Katie’s Beer

Tags: Technology by TK
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Thanks to Norman Teigen of Norman’s Demense for sharing this great video!

A must-watch video!

Tags: Technology by TK
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Harry Harlow has been resurrected:

From The Korea Times:

EveR-1, a combination of Eve and robot, looks just like a Korean female in her early 20s including her shape that is benchmarked against the nation’s model.

The human-sized robot can understand 400 words and make eye contact while talking via her lips that are synchronized with the pronunciation of words.

Fifteen tiny motors embedded into her silicon face enable her to make a total of four expressions in tune with as many sentiments -joy, anger, sorrow and happiness.

What is their goal?

For now, EveR-1 can be employed as a guide robot at museums and department stores or as an educational model to read books to children,’

Stop the planet. I want to get off now.

hat tip to Mitch Berg over at Shot in the Dark 

Tags: Technology, weird news, parenting by TK
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This recent study certainly has me worried, along with my parents and my children. Heck, I sleep with my phone under my pillow because it is my alarm clock. I use the handsfree little headset, but isn’t that just directing the evil waves right to my ear and surrounding brain tissue? Am I doomed?

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The use of mobile phones over a long period of time can raise the risk for brain tumors, a new Swedish study said on Friday, contradicting the conclusions of other researchers.

The Dutch Health Council, in an overview of research from around the world, last year found no evidence radiation from mobile phones and TV towers was harmful. A four-year British survey released in January showed no link between regular, long-term use of cell phones and the most common type of tumor.

However, researchers at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life said they looked at the mobile phone use of 905 people between the age of 20 and 80 who had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and found a link.

“A total 85 of these 905 cases were so-called high users of mobile phones, that is they began early to use mobile and, or wireless telephones and used them a lot,” the study said.

“The study also shows that the rise in risk is noticeable for tumors on the side of the head where the phone was said to be used,” it added.

Kjell Mild, who led the study, said the figures meant that heavy users of mobile phones, for instance of who make mobile phone calls for 2,000 hours or more in their life, had a 240 percent increased risk for a malignant tumor on the side of the head the phone is used.

“The way to get the risk down is to use handsfree,” he told Reuters.

He said his study was the biggest yet to look at long-term users of the wireless phone, which has been around in Sweden in a portable form since 1984, longer than in many other countries.

If I go to my doctor, waiting three months to see him of course, and show him the above-mentioned article, what will he say?

A. Wait until you show symptoms and hand me a checklist of brain tumor symptoms?

B. Prescribe therapy for paranoia?

C. Tell me to stop using my cellphone?

Tags: Technology by TK
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It was reported by Michael Liedtke (AP) that Google accidentally leaked their plans to develop a storage system so large that every one of us could indefinitely store the data on our hard drives. The “GDrive” project is

“an ambitious storage system that would keep its users’ word processing files, e-mails, Web history and photos on the company’s own computers. Google believes the service would be enticing because the information would be unleashed from a single PC in a home or office, allowing users to access their data from any Internet-connected computer.

“The online copy of your data will become your Golden Copy,” Google’s notes said, while the original information kept on a users’ PC would serve as a backup.”

This bit of information struck me because of something one of our tech guys said to me once. He was questioning my use of GMail,

“You know that gmail saves a copy of EVERY mail you ever send and receive? Right? And they can do with it as they wish.”

I flippantly replied,

“Yeah, I saw that video once (EPIC 2014). aka Googlezon…the one where Google takes over the world.”

So, I dismissed his comments as Googlezon-esque at the time, but learning of the GDrive plan is making the hair stand up on the back of my neck. So Google has a copy of everything written and said? It could be a great social learning tool? Right? No! I don’t know about that. I’m thinking that its not a good idea and I don’t know what to do about my concerns. Switch email? Get off of Blogger? Everything is recorded on the internet anyway, so what’s the point? I’m conflicted…

Update: Watch 2015 and be encouraged.

Tags: Technology by TK
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It’s so wonderful to see people who keep blogs take things the next logical step and utilize their writing skills in a more public forum. John H., keeper of Confessing Evangelical blog, speaks out on Google’s news service and its plans to scan millions of books. John writes:

John Halton
Monday February 6, 2006
The Guardian

In a blaze of international publicity, the World Association of Newspapers announced last week that it is considering legal action against Google News, which it accuses of “building a new medium on the backs of our industry, without paying for any of the content”. This follows earlier objections to the Google Print service - Google’s plans to scan millions of books have attracted opposition from publishers and authors. But what is its legal position faced with these objections? Read on…

Tags: Blog-keeping, Technology by TK
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