Hacking Kinect

It's possible that someone in class has already talked about all the people out there hacking into the Kinect camera and trying to use it as a 3D camera for a computer. Here's a link to a video of a guy doing just that:  http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/14/hack-turns-kinect-into-mindblowing-3d-video-capture-tool/

Now, I realize that that particular post is kind of old, but it's important to know that bit of information before I talk about the tech post that I found from yesterday. In this post, they have actually hacked the Kinect camera to operate as, not only a 3D camera, but also a 3D scanner. Here's the link to that one: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/27/kinect-as-3d-scanner.html

Anyway, back to the post. Apparently someone is trying to use the Kinect camera as a 3D scanner that can recognize 3D images so that users can fabricate themselves. Of course, the project still needs improvement, which you'll see if you watch the video. The resolution isn't high enough to get any kind of detail as of now. BUT, if you're really jonesin' for a tiny 3D replica of yourself, then this project is for you.

Kidding aside, I can see how this project could be used for some interesting things. What comes to mind for me is architecture and the ability for team members to be in two locations. Being able to construct a 3D image of a remote object could be important in the future. Of course, I don't really know anything about architecture, and there's really not much information on that tech post, so I'll leave you to ponder.

"Muse upon it further, I shall return!" Hilarious Little Britain skit. You should watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCbIz10PK8

Hard Science Meets Science Fiction

Once again, I had a difficult time finding a purely tech post to talk about today, but I managed to find a scientific one on a tech blog. Here's the link: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/seti-dolphins/#more-50710

Now, this particular post gives a rather unusual and far-fetched reason why communicating with dolphins could be useful (apparently it's absolutely imperative that we learn how to communicate with extraterrestrials very soon), but it still brings to light an interesting question. Why haven't we learned how to communicate with some of the planet's most intelligent creatures? Obviously everybody knows about chimpanzees and the progress we're making there, but when it comes to actual two-way communication, our knowledge is lacking, especially in intelligent animals other than chimps.

So often we simply try to teach an animal the language we're used to. Training a dog is probably a good example. But we haven't really ventured into the idea of creating a language to share. That's what this article is talking about.

I think continuing on in this endeavor is a fantastic idea. There has already been some success with chimpanzees and, according to this post, dolphins are also right around the corner. And you never know where these kinds of things could lead. Maybe one of these days two-way communication between humans and animals will become so advanced your dog will be teaching you tricks.

Apps, Apps, Apps...And More Apps.

The particular app I'm talking about has actually been around for awhile now, but Google has finally developed one specifically for the iPhone. Here's the link to the post: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/08/google-translate-for-iphone-hits-the-app-store/

Now, this probably doesn't seem very interesting...and it kind of isn't. However, as a person who despises foreign language classes it is intriguing. This app reminds me of something I saw a few months ago (posted below) and it makes me wonder how important this required foreign language business really is. Maybe (hopefully) it won't turn out to be such a big deal after all. I understand that I'm being lazy, not wanting to learn a foreign language, shame on me. But that's kind of a consequence of going to a public school in the United States, right? Not really anything I could do about it. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I think this app is pretty awesome...that's about it. Oh, and it reminded me of this video I saw awhile back. Enjoy!



You thought it was real for a second, didn't you? (If you've never seen that video before.) Don't feel bad, I did, too. It's actually an ad for Nova Scotia (instead of getting everything you want in one phone, you get everything you want in one place). Anyway, it kind of makes you think, doesn't it? Who knows, maybe one day we will have a phone, cafe, and blues band all in one...all in the palm of our hand.

Anthropology Wins This Week

So, I looked over about five different tech blogs looking for something to talk about today and I couldn't find anything I'm interested in other than this anthropology video.

Anyway, this video was filmed by BBC in the remote jungles of the Amazon. Apparently they've captured on video a tribe of uncontacted natives. Now, I can see this going both ways: good and bad. Let's start with the bad. First of all, now that these people have been discovered, you can bet that there are going to be a lot of researchers wanting to study them. Therefore, I don't think they will remain 'uncontacted' for very long. I can understand the curiosity out there, but sooner or later you're going to get people who want to change the way these tribes live, and that's never a good thing. Just by introducing new technologies and ideas you can change the way they live. Yes, they are completely different from all of you...they eat differently, they dress differently, they talk differently, they worship differently, all in all they live differently. But that doesn't mean they need to change, and contact will most likely do just that.

Now, for the good. Most of what I have to say here is discussed in the video. By proving that these tribes do exist, it is possible to get the government to take notice. Who knows if having that knowledge will persuade the government to do anything, but at least they're giving it a shot. So, basically, there is the potential for protection against invasion and disease if there is proof of existence.

Here's the video:

Moving Too Fast?

I recently read an article about iPads in classrooms. Here's the link: http://gizmodo.com/5742925/why-ipads-arent-ready-for-classrooms-yet.

The basic summary is that there's some prep school in Tennessee that's requiring kids to have an iPad. Meaning their parents have to buy one for them. Now, I'm against this (and so is the author) for quite a few reasons.

First of all, iPads are expensive. I think the article says $500 at the cheapest. That's ridiculous! And the parents have to buy these things themselves. Of course, if you've enrolled your kid in a prep school, money probably isn't much of an issue, but still. If you're able to afford one of those, then you're definitely able to afford the books your kids will need for class.

The author does a fine job at outlining all the negative things about introducing this device into the classroom and I have to agree with him. Yes, maybe a good student can read textbooks from an iPad and use it as a calculator when they need one, but what about the not-so-good students? They're just going to be very easily distracted. Heck, I'm a good student, but I know if I had an iPad sitting in front of me in every class my mind would wonder.And kids will be kids (I know that's stereotyping, but I think we all know it's true).

There were also a few things that came up in reader's comments that I thought were interesting. First, in middle school or high school there are often math classes where you aren't allowed to use a calculator. Yep, good ol' long hand calculation. How are kids supposed to do that with an iPad at the ready? The same goes with another comment about handwritten notes and papers and how penmanship increased. When information is so readily available, people resort to it, instead of doing it the hard way and figuring it out themselves.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say here is this; will the iPad improve education or will it just make kids more lazy about learning? I know the education in this country is lacking compared to others, and I think it's important to try to counteract that problem, but I'm not sure if this is the answer.

Some may say that maybe I'm just too old-fashioned, I don't know. I'm 20 years old and still in school myself! I didn't own even a laptop until I got to college and probably the most advanced piece of technology I used in all my years before college was a graphing calculator. I feel like one of my grandparents talking about how much things have changed since they went to school. There are plenty of smart, successful people out there, and guess what? They didn't have iPads when they went to grade school...or any school for that matter.

P.S. The article goes through even more things that are wrong with this idea. Give it a looksy.

Reflecting on 2010

Alright, here goes.

Since it's pretty typical of me not to understand really anything about technology, I've decided to discuss (in this post and most likely many future posts) a subject I'm more familiar with and more interested in. That would be science, which goes along with technology, right? Anyway, I'm specifically interested in the biological sciences, so I'm primarily going to talk about that.

I've titled this post 'Reflecting' because I found an article that outlined the "top scientific breakthroughs of 2010." A few of these caught my eye.

First, dinosaur colors. Um...awesome. Here's a little summary in case you haven't heard. Paleontologists can now compare pigmented cells in dinosaur fossils with cells from living birds and get a pretty good guess as to what color they were. According to the post, they've only been able to do this with one fossil and they're currently working on another, but it's a good start regardless. As cool as this is, one thing does disappoint me. It's too bad they've only been able to figure out how to do this on feathered dinosaurs. According to the images we already have of dinosaurs, the feathered ones are the prettiest anyway. However, I doubt this is actually the case. Anyway, one thing I can always count on is that science will keep marching forward and keep learning new things. Maybe this time next year we'll know what a brachiosaurus actually looked like (that's my favorite).

Next, and perhaps most exciting for me (biological anthropology nerd here), the discovery of a new extinct hominid in South Africa. This particular fossil was given the name Australopithecus sediba, which puts it in the same genus as a number of other human ancestors that have already been discovered, including the famous Lucy. As to be expected the fossil has characteristics that are both human-like and  ape-like making it hard to determine whether or not it is a direct ancestor of modern humans. Of course, this dilemma arises pretty much every time a new fossil is discovered, and only more time and much more research will give us the answer. One thing is for sure, though. Our family tree just keeps getting bushier and bushier.

The last breakthrough I wanted to mention was the discovery of self recognition in rhesus macaque monkeys (again with the biological anthropology). This concept may seem extremely simple to those with highly evolved brains, but self recognition is actually pretty rare in the animal kingdom. So far the only creatures who have been able to do it are humans, chimps, dolphins, and elephants. The smartest of the smart. And if you don't know, they determine this by sticking an individual in front of a mirror with a colored spot on their forehead, then seeing if the individual touches the spot on their own forehead or reaches out to the individual "in" the mirror. The discovery that a, once thought to be lower, primate has the ability of self recognition is changing the way scientists think about intelligence in the animal kingdom or, as the article says, making them realize that maybe we just can't understand it. I'm starting to think it might actually be the latter.

Ok, that's really all I wanted to mention about the "top scientific breakthroughs of 2010." If you want to know about the millions of tons of water they found on the moon or the habitable exoplanet they may have discovered, you'll have to go read the article yourself (http://gizmodo.com/5721504/the-top-scientific-breakthroughs-of-2010). Bye-bye for now.