Intel Free Press

49ers Stadium Exterior on Flickr. Did technology help bring 2016...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:27:00 -0700

Did technology help bring 2016 Super Bowl to the Bay Area?

A look at the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., the near future home of the San Francisco 49ers. Builders promise unsurpassed Internet connectivity as among its technology features.

Photo courtesy of San Francisco 49ers.

Intel Free Press story: 49ers Bet on Technology to Boost Fan Experience — Silicon Valley NFL stadium promises to be hi-tech showcase for ‘smart’ features.

wired: motherjones: kqedscience: Teen Develops Computer...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:20:44 -0700

wired:

motherjones:

kqedscience:

Teen Develops Computer Algorithm to Diagnose Leukemia

“Brittany Wenger isn’t your average high-school senior: She taught the computer how to diagnose leukemia.

The 18-year-old student from Sarasota, Fla. built a custom, cloud-based “artificial neural network” to find patterns in genetic expression profiles to diagnose patients with an aggressive form of cancer called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL). Simply put, this means Wenger taught the computer how to diagnose leukemia by creating a diagnostic tool for doctors to use.”

Rock.

Eff. Yes. This girl is such a bad-ass.

Finding Pollen-Free Pathways Using Big Data (by...

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:32:00 -0700

Finding Pollen-Free Pathways Using Big Data (by IntelFreePress)

Itchy eyes, sneezing, stuffy and runny noses, coughing and even asthma attacks are rites of spring that come with blooming plants and skyrocketing pollen counts, but big data could spell big relief for allergy sufferers. Data visualizations available online today can help people plot routes that will allow them to avoid high-pollen areas and in the future this information could be made accessible on mobile devices.

Full story with screen shots: Can Bid Data Prevent Allergy Attachs?

Making Invisible Pollution Visible with Sensor Data (by...

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:12:00 -0700

Making Invisible Pollution Visible with Sensor Data (by IntelFreePress)

Ostrich egg-sized air quality sensors that can be mounted to a window were provided to 17 northwest Portland residents by Intel Labs to measure CO and NO2 emissions, temperature and humidity, allowing individuals to stream real-time data to the Internet, where people can see visualizations of toxicity levels the air around them.

“This technology gives the community a chance to have power and resources to get at issues that may seem intractable,” said Mary Peveto, founder of Neighbors for Clean Air.

Full story: Big Data Makes Invisible Air Pollution Visible.

Futurist Paul Saffo may have been the first to proclaim the PC...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:36:37 -0700

Futurist Paul Saffo may have been the first to proclaim the PC dead, but he wasn’t alone. Over more than two decades, as networked devices, mobile devices and most recently tablets have come to market, a host of industry figures and observers have continued to predict the death of the PC.

Silicon Valley technology companies back bid to win Super Bowl...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:24:24 -0700

Silicon Valley technology companies back bid to win Super Bowl 50 in 2016, which would be played in the new, high tech Levi’s Stadium, new home of the San Francisco 49ers.

When your compute devices can read your mind and...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:24:00 -0700

When your compute devices can read your mind and gestures.

Control, Alt, Delete … that’s not natural. We should be able to communicate with a computer the same way we communicate with one another.

— Mooly Eden, senior vice president and president of Intel Israel, said in Making Computers More Human.

The New York Times reports that brain computer interfaces are inching closer to mainstream.

Researchers in Samsung’s Emerging Technology Lab are testing tablets that can be controlled by your brain, using a cap that resembles a ski hat studded with monitoring electrodes, the MIT Technology Review, the science and technology journal of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reported this month.

The technology, often called a brain computer interface, was conceived to enable people with paralysis and other disabilities to interact with computers or control robotic arms, all by simply thinking about such actions. Before long, these technologies could well be in consumer electronics, too.

From Can Your Smartphone Talk to Your Brain Implant:

Another slightly crazy thing that we’re working on is trying to create brain implants that are powered and read by near-field communication. What that means is your cell phone could talk to the implant electronics in your brain and power it. Who knows what the possibilities are, but if there’s going to be some type of implant in your brain then why not have the cell phone be the thing that powers and reads it. You think you like your cell phone now? Imagine when they can read your thoughts.

— Joshua Smith, who leads the Sensor Systems Laboratory and research group at the University of Washington

smarterplanet: Turning a standard LCD monitor into touchscreen...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:11:28 -0700

smarterplanet:

Turning a standard LCD monitor into touchscreen with a $5 wall-mounted sensor | ExtremeTech

Researchers at the University of Washington’s aptly named Ubiquitous Computing Lab can turn any LCD monitor in your hous into a touchscreen, with nothing more than a $5 sensor that plugs into the wall and some clever software.

The technology, called uTouch, works by measuring the electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused by your hand when it moves near or touches an LCD monitor. This might sound a little bit crazy, but I’ll explain. Basically, the electricity running through the wires in your house has a unique electromagnetic signature. There is the “carrier wave,” provided by the power company and your nearby substation, and then every single kink and switch along the way modulates the EM signature until it is quite unique. What most people don’t realize, though, is that every device that is plugged into a wall outlet also changes your EM signature. Your TV doesn’t just suck power from your house — it’s a two-way street, with the electronic components in the TV producing interference that change your house’s EM signature.

USB Co-inventor Reinventing the PC (by IntelFreePress)

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:46:22 -0700

USB Co-inventor Reinventing the PC (by IntelFreePress)

"A few years ago, he [Ken Anderson, Intel ethnographer] conducted an ethnographic study of..."

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:53:12 -0700

“A few years ago, he [Ken Anderson, Intel ethnographer] conducted an ethnographic study of “temporality,” about the perception of the passage and scarcity of time—noting how Americans he studied had come to perceive busy-ness and lack of time as a marker of well-being. “We found that in social interaction, virtually everyone would claim to be ‘busy,’ and that everyone close to them would be ‘busy’ too,” he told me. But in fact, coordinated studies of how these people used technology suggested that when they used their computers, they tended to do work only in short bursts of a few minutes at a time, with the rest of the time devoted to something other than what we might identify as work. “We were designing computers, and the spec at the time was to use the computer to the max for two hours,” Anderson says. “We had to make chips that would perform at that level. You don’t want them to overheat. But when we came back, we figured that we needed to rethink this, because people’s time is not quite what we imagine.” For a company that makes microchip processors, this discovery has had important consequences for how to engineer products—not only for users who constantly need high-powered computing for long durations, but for people who just think they do.”

- Graeme Wood, Anthropology Inc.

Fascinating account of corporate anthropologists, like those working at the ReD consultancy.

(via stoweboyd)

Rise of Data Scientists Big data is a buzzword. I’m glad it...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:42:36 -0700

Rise of Data Scientists

Big data is a buzzword. I’m glad it exists because it makes people more interested in what we do. There’s an enormous amount of value to be had out of data. Ten years ago those decisions were made on gut feel and intuition and now we’ve had fabulous case studies both in business — I think of Tesco and the advent of the loyalty card as probably the most prominent business case study. There’s also the case study of the Oakland A’s and “Moneyball,” and another on predicting election outcomes. I think all of this comes to demonstrate why basing decisions on data leads to much better decisions than just relying on gut instinct.

— Kaggle founder and CEO Anthony Goldbloom

Data is playing a bigger role in business decisions, and with the tremendous rise in amounts of data being collected today there is a growing need for data scientists to help companies make sense of it all, according to Anthony Goldbloom, founder and CEO of Kaggle, a company that organizes competitions that rank top data scientists from around the world and then helps them connect with companies which want to put their skills to work.

Full story: A Marketplace for Data Scientists

Silicon Valley is popping! — Bill Mark, vice president of...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:35:11 -0700

Silicon Valley is popping!

— Bill Mark, vice president of information and computer science at SRI International, one of the largest contract research firms in the world.

The state of innovation in Silicon Valley and across the technology industry is popping, according to Bill Mark, vice president of information and computer science at SRI International. Mark and SRI President and CEO Curt Carlson share what they see as booming areas of innovation, including education, healthcare, and perceptual and ubiquitous computing.

I think engineering is, in a way, based on exploration....

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:58:34 -0700

I think engineering is, in a way, based on exploration. It’s always about trying to ask questions, about being curious, being creative.

— Dr. Albert Yu-Min Lin, National Geographic emerging explorer and UC San Diego research scientist.

Full story: Modern-Day Explorer Goes High-Tech Out of Respect — National Geographic, academia provide outlet for adventurer to follow his passion.

Could big data lower your power bill? Just as consumers are...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:01:14 -0700

Could big data lower your power bill?

Just as consumers are turning to mobile apps to track vital signs and manage their personal health, researchers believe that smart grid and sensor-based data collection technologies in homes could help people better manage their monthly utility bills.

“The more sensors that you have in the home, the more your home begins to look like an OnStar system,” said Pecan Street Inc. CEO Brewster McCracken. “These sensors could trigger a check engine warning light for the home.”

The full interview with McCraken can be found here, where talks about how smart grid and sensor technologies can help families curb consumer energy use.

To keep pace with this demand for engagement, Web designers are...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:40:50 -0700

To keep pace with this demand for engagement, Web designers are finding new ways to support content that is distributed through multiple devices in multiple formats. One method is so-called responsive Web design or RWD. Coined in 2010 by Web designer Ethan Marcotte, it refers to a website design approach, not a specific technology. However, responsive design is enabled primarily by CSS3 and JavaScript, which fall under the banner of HTML5.

“HTML5 is the backbone of the new and interactive features of responsive Web design,” said Matt Groener, Intel Developer Zone development team manager. “HTML5 is really maturing in terms of its functionality and, more importantly, its speed. Responsive design uses the same elements that will make HTML5 really successful, namely HTML, JavaScript and CSS3.”

Full article: Delivering Consistent Online Experiences for Every Screen Size

From writing too long to peppering your message with emoticons,...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:10:30 -0700

From writing too long to peppering your message with emoticons, elevate your IMs to the next level with these texting power tips.

Historian Ernest Freeberg said, “[Thomas] Edison invented...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:15:33 -0700

Historian Ernest Freeberg said, “[Thomas] Edison invented a new style of invention, a coordinated program of scientific research and product development” that paved the way for “a world where we assume invention is not just something that comes along when someone has a great idea, but this is a force that can be shaped and controlled.” Freeberg is the author of “The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America.”

Bringing Computers to Their Senses

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:53:00 -0700

If nascent computer sensory systems catch up with more evolved computer processors, they way people interact and think about their laptops, tablets and other devices might take a leap ahead.

Achin Bhowmik, director on Intel’s Perceptual Computing Group, believes that the future of personal computers depends on their vastly improved abilities to see, hear and interact with people more naturally than the archaic keyboard and mouse.

“The laptop is still primitive with only one eye, one ear and they are now just getting touch,” he said. “By giving computing devices 3-D vision systems like human beings, we can bring natural interaction to PCs and open up a whole new dimension not just for PCs, but for smartphones, tablets, media boxes, vending machines, cars and almost anything that connects to the Internet.”

Touchscreen Smart Jukebox (by IntelFreePress) Just as the...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:35:00 -0800

Touchscreen Smart Jukebox (by IntelFreePress)

Just as the Internet disrupted the record industry, mobile and touch technology are now upending the jukebox business. One of the newest breeds is the Virtuo, designed by New York-based TouchTunes, that mounts on a wall like a giant touchscreen. The Linux-based operating system runs on an Intel Core processor, and the Virtuo has built-in 4G wireless Internet technology that allows it to receive updates every day.

Rather than just playing songs from a selection of a few hundred titles, these multi-functional, computer-powered jukeboxes can offer song catalogs that numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Playing songs is just one of many functions. The machines also act as karaoke devices and photo booths, and display interactive digital advertising that brings new experiences to patrons and revenue streams to venues and jukebox vendors.

Local dive bars and social hangouts across North America are getting a technology makeover as a wave of Internet and smartphone-connected, touchscreen-controlled digital jukeboxes supplant the iconic 45 rpm record-spinning and more recent CD-based models.

Field research conducted by Intel Free Press revealed that the popularity of these new jukeboxes may depend less upon generational and more upon technological preferences. The experience of analog music may always have a place in people’s hearts, but the spread of always-connected mobile technologies are allowing those experiences to be augmented through Internet control and sharing capabilities.

The high-tech jukeboxes are installed at two established San Francisco bars in North Beach neighborhood, home of the Beat Generation. The TouchTunes device stirred mixed reactions from happy hour patrons and bartenders. A 60-year-old bartender in Gino and Carlo’s said it was popular and simple. “I can show you in three easy steps how to use it,” he said. However, his younger coworker claiming not to be a smartphone guy called it lame, echoing a long-time patron who asked, “Why come into a bar and play that thing with your phone when you can spend your time talking with people?” Another bartender down the street at Kennedy’s said he’d like to put in a separate music system because the digital jukebox wasn’t used enough and didn’t allow him free play or enough control.

The full story: Jukebox Reinvented for the Digital Age

To keep up with changes in technology or customers’...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:35:28 -0800

To keep up with changes in technology or customers’ needs, companies are pushing more decision making down to their employees. Employees need to have better information and better connections with coworkers and the company vision.

— Adam Pisoni, co-founder and CTO of Yammer.

Yammer originally allowed employees to chat and share ideas quickly, but since launching in 2008 it has evolved into a Facebook-like experience with the added ability to store, share and co-edit documents. More than 5 million corporateemployees, 85 percent of which are at Fortune 500 companies, reportedly use Yammer. That success drove Microsoft to pay $1.2 billion last year to acquire the private, social network, with ambitions to roll Yammer features into Microsoft’s SharePoint 2013 and Office 365 applications.

Just prior to moving into new offices next door to Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, Yammer co-founder and CTO Adam Pisoni sat down to talk about why empowering employees is central to his product and company culture, and essential for any business that wants to thrive in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world.

Collaboration vs. Competition: How to Drive Innovation