Researchers at the University of California have apparently found a way to read our minds. In an article published in the journal Nature, the researchers wrote that they have found that they can use MRI brain scans to determine which of a range of images a person is looking at. The article notes that the effect is analogous to the ‘pick a card, any card’ trick; using the MRI scans they could determine which card the person is looking at.
A few days ago we brought you the news that HP was horning in on Asus’ Eee PC racket; now it looks like MSI might be joining the fray as well. At CeBIT, it is showing off the MSI Wind, a subnotebook very much in the style of the Eee.
What better way is there to spend your Sunday then looking up synonyms for the word “observed”? Apparently, none. As someone on planet Earth was doing exactly that when they discovered the following definition, as featured in Apple Thesaurus. Jump for a bigger pic of the priceless quote.
Your gaming console could be sucking up vast amounts of power, according to Greenpeace. The environmental organisation, which is actually participating in CeBIT this year, has been telling reporters that it has serious concerns about the energy efficiency of the current generation of gaming consoles, and that IBM, AMD, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been stonewalling them about information related to manufacturing processes and power consumption. Greenpeace’s read on this is that very little attention is being paid to power usage on consoles, and that’s something that needs to change. Of course, the fact that your typical Xbox 360 power brick doubles as both a home heater and power supply could well be seen as a feature, not a bug. [AFP via SMH]
IPTV is making big news around the world, except in < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Australia, it seems. While CeBIT and CES recently showcased some very cool new IPTV technology, there doesn’t seem to be much desire on the part of the vendors of those technologies to bring them out here, as CNET found out. Panasonic, Sharp, HP and Sony have all demonstrated products, but won’t reveal if and when they will come to Australia. Part of that may have to do with our, um, unique download limiting regime which makes any kind of streaming video service rather pointless without serious ISP co-operation. [CNET]
So, you’re lying about on your sofa, while using your PC to watch a movie; what would be really nice is a wireless keyboard with a built-in touch pad to control playback. Well, thanks to Brando, you can now have it all. The Wireless USB Keyboard with Touch Pad leaves nothing to the imagination, and it comes fully equipped with 11 hot keys, including buttons for quick access to your browser and email, as well as a host of in-built media controls. To save on battery power, you can also set it up to function via USB when your within PC-reaching distance. Brando’s wireless input wonder retails at US$57 and is compatible with Windows XP, ME, 2000 and Vista. Note: This much convenience may lead to obesity. [Brando via GeekAlerts]
Okay, we admit that we’re a little late with this one, but Whirlpool, easily Australia’s best broadband news site, last week posted the results of its annual Australian Broadband Survey. The survey covers satusfaction with both ISPs and networking hardware, and is definitely worth a read if you’re in the market for either.
Joanna over at Laptop Mag just published an interview she held with Jerry Shen, Asus’ CEO. She questioned him regarding the future of the Eee PC, and he sure did outline some interesting plans for future revisions. Jump for the low down on what Jerry Shen had to say.
Apple gave Sun kind of the cold shoulder, not giving them the opportunity to put Java on the iPhone for Java apps. Now that the SDK is out, Sun’s decided to just take matters into their own hands and prep a Java Virtual Machine for the device that’ll allow Java applets to run on it. The JVM for iPhone will be based on Java Micro Edition, allowing apps like games and enterprise applications. You know, uh, all the stuff we’ve been clamoring for. I guess. Well, I’m sure at least a couple of interesting programs will come out of this, right? We’ll see how Apple handles Sun sneaking Java onto the iPhone this way. [Infoworld via Slashdot]
As part of the inaugural Sony World Photography Awards, Sony is encouraging photographers from all walks of life to ‘Shoot the World’ – capture and share the world as they see it from their unique perspective.
Photographs can then be uploaded to The Gallery by 15 March, 2008 for display and judging.
The winning entry will win a trip for two to the SWPA in Cannes, including airfares for two, seven nights accommodation, two tickets to the Awards, all transfers and $2,000 spending money.
The grand prize also includes a Sony Alpha A200 DSLR twin-lens kit (A200 camera body plus 18-70mm lens and 75-300mm lens) as well as a flash, battery grip, 2GB memory card and kit bag. Four runners up will each win a Sony Alpha A200 DSLR twin-lens kit, valued at $1,399.
So go on, get out there and snap away. Document whatever the world is to you and make sure to send us a postcard from France!
