girl beach: Technology

Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Give up some tech to enjoy life

My Paper, Wednesday, January 4, 2012, Page A10, Technology, Viewpoint
From http://epaper.mypaper.sg/cnd/fvxen/fvxp/fvxpress.php?param=2012-01-04
Source Website: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/resolved-in-2012-to-enjoy-the-view-without-help-from-an-iphone/
By NICK BILTON, | January 1, 2012, 1:42 pm, myp@sph.com.sg

PHOTO: Bad Habit: The writer, busy snapping pictures of this gorgeous sunset to share on the web, later realised he was depriving himself of living in the moment.

Photos: The New York Times
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/01/01/technology/bits-disruptionsview/bits-disruptionsview-tmagArticle.jpg
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/resolved-in-2012-to-enjoy-the-view-without-help-from-an-iphone/

Disruptions: Resolved in 2012: To Enjoy the View Without Help From an iPhone

Last week, I drove to Pacifica, a beach community just south of San Francisco, where I climbed a large rocky hill as the sun descended on the horizon. It painted a typically astounding California sunset across the Pacific Ocean. What did I do next?

What any normal person would do in 2011: I pulled out my iPhone and began snapping pictures to share on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

I spent 10 minutes trying to compose the perfect shot, moving my phone from side to side, adjusting light settings and picking the perfect filter.

Then, I stopped. Here I was, watching this magnificent sunset, and all I could do is peer at it through a tiny four-inch screen.

“What’s wrong with me?” I thought. “I can’t seem to enjoy anything without trying to digitally capture it or spew it onto the Internet.”

Hence my New Year’s resolution: In 2012, I plan to spend at least 30 minutes a day without my iPhone. Without Internet, Twitter, Facebook and my iPad. Spending a half-hour a day without electronics might sound easy for most, but for me, 30 unconnected minutes produces the same anxious feelings of a child left accidentally at the mall.

I made this resolution out of a sense that I habitually reached for the iPhone even when I really didn’t need to, when I might have just enjoyed an experience, like the sunset, without any technology. And after talking to people who do research on subjects like this, I realized that there were some good reasons to give up a little tech.

PHOTO: I made this resolution out of a sense that I habitually reached for the iPhone even when I really didn’t need to, when I might have just enjoyed an experience, like the sunset, without any technology.

http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/up-101-0105.jpg
http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/post/5555/

For example, I was worried that if I did not capture that beautiful sunset and stuff it into my phone, I’d forget it.

“Even with something as beautiful as a sunset, forgetting is really important as a mental hygiene,” said Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, a professor of Internet governance at Oxford University and the author of the book “Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age.”

“That things in our past become rosier over time is incredibly important,” he added. “As we forget, our memories abstract and our brain goes through a cleansing process.” Mr. Mayer-Schönberger said that keeping a perpetual visual diary of everything could slow down our brains’ purging process.

That things in our past become rosier over time is incredibly important. As we forget, our memories abstract and our brain goes through a cleansing process.

PHOTO: “That things in our past become rosier over time is incredibly important. As we forget, our memories abstract and our brain goes through a cleansing process.”
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmpHWA4o_kx1WZnSA55PN6nHM5lb9hkp5WaJTLygcslYzrkCfFtOu_UTIYJYOfKtdV56uCFw-tp8AGRUidwsWBHOGaE7BdPv74wg5hZtkhBscy7MmyQ6WARJxzpSBZWGD9gdb5r_PpVM/s1600/karina-heart-photo-ddfbusty-1.jpg

http://wyblog.us/images/rule5/karina-heart-photo-ddfbusty-1.jpg
http://wyblog.us/

Constantly interacting with our mobile devices has other drawbacks too. There are more pictures in my iPhone of that 45-minute hike at Pacifica than most families would have taken on a two-week vacation before the advent of digital cameras.

As a result, I had no time to daydream on that hike, and daydreams, scientists say, are imperative in solving problems.

Jonah Lehrer, a neuroscientist and the author of the soon-to-be-released book, “Imagine: How Creativity Works,” said in a phone interview that our brains often needed to become inattentive to figure out complex issues. He said his book discussed an area of the brain scientists call “the default network” that was active only when the rest of the brain was inactive — in other words, when we were daydreaming.

Letting the mind wander activates the default network, he said, and allows our brains to solve problems that most likely can’t be solved during a game of Angry Birds.

Letting the mind wander activates the default network, and allows our brains to solve problems that most likely can’t be solved during a game of Angry Birds.

PHOTO: Letting the mind wander activates the default network, and allows our brains to solve problems that most likely can’t be solved during a game of Angry Birds.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOjDjpCmALF3JsEuc1BEeWmZrWz1gPcRwybyq8vVsOHcQ8ROzBM-48W-0xx8MruLXrLAniZEwnMrSAjStOr7MLuGR-A4nA2ez-RSxKORTZKnoA9dVoY86vVPPe1t0gZ7Vfqw47C_Wqas/s1600/karina-heart-photo-ddfbusty-2.jpg

http://wyblog.us/images/rule5/karina-heart-photo-ddfbusty-2.jpg
http://wyblog.us/

“Like everyone else, I really can’t imagine life without that little computer in my pocket,” he added. “However, there is an importance to being able to put it aside and let those daydreams naturally perform the cognitive (conscious intellectual activity as thinking, reasoning, or remembering) functions your brain needs.”

Jonathan Schooler, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara who has focused his research on daydreaming, put it this way: “Daydreaming and boredom seem to be a source for incubation (the process of thinking about a problem subconsciously while being involved in other activities) and creative discovery in the brain and are part of the creative incubation process.”

I don’t intend to give up my technology entirely, but I want to find a better balance. For me, it’s that 30 minutes a day for daydreaming.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and tell my Twitter followers about my New Year’s resolution.

By NICK BILTON, | January 1, 2012, 1:42 pm, myp@sph.com.sg

PHOTO: I don’t intend to give up my technology entirely, but I want to find a better balance. For me, it’s that 30 minutes a day for daydreaming.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKAmFXbSGzV3nkm2GYgb5OK3Zbk5wmwVG5uPIYWvw9Or_yJ-9Ng_yj85XTGJE6npQ2XFBsil3y8_K3ORX-SnoqwJzV_IM2VOAN6CJwkImZK1KkVBlasnNiEbk9G_c0VHZis9RjrNyupU/s1600/karina-heart-photo-ddfbusty-3.jpg

http://wyblog.us/images/rule5/karina-heart-photo-ddfbusty-3.jpg
http://wyblog.us/

HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Filter: 滤色镜 - lu se jing
Abstract: 摘要 - Zhai Yao
Drawback: 欠缺 - qian que
Cognitive (conscious intellectual activity as thinking, reasoning, or remembering): 认知的 - ren zhi de

Reference

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Students pin hopes on a concrete breakthrough with algae

Today, Wednesday, December 28, 2011, Page 4, Hot News
From http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20111228/2812HNP004.pdf
Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111228-0000036/Students-pin-hopes-on-a-concrete-breakthrough-with-algae
By Esther Ng, estherng@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:45 AM Dec 28, 2011

PHOTO: (From left) Singapore Polytechnic students Irmahyunita Misnadi, Nur Fathin, Athirah Rusli and Michelle Chan examining a slab of concrete made with algae (inset) and cement.

Photo by Esther Ng, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?338&450&f=1750&img=1750_541202.jpg
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111228-0000036/Students-pin-hopes-on-a-concrete-breakthrough-with-algae

SINGAPORE - Concrete road kerbs and drains could be made with algae instead of sand, if a group of Singapore Polytechnic students' final year project becomes commercially viable.

The School of Architecture and the Built Environment students found that a mix of algae and cement is strong enough for non-load bearing structures such as precast concrete drain sections, wheel stoppers in car parks and wall partitions.

And the students' finding might potentially be the construction industry's silver bullet, given recent bans on sand exports by neighbouring countries and the emphasis on sustainable construction methods.

PHOTO: Athira Rusli holding some dried algae in her hand. Next to her is a cube of concrete made from algae and cement

Photo by Esther Ng, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?338&450&f=1750&img=1750_541203.jpg
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111228-0000036/Students-pin-hopes-on-a-concrete-breakthrough-with-algae

Compared to sand, algae is freely available from water catchment areas here and is more environmentally-friendly. "The alkaline chemical in cement affects the skin and breathing in too much of cement particles makes your lung harden. Wet algae reduces these harmful effects," said team member Athirah Rusli, 19.

She added: "Rather than incinerate the algae collected from cleaning up water catchment areas, algae's binding strength can be put to construction use."

Experimenting with various proportions of algae and cement, students found a mix containing 40 per cent algae and 60 per cent cement to be the strongest.

Sea of algae. This is Qingdao China, where algae is continuing to spread along China's coast. When the algae dies, it will create a dead zone in which plants and fish will not exist.

PHOTO: Sea of algae. This is Qingdao China, where algae is continuing to spread along China's coast. When the algae dies, it will create a dead zone in which plants and fish will not exist.

Posted at 10:23 AM on July 28, 2011 by Bob Collins
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXYcfT7N4clNzOTvhYywXNXzOEOP_-uK4nF5lKceU1cUgwXzgdGyIp-t_GQZU7ipjb4nmUeHro3qVSBDIyUy2EVla45LTHUzQ3k4XXWLVSakiqWyJti2I4vHvFxNrblQlTryk0wl6zsw/s1600/algae_2.jpg
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/content_images/algae_2.jpg
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/science/

The students have yet to approach companies in the construction industry for commercialisation as they have just completed the project. However, they hope their idea will impress industry players at Singapore Polytechnic's Engineering Show next weekend.

When contacted, construction firm Penta Ocean's deputy general manager Desmond Hill commended the students for their efforts towards "sustainable construction".

"In the old days, non-structural installations like drainages and road kerbs were made from recyclable aggregates like stones," he said, but added that more studies on the long-term impact on algae's use is needed.

PHOTO: Sea of algae. "For the product to succeed it must be priced lower than normal precast components and overcome the psychological barrier of being made from waste."

Posted at 10:23 AM on July 28, 2011 by Bob Collins
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/content_images/Qingdao_1.jpg
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/science/

"We need to assess the serviceability element - will the structure deteriorate after five years?" he said.

Concurring, Hexagroup's project director Lim Hong Leong said: "For the product to succeed it must be priced lower than normal precast components and overcome the psychological barrier of being made from waste."

A tonne of sand costs around S$42 per tonne now, down from S$60 per tonne at its peak four years ago when Indonesia banned sand exports. Ready-mix concrete, however, now costs S$109 per cubic metre, up from S$66 per cubic metre in 2007.

By Esther Ng, estherng@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:45 AM Dec 28, 2011

PHOTO: Swimming in Green Algae

Posted by Admin on 7:26 AM in bizarre, Green Algae, latest, pictures

The algae is in full bloom off of the Chinese city of Qingdao, creating a giant greet splotch measuring as much as 70 meters by 100 meters. Green algal blooms aren't dangerous to humans - although the same can't be said for red tides, which are caused by another algae species and can create harmful toxins - they do consume vast quantities of oxygen, which can be devastating to marine life. This particular swath of algae is just a tiny part of the larger bloom, which stretches some 300 miles across the Yellow Sea.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23_Awp_5M0N_WeB_w7tlBqZ7GXTiIIs1wejTddBJU82QwXLeh9JV5Uq8ySC03h1UpsutlnRctCLP9bp2Bvsbg2L5HvwaGD0FnwTf8dwzoELV_Plahw70hJiX6oVLF65sSRFppTLeKZ_o/s1600/Swimming_Green_Algae_7.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xe8hDgDOVqJP7axNFoQUET4GnMCJKRCdoYmtQV0WFeNlTOyK1m4XZvpRLCE5nu7-8xqfIs4rrPypDV1FbFg3sKHYbDStTmZGxn3-6gVAytGMxUvYgm15g9VFIlz1G1hN9KQDSPGnYss/s1600/Swimming_Green_Algae_7.jpg http://www.popgive.com/2011/07/swimming-in-green-algae.html

Swimming in Green Algae. Beach workers, volunteers, and visitors helped clean a carpet of algae about 1,300 feet long and 98 feet wide, China's state-run media reported. Local maritime agencies believe that rising water temperatures have supported the algae's rapid growth, according to state media.

PHOTO: Swimming in Green Algae

Posted by Admin on 7:26 AM in bizarre, Green Algae, latest, pictures

Beach workers, volunteers, and visitors helped clean a carpet of algae about 1,300 feet long and 98 feet wide, China's state-run media reported. Local maritime agencies believe that rising water temperatures have supported the algae's rapid growth, according to state media.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pr4ksdL2sqfWKDMvReuV6bGuiixQg0ORmDmwMmK4aBiy-sEMktzRqCS9cHSAnqBsdfypArd3nOLFY0jQX8iDfjp9kcLaxlScBiooWvkWfz5nVnaAA9-hxi3ZUnnl399AkajvECXn6ZM/s1600/Swimming_Green_Algae_10.jpg

LFMlELPBQd0/TiWS5iwZ1kI/AAAAAAAAiQI/wzMDaRdvwQk/s640/Swimming_Green_Algae_10.jpg
http://www.popgive.com/2011/07/swimming-in-green-algae.html

Reference

Monday, December 19, 2011

In 10 years, we'll wear computers

MY PAPER, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011, PAGE A12, TECHNOLOGY, VIEWPOINTS
From http://epaper.mypaper.sg/cnd/fvxen/fvxp/fvxpress.php?param=2011-12-22
By Nick Bilton, The new York Times, myp@sph.com.sg

PHOTO: The ultimate a version of (wearable computing) is a screen that would somehow augment our vision with information and media.

http://www.sonyrumors.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/nextep7.jpg
http://www.sonyrumors.net/2010/06/07/sony-concept-computer-lets-you-wear-it/

The invention of the smartphone has created a world where millions of people stroll through life constantly staring into a mobile device. I know: I'm one of them.

People are not going to put these devices down in the near future. Realistically, we will become only more absorbed.

Technology will have to solve this problem. It will do so by creating wearable computers.

Wearable computing is a broad term. Technically, a fancy electronic watch is a wearable computer.

But the ultimate version of this technology is a screen that would somehow augment ( increase) our vision with infomation and media.

PHOTO: Technology will have to solve this problem. It will do so by creating wearable computers.

http://www.sonyrumors.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/nextep9.jpg
http://www.sonyrumors.net/2010/06/07/sony-concept-computer-lets-you-wear-it/

Over the last year, Apple and Google have secretly begun working on projects that will become wearable computers.

Their main goal: to sell more smartphones.

In Google's case, more smartphones sold means more advertisements viewed.

In Google's secret Google X labs, researchers are working on peripherals that - when attached to your clothing or body - would relay information back to an Android smartphone.

People familiar with the work in the lab say Google has hired electronic engineers from Nokia Labs, Apple and engineering universities, who specialise in tiny wearable computers.

Apple has also experimented with prototype products that could relay information back to the iPhone.

PHOTO: Apple is also said to be playing with the idea of a wrist watch-style iPod that has a curved glass surface along with a Siri voice control interface.

http://applethis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/iPod-Nano-Watch.jpg
http://applethis.com/2011/12/

These conceptual products could also display information on other Apple devices, like an iPod, which Apple is already encouraging us to wear on our wrists by selling nanos with watch faces.

A person with knowledge of the company's plans told me that a very small group of Apple employees had been conceptualising and even prototyping some wearable devices.

One idea being discussed is a curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist. People could communicate with the device using Siri, the company's artificial intelligence software.

The brain that brings all these things together is the smartphone, which is really the first wearable computer.

Researchers note that the smartphone is almost never more than a metre away from its user. It is often just centimetres from the bed during the night and has replaced the alarm clock for many people.

As a result, the smartphone will be the hub for our information sharing and gathering.

Think of it as a force field that will engulf us wherever we are, transmitting power and Web access to sensors and screens tacked to our clothing.

Mr Michael Liebhold is a senior researcher specialising in wearable computing at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto in California.

PHOTO: Prototype transparent screens have already been demonstrated at technology shows - so the idea of 'wearable' computer glasses is not as out-there as it sounds

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/12/20/article-0-0F3D1A6700000578-222_468x501.jpg
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2076742/Google-unveil-hi-tech-Google-glasses-superimpose-information-world.html

Over the next 10 years, he envisions that people will be wearing glasses with built-in sceens and, eventually, contact lenses with working displays.

PHOTO: According to the developers at Washington University, users could view floating emails and text messages as well as augment their sight with computer-generated images. They say it has been successfully tested on animals (presumably those with email accounts) and when problems such as finding a decent power source are ironed out it could be ready for market.

http://www.genistra.com/ar/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Parviz-Contact-Lens.jpg
http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/category/amazing/

Fashion will most likely be one of the first disruptions. Imagine teenagers being able to design their own virtual clothing that others wearing heads-up displays can see.

Parents, teachers and friends could be shown entirely different outfits.

For example, I could look like a giant pink cat in a bustier to my friends, but my boss would see me in a fancy Italian suit. At least, I hope that's what he would see.

The alternative, I'm afraid, might call for a technological solution of its own.

By Nick Bilton, The new York Times, myp@sph.com.sg

PHOTO: Sony Concept Computer Lets You Wear It
Posted on June 7th, 2010 by Sohrab Osati

This Sony Computer Concept itself to be worn. Basically, it’s a slightly bigger watch that can stream data on its screen (potentially using Sony’s Flexible OLED screen?). The cool part happens once you’ve taken the watch off and laid it out on your desk. Then you have access to your apps, a pull out keyboard (and there are laser keyboards out there currently where just a light is shined on a area that shows a keyboard and you type away on it). Also note the projector system built into it. Many tech companies like LG are working on a built-in projector for smart phones. So who knows, maybe we will see this in 10 years. All I know is that if you hit the jump, you can see a ton more dazzling pictures.

http://www.sonyrumors.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/nextep1.jpg
http://www.sonyrumors.net/2010/06/07/sony-concept-computer-lets-you-wear-it/

HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Augment: 增加 - zēng jiā
Peripherals: 外围设备 - wài wéi shè bèi
Alarm Clock: 闹钟 - nào zhōng
Bustier: 紧身女胸衣 - jǐn shēn nǚ siōng yī

PHOTO: Push Button Love: The Game Controllers You Wish You Had
http://gamersect.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/boob-controllers_thumb.jpg
http://gamersect.com/images/push-button-love-the-game-controllers-you-wish-you-had/

PHOTO: Computer Wear, Bikini Controller
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNQK_d6OIbiwXRCWqYyNNLCMM6yWUsKiHHCueUq7iRAQc7Q5sgLUja2QULJPZuSoO5vGoiTEVHYdO9a9Gq8Smz259a0cqYU07PMjOb0ACF12FnajUiJCRUZGLQ8kODF8WXnDyExwfp_A/s1600/game-controller-bra-boobs_thumb.jpg
http://gamersect.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/game-controller-bra-boobs_thumb.jpg
http://gamersect.com/images/push-button-love-the-game-controllers-you-wish-you-had/

Reference