As the world continues to see more and more everyday objects become “hardware” controlled through operating systems and internet connectivity, an ex-Apple engineer called JP Labrosse is hoping to take that principle and combine it with elegant design to transform the prosaic world of office desks. Read More
The AI XPrize, announced today at TED.
(Credit: XPrize)
Can an artificial intelligence system get a standing ovation at the TED conference?
That’s the challenge for the brand-new A.I. XPrize, announced Thursday at TED in Vancouver by XPrize Foundation head Peter Diamandis.
Unlike most XPrizes, which have clear rules and goals, this one is a bit more free-form. Described as “a modern-day Turing test, [it will] be awarded to the first A.I. to walk or roll out on stage and present a TED talk so compelling that it commands a standing ovation from you, the audience.”
And TED and the XPrize Foundation is turning to the global community for ideas on how to make this a reality. Fortunately, though, it is offering a few sample ideas on what could be the winning formula:
In advance of the TED conference, a group of judges develop 100 different TED talk subjects. During the TED conference, the TED audience chooses one of these subjects (or the subject is randomly chosen) and then the competing A.I. is given 30 minutes to prepare a compelling 3 min TED talk. The team could decide how their A.I. would present on stage — would it be a physical robot that walks out to present? Or a disembodied voi… [Read more]
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Not only is styrofoam great for all your packing needs, it also makes for an incredibly effective and lightweight insulator. It’s just too bad the chemicals and processes needed to make it aren’t as earth-friendly as they could be. So researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have successfully created an alternative made from our most popular renewable resource: wood.
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Xprize is known for its ambition. The outfit, with the help of some big name (and deep pocketed) partners, has launched initiatives to spur Star Trek-like tricorder development and even get private industry to land a rover on the moon. But now, it’s…
Don't expect any Batsuits in the new Steve Jobs movie.
(Credit: Warner Bros and Apple)
Move over, Aston Kutcher, there may soon be a new Steve Jobs in town. An as-yet-untitled movie for Sony Pictures centering around the Apple co-founder has a script by Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”), but it doesn’t yet have a star attached. Director David Fincher (“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) is said to be the likeliest person to helm the production. According to a report from TheWrap, Fincher said he would only do the film if Christian Bale signs on as the lead.
The source is a classic unnamed “individual familiar with the project.” Whether that person is a Sony exec or a coffee fetcher, we don’t know. Fincher and Sorkin teamed up previously for “The Social Network,” a geek-flavored film about the rise of Facebook. It would seem natural to turn them loose together on the Steve Jobs story.
Many fans strongly associate Bale with his Batman role, but he does have a notable physical resemblance to Jobs. Back when news first came out about Ashton Kutcher getting his Apple on, CNET was among those rooting for Christian Bale instead, calling him a “st… [Read more]
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In addition the U9000 UHD TV series, Samsung has unveiled the pricing and availability for its 2014 home entertainment product lineup, which includes a slew of curved UltraHD and LED … Continue reading
The NSA has been on the offensive lately, first claiming that Google, Facebook and others are fully aware of its data-collecting practices, and now hinting that it’ll nip criticism in the bud by releasing its own transparency reports. NSA Deputy…
Every good game deserves a Doge-themed variant, right?
(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack / CNET)
Have you been feeling just a little bit too productive since Flappy Bird got pulled from the Google Play and Apple App stores?
Never fear, there’s a new simple but addictive gaming sensation to fill that massive time-wasting vacuum until Flappy Bird’s anticipated return.
2048, the creation of a 19-year-old Italian programmer named Gabriele Cirulli, showed up free and fully open-sourced on Github earlier this month. The game is Web-based, although a mobile site is also available, and plenty of unofficial ports for Android and other platforms have begun to pop up.
2048 could be loosely described as similar to Threes, or like Candy Crush for math geeks, and while it’s tough to understand what’s happening at first glance, it only takes a minute to pick up the game and then you’re off on the road to procrastination-enabling addiction.
Cirulli debuted the game on March 9. Three days later he tweeted that thousands … [Read more]
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If 13th Lab has its way, you could soon be playing first-person games using your surroundings as a battlefield. Or a space station, a temple and anything else you can imagine. The computer vision company is working on Rescape, an FPS platform for mobile devices that can scan and digitize your environment, turning it into a video game map.
13th Lab uses a robotics technique called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). With the help of cameras and sensors, SLAM allows a device to make a map of its environment and place itself – i.e. know its location – within the map that it just made. The end result is shown in the image above. If you look closely you can see that the iPhone is showing a virtual equivalent of the player’s environment – everything from the structures, objects and even other players. 13th Lab calls this mix of augmented and virtual reality Reality Gaming.
As of now, a Rescape package includes a 180º fisheye lens and an adjustable gun controller with a trigger and a d-pad. To drive costs down and make it easier for app developers to port their FPS games, Rescape will make use of your mobile device to map and digitize your environment, as well as track your position.
The Rescape software development kit (SDK) handles the mapping feature, as well as the ability to digitally paint over a map and turn it into your battle ground of choice. I don’t know if the SDK will be simple enough for normal folks to understand and use though. As I mentioned, mobile game developers can port existing FPS games into the Rescape platform, but that’s not as fun as turning your house or university into a game map.
Pledge at least $39 (USD) on Kickstarter to get the Rescape controller and Office Defender, the game shown in the video. Pledge at least $129 and you get the controller, the game and the Rescape SDK. When it launches Rescape will only support the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S, with “experimental support” for the iPhone 4S. 13th Lab promises that it will provide support for Android devices within a few months after the launch.
[via InStash]
Imagine you’re walking around, enjoying the early spring sunshine, and looking for a Wi-Fi network. You hear a whirring sound above you, look up, and there’s a drone, just chilling. Did that drone just take your picture? Nah. It just stole all the precious passwords from your smartphone.
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