Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:03:00 EDT
Cathy Hutchinson hasn't been able to move her body for the past 15 years. But thanks to a brain implant from a Brown University team of neuroscientists , she's recently been able to pick up a bottle of coffee on her own by controlling a robotic arm with her mind. The team has been conducting testing their implant on various paralyzed patients since 2006, but this is the first time a subject has been able to move something bigger than a mouse pointer on a computer.
Hutchinson's implant — a… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/video-brown-university-robotic-arm-brain-implant/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00:00 EDT
 If you're anything like us here at Tecca, you absolutely cherish your smartphone's unlimited data package . If you're lucky enough to still have one, of course — wireless companies like Verizon have made no secret that they hate the plans , wish they never offered them, and want to figure out a way to kill them. And it seems like Verizon may have finally found its opening.
Verizon EVP and CFO Frank Shammo attended the J.P. Morgan 40th Annual Technology, Media and Telecom Conference today,… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/end-to-verizon-unlimited-data/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 16:41:00 EDT
 We've made such a huge impact on our planet , and we've affected it in different ways... many of which aren't anything to be proud of. We have, for instance, driven several plant and animal species to extinction, or at least to the brink of extinction . In order to raise awareness on how much we've contributed to the change in the Earth's landscape and flora and fauna, American artist Maya Lin created an interactive map called "What is Missing?"
Composed of colorful glowing dots against a black… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/what-is-missing-interactive-map/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:30:00 EDT
 Gigantic nerd Kyle wanted to come up with a truly unique way to propose to his girlfriend of six years, Maggie. Knowing that jumbotron proposals are so passé, and proposing via a custom Portal 2level ... well, that'd been done, Kyle recruited music service Pandora to do the proposing for him.
Kyle started his plan by sending a general support request to Pandora to see if they'd be willing to help. And of course they were, since if the idea worked, a lot of internet technology blogs would… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/pandora-wedding-proposal/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:45:00 EDT
 Wifi is super convenient , but if it lacks one major element: speed. But that may be about to change thanks to some researchers in Japan who have set a record for wireless data transmission speed at 20 times the speed of conventional wifi.
The technology is called terahertz wifi because it uses the unregulated terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit data. Japanese scientists have been able to achieve real-world wireless speeds of 3GB/s via the tech. Terahertz wifi is capable… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/terahertz-wifi-research/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:18:00 EDT
Remember Google's Project Glass ? If you've been keeping up with sci-fi-esque technologies that have been coming out lately, then of course you do. Google promised us glasses with technology reminiscent of the Terminator's shades and Iron Man's helmet. But according to CNET, the prototypes of these glasses that are currently being tested don't have augmented reality displays at all.
In the video above, you'll see the company's original vision for the glasses: It's supposed to feature a… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/google-glasses-the-reality-vs-the-hype/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT
 If there's one thing we can say about European car makers, it's that most of them seem to have a great sense of humor. Nowhere is this more apparent than on a trip past Volkswagen 's Swedish headquarters in Google Street View , where rival auto brand Fiat took the liberty of parking its flagship 500 model right in front of the company's entrance.
Fiat's Swedish base of operations is just 45 minutes away from the VW building, so the prank wouldn't have taken very long to pull off, but just how… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/fiat-volkswagen-street-view-prank/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:10:00 EDT
 Wish that iPhone in the palm of your hand was a little bigger? According to the Wall Street Journal, your prayers are about to be answered: The new iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch display, a half inch larger than current iPhone 4 models — and closer to 4" or larger Android phones that are now commonplace.
Sources suggest that Apple is ordering large numbers of the larger screens from a number of suppliers, including LG , Sharp, and Japan Display Inc. The same reports suggest that production… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/iphone-5-bigger-screen/
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Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:16:00 EDT
 It's all but official: According to reports, famed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has signed on to a movie project based on Walter Isaacson's biography Steve Jobs. The film will be produced by Sony Pictures.
Sorkin was rumored to be considering taking on the project, but had not officially committed until now. Most recently, Aaron Sorkin won a Best Screenplay Oscar for his treatment of The Social Network. Sorkin was also responsible for the Emmy award winning TV series The West Wing, writing almost… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/16/steve-jobs-aaron-sorkin-screenplay/
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Posted on Tue, 15 May 2012 18:59:00 EDT
Today, Honda announced the UNI-CUB — personal mobility device that's very similar to the Segway. But unlike the Segway that's mainly used for outdoors, the much smaller UNI-CUB is a one-person scooter for indoor spaces. Honda first announced the personal transpo system back in 2009, and the UNI-CUB that you can see in the video above is the latest update to its design.
The lithium-ion battery-powered machine has a compact design with a seat fashioned like a saddle. Honda claims it's easy… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/15/honda-uni-cab-personal-mobility-device/
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Posted on Tue, 15 May 2012 17:10:00 EDT
 Drivers are used to seeing advertising billboards as they zip along the highway, but they'll soon have a new eyesore when they take to Southern California roadways: power lines . Caltrans, the California transit authority, is set to install overhead electrical lines — similar to those used by electric trolleys and busses in cities — in parts of Los Angeles and Long Beach in order to provide power to a new breed of hybrid trucks.
Called eHighway, the system was developed by Siemens… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/15/southern-california-freeway-power-lines/
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Posted on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:30:00 EDT
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Posted on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT
 Does your HDTV just not seem as sleek and sexy as it once was? If the allure of having a flat-panel display mounted to your wall just isn't enough anymore, the completely see-through Loewe Invisio might be just what you're looking for. Designed by Michael Friebe , the transparent television made a big splash in the 2011 iF Concept Design competition, and if we're lucky we may soon see it in our own homes.
Loewe is well known in Europe for its high-end televisions and audio hardware. In fact,… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/15/loewe-invisio-transparent-tv-concept/
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Posted on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:40:00 EDT
 Add this to the increasing number of unusual weapons straight out of a sci-fi movie : A repurposed Nerf gun equipped with a Tesla coil that can shoot up to 20,000 volts of electricity. This electrifying gun created by Rob Flickenger was inspired by the fictional Tesla gun from the steampunk graphic novel The Five Fists of Science . It may not make as much fashion statement as this crazy-looking Tesla coil hat , but it sure looks dangerous.
Flickenger used an old iron-cast Nerf gun for the… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/15/rob-flickenger-tesla-gun-lightning/
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Posted on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:15:00 EDT
 Have you ever downloaded software illegally online, or installed software on more than one computer when you didn't have the right to? If so, you're not alone: over half of people with computers admit to pirating software.
According to the annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study, 57% of computer users were willing to admit that they pirate software. All told, that adds up to an estimated $63.4 billion worth of software, though there's no way to tell how much of that hurts software makers' bottom… Read more at Tecca › ..
Details:
http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/05/15/pirated-software-survey/
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