Blog

Looking at a Tough Hill to Climb? Depends on Your Point of View

Science

COLUMBUS, Ohio — People tend to overestimate the steepness of slopes – and psychologists studying the phenomenon have made a discovery that refutes common ideas about how we perceive inclines in general. 

For more than a decade, researchers thought that our judgment was biased by our fatigue or fear of falling, explained Dennis Shaffer, associate professor of psychology at Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus. We perceive climbing or descending hills as difficult or dangerous, so when we look at an incline, our view is clouded by the expected physical exertion or danger of traversing it.  (more…)

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IBM Announces Eight Universities Contributing to the Watson Computing System’s Development

Technology

ARMONK, N.Y. – 11 Feb 2011: IBM today announced that eight universities are collaborating with IBM Researchers to advance the Question Answering (QA) technology behind the “Watson” computing system, which will compete against humans on the quiz show, Jeopardy!, airing February 14-16. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California (USC), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), University at Albany (UAlbany), University of Trento (Italy), and University of Massachusetts Amherst join Carnegie Mellon University in working with IBM on the development of a first-of-its-kind open architecture that enables researchers to efficiently collaborate on underlying QA capabilities and then apply them to IBM’s Watson system.   (more…)

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Stroke Takes ‘Enormous Toll’ on Hollywood Stars

General, Health

A study by researchers at the UCLA Stroke Center found that stroke and cardiovascular disease have exacted an enormous toll on Hollywood stars.  

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference (ISC) in Los Angeles on Feb. 10. 

“Since this is the first time the ISC is being held in Los Angeles, we thought it was an appropriate occasion to investigate the frequency and impact of stroke among leading Hollywood actors,” said Hannah Smith, a staff research associate at the UCLA Stroke Center. “By documenting the toll that stroke and myocardial infarction have exacted on stars like Kirk Douglas and Grace Kelly, we hope to illustrate the damage that cardiovascular disease can cause.”  (more…)

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Introducing Livestand from Yahoo! – A Personalized Digital Newsstand for Tablets and Mobile Phones

Technology

Scalable Publishing Platform Will First Come to Life with Yahoo!’s Vast Digital Content Library  

SUNNYVALE, CA – February 10, 2011 – Yahoo! Inc. today announced Livestand from Yahoo!, a digital newsstand that continually offers new content to consumers, based on their interests. Launching first for tablets, Livestand from Yahoo! will enable publishers and advertisers to seamlessly distribute content across tablets and mobile phones in an experience that is elegant and personalized to the individual.  (more…)

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