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Looks like I am really falling behind on the job. Here are some random articles for you to read though.

New screening technology might detect terrorists before they act ( 2007-10-07 )

Keywords: learning computers LearningComputers security surveillance terrorism terrorists tracking Venu Govindaraju VenuGovindaraju video tracking VideoTracking
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Computer and behavioral scientists at the University of Buffalo are developing a system that will allow authorities to track faces, voices, bodies and various other biometrical data to create a score for how likely an individual is to commit a terrorist act. Sound like the scariest Big Brother plot since China's ID card scheme? Well, rest assured, Winston Smith, the researchers only have your best interests in mind. "The goal is to identify the perpetrator in a security setting before he or she has the chance to carry out the attack," says Venu Govindaraju, professor of computer science and engineering at the university, who was recently awarded $800,000 by the National Science Foundation to create such a system. "We are developing a prototype that examines a video in a number of different security settings, automatically producing a single, integrated score of malfeasance likelihood," adding that the system will incorporate machine "learning" capabilities, which will allow it to adapt over time. "Human screeners have fatigue and bias, but the machine does not blink," the researcher said, just before remarking that he was late for an appointment at the Ministry of Truth.

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

12 Best Jack-o'-Lanterns in the World [Halloween] ( 2007-10-31 )

Keywords: carving Halloween Jack-o'-lanterns pumpkins
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halloweenbabe.jpgIt's that time of year again, and we're getting shivers down our spines just thinking about it: Halloween, the time of harvest, parties, carving gourds and getting drunk out of your gourd. To celebrate the auspicious occasion, we have here the dozen best carved up jack-o'-lanterns we found, some of which are classics you may have seen in years gone by, and some entirely new. Our favorite? The jack-o'-lantern starring Jack Nicholson. Let us know what your favorite is, and please, don't everyone pick the goatse one. [MMOABC]

Centeralization vs. Decentralization: What’s The Value Of Twitter? ( 2008-01-17 )

Keywords: Twitter Web 2.0
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Bel-Air Filtration System Uses Plants to Purify Our Environs [Eco] ( 2007-11-30 )

Keywords: Air Purifier bel-air Dyson eco Gadgets Green mathieu Lehanneur Nasa
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bel-air-1-square.jpgWith more than a nod to NASA and James Dyson, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur's Bel-Air purifying system uses plants to keep the atmosphere inside your house clean from nasty pollutants. The pint-sized air-filtration system acts as a miniature greenhouse, stripping the benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from inside your home using three natural filters.

marc-domage.jpgThe Bel-Air uses the leaves and roots of the plant and a humid bath to strip the pollutants from the air and purify it. The idea came from plant research done by NASA back in the Eighties when they were looking for a way to keep their astronauts safe from the polymer-saturated environment found in space travel.

Lehanneur developed the filter-free filter alongside Harvard scientist David Edwards, and describes his invention as being "to the American and Asiatic common filter appliances what Dyson is to regular vacuum cleaners."
rendu_opaline-hd1.jpgThe Bel-Air is currently available as a prototype, and is expected to go into production in 2009, but Lehanneur would like buyers to test his machine and report back so that the finished article will be even better. You will be able to see it at MoMA in New York in February 2008, as part of the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition. [Dezeen]


USB 3.0 in the flesh ( 2008-01-10 )

Keywords: hands on hands-on HandsOn usb usb 3.0 Usb3.0
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Get ready, speed freaks. USB 3.0, the oft-rumored, much-discussed, rarely seen new standard heading our way has been spotted, sliced, chopped, and diced at CES 2008. Actually, we just got a chance to check the connectors and compare with the old 2.0 standard (which the reps tell us is backward compatible, of course). With speeds of 4.8 Gbit/s (600 MB/s), and a powering system which intelligently cuts the juice when you're not using a device, we have a feeling you'll want. Too bad we all have to wait till 2010... the year we make contact... with USB 3.0.

 

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