Digital Lunar Pictures

Scientists will now be able to see how the moon has changed in the years since the Apollo missions. A new NASA project called the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) has restored 42-year-old images taken of and from the moon. All images will be made available to the public.

The biggest benefit from digitizing these photos is to see the even the smallest changes to the lunar surface over the past 40-plus years. The images originally were taken in the 1960s by camera. These images were put on magnetic tapes and then transferred to film.

LOIRP has transferred the original analog data from 1,500 tapes and changed them into digital form.

"This project is an opportunity to revel in what was done in the past," said Pete Worden, director of Ames Research Center where LOIRP is based, "and get excited about what we're doing in the future."

I think this digitizing of photos is great because now these photos will last much longer on Earth and will be in much higher resolution. Plus, since I will probably never get to actually go to the moon, looking at the quality pictures of the moon is great!

The image at the top of this blog is the "image of the century" which was the first picture ever taken where Earth is seen from another celestial body. You can see the north coast of Africa and the glint of the sun on the Atlantic ocean.

The World of Digital Books

All over the world, books are going digital.  Last week, American authors and publishers reached an agreement with Google for it to sell electronic versions of copyrighted works that have gone out of print. 

"Almost overnight, not only has the largest publishing deal been struck, but the largest bookshop in the world has been built, even if it is not quite open for business yet," wrote Neill Denny, editor of The Bookseller, a London-based trade publication.

Right now, the bookshop would operate only in the US. And this agreement is only one of the ways books are making a technological leap.

This month, a group of European national libraries and archives plan to open Europeana - an online database of two million books, films, paintings, newspapers, and sound clips.

In Japan, the mobile phone is a popular way to read e-books. Sales of digital manga comic books are leading the way, and Penguin is optimistic about selling e-books to mobile phone users in India.

Stanza is an application for the iPhone that lets people read e-books. About half a million in more than 50 countries have downloaded this application.

I think all of these new initiatives to digitize books are great! I would definitely take advantage of reading e-books, whether it be on a mobile phone or on a device like the Kindle. I think reading the books on a mobile phone is an especially great idea because I take my phone with me wherever I go; that means whenever I have a free moment, I can just whip out my phone and read a book. 

USB Provides Bank Security

IBM has developed a USB type device that protects people doing online banking. The USB creates a secure channel to the bank's online transaction server. The USB can even bypass the user's PC and avoid any virus or other malware on the computer!

The user logs on and validates transactions using the display on the device. Extra security can be added by inserting a smart chip in the device that will prevent "man-in-the-middle interceptions."

The USB is called a Zone Trusted Information Channel and is ready to start banking trials. Another great thing is these devices need no new software and they run on all major client operating systems. 

Because this device looks like it can be integrated into use so easily, I think this USB will be a big help in making sure online banking is secure and will allow more people to feel comfortable using online banking. I would use it!

Elbot comes close to passing the Turing Test

On the lovely Friday before the Georgia-LSU game, Dr. Shamp discussed Artificial Intelligence and the Turing Test in class. The Turing Test was designed by Alan Turing, a famous Britain code-breaker, in the 1950s. In order to pass the test, the machine being tested must convince 30% of the human interrogators he is human.

Over the weekend, at the 18th Loebner Prize for artificial intelligence, a new computer named Elbot convinced three of 12 human interrogators he was human. That is one human short of passing the 30% mark! Elbot is the first machine to come close to passing the test. 

It's scary to think that some machines have enough A.I. to make humans think they're also humans and not computers. However, I had a conversation with Elbot (have your own by going to www.elbot.com!), and I wasn't sure how he managed to convince three people he wasn't human. 

For the most part, I found him to be sarcastic and cocky, and I thought he discussed how he cleaned off his rust spots way too much. He did have a few nice things to say and after I complimented him on his niceness, he told me, "for a human being, you're somewhat nice yourself. If only you had wires..."

Hmm, nice with an edge. Ultimately, I think we have a long way to go before humans need to be concerned about A.I. becoming as just like humans because though Elbot is smart and does seem to have a bit of personality, Elbot can never take the place of real human compassion.

Interactive Art in Milwaukee

An exhibit called "Art/React: Interactive Installation Art" is making its world premiere at the Milwaukee Art Museum through January 11, 2009. This exhibit features pieces that allow viewers to move through a space and create art.

For example, the museum's signature piece will probably be a piece called "Healing Pool" by Brian Knep. As visitors walk across the piece, the orange, red, and yellow shapes transform behind them. Knep said, "[This piece] is about the scarring that happens through the healing of a wound, as well as aging and growing through change. At any point, the floor will reflect everyone who has walked across it." 

Other pieces include "Echo Evolution" which uses ultrasonic scanners to find people moving and then creates the sounds of things spinning such as quarters or wine glasses with the help of changing neon lights. "Peg Mirror" is 650 circular wooden pieces that mimics the movements of viewers.

This exhibit marks the first time that viewers at the Museum create art just by walking through it instead of by using keyboards and mouses.

The guest curator Geoge Fifield said, "Previously, art has always had to be passive. You look at a painting, you listen to music, you read a book and you experience it but ... you're merely receiving it, and with interactive art you are actually doing it. You are changing the path you are traveling through and in many ways, as you can see here, you are changing the artwork itself."

I think this new interactive art will be great for the art world. Not only is it a new, exciting type of art, but interactive art also adds an emotional element to technology.

As Knep, the artist behind "Healing Pool" said, "it's exciting to try to make technology less soulless and isolating."

YouTube Tests Full Length Shows

Google is all about earning money with YouTube and has found a new way - by combining full TV episodes and advertising.

Recently posted on YouTube are 15 50 minute TV episodes from Star Wars, Beverly Hills 90210, and MacGyver. Included in the videos though are prominent ads that play at the beginning, middle, and end for 15 seconds each. These ads include ads from Motion in Research's Blackberry and Intel's Centrino chip technology.

The article about these new videos on CNET.com said, "It's an experiment in video display and advertising."

Some cool things YouTube has done to the display of the video is the new "theater view." The theater view has bright ads against a darker screen and wraps the video in red theater curtains. The "lights-out" mode keeps the traditional YouTube interface but adds the darker screen and bright ad.

If I were a big fan of Star Wars, 90210, or MacGyver I would think this new experiment with posting TV episodes to be the next best thing since sliced bread. However, since I do not watch these shows, I will more likely be spending my time watching Ugly Betty episodes on abc's website than perusing YouTube for full length TV episodes.

Slacker G2

The Slacker G2 is a portable radio player that has no subscription and no need to transfer digital files for new music. The Slacker G2 plays music you choose from radio stations on Slacker.com - and the music is all FREE!

Create a personal radio station on Slacker.com by adding bands that you like. The site will automatically find music you might like that you can also add. The cheaper Slacker G2 ($200) holds 25 radio stations. The device holds 2,500 songs so when you hook the Slacker G2 to your PC or Mac, the songs from your personal radio station transfer to the device.

Another cool thing about the Slacker G2 is that you can refresh all of the songs on the device with new songs just by hooking it up to your computer or by using WiFi.

There were some problems such as the device shutting down without explanation and the fact that the device takes a really long time to refresh songs (it's recommended to refresh your playlist overnight).

Despite these problems I think the Slacker G2 has lots of potential. Being able to download free songs from a variety of different radio stations and ALSO being able to put these songs on a portable music player to take with you anywhere is awesome!

However, the Slacker G2 is no iPod so I would probably shell out $200 toward a new iTouch (or even better, an iPhone!) instead of a Slacker G2 - even though the music is free. It's just the price I have to pay for wanting to be one of the cool kids.

TiVo on the PC

On Monday, Nero and TiVo announced Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC.  This news means that TiVo will now function from a computer without a set-top box.  The TiVo interface on the computer will look the same as the one on the TV.

The awesome thing about this news is that now users will be able to transport recorded TV shows onto their iPod or PlayStation.  Users can also burn fully functioning DVDs that can be transferred between computers or other devices and taken on car rides, plane trips...you name it!

Though TiVo users who have their DVR connected to their desktop can already transport their shows from the set-top box to DVR, this news is still great because the Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC simplifies this process.

It will be available in mid-October and eventually offered internationally, opening up TiVo to a whole new international market.

This news is great because as a college student, I don't have much down time to just sit and watch TV in my room. Being able to watch my shows on my iPod or on my laptop would be awesome because then I would be able to watch my favorite shows wherever I can catch a free moment.

Fun Tech Fact: On Sept. 29, 1920 - Radio Goes Commercial

Pribot: The Car of the Future?

On a few occasions, Dr. Shamp has mentioned in my new media classes how cool you are if you drive a Prius. How cool could you be if you didn't drive a Prius?

Pretty cool apparently. Last week, the Pribot, a robotic Toytota Prius, took to the streets of San Francisco without a driver.  Anthony Levandowski, a 28-year old engineer from S.F., developed the Pribot. The Pribot drives itself using a combination of GPS, inertial guidance, and infrared sensors to navigate the roads. 

Levandowski said he created the Pribot as a hobby and because, "the technology for being able to improve your convenience and safety while on the freeway is just around the corner. I want to be the one to provide that."

I think this new robotic car is a good idea because this new robotic car technology seems like technology that could keep people from getting into serious accidents. I think it's amazing that someone has invented a car that can operate without a driver. Next step: flying cars?

P.S.  The initial run of the Pribot was a success. The Pribot had a police escort to make sure it behaved appropriately and only had one small paint scuff at the end of the journey.

Big Brother iPhone

Back in high school, I remember reading 1984 by George Orwell and thinking how terrible the world would be if Big Brother could track your every movement. Today, I read an article online at Wired.com 

that made these thoughts seem like a reality.

According to the article,"If you've got an iPhone, pretty much everything you have done on your handset has been temporarily stored as a screenshot that hackers or forensics experts could eventually recover." I don't have an iPhone so I don't know exactly how this works but the article explains that when an iPhone user hits the Home button, the window of the application the user has open shrinks and disappears. Jonathan Zdziarski, an iPhone hacker and data-forensics expert, said the iPhone creates the shrinking effect by taking a screenshot.

The phone supposedly deletes the image after the user closes the application but often this deletion does not permanently remove files. Forensics experts have been able to use this security flaw to gather evidence against criminals. They can also recover photos or emails that were deleted months ago.

Zdziarski said the iPhone only takes screenshots when user press the Home button. He also explained that somebody must have physical access to the iPhone in order to exploit this security flaw.

I know that I personally have nothing to worry about since I do not involve myself with illegal activities, but I do think that the iPhone's ability to take screenshots and keep them where forensics experts or hackers can find them is a scary thought. Though it is good this flaw has been able to be used to catch criminals, I still don't like the idea of someone being able to track my every move.

It makes me wonder what other devices are watching me.

The Mars Rover is Tweeting

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander was sent to space in early May and has since then been tweeting details about its mission back to the folks still here on Earth. NASA's intent with its use of Twitter.com was to attract a new audience of kids to twenty-somethings. NASA used Twitter for the first time with this mission and has had a very positive response. At the time of this blog post, MarsPhoenix had 33,797 followers!

I think using Twitter to post updates about the mission is a great idea because people who may not ever take the time to read about the Mars rover can read its Twitter page in about 20 seconds or less. I also think its great that people can ask questions about the mission and MarsPhoenix will answer.

I also love how the updates from MarsPhoenix are in first person. A NASA Media Relations person says, "People are talking about how the lander has its own personality now because we talk about everything in first person. People think it is like this plucky, optimistic and determined creature." 

As I read the Twitter updates from MarsPhoenix about finding "humidity in the air but no water molecules on the ground" and about how the rover has "plans to last many weeks before the ice and darkness wins" and it cannot operate on solar power anymore, I imagine a Wall-E like character.

I love that science and a popular social networking site, Twitter.com, can be used together to educate people about space in a fun, new way!!

Read MarsPhoenix's Twitter Page! 

Cellphones: The New Bookbag?

Cellphones are thought of a classroom distraction to many schools. But not to Abilene Christian University in Texas. Two-thirds of their 950 incoming freshmen will receive an Apple iPhone 3-G to enhance their classroom experience. According to technewsworld.com, students will be expected to use the phone to complete activities such as brainstorming ideas, getting virtual handouts, and listening to podcasts in class, and teachers will be able to check attendance.

"The time is approaching when these [smartphones] will be as much 

a part of education as a bookbag," says the authors of a report last year by the nonprofit New Media Consortium (a company that studies new technologies that might have an impact on teaching.)

Though I can see where a smartphone such as the iPhone would be a useful tool for teaching, I'm not sure smartphones should be used in the classroom outside of school. For example, one of the points in the article was how by using smartphones, teachers and students would be able to stay in contact 24/7 and be able to do things such as teachers sending out emails and students taking quizzes on the go. As a student, I would not want to be connected with school all day and all night long; when my classes are over for the day, all I want to worry about is if I should watch Grey's Anatomy or The Office later that night.

However, though I don't think smartphones should be used for activities outside of class, I do think using them during class would be a good idea. Apple currently offers over 80 applications for its iPhones that involve education. These applications range from learning to tell time to learning Italian. I think using an gadget such as the iPhone would make students more excited about learning since they get to use a device that not a lot of people have and that has so much neat technology. Ultimately I think students would benefit from using iPhones in the classroom because the iPhones would teach lessons in a creative way and students would gain experience with operating new technologies.

Cell Phones and Medical Imaging

Cell phones are great for many things: I can keep in touch with my friends, send text messages, listen to music, and surf the web. But who ever thought that cellphones would be able to do more than keep people connected at the fingertips?

In May 2008, ScienceDaily.com reported that engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, developed a way to use cell phones to make medical imaging available to people all over the world. Medical imaging technology includes items such as ultrasounds and X-rays that can do everything from detecting tumors to monitoring fetuses. According to Boris Rubinsky, a UC Berkeley professor that helped developed this new application for cell phones, "Diagnosis and treatment of an estimated 20 percent of diseases would benefit from medical imaging, yet this advancement has been out of reach for millions of people in the world because the equipment is too costly to maintain."

Professor Rubinsky's system uses the cell phone to transmit raw data to a central server where the information is created into an image that is then sent back to the cell phone. This process simplifies the equipment needed to use medical imaging which lowers the cost of medical imaging. This cell phone system would be beneficial to doctors in poorer countries because they could have the tools they need to properly diagnose and treat their patients. Acquiring a cell phone capable of using this technology would be easy because the technology works with any cellphone that can send and receive graphics, video, and audio clips. 

One of my concerns with this cell phone medical imaging is how easy obtaining a cell phone in developing nations would be. However, a member of Professor Rubinsky's team reassures that even in remote villages, cellphones are found because little infrastructure is needed to maintain wireless networks. Dropped calls wouldn't be a big issue either because sending the imaging data is a lot easier than sending voice signals.  

As improvements in cell phone technologies are made, I'm glad that these new technologies allow people to do awesome things like surf the web and use GPS on their phones. I'm proud that these new technologies are headed toward making world-changing advancements such as medical imaging with cell phones possible.

Green Computers

I love how society as a whole is going green. Everywhere I turn, I see signs of our growing environmental awareness. Recycling bins are becoming almost as plentiful as trash cans, and shirts and tote bags that endorse going green are a new fashion statement.

And now, to make things even better, computers are going green too.

Most used PCs in the United States are dumped in landfills or given to third world countries because recycling computer parts is too slow and expensive. Well, here comes the US Environmental Protection Agency to the rescue! The EPA is providing funds to help the organization EPCglobal work with manufacturers to put radio frequency identification tags on all their components. These tags allow recycling plants to use scanners that immediately read each part's make, model, and history as the parts came to the plant. These scanners make the recycling of computer parts become a much more efficient process, which helps minimize electronic waste. 

Kudos to this effort to combine technology and environmental awareness to help the world go green, one computer at a time!