Technology Wins . . .

Discussions on gaming, gadgets and other technology related topics
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Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

It's 2013. We're up to our genitals in technology. What are some ways that you've found that recent technology has significantly benefited your life?

I thought having a digital map on my Android device when me and the much better half were travelling from Auckland to Rotarua last year was unreal. We wouldn't exactly have died without it, but it certainly made a helluva lot of difference.

Also, I just posted this to Facebook, but I'll copy pasta it here:

I just realised that it is completely feasible for me to dictate any and every assignment on my tablet in Google Docs; copy and paste and edit the sucker in a Word document on my computer; then stare blankly at the wall while wondering what to do with all of this spare time.

The dictation has about 90% accuracy, which is pretty amazing, considering that I have an Australian accent.

As an example, it got "transnational" and "transinstitutional" immediately.

THE FUTURE IS NOW.

I knew that the dictation on my tablet was great, but I didn't realise it's full potential until today.

What are some of your tech wins?
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by not tyson »

Free porn

/thread
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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Not Tyson wrote:Free porn

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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by Ravenpig »

My last "oh shit technology" moment was when I was participating in a synchtube (I've only been in two total) with Hellboy and Crow and it dawned on me that the 3 of us were on 3 separate continents.

No, I wasn't high.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

I know what you mean. Ever since 2007 I've been increasingly able to be face-to-face with pretty much anyone I know around the world or want to see in a matter of seconds. And even if it's not face-to-face, it's at least communicating in real time in some way.

It's got to the point where my friends and I rarely Skype or message each other beyond a few brief paragraphs on Facebook, because we know the chance to communicate properly will always be there. I regularly get short messages from American and Canadian friends saying that they've been lazy about communicating properly but still want to know how I'm doing.

It's a bizarre side-effect of this new age of information technology. The more ubiquitous it becomes, the more apathetic we are about using it.

Or maybe my friends and I just suck.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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And bump

New coating turns ordinary glass into super glass
http://phys.org/news/2013-08-coating-or ... super.html

>A new transparent, bioinspired coating makes ordinary glass tough, self-cleaning and incredibly slippery, a team from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) reported online.
>The new coating could be used to create durable, scratch-resistant lenses for eyeglasses, self-cleaning windows, improved solar panels and new medical diagnostic devices
>The team is now honing its method to better coat curved pieces of glass as well as clear plastics such as Plexiglas, and to adapt the method for the rigors of manufacturing.

New Form of Carbon is Stronger Than Graphene and Diamond
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/51 ... d-diamond/

>Chemists have calculated that chains of double or triple-bonded carbon atoms, known as carbyne, should be stronger and stiffer than any known material
>Carbyne is something of a mystery. Astronomers believe they have detected its signature in interstellar space but chemists have been bickering for decades over whether they had ever created this stuff on Earth. A couple of years ago, however, they synthesised carbyne chains up to 44 atoms long in solution.
>Just as impressive is the new material’s strength. Liu and co calculate that it takes around 10 nanoNewtons to break a single strand of carbyne. “This force translates into a specific strength of 6.0–7.5×10^7 N∙m/kg, again significantly outperforming every known material including graphene (4.7–5.5×10^7 N∙m/ kg), carbon nanotubes (4.3–5.0×10^7 N∙m/ kg), and diamond (2.5–6.5×10”7 N∙m/kg4),” they say.

>Carbyne has other interesting properties too. Its flexibility is somewhere between that of a typical polymer and double-stranded DNA. And when twisted, it can either rotate freely or become torsionally stiff depending on the chemical group attached to its end.

Gadget genius
http://phys.org/news/2013-07-gadget-genius.html

>University of Akron researchers have developed new materials that function on a nanoscale, which could lead to the creation of lighter laptops, slimmer televisions and crisper smartphone visual displays.
>Known as "giant surfactants" – or surface films and liquid solutions – the researchers, led by Stephen Z. D. Cheng, dean of UA's College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, used a technique known as nanopatterning to combine functioning molecular nanoparticles with polymers to build these novel materials.
>The giant surfactants developed at UA are large, similar to macromolecules, yet they function like molecular surfactants on a nanoscale, Cheng says. The outcome? Nanostructures that guide the size of electronic products.
>"This is exactly what we are pursuing—self-assembling materials that organize at smaller sizes, say, less than 20 or even 10 nanometers," says Cheng, equating 20 nanometers to 1 /4,000th the diameter of a human hair.

Scientists Just Grew Human Heart Tissue That Beats With Total Autonomy
http://gizmodo.com/scientists-just-grew ... 1124490309

>Coming fresh on the heels of the news that scientists are successfully 3D printing live, working, mini human kidneys, a new report in Nature is giving another burst of hope to the future of organ transplants. For the very first time, a research team has been able to grow human heart tissue that beats totally autonomously in its petri dish home.
>This process makes MCPs, which are precursor cells that can further differentiate into three kinds of cells the heart uses, including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells. Nobody has tried using these MCPs for heart regeneration before. It turns out that the heart's extracellular matrix – the material that is the substrate of heart scaffold – can send signals to guide the MCPs into becoming the specialized cells that are needed for proper heart function.

Japanese patients successfully received 3D printed bone transplants
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130813- ... lants.html

>According to Japanese media, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine announced that it can now create artificial bones using 3D printing technology and has transplanted the bones into four patients with cervical spine (cervical) disc herniation. After the transplants, their symptoms such as gait disturbance and hand numbness were improved.
>This transplant surgery is Kyoto University's surgical clinical trials. The cost of making such artificial bones is only several thousand yen (1000 yen = 10 US dollars).

Microelectronics: Automating cancer detection
http://phys.org/news/2013-08-microelect ... r.html#jCp

>Microelectronic engineers in Singapore have developed and tested sensor technology that can detect and measure a chemical signature of bladder cancer. The light-based sensor could eventually be used for the early diagnosis and subsequent tracking of the progression and treatment of many different tumors
>Shin and co-workers tested the capacity of silicon micro-ring resonators to discriminate between methylated and unmethylated forms of genes known to trigger cancer in bladder cells. They fashioned separate DNA probes to capture one or other form when they passed a solution of the genes, amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, over a silicon chip to which the probes were attached. The resonators clearly distinguished between the forms within five minutes. Moreover, the method allowed the team to quantify the density of methylation, which means the technique should be able to track changes in patterns of methylation.
>"Our sensors could be widely useful for DNA methylation detection specifically and rapidly in the field," says Shin.

Virus-derived particles target blood cancer
http://www.ohri.ca/newsroom/newsstory.asp?ID=355

>Ottawa researchers have developed unique virus-derived particles that can kill human blood cancer cells in the laboratory and eradicate the disease in mice with few side effects.
>The researchers used a specific method and dose of UV light to transform regular replicating viruses into unique particles that could no longer replicate and spread, but could still enter cancer cells efficiently, kill them and stimulate a strong immune response against the cancer. These particles were able to kill multiple forms of leukemia in the laboratory, including samples taken from local patients who had failed all other therapies. Normal blood cells were not affected. This novel treatment was also successful in mouse models of leukemia. In fact, 80 per cent of the mice that received the therapy had markedly prolonged survival and 60 per cent were eventually cured, while all of the untreated mice died of their leukemia within 20 days.
> I think this therapy holds a lot of promise because it appears to have a potent, long-lasting effect on leukemia without the debilitating side effects of many cancer therapies used in the clinic right now. We will likely see even better results once we optimize the dose in our preparations to advance this research into human clinical trials.”

Researchers Slow Light to a Crawl in Liquid Crystal Matrix
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Resea ... x_999.html

>Light traveling in a vacuum is the Universe's ultimate speed demon, racing along at approximately 300,000 kilometers per second. Now scientists have found an effective new way to put a speed bump in light's path. Reported in The Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express, researchers from France and China embedded dye molecules in a liquid crystal matrix to throttle the group velocity of light back to less than one billionth of its top speed.
>The team says the ability to slow light in this manner may one day lead to new technologies in remote sensing and measurement science.
>The key to achieving a significant drop-off in speed is to take advantage of the fact that when light travels as a pulse it is really a collection of waves, each having a slightly different frequency, says Bortolozzo.

New technology could revolutionize satellite use
http://phys.org/news/2013-08-technology ... llite.html

>New technology being tested by the University of Maryland's Space Power and Propulsion Laboratory on the International Space Station could revolutionize the capabilities of satellites and future spacecraft by extending their lifecycle through the use of a renewable power source.
>a new propulsion method that uses a renewable, onboard electromagnetic power source, and does not rely on propellants, could exponentially extend a satellite's useful life span and provide greater scientific return on investment.
>In addition to EMFF, the RINGS project is also being used to test a second technology demonstrating wireless power transfer. WPT may offer a means to wirelessly transfer power between spacecraft and in turn power a fleet of smaller vessels or satellites.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by basejumper »

Good stuff in there!
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

This, to me, is a pretty good indication of how fucking massive VR is going to be.

I told my partner last night how there's not much point in us buying a TV, since in two years everyone will be consuming media with goggles strapped to their faces.

She laughed, and completely missed my point.

I can't see how anyone could disagree. VR is the future we've all been dreaming of. Say goodbye to your televisions and possibly your computer screens.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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One of my favourite pictures!

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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by hellboy »

I think VR is more than 2 years off for popular acceptance, but we'll see. It is an exciting time for VR enthusiasts no doubt.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

I have no problem with that.

I've played "MIRROR'S EDGE" and "SKYRIM", so the real world has been completely ruined for me.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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hellboy wrote:I think VR is more than 2 years off for popular acceptance, but we'll see. It is an exciting time for VR enthusiasts no doubt.
Facebook bought the Rift.

I doubt they'll take two years to put that on the head of at least one billion people in the world.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by Kittaan »

They will have to significantly enhance the experience before it is widely adopted. Current VR headsets are cumbersome and uncomfortable.

Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by hellboy »

Kittaan wrote:They will have to significantly enhance the experience before it is widely adopted. Current VR headsets are cumbersome and uncomfortable.
I can't comment on comfort, but I think there's several issues, such as control interfaces and such before we get huge acceptance. I mean how many people can touch type? Voice recognition is almost there, but still a bit fiddle when it doesn't quite work right. Things like Kinect aren't quite right for motion control yet either.

Still, I don't doubt VR will take off, but I think we're 5 years away from it being accepted the same way as TV.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

hellboy wrote:
Kittaan wrote:They will have to significantly enhance the experience before it is widely adopted. Current VR headsets are cumbersome and uncomfortable.
I can't comment on comfort, but I think there's several issues, such as control interfaces and such before we get huge acceptance. I mean how many people can touch type? Voice recognition is almost there, but still a bit fiddle when it doesn't quite work right. Things like Kinect aren't quite right for motion control yet either.

Still, I don't doubt VR will take off, but I think we're 5 years away from it being accepted the same way as TV.
TV is far more passive than everything you just described.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by hellboy »

The Boss wrote:
hellboy wrote:
Kittaan wrote:They will have to significantly enhance the experience before it is widely adopted. Current VR headsets are cumbersome and uncomfortable.
I can't comment on comfort, but I think there's several issues, such as control interfaces and such before we get huge acceptance. I mean how many people can touch type? Voice recognition is almost there, but still a bit fiddle when it doesn't quite work right. Things like Kinect aren't quite right for motion control yet either.

Still, I don't doubt VR will take off, but I think we're 5 years away from it being accepted the same way as TV.
TV is far more passive than everything you just described.
I agree, but you were making the comparisons to TV, hence I related my argument to it.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by not tyson »

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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

Not Tyson wrote:http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/21/the-oc ... -e-cheese/

Pink eye for everybody!
It's as though we have the exact same internet habits.

And it's conjunctivitis, you fucking American.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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You scour the internet for new 'My friends hot mom' videos as well?
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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Not Tyson wrote:You scour the internet for new 'My friends hot mom' videos as well?
I don't have any friends besides you and two others.

But change "my" for "barely legal", "friends" for "blasian teen", "hot" for "fingering" and "mom" for "leg-shaking orgasm" and yeah, it's reasonably similar.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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http://tmi.kotaku.com/the-game-that-sav ... rkhamilton

I'll leave that here.

Um . . . touching. That's all I'll say.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by UndKeineZwEier »

I read that earlier. Made me think of you.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by The Boss »

http://www.30vs60.com/mirrorsedge.php

There are other examples after the link besides my third favourite game.

MFW people claim there is no real difference between 30fps and 60fps. YouTube recently said they'd start doing 60fps. ABOUT FRICKIN' TIME.

The future was like last year for all of us who have been celebrating the superiority of 60fps.
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

Post by hellboy »

Are there people who really deny that there's a difference? Or are they just arguing that the difference makes little impact on the enjoyment of a game?
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Re: Technology Wins . . .

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hellboy wrote:Are there people who really deny that there's a difference? Or are they just arguing that the difference makes little impact on the enjoyment of a game?
I actually spend more time than I'd like to admit in certain circles (not commenting, by the way - FE and Facebook are literally the only two places that I post comments on, anywhere online on a regular or even semi-regular basis) - and you'd be amazed at the number of people who both don't think there's a difference; and if they can see a difference, think it's negligible.

Honestly, that blows me away. We are doubling the frame rate, and you're saying that you either can't see the difference; or if you can, it doesn't matter?

I think that that's just stupid. It makes a MASSIVE difference. Absolutely huge.

Case in point: Everyone losing their shit at the first "THE HOBBIT" being in glorious 48fps.

FORTY-EIGHT. And everyone claimed that it looked too real to the point of falseness.

And yet 60fps is either not noticeable, or just negligible? Give me a break.
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