Sifteo Makes Smart Blocks for Gaming and Education

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Wii-motes, Kinects, and multi-touch screens--the number of ways that gamers can control their games has certainly grown. Now, a set of smart blocks created by San Francisco start-up Sifteo, Inc., offers another way to play: by hand-arranging physical tiles, each with its own video display.

Each 4.3 by 4.3 by 1.9 centimeter block weighs a mere 35 grams, but packs in a 3-axis accelerometer, a 2.4 gigahertz radio receiver and transmitter, a full-color 128 by 128 pixel LCD, an ARM micro-controller, and a Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery.

Sifteo co-founder Jeevan Kalanithi chatted with IEEE Spectrum at last month's 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, where the company sold its first batch of blocks as part of its Early Access program. These first sets sold-out overnight, before the show floor even opened. Kalanithi says the toy blocks take advantage of the ever-cheaper and ever-smaller components found in smartphones as well as the market's demand for new user interfaces. 

He also says they also tap a desire for the unplugged games of yesteryears:

"There's a long tradition of hands-on play," Kalanithi says, "games like checkers, mahjong, jacks, or poker." Video games are more interactive, he says, but can also make for catatonic play--"zone-out style." Sifteo has designed the blocks to keep the interactivity but forgo the stupor.

Right now the company develops most of the games--including puzzles, adventure, and educational programs--in-house, but Kalanithi says they plan to open up the system's API and invite third parties to develop their own apps for the blocks later this year.

Kalanithi and Sifteo co-founder David Merrill first envisioned the blocks while at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Mass. Whimsy is no stranger to that lab: Harmonix founders made a prototype of the game Guitar Hero there, and it's where the One Laptop per Child project got its start.

Kalanithi says that it wasn't easy to turn this academic project into a commercial product: "2009 was a rough year to raise money." Still, the company managed to get investors including the Foundry Group, True Ventures, and the National Science Foundation on board. The appeal, he believes, was how instinctive playing with the technology is: "I think we had something that people really understood--and really liked."

Learn How You Can Find the Best External Hard Drive

When you talk about one of the most common issues most computer users face, you have to talk about the problem of hard drive being full. Gigabyte after gigabyte of images, music and video add up. It is quite annoying when you try to save a new file and you get a message that your hard drive is full and unable to copy. Luckily, you don't have to deal with this issue anymore, as the solution is clear: an external hard drive, even if you use it only for data backups. After all, it really makes sense to choose this option to keep you from losing your entire vacation photos or music collection in one fell swoop.

The thing is that though adding an external hard drive is the solution, it's not that simple to make a purchase. A visit to the electronics store is usually quite confusing mainly because you can find dozens of devices lying on the shelves. However, you can still make a good decision if you keep a few important points in mind. For instance:

1. It is advisable to buy a larger hard drive. It definitely requires you to shell out more cash but each unit of storage space will now be cheaper. And of course, you will have more space to store your multimedia files and data.

2. You should determine the size of an external hard drive suitable for your needs. If you're a normal user, you will definitely have a hard time filling up a hard drive up to 1000 gigabytes. It can easily hold up to 400,000 songs, 250,000 photos or at least 385 hours of standard video. So, just pay attention to your needs and then determine the exact size of a drive that will work for your computing needs.

3. Try to choose one from popular types of drives. By digging deeper into the details, you will find out that 3.5-inch drives with 1,000 GB storage capacity are the most popular of them all. Similarly, you will also find people have a liking for 2.5-inch drives with 500GB of storage capacity. You may want to choose any one of these to backup and store your data. If you are confused about picking one, you should consider your exact requirements. Do you want a drive that offers freedom of mobility? Or you want a drive that is cheap. For better mobility, try the 2.5-inch version, as it's more robust and significantly smaller. What's more, these 2.5-inch drives have managed to score well in drop tests as compared to the larger, 3.5-inch drives.

The fact of the matter is that sometimes it becomes essential to have an additional drive with you, and that's when buying an external hard drive becomes the right bet. Just bear in mind that you should never make a hasty decision and keep above-mentioned points in mind to get a drive that works fine and offers the best value for your money.

external-harddrive-reviews.com is a place that allows you to find out everything about the best external hard drives. Not only can you read reviews, but you can also compare different drives to select the best external hard drive for your personal computer.

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Demo Spring 2011: And the Oscar Goes To...

Demo Spring 2011 kicked off at 5:30 pm Pacific Time on Sunday, 27 February, the same time as the Academy Awards telecast. So it’s not surprising that I had the Oscars on my mind as I watched the presentations at Demo Spring, a showcase for new technology that ran through Tuesday in Palm Desert, Calif. Or that I was inspired to name a few award winners of my own.

And the DemOscar goes to:

Special Effects: Swivel from FaceCake

Are shoppers more likely to buy clothes online—or in a store—if they can try them on virtually? Two companies introducing technologies at Demo Spring say they are—FaceCake Marketing Technologies and Zugara. Both let shoppers use gestures (captured by webcam or Kinect) to grab virtual clothes off of a rack and try them on; Swivel’s version, in my testing, was a lot more responsive and realistic than Zugara’s. Do they make sense? Neither gives you a clue as to how the item might fit, and fit is usually my biggest problem in virtual shopping; they do let you play with accessories, and perhaps there is something to be said for seeing a style pasted on your image, even if the pasting can be a little clumsy—the “Oh my, that’s definitely not for me” reaction comes a lot faster than it does when paging through images of models. I test the Swivel system in the video above.

Achievement in Sci-Fi: Cyclic Variations in Altitude Conditioning (CVAC) Systems
The CVAC system, a futuristic personal pod, takes a single user up to a simulated 20,000 feet or so in altitude and back down to the ground in a matter of minutes.

Artificial Neural Networks

ByBoby Hermez

(ANNs) are biologically inspired. Specifically, they borrow ideas from the manner in which the human brain works. The human brain is composed of special cells called neurons. Estimates of the number of neurons in a human brain cover a wide range (up to 150 billion), and there are more than a hundred different kinds of neurons, separated into groups called networks. Each network contains several thousand neurons that are highly interconnected. Thus, the brain can be viewed as a collection of neural networks.

Today's ANNs, whose application is referred to as neural computing, use a very limited set of concepts from biological neural systems. The goal is to simulate massive parallel processes that involve processing elements interconnected in a network architecture. The artificial neuron receives inputs analogous to the electrochemical impulses biological neurons receive from other neurons. The output of the artificial neuron corresponds to signals sent out from a biological neuron. These artificial signal can be changed, like the signals from the human brain. Neurons in an ANN receive information from other neurons or from external source, transform or process the information, and pass it on to other neurons or as external outputs.

The manner in which an ANN processes information depends on its structure and on the algorithm used to process the information.

Benefits And Applications Of Neural Networks

The value of neural network technology includes its usefulness for pattern recognition, learning, and the interpretation of incomplete and "noisy" inputs.

Neural networks have the potential to provide some of the human characteristics of problem solving that are difficult to simulate using the logical, analytical techniques of DSS or even expert systems. One of these characteristics is pattern recognition. Neural networks can analyze large quantities of data to establish patterns and characteristics in situations where the logic and rules are not known. An example would be loan applications. By reviewing many historical cases of applicants questionnaires and the "yes or no" decisions made, the ANN can create "patterns" or "profiles" of applications that should be approved or denied. A new application can then matched by the computer against the pattern. If it comes close enough, the computer classifies it as a "yes" or "no"; otherwise it goes to a human for a decision. Neural networks are especially useful for financial applications such as determining when to buy or sell stock, predicting bankruptcy, and predicting exchange rates.

Beyond its role as an alternative computing mechanism, and in data mining, neural computing can be combined with other computer-based information systems to produce powerful hybrid systems.

Neural computing is emerging as an effective technology in pattern recognition. This capability is being translated to many applications and is sometimes integrated with fuzzy logic.

We always present the technology that understands you. You can get a lot of things from www.bobyhermez.com. We are a lot of talk about the latest technology and we always look at the technology of human needs.

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Manage Property Through Lettings Agency Software

ByMark Herry

If you are planning to establish a letting agency and worried about the documentation work then leave all your worries to lettings software system. With the advancement of technology, the market is loaded with a number of proficient letting software exclusively designed for the property agents to take care of their entire business requirements. Letting agency software benefits the business in many different ways such as this software system reduces the consumption of time and money to be spent on hiring manpower.

Furthermore, these letting software are easy to install and can be accessed with basic computer knowledge. Landlords software range is tagged with different prices as these are introduced in different versions. A letting agent can invest money in a particular letting software as per the routine workload and business size.

For a successful property business, the concerned agent or landlord needs to maintain the updated records of open property deals, including prospective client portfolios. A client portfolio is consisting of tax payer details, running mortgage information and financial ability with a snap of client. A property agent can manage a number of client profiles and can also take care of two property management companies by paying a cost of single license software. Some of the letting agency software come with online support facility and add- on options. In case of any doubt, an interested landlord can download a trial version of desired property software. Property manager Pro is perfect software for small property management business, whereas property manager premium is recommended for the large and growing firms.

Property Manager Enterprise is the right choice for managing client or agent networks. All software programs are empowered with Sage account options with advanced technology. Landlords software come with training schedule for Sage option in which the staff member of a letting agency can attend an online training program. Raise rent charges, tax calculations and paid tenant amount is atomically recorded and updated in property software. After equipping the business with this integrated software, the usage of paper for preparing documentation is totally reduced. A letting agent does not need to maintain separate record files for each client or property deals.

One does not have to learn accounts for working on this property software. Nevertheless, this property software is an all-in- one solution for a successful property management business. Its multi- user interface enables a letting agency to use this property software on a number of terminals together with online data entry option. However, this indispensable software has become an official tool in order to sort out renter records, stakeholder information and for recording potential deals in a professional technique. Therefore, property management through letting software has become a lot easier and simpler.

For more information about Letting agency software and landlords software please visit us at http://www.landlord-manager.co.uk.

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Demo Spring 2011: Brain Control

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I’ve tried a number of EEG brain wave devices over the years; most designed to control video games, or as simple tests of relaxation. Most didn’t exactly impress me with their potential usefulness.

I’ve even tried a version of the brain wave monitor Neurosky brought to Demo Spring 2011 this week in Palm Desert, Calif. That was the Mattel MindFlex, based on Neurosky technology, requiring me to navigate a ping pong ball through an obstacle course by varying my concentration levels; I found it more frustrating than fun.

So I didn’t have particularly high expectations when I strapped on the latest Neurosky gizmo, the $100 MindWave headset.

First on the screen—a series of math addition and subtraction problems. My job—solve them as quickly as possible. I struggled a little, confused by the positions of the number keys on the computer (“where is the 3???”) and adjusting my glasses to focus alternately between the keypad and the large screen above me; I missed a problem, then added when I should have subtracted.

After the short—less than a minute, I would guess—test, I looked at Neurosky’s report of my experience. The graph showed my concentration levels rising and falling, a dip just before the missed problem, then a big jump as I clearly amped up my efforts to make up for the mistake. Towards the end, my concentration held steady and I had completed the problems rhythmically—I was in the zone.

Wow. I could immediately see how useful this kind of information would be to a teacher—or a parent wondering why what seemed like simple homework was taking so long. This EEG monitoring peripheral no longer looks like just a novelty product.
I switched over to a shooting game (a benign shooting game—it used a bubble gun, when you hit an animal it floated up in a bubble). Concentrate to target a creature on the screen, and then, when the crosshairs stabilize, blink to fire; no hands. Very cool.

Video above: Spectrum Editor Tekla Perry tests the Neurosky MindWave.

How To Lay The Groundwork For A Client Database

Follow this simple guide to ensure you lay your groundwork, choose appropriate database technology and encourage your staff to embrace the coming changes.

Phase 1 - Define Outcomes and Objectives

Before you implement any company changes you need to ask yourself 'what am I trying to achieve?'. An example objective might be to increase repeat business in medium value purchases. In this case you might find that your sales team give a lot of attention to the initial sale but don't follow up customers for repeat business. To solve the problem with a client database you could focus on a system to capture client info after every sale and devise a 'repeat business schedule'. This might include automated emails with special offers and a follow up call calendar for your staff to adhere to.

The above example is very specific and detailed. Your objectives may be broader, such as: to track sales results, improve staff efficiency, to identify and eliminate problem customers. This is fine, so long as you are clear on exactly how this benefit can be achieved using a client database.

You can also have more than 1 main objective, however choosing more than 3 will cause problems. If you have many desired outcomes break them down into 'essentials' and 'nice to haves'. And then list them according to priority. Realistically if your list is more than 12 items long you won't find a system that offers every feature you want but by deciding your priorities in advance you can select the system which offers the best possible fit.

Phase 2 - Research How Your Data Is Currently Managed

Aim your investigation squarely at the data which is most important to meeting your key objectives. And in the process try to be open minded (and non-judgmental), it will make your staff more co-operative. Whether your staff are using excel, outlook or even relying on an old fashioned Rolodex, make sure you ask them why they use those methods, what they like about them and finish with what they think could improve company data management You should be able to identify features your staff would appreciate in a new system and flag any obvious inefficiencies' that should be avoided.

Change is a funny thing, sometimes your team will instinctively resist change even though all the evidence shows that the changes will make their life easier in the long run. By including your team in the client database set up and selection process you encourage them to buy into the new software. Instead of fighting the change their attitude will be more like 'I had a say in this change so I better make the most of it'. This will mean a much more successful uptake and overall implementation.

Phase 3 - Selecting The Best Client Database For You

You have your list of objectives, you have your staff input and now all you need is the system to make all your dreams come true!. Yes, shopping for technology can be fun but keep your objectives at the forefront of your mind when evaluating potential client databases. Don't allow yourself to be distracted by cool 'state of the art' features that aren't directly relevant to your desired outcome.

Although I'm loathe to make recommendations about software (as each organization is different) the best fit for around 80% of companies will be a web based client database. Web based systems require less set up, can be used with your existing hardware, are more affordable and typically have more user friendly interfaces. In addition they have higher security and data backup protocols

Earlier we talked about getting your staff to 'buy in' to the new technology. Another way to boost staff participation is by having them test run a few systems. Ask them what features they liked, what they hated and how it would change their daily work?. They will be the people who actually use the client database, so any feedback they provide will be invaluable.

One final thing to look at before you decide on a solution is the provider themselves. It is not just about the right 'technology' you need a provider who understands your business and can help you meet your business objectives. Look for a provider who can give you the appropriate level of support to achieve your goals and who is knowledgeable enough to show you how to use the system to meet your specific agenda.

If the exact system you want doesn't exist yet, then finding a great provider is even more important, as they can help you customize the client database software to meet your specific requirements. Bear in mind customization can be costly, so limit yourself to your primary objectives when making changes and learn to live without the 'nice to have' features.

With over 20 years of experience Troy Netreba knows what makes a good client database, for his very user friendly, affordable and powerful software go to: http://www.picrmsoftware.com.au/

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