Thursday 28 January 2010

The First Question - 26 Jan 2010

Ahoy all – with a new year and new website upon us, yes please check out the new Treet.tv website, We are going to name the episodes by their dates only!

A NEW DAWN

This week's panel

Kurt Karsin / Scarlett Niven / LANCE Rembrandt / Gary Broono

Quotes:

“Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.”
~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

“Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all life really means.”
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Word-UP of the week – “Legibrawl” Ok, every now and then you see some you tube video or some story on CNN with a bunch of people in the parliament of some foreign country duking it out in the middle of a session. I call this a Legi-brawl, using the words and Legislative and Brawl. Used in a sentence: The members of the British house of commons got into a Legibrawl.
~Gary Broono

Audience Quote of the week
“You are obviously using the banana wrong”
~Crap Mariner

Questions:

For the answers go to The 1st Question blog at treet.tv

1) Internet access from outer space – yes it has happened – Hello Twitterverse!” he wrote. “We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s” Before, orbiting astronauts had to send such Twitter updates by e-mail to Mission Control . This direct ability will help alleviate the astronauts’ profound sense of isolation. Give us each day our daily Tweets. Who is the Space station resident who was able to establish Internet access from his orbital post ever since he moved in last month?

2) Apple’s announcement of its tablet computer tomorrow will without doubt be the most eagerly anticipated tech news of 2010. Odds on what the name will be have been on offer at Irish bookmaker Paddy Power this week and when the Economist ran a story on what it might be, the odds on this name shortened from 7/4 to 1/3 in a few hours. Obviously there are hundreds, if not thousands of people across the world who know it already, because they have been involved in manufacturing, or creating promotional collateral. It’s not exactly insider trading – but making book on what name seems a good idea?

3) An ionospheric research facility it is jointly funded by the US Air Force, Navy, the University of Alaska, and DARPA) for communications and surveillance purposes. The facility currently operates a VHF and UHF radar, a fluxgate magnetometer, and a digisonde. It became the subject of controversy in the mid-1990s, following claims that it’s antennas could be used as weapons. It has been called "the Moby Dick of conspiracy theories" and has been blamed for much. Variously described as a missile defense shield, a death ray, a tool of the Antichrist, a worldwide communications jammer, an apparatus that can cause the Earth to spin out of control, and was also blamed for the recent earthquake in Haiti. What is it?

4) An autonomous surveillance platform that was developed in Afghanistan, it will soon fly over the UK for routine monitoring of antisocial motorists, protesters, and anyone else the Home Office deems in need of watching. Police authorities hope to have them approved and ready for the 2012 Olympics. A national drone plan with BAE, documents obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act, shows use could span a range of police activity – and officers have even talked about selling the surveillance data to private companies. What is the name of this drone?

5) It is building a mind-reading scanner that can tell if a given traveler is a potential danger - without the subject's knowledge - using biometric sensors. The system ... projects images onto airport screens symbols only a would-be terrorist would recognize. The logic is that people can't help reacting,, to familiar images that suddenly appear in unfamiliar places. The reaction could be a darting of the eyes, an increased heartbeat, a nervous twitch or faster breathing. This system would rely mostly on hidden cameras or sensors that can detect a slight rise in body temperature and heart rate. What is the technology company called behind this?

6) It is traditionally used to treat phobias like fear of heights or flying. Now it will be tried on soldiers returning from Iraq who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Recreating 360-degree, interactive computer-generated environments, it will expose the patients back into the environment and experience where the trauma occurred. It is hoped this will help reduce anxiety as it’s designed to promote a multi-sensory emotional connection to the memory, Behavioral health providers have treatment options for Soldiers but what is this now receiving a lot of attention?


7) SF writer William Gibson included the idea of synthespians in his 1996 novel Idoru: as we have mentioned in a previous show . James Cameron, director of Avatar, has been quoted as saying that the same technology that animated the Na'vis from Pandora could also be used to bring beloved actors back to the screen. Remember Max Headroom? He was Matt Frewer in makeup to represent a CG character. And he was a spoof of this President of the synthetic actors’ guild who promised that humans in makeup will no longer take work away from synthetic actors."The word "synthespian" was coined by Jeff Kleiser. Kleiser and Diana Walczak created the first digital actor for their 1988 short film- What was it?


8) Space divers are risk takers - and one will attempt a parachute jump from a balloon suspended 121,000 feet over the surface of the Earth later this year. After floating up for roughly three hours, Felix Baumgartner will step off, potentially breaking records for the highest parachute jump, as well as the fastest and longest freefall. He will face extreme peril. He should reach supersonic speeds 35 seconds after he jumps, and the atmospheric pressure is so low that fluids begin to boil. "If he opens up his face mask or the suit, all the gases in the body go out of suspension, so he would literally turn into a giant fizzy, oozing fluid from his eyes and mouth, like something out of a horror film, and it’s just seconds until death. Felix will attempt to break a fifty year-old record set by which US Air Force Captain who jumped out of a balloon at an altitude of 104,000 feet?

9) It is a space-cannon proposed by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory physicist. This 3,600-foot gun could make deliveries to an orbiting space station for just $250 per pound - compared to $5,000 per pound costs for delivery by rocket. Note to Felix Baumgartner - don’t expect to ride this thing: The gun produces 5,000 Gs, so it’s only for fuel tanks and ruggedized satellites. “A person shot out of it would probably get compressed to half their size so it’d be over real quick.” Hot hydrogen would boost the payload exiting the mouth of the gun at 13.000 mph. What is this called?

10) Mahru-Z is a walking robot maid with a rotating head containing a 3-dimensional sensor so it can figure out what work you need it to do. It can pick up your house, dump clothes into the washer and heat meals in the microwave. It is a bipedal, humanoid robot a little over 4feet tall; and weighs just 121 pounds. The most distinctive strength of Mahru-Z is its visual ability to observe objects, recognize the tasks needed to be completed, and execute them. Robotic maids have been depicted before - what was the name of the robot maid in the Jetsons cartoon show?

11). The dress has its own nervous system, which allows the wearer to control the emotional wellbeing of the garments. The approach to fashion design introduces the living garment. A micro pump represents the ‘heart’, micro tubes represent the ‘veins and arteries’ and various biosensors mimic the senses. Fragrances are actively 'pulsed' electronically through a micro cabling system in the fabric web. The fabric emits a selection of scents to eventually replace the traditional perfume bottle. What is this called and/or who is behind it?
12) The Wrap 920AR glasses prototype features cameras mounted to lenses that project real world images onto LCD’s inside the glasses, seamlessly mixing real-world and computer generated imagery. The glasses have a camera on each lens that captures video which can also be viewed in stereoscopic 3D. The cameras project real-world imagery giving the effect of watching a 67” display from ten feet away. And can be overlaid with CGI effectively creating an augmented reality. How about being on SL while you walk down an actual street? Not yet but it will be great for education. Who is making these new glasses for roughly $880USD?

Saturday 9 January 2010

The 1st Question 78 - 5 Jan 10

Living La Vida Ava

Quotes

“A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective. “-Edward Teller

"Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit."-Bern Williams

Word-UP of the week – Taitalium, ( tie-tail-ee-um) the hairiest element known to science, named for our Chow Chow, Tai Shan [Peace Mountain in Chinese]- Squiffy Rogozarski

Questions

For the answers go to The 1st Question blog at treet.tv

1) It has developed a prototype remote control that allows users to operate electronic devices telepathically -- simply willing the television channel to change or the air-conditioning to turn on The brain signals are sent by optical fiber to a remote control, which is prompted by significant brain activity to beam infrared signals. Blood flow increases considerably with mental activity.. The technology for such a device had existed for some time, but this weighs about 2.2 pounds, while other such systems are the size of a refrigerator, and difficult to wear on your head- which company is in charge of this?

2) This will establish the largest free trade area in the world in terms of population and the third largest in terms of volume – aptly coming into effect new years day for the dawn of a decade very likely to see this segment of the world rise up to prominence. The initial framework agreement was signed in 2002 in Phnom Penh, with the intent on establishing a free trade area now in existence among eleven nations in this region. What is it called?

P:3)This was one of the robots that debuted as the robotic bartender most likely handle the second coming. It performs the miracle of transubstantiation, using the energy which flows through its circuitry to convert water into wine. Drinkers are invited to place their grail below its wound spigot and then pour pure water into its holy funnel (located on the upper left shoulder), while repeating the following prayer: O Roomba, O microwave,I forsake thee!Gloria in anthropos deus.In Nomine Asimov, et ASIMOet Robosapien,Amen! What is this Miraculous robot called?

4) Fantastic dress that would be right at home on the grid – for the NYU Winter Show, Elisabeth Fuller designed the fully programmable "Life Dress". . So you can wear it with the pattern or message of your choice writ large by the LEDs embedded in it. It is made up of silicon tiles each infused with it’s own LED light –The unlit squares are also a bit translucent, which in the right (or wrong) places could send the strongest message, but nude is the new black this season. What kind of skin covers it's silicon tiles?

5) We are not as cool as we might think certainly under pressure. And our behavior might give us away especially when we are planning a large scale attack upon crowded places. How can the authorities capitalize on our significant stress? With a next-generation device able to autonomously identify and track individuals that act suspiciously in crowded public spaces. Using algorithms that profile behavior in public, it identifies 'typical' behavior to single out the suspicious. It can even follow a target as they move in a crowd. What is this human tracking device called?

6) On New Years Eve, this man pulled off the world's longest car jump at the Red Bull: New Year. No Limits Party in California. He set a new world record of 269 feet, extending it by 43%. He has also been the first to achieve a front flip on a motorcycle, the first to achieve a double backflip, not to mention being the first person to jump out of a plane without a parachute, jump into the Grand Canyon off a motorcycle and the first (and quite possibly the only) person to ever backflip a kid's tricycle. Who is the man you want to invite to your backyard BBQ when you unveil your new trampoline?

7) Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies will release a small home hydrogen refueling and storage solution at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this week that could begin our transition to a hydrogen-based economy. The HYDROFILL is a small desktop device that plugs into the power supply, a solar panel or a small wind turbine, and automatically extracts hydrogen from its water tank and stores it in a solid form in small refillable cartridges. The cartridges contain metallic alloys that absorb hydrogen into their crystalline structure, a storage method which the company claims offers the highest volumetric energy density of any form of hydrogen storage, even higher than liquid hydrogen. From what country is HYDROFILL leading us?

H:8) It’s a new facebook app and its going for socialized blogs via a virtual online global community with an option to switch to a 2.5D habbo style environment & Simple enough graphics for widespread use. It allows for Avatar creation (Think anime adorable) and of course your choice of rooms. Once that's done you can explore real-life locales as you chat friend and share blogs. What intends to launch on Facebook this spring with privacy concerns high on the list?

9) We are possibly not involved enough emotionally with our day to day objects so says a contribution to the 13 visions of the future for the French Alliance's La Fin Du Design exhibition . Haptic, thermal and olfactory sensations are all involved while playing games, watching movies and shopping online as a hand sheath will stimulate nerve receptors recreating the pressure, temperature, roughness, etc of an object being viewed on what it has been wirelessly linked to. It will also feature six flavor cartridges & features micro emanators reproducing different types of smell. What is this called, that might out do the feelies? (The Sense concept)

10) A leading figure in late 19th- and early 20th-century Britain, he was instrumental in the foundation of the Labour Party. his publication of Civilization, Its Cause and Cure proposed that civilization is a form of disease that human societies pass through. A strong advocate of sexual freedom, he lived openly gay. The last twenty years of his life were marked by his persistent involvement in progressive issues; He argued passionately that the source of war and discontent in western society was class-monopoly and social inequality. A true radical in his own lifetime, who was he?

11) Powering a low energy device by using a wind-up mechanism has of course been around for centuries. But for a new decade a very green alternate to power consumption for one of the most widely used devices of the modern age, The computer mouse Rather than drawing energy from a computer or batteries. You would need to remove a key from below the Sustail mouse and wind it up before being able to use it. It is hoped that this would also encourage users to take regular breaks and have a more responsible attitude towards power consumption.. What company’s department is currently testing the wind up mouse for feasibility?

12) This company has made another important step toward creating faster, higher-efficiency "3D" processors stacking their cores vertically. We are entering the time where more and more processing power will be needed. Single core will be giving way to multi core and use of the z-axis is being explored. Power consumption, memory usage and parallelism all are reasons to stack up. Working on this technique can ensure data transfer rates ten times higher than ever before. Which company is working with the Swiss on this?

13) Connected every moment of everyday – it is a wonder that headsets wont soon be implanted directly into the brain – well that’s next. You might already have it on your iPhone, PSP, or desk phone, but 2010 looks to be the year of this -enabled in the pipeline for a Spring release on your HDTV. These HDTVs will feature a built-in 720p webcam and a microphone designed to ensure you don't have to move to be heard. HD video functionality has been added in – What will be on your HDTV soon?

14). We like our words electronic and we want them now. At just over a quarter-inch in overall height, the device is the thinnest e-reader announced to date. It features the largest and highest-resolution electronic-paper display too . . The device weighs just over one pound and lasts over a week of average use between charges. It is the first consumer product to feature the next-generation of e-paper display – one based on a thin, flexible sheet of stainless-steel foil. This contrast with the fragile glass that is the foundation of almost every electronic screen What is it called?

15) During an experiment with whipped cream canisters and funnel cake — don’t ask—a better idea was stumbled upon: putting pancake mix in pressurized cans. Through word of mouth, social networking and publicity stunts — rallying a team to cook 76,382 pancakes in eight hours to set a Guinness World Record — Sean O’Connor has gotten this new food product into Costco and Whole Foods stores. 20 million in revenue later - what is this breakfast in a can called?
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