Socialeaf News | technology, science, entertainment: July 2012

Monday, July 16, 2012

Easily build your own Android apps for free with Google

| Peter Del Bosque | 07/16/2012 12:06AM

Two years ago, July of 2010, Google launched a new app development platform called Google App Inventor. The technology was far ahead of any other app development platform because it was powerful yet simple to navigate and allowed it's users to create their very own Android apps without any knowledge of web source code. Although the Google App Inventor was far ahead of it's time, Google suddenly lost interest in the project. They decided to turn their interests elsewhere in their business but knew that what they had was important enough to maintain. They decided to leave the project open-source which allowed anyone with enough innovation, technological knowledge and drive to tackle the project in collaboration with Google.

Two years later, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT] decided to tackle the open-source project. Google in turn fueled MIT's vigor with plenty of money allowing MIT to create the MIT Center for Mobile Learning and also to re-work the Google App Inventor code. They also renamed it a more appropriate name, the MIT App Inventor.

Simply click on this MIT App Inventor link to visit the site. All you need is a free Google account to sign in and use the amazing software.

Here are some related links.

Watch the great Youtube video below to see exactly how easy it is to use the MIT App Inventor.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Official ICS/Android 4.0 update for Samsung Skyrocket

| Peter Del Bosque | 07/10/2012 1:52AM

The much anticipated, long, drawn-out wait for the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Samsung Galaxy SII Skyrocket smartphone has finally arrived.

Although other similar devices such as the Galaxy Nexus was born with Android 4.0.4 and the standard Samsung Galaxy SII had been updated weeks ago, Skyrocket owners felt very left out.

As a Skyrocket owner, I would constantly check for the update either via Google Search, scanning the best Android forums such as Phandroid, Android Central, and xda-developers, for rare insider information not found elsewhere, or occasionally via Samsung Kies, which I personally am not a fan of.

I did contemplate using a leaked version of ICS months ago, but I kept noticing many people complaining about various errors and glitches caused by the unofficial release.

Nevertheless, the wait is finally over and Skyrocket owners can connect their Skyrocket to their computer via the USB data cable, open up Samsung Kies which itself may require an update, and then, after Kies is updated, you will finally be able to select the ICS update.

Don't forget to back-up all your phone's files first. But, if you just so happen to be running low on disk space and Kies won't allow you to back up your files, and sadly, Kies doesn't make it easy to figure out how to change the back up path to an external hard drive, here is the trick...

Go up to the top menu and click on Tools
Select Preferences from the drop-down menu
Look for Folder Location- There, you will see the default folder
Click on Change to change the default folder to any other hard drive you wish.
Finally, attempt a back-up. You will see the back-up will finally process. Yay!

Here's a Youtube video showing a rooted version of the ICS rom.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Israeli Student Controls French Robot with his Mind

| Peter Del Bosque | 07/06/2012 11:31PM

In a recent article from New Scientist magazine, it was reported there has been an amazing new technological creation out of the Bar-Ilan University in Israel. An actual robot in a French laboratory was used as a surrogate for an Israeli student in Isreal using only his mind to cause the robot to move and interact with someone in France. What this means is that the controller was manipulating the movements of the robot more than 2000km away.

The way it works is, the student volunteer thinks out movements in his mind and then the information is sent by a transmission signal to the avatar robot in France where it is then capable of reenacting the 'thought-of' movements.

You may ask yourself, “What is the importance of such an avatar and why does it matter in the first place?” Well, the answer can be found in today's headlines. Most news reveals tragic events related to the military or law enforcement. If an avatar or surrogate can be used in dangerous situations, risk of human life would be eliminated. There could potentially be countless uses for avatars and in this circumstance, the use of the avatar created is called, 'Robotic Re-Embodiment.' ultimately it will be used to help people who have been immobilized by an accident or have complex medical issues allowing the recipients to better function in everyday situations.

Here are some related links:

Here's a cool video of the avatar in action.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Higgs Boson Particle- A paradigm shift in physics as we know it.

| Peter Del Bosque | 07/05/2012 1:06AM

Talk about a paradigm shift. Although many physicists agreed there was some kind of sub-atomic particle responsible for the property of weight, there had never been any evidence to support this claim. Thanks, to the group responsible for creating the European Center for Nuclear Research, aka CERN and developing the 17 mile circular Large Hadron Collider, we now have new and groundbreaking incite on the elusive Higgs Boson particle.

The particle was first predicted, described and explained in theory by Scottish born physicist Peter Higgs, who by the way is still very much alive and was able to be present at the ceremonious particle collision. Higgs told Associated Press,

"It is an incredible thing that it has happened in my lifetime," he said, calling the discovery a huge achievement for the proton-smashing collider.

In an interview with the BBC, famous physicist Stephen Hawking was surprised and admitted to losing a $100 bet about whether the Higgs Boson particle would ever be found. That's one bet I'm sure he didn't mind losing.

For further information about the Large Hadron Collider, The Higgs Boson particle and other relevant articles, please check out the Youtube videos and article links down below.

Where oh where art thou, Higgs Boson particle?

Monday, July 2, 2012

Japanese robot vs. human wins rock-paper-scissors all the time.

| Peter Del Bosque | 06/28/2012 1:22AM

At the University of Tokyo, Ishikawa-Oku Laboratory, research engineers developed what they call, the “Janken” (rock-paper-scissors) robot. When you view the Youtube video, you can see the human opponent attempt to confuse the robot by varying the speed at which rock-paper-scissors was selected. In every confrontation, the robot won. In the video, the clip is slowed down to show how quickly the robot decides whether to choose rock-paper or scissors.

Is it that we are too predictable as a species, or is there another phenomena at work?

What the robot is actually doing to win every time is what we humans call cheating.

You may wonder, how does a robot cheat against a human? Well, have you ever played rock-paper-scissors with someone and thought you could sense what hand they were going to play just an instant before they played their hand? Well, maybe we notice some kind of subtle differences in hand and eye movement or maybe we subconsciously read the others' body language.

Whatever the case is, it seems the Japanese have found a way to simulate the response with a robot. They simply use a high speed camera that can recognize different hand shapes. Within a fraction of a second, or more precisely, within a millisecond, the robot discovers what hand gesture you will use next and responds with the winning hand accordingly.

Robotic engineers are becoming more and more resourceful and are capable of discovering new and exciting ways to use robots to better enhance people's daily lives.

I wonder if it would not be wise to create a robot that can see and react to our movements within 1 millisecond. I would go so far as to say, if robots were used against us in war or to cause anarchy, destruction, or to be used as a means of terrorism, a robot that can see tiny subtleties in human movement would have a huge advantage against us. Although I'd like to think robots wouldn't be used for such inhumanities, I think it is safe to say, there is a chance this whole robot thing could backfire. I'm just saying.

If you would like to know more about new advances in robotics, check out these articles...

Here is the Youtube video for you to enjoy.

Ted is NOT Intended for Young Audiences and Very Funny

| Peter Del Bosque | 07/02/2012 01:05AM

Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, and The Winner, has done it again. He has turned the entertainment industry on it's head creating a box office blockbuster with nothing more than a childhood toy-bear named Ted who by-the-way may remind us of the 1980's toy phenom, Teddy Ruxpin, and a washed up child actor played by none other than the great Mark Wahlberg.

As in classic MacFarlane style, the movie Ted is shrouded in controversy. TMZ reported that the author and inventor of Teddy Ruxpin, Ken Forsse, is quite upset about the close similarities between his creation and Seth's. He told TMZ he wished they had not done the film.

To further understand Mr. Forsse's frustration with the film, in the movie trailer, Mark Wahlberg even confesses to Ted that, "Sometimes when I think back to that Christmas morning when I was eight-years-old, I wish I had just gotten a Teddy Ruxpin."

Mr. Forsse must admit, the free advertisement may very well spark new interest in the whole Teddy Ruxpin empire. Now, all the 30 somethings who watch 'Ted,' and had a Teddy Ruxpin doll in the 80's will be reminded and might want to tell their kids about the loveable yet creepy-eyed talking bear.

Although this movie is raunchy and not intended for younger audiences, it will definitely have you rolling around on the floor unable to contain your laughter.

Now whether you're too young to know anything about Teddy Ruxpin or your memory is a little fuzzy, watch the trailer and the Teddy Ruxpin commercial down below and you will see what I mean.

Here are a few other movies you may be interested in...