NEW YORK — Nov. 4, 2010 — Last night, New York’s famed Times Square went controller-free, as the Crossroads of the World was transformed into a dancing, singing, A-list celebration for today’s North American launch of Kinect for Xbox 360. A full day of demos, star-studded appearances and a massive, choreographed dance routine culminated in an excited line of thousands of fans eagerly waiting to take home the future of home entertainment, now available at more than 30,000 retailers nationwide.(more…)
When it comes to public issues pertaining to science and technology, “talking it out” doesn’t seem to work. A new study from North Carolina State University shows that the more people discuss the risks and benefits associated with scientific endeavors, the more entrenched they become in their viewpoint – and the less likely they are to see the merit of other viewpoints.
“This research highlights the difficulty facing state and federal policy leaders when it comes to high-profile science and technology issues, such as stem cell research or global warming,” says Dr. Andrew Binder, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and lead author of the study. “Government agencies view research on these issues as vital and necessary for the country’s future, but building public consensus for that research is becoming increasingly difficult.” (more…)
*Just in time for holiday shopping, Amazon book editors announce the 100 best books of the year, as well as the top 100 customer favorites*
SEATTLE, Nov 04, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. today announced its picks for Best Books of 2010. This annual feature includes the Editors’ Picks for the Top 100 Books of the Year, the Top 100 Customer Favorites and Top 10 lists in nearly two dozen categories, from Literature & Fiction to Children’s Picture Books. To see all of our Best Books of 2010, or to download one of the picks to your Kindle, go to www.amazon.com/bestbooks2010.
“Whether it was Jonathan Franzen’s reunion with Oprah or the eagerly anticipated final books in blockbuster trilogies, 2010 had everyone talking about reading,” said Daphne Durham, Managing Editor of Books at Amazon.com. “Deciding on our Top 100 Books is always a tough assignment, but our choice for the Best Book of the Year, Rebecca Skloot’s ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,’ was unanimous.” (more…)
POSCO ICT showcases New Smart Grid System at Jeju Smart Grid Demonstration Complex
SEOUL, South Korea, – 04 Nov 2010: IBM today announced its collaboration with POSCO ICT to develop South Korea’s first renewable energy management system for a smart grid. As part of South Korea’s national Smart Grid initiative to achieve the vision of “Low carbon, Green growth,” the intelligent renewable energy management system will be installed as a showcase at the Smart Grid Demonstration Complex located on Jeju Island.(more…)
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, due to the brain’s limited capacity for recovery. Physical rehabilitation is the only current treatment following a stroke, and there are no medications available to help promote neurological recovery.
Now, a new UCLA study published Nov. 3 in the journal Nature offers insights into a major limitation in the brain’s ability to recover function after a stroke and identifies a promising medical therapy to help overcome this limitation.
Researchers interested in how the brain repairs itself already know that when the brain suffers a stroke, it becomes excitable, firing off an excessive amount of brain cells, which die off. The UCLA researchers found that a rise in a chemical system known as “tonic inhibition” immediately after a stroke causes a reduction in this level of excitability.(more…)
The amount of water flowing in streams and rivers has been significantly altered in nearly 90 percent of waters that were assessed in a new nationwide USGS study. Flow alterations are a primary contributor to degraded river ecosystems and loss of native species. (more…)
Experimental networked display refreshes holograms every two seconds
Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA), Tucson, have developed a holographic system that can transmit a series of 3D images in near-real-time, a precursor to holographic videoconferencing.(more…)
Leading Romanian Universities and Research Organizations Connected Through Cloud Computing Technologies from IBM
BUCHAREST, Romania, – 03 Nov 2010: IBM today announced it has been selected a RoGrid will use 286 compute nodes of IBM System x and BladeCenter servers at six Romanian universities that are linked together using cloud computing technologies to provide RoGrid with an overall computing capacity of 25.7 trillion calculations per second and a storage capacity equivalent to the contents of books made from 6.5 million trees.(more…)
