Bedbugs are a growing problem.
A bedbug is a wingless insect with a flat reddish body that infests dwellings and bedding and feeds on human blood. The common human bedbug of temperate regions, Cimex lectularis, is largely nocturnal, spending the day in crevices in walls and furniture and in bedding. Its bite causes irritation in many individuals, but it is not known to transmit diseases…
Now you see it. Now you don’t.
The ability to see through walls is no longer the stuff of science fiction, thanks to new radar technology developed at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory…
Much as humans and other animals see via waves of visible light that bounce off objects and then strike our eyes’ retinas, radar “sees” by sending out radio waves that bounce off targets and return to the radar’s receivers. But just as light can’t pass through solid objects in quantities large enough for the eye to detect, it’s hard to build radar that can penetrate walls well enough to show what’s happening behind. Now, Lincoln Lab researchers have built a system that can see through walls from some distance away, giving an instantaneous picture of the activity on the other side…
Can you hear it? Well an iPhone will be soon.
In the near future, you might have more to worry about than someone looking over your shoulder—the smartphone beside you could be snooping on what you type. Scientists have programmed phones to spy by feeling. Incredible.
New Scientist reports that the method, although requiring a lot of tweaking before it’s a viable spy toy, can already detect typed words with 80% accuracy…
Twitter reached the 100 million active-user mark last month.
There’s a whole lot of tweeting going on: Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo said users of the short-messaging blog are sending 250 million tweets a day.
Continue reading… “Twitter users send 250 million tweets a day”
Featured invention at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase 2011
RazorChain delivers business forecasting made simple by a cloud based subscription service (SaaS). RazorChain is a website that helps Sales and Operations Managers to consolidate and communicate forecasts. RazorChain helps you answer the questions:
Continue reading… “RazorChain – simplifies sales forecasting and operations planning”
Mobile MIM
Dr. Patrick J. Gagnon uses an app that has an unusual distinction: it had to be cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration.
Continue reading… “FDA clears medical apps to assist with diagnoses”
Banks charging fees for services once free.
From credit unions to online and pawn lenders, alternative finance firms are gaining traction as banks turn off the tap for easy cash and start charging fees for services that customers have had for free.
Continue reading… “Alternative lenders gain traction as banks squeeze customers”
Screenshot from Chime.in
What happens if you combine Twitter-like sharing, the depth of blogging and the voting mechanics of Reddit? You might get Chime.in, UberMedia’s take on social networking…
Continue reading… “New social network combines Twitter, Blogging and Reddit”
How much do you know about non teenage mutant ninja turtles?
Dark Roasted Blend has a great article on turtles right now, complete with tons of great pictures and some interesting facts about the creatures. For example:
The rigid shell means turtles cannot breathe as other reptiles do, by changing the volume of their chest cavity via expansion and contraction of the ribs. Instead, turtles breathe in two ways…
For all the power and connectivity that modern mobile devices offer these days, why are we still typing on screens (or, God forbid, numerical pads) barely three fingers wide? A new weareable GUI system aims to turn any surface within arm’s reach into an input device.
The OmniTouch system was developed by Carnegie Mellon University in conjunction with Microsoft Research and allows users to interact with applications on any surface…
Continue reading… “The OmniTouch makes any surface interactive”
Non-smokers hit menopause between age 46 and 51 while smokers hit menopause between 43 and 50.
According to a new study, women who smoke may hit menopause about a year earlier than those who don’t smoke. The study also notes an earlier menopause may influence the risk of getting bone and heart diseases.
Bang! Lamp
Bang! lamp by Bitplay is a pretty cool lighting accessory that lets you turn it on and off through a remote control that’s shaped like a gun. Pull the trigger, the light goes out and the lampshade actually tilts as if shot. It also works in reverse, though it doesn’t really make much sense that way. The gun is an IR controller and that dark band around the base of the lamp is the receiver. (Video)
Continue reading… “Bang! Lamp – You’ll shoot your light out, kid”