The first purely silicon oxide-based ‘Resistive RAM’ memory chip that can operate in ambient conditions– opening up the possibility of new super-fast memory – has been developed by researchers at UCL.
Resistive RAM (or ‘ReRAM’) memory chips are based on materials, most often oxides of metals, whose electrical resistance changes when a voltage is applied – and they “remember” this change even when the power is turned off.
ReRAM chips promise significantly greater memory storage than current technology, such as the Flash memory used on USB sticks, and require much less energy and space. (more…)
Agreement Realizes Significant Value, Immediate Liquidity and Path to Future Monetization
Yahoo! Board Increases Share Repurchase Plan by US$5 Billion
SUNNYVALE, Calif. & HANGZHOU, China — Yahoo! Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Limited today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for a staged and comprehensive value realization plan for Yahoo!’s stake in Alibaba.
The first step is the repurchase by Alibaba of up to one-half of Yahoo!’s stake, or approximately 20% of Alibaba’s fully-diluted shares. The purchase price will be based on a valuation of Alibaba to be established through equity financings that Alibaba intends to undertake to finance the transaction, subject to a floor valuation of approximately US$35 billion. The agreement includes substantial financial incentives for Alibaba to raise the additional equity at a valuation higher than US$35 billion. At the minimum price and assuming the initial repurchase of the full 20% stake, Yahoo! would receive from Alibaba consideration of approximately US$7.1 billion, composed of at least US$6.3 billion in cash proceeds and up to US$800 million in newly-issued Alibaba preferred stock. (more…)
ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Text messaging is a surprisingly good way to get candid responses to sensitive questions, according to a new study to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.(more…)
Video Ad Delivery Continues to Soar to New Heights, Representing 1 in 5 Videos Viewed
RESTON, VA, May 18, 2012 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that 181 million U.S. Internet users watched nearly 37 billion online content videos in April. Video ads saw another record-breaking month with nearly 9.5 billion, representing 1 in 5 videos viewed online in April.
Top 10 Video Content Properties by Unique Viewers
Google Sites, driven primarily by video viewing at YouTube.com, ranked as the top online video content property in April with 157.7 million unique viewers, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 53.6 million, VEVO with 49.5 million, Facebook.com with 44.3 million and Microsoft Sites with 42.8 million. Nearly 37 billion video views occurred during the month, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 17 billion, followed by Hulu with 901 million and Yahoo! Sites with 742 million. The average viewer watched 21.8 hours of online video content, with Google Sites (7.2 hours) and Hulu (3.8 hours) earning the highest average engagement among the top ten properties. (more…)
University of Rochester Students Offer Game-Changing Ideas, Hone Analytics and Cognitive Computing Skills
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK (17 May 2012): The University of Rochester (UR) Simon School of Business and IBM today announced winners of the first Watson academic case competition. Part of a series for students studying a variety of academic concentrations, the competition develops new ideas for harnessing IBM Watson technology to solve daunting societal and business challenges while helping students advance technology and business skills for jobs of the future.(more…)
Internet Explorer launches the second episode of “The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator,” an interactive animated Web series created by luminaries from the film and comic worlds – with a big assist from the audience.
REDMOND, Wash. – May 17, 2012 – A blocked writer, haunted by the cursor blinking cruelly on his blank laptop screen, blacks out in the midst of an epic espresso binge. He awakes to find prose, sketches and story ideas on his Dictaphone – none of which he can remember creating.(more…)
A new study in Nature reports that two people with tetraplegia were able to reach for and grasp objects in three-dimensional space using robotic arms that they controlled directly with brain activity. They used the BrainGate neural interface system, an investigational device currently being studied under an Investigational Device Exemption. One participant used the system to serve herself coffee for the first time since becoming paralyzed nearly 15 years ago.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — On April 12, 2011, nearly 15 years after she became paralyzed and unable to speak, a woman controlled a robotic arm by thinking about moving her arm and hand to lift a bottle of coffee to her mouth and take a drink. That achievement is one of the advances in brain-computer interfaces, restorative neurotechnology, and assistive robot technology described in the May 17 edition of the journal Nature by the BrainGate2 collaboration of researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Brown University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).(more…)
