The First Question - 16 February 2010

Point of Interest

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This week's panel

Sonicity Fitzroy, Rhett Linden, RamonaPringle Avon, Roxxor Foxley

Quotes

All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgerize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level. -William Bernbach

Reality seems valueless by comparison with the dreams of fevered imaginations; reality is therefore abandoned. -Emile Durkheim

Word-UP of the week - Reminiscience -- the science of fabricating and "inserting" memories for those who suffer amnesia or would like to replace personal, painful memories, with original, custom crafted narrative histories.-RamonaPringle Avon

Questions

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

1) Advertising Research found that very few people are satisfied with the amount of family-oriented programming, And most parents would go out of their way to find better. In a marriage made in Family moment heaven, which is aptly enough the campaign title, two huge companies teamed up to produce "Secrets of The Mountain," a movie set to debut on NBC in April. . Name one or both of the two household names who are launching a marketing, in-store and digital initiative designed to promote family entertainment options, including a family game night - which of course The 1st Question hopes to be a part of.

2) This toy might ruin your life - but I sure wish I had it when I was a kid -Soon your every move can be captured Pre-loaded with three apps including night vision- kids can park the remote-controlled vehicle in a strategic location and lie in wait for unsuspecting family members. When the motion alarm app is downloaded the camera can be used as a sensor and they can also capture the person's photo, trigger the alarm and set off an audio alert Like "BUSTED!!" . The vehicle will then automatically return to the driver before it can be seized by the enemy. It be released in October of this year so you have until then Name this toy...

3) It is a six legged robot and was recently a star at The Emotibot exhibit running at the London Science Museum, as it has remarkable software that allows it to interact with human beings in an emotionally expressive way. If aggressively confronted, it backs away but If a person hold's it's gaze for a few seconds, their picture is uploaded to its website. Prototypes were used in the making of two Harry Potter films; they co-starred as Hagrid's pets. It is a six-legged robot invented by Matt Denton. What is its name?

4) It is an online publication with a low tech name though it is focused on anything but. Founded in 1996 by Dr. Thomas Pabst it is owned by Bestofmedia Group company, one of the top three online publishers for technology in the world. It provides articles, and a lot more on high tech The site features coverage on CPUs, motherboards, and computer peripherals.. Pooky learned how to build an LED nightlight from it. Though I don't think you used the "Build your Own computer" section Its readers are top of the line tekkies too - It is Published in several languages what is the name of it?

5) The ability to speak one language and have it instantly translated is a dream of tourists the world over - especially anyone visiting France. This company has something to help us in the works; they are building on their text translation software, which covers 52 languages, and on their voice recognition software. Progress in machine translation and voice recognition will make this happen sooner than later. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy had the babel fish - & even The original Star Trek series featured a universal translator. What company might very well have a translator phone soon?

6) This new building material would be right at home in any Shire- Mushroom tissue will eagerly devour pasteurized wood chips. As the fungus digests and transforms, it solidifies into a mass of interlocking cells, slowly becoming denser and taking form. Like plaster or cement, mushrooms can be cast into almost any shape. Mushrooms digest cellulose and transform it into chitin, the same material that insect shells are made from. The skin itself is incredibly hard, shatter resistant, and can handle enormous amounts of compression. PS it is also nontoxic, fireproof and mold-resistant. What is the name of this architectural forms with fungus

7)They zap mosquito's don't they? Assembled technology used in printers, digital cameras and projectors can now shoot down mosquitoes by the hundreds in mid-flight. This was demonstrated at a TED talk by the way. After hundreds of mosquitoes were released into a glass tank, a laser tracked their movements and slowly shot them down anywhere between 50 to 100 mosquitoes per second. The laser detection is so precise that it can specify the gender. The company's head Nathan Myhrvold credits a 2008 brainstorming session on killing malaria-bearing mosquitoes with the idea for a 'Star Wars-style' anti mosquito weapon. what is the name of his enterprise?

8) Many magazines in the 19th century published series about that mythic time known as "the Future" germinating the genre which would become science fiction. This was published in 1898 intending to be a sequel to "Fighters from Mars",where it's hero travels- his inventions include the first dis-integrator ray This was perhaps the first space opera, although the term did not yet exist The book contains some notable "firsts" in science fiction: alien abductions, spacesuits (called "air-tight suits"), aliens building the Pyramids, space battles and oxygen pills. Written by Garrett P. Serviss what was it called?

9) Last year's winner was The Automist a major advance in home safety basically. A sprinkler system delivered through the faucet in your kitchen. The world's most prestigious student competition and though not a recruiting exercise, many entrants have gone on to work for its founder. and many others have quickly established new design practices as a result.- What is the name of this award which is currently accepting entries?

10) More data, faster computers Moores law and the need for more bandwidth has seen conventional wires impractical at higher frequencies. A possible solution is to use optics not just for sending data, but also to store information and perform calculations. If this to have a future, researchers will need to find a cheap and effective way to integrate optical and electronic components onto silicon chips. Disproving previous beliefs in the matter, MIT researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from this which can perform optical communications... This substance can be manipulated to work - what has been discovered to be "optics-friendly" possibly advancing out digital age?

11) Imagine being able to check your email on any blank wall, simply by drawing an @ sign in the air with your finger or Just put your thumbs and forefingers together to make a picture frame & snap. The inventor who presented at TEDIndia in 2009 was given last years Invention Award by Popular Science The latest prototype of 6th sense is a small camera which acts as a digital eye and projector combination (about the size of a cigarette pack) worn around the neck of the user. An accompanying smartphone handles the connection to the internet. "You can turn any surface around you into an interactive one, it is a wearable, gesture-driven computing platform that can continually augment the physical world with digital information. Who is behind this?

12)When giants collide - Facebook is clearly leading the pack in the mobile Internet race. Google likes to compete with a very clear elephant in the room mentality. And so the first salvo has been fired in the brewing war between Google and Facebook for social media dominance - Google has unleashed this real time, privacy killing, real time sharing, Picasa filling, conversation enabling and mega new user alert blaring service. It hasn't debuted to the best of press- what is it called?

13) The Economist described his influence 5 years ago and it still holds true but more so now-because he has become a major celebrity among geeks worldwide, who read his blog religiously. & Impressively, he has also succeeded where small armies of more conventional public-relations types have been failing - He is a legend, he is a measurable unit on twitter, an egoblogger and a genius- he helped his mother build mac computers starting at age 11. He launched fastcompany.tv and is the greatest technical evangelist there is - Who is in the top 5 of The 1st Question's most wanted?

14) The game, created originally in 1860 simulates a person's travels through his or her life, from college to retirement, with jobs, marriages and children (or not) along the way. This was the first game created by Milton Bradley, Like many from the 19th century, such as the The Mansion of Happiness it had a strong moral message. Essentially a modified checkerboard, The Game of Life in 1963 had some differences. and It was advertised as a "A Full 3-D Action Game." Sounds familiar - the original version however did not include dice, (to discourage any notions of gambling) but instead used a a six sided top called what?

15) In 1957, a market researcher claimed that quickly flashing messages on a movie screen, influenced people to purchase more food and drinks thus coining the term subliminal advertising. 5 years later he admitted to lying, the story itself being a marketing ploy. However, before the confession, his claims led to a public outcry, and to many conspiracy theories so the practice of subliminal advertising was banned. In 2007, to mark the 50th anniversary of the original experiment, it was recreated. As part of a "Hypnosis, subconscious triggers and branding" presentation for marketers. 1,400 delegates were exposed to 30 subliminal cuts over a 90 second period. When asked to choose one of two fictitious brands, 81% of the delegates picked the brand suggested. Who was the original Subliminal man, the market researcher who started it all?

The First Question - 9 February 2010

This week's panel

Kenny Hubble, Charlene Trudeau, Arkowitz Jonson & Blotter Republic

Quotes

Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance. -W. Clement Stone

Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living. -Nicholas Negroponte

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. -Emo Philips

Word-UP of the week -“Impromptubleep.” A swear word or string of swear words created on the fly to fit a given situation -Charlene Trudeau

Questions

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

1) By 2030, a third of all Japanese citizens will be over 65. they're developing an astounding array of robotics to keep the country producing and are light years ahead of the West where all trends point to similar demographic trends. When you also need something to love, create a robot pet. and they have one that behaves as much as possible like a real animal, enjoying cuddles and pats, complaining for attention or 'food' (a battery charge), and reacting with fear and anger to being hit. Gradually learning to respond to whatever name you keep calling him, as well as various other audio cues. But without all the muss. Which animal not a cat or dog, was chosen to make your heart melt and keep you company?

2)It is a compound of almost pure silicon dioxide; the spray forms a layer that can be cleaned with water alone. It creates a film and over a sterile surface can provide complete protection. The patent for the technology is owned by a German company, Nanopool. It provides an easy-clean coating hundreds of times thinner than a human hair, protecting the surface against water, dirt, bacteria, heat and UV radiation. What is this substance the National health Service, a designer clothing company and a German branch of a hamburger chain are all investigating for use

3)Jim Morrison sang 'Come on come on and touch me baby” he might have been singing about the new multi touch technology which is both prevalent and popular. This Portuguese company has just announced the development of a “skin” based on capacitive technology, a thinner-than-paper polymer film that turns about any surface, into an interactive touch screen display. The technology works by a grid of nanowires placed throughout the film. These input signals are then passed to a microprocessor that analyzes the data and determines the exact location where the contact took place. What is the name of the company that has created hypersensitive lightweight “skin” with a transparency rate of 98% able to locate 16 fingers at a single time.?

4)In 1995 Sandia National Laboratories, bought one of the world's first commercial 3D haptic devices, and began developing software for it. Tom Anderson led the project until 2000 at which point he founded Novint which acquired an exclusive license and began commercialization. Novint developed the Falcon -which can be used to feel objects and events in video games, giving the player a more immersive experience. Now it has developed something ithat will track your spatial hand movements in 3D and activate your fave apps and media with a wave of your hand. The result is an intelligent product concept with unlimited possibilities. What is it called?

5)200 megabits per second for wireless data transfer was faster than what your grandfather might have seen however we have a whole new level of expectation today. This Electronic engineering company just broke their own record by achieving 500 Mbps using white LED light. Although invisible to the human eye, they can be read by a photodetector receiver, which converts them into electrical pulses. This type of data transfer is known as Visible Light Communication, or VLC. And when it comes to highly-sensitive data, VLC would be a good choice because its signal can’t be tapped. What company has broken its own record?

6) People in some developing countries have been known to walk for three hours just to find an outlet from which to charge a mobile phone, electricity is that scare . This four-girl team began as one of many groups in an engineering sciences class at Harvard. They created a prototype soccer ball that captures kinetic energy through an inductive coil mechanism when it is kicked or thrown, then stores it in an internal battery and makes that energy available for a myriad of small but useful purposes. In other words, it’s a fun, portable energy-harvesting power source What is the name of the team or the ball which will created energy?

7) Elysia chlorotica is unusual. Not content to eat algae that have mastered the art of photosynthesis, it actually appears to have stolen the genes that make it possible. It converts sunlight to energy all by itself. They can make their energy-containing molecules without having to eat anything, Under study for 20 years it has been determined that these multicellar animals have been able to produce chlorophyll. As long as a light is shined on them for 12 hours a day, they can survive without food. What kind of creature are they?

8)NASA and General Motors have partnered up before -in the '60s developing navigation systems for the Apollo missions, and also in the development of the first vehicle to be used on the moon – the Lunar Rover. Now they team up to build a new robot dexterous enough to use the same tools as humans, allowing them to work safely alongside humans on Earth or in space. Love the word safely. It can use its hands to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid machines. Working side by side with humans, or going where the risks are too great for people, machines will expand our capability for construction and discovery. This is version 2. What is this robot called?

9) Hybrid cars and EVs rely on batteries for power, but batteries are bulky and heavy, causing the car to use up more energy. But what if a car's bodywork was made of a strong, lightweight material that could store and discharge electrical energy like a battery does? In pursuing this goal we could think wafer thin mobile phones and laptops that don't need a separate battery because they draw power from their casing. The prototype material is a composite of carbon fibers and a polymer resin which can store and discharge large amounts of energy much faster than conventional batteries. What college has its researchers all aglow on this new skin?

10) Colony Collapse disorder is potentially life threatening and not just to the bees- So the introduction of this bee might be a life saver. These bees are unaffected by CCD and they're better at pollinating than honeybees so you need less of them. Because they're fast fliers, and remain active in poor weather, instead of living in colonies with assigned roles, each bee lives an independent existence, and all the females lay eggs. And a great number of bees will gladly cohabitate in a relatively small bee house. Because they don't form societies, or produce wax, they don't live in hives. Instead, each bee finds an already-existent tubular hole and moves in with their Nirvana CD collection and begins to rock out. Sorry no, its not a dorm room – its a bee house, who lives there?

11)The worlds largest thought controlled experiment will be at the Olympics this year. And no its not a rematch of Tonya Harding trying to stare down Nancy Kerrigan. A Toronto-based company has used mind control technology to turn on the lights and is having a special display of this technology for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Their display allows visitors to control lights at Niagara Falls as well as Ottawa’s Parliament building and the CN Tower. Visitors will have to wear a headset to measure the brain’s alpha and beta waves, associated with relaxation, and concentration respectively. And these mental signals are then transmitted over the Internet to change the light patterns..This company is very interested as are we, in using thought control for all kinds of applications. Who are they?

12)For the second year in a row, Dunkin Donuts is inviting us to create our own personal donut, win $12,000 doing so and have this unleashed nationwide. Visitors to the company's website can create a virtual donut masterpiece from a variety of donut flavors, shapes, toppings and fillings now through March 8. Somehow I am not too interested in eating a virtual doughnut, but wait there is more! A dozen finalists will be chosen by a panel of Dunkin' Donuts judges to travel to Dunkin' Donuts University (where they teach sprinkleology) and even more! The Public will also be invited to vote for its favorite finalist &. The grand prize winner will be unveiled on National Donut Day. I know you all have it marked in your calenders- what day is it?

13) It is supposedly the most important number in the world – what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. (not the number of donuts you can safely eat at one sitting) Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above this many part parts per million. Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. what number is it?

14) It is a network of smell sensors that are attuned to particular chemical molecules. If a person walks past them with some sort of hazardous material - let's say, an explosive device - this tracks that person's movement and will alert security personnel . There are oscillating crystals on the sensor chips, and whenever the electronic noses capture chemical molecules, their frequency changes. . What is this smell system called that is capable of tracking hidden explosives?

15)Sonitus Medical is creating a revolutionary new hearing aid - This hearing system transmits sound to the inner ear via the teeth and consists of a small unit worn behind the ear and an in-the-mouth hearing device that is custom made to fit. The ear unit captures the sound and wirelessly transmits the signals to the mouth device, which sends imperceptible vibrations via the teeth. After the sound has been processed it uses a wireless chip to transmit the signals to the in the mouth device – what is this product being marketed as?

16) Commander Shepard, leads a crew of operatives from around the entire galaxy on a potentially suicidal mission. Its not a movie its Electronic Art's new game. BioWare had been promoting the event through its 5 million registered users, as well as through Twitter and Facebook. These kinds of titles have broadened the appeal and relevance of gaming overall within pop-culture while demonstrating that some game releases can even surpass the revenues generated by the movie industry. As competition heats up for consumer share-of-mind, bigger splash is needed to announce new gaming titles – which sequel debuted recently from BioWare?

17) A one-of-a-kind "personal Internet viewer," this device is designed to let you pull all sorts of information from its 7-inch touch screen. Not portable: it's designed to be placed in your bedroom, kitchen or office, where you can choose among 1,000 (and counting) completely free applications using your Wi-Fi Internet connection It also supports multiple user profiles and channels, so different household members can create and maintain their own customized views of the Internet and check for them in an easy way. Unveiled at CES 2010 by SONY what is it called?

The First Question - 2 February 2010

This week's panel

Gary Bukowski / Jenette Forager / Spiff Whitfield / CathyWyo1 Haystack -

Quotes

“Great minds have purpose, others have wishes.” -Washington Irving

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." — Dr. Seuss

Word-UP of the week - “Purgadigatory” - that dark place where your avatar gets stuck when you tp..somewhere between where you were and where you wanted to teleport to -CathyWyo1 Haystack -

"Freepurposing": The act of freeing any system, device or content from its intended purpose, and re-applying ? it for a completely unintended purpose which is usually much more fun. Example: Rick Astley.-Gary Bukowski -

Audience Quote of the week“I’m not flirting with you; I’m just recharging my laptop”-Tomkin Euler

Questions

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

1) We said iPad last week, and indeed that was the name – though the observation that there were no women in the room during the naming session was obvious. At least they didn’t call it MyPad. However, a Japanese technology firm and a Swiss semiconductor company both have trademarks for iPad. These kinds of naming conflicts have not stopped Apple before. In 2007, on the eve of the introduction of the iPhone, another technology giant pointed out that it already sold an Internet handset called the iPhone. Steven Jobs, , led the negotiation for the name, calling executives at all hours of the night finally persuading them to surrender the trademark with a vague promise to market their products jointly — a partnership that never materialized. What company gave jobs the rights to iPhone?

2) The Sound Reactive Nightgown uses a shape-memory alloy that when you yell, speak or make noises in the vicinity of this dainty garment, it starts lifting up provocatively. Keep talking might have a whole new meaning with sound activated clothing. Wires are in it which are made up of a shape memory alloy that returns back to its original form when stimulated. Dynalloy, Inc. manufactures these nickel titanium wires under this trade name to differentiate them from other ones which do not have these same properties. What is this shape shifting alloy called?

3) Panopticlick is a unique website that pulls information you didn't know you had about your computer that all websites can see, and then displays it for you, giving a uniqueness score — letting you see how easily identifiable you might be as you surf the web "Panopticlick" appears to be the mating of Panopticon and "mouse click". The Panopticon was designed by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1785; what is it?

4) Concrete is the world's third-largest source of man-made carbon dioxide. I A few companies are now using different technologies that not only make concrete carbon-neutral, they actually make it carbon-negative. One company in California is converting the carbon in industrial flue emissions into concrete and asphalt by running them through pH-adjusted seawater. Then solidifying the minerals to be used as cement plus neutralizing other pollutants such as mercury. The company is Calera what pilot project is tying out this process?

5) You are out pushing the stroller and let’s face it you have to check your email or send a tweet- what is a mother to do? Well now you can, easily as this product has been created. It’s a phone-holder that clips to your stroller’s handle bar and makes it easier for you to text or email while you're out and about - but please wait until the stroller is stationary before using. It can fit almost any device that has a handle bar, such as a bike, exercise equipment and even a shopping trolley. What is this product, sure to increase communication but possibly not personal safety, called?

6) When you are at the Olympics, things get highly competitive, and the gain of seconds in time means the difference between gold and coal. This company has completely redesigned its athletic wear for Vancouver. They use d3o whose molecules flow under normal movement, but lock together on impact to spread the force. They refined the surface texture to shave off precious hundredths of seconds from racers’ times, a margin by which many ski races are won and lost. And moved padding to reduce the amount of thread, seams and needle holes on the outside fabric, all of which can contribute to wind friction. What company is going for the win with their new Speed Suits?

7) Energy-harvesting rubber sheets that are implanted in the body may power pacemakers and even mobile phones. The material, composed of ceramic nanoribbons embedded onto silicone rubber sheets, generates electricity when flexed and is highly efficient at converting mechanical to electrical energy. Shoes made of the material may one day harvest the pounding of walking and running. Placed against the lungs, sheets of the material could use breathing motions for power . What is the term for that which generates an electrical voltage when pressure is applied to it?

8) Recent research with this compound has been shown to enhance learning abilities and memory in rats. Yes just what we need smarter rats for smarter rat neurons to power smarter robots. But I digress. This is an essential element and health professionals say people who get less than 400mg a day are risking allergies, asthma and more “Half the population of industrialized countries have a deficit in this, which only increases with aging. If normal or even higher levels can be maintained, age-related loss of cognitive function can be slowed. A new compound might help increase plasticity in connections among neurons. What kind of compound found in spinach will this be?

9) Leading to neurology-inspired computers, as well as provide a means for connecting artificial devices to existing biological tissue, researchers in this country have created what they claim is the first transistor to mimic the connections in the human brain. The team, from its national science and atomic energy commissions called a nanoparticle organic memory field-effect transistor “NOMFET". A biological synapse transforms a voltage spike into a discharge of chemical neurotransmitters that are then detected. What country is responsible for this next very significant leap in the artificial brain sweepstakes?

10) Righteous Fur, a New Orleans-based grassroots movement, is hoping that its marketing efforts can raise awareness of a problem. A little hungry herbivore introduced from Argentina back in the 1930s, weighing about 12 pounds each, have chomped their way through some 100,000 acres of coastal wetlands since 1998. And while trappers earn a $5 bounty for each one they destroy, the pelts are often discarded. If a market for the fur for these little varmints can be created the wetlands will be saved! And positioning fur as environmentally correct isn't novel –"Fur is renewable, sustainable, and biodegradable," What is the animal that Righteous Fur hopes to make its poster child?

11) This alarm will wake you up with a very distinctive smell and has been in development for two years. Tested on sleeping people with normal or no hearing at all the device woke nearly all subjects up within two and a half minutes after the stench hit their nostrils. The alarm is not big and works on a room that's roughly 50 square feet. It was launched in 2009 by a Kobe-based fire extinguisher company. What is the basis of this odoriferous alarm?

12) In The Fifth Element, a hovering Chinese junk comes right to your high-rise apartment window to serve you a fresh meal. Well ironworkers on the new Freedom Tower will not have Chinese but they will have lunch delivered. This restaurant made of shipping containers will move up it’s side as it is being constructed, providing food. They'll be stacked on a hydraulically powered platform. The resulting three-level structure will house the restaurant complete with kitchen for fresh baked bread. As the tower grows, it will "jump" to the next new floor. What restaurant chain is delivering on high?