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Computer learns dogspeak
Study shows computer programs can classify dog barks better than humans
Computer programs may be the most accurate tool for studying acoustic communications amongst animals, according to Csaba Molnár from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary and his research team. Study shows computer programs can classify dog barks better than humans ... more -
Complex Passwords: Don't Go Online Without Them
The invention of the Internet has caused all of us to create personal passwords for our online accounts. But regular passwords leave our personal information vulnerable to hackers and criminals. The best safeguard for our valuable online accounts is using complex passwords. Your personal information can be instantly more secure online if you follow these simple guidelines. Don't become another victim of a hacker. The invention of the Internet has caused all of us to create personal passwords for our online accounts. But regular passwords leave o... more
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Ten communication inventions that changed the world forever
Once these mass communication tools were invented this planet was never the same again.
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The Origins of Communication
Fish are the originators of communication- so says Prof. Bass, no pun intended....
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Sexy voice = sexy body
People with voices deemed sexy and attractive tend to have greater body symmetry upon close inspection, suggesting that what we hear in a person can greatly affect what we see in them.
"The sound of a person's voice reveals a considerable amount of biological information," said Susan Hughes, an evolutionary psychologist from Albright College in Reading, Pa. "It can reflect the mate value of a person."
Hughes, whose new study is detailed in the June 2008 edition of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, cautions that an attractive voice does not necessarily indicate that this person has an attractive face.
A symmetric body is genetically sound, scientists say, and in evolutionary terms, in the wild, it can be an important factor when selecting a mate. But sometimes changes during prenatal development can slightly skew this balance. For instance, the length ratio between index and ring fingers, known as the digit ratio, is fixed by the first trimester, a time that corresponds with vocal cord and larynx development. If the hormone surge that affects vocal development also affects finger growth, there should be a connection between an individual's voice and digit ratio.
Hughes could not demonstrate a connection between voice attractiveness and digit ratio in her previous work, possibly due to vocal changes that occur during puberty. So in the new study, about 100 individuals listened to previously recorded voices and independently rated them on nine traits important during mate selection: approachability, dominance, healthiness, honesty, intelligence, likelihood to get dates, maturity, sexiness and warmth.
Study participants generally agreed on what made a voice attractive. But when Hughes used a spectrogram to analyze these voice ratings according to different acoustic properties such as pitch, intensity, jitter and shimmer, she could not find a common feature that made these voices seem attractive.
This indicates our perceptual system may be more advanced than expected.
"We can agree on what's an attractive voice yet I can't capture it with a computer," Hughes told LiveScience.
Investigating if a combination of these properties can define an attractive voice may shed light on a connection, she said. People with voices deemed sexy and attractive tend to have greater body symmetry upon close inspection, suggesting that what we hear i... more -
IPhone Review
After playing around with a sleek iPhone 3G for eight days, I can confirm it lives up to its hype. But it's not a flawless gadget, nor is it an inexpensive one when you factor in that the regular minimum investment is almost $2,500 over three years for the non-promotional data and voice plan. After playing around with a sleek iPhone 3G for eight days, I can confirm it lives up to its hype. But it's not a flawless gadget, nor... more
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$30 Plan for Iphone
Rogers said on Wednesday the price of the six-gigabyte service plan will be reduce to $30. Earlier, it said iPhone plans for voice and data would range from $60 to $115. Rogers said on Wednesday the price of the six-gigabyte service plan will be reduce to $30. Earlier, it said iPhone plans for voice and... more
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Google launches virtual world of 'Lively'
Similar to 'Second Life', this is Google's attempt to create a virtual world out of the 'static' internet. Users can create their own rooms where they can post blogs, instant message others, stream YouTube videos, and display Picassa pictures. These rooms can then be uploaded on one's personal website, Facebook, MySpace, or anywhere else on the web.
Lively website: http://www.lively.com Similar to 'Second Life', this is Google's attempt to create a virtual world out of the 'static' internet. Users can create their own ... more -
Bringing semantic technology to the enterprise
As seen at the recent 2008 Semantic Technology conference in San Jose, serious interest in corporate use of semantic technology continues to grow rapidly. Semantically-enabled applications are increasingly seen as fertile ground for Web 2.0 applications such as mash ups as well as the basis for innovative business intelligence strategies, internal collaboration wikis, and rich canonical models for service-oriented architectures (SOA).
What’s lacking, however, is a clear understanding of where semantic technology fits in enterprise architectures. Should it be thought of primarily as purely a web technology to integrate information on the presentation layer? Should it be seen as closer to the data layer of the application because of its potential to bring disparate sets of data together? Alternatively, should semantic technology be focused on the increasingly important middle layer of enterprise architectures where messaging and service implementations live?
Semantic technology's perennial problem is to gain enough traction to be taken seriously in the corporate world—lest it suffer the fate of object databases—exciting ideas with only niche adoption. Currently, semantic technology is all about “critical mass,” for example, having broad enough adoption that it becomes ubiquitous. Its place in enterprise architecture needs to be clarified; if we don’t know ourselves where it fits, we’re going to have a hard time explaining it to anyone else and an even harder time getting anyone to finance the dollars to make it happen!
First, let’s look at a typical current corporate architecture. With rare exceptions, nearly every real corporate architecture has grown organically. Most mature companies have multiple databases and multiple programming paradigms. People who are new to the field would be shocked at how many major systems continue to run on mainframes accessed via a “green screen” (a dumb terminal that connects to the mainfraime and nothing else). Most of us who’ve been around a while thought these would be long gone, but the reality is that a huge proportion of corporate computing continue to run on mainframes. These systems are simply too complex to rebuild. Newer systems tend to be built on more open platforms—but real architectures are nearly always hybrids—they mix the most modern Web 2.0 features with systems that are at least a decade old.
Many applications in a real corporate environment remain as two-tiered applications, connecting directly from the data layer to the presentation layer. Applications built since 1990 are commonly comprised of three tiers with either a J2EE, .Web server, or a .NET application intervening between the data and the UI. As service-oriented architectures have proliferated and enterprise service buses become common, the intervening layers have become “thicker,” decoupling the entire presentation layer and application layer from the underlying data stores.
Semantic technology is a collection of technologies, rather than a single model, so it can fit into more than one place. For simple data aggregation “on the glass” or in a thin application close on the UI—in the mode of Web 2.0 applications—the presentation layer is an appropriate target. Using XSLT or other presentation tools, information can be mashed directly on this layer. A corporate collaboration wiki could use this layer to interconnect data from a wide range of sources. As seen at the recent 2008 Semantic Technology conference in San Jose, serious interest in corporate use of semantic technology contin... more -
McCain v. Teleprompter
Senator John McCain was performing relatively smoothly as he unveiled his energy plan.
He managed to limit the mechanical hand chops and weirdly timed smiles that can often punctuate his speeches. He delivered his lines with an ease that suggested a momentary peace with his longtime nemesis, the teleprompter.
But when Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, came to the intended sound bite of his speech — the part about reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil — he hit a slick.
“I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lex-eegton Project,” Mr. McCain said, drawing a quick breath and correcting himself. “The Lex-ing-ton Proj-ect,” he said slowly. “The Lexington Project,” he repeated. “Remember that name.”
In a town meeting in Cincinnati the next day, Mr. McCain would again slip up on the name of the Massachusetts town, where, he noted, “Americans asserted their independence once before.” He called it “the Lexiggdon Project” and twice tried to fix his error before flipping the name (“Project Lexington”) in subsequent references. Mr. McCain’s battle of Lexington is part of a struggle he is engaged in every day.
Mr. McCain is working closely with aides like Brett O’Donnell, a former debate consultant for Mr. Bush, to improve his speech and performance. He is working to limit his verbal tangents and nonverbal tics. He is speaking less out of the sides of his mouth, which can produce a wiseguy twang reminiscent of the Penguin from the Batman stories, and he is relying less on his favorite semantic crutch — the phrase “my friends” — which he used repeatedly in his campaign appearances.
The more careful McCain, said by some to be overly scripted, has received some withering critiques. “His rhetorical style can best be described as ‘tired mayonnaise,’ ” the comedian Stephen Colbert declared on “The Colbert Report” before inviting viewers to enter the “Make McCain Exciting Challenge.”
Peter Spaulding, the chairman of Mr. McCain’s campaign in New Hampshire, said he recently saw a McCain speech on television that was “just atrocious.”
Mr. McCain and his surrogates appear to be taking a page from the primary campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, which made a point of praising Mr. Obama’s speaking skills both to erase any expectation that she could match them and to imply that Mr. Obama was more of a performer than a leader.
He shrugged when asked whether he is improving as a speaker. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said. “It’s coming along. I will continue to make mistakes,” he added.
He sheepishly volunteered that he received complaints after a recent Newsweek profile of his wife, Cindy, said that he sometimes referred to her alma mater, the University of Southern California, as the University of Spoiled Children.
Mr. Salter bemoans the current environment, in which, he said, “the press creates the expectation that you better not stumble on a word, or tell a joke that Mr. Rogers wouldn’t tell, or you’re going to be in trouble.”
There are any number of Web videos of Mr. McCain to prove the point. They include the moment he playfully called a young man a “jerk” at a town-hall-style meeting in New Hampshire last year after he asked Mr. McCain if his age made him a candidate for Alzheimer’s disease in the White House (Mr. McCain typically uses jerk as a term of affection), or when he suggested to Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” that he brought him a special gift from Iraq — an improvised explosive device.
Small misstatements become instant YouTube fodder — as when Mr. McCain vowed to “veto every single beer” that included lawmakers’ pet spending projects (he meant “bill”) or when he said the government should have been able to deliver “bottled hot water” to dehydrated babies in New Orleans. (It is fortunate for Mr. McCain that there was no YouTube in the 1980s when he jokingly referred to the retirement community Leisure World as “Seizure World.”)
Senator John McCain was performing relatively smoothly as he unveiled his energy plan. ... more -
I don't know why you Get So Mad!
Please come and check out my video where I will perform for you a song on my piano. This is the first time that I am making a "web cam" video. I tried to do a little bit with the sound to improve the original quality that I got from the Web Cam.
This song is about anger and people pleasing. It is about relationships that don't work because the people in it aren't even in touch with their true feelings.
I can't tell you about how many times I see people locked into a dialectic of anger and self depreciation. They are complete naysayers all the time, and once in a while someone will go out of their way to try to bring them a smile and some love. Sometimes that love becomes unappreciated and the person rages on the giver of love to such an extent that the two get locked into a toxic pseudo relationship based on fear of loss and forced intimacy.
It is codependency that becomes the addiction that perpetuates the merry go round.
My dear friend Penny and I wrote this song many years ago because at the time we were living through a chaotic time in our lives and this song was the expression of the pain we went through. It searches for the reasons people get so mad and the people that try to make them glad.
Thanks for the opportunity to finally get my feet wet with posting a Web Cam Video.
Feedback is much appreciated.
Please come and check out my video where I will perform for you a song on my piano. This is the first time that I am making a "web cam... more -
Move over .com and make way for .sex, .me, .whateveryouwant!
An internet overhaul has won approval by Icann, the organization in charge of regulating internet domain names. They voted unanimously to relax the rules on 'top-level' domain names like .com or .uk.
This means companies could use their brands as web addresses, or you could use your own name!
"We are opening up a new world and I think this cannot be underestimated," said Roberto Gaetano, a member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).
An internet overhaul has won approval by Icann, the organization in charge of regulating internet domain names. They voted unanimously... more -
T-Mobile goes nationwide with landline service
Cell phone company T-Mobile USA is set to launch a nationwide service that lets customers place unlimited domestic calls with their landline phones over a broadband connection.
The service, called T-Mobile AtHome, will cost $10 per month when it rolls out on July 2.
Customers need a wireless plan that costs at least $40 per month, and need to buy a T-Mobile Internet router for $50. The router plugs into the home broadband connection, and the customer's corded or cordless phones plug into the router.
"Clearly there's a big opportunity for us to give T-Mobile customers an incentive not to be on competitive landline service," said T-Mobile USA's chief executive, Robert Dotson.
T-Mobile USA had 28.7 million subscribers on March 31, making it the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the country. Even though its parent company, Deutsche Telekom AG, is the dominant local phone company in Germany, T-Mobile doesn't have a landline business in the U.S. That means that unlike AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile hasn't been able to bundle landline and wireless service.
The service is targeted at consumers who are reluctant to "cut the cord," or abandon their landline completely in favor of wireless. T-Mobile already has a service targeting that segment, one that lets Wi-Fi-equipped cell phones use the home wireless router for calls rather than the cellular network. That improves indoor coverage and takes traffic off T-Mobile's outdoor network.
The new service has been tested in the Dallas and Seattle areas since February.
T-Mobile AtHome is similar to Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, service offered by companies like Vonage Holdings Corp. They provide an adapter that connects to an existing router, while T-Mobile's default solution involves switching out a customer's router if they already have one. A Vonage plan that provides free calls to the U.S. and Canada and to landlines in some European countries costs $25 per month.
The monthly prices don't include taxes or certain fees, which vary from state to state. Cell phone company T-Mobile USA is set to launch a nationwide service that lets customers place unlimited domestic calls with their la... more -
Elizabeth Kucinich, a Leader in Her Own Right
If you haven't seen her yet, here she is. Elizabeth Kucinich is a brilliant and compassionate thinker who knows the issues inside out. She also has more charisma than Hollywood can afford to pay for. If you haven't seen her yet, here she is. Elizabeth Kucinich is a brilliant and compassionate thinker who knows the issues inside out... more
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Horses in the classroom and in the boardroom? The Cowboy Solution.
Cowboys are legendary in Texas. And their solutions to everyday events are
pretty simple. If a fence needs fixing-well, you fix it. It doesn't
require a committee, or a meeting.
What if some back to basics were applied in business and education? A core
belief system that starts by treating people with respect. One that is
built upon trust so genuine that a powerful partnership can emerge?
Dr. Don Hutson thinks that this simple belief system can change the world.
So, he developed the Cowboy Solution.
After years as a teacher and business man, Dr. Don Hutson had a life
altering experience with a horse and found his true purpose.
While training horses, Don Hutson discovered that the same process he used
to train horses could be applied in the classroom, the boardroom and in with
life extraordinary results. Creating success through powerful partnerships.
Cowboys are legendary in Texas. And their solutions to everyday events are ... more -
Skynet finally complete
John Connor where are you? See link for full article
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Future Man
Jacque Fresco is a genius, architect, engineer, designer of cities and transportation modes, inventor, economist, philosopher and futurist. Did I mention that he has comprehensive plans to redesign the world? Jacque Fresco is a genius, architect, engineer, designer of cities and transportation modes, inventor, economist, philosopher and futu... more
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Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils new and improved iPhone
The popular device may have more software and a faster network. But price will be key.
By Michelle Quinn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 9, 2008
Will the next iPhone be thinner, cheaper, perhaps cooler? Will it come with new features such as video chat and a global positioning system? For months, speculation has swirled.
Today, Steve Jobs, Apple Inc.'s chief executive, is expected to end the guessing game and unveil the second version of the iPhone at Apple's developer conference in San Francisco.
This is not just any updated product. Some analysts say the future of the company depends on the iPhone becoming a consumer hit of global proportions.
"Apple's stock is going to go where the iPhone goes," said Andy Hargreaves, senior research analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. "It's the new growth driver."
The key question, they say, is whether Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., cuts the price of the iPhone to dramatically boost sales.
On June 29, 2007, Apple began selling the 8-gigabyte iPhone at $599 in the U.S., drawing lines of eager buyers outside its stores. It quickly became a cultural icon (with a cameo appearance at the Oscars) and changed the way many people viewed mobile communications.
The iPhone is a combination phone, Internet surfing gadget and digital entertainment player for listening to music and watching video. It is being rolled out slowly in international markets. Apple started selling the phone in countries such as Britain and Germany and is expected to start distributing in Asia soon.
The phone hasn't been without controversy. Less than three months after it was launched, Apple dropped the price $200, angering many who had already bought it. And the company frustrated software engineers by limiting the kinds of development that could be done on the phone.
Meanwhile, some people began using the phone "unlocked," without AT&T Inc.'s cellphone service or with software applications that Apple hadn't approved. Some of them found that their iPhones did not work after Apple issued a software update.
The popular device may have more software and a faster network. But price will be key. ... more -
Removing the stigma of Down Syndrome through communication
This is an amazing story, the Prodis Down Syndrome Foundation hired a company to produce an advertisement communicating issues surrounding the disease. The result was an advertisement made by a group of young and inspiring people who also happen to have Down Syndrome.
This is their story. This is an amazing story, the Prodis Down Syndrome Foundation hired a company to produce an advertisement communicating issues surroun... more -
China & Japan: Closer, part 1
Over six decades after the World War II the relations between the Japanese and Chinese remain tense. Is it possible at all for them to become friends? Originating from Poland, who once had similar problems with Germany as China had with Japan, I decided to find out why it all went wrong in Asia...
This is my first post, so thanks for the feedback (this will also be helpful preparing part 2:). Over six decades after the World War II the relations between the Japanese and Chinese remain tense. Is it possible at all for them to... more
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Communication
