A Brief Essay About The Guy That Created The Internet...Sort Of

David Wallechinsky didn't invent what's on the Internet. It just seems that way.
In 1977, Wallechinsky, his father Irving Wallace and his sister Amy Wallace published "The Book of Lists." The compendium of cleverly presented facts, such as "15 People Who Became Words," "10 Men Who Were Supported By Their Wives" and "6 Positions for Sexual Intercourse -- In Order of Preference," wasn't just simple enumeration.
It featured detailed explanations about its subjects, proving itself a worthy and entertaining reference work. "The Book of Lists" immediately took its place on another list -- the bestseller list -- and spawned three sequels.
More than three decades later, in the Internet age, its impact is everywhere. Countless websites, including CNN.com, have turned to lists -- sometimes in the form of galleries -- to help tell stories in a digestible way and boost page views. Topics range from "History's Biggest Mysteries" to "13 Team Names That Will Make a Lot More Sense When You Know Their Origins" to "11 Things You Didn't Know About Spinal Tap."
Sure, you can't copyright an idea that goes back to God and Hammurabi, but one might think that Wallechinsky might be seething about seeing his child so misused.
Not in the least, says the author, Olympic historian and creator of the website AllGov.com.
"I was thrilled when the Internet came around," he says. He understands that the list concept makes it easier to process information, and "I'm glad to have done what I could."
These days, Wallechinsky, 66, devotes his time to AllGov.com, an attempt to create a different kind of information repository: a site all about the business of government, including details about dozens of government agencies and names of hundreds of government officials. Currently AllGov features the United States, California and France; plans call for it to cover every U.S. state and every country in the world.
"We pride ourselves on accuracy, double-checking," he says. "The Internet is so full of junk and not-researched material. ... We try to emphasize policy instead of politics."

LG TO START SALES OF G2 MINI NEXT MONTH

For those of you who are fans of LG, the company will start selling its G2 MINI android phone first in Russia and neighboring countries starting next month then spread to other parts of the world

Compared to the LG G2, the mini is smaller, less powerful and less expensive.--- has a 4.7-inch, 950x540 pixel screen , a 1.2GHz quad-core snapdragon 400 processor, 2440mAh removable battery and Android 4.4 kitkat.

Networking abilities will vary tho, 4G LTE will be standard in Europe and Asia but Russian and other CIS countries  will 3G dual sim version. In addition, only the 4G LTE models have NFC (near field communication) abilities.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet but CNET estimates the price won't be $150 on contract or $400 dollars without one. 

LG MINI SMARTPHONES TO BEGIN SALES IN APRIL

For those of you who are fans of LG, the company will start selling its G2 MINI android phone first in Russia and neighboring countries starting next month then spread to other parts of the world

Compared to the LG G2, the mini is smaller, less powerful and less expensive.--- has a 4.7-inch, 950x540 pixel screen , a 1.2GHz quad-core snapdragon 400 processor, 2440mAh removable battery and Android 4.4 kitkat.

Networking abilities will vary tho, 4G LTE will be standard in Europe and Asia but Russian and other CIS countries  will 3G dual sim version. In addition, only the 4G LTE models have NFC (near field communication) abilities.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet but CNET estimates the price won't be $150 on contract or $400 dollars without one. 

EARLY SALE OF SAMSUNG S5

The new Samsung galaxy S5 is now on sale.. Its sale set of two weeks before the scheduled date due to impatient south Korean carrier Sk telecom.

This came as a surprise to samsung.  The phone was made available for about 866,800 won. The S5 is set to go on sale around the world on 11 April , hitting top shelves in 150 countries before the month runs out.

HTC ONE: THE WORLD'S BEST SMARTPHONE

It is considered poor form to begin a review with the conclusion, but there's no reason to drag this out: the HTC One (M8) is the best Android phone the world has ever seen.
Period.
Full stop.
In many ways, in fact, it is the best smartphone the world has ever seen. From the design to the power of its components and everything in between, HTC's new One is better than its predecessor -- and its predecessor, as you might recall, was the best all-around Android phone the world had ever seen.
One of the most important things to be aware of from the get-go with the new HTC One is that looks can be deceiving. From afar, the M8 looks very similar to last year's One. Having the same name certainly doesn't help matters either. But the new HTC One is not a minor, iterative update. It's not a bunch of newer components stuffed into the same case. It is a brand new smartphone from top to bottom, inside and out.
HTC redesigned the device's case, for starters. It looks similar but there are plenty of important differences. First, there is much more metal. Last year's HTC One case was 70 percent metal; this year's model is 90 percent. The aluminum on the back of the new HTC One wraps around to the sides and bottom now, with the only remaining plastic found in inserts on the back and top of the phone.
The display itself is fantastic, as was the case with the original HTC One. HTC's M8 uses a Super LCD 3 panel that is slightly larger than the screen on last year's model, having been bumped up to 5 inches from 4.7 inches. It's still the same 1080p full HD resolution so pixels are a bit more spread out, but the difference isn't discernible to the naked eye. Text and objects are smooth, colors are rich and the contrast is impressive.
Metal inserts above and below the glass screen house HTC's signature BoomSound speaker system -- speakers, amplifiers, audio tuning and hollow chambers behind the micro-drilled holes you see on the face of the phone. These chambers help amplify the sound from the speakers, and on the new HTC One they're 20 percent larger. HTC also used new and improved speakers and amps on the new model. The result is sound that's deeper, 25 percent louder, and even a bit clearer (at least to my ear).
A dual-LED flash and two camera lenses comprise HTC's new "Duo Camera." HTC is not worried about the megapixel race. Instead, the company stuck with its 4-megapixel "UltraPixel" technology and focused on two things: Improving the quality of the images captured, rather than the size, and adding unique new features to the camera experience.
This is a fine strategy, in theory. In practice, the results are somewhat mixed.
On the "adding unique new features" front, HTC absolutely succeeded. A second smaller lens is used to measure depth, for example, and the related information allows the phone to apply several very nifty photo effects after the fact.
But image quality, sadly, is another matter entirely. HTC said that it spent a great deal of time working on improving the quality of the camera so photos would come out better in all lighting conditions. I didn't find that to be the case in my testing. I still found colors to be washed out when taking pictures in many lighting scenarios and the photos definitely don't pop like they do with leading cameras like the ones on the Lumia 1020 and iPhone 5s.
On the software front, HTC has redesigned just about every last pixel in the Sense interface. And as is the case with the phone's housing, everything was changed for the better. In keeping with the latest trends in iOS and other Android software, Sense 6 is much more minimalistic than earlier versions, and it also makes use of nice bright colors that vary depending on which app you're in.
Unlike iOS, Sense 6 supports themes so you can change the color palette to suit your preference. Fonts have been changed across the device, while gradients and textures have been flattened and made solid. The result is a much more modern look throughout the entire operating system.
HTC added intelligent features to Sense 6 that use location, time and other context to present the user with relevant information even before she requests it. So, for example, HTC's Foursquare integration will allow the phone to pop up information about a restaurant the user is passing if it's lunchtime and the user's friends have recommended it in the past.
Another key partnership has been made with FitBit, which has added support for the M8's in-built "sensor hub" to its step-tracking app. Like the M7 motion coprocessor in Apple's iPhone 5s, the new HTC One includes sensors that track movements in order to count steps. But the sensor hub is about more than just step counting.
One of my favorite simple new HTC One (M8) features is called "Motion Launch," and it is made possible by HTC's new sensors. This feature allows the user to pick up his or her phone with the display off and perform one of several tap, swipe or motion gestures to perform specific commands.
The last big software change I'll draw attention to is one that I absolutely love: Extreme power saving, a drastic measure to squeeze as much as possible out of your battery. Enabling this mode lowers the brightness of the screen and displays a special screen that provides access to voice calling, texting and email, though automatic email downloading is turned off. Everything else, including background data, is disabled. According to HTC, a 5 percent charge will last 15 hours and a 100 percent will last a ridiculous two weeks.
My review of the first-generation HTC One was titled "the smartphone that changes everything," and it was quite apropos at the time. The One was easily the closest thing we had ever seen at the time to a no-compromise smartphone.
The new HTC One changes everything again.From the design, to the materials, to the internal components and the software, it's all new and it's all remarkably impressive. And the new gunmetal gray color with a brushed finish is absolutely stunning.
The HTC One (M8) will go on sale in the U.S. and abroad Tuesday, and will start at $199.99 on contract for the 16GB model. At launch, Verizon's retail stores will be the only to stock and sell the M8, though it will be available from all four major carriers online. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile will start selling the phone in stores as well sometime early next month.

DWARF PLANET DISCOVERED

For anyone holding out hope of Pluto being reinstated as a major planet, you should probably do as they say in the movie "Frozen" and "let it go."




 



But here's a new exciting find from the far reaches of our solar system: Astronomers have discovered a dwarf planet that's even farther away than Pluto -- so far, in fact, that its orbit reaches into a new edge of the solar system.

The dwarf planet's current name is 2012 VP113, and it is located in a "wasteland or badland of the solar system," said astronomer Chad Trujillo, head of adaptive optics at Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and co-discoverer of this object. His study was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"The big question is, how is this formed? How can you get an object out there?" he said. "We really don't know an answer to that yet."

This dwarf planet is unusual because of its orbit, Trujillo said. On its elliptical path, the closest it ever comes to the sun is still very far away from the rest of the solar system. Its full orbit is farther than the orbit of any other object we know of in the solar system.

"Nothing that we currently know in the solar system can make objects that are so distant all the time, that never come close to any of the planets," Trujillo said.

The most distant major planet from the sun is Neptune, orbiting our star at a distance of 30 astronomical units. One astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the sun -- about 150 million kilometers, or 93 million miles.

Beyond Neptune is the Kuiper Belt, a doughnut-shaped ring of small objects, which extends from about 30 to 55 AU, according to NASA. This belt may contain hundreds of thousands of large icy objects and trillions of comets, if not more. Pluto is considered a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt.

The awkwardly-named 2012 VP113 is much farther from the sun, at 83 astronomical units. That puts it at 83 times the distance between our own planet and the sun.

But in terms of average distance from the sun, there is a dwarf planet even farther out: Eris, which Trujillo helped discover. Eris is bigger than Pluto, and has a satellite called Dysnomia. The presence of Eris helped scientists determine that Pluto should not be counted among the major planets.

Sedna, a dwarf planet that Trujillo co-discovered as well in 2004, is located in the same distant area, and takes about 10,500 years to orbit the sun.

"Finding Sedna so far away seemed odd and potentially a fluke," said Mike Brown, professor of astronomy at California Institute of Technology, in an e-mail. "But this one is beginning to make it look like that might be a typical place for objects to be. Not at all what I would have guessed."

This home of Sedna and 2012 VP113 is called the "inner Oort Cloud." It may be where some comets come from, Trujillo said.

Trujillo's study also suggests that there could be a large planet that no one has seen, way out at 250 astronomical units, affecting the orbits of Sedna and the new dwarf planet. But this is only a theory; the planet has not been detected.

Brown, who was not involved in this study, also co-discovered Sedna.

"These unusual objects -- Sedna and this new one -- can tell us about very early in the solar system, when the sun and planets were just forming," Brown said.

Scientists have not been able to discern what 2012 VP113's composition is, but most would suspect it is icy because of its distance from the sun, Trujillo said. Its color is slightly reddish, and "not especially unusual compared to Kuiper Belt objects," Trujillo said.

Trujllio and colleagues estimate that the new dwarf planet is relatively small -- about 450 kilometers (280 miles) in diameter, which less than the driving distance from Philadelphia to Boston. It's probably ball-shaped, he said.

So why is this not a major planet such as Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars? Trujillo explains that a bona fide planet is big enough that other objects in its orbit will be sucked into it gravitationally. A dwarf planet is not big enough to become gravitationally dominant; it's too small to pull in objects in the area of its path.

It's possible that this dwarf planet formed very early in our solar system's history, in the region between Jupiter and Saturn, and then got thrown out beyond Pluto. One theory is that, billions of years ago, another star passed by our sun and took material with it out to a distant orbit.
As far as we know, it's too cold out where the dwarf planet is to have liquid water, Trujillo said.

"To me, what this discovery really shows is that we are on verge of finally being able to read the story that Sedna is trying to tell us, and that the next few years should bring a flood of new discoveries in this new region of the outer solar system," Brown said.

2012 VP113 will be eventually renamed, but Trujillo's website says it's informally called "Biden" because of the "VP" designation.

This is BlackBerry's Unreleased 'Cyclone' Streaming Box. Cool Right?

In 2011, BlackBerrywas rumored to be developing a media box to compete against the likes of Rokuand Apple TV. While that device never made it to market, it looks like the company did manufacture some units, as proven by pictures posted on the CrackBerry forums. These photos were taken by user "isaac708," who claims he got 10 BlackBerry Cyclones (the device's code name) inside a box full of server stuff from a RIM liquidator. Half of those units came with a remote control, and some of them can actually connect to the internet via WiFi as well as stream videos to a TV using HDMI connection. One of the images he posted even shows the box's user interface with the YouTube and Slacker apps in full view, though Netflix, which is also supposed to be part of Cyclone's repertoire, is nowhere to be seen. While the device's fate is likely up in the air (if it hasn't been scrapped yet) due to the company's ongoing struggles

Samsung Galaxy Beam 2 spotted with metal exterior in China

At Mobile World Congressin 2012, Samsung announced a pico projector smartphone known as the Galaxy Beam. Although it was a cool concept, the phone's downfall was its middling specs, aging OS and large chassis. Two years later, it appears that Samsung's working on a successor to the Beam called the SM-G3858, according to China's government database. The Tenaa entryeven comes with a few pictures, most of which offer an indication of a projector: there's clearly a bump on the upper back which opens up to a wide lens on the top, and we also saw an extra button that models after the original Beam -- in fact, the icon above the button looks eerily like the one seen here. Curiously, Samsung has shed the sporty misshapen look in favor of a sleek metal build, which certainly seems a better fit for professionals.
The database also gives us a glimpse at its specs, some of which are an improvement over the original Beam; the China Mobile-branded phone reportedly packs a 4.66-inch WVGA (800x480) display, Android 4.2.2, a quad-core 1.2GHz chipset with 1GB of RAM, microSD slot with up to 32GB external storage, as well as TD-SCDMA and GSM connectivity (no LTE on this model, although there's a chance this is simply a 3G-only variant of a global model). It's also 11.6mm thick, which is much thicker than most Samsung smartphones but still is nearly a full millimeter thinner than the original. It's still too early to determine whether this is going to be exclusive to China Mobile or available to a global market, but at least we know the phoneexistsfor now; Samsung, we're hopeful, will provide us with the rest of the story at some point down the road.

Instagram Actualy Does Your Pictures A Favour.

Go ahead, ask any youngster around you: selfies are serious business. No one is more mindful of that universal truth than Instagram, which is why it pushed out yetanother iOS app updateearlier today. No, there aren't any new filters (isn't 19 enough?) -- instead, the company brought some much-needed control to its Lux feature.
Lux (a.k.a. that little sun icon that makes pictures look better) was originally added to help mobile photogs salvage their underexposed, anemic-looking shots. The big caveat? It was an all-or-nothing affair, with no way to find the middle ground between the original image and the occasionally over-the-top Luxified result. Today's update adds a much-needed slider to the mix so you can decide just how dramatic the effect should be. If you're feeling particularly devious, you can crank down the Lux to desaturate your shots, too. Alas, there's no word on when the tweaked feature will hit Androidor Windows Phone, but hey -- there's no shortage of photo editingapps to get the job done until it arrives.

Update On The Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane.

Interpol tweeted Sunday it was examining additional "suspect #passports"
"We have not found anything," official says
Family members are being told to brace for the worst
The focus has shifted to the Andaman Sea.
(CNN)-- Despite the efforts of 34 planes, 40 ships and search crews from eight countries, officials have not found any sign of a Malaysia Airlines flight that went missing two days ago.
"Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, we have not found anything that appear to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft," Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of the Malaysian civil aviation department, told reporters Monday.
So, more than 48 hours later, the mysteries surrounding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 -- and the true identifies of some of its passengers -- remain intact.
Rahman discounted media reports that a plane door had been spotted.

A New Laptop That Uses Your Palm-Print To Login

For all the popularity of fingerprint scanners, Fujitsu believes that it can go one better. The Japanese company has been working on palm-based systems for the last few years, and we've already seen turnstiles, wallets and tablets that are accessed from your hand. Fujitsu believes that palm vein sensing is around a thousand times more secure than conventional biometric methods and it's implementing the technology in its next range of business-focused laptops due out this week. We've been shown around some of these models, which have the new sensor fitted into an area that is roughly the same size and position as the company's existing fingerprint scanners, just below the bottom right corner of the keyboard. Using it is simple: Hold your hand a few inches above the sensor and the hardware will quickly scan the unique arrangement of your veins. If it judges you to be the real deal, it'll open up its secrets for your enjoyment.
(View full site to see video)
Of course, your biggest objection to that would be that, if some nefarious type wanted to get at your Facebook account, all they'd have to do is grab a sword and lop off your hand, right? Turns out, biology has provided us all with a built-in failsafe. Fujitsu's technology only works while blood is flowing through your veins, so your lifeless limb can't be used to breach the wall. Having seen this technology in action, I'm reasonably sure that it's ready for prime-time, and excited to see if this as fool-proof as Fujitsu claims. Even if it is, however, the easiest and least messy way to access someone else's login will always be to ask them -- an approach that worked just fine for Edward Snowden.

A Malaysia Airlines Flight Carrying 239 Actualy Vanished Off Coast of Vietnam

Friday afternoon, at about 1:40 pm EST, a passenger jet flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared from radar screens and lost radio contact with air traffic control. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which was scheduled to land four hours later, was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," the airline said in a statement."Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."
The airline is in the process of contacting family members of the passengers and crew, 160 of whom were from China.
Malaysia Airlines vice president of operations told CNNthat, at the time it went missing, the Boeing 777 had about seven hours of fuel left, which means it would have run out by 8:45 pm EST. I'll update if I learn anything new

UPDATE : Officials in Italy and Austria have reportedly confirmed that two people listed as passengers were not on board the flight and that their passports had been stolen.

The Lumia 630 Leaked With A Lot Of Errors.

There have been leaks showing the front of the Nokia Lumia 630(aka Moneypenny), but a complete view of the Windows Phone 8.1 hardware has been elusive... until now. Frequent tipster @evleaks has posted an apparent press shot revealing the back of the bright-hued device, and it suggests that the 630 will represent a sharp break from the designs of the Lumia 620and 625. There's no camera key or flash, for a start -- mobile photography fans may want to give this phone a pass. We also see hints of a flatter, more X-like body. There aren't any fresh clues as to when the 630 might launch, although we're not expecting to see it until sometime after the official unveiling of Windows Phone 8.1, which may take place in April.

SMARTPHONES CAN NOW SEND SCENTS

If the aroma of sweet, buttery coffee is something you want to share with friends - even friends who live miles away - you soon may have the option of doing so through a device called the "oPhone."

Harvard researcher David Edwards and a team of his students are developing a technology that, once completed, will allow scents to be passed along through a text message, phone call or social media application via a Bluetooth-capable smartphone, tablet or computer.

"The oPhone is in development. It will be available for use notably in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from July and commercially from later this year," Edwards told FoxNews.com via email from Italy.

A new scent-based messaging app called oNotes will be available July 10 to send the nose-news, he said. But in order to "download" an aromatic message, you'll need the oPhone -- an accessory that can be used with different devices. Each oChip - a small cartridge that produces hundreds of odor signals - will be do the work of emitting thousands of unique odors for at least 20 to 30 seconds.

"The oChip is like the ink cartridge of the oPhone," Edwards explained. "It contains the basic aromatic material that gets mixed to produce hundreds of unique aromas per oPhone."

The oPhone website, Vapor Communications, whimsically explains its vision: "Imagine a less stressful, more sensual, incredibly inclusive world of global communications where a moving gesture of friendship, a culinary pleasure, and a childhood memory are all just a touch away. This is the world we hope to create with the oPhone."

Edwards believes that beyond sending complex smells to and from any place on the globe, the oPhone will also help people who are suffering from Alzheimer's disease by triggering memories associated with certain scents.

"It may have beneficial effects with respect to memory, stress relief, weight control, among other conditions," he said.

Cost of the oPhone, which links to a smartphone or other device via Bluetooth, has not yet been determined.

"You should imagine the oPhone will be around the price of a phone, and oChips priced low enough to encourage the same frequency of use as M&Ms for an M&M lover."

Apparently The Galaxy S5 Won't Be As Cheap As We Thought It Would Be

After the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 earlier this week at Mobile World Congress, speculation began circulating that the handset would go on sale for lower than the Galaxy S4’s initial launch pricing.

A series of pre-orders for the device going live around the UK and Europe shows a handset that sells for an equivalent amount, however, with off-contract pricing that equates to around $1000.
Clove has the handset for £599( roughly N140,000) after taxes while Amazon Spain lists the Galaxy S5 at €730. While those figures indeed break the $1000 when exchanged for US dollars, it is more likely Samsung is targeting an amount in the 600-700 range, regardless of currency. This would match the strategy deployed with the Galaxy S4, which sold in a similar $600-700 range in the US.
Whispers of a low launch price for the Galaxy S5 likely stem from the perception of some that Samsung did not unveil many major upgrades over the previous generation of the device. While rumors hinted at a smartphone with 64-bit processing, 4K display, metal construction, Samsung showcased a device that featured marginal improvements to the GS4’s specs and design. Rumors persist that Samsung could launch a premium version of the phone with some or all of these features.
The Samsung Galaxy S5is set to launch globally in April. With about a month to go, we should be getting more clarity on pricing as carriers solidify and announce their plans for the device.

The Galaxy S5's Camera Can Refocus After Taking A Picture.

Samsung has never been a leader when it comes to smartphone cameras but with the Galaxy S5, it's taken a step forward.
It has nothing to do with megapixels—instead it's all about that weird-sounding feature called "phase-detect" autofocus, which allows the camera to focus in just .3 seconds. Samsung claims that's the fastest in the world, and it could seriously change how you use the camera.
We've tested basically every smartphone camera, and it's astounding how quickly their quality has been improving over the years. Low-light quality has never been better, and in recent years, the megapixel counts have been soaring, without seeing any of the corresponding loss in image quality you'd expect.
One thing we haven't heard a lot of—but you can expect to now—is claims about how fast a camera is. Think about how important speed is. If your buddy slips and falls embarrassingly, you want to be able to whip out your camera and snap the picture as quickly as possible, before the shock leaves their faces and they've got time to recover. You want to get the hilarious agony of the moment.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a higher resolution camera 16 megapixel camera, but what's really important, is that as far as we can tell (tell us if we're wrong!), it's the first camera on a smartphone to use phase-detect autofocus. Traditionally, digital cameras that don't have a mirrorbox—IE, point-and-shoots and mirrorless cameras—use contrast detection autofocus. In this method, the contrast between nearby pixels is measured, and the camera's lens is adjusted until this contrast is maximized. This system has a lot of drawbacks: It's coarse, it's slow, and more importantly in situations where there's not a lot of contrast (or light) in a scene to begin with, it doesn't work very well.
Phase detection autofocus was commonly used on SLR cameras with mirrors, but it's only recently started trickling into mirroless cameras over the last couple of years, as part of the "hybrid" systems that enable shooters like the Sony A6000to focus crazy fast. The contrast detect autofocus gets you close, but the fine adjustment is performed by phase detection which compares the actual light received by the sensors, rather than just the contrast.
In the real-world, you can't underestimate the important of shooting with a fast AF system. It's one of the most important features we test when we're reviewing cameras. You're probably familiar with the experience of a camera that "hunts" for focus—moving in and out of clarity until it settles on the best spot You've also probably noticed the frustration that occurs when you've got an autofocus hunts and then settles on a spot that's totally wrong, as if it just gave up. The new phase detection will help remedy some of this frustration.
Or rather itshouldhelp, assuming it works properly. We'll have to wait and see how well this new phase detection works on the camera when we've had the chance to test it out in real life.

Original Story Found On Gizmodo

Robot cops rule! Humanoids take over streets of Kinshasa to tackle traffic chaos

How do you solve the problem of choking road traffic in one of the world's bustling megacities? You bring in the robot cops.
In Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, two humanoid robots have been installed in high-traffic areas to regulate the flow of vehicles and help drivers and pedestrians traverse the roads safely.
Read this: The daily grind of commuting in Africa's economic hubs
The goal is to ease the traffic woes of commuters and cut the number of road accidents in the center of Kinshasa, a city of some 10 million people.
"It is an innovation about road safety," Vale Manga Wilma, president of the DRC's National Commission for Road Safety (Commission Nationale de Prevention Routiere), told CNN.
"The traffic is a big problem in the rush hours," he explained. "With the robots' policemen intelligence, the road safety in Kinshasa becomes very easy."
Read this: Megacity's ambitious plans
Standing eight feet tall, the robot traffic wardens are on duty 24 hours a day, their towering -- even scarecrow-like -- mass visible from afar. They are powered by solar panels and are equipped with rotating chests and surveillance cameras that record the flow of vehicles.
The humanoids, which are installed on Kinshasa's busy Triomphal and Lumumba intersections, are built of aluminum and stainless steel to endure the city's year-round hot climate.
Featuring green and red lights, Kinshasa's robot cops are designed to merge some of the functions of human officers and traffic lights. The anthropomorphic robots can raise or bend their arms to stop passing vehicles or let others pass, and are also programmed to speak, indicating to pedestrians when they can cross the roadManga Wilma said that this is a DRC-made technology, designed and built by a team of local engineers called WITECH ONG.
READ MORE: Africa's 'new cities' - Urban future or utopian fantasies?
READ MORE: Africa's giant infrastructure projects

Nokia Unveils Two New Androids.

Nokia is officially launching its very first Android devices, known as the X and the X+, on stage at its annual Mobile World Congress press conference. We were all taken aback by the second ( and third) device (since only one leaked), but either way it's still incredible to see Nokia take this particular approach. The X will have a 4-inch, 840 x 480 IPS screen, 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage expandable storage via microSD slot and 3-megapixel camera, while the X+ sports the same specs but more RAM (768 MB) and an included 4GB microSD card. You won't be getting Google's apps or Play store, however as both handsets will be based on the forked AOSP Android OS. Nokia says that'll have the advantages of the Android ecosystem, but with a "differentiated experience." So far,Here Maps, MixRadio, Skype and Outlook are being featured on the Nokia Store.You can access the Nokia and third party stores using the devices, but not Google Play, obviously. We've heard SwiftKey will be available on the Nokia X range, as will BBM, which is also coming to Windows Phone sometime "this summer."
The new devices are featuring a ported version of FastLane for Asha devices, to give a similar experience as its other budget handsets. When you swipe across it, it'll bring up a sort of notification bar showing recently used apps, missed calls and texts and other activities. During the demo, Elop showed both the Nokia Store also Yandex, where he pulled down Aero Express, a Russian-flavored app. The X will be available immediately in growth markets (ie, not the US) and run 89 euros. The X+, meanwhile, will run 99 euros but won't arrive until sometime in Q2 this year.

Whatsapp Is Down, It's Not Just You. (UPDATED)

I thought it was just me but apparently it's a worldwide problem. It's been down for a few hours now causing mass hysteria (jk). So to avoid any confusion and MTN Customer Care calls they tweeted about it to let us know they were working on it( who knows? Maybe it's just Zuck messing with it) I'll update on it if anything comes up.

UPDATE: It's back, no questions answred, or explanations given.

No Cards? No Cash? You Can Still Get Cool Stuff. With Your Smartphone!

The aroma of rich coffee wafts through the air as Xolile Malindi leans behind the counter of House of Machines, a hip café in the heart of Cape Town. Opposite him, a young customer approaches the bar, taking his wallet out to pay for his double espresso made of organic Arabica beans.
"Have you ever heard of this program called the SnapScan?" Malindi, who is the coffee shop's day manager, asks quickly. "You pay with your phone," he continues. "A lot of places are using it in Cape Town -- it's quite amazing."
House of Machines is just one of dozens of stores here where customers can find SnapScan, an award-winning new digital mobile payment method developed in South Africa. The smartphone app, which is free to download, allows buyers to pay for goods using their phone, without having to worry about carrying cash or credit cards.
How it works
Each SnapScan-connected store has a unique code that is linked to their bank account.
When customers want to pay, they can scan the code with their SnapScan smartphone app, which then brings up the store where they are making the purchase.
"All you do is you type in the amount and punch in the PIN and press send and it's gone -- it's all done," explains Malindi. "You've got your secret code (four-digit PIN), so if your phone goes missing for example, you don't have to worry about people using your phone," he adds.
The transaction is complete with SnapScan charging the customer's debit or credit card for the amount they are paying -- similar to a normal card payment.
Cutting-edge
Using your phone to pay for goods and services is nothing new in Africa, a continent where there are more than 720 mobile phones. Services such as M-Pesa, the revolutionary Kenyan mobile payment system that allows people to bypass banks and pay bills, withdraw salaries and transfer cash electronically, have transformed the way people and business operateMeanwhile, Africa's smartphone market is expected to double over the following four years -- at the moment, South Africa is reportedly the biggest smartphone market in sub-Saharan Africa, with a 19% penetration.
And as smartphones increase, the paying methods are also becoming smarter.
"If you look at mobile payments specifically, Africa is actually one of the leaders in this space," says Kobus Ehlers, co-founder of the SnapScan app. "SnapScan was developed in South Africa for the African market, so we try to find really local and relevant solutions and I think it's going to get a massive uptake," he adds.
"Technology in general is going to get a massive uptake in Africa as we don't have those legacy systems," continues Ehlers. "People aren't used to using credit cards for example, they can skip right ahead and start using cutting-edge payment technology."
Cashless society
Right now, SnapScan is only available at formal merchants but the hope is that the e-currency could flow from the phones of customers to the accounts of informal merchants too. It can even be used to send remittances.
Ehlers says that the hope of a cashless society is possible for Africa.
"Quite a large portion of people have access to a smartphone and by leveraging that technology we can provide payments that were previously impossible," he says. "That really is an empowering thing for most people in Africa who haven't got access to formal infrastructure to provide those services."
John Campbell heads up the Beyond Payments division of Standard Bank, which partners with innovators such as SnapScan to create banking solutions. He says that lack of traditional infrastructure often leads to creative solutions.
"In other territories where that infrastructure was not available, that infrastructure has been leapfrogged by the use of mobile," explains Campbell. "M-Pesa in Kenya is a good example of that, where money goes straight to your mobile -- your mobile number almost becomes your account number, that's effectively what happens."Back in the House of Machines, Malindi keeps on introducing the new payment method to his customers.
"It's way better as opposed to using your credit card or cash," he says, adding that he was surprised to find out that SnapScan was a tech company that started in South Africa.
"I thought it's one of the things that we get from overseas," says Malindi. "When I found out this is African-launched I was 'wow, here we go Africa, here we come, we're rocking the world!'"

Exactly Why Facebook Wants To Buy Whatsapp

Facebook has entered into an agreement to purchase WhatsApp, the massively popular messaging client, for $16 billion in cash and stock. A document filed with the SECtoday confirms the huge purchase.
As was the case with Instagram, the company says WhatsApp will continue to operate independently after the acquisition — separate from Facebook Messenger — but claims the deal "accelerates Facebook’s ability to bring connectivity and utility to the world." Facebook is also throwing in an extra $3 billion in restricted stock units that will go to WhatsApp’s employees; those will vest over a period of four years after the acquisition is finalized.
More than 450 million monthly users
In a press releaseannouncing the monumental buyout, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable." He also shared news of the deal on his personal Facebook page, saying, "WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community." Over 450 million people use WhatsApp each month, according to statistics in the press release, with 70 percent of those users active on a given day. WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook’s board of directors as part of the deal, but his team will remain stationed in Mountain View, California.
"Doing this will give WhatsApp the flexibility to grow and expand, while giving me, Brian, and the rest of our team more time to focus on building a communications service that’s as fast, affordable and personal as possible," he said in a blog post. According to Kuam, users don't need to worry about ads "interrupting your communication." "There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company, our vision and our product," he said.

The World's Largest Solar Plant Is Killing Birds: Strange

The world's largest solar plant is awesome—unless you're a bird like the one in this image published by the corporation BrightSource Energy. This bird flew over the plantand was killed by its deadly heat levels, which can reach 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (537C). Apparently, this was expected.
The Wall Street Journaland a Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System monthly compliance report (PDF)already pointed out that this was going to be one of the side-effects of the $2.2 billion 5-square-mile solar farm and its three 40-story-high towers southwest of Las Vegas.
When its 350,000 mirrors converge on the water boilers sitting atop the towers, they effectively turn into a gigantic death ray. Anything that goes through the concentrated light beams will be killed.
The California Energy Commission says that the loss of wildlife—and other severe environmental problems associated to it—is acceptable because "the benefits the project will provide override those impacts." According to them, the plant will be producing enough electricity to power 140,000 homes when running at maximum power with a reduced carbon footprint. Environmentalists claim that the benefits may not be that clear.
To add salt to the injury, biologists say that the birds may be confusing the sea of mirrors with a lake, which is attracting them to the deadly mirage.
The images of the birds come from a monthly compliance report.Eleven birds were found injured or dead during that period.

HTC To Release Their Next Flagship Phone Soon.

The HTC One was one of our favorite smartphones of 2013, so naturally we're incredibly curious to see its inevitable successor, codenamed M8. According to an invite that just landed in our mailbox, we'll likely get that opportunity on March 25th at a launch event taking place simultaneously in New York and London( but of course we won't). While the invite doesn't call out the phone by name, this falls in line with HTC Chairperson Cher Wang's promise that we'd see invitations for this specific event before February 24th. We aren't in the dark about what it'll look like, if prior leaks prove accurate, but there's still no word on its official name; we just hope it isn't called the HTC One Two

Twitter bios: Don't be a 'rock star guru'

If you're a "zombie aficionado," a "Web marketing guru" or a "social media evangelist," you may be doing Twitter wrong.
The 160-character Twitter bio, your introduction to the site's nearly 250 million active users, has been called a "postmodern art form" by The New York Times.
But for most of us, it's a bit simpler than that. It's a digital calling card, a way to sum up our very essence within Twitter's 160-character limit and, presumably, tell people why they might want to follow us.
So how did there end up being so many self-proclaimed ninjas, mavens, rock stars, gurus and experts on the site?
Those terms, often delivered in a series of short, punchy sentences, have become copycat cliches in the Twitter age. And as Josh Schultz sees it, they're worthy of parody.
"I'd noticed that a lot of Twitter bios tended to be pretty samey," said Schultz, a Web developer and creator of the Twitter Bio Generator. "When that occurred to me, I crawled the bios of all my Twitter acquaintances and saw that ... yep ... some patterns were used a lot."
His generator is a jokey tool that mashes together a bunch of overused words and phrases, creating bios that will look impressively familiar to most Twitter users: "Professional zombie geek." "Unapologetic Internet maven." "Social media evangelist." "Coffee guru."
It's no accident that a lot of the phrases come off as blatantly self-promotional.
"This was early Twitter days, when it seemed like half the folks using the service were self-described 'social media experts,' " Schultz said. "Plenty of the rest of us were of the opinion that those folks might benefit from taking themselves a bit less seriously. So if the generator came across as poking a little fun at them, I'd be OK with that."
Schultz isn't the only one who thought that overdone bio style needed a little skewering. This month, digital media marketing publication Digiday worked up a similar, if significantly more profane, version called "What the F--- is my Twitter Bio?". (Fair warning: Lots of profanity. As if the name didn't give that away.)The idea was meant to be a way for people to realize the ridiculous lengths others -- and, alas, themselves -- go to to craft their Twitter bio as neatly and perfectly as a Wes Andersen movie," Digiday staffer Jack Marshall said in a blog post.
Digiday's combination of about 300 words and phrases renders bios largely similar to Schultz's generator: "Bluetooth pundit." "Tech warlock." "Interwebz scholar." Some tweak another bio that's become commonplace: A series of factual information followed by a final zinger to show that you're a serious person -- just not *that* serious.
If users don't like the result, they can click a reliably foul-mouthed link to try again.
Some of the results also play on Twitter users' seemingly limitless fondness for bacon and booze in their bios.
So, if being a bacon buff or beer trailblazer won't necessarily make for a great bio, what will? Schultz says just be yourself.
"It's an honest reflection of what you're going to be tweeting about," he said. "For some people, that will be the sort of straightforward list thing the Twitter Bio Generator pokes a little fun at. For others, it'll be something more abstract or poetic. Maybe they're more abstract or poetic people, harder to pin down."
Writing for Mashable, a CNN content partner, Amy-Mae Elliott offered a few suggestions of her own.
-- Your bio is searchable, so make sure it includes keywords about what you tweet about.
-- Avoid those generator-style cliches.
-- Double-check your spelling and grammar.-- Look at other bios and imitate the style of the ones you like.
"Most importantly," she wrote, "use your bio to let people know what you're going to bring to their Twitter streams -- how following you is going to enrich

Nokia's Android May Be Released Before The End Of The Month.

If you're eager to get an officially sanctioned glimpse at Nokia's rumored Android cellphone, you may not have to wait long. Sources speaking to theWall Street Journal claimthat Nokia will unveil the low-end handset, currently nicknamed Normandy, at Mobile World Congress later this month. The tipsters haven't shed new light on the hardware itself, but they support beliefs that the device's customized interface will revolve around Microsoft and Nokia services while stripping out Google content. If the leak is accurate, Microsoft may be in an awkward position once it closes its acquisition of Nokia's phone business-- it might have to sell a phone using the very platform it has been trying to destroy.

With an Android search update, you can tell your phone to 'call Mom'

One of Siri's cleverer tricks is its support for terms of endearment -- you can tell an iPhone to "call Mom" rather than saying your mother's name every time. Today, that handy shortcut is reaching Android through a Google search update.

You can now rely on shorthand when using the search app to call or text family members. If you haven't already established the appropriate relationship in your contacts, Android will ask you to clear things up. The feature is already live, so you can test it out right away -- we're sure your folks would be glad to hear from you.

IS IT GAME OVER FOR NINTENDO?

Nearly 30 years ago, Nintendo essentially gave the video game industry a new life, and a second chance. In 1985, when the original Nintendo Entertainment System debuted at the North American International Toy Fair, no one even wanted to think about video games after the great crash that saw revenues fall from $3.2 billion in 1983 to just $100 million in 1985.
Fast forward to 2013. The industry has "leveled up," so to speak, to $93 billion in 2013 — and according to research from Gartner, that figure could reach $111 billion by 2015. The question now is whether Nintendo will still be a part of it.
The company, which was founded in 1889 as a playing card maker, has had to reinvent itself over the years. It may need to do so again as it faces declining sales of its Wii U video game console.
Last month, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that the company had revised its full-year consolidated financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. Its new outlook was not good: Nintendo cut its forecast for its Wii U's annual sales by more than two thirds, from 9 million to 2.8 million, and also halved the projection for game sales to just 19 million units. The Wii U, which came out in November 2012, is far from the hit that was the original Wii, which
came out in 2006 and has sold more than 100 million units worldwide.

5 Valentine's Day gifts your tech-savvy sweetheart will love

If your beloved thinks candy and flowers are passé, then express your commitment this Valentine's Day by giving them one of these gadgets. (After all, everyone loves new toys!) To stick with the lovey-dovey theme, everything listed below is available in a Valentine's Day color scheme. And since it's the thought that counts, gifting your loved one a new device in red (or pink or white) will let her or him know you put some thought into it.
Canon A2600,$130
Help your sweetheart capture your memories together with a new digital camera. The Canon A2600 (pictured above), available in red among other colors, is a 16-megapixel subcompact camera that takes good photos indoors and out. Its flash and HD-resolution video also performs well during those candlelight moments, and the wide-angle lens can be helpful when you need to snap a group photo at the end of a Valentine's Day double-date.
See ourdigital camera buying guide and Ratingsfor more information on this camera and others.
Apple iPhone 5c (16GB), $0-$100, depending on carrier and contract
Who wouldn't want a new phone for Valentine's Day? The Apple iPhone 5c in pink (well, in any color) is a CR recommended product and features the dynamic, intuitive iOS operating system and Siri, the built-in voice-controlled personal digital assistant. While its MP3 player is the best we've seen in a phone, and its 8-megapixel camera is nothing to sneeze at either: It's among the best phone cameras for video and photos we've seen in a while. And don't forget that the front-facing camera is great for chatting up your loved one when you're apart.
For more on smart phones, check ourcell-phone buying guide and Ratings.
Pebble Smartwatch, $150
Wearable technology is the buzziest thing in personal electronics this year: Help your loved one stay ahead of the trend by giving them a Pebble smart watch. Available in seven colors, including red, the Pebble lets the wearer create custom watch faces, customize notifications, and run a variety of apps (including fitness apps). The watch vibrates quietly to alert you of new updates, such as texts, e-mails, and Facebook messages. And it's waterproof, so you don't have to worry about your sweetheart's tears of joy causing it any damage.
Find the right piece ofwearable techfor your loved one.
Google Chromecast,$35
This tiny piece of tech is a great way to show your TV-junkie lovebird that you care. The wireless stick plugs into the back of your TV's HDMI port for easy video-streaming from Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, among others. Since it's controlled by your smart phone or tablet, you'll never misplace the remote again. Test it by hosting a night of binge watching your favorite shows and chowing down on popcorn together. (Mix some red and pink M&Ms into the popcorn!)
Check our ratings onstreaming media players and serviceson this and other top-rated products.
iLuv iHP613 Sweet Cotton,$20
You really can't pass up a gadget branded iLuv for Valentine's Day. For the low cost, these on-ear cans deliver good sound quality, and won't make you oblivious to the world around you (that is, if the doorbell rings, you'll still hear it). Their inline volume and phone controls are compatible with iPhones and other smart phones, so you can seamlessly switch from answering the call from your beloved to listening to your Valentine's Day playlist-which, by the way, should definitely include Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

'Flappy Bird' flies again: Play the game online

"Flappy Bird" fans, have no fear -- your favorite app has found a new nest.
Gamers cried fowl when the creator of the highly addictive mobile app "Flappy Bird" plucked the game from the App Store and Google Play, saying his creation "ruin[ed] [my] simple life."
Buttoucanplay at this game -- there are alternatives scattered like bird seed all over the Internet.
A variety of websites now host the popular game online (most likely without permission from the original designer). "Flappy Bird" still flies at sites like F lappybirds.com,  FlappyBird.com, Flappybird.io ... the list goes on and on.
"Don't worry we are not going anywhere," F lappybirds.com reads. "Play Flappy Bird online for free! No longer available in the app store."
But if you're looking for a mobile gaming experience, you're out of luck unless you're willing to lay out more than $100,000.
An iPhone 4s loaded with "Flappy Bird" is listed on eBay for $134,295. That makes the iPhone 5s with the game for $99,999 look cheap.
The game was downloaded more than 50 million times on App Store alone. In an interview with The Verge website, creator Nguyen Ha Dong said "Flappy Bird" was making $50,000 a day in advertising revenue.
On Twitter he didn't address allegations that the number of downloads had been inflated, but denied suggestions he was withdrawing the game because it breached another game maker's copyright.
"It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore," he wrote.

Glyph: Watching Videos Directly With Your Brain.

Forget about the big screen, the small screen and even the second screen.
A headset due to be released this year promises to beam movies, video games or even video calls directly into your eyeballs.
Yes. The Glyph headset, from Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Avegant, will create visuals that don't need a screen -- just your retinas and your brain.
If that conjures up exciting images of living like "Star Trek's" Geordi La Forge or Cyclops from "The X Men," you're not alone.
A Kickstarter campaign was launched last month and set out to raise $250,000 to bankroll the project. It blew past that mark with ease and, with half a month left, was on the verge of breaking the $1 million mark Wednesday.
"We knew we had something really cool and that we'd do well on Kickstarter, but nobody thought we'd hit our goal in less than four hours," said Edward Tang, Avegant's CEO. "It's like ordering flowers for your girlfriend and they show up with a whole truck full of flowers."
The technology that powers the Glyph centers around a set of 2 million microscopic mirrors -- 1 million per eye -- that reflect visuals, including 3-D, into the user's eye.
Unlike some entries into the emerging wearable tech field, the Glyph won't be limited to a set of specially designed apps. Tang said the headset, which donors can receive for a $499 "donation" to the campaign, is designed to plug into just about anything you own that has a screen -- be it a smartphone, laptop, television or gaming console.
Users would play the video content on their mobile or entertainment device but watch it on the Glyph instead of their device's screen. The Glyph has a battery life of about three hours, Tang said.
"I think Google Glass is really interesting ... (but) I think it's a couple years away," he said. "If you ask people what they're doing with their devices today, they're streaming Netflix, they're playing video games and they're listening to music. We created a device that really focused on those aspects."The startup also wanted to avoid the "Glasshole" effect. Google promises Glass will be stylish when it's released to the public, but the look of early test versions has been distracting to some and downright jarring to others.
Glyph, on the other hand, looks like a pair of headphones sitting on the user's head when not in use. In fact, it doubles as a pair of high-end headphones with noise canceling that compares with some of the leading brands on the market, according to Avegant. To add visuals, the user flips down the band over their head, making it an eyepiece.
The company has opened the headset to outside developers, who they hope will find unexpected uses for its features, which include head-tracking technology.
"By giving developers this brand new tool box, they start to think of amazing applications that we couldn't in our wildest dreams come up with," Tang said.
But, wait. Mom always said not to sit too close to the TV set. And we all know that bleary-eyed feeling we get from staring at a smartphone or tablet for too long. Won't this be worse?
Quite the opposite, Tang said.
He said eye fatigue comes from staring at the artificial, pixelated light from our screens. Remove the screen, remove the problem.
"We agree with the moms of the world," he said. "What we're doing is mimicking the actual light around you ... . It's the kind of light that your eyes have been conditioned to see, have evolved to see."
It's all so magically futuristic sounding. Which raises an obvious question: Is Glyph all hype?
Folks who have taken an early look don't think so. At January's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Glyph was one of 40 products chosen for the Editor's Choice Award. More than 3,200 exhibitors attended the show"What I could tell was that the projected image, just like my last time with Avegant's virtual retinal display tech, was exceedingly bright and vivid, lacking any sense of pixelation," CNET's Scott Stein wrote from CES. "A deep-sea 3-D movie looked like it was projected in a tiny little movie theater in front of my eyes."
David Pierce wrote for The Verge: " 'Life of Pi' displayed perfectly in 3-D without any tweaking, and I played 'Call of Duty: Ghosts' right off a PlayStation 3. All you need to do is to tune the glasses ? you focus each eye individually, then set the two eyeholes the right distance apart so they create a single picture. From then on, content just works."

What happens when cars talk to each other

Forget Google's autonomous car. To really save lives on the road, vehicles will have to talk to each other.

Known as V2V or vehicle-to-vehicle communications, such technology would allow cars to warn each other of their presence. One car could alert another that, "Hey, my idiot driver isn't going to stop for the red light, look out!" or "My owner has just hit something ahead of you, stop!"

Of course, the dialogue will be conducted wirelessly and with much less flair in binary code, but the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration hopes you get the idea when it publishes recommendations in the coming weeks for new V2V equipment to be installed in all cars. NHSTA will stop short of any official regulations, but the auto industry has been anxious--even, I would say, chomping at the bit -- to get such rules established.

To see how such V2V technology will work, last month Ford gave me a demonstration of the technologies involved on a closed course. I sat in the front passenger seat of a specially tricked out 2014 Ford Taurus. On board was a V2V wireless communications system, warning lights, and some more additional safety systems. But unlike autonomous vehicles, it did not require built-in cameras or radar. The demonstration relied on the wireless communication with other similarly equipped vehicles and standard GPS location data.

Although the drive seemed engineered to scare the pants off me, it actually proved how much safer V2V cars can be, preventing accidents and saving lives. For example, accordion crashes, when a suddenly stopped vehicle on the highway causes a chain reaction of rear-end collisions, are quite common but can be prevented -- if other cars know a vehicle is stopped ahead.

My test driver demonstrated how the driver can be warned in enough time to break safely in a variety of circumstances. Even when we couldn't see the car that was stopping, it would warn our vehicle of the danger. When coupled with active driving systems, such as collision prevention, it could even bring a car automatically to a halt.

Although they didn't demonstrate it -- thank goodness -- such collision avoidance warnings will work even around blind curves and hills, situations in which drivers now have little chance of preventing a collision. And not all the cars need to be outfitted with V2V chips and radios to make a difference. As long as one of the vehicles stopped ahead has it, your vehicle will at least receive a warning.

In another demonstration of how such systems can prevent a nasty crash, an SUV ahead of us drove along the road, blocking our view of anything ahead of it. Unbeknownst to us, a car in front of the SUV suddenly stopped and instead of braking, the SUV--intentionally--swerved to avoid it, leaving us suddenly staring at the stopped car's brake lights. It made me instinctively brace myself for impact, but the warning system and braking brought us to a halt.

V2V can even help with lane changes. How many times have you checked the lane next to you and signaled, only to have someone doing 90 mph zip by in the passing lane? My stunt, er, test driver demonstrated how V2V signals can warn you of such dangers even when you can't see them coming.

At a T-intersection a truck was strategically placed to block our right-hand view of oncoming traffic. As we edged out into the intersection, another Ford test driver barreled down the road toward us. An audible alarm and red flashing lights swept from left to right above the dash, tipping us off to the impending danger and allowing us to stop safely before we could even see the other car.

So is V2V the ultimate panacea for preventing accidents?

Not quite. Especially in its early implementations, the V2V systems will not automatically take control of vehicles. It's true that when coupled with collision prevention systems, V2V technology can prevent accidents if the car is traveling less than roughly 35 mph. However, allowing V2V warnings to trigger automatic systems in some situations could introduce new dangers. The reason that the Taurus only warned us at the T-intersection rather than stopping us is that a false positive alert could cause another car to hit us from behind or make it impossible to avoid a vehicle coming from the other direction.

Furthermore, V2V systems will be most effective when every car has one. You won't receive warnings from older cars, for example, and since the average age of a car these days in the U.S. is over 11 years, it will take years after the technology is introduced for it to reach a critical mass.

The V2V systems are relatively modest in terms of their abilities, as well. The standards that have been proposed, often referred to as Dedicated Short-Range Communications or DSRC, will only allow communication at distances reaching 900 to 1,500 feet. (It typically uses a form of W-Fi in the 5.9 GHz range at 75 MHz.) So in order to get other important information, such as traffic congestion miles ahead, cars will have to rely on cellular communications relayed from other vehicles.

And yes, there are security and privacy concerns that need to be dealt with. However, the Ford engineers pointed out that some basic security settings will prevent someone from, say, sitting on the side of the road and sending false V2V warnings to drivers.

Perhaps more important, all of this technology -- and more -- is available today. A Safety Pilot test involving 3,000 connected cars was conducted in Ann Arbor, MI, in 2012, for example. Drivers and automakers involved with the project were both positive about the results. So much so, that car makers are eager to get the technology into cars.

And after the demonstrations I've witnessed, so am I.

Galaxy S5 coming February 24?

Are you excited about the Samsung Galaxy S5? Samsung has just dropped a big hint that we could see the device for real at Mobile World Congress later this month.

"Mark your calendars!" shouted a Samsung Mobile tweet late on February 3, coupled with an image inviting us to the first Unpacked event of 2014 on February 24.

Mark your calendars! #UNPACKED pic.twitter.com/Pqc3gV7Y43
- Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 4, 2014

The event will take place in Barcelona at 8:00p.m. local time, making it the evening of Mobile World Congress' first day. The invitation names the get-together as Unpacked 5. Samsung adds that this is episode one of its 2014 Unpacked events elsewhere on the invite, so there is a very good chance the number 5 is a reference to the Galaxy S5.

Samsung uses its Unpacked events to reveal high-end hardware. Last year, it held two, at which we were introduced to the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3. Samsung updated its tablet range at CES, and the Note 3 is still a very new device, so the Galaxy S5 the only truly high-profile release we're expecting any time soon.

While the Galaxy S5 seems almost guaranteed for February 24, will it be joined by any other new products? Possibly, as we've been hearing rumors of the all-metal Galaxy F, plus talk of the Galaxy Gear 2 coming sooner rather than later. The Unpacked event may only play host to the Galaxy S5 (and perhaps the Gear 2, if it's coming), with Samsung leaving less high profile announcements for the show floor, or to be revealed in press releases during the days leading up to MWC's opening.

Samsung is the second major manufacturer to announce an MWC event - Nokia was the first, and it'll be showing its new devices earlier on February 24 - and with less than three weeks to go, we don't have long to wait before all is revealed.

This new tech can detect your mood

(CNN) -  A long distance drive can be lonely with only a radio for company, and if the driver is stressed or tired it becomes dangerous.

A car that could understand those feelings might prevent an accident, using emotional data to flag warning signs. Sensors could nest in the steering wheel and door handles to pick up electric signals from the skin. Meanwhile a camera mounted on the windshield could analyze facial expressions.

Alternatively, if the driver exhibits stress, the vehicle's coordinated sensors could soften the light and music, or broaden the headlight beams to compensate for loss of vision. A distressed state could be broadcast as a warning to other motorists by changing the color of the vehicle's conductive paint.

This empathic vehicle is the goal of AutoEmotive, a research project from the Affective Computing group at MIT's media lab, who are focused on exploring the potential of emotional connections with machines. 'AutoEmotive' is their latest and most integrated project, following successful efforts to make interfaces of everything from bras to mirrors.

Researchers believe the concept is destined for the mainstream, and have fielded interest from manufacturers. "We have already tested most of these sensors", says Javier Rivera, MIT researcher and project leader. "The hardware required could easily be built into cars. Most cars have cameras anyway; you just have more to capture the physiology. It could be done unobtrusively."

Read: Embracing big brother: How facial recognition could help fight crime

Not time like the present

But we don't have to wait for emotion sensors. They are flooding into a new market, using a growing range of mood metrics to suit diverse applications. Voice recognition app Beyond Verbal can tell you if you flirt too much in just 20 seconds. A sweater that detects skin stimulation to color code your feelings is available for pre-order.

The fastest-developing method is facial recognition, led by Affectiva, a start-up that spun off from MIT's Affective Computing group three years ago. In that time, the company has amassed a database of over a billion facial expressions, which it uses to train algorithms to recognize and classify basic emotions such as happiness or anger, with over 90% accuracy.

Their flagship technology, Affdex, has been swiftly adopted by advertisers, who use it to test reactions to their campaigns, and modify them accordingly. Market research partners Millward Brown have standardized its use for Fortune 500 clients including PepsiCo and Unilever.

"In the past this technology was confined to laboratories because of high cost and slow turnaround," explains Nick Langeveld, Chief Executive Officer of Affectiva. "We've cracked those issues; the cost is very low as the service is over the web, and it can be turned around almost immediately after the data is collected."

Competitor Emotient also specializes in face recognition, but its primary target is the retail sector. Their software is on trial in stores, pinpointing 44 facial movements to monitor emotional reactions of staff and shoppers, as well as demographic information including age and gender. From customer satisfaction to employee morale, the benefits to business are obvious, and Emotient claim major retail partners plan to make the system permanent.

Read: Bionic fashion: Wearable tech that will turn man into machine by 2015

Medical applications

It is also time to bring these tools into clinical practice, believes Dr. Erik Viirre, a San Diego neurophysiologist. "While so many medications list suicide risk as a possible side effect I think we have to use biosensors, and there is a big push within psychiatry to bring them in. Thought disorders could be picked up much quicker and used to determine treatment."

Viirre has studied headaches extensively and found that contributing factors build up days before they strike, including mood. He argues a multi-sensor approach combining brain scans, genetic tests and emotion sensing could dramatically improve treatment.

But emotion sensors are currently limited in their capacity to differentiate nuanced expression, says Tadas Baltrušaitis of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, who has published research on the subject.

"It is easy to train a computer to recognize basic emotions, such as fear or anger. It is more difficult to recognize more complex emotional states, that might also be culturally dependent, such as confusion, interest and concentration."

Read: Diana Eng melds high tech with high fashion

But there is scope for rapid progress: "The field is relatively new, and only recently has it been possible to recognize emotions in real world environments with a degree of accuracy. The approaches are getting better every year, leading to more subtle expressions being recognizable by machines."

Baltrušaitis adds that combined sensors -- as with 'AutoEmotive' -- that pick up signals from skin, pulse, face, voice and more, could be key to progress.

Buyers beware

In this post-NSA climate, companies are keen to head off privacy concerns. Affectiva and Emotient are vehement that all their data has been gathered with permission from the subjects, while the latter defend their use of recognition software in stores by saying it does not record personal details.

But the technology is prone to abuse, according to futurist and information systems expert Chris Dancy. "I think variations are already being used in places like airports and we would never know", he says. "I can't imagine a system to take value readings of my mind for a remote company being used for good. It's a dark path."

Producers claim they strictly control the use of their sensors, but facial recognition technology is proliferating. UK supermarket Tesco could face legal action for introducing it in stores without permission, while San Diego police have been quietly issued with a phone-based version.

Read: Google Glass adds style, prescription lenses

Ironically, Dancy -- a leading proponent of the Quantified Self movement -- is pursuing many of the same insights into emotion as advertisers, but by alternative means and for personal goals. He keeps himself connected to sensors measuring pulse, REM sleep, blood sugar and more, which he cross-references against environmental input to see how the two correlate, using the results to give him understanding and influence over his mind state.

'Moodhacking' has become a popular practice among the technologically curious, and has given rise to successful applications. Members of London's Quantified Self Chapter created tools such as Mood Scope and Mappiness that help the user match their mental state to external events. Hackers and makers will have an even more powerful tool in March, when the crowd-funded OpenBCI device makes EEG brainwaves available to anyone with a computer for a bargain price.

For all the grassroots hostility towards corporate use of emotion sensors, there may be convergence. Affectiva are keen to market to Quantified Self demographics and an Affdex app for android is imminent. As the machine learning develops, and different industries combine to join the dots, we can all expect to be sharing a lot more.

Your Facebook life in 62 seconds

(CNN) -  If you're on Facebook, a new video about your life went live online Tuesday.

Yes, you. And you, and you and you.

With the help of an automated tool, Facebook has created short, personalized video highlights for "hundreds of millions" of its users. The 62-second clip notes the year you joined Facebook, then shows a handful of your most-liked posts and a seemingly random selection of your photos -- all set to instrumental music.

To see yours, go to Facebook/lookback and admire, or cringe.

Facebook posted the clips, titled "A Look Back," without fanfare Tuesday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the social network, which was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and four classmates at Harvard University on February 4, 2004.

"People often ask if I always knew that Facebook would become what it is today. No way," wrote Zuckerberg, the company's CEO, in a Facebook post Tuesday.

"I remember getting pizza with my friends one night in college shortly after opening Facebook. I told them I was excited to help connect our school community, but one day someone needed to connect the whole world."

10 years of Facebook in one graphic

The videos are available to everyone who uses Facebook in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Turkish, Indonesian and Brazilian Portuguese, a Facebook spokesperson told CNN.

Depending on how much content you have shared and how long you have been on Facebook, you will either see the personalized video, a collection of photos or a simple thank-you card, the spokesperson said.

Facebook said users will be able to share the video on their pages after 12 noon ET on Tuesday. The videos will only be available for about a month unless you share them on your Timeline. Only you will be able to view your video if you don't share it.

If the clip contains posts you'd prefer to keep private, you can edit them via an "Edit Your Movie" button, the spokesperson said.

"It's been amazing to see how all of you have used our tools to build a real community. You've shared the happy moments and the painful ones," Zuckerberg said.

Facebook has created personalized slideshows for users, but this project marks the first time the company has made customized videos. A small team at Facebook spent the last few months crafting the videos and ensuring the company had the resources to render them for most of the network's 1.2 billion users.

9 ways Facebook changed how we talk

(CNN) -  "I'm gonna tag you in this hideous photo and then unfriend you if you don't stop oversharing and poking me."

If you said this to someone 10 years ago, they'd look at you like you were speaking Klingon. Nowadays, you just sound like an active user of social media.

This is how much Facebook has changed how we talk. In the decade since its birth in February 2004, the social network has introduced numerous terms and phrases to the language of modern life.

Most are common words that Facebook refitted with new meanings. Some have stuck, while others have been forgotten. A few have even been recognized by dictionaries as official pieces of the 21st century lexicon.

Here are nine of the most memorable.

Friend 

Until Facebook came along, nobody used the word "friend" as a verb. Now it's not uncommon to ask a new acquaintance to spell their name so you can friend them on Facebook.

Everyone likes to feel popular. That's why some Facebookers, especially in the site's early days, hoarded friends like poker chips (never mind that most of these "friends" were rarely seen co-workers, distant relatives or vaguely remembered classmates from junior high). Nobody really has 583 "friends."

Facebook's "friend" also was the precursor to Twitter's "follower," which makes a user's social contacts sound like members of a cult.

Facebook giveth, and Facebook taketh away. Are you tired of your uncle's political rants? Unfriend him!

By adding an "unfriend" option, Facebook created new shorthand for aborting a friendship or an acquaintance. It's a lot easier to say, "I unfriended Bob" than "I'm not going to be friends with Bob anymore because he annoys me with his daily musings about his toenails."

Unfriending someone is considered a more drastic step than simply tweaking your Facebook settings to block or minimize their posts.

The term was officially welcomed to the digital-age vernacular by the New Oxford English Dictionary, which named "unfriend" its Word of the Year for 2009.

Status update

Years ago, "status" was a measure of someone's social or professional standing. Then Facebook began asking users to post updates on their thoughts or activities, and "updating your status" suddenly meant more than just moving to a better neighborhood.

To prompt updates, Facebook first asked users, "What are you doing right now?" When that produced too many mundane reports -- "Sally is eating toast!" -- Facebook changed the update question in 2009 to the broader, "What's on your mind?"

Like

Few things have sparked more debate on Facebook than the "Like" button, which debuted in 2009 and soon spread to partner sites. Suddenly, with a quick click you could endorse your friends' updates, jokes and cute-kid pictures.

Cynics, lamenting what they saw as Facebook's forced cheerfulness, unsuccessfully asked for a "Dislike" button.

Instagram, Pinterest and other social networks also adopted the Like model for favoring posts, although they used a heart symbol instead of a Like thumb. (You Like me right now! You Like me!)

All this made "Like" a noun as well as a verb, as users began collecting Likes as a measure of engagement and popularity. As in, "I can't believe my cute picture of Fluffy in her Easter bonnet got only three Likes."

5 ways Facebook changed our lives, for better or worse

Poke

The weird Poke feature was sort of a thing in Facebook's early days. Nobody knew what it was for, exactly -- even Mark Zuckerberg once said of the Poke, "We thought it would be cool to have a feature without any specific purpose."

Some saw it as a flirty invitation to an online chat or real-world hookup. But the obvious sexual innuendo made it awkward to use in conversation. "I poked Aunt Betty" just sounds all kind of wrong.

Amazingly, the Poke function is still active on Facebook. But nobody uses it anymore unless they're being ironic.

Share (and overshare)

Sharing used to be something we did in school when there weren't enough textbooks to go around. Then came Facebook, and everyone -- not just the generous -- became sharers. Or over-sharers. Soon it wasn't enough to just experience a memorable moment in our daily lives: We had to share it with everyone, RIGHT NOW!

Share buttons popped up all over the Web. Share this! Tweet this! Pin this! Snap this! Sooo much sharing.

The word "share" has always implied a selfless, charitable act. But the more we share our every move and thought on social media, the more self-centered we can tend to sound.

Not me, of course. Other people.

Wall

For years, Facebook encouraged visitors to a friend's profile to "write on their Wall." It sounded sort of illicit, like an invitation to scribble graffiti.

The idea of a digital "wall" seemed odd at a time when other social networks were promoting pages. Maybe that's why it never really caught on. In 2011, Facebook replaced the Wall with the current Timeline format, which displays updates chronologically.

It's complicated

This ambiguous answer to Facebook's "What's your relationship status?" could apply to almost any romantic entanglement between "single" and "married" and is more interesting than either. It's become a common response to the "How's your love life?" question and even inspired a 2009 romantic comedy with Meryl Streep.

Tag

Tag, you're it! No, you're it! What was once just a child's game is now a way to get people to notice your posts, or to embarrass them by flagging them in unflattering photos. Come to think of it, maybe Tag is the new Poke.

Apple iWatch could be solar powered

While we have yet to see smartphones with solar-charging batteries, Apple may already be working on sunlight-powered panels for wearable devices. A new report suggests that the company is exploring new technologies, including solar charging, to create a longer lasting battery for its purported iWatch.

According to The New York Times, Apple is considering outfitting the long-rumored smartwatch's screen with a solar charging layer. This would charge the battery when the gadget is worn in sunlight, although the Times' report notes that this could be years away from becoming a reality.

RELATED: Apple iWatch Rumors: Features, Specs and Release Date

Apple has also been testing wireless charging tech that doesn't involve absorbing power from the sun. The method would involve wireless magnetic induction, which is similar to the cable-free charging available on Nokia's newer Windows Phone 8 smartphones. Another potential charging solution could involve powering the watch through movement. For instance, swinging your arm could trigger a tiny charging station that would generate power and push it to the watch while you're walking, the Times reports.

In addition to wireless or solar charging, Apple's rumored iWatch is expected to feature a curved glass screen. Previous rumors have indicated that the device could run the full version of iOS and feature a slap bracelet design as outlined in one of Apple's patents, although the company has yet to confirm any information.

The Times' report surfaces just as talk of a solar-powered iPhone has hit the Web. Seeking Alpha recently wrote that Apple is likely to implement a sapphire glass screen embedded with solar cells on its next iPhone in an effort to increase battery life.

Jesse Eisenberg cast as Lex Luthor in 'Superman-Batman'

NEW YORK –  Warner Bros. has announced that Jesse Eisenberg will play Lex Luthor in the studio's planned Superman-Batman film.




The casting of the 30-year-old Eisenberg was met with a wave of surprise on social media Friday. Eisenberg is a widely respected actor but isn't known for the kind of villainous gravitas that Gene Hackman brought to the role.

The Superman-Batman film is to be directed by Zac Snyder and many also questioned the choice of Ben Affleck for Batman. Reprising the role of Superman is Henry Cavill.

Snyder says Eisenberg allows the film to take Luthor in "some new and unexpected directions."

Jeremy Irons was also cast as Alfred, Bruce Wayne's loyal guardian. Alfred was played by Michael Caine in the "Dark Knight" trilogy.

The film is set to open in May 2016.
Do you think he can do better than Gene Hackman?? Cuz I don't think so.
























































































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