Tag: C|Net

Google patents device that you inject into your eyeball


Up next in “terrifying things I don’t ever want to have done”: Google has filed a patent for a vision-correcting electronic device that has to be injected directly into your eye.

The device, Forbes reports, is designed to help the focusing of light onto the retina, resulting in the correction of poor vision. It will contain its own storage, radio and lens and will apparently be powered wirelessly from an energy harvesting antenna. Presumably, you won’t need aerials sticking out of your eyeballs.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although Google has filed the patent, that’s no guarantee that we’ll see the idea come to life anytime soon, or even at all. Many patents are filed by tech firms and never see the light of day.

This is one, though, that we’ll keep our eye on.

http://www.cnet.com/news/google-patents-device-that-you-inject-into-your-eyeball/

 

Young people prefer an Internet connection to daylight


I know this because I’ve just read the results of a survey that asked young British people to name the five most important things that ensured their quality of life.

As The Huffington Post reported, their first choice was freedom of speech.

This is odd, as in Britain it’s far easier for rich people to sue people who say things they don’t like than it is in, say, the US.

What you might find most moving, however, is that 69 percent of these 2,465 youths picked an Internet connection as an essential, whereas only 64 percent chose daylight.

http://www.cnet.com/news/young-people-prefer-an-internet-connection-to-daylight/

Sony’s new A6300 camera adds better autofocus and 4K video


a6300

Stressing “curiousity” and “creativity” and timing the launch to avoid the noise of CES in January, Sony today announced the replacement for its immensely popular APS-C sensor-based A6000, the A6300, and a new line of flagship lenses, called G Master.

The A6300 incorporates a new 24.2-megapixel sensor and new 425-point phase-detection autofocus. It uses on-sensor phase detection so it works with A-mount lenses. Also new is 4K video recording with 14 stops of dynamic range, to the SD card. Other new video features include 120fps slow motion (albeit not in 4K).

Speed increases to 11fps continuous shooting with AE/AF, and a new high-density tracking AF system with clumps of focus points on the subject. This is new, since Sony has traditionally used contrast AF for its tracking. It also has continuous-live-view framing at up to 8fps.

http://www.cnet.com/news/enthusiasts-rejoice-sony-replaces-its-best-selling-ilc-the-a6000-with-much-updated-a6300/

 

Microsoft gives Windows 10 upgrades a boot up


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Microsoft made good Monday on its promise to give Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users a shove toward Windows 10.

The shove arrived in the form of Windows 10’s shift from an “optional” upgrade to a “recommended” upgrade.

Microsoft’s move comes as the Windows 10 operating system finally passed Windows XP and Windows 8.1 last month in terms of market share. Windows 10, which was released six months ago, now accounts for 11.9 percent of the desktop OS market worldwide. However, Windows 10 still lags far behind Windows 7, which controls 52.5 percent of the market.

The shift to “recommended” update is designed to spur more upgrades.

People with automatic updates enabled might now see the Windows 10 upgrade kick in on its own. But they won’t fully move to Windows 10 unless they specifically choose it. If people do move, intentionally or inadvertently, to Windows 10 and are unhappy with it, they have 31 days to roll back to their previous Windows versions.

http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-gives-windows-10-upgrades-a-higher-profile/

Molten aluminum, meet raw steak


steak

There are many ways to cook beef. You can toss it in a frying pan, throw it in the smoker, slap it on the grill or fire it up in an oven. It probably never occurred to you to cook it using molten aluminum, however. That exact thought did occur to YouTuber the Backyard Scientist and resulted a “Molten Aluminum Vs Steak” video that went up Thursday.

The reason for this odd-sounding experiment? The Backyard Scientist is curious to find out how much damage molten aluminum can do to muscle tissue.

First, the authenticity of the steak is confirmed by a hungry dog eager to test it out. The scientist melts the aluminum in a propane-powered foundry and then pours it on an incline over the bare steak. It ends up in a puddle on top of some concrete blocks.

http://www.cnet.com/news/watch-what-molten-aluminum-does-to-a-raw-steak/

Elon Musk worries third World War would ruin Mars mission


President Donald Trump becomes very upset because Mexico won’t pay for the wall, so he presses the nuclear button.

Vladimir Putin’s troops invade Norway because their GPS malfunctions.

Switzerland decides it’s tired of being beige and attacks Liechtenstein.

Please forgive me, I’m merely imagining scenarios for the start of World War III. I’ve been moved to such thinking by Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk.

http://www.cnet.com/news/elon-musk-third-world-war-would-ruin-mars-mission/

Twitter users, government spies may be hacking you


Twitter is warning some users that they may be the target of security breaches by “state-sponsored actors.”

The microblogging service sent emails to an unknown number of users warning that hackers may be trying to obtain phone numbers, email addresses and IP addresses, according to Twitter users who have received the emails. The emails warn that while Twitter is not certain recipients’ personal information was obtained, it has reason to believe they were intended targets.

http://www.cnet.com/news/twitter-warns-users-of-possible-government-hacking/

Google exec: With robots in our brains, we’ll be godlike


“Evolution creates structures and patterns that over time are more complicated, more knowledgeable, more intelligent, more creative, more capable of expressing higher sentiments like being loving,” he said. “So it’s moving in the direction that God has been described as having — these qualities without limit.”

Yes, we are becoming gods.

“Evolution is a spiritual process and makes us more godlike,” was Kurzweil’s conclusion.

There’s something so uplifting, yet so splendidly egocentric in suggesting that man will soon be God, thanks to artificial intelligence. The mere fact that this intelligence is artificial might be a clue as to its potential limitations.

http://www.cnet.com/news/google-exec-with-robots-in-our-brains-well-be-godlike/

Take a virtual ride on Six Flags’ insane new ‘wing seat’ roller-coaster


On most roller-coasters, no matter how crazy the ride gets, you have the comforting sense of a steel track above or below you. Not so with the new “Total Mayhem” coaster just unveiled by amusement park Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

http://www.cnet.com/news/take-a-virtual-ride-on-six-flags-insane-new-wing-seat-roller-coaster/

Skype gets major refresh for iOS and Android


Owned by Microsoft, Skype remains one of the most popular services for making phone calls and texting people via the Internet. But the service faces competition from rival messaging apps such as Viber and WhatsApp. Further, the interfaces for Skype’s website and mobile apps have grown long in the tooth. The initial simplicity of the design that made the app and site easy to use was lost somewhere along the way. The new versions of the app are an attempt to reclaim some of that simplicity while also sprucing up several features.

http://www.cnet.com/news/skype-gets-major-refresh-for-ios-and-android/