So the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is upon us again

For those not in the know, it’s a huge celebration of all those shiny toys designed specifically to engender yearning in your inner geek ~ drooling is optional…

This year has shown some interesting bits of techno goodness, with a waterproof covering for smartphones (finally!), a funky thermostat that learns your schedules and preferences and saves you some money (and looks waaaay cool  ) and some really sexy (?) looking laptops from Intel.

And for the budding Über geeks out there, there’s an interesting little design for a workstation ~ Have a look at this Emperor 1510 Workstation

For those of you with a more healthy mindset (psychos), there’s the Basis Health Band, to monitor just how much torture you can bear and not die, and some new in the ear style headphones for bopping while you drop.

Finally, a bit of a no brainer this one – how about using social media technology to map the locations of speed traps ~ then whack this info on a in-car device. Genius!

Oh, I also discovered a little known fact. Which country would you think provides the vast majority of processors that smart phones are created on? China? USA?? How about dear old Britain!
Arm Holdings provide most of the smartphone industry with it’s processors

Nice

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Online research has smashed the myth of 6 degrees of separation – that is the theory that there is only 6 people between you and any given person on the Earth.

This new research from Facebook shows that there are only 3.74 people between you and anyone else or ”When considering another person in the world, a friend of your friend knows a friend of their friend.”

Personally I think that this is a little misleading; Some people on social networks tend to accept friends from whom ever asks, not people they ‘know’. This must massively skew the statistics as it appears to assume that users know the people in their social networks.

Known as Dunbar’s Number this number is viewed as the theoretical number of people you can have social relationship with – something that should be applied to the Facebook degrees of separation research methinks.

Read the full BBC Article here

 

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  Research into producing electricity from urine has been carried out by scientists at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.
- BBC news article

This made me both laugh and think, all at the same time..!

Have a read of this…

Now prepare yourself ~ this is the best excuse I’ve ever had for bombarding you with wee jokes!

Basically, the boffins at Bristol University have managed to create power from urine – this gave me some rather horrific memories of some long car journeys as a child and their inevitable ‘rest stops’.

Once this is in operation I think parents world wide will be plying themselves and their offspring/partners with liquid before the journey – no longer will mother ask if you’ve ‘been before we set off’.

It’s only a start, and only produces little power at the moment, but looks like being a runner for Microbial Fuel Cells (or MFCs as they are known).

Finally we have “Power from the P(eople)” 

 

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For years now we’ve heard nothing good about video games from the worlds media.

Be it CNN, BBC, Reuters ~ all are guilty of painting those that enjoy computer games as anything from simply lazy to gun wielding psychopaths just waiting for the right moment.

Now it seems that something fantastic has come from the very people the media love to vilify.

How does helping to cure AIDS sound?

Now who’s a social misfit?

It seems that some bright spark realised that the human brain is infinitely better equipped to solve complex puzzles than a computer ~ by virtue of something unique to us called ‘intuition’.

A game of building proteins was created and players challenged to create the best or to predict the structure of one, using a simply method. Players are also invited to create new proteins that could pave the way for future treatments.

The news worthy event (and the reason for this post), is that gamers finally solved a complex problem that had been defeating the best minds and computer models for decades.
The structure of something with the very catchy name of M-PMV retroviral protease was discovered – this is an enzyme important in the development of a virus similar to HIV, and is an important step to producing an effective treatment.

Have a read of the BBC news post here…
Online game Foldit helps anti-Aids drug quest

Now that’s solved, back to zapping those rampaging trolls with my +6 sword of megadeath.

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“And so this is Christmas” ~ or so the song goes…
It’s a time of joy, and peace to all…
A time of happiness and excitement…
Except, it would seem, for postmen!

I visited a client to fix a few minor issues bugging them – the replacement of a failed DVD drive, mainly unused – the installation of a printer, used occasionally by one member of staff etc…
Whilst sitting at the desk of a user – directly in front of the main buildings front door – in walks the postie, carrying the usual business cheer (read bills!).
“Post” – says Mr. Postie
“Not me mate” – says I
Mr. Postie seems to take extreme umbridge at my reply and literally throws the post across the office, onto the floor (raising a few eyebrows I can say!) – Mr Postie walks out…
Just getting to the door (and because he’s SUCH a big man he waited until then) he shouts “Yeah, but you still effin’ work here don’t you”
“No! I don’t work here!” – I replied.
Mr. Postie walks pat the window giving me ‘The Eye’.

Christmas brings out the best in some people…
I guess he just got dumped or something!

Sigh..!

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BTW – it only took BT 10 days to rectify the problem referred to in the previous post – 10 days without Internet or Email, that will have cost my client £££s!
Grr…

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