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IBM's revelation at SC09 created quite a stir and immediately brought forth visions of Cylons and Hal 9000. The cognitive computing team at IBM Research has moved significantly forward in creating a large-scale cortical simulation and a new algorithm that synthesizes neurological data -- two major milestones on the path to a cognitive computing ch...
Consumer Reports has unleashed its findings on toxic levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging on a largely unsuspecting public. Before the report, many felt the BPA danger had passed with the introduction of BPA-free baby bottles and so-called microwave-safe plastics. Not so, says the report: Certain canned foods contain high levels of BPA -- but it may also be present in alternative packaging...
Talk of a flu pandemic has evolved into a bit of flu panic. Rumors fly as some people die and others deny. Much of this fevered buzz is on and around the Internet. The fear that the Internet itself will crash is growing. The alarm is based on the presumption that as the flu spreads, so does the base of home telecommuters, placing such a burden on ...
Although not quite the equivalent of Star Trek's tricorder, GE's Vscan represents a long step forward in mobile medical technology. The handheld device does on-the-go ultrasound readings only, but those readings can give doctors faster, more in-depth info than the best of preliminary doctor exam routines. Indeed, the BlackBerry-sized unit will lik...
It seems that no vaccine in recent history has met with as much public suspicion and fear as the new H1N1 vaccine. Commonly referred to as the "swine flu," H1N1 causes a wide range of symptoms, from mild to lethal The body count is already high for this time of year, and it is expected to soar much higher, according to the Centers for Disease Contr...
In a modern age paradox, the Internet has become a source of both edification and addiction. Teens are required to spend hours on the Web doing research and homework for school, but constant online activity can affect young minds in seriously bad ways, according to a new study Although earlier studies have reported similar findings, this most recen...
Not so long ago, Motorola was hailed as the bane of criminals. "You might outrun the cop, but you'll never outrun Motorola," went the saying. The Motorola two-way radio was one of the first technologies to tip the scales in favor of law enforcement. However, it was by no means the last. "Today, it's all about pulling in multimedia at the edge, fus...
Big businesses often use big bucks to go green. Small businesses, on the other hand, haven't a dollar to spare even for a good cause like saving the environment. Shouldn't they just pass on the whole green scheme -- at least until the economy improves? Not necessarily "Effective power management is a win-win for small businesses: Reducing energy co...
The dream of taking Internet TV to an actual TV seems a no-brainer to consumers: a screen's a screen, and a monitor's just another screen, after all. However, there's more to the technology than meets the eye or fits the couch potato's view. Even so, Intel made a huge step toward plugging the Internet TV play on Thursday when it unveiled Atom processor CE4100 (code-name "Sodaville") -- its 45nm System-on-Chip for Internet TV.
Tests of a promising new gene therapy to treat Alzheimer's disease are moving to the phase II level, bringing the reversal of dementia damage one step closer to becoming a real medical possibility. Developed by scientists in The Memory Disorders Program at Georgetown University, CERE-110 is a virus engineered with the gene encoding nerve growth fa...
The LiMo Foundation, a consortium dedicated to creating an open, hardware-independent, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices delivered a one- two- punch to the mobile industry Thursday. First, Morgan Gillis, executive director, announced that consortium members are "moving into full commercialization mode" and all operator members on the LiMo Board have "reaffirmed their intent to bring LiMo R2 devices and associated services to market during 2009/2010." Operators that intend to bring these handsets to market include NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone. ...
A rose by any other name can raise quite the stink, making the act of localizing Web sites to fit foreign cultures all the more thorny. Even if the product is as sweet as ice cream, it's possible to leave a bitter taste in consumer's mouths. "Ben and Jerry launched their 'black and tan' flavor of ice cream without realizing that this phrase referr...
There's a rumor that honor exists among thieves, but outside of Robin Hood, no one considers them a bunch of do-gooders. Yet there may be a bright side to their shadowy work, at least in terms of enterprise software. It could very well be that they will drive the prices down "Microsoft is attempting to combat the temptation for consumers to use bla...
This story was originally published on April 24, 2009, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series Nothing is as heart-wrenching to an e-tailer as watching a customer abandon a full cart just seconds before consummating the deal. To be so close yet so cashless is more than frustrating; it's harmful to an e-tailer's health. A ...
This story was originally published on March 6, 2009, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. In this age of hype and hysteria, nearly every IT product peddled comes with the dire warning "if you do not buy, you die." On a few occasions, however, that claim proves true in the biggest, most unmistakable ways....
Part 1 of this two-part series provides some insights on where the money can be found to finance a startup business that has the right stuff Lacing a shoestring budget with enough green to get your startup up and running takes some finagling. Still, it can be done. If you can't find investor backing right now, then turn to alternative funding route...
Funny thing about economic disasters: They tend to spawn a bevy of new businesses. It's not that a recession is the best time for pie-in-the-sky thinking; rather, it's when pie-in-the-mouth issues become most pressing. "The tantalizing successes of some startups, coupled perhaps with the rise in unemployment, have more people pondering new ideas a...
This story was originally published on Jan. 30, 2009, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. It may be as sexy as grandma's underpants, but data is the foundation upon which everything else is layered. Without the right support underneath, the fat will roll over your margins, creating an unsightly, unseemly, unprofitab...
A while back, someone convinced U.S. businesses that if they outsourced work overseas, costs would fall off a cliff. The Wall Street lemmings jumped, believing they could fly, but instead plummeted to the depths of a global recession. Many of them are still falling, yet they continue to outsource their work offshore. "Many companies are looking to...
Somewhere in the middle of the laptop/netbook/smartphone explosion, IT lost control. The days of IT issuing the same mobile device to all employees are all but gone. These days, different types of workers need different kinds of devices. Sometimes employees bring their personal devices into the workspace, adding another layer to IT's burden. On top of all that, there's the fact that underlying technologies in devices and apps are constantly changing. It's no wonder the IT world of neat little silos has all but vanished.
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