Category Archives: Technology

‘Skulls of the Shogun’ Emerges as a Cross-Platform Gaming Pioneer

Classic arcade-inspired samurai game “Skulls of the Shogun” is available today for download play on Xbox 360, Windows Phone and Windows 8. Delving into the afterlife of a famous general, this is Microsoft’s first modern cross-platform game.

REDMOND, Wash. – Jan. 30, 2013 — With the new game “Skulls of the Shogun,” players can do something new: Switch back and forth between all of their Microsoft devices as they bounce from battle scene to battle scene.

The game, released today, is the first to reach all Microsoft platforms. “Skulls of the Shogun” can be downloaded and played on Xbox 360 via the Xbox LIVE Arcade, and on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 devices. (more…)

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Interview with Elizabeth A. Martin: ‘Facebook Activity and Patient’s Mental State’

Elizabeth A. Martin, doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences at University of Missouri, recently conducted research on how Facebook activity can give clinical pictures of patients that psychologists and therapists can use for treatment. Her research shows, social media profiles can be a useful tool to study mental illness. (more…)

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IBM Delivers New Services to Help Clients Move Enterprise Applications to the Cloud

Financial, healthcare, government and electronics clients tap IBM SmartCloud Enterprise+;
IBM SmartCloud for SAP Applications now available globally

ARMONK, N.Y. – 29 Jan 2013: IBM today announced global availability for its cloud service on five continents—plus a new center opening in Spain—based on its industry-leading sourcing business to host SAP® applications and other core operations. Now clients can turn to cloud computing for enterprise applications while reducing the overall cost of IT and at the same time, expanding online access and investing in innovative analytics, social business and mobile computing.

Many organizations are eager to leverage the economic advantages of cloud computing to run their critical applications on the cloud. These applications require deep technical expertise, around-the-clock customer service, tight security and ongoing maintenance – features typically found in IT sourcing arrangements but not in the “one-size-fits-all” model of self-service clouds. (more…)

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IBM Delivers New Software and Cloud Services to Accelerate Social Business

ARMONK, N.Y. – 28 Jan 2013: IBM today announced new software and cloud-based services to help business leaders, such as chief marketing officers and chief human resource officers, advance their organization’s transformation with the adoption of social business technology. The new offerings will help business leaders integrate IBM’s industry-leading social networking and analytics technologies into their business processes to empower the 21st Century workforce and transform client experiences. (more…)

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Facebook Activity Reveals Clues to Mental Illness, says MU Researcher

Analysis of social media use could give therapists more complete view of patients’ health

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Facebook activity provided a window into the psychological health of participants in a study at the University of Missouri. Social media profiles could eventually be used as tools for psychologists and therapists, according to study leader Elizabeth Martin, doctoral student in MU’s psychological science department in the College of Arts and Science.

“Therapists could possibly use social media activity to create a more complete clinical picture of a patient,” Martin said. “The beauty of social media activity as a tool in psychological diagnosis is that it removes some of the problems associated with patients’ self-reporting. For example, questionnaires often depend on a person’s memory, which may or may not be accurate. By asking patients to share their Facebook activity, we were able to see how they expressed themselves naturally. Even the parts of their Facebook activities that they chose to conceal exposed information about their psychological state.” (more…)

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IBM and The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Develop New Antimicrobial Hydrogel to Fight Superbugs and Drug-Resistant Biofilms

Applications range from protective coating to sterilize hospital surfaces and medical equipment or as an injection to more effectively treat patients

SAN JOSE, Calif. – 24 Jan 2013: Researchers from IBM and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology revealed today an antimicrobial hydrogel that can break through diseased biofilms and completely eradicate drug-resistant bacteria upon contact. The synthetic hydrogel, which forms spontaneously when heated to body temperature, is the first-ever to be biodegradable, biocompatible and non-toxic, making it an ideal tool to combat serious health hazards facing hospital workers, visitors and patients.

Traditionally used for disinfecting various surfaces, antimicrobials can be found in traditional household items like alcohol and bleach. However, moving from countertops to treating drug resistant skin infections or infectious diseases in the body are proving to be more challenging as conventional antibiotics become less effective and many household surface disinfectants are not suitable for biological applications. (more…)

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Survey Shows People Need More Help Controlling Personal Info Online

New videos and tips from Microsoft help consumers better manage privacy.

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 23, 2013 — To mark Data Privacy Day 2013, Microsoft Corp. released new data reflecting consumers’ perceptions about how their information is used online and a new series of short videos to help people better manage their online privacy.

According to the results of a Microsoft-commissioned survey* of 1,000 U.S. adults, people feel they have little to no control about how their data may be collected by online companies. They are also increasingly in search of trusted sources of information to help them make better choices about their online privacy. Highlights of the research include the following: (more…)

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Bing Brings More of Facebook to Search

Bing is the only search engine to bring your Facebook friends into your search. </object></div> <p><mce:script type=”text/javascript”><!– document.write(“<script type=’text/javascript’ src=’” + (window.location.protocol) + “//c.microsoft.com/ms.js’><\/script>”); // –></mce:script></p> <p><span style=”color: #000000;” _mce_style=”color: #000000;”><strong>REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 17, 2013 —</strong> With every search that people do, Bing believes there is a person out there who can help you […]

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