about a world with virtually no real, living animals. Robotic animals are “kept” by their owners, and given the same feelings and affection associated with real animals:

He ascended … to the covered pasture whereon his electric sheep “grazed.” Whereon it, sophisticated piece of hardware that it was, chomped away in simulated contentment, bamboozling the other tenants of the building.

It turns out that several studies show that robotic pets really do invoke the same feelings and reactions as real pets.

Site – http://www.livescience.com

Researchers Claim 3-D Nanostructure Breakthrough

A breakthrough by an international team of scientists affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center could pave the way for the building of complex, three-dimensional nanostructures using semiconductor photolithography equipment, according to the university.

Site – http://www.eetimes.com

Think Your Friends Know You? Think Again

Researchers conclude suggestions from our closest friends about matters of taste, such as movies or restaurants, may not be as helpful as we think they are. University of Michigan and Columbia University scientists say people tend to overestimate personal information they get from close friends more than comments from acquaintances.

Site – http://www.physorg.com

The Next X Prizes: DNA, Nanotech, Automobiles, And Education

Larry Page and Craig Venter are now on the X Prize Board of Trustees, and Peter Diamandis, the man behind the $10 million space prize, said new X prizes are in the works for innovations in automobiles, education, nanotech and DNA reseach. Diamandis, from the article: “Why do we still drive cars that use an internal combustion engine and only get 30 miles per gallon? I think that we’ll see some amazing achievements in this area.”

Site – http://www.livescience.com

Why Did We Evolve Personalities?

Last Sunday, the New York Times Magazine published a fascinating story on the burgeoning field of animal-personality research. The very idea that animals would have personalities challenges our traditional concepts of psychology and the difference between man and beast, of course. But as the writer Charles Siebert argues, studying animal behavior helps us figure out what precisely a personality is, and what it isn’t. What function does a personality serve, anyway? Why do we have one?

Site – http://www.collisiondetection.net

Are Smarter People Better At Ignoring Things?

The test shows that smarter people actually remember less details. They just tend to focus on what’s essential. People frequently complain that they can’t remember things and they wish their brains had more storage capacity, like today’s ever-expanding computer hard drives and RAM. If we could just improve the sheer size of our memory, we’d be able to retain and manipulate more data, and we’d become smarter and smarter right? Not according to an intriguing new experiment by brain scientists at the University of Oregon.

Site – http://www.collisiondetection.net

The Future Of Speech Technologies

IBM unveiled new speech recognition technology on Tuesday that can comprehend the nuances of spoken English, translate it on the fly, and even create on-the-fly subtitles for foreign-language television programs. After spending the day at IBM headquarters viewing demos of the company’s latest research projects, reporter Robyn Peterson caught up with two of the research leaders in IBM’s speech recognition group, Dr. David Nahamoo, manager of Human Language Technologies, and Dr. Roberto Sicconi, manager of Multimodal Conversational Solutions.

Site – http://news.yahoo.com

Collective Intelligence 2.0

Nova Spivack has proposed a “collective self-awareness” Web service that is “like a ‘Google Zeitgeist’ on steroids, but with a lot more real-time, interactive, participatory data, technology and features in it.  “The goal is to measure and visualize the state of the collective mind of humanity, and provide this back to humanity in as close to real-time as is possible, from as many data sources as we can handle.

Site – http://novaspivack.typepad.com

Robot Set Loose To Film Your Insides

A robot developed by researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center can move around inside the stomach or abdomen to give surgeons a new perspective on the area being operated on. It is also equipped with a retractable needle, allowing it to perform biopsies. The remote-controlled robot is only 15 millimeters in diameter, allowing it to be inserted through the small incisions in the abdomen used for keyhole surgery.

Site – http://www.newscientist.com

Milky Way Brims With Singleton Stars

Most of the stars in the Milky Way are born alone and live out their lives without partners, a new analysis suggests. If true, the work overturns standard theories that stars are born in broods and also suggests planets – and potentially life – may be more common in the galaxy than thought.

Site – http://www.newscientistspace.com

Beer-bot Pours Chilled Drinks

Japanese beer maker Asahi plans to give away 5000 personal bartending bots, each of which can store up to six cans of beer in a refrigerated compartment within its belly. At the push of a button the simple robots will open a can and pour the chilled contents into a glass for a thirsty owner.

Site – http://www.newscientist.com