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Step into an anechoic chamber where sounds go to die

By Guest PostJune 26, 2013Technologyanechoic chamber, editor pamela woon, isolated space, Microsoft, microsoft tick, new film series, on the whiteboard, sounds, Technology, walking on springs, whiteboard

Microsoft’s new film series “On the Whiteboard” explores topics at the intersection of technology and culture, and introduces people, places and things behind the products.

REDMOND, WASH. – June 24, 2013 – In the second episode of Microsoft’s new film series “On the Whiteboard,” Editor Pamela Woon exposes an anechoic chamber of secrets. It’s an isolated space where you can actually hear blood pumping through your veins – because in here, there’s no echo. In this heavily padded room built on top of springs, sounds don’t bounce back, they’re absorbed. (But your body might, since you’re walking on springs.)

Researchers study the sounds of silence here, including testing and analyzing Surface to make sure that click you hear when you snap the kickstand shut is pleasing and robust to the average ear. (more…)

Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory

By Guest PostJune 22, 2013Scienceadvanced light source, als, als beamline, berkeley lab, billionths, brno university, czech republic, dynamics, electron spin, magnetic contrast, magnetic memory, magnetic states, magnetic vortices, meter, nanoscale, peter fischer, polarity, san diego, spin orientation, Technology, university of california, vojtech uhlir, whirlpools, xray optics

At the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab scientists join an international team to control spin orientation in magnetic nanodisks

“We spent 15 percent of home energy on gadgets in 2009, and we’re buying more gadgets all the time,” says Peter Fischer of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Fischer lets you know right away that while it’s scientific curiosity that inspires his research at the Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS), he intends it to help solve pressing problems.

“What we’re working on now could make these gadgets perform hundreds of times better and also be a hundred times more energy efficient,” says Fischer, a staff scientist in the Materials Sciences Division. As a principal investigator at the Center for X-Ray Optics, he leads ALS beamline 6.1.2, where he specializes in studies of magnetism. (more…)

Particle Accelerator That Can Fit on a Tabletop Opens New Chapter for Science Research

By Guest PostJune 21, 2013Scienceaustin, charged particles, conventional accelerator, electrons, Environment, factor, gev, gev electron beam, gigaelectronvolts, laser plasma accelerator, laser pulse, mike downer, motorboat, multi gigaelectronvolt, particle accelerator, physicist, physicists, puff of gas, science research, space charge fields, tabletop, Technology, texas petawatt laser, toshiki tajima, university of texas, xray source

AUSTIN, Texas — Physicists at The University of Texas at Austin have built a tabletop particle accelerator that can generate energies and speeds previously reached only by major facilities that are hundreds of meters long and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.

“We have accelerated about half a billion electrons to 2 gigaelectronvolts over a distance of about 1 inch,” said Mike Downer, professor of physics in the College of Natural Sciences. “Until now that degree of energy and focus has required a conventional accelerator that stretches more than the length of two football fields. It’s a downsizing of a factor of approximately 10,000.” (more…)

Oscar winner Randy Thom discusses sound design in first film of new series

By Guest PostJune 17, 2013Technologycastaway, cell phone, computer, forrest gump, human technology interactions, Microsoft, new film series, on the whiteboard, origin, oscar winner, pamela woon, randy thom, skywalker ranch, tablet, Technology, the incredibles

Microsoft’s new film series “On the Whiteboard” explores topics at the intersection of technology and culture, and introduces people, places and things behind the products.

REDMOND, WASH. – June 17, 2013 – In the first episode of Microsoft’s new film series “On the Whiteboard,” Editor Pamela Woon chats with two-time Oscar winner Randy Thom about the (often underestimated) importance of sound in human-technology interactions.

Thom, the lead sound designer at Skywalker Ranch who worked on films such as The Incredibles, Castaway and Forrest Gump, says that people rarely consider the significance of those signature sounds that come from their trusty devices, whether it be a cell phone, a computer or a tablet. (more…)

Black Hole Naps amidst Stellar Chaos

By Guest PostJune 17, 2013Scienceann hornschemeier, black hole, bret lehmer, california institute, chandra xray observatory, daniel stern, Kenya, light years away, lou kaluzienski, malindi, NASA, ngc 253, nustar, nustar observations, pasadena, sculptor galaxy, source, star formation activity, starburst galaxy, stellar chaos, Technology, uc berkeley, ultraluminous xray, ulx

Nearly a decade ago, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory caught signs of what appeared to be a black hole snacking on gas at the middle of the nearby Sculptor galaxy. Now, NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), which sees higher-energy X-ray light, has taken a peek and found the black hole asleep.

“Our results imply that the black hole went dormant in the past 10 years,” said Bret Lehmer of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. “Periodic observations with both Chandra and NuSTAR should tell us unambiguously if the black hole wakes up again. If this happens in the next few years, we hope to be watching.” Lehmer is lead author of a new study detailing the findings in the Astrophysical Journal. (more…)

New device can extract human DNA with full genetic data in minutes

By Guest PostJune 11, 2013Scienceblood, conventional methods, environmentally friendly, extract, genetic data, human dna, human fluid samples, jae hyun chung, knr systems, korean manufacturer, large scale handling, micro filter, microscopic probes, minutes, nanofacture, new device, olympia, prototype, saliva, sang gyeun ahn, sputum, Technology, toxic chemicals, university of washington

Take a swab of saliva from your mouth and within minutes your DNA could be ready for analysis and genome sequencing with the help of a new device.

University of Washington engineers and NanoFacture, a Bellevue, Wash., company, have created a device that can extract human DNA from fluid samples in a simpler, more efficient and environmentally friendly way than conventional methods. (more…)

Bring your own service: Employees want social tools at work, despite company restrictions and hesitation, reports new Microsoft survey

By Guest PostMay 28, 2013Culture, Technologyaltimeter group, analyst, asia-pacific, at work, better teamwork, charlene li, chris laping, employees, Europe, global survey, global workplace, infographic, information workers, ipsos, kurt delbene, latin america, microsoft corp., microsoft office division, microsoft survey, organizational policy, productivity loss, red robin, research firm, security concerns, social media, social tools, Technology, Twitter, water cooler, workplace, worldwide, yammer

Global survey across 32 countries shows worker appetite for social tools is increasing, even if it means spending their own money and defying organizational policy to use the technology.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 27, 2013 — Nearly half of employees report that social tools at work help increase their productivity, but more than 30 percent of companies underestimate the value of these tools and often restrict their use, according to new Microsoft research released today.

The survey, conducted for Microsoft Corp. by research firm Ipsos among 9,908 information workers in 32 countries, also found that 39 percent of employees feel there isn’t enough collaboration in their workplaces, and 40 percent believe social tools help foster better teamwork. More surprisingly, 31 percent said they are willing to spend their own money to buy social tools. (more…)

Ways Google Glass Would Be Great for Gaming

By Guest PostMay 27, 2013Technologyboard game, education, first person shooting, fps, freelance writer, gaming industry, genres of gaming, google glass, marcela de vivo, medicine, multiplayer system, puzzle, role playing, rpgs, smartphone, social media, southern california, Technology, trivia, virtual gaming world

Many are speculating the possibilities for the new Google Glass – a wearable computer that displays a screen in front of your eye that you can control by voice command – in industries, such as medicine and education.

One industry in particular that has people excited about the possibilities for using the device is the gaming industry. The Google glass can take gaming to a completely different level in all genres of gaming.

Multiplayer system, role-playing (RPGs) and first-person shooting (FPS) games could potentially be more efficient to play and participate in. The glass right in front of your eye places you in the hub of the action, allowing players to nearly be face-to-face and eye-to-eye with the opponents in their games. What’s more, there is the potential of better accuracy when shooting, with the glass serving as your pinpoint target. (more…)

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