Category Archives: Technology

comScore Releases the “2012 Mobile Future in Focus” Report

By Guest PostFebruary 23, 2012Technology2012 mobile future, apple ios, canada, Comscore, electronic payments, eu5, focus, france, Germany, google android, italy, Japan, lifestyle, mark donovan, mobile, mobile behaviors, mobile ecosystem dynamics, mobile industry, retail, smartphones, Social networking, spain, symbian, united kingdom, united states, us mobile users

*Report Offers Insights on the Mobile and Connected Device Landscape in 2011 and What They Mean for 2012*

RESTON, VA, February 23, 2012 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released the 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report. This annual report examines the mobile and connected device landscape, covering several mobile markets measured by comScore, through an exploration of key trends driving smartphone adoption growth, mobile media usage in categories such as social networking and retail, mobile ecosystem dynamics, and shifts in multi-device digital media consumption in 2011. The report highlights insights primarily from mobile markets in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada. (more…)

Mathematician Sees Artistic Side To Father of Computer

By Guest PostFebruary 23, 2012Science, Technologyalan turing, barry cooper, bletchley park, british cryptographic service, british mathematical colloquium, british prime minister, canterbury, classical art, classical recursion theory, computability theory, david, electronic computer, father, gerald sacks, gordon brown, homosexual, italian high renaissance, jan van leeuwen, john von neumann, mathematical logic, mathematical problems, mathematician, michelangelo, modern computer, potassium cyanide, princeton university, robert soare, sistine ceiling, statue, turing renaissance, united kingdom, united states, university of cambridge, university of chicago, university of kent, winston churchill, world war

This year a series of events around the world will celebrate the work of Alan Turing, the father of the modern computer, as the 100th anniversary of his birthday approaches on June 23. In a book chapter that will be published later this year, mathematician Robert Soare, the founding chairman of the University of Chicago’s computer science department, will propose that Turing’s achievement was artistic as well as scientific.

Soare, the Paul Snowden Russell Distinguished Service Professor in Mathematics and Computer Sciences, has played a leading role in computability theory — the field that Turing founded and which is devoted to determining how effectively complex mathematical problems can be solved. In Mathematical Logic in the 20th Century, Gerald Sacks ranked a paper Soare published in the Annals of Mathematics as one of the century’s 31 most important papers in mathematical logic, including computability theory. (more…)

Computer Scientist Developing Intersections of The Future With Fully Autonomous Vehicles

By Guest PostFebruary 21, 2012Science, Technologyaaas, ai driver agents, artificially intelligent, austin, austin robot technology, autonomous car, autonomous cars, british columbia, chaotic flow, computer scientist, computing system, coordinate, intersection, marvin, peter stone, simulation, stop sign, university of texas, vancouver, virtual intersection system, virtual traffic controller, wyatt mcspadden

AUSTIN, Texas — Intersections of the future will not need stop lights or stop signs, but will look like a somewhat chaotic flow of driverless, autonomous cars slipping past one another as they are managed by a virtual traffic controller, says computer scientist Peter Stone.

“A future where sitting in the backseat of the car reading our newspaper while it drives us effortlessly through city streets and intersections is not that far away,” says Stone, a professor of computer science at The University of Texas at Austin. (more…)

3 Google Tools that Can Have a Major Impact on Learning and Education

By Guest PostFebruary 21, 2012Education, Technologyapplications, cool places, education, freelance blogger, Google, google art project, google earth, higher education, historical imagery, internet, jemima lopez, panoramio, picasso paintings, Technology, tools, virtual fieldtrip, web forum, websites, zen college life

Google is undoubtedly the god of the internet and technology in today’s society. As the number one search engine on the web and the leader in internet and device technology, Google is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Some of the smartest and most creative brains in the industry are working for the tech giant, developing new tools, applications, and websites to further education and access online.

There’s no denying that Google has revolutionized the way in which the internet is used. That being said, Google has also had an immeasurable impact on the world of academics. With endless information right at our fingertips and unbelievable tools available at all times, Google has created tools for learning that in many cases haven’t even been fully realized. These three Google creations are amazing tools that can impact and improve learning and education around the world. (more…)

comScore Releases January 2012 U.S. Online Video Rankings

By Guest PostFebruary 20, 2012Technologyadap, brightroll video network, Comscore, comscore video metrix, content, Facebook, Google, hulu, machinima, maker studios, online video, specific media, us population, vevo, video ads, warner music, Yahoo, YouTube

*Long-Form Video Content on the Rise, Reaching 6 Minutes on Average in January*

RESTON, VA, February 20, 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 40 billion videos of online video content in January.

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 January with 152 million unique viewers, followed by VEVO with 51.5 million, Yahoo! Sites with 49.2 million, Viacom Digital with 48.1 million and Facebook.com with 45.1 million. Nearly 40 billion videos views occurred during the month, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 18.6 billion, followed by Hulu with 877 million and VEVO with 717 million. The average viewer watched 22.6 hours of online video content, with Google Sites (7.5 hours) and Hulu (3.2 hours) demonstrating the highest average engagement among the top ten properties. (more…)

Cellphone Use Linked to Selfish Behavior in UMD Study

By Guest PostFebruary 18, 2012Culture, Technologyajay t abraham, anastasiya pocheptsova, basic human need, cellphone user, cellphones, control group, counterpart, devices, Facebook, john consoli, phenomenon, prosocial behavior, rosellina ferraro, social media, Technology, university of maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Though cellphones are usually considered devices that connect people, they may make users less socially minded, finds a recent study from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Marketing professors Anastasiya Pocheptsova and Rosellina Ferraro, with graduate student, Ajay T. Abraham, conducted a series of experiments on test groups of cellphone users. The findings appear in their working paper, The Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Prosocial Behavior. (more…)

msnNOW Taps Social Media to Find, Explore the Web’s Hottest Trends in Real-Time

By Guest PostFebruary 17, 2012Technologybing, bloggers, bob visse, demand dashboard, Facebook, friday video, grammys, html, info snackers, jeremy lin, klaus diaconu, mobile phone, msn, msnnow, music industry, new york knicks, rebecca black, social media, Twitter, whitney houston, YouTube

*Go behind the scenes with msnNOW, a new service that provides up-to-the-minute updates on breaking news, trends, and social conversations.*

REDMOND, Wash. – It was a story that everyone hoped wasn’t true. On Saturday, Feb. 11, the day before the Grammys, Twitter and Facebook posts reported that one of the music industry’s once brightest stars, Whitney Houston, had died. Variations on the hashtag #RIPwhitney filled the top trending spots on Twitter. Facebook feeds were filled with memories of the late singer’s music – a first kiss, a first dance or first song ever bought. And YouTube exploded with videos of Houston’s past performances.

An hour or so after reports of the singer’s death began appearing via social media sites, the mainstream media began reporting confirmations of her death. As the day progressed, the major cable news stations began reading celebrity tweets aloud memorializing the singer and encouraging readers to visit their Facebook fan pages to join in the discussion. (more…)

The Netherlands and France Have the Highest Penetration of Online Banking Users in Europe

By Guest PostFebruary 16, 2012TechnologyComscore, credit agricole, dutch bank, Europe, european markets, Facebook, fotostrana, france, Germany, Google, hamborner holdings property, ing group, internet usage, Netherlands, opera software, societe generale, sparkassen finanzgruppe

*comScore Releases Overview of European Internet Usage for December 2011*

LONDON, UK, 16 February 2012 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an overview of internet usage in Europe, showing 381.5 million unique visitors went online in December 2011 for an average of 27.5 hours per person. This release highlights internet usage in 49 European markets aggregated into the European region and provides individual reporting on 18 markets. Amongst its findings, the study also shows that online banking reached 66.3 percent of the internet audience in the Netherlands, making it the top market in Europe for sites such as ING Group. (more…)