Category Archives: Technology

New ‘Brandon Generator’ Adventure Fueled by Espressos, HTML5

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…)

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People with Paralysis Control Robotic Arms using Brain-Computer Interface

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…)

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China Takes Action to Stop Software Counterfeiting

Counterfeiter sentenced to more than seven years for manufacturing and distributing fake Microsoft products

REDMOND, Wash., and BEIJING — The Chinese government has dealt a strong blow against intellectual property crime, penalizing counterfeiter Shang Yajun for copyright infringement and the sale of illegally manufactured registered trademarks. The 1st Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing upheld the Haidian District Court’s decision that sentenced Shang to seven years and six months imprisonment, representing the longest-ever criminal sentence in China for selling and distributing counterfeit software products. (more…)

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How Public Should Public Records Be? Increased Availability Sparks Privacy Concerns

Online technology has vastly increased citizens’ access to public records such as political campaign contributions and real estate transactions. But that explosion of information availability also sparks privacy concerns and may dampen some people’s willingness to engage in public activities, according to recent research.

Six researchers, including two from the University of Washington, co-authored the paper “Attitudes Toward Online Availability of U.S. Public Records.” It was presented at the Proceedings of the 12th Annual International Digital Government Research Conference in College Park, Md. An expanded version of the article will appear in a forthcoming issue of Information Polity. (more…)

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Brand Advertisers Go Digital in Brazil as Online Display Ad Market Soars to 190 Billion Impressions in Q1 2012

17 National Brand Advertisers Delivered More than 1 Billion Impressions in the Quarter

comScore Presents Complimentary Webinar on the State of Online Advertising in Brazil

São Paulo, May 15, 2012 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released the latest insights on the display advertising market in Brazil from its comScore Ad Metrix service, which showed that 190.5 billion display ads were delivered to Brazil’s Internet population during the first quarter of 2012. Dafiti.com.br and Netshoes.com.br ranked as the top display advertisers in March 2012 with each delivering upwards of 2 billion impressions. (more…)

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Cloud Computing Security Benefits Dispel Adoption Barrier for Small to Midsize Businesses

Cloud services reduce time and money spent managing security and increase protection against cyberthreats, Microsoft study shows.

REDMOND, Wash. — Research released today by Microsoft Corp. shows that small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are gaining significant IT security benefits from using the cloud, according to a new Microsoft study in five geographies.

The study shows that 35 percent of U.S. companies surveyed have experienced noticeably higher levels of security since moving to the cloud.1 In addition, 32 percent say they spend less time worrying about the threat of cyberattacks. U.S. SMBs using the cloud also spend 32 percent less time each week managing security than companies not using the cloud. They are also five times more likely to have reduced what they spend on managing security as a percentage of overall IT budget. (more…)

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New x86 Solutions Optimized for Smarter Computing Workloads

Helps Reduce Complexity, Manage Costs, Maximize Client IT Investments

ARMONK, N.Y. – 14 May 2012: IBM today announced powerful new server solutions aimed at helping x86 clients accelerate the journey to Smarter Computing. Designed to support the requirements of fast-growing businesses, the new products give data center managers the speed, performance and flexibility they need to implement and manage new and existing workloads. (more…)

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Introducing Genome from Yahoo!, a New Solution Capitalizing on Yahoo!’s Vast Data and Designed to Significantly Improve Online Marketing Campaigns

Data Driven Best-in-Class Technology Uncovers Optimal Targeted Audiences at Scale in a Premium Media Ecosystem

NEW YORK — At Internet Week New York, Yahoo!, the premier digital media company, today announces Genome from Yahoo! (www.genomeplatform.com), an online advertising solution that combines Yahoo! data with interclick’s third party data and advertisers’ first party data along with a premium media footprint to provide marketers with the most complete, custom audience solution in the industry. Anticipated to be available in July 2012, Genome is the culmination of a strategy that was put in place last year with the display ad agreement with Microsoft and AOL as well as the acquisition of interclick, which Yahoo! acquired in December 2011, to create a next generation audience buying solution with greater targeting and personalization capabilities.

Genome, designed to leverage data to improve advertiser ROI, can provide marketers with actionable insights enabling them to conduct campaigns that help meet their objectives, and overcome an ever-evolving set of industry challenges that include the proliferation of data, fragmentation of technology, and outdated planning and buying techniques. Genome can help marketers organize and navigate the chaos of the data ecosystem while delivering results that can build brand value, increase conversion rates, and grow revenue. Genome combines the best of the technology, data, analytics and media from Yahoo! and interclick; from Yahoo! — premium media and unmatched user data with proven targeting capabilities— and interclick — unified technology stack, third-party data partnerships and expertise in analytics and audiences. (more…)

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