NEWS : TECH (NFPC)

Thin, Flexible PaperTab to Redefine the Tablet

One of the many things I love about old media such as magazines and newspapers is their flexibility. You can roll 'em up, stick em' in your back pocket, bang 'em around and even use 'em to swat house flies.

New media tablets, on the other hand, require almost a custodial reverence when it comes to ownership. Cases and sleeves are a must for transport and safe keeping, lest it get scratched or shattered. And you can forget about rolling one up in your back pocket or swatting house flies. Unless you want gashes in your drywall.

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Potentially bridging this gap is a team from Canada's Queen's University. They're collaborating with Intel Labs and Plastic Logic to redefine the tablet's form as a flexible, paper-like touchscreen computer called PaperTab.

But PaperTab's flexible form isn't its only innovation. Unlike tablets, which switch between apps on a single display, multiple PaperTabs are designed to be used together. Each tab acts as a window for separate applications, but they still interact with each other. 

For example, when a PaperTab is placed beyond reaching distance, it reverts to a thumbnail overview of the document, like icons on a desktop computer. When the tab is picked back up or touched, it switches back to a full screen view, like opening a new window.

Additionally, PaperTab's interface allows functions simply by tapping tabs together. For example, a photo can be sent via email simply by tapping a tab of a draft email together with a tab of a photo. Even cooler, when that email is ready to go, it can be sent by bending the top corner of the display. Also, placing tabs side by side can create a larger display surface.

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Designers say these functions emulate the natural handling of multiple sheets of paper. This may sound like a cluttered step back, but think how long it takes to back track through a tablet to close out or switch apps as opposed to picking up a piece of paper that's right in front of you.

"Using several PaperTabs makes it much easier to work with multiple documents," Roel Vertegaal, Director of Queen's University's Human Media Lab said on the university's website. "Within five to ten years, most computers, from ultra-notebooks to tablets, will look and feel just like these sheets of printed color paper."

via Gizmag

Credit: Queen's University

Disney World To Track Your Fantasy

Looks like the "Happiest Place On Earth" is about to become the "Most Connected Place On Earth."

According to the New York Times, this spring Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. will roll out MyMagic+, a new vacation management system that will include radio-frequency identification bracelets called "MagicBands." The rubber RFID bracelets will be encoded with credit card information, allowing visitors to buy ride tickets, pass through turnstiles and purchase food with a flick of the wrist.

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The MagicBands will also include user information such as the wearer's name and birthday, so that costumed Disney characters may offer a more personalized interaction. Imagine Mickey approaching someone and saying, "Hello Billy, I understand it's your birthday." This seemingly clairvoyant feature just adds to the fantasy says Disney officials.

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“If we can enhance the experience, more people will spend more of their leisure time with us,” Thomas O. Staggs, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts, told the New York Times.

The bands are part of a new website and app called My Disney Experience that will enable users of MyMagic+ to select three FastPasses for rides or VIP seating for special events. Visitors can register here for the MagicBands, which will also serve as room keys for on-site resorts and parking tickets.

The bands will remain optional, however Disney does plan to mine the wealth of consumer data it will collect from those who decide to participate. What rides did you visit? Did you purchase Mickey Mouse Ears or a balloon? Did you stop and say hi to Goofy or make a beeline to Donald Duck? These are all questions Disney believes MyMagic+ will answer.

Disney says they're aware of potential privacy concerns, especially with children, but explains that integrating the technology of MyMagic+ to the theme park is essential to staying relevant in the digital age. MagicBands will not be mandatory and guests will decide how much information to provide.

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Analysts expect the initiative will cost $800 million to $1 billion and affect the roughly 30 million people who visit Disney World every year.

Yes, the MagicBands are optional, but news like may make some people feel like a duck being gavaged for foie gras. So if you're not into being force fed monoculture, how about Black Flag's "Rise Above" for a little dessert. If that's a little too heavy for your palate, might I recommend the Dirty Projectors' more delicate version, one of my personal faves.

via NPR, the New York Times

Credit: Kent Phillips/Disney

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Unlock Your Door With ShareKey

In the last year, I've locked myself out of my home no less than three times. Consequentially, that's resulted in me having to shimmy through open windows like a burglar. I'm surprised my neighbors never called the cops on me.

If only I had ShareKey, a near field communication (NFC) app for a smartphone, I could have avoided all the breaking and entering.

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Developed by Dr. Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi of Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT), the Android app communicates with smartlocks on one's door via NFC, which allows data to be exchanged wirelessly over a short range. To lock or unlock the door, simply wave the phone near the lock.

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Unlike systems such as Lockitron and UniKey that use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to send instructions remotely, ShareKey requires that a phone be physically waved in front of their locks, making it more difficult for hackers to steal the signal.

Better yet, the system allows for any smartphone to be granted access to the doors for a specified amount of time, be it a few hours or a few weeks. House guests, dog walkers and plant waterers all know what a three-ring circus it can be swapping keys and getting them made, so this feature is an added bonus. ShareKey can send these "electronic keys" directly to the recipient's smartphone as a QR code via email or a multimedia text message.

"For instance, I can grant the building superintendent access to my apartment for a short period so that he can open the door for the gas meter to be read while I'm at work," explains Alexandra Dmitrienko from the SIT. “The solution is built around modern security technologies and can be easily integrated into existing access control systems."

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At this year's CeBIT trade fair in Hannover, Germany, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT in Darmstadt will demo ShareKey in an attempt to drum up interest in hopes that it will be on the market soon.

 via Gizmag

Credit: Fraunhofer SIT

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Double Revolving Doors Block Armed Intruders

The holidays may have provided a temporary distraction from the Newtown, Conn., massacre, but now that the new year's here, it's time to pick up where we left off. Here's one security company that thinks they have a way to prevent a dangerous intruder from entering a school or any other building.

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It called the Linear Revolving Door (LRD), and it was recently patented by Barbecan Security Systems. The door consists of series of parallel hallways that can be built at the entrance of buildings. Each hallway has two doors that revolve in front of and behind a person as they enter.

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The system is equipped with sensors that keeps pace with one's stride to cut down on the bottlenecking of most security checks. Once both doors close, sensors also check for bombs or firearms. If a threat is detected, the doors move in reverse and push out the potential offender.

Check out this animation to see the LRD in action. Though beware, it's quite hypnotic.

With statements like "Newtown could have been prevented," Barbecan's press release is confident, if not cavalier.

"A guard at a building entrance won't stop a determined and well armed attacker -- especially if they have suicidal motivations," it states. "The LRD portal WILL NOT let an armed gunman enter a building. Period. When a threat is detected, the portal reverses and the potential assailant is backed out of the portal. Gun control is not the answer."

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While some parents of Sandy Hook Elementary school children might beg to differ about that last statement, Barbecan contends the LRD is the new solution that's needed.

"Operation is completely safe," states the press release, "and by adapting to the pace of pedestrian traffic, LRD Portals can be used in high traffic entrances like schools, malls, theatres, stadiums and factories."

via Mashable

Credit: Barbecan Security Systems

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Sinful Robot: XXX Virtual Reality

If news of the impending apocalypse has you bummed that you won't get to sow your wild oats at Yub-Yum, Amsterdam's android sex club of the future, here's something else you're going to miss out on: Sinful Robot. Hyped as the "world's most immersive virtual reality erotic encounter," Sinful Robot, created by a California startup of the same name, is being designed for the forthcoming Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

In what I imagine to be a cross between the Batsignal and the Mudflap girl, Sinful Robot put out a call for 3D programmers, artists and animators on Reddit, also known as the Gotham of the Internet.

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Among a lascivious list of, ahem, open positions at Sinful Robot is a 3D character artist. Applicants should be engorged with "expert knowledge of creating realistic female models" and have the ability to create orgasmic "organic models." For those with expert knowledge on the male anatomy, it's not yet clear where you measure up.

Reddit user Illusionweaver69, who claims to be Sinful Robot's co-founder Jeroen Van den Bosch, is giddy about what Oculus Rift and the future holds.

"I have been waiting for many years for technology to become immersive enough so it [can] trick your brain to accept the virtual reality as reality, but the Rift does really do that," he wrote. "So now we can finally make an erotic adventure game that will actually be exciting!"

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However, if the Earth does open up like a split piece of fruit on Friday, only to reveal a fiery chasm of magma and crumbling rock, here's a good soundtrack to usher in the end of days. "You Don't Know What's Going On," so take your best friend's hand, shrug, and leap into the great beyond.

via Gizmag

Credit: Sinful Robot

 

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These Cuffs Will Shock The Hell Out Of You

These handcuffs are truly shocking. And that's only a fraction of what they're capable of.

According to U.S. Patent Application 20120298119, Scottsdale Inventions, LLC of Paradise Valley, Arizona has invented a pair of high-tech handcuffs that appear to be a Swiss Army knife of torture restraint.

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For starters, the cuffs are capable of administering high-voltage, low amperage shocks that will immobilize uncooperative detainees. Inspired by invisible fence technology that not-so-subtly reminds dogs where their boundaries are, these cuffs are a part of a programmable system that uses radio transmitters to corral prisoners. Step beyond the designated perimeter and the cuffs could issue various warnings, such as audible signals, vibrations, a flashing light or a mild electric shock, before a more severe zap would restore order.

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As well, the cuffs could include an accelerometer, inclinometer, potentiometer, location sensing device, microphone, camera, a biometric sensor or a combination of devices that would allow guards to more closely monitor their prisoners.

If there's any mercy to be found, the cuffs do include safety cutouts to prevent fatal jolts. However, developers also envision the cuffs being able to release gases, liquids, dyes and even sedatives that could be injected into the prisoners. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, syringe-equipped handcuffs.

But wait there's more. If you're still not convinced that these cuffs are the most fully loaded, less-lethal weapon this side of Joel Braun's little ray of sunshine, Scottsdale Inventions wants to remind you that this system could also be incorporated into ankle cuffs, restraining belts, straitjackets, harnesses, facial restraints, helmets or neck collars.

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I don't know about you, but if the image of an inmate writhing in agony, compliments of his or her shock collar and/or facial restraints, is enough to send you to the dark and troubled side of life, feel free to join me. I'll be hanging out with the Carters on the bright and sunny side. As our current news cycle continues to seethe, I think we could all use a little Vitamin D.

via Gizmag

Credit: USPTO

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Indianapolis Colts Trot Out the Tech

The Indianapolis Colts already have Luck on their side, but now they're getting a leg up on other NFL teams by making some rather tech-forward strides.

Chief among them is the franchise's decision to do away with bulky playbooks in favor of iPads. A traditional NFL playbook is a hulking binder of on-field hieroglyphics that can swell to upwards of 800 pages. Considering the average NFL team has around 50 players and 20 coaches, that's a lot of extra baggage to be carrying around.

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So the Colts decided to trim some fat. They bought 120 iPads and started using a digital playbook made by Global Apptitude. The new tablet features the ability to draw and write on the playbook. Those marks can then be shared with teammates and coaches.

Players aren't the only ones on the receiving end of these tech blitzes. Fans are too. Spectators in the stands of Wi-Fi-equipped Lucas Oil Stadium can access instant replays on their smartphones five seconds after plays take place. That's largely due to the stadiums bandwidth, which can accommodate 23,000 fans at a time.

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You arm-chair quarterbacks may "scream your necks off" yelling "Go Horse," so if you do, at least the stadium's techie traits are a game-winning back up.

via dvice

Credit: Tom Croke/Icon SMI/Corbis

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Indoor Clouds: Your New Weather Forecast

I usually reserve about as much excitement for weather forecasts as I do for banging my head against a brick wall. However, here's a whimsical puff of prediction that's literally left my head in the clouds.

It's the Nebula 12, a weather forecasting machine that uses meteorological data to generate indoor clouds as a representation of what to expect when you step outside.

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Created by Zurich-based Micasa Lab, the Nebula 12 blends liquid hydrogen and hot water to conjure a cloud of steam. The clouds are released from a lamp with various brightness settings to highlight the cloud's contour. But most-captivating is that the light changes color to reflect different weather conditions. Red light indicates a low-pressure front is threatening, while yellow light indicates a sunny day.

The device gathers meteorlogical data from the U.K.'s Met Office via a Wi-Fi-connected Lumia smartphone. However, this is merely a default setting. Sourced weather data can be adjusted by the user.

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By default, the Nebula 12's clouds reflect the weather for next 48 hours, however, users can also adjust the time frame.

So far, Nebula 12 exists just as a concept, as liquid nitrogen isn't necessarily something you're going keep around the house. But I say, if Micasa Lab can find a way to add some thunder and lightning, anything's marketable.

via Gizmag

Credit: Micasa Lab

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Saudi Arabian Women Tracked With Text Alerts

When it comes to the repression of women, you'd be hard pressed to find a more misogynistic place than Saudi Arabia. Women there are, among other things, prohibited from voting (until 2015), driving a car and working in most places.

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To leave the country, Saudi women must present written permission from their male guardians, even if they're traveling together. Now, to add insult to injury, male guardians will also receive a text message whenever "their" women leave the country.

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The kingdom's interior ministry introduced the electronic tracking system back in April in an effort to create a modern e-government plan that would eliminate the infamous permission slip. Texts were originally sent to male guardians who opted into the system, but now are being sent to all and sundry.

"Apparently, as a Saudi woman, I don't even deserve the simplest of rights like the right to privacy," Safa Alahmad, a freelance journalist and filmmaker protested to the Guardian. "The core issue remains the same. Saudi women are viewed and treated as minors by the Saudi government."

Yet the new system doesn't only apply to women. Male guardians are also alerted when their "dependents," such as foreign workers and children of both sexes, leave the country.

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How long before the Saudi government implants microchips in women remains to be seen. But considering the government's penchant for treating women like dogs and that this most recent e-initiative was done in the name of streamlined modernity, a mircrochipped tracking system doesn't seem too far off.

via the Guardian

Credit: David Turnley/CORBIS

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Hackers Cyberattacking Israeli Government Sites

As violence between Israel and Palestinian militants continues to escalate, new fronts of digital warfare are being declared in cyberspace.

Reuters' Steven Scheer reports that Israeli government websites have been bombarded by more than 44 million hacking attempts since Israel began its air strikes last week. Defense-related websites have been the biggest targets, while 10 million attempts have been made on Israeli President Shimon Peres's website, 7 million on the Foreign Ministry and 3 million on the prime minister's website.

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"The war is taking place on three fronts. The first is physical, the second is on the world of social networks and the third is cyber," said Carmela Avner, Israel's chief information officer, according to Reuters.

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Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said that one hacking attempt succeeded in taking down one site, which he declined to name, but it was back online within 10 minutes.

According to a ministry spokesman, most cyberattacks have come from within Israeli and Palestinian territories, but some have come from around the world.

On Friday, international hacking collective Anonymous published a list of Israeli websites it had taken down or defaced. Though all sites have returned to normal, many had their homepages temporarily replaced with pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas messages.

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Anonymous started their #OpIsrael campaign in solidarity with Palestine after Israel "crossed a line in the sand" by threatening to sever all Internet and telecommunications in and out of Gaza.

However, both sides in the conflict have embraced social media as a means to spread their message and document the turmoil. The Israeli Defense Force is quite active on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram while Palestinian militants are primarily active on Twitter.

via Reuters

Credit: Kobi Gideon/Xinhua Press/Corbis

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