You are hereFeed aggregator / Categories / Blogs
Blogs
Spark 183 – May 20 & 23, 2012
Spark - 3 hours 38 min ago
On this episode of Spark: Phone Fonts, POV video, and Long-distance Love Tech. Click below to listen to the whole show, or download the MP3 (runs 54:00).
You can also listen to individual stories below.
Game CAPTCHAs We’ve all encountered those squiggly distorted letters on websites that you have decipher in order to prove you are, in fact, a person. But what if instead, you could play a short little game to prove you’re not a bot? Nora speaks with Reid Tatoris, co-founder of Are You a Human – a company that’s developed a game-based human verification system. (Runs 7:45)[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- Are You a Human
- PlayThru demo
- You might also like this Spark interview with Louis von Ahn the guy who invented CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Robots Love Film Fests, too! A lot is going on in New York City in the summer, but nothing quite like the second annual Robot Film Festival on July 14 and 15, a celebration of robots on film. Heather Knight is co-founder of the fest (she was on Spark a few weeks back about her robot comedian) and she tells us about the festivals goal to seek insight into robot character through storytelling and showing the positive side of robots on film. (Runs 6:23)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- Robot Film Festival
- videos from last year’s Robot Film Fest
- Heather Knight
- Full uncut version of interview with Heather Knight about her comedian robot, Data
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- David Fewer
- Full Interview with David Fewer
- CIPPIC
- Bill C-11
- David Fewer on Spark in November 2010 talking about Bill C-32
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- Carman Neustaedter
- You might also like this Spark story about Personal Connections in the Digital Age
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
- Steve Matteson
- Full uncut version of interview with Steve Matteson
- You might also like this Spark story about the history of word processing
- APM music used in this episode
- Main page photo courtesy of areyouahuman.com
Subscribe to any of our totally free podcasts!
Categories: Blogs
Point-of-View Video Glasses
Spark - 4 hours 34 min ago
On this week’s show, writer and Spark contributor, Cathi Bond brought us the story of Pivothead “video recording eyewear”: a camera nested in a pair of eyeglasses that can capture high definition, point of view video. Cathi sees it as an example of our growing trend towards capturing and sharing video, and of a possible future where people become entertainment and communication ‘hubs’. But how well do these glasses perform, anyway, and what do they look like? I took a working prototype of the Pivothead glasses out for a spin around the Spark office, shooting video and recording narration using the Pivothead’s audio recording capability. What do you think? What likely uses will we see for point of view video down the road?
If you like this video, you might also like Cathi Bond on the Sony 3D visor
Categories: Blogs
Focus: Electron Spin Influences Nanotube Motion
Physics - 10 hours 2 min ago
The oscillations of a carbon nanotube can strongly affect the spin of an electron trapped on the tube, and the tube can also be affected by the spin, according to theory.
Published Fri May 18, 2012
Categories: Blogs
Nokia's Lumia 900 Review - AppJudgment
AppJudgement - 11 hours 2 min ago
The Lumia 900 has been out for a little over a month now. How is it holding up in this hard iOS/Android world?
Categories: Blogs
When to Pay Less (or More) for Your Mortgage
Mortgage trends - 14 hours 53 min ago
Mortgagors incur borrowing costs on three occasions: At origination (i.e., closing costs) During the term (payments and misc. fees) At discharge (penalties, discharge fees, etc.) If you pick the right...
Categories: Blogs
Full Interview: Steve Matteson on Designing Fonts for Mobile Tech
Spark - 2012, May 17 - 15:33
These days we spend a lot of time reading text on computer screens and small mobile devices. Steve Matteson is Creative Type Director at Monotype Imaging and he thinks a lot about how to make that digital text legible and easy to read.
You’ll have noticed Steve’s handiwork in Windows, there’s a typeface family called Segoe which is the brand typeface and used in the user interface. He also designed the typefaces for the Xbox and the Xbox 360. And if you use an Android phone, you’ll be familiar with his Droid Sans and Serif typeface families.
Nora talks to Steve about the challenges in designing fonts for our portable technology and whether there’s such a thing as a “bad font.” You’ll notice Nora is pretty keen about fonts herself, watch for her dropping terms like “kerning”!
You can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 20:03]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? It’s a podcast feed full of additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]
Categories: Blogs
Full Interview: David Fewer on Canadian Copyright Reform
Spark - 2012, May 17 - 11:56
This week, Bill C-11, the copyright reform bill, came out of committee and now awaits third reading. We thought it was a good time to check up on what’s happened since the bill was originally introduced in the fall. I just spoke with David Fewer, Director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.
You can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 8:50]
If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? It’s a podcast feed full of additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]
Categories: Blogs
Synopsis: U-shaped Grains Get Clingy
Physics - 2012, May 17 - 07:00
Piles of staples stand up to shaking better if the staple prongs have an intermediate length.
Published Thu May 17, 2012
Categories: Blogs
Synopsis: Two Donors Are Better Than One
Physics - 2012, May 17 - 07:00
Pairs of donor atoms read out the energy levels in a silicon nanowire.
Published Thu May 17, 2012
Categories: Blogs
Synopsis: Wave of Correlation
Physics - 2012, May 17 - 07:00
Theorists can now calculate the speed with which correlations travel in a chain of interacting atoms.
Published Thu May 17, 2012
Categories: Blogs
Lots of new pics on Facebook. Follow us and like us!
Green City Acres - 2012, May 17 - 06:17
Categories: Blogs
Diablo 3 Style Games for iOS: Hack and Slash RPGs! - Snapp
AppJudgement - 2012, May 17 - 06:00
Diablo 3 is the game to play if you're a PC gamer right now. But what about us mobile gamers? No, Blizzard is not bringing Diablo to the iPad or iPhone anytime soon, but there are a few alternatives.
Categories: Blogs
Trends and Achievements in Nuclear Safety and Security
IAEA - 2012, May 17 - 05:10
Following the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan, global attention has focused on nuclear safety.
Categories: Blogs
OSFI Official Defends its Mortgage Guidelines
Mortgage trends - 2012, May 17 - 04:12
OSFI, the nation’s banking regulator, appears dead set on tightening mortgage lending, and on a fairly wide scale. In an internal communication acquired by Bloomberg News, OSFI’s manager of policy...
Categories: Blogs
IAEA Progress Report on Supporting New Nuclear Power Programmes
IAEA - 2012, May 16 - 08:51
A country’s decision to embark on nuclear power is very complex and requires considerable analysis.
Categories: Blogs
Flipboard for Android Leaked: Where to Get it and How to Install It! - AppJudgment
AppJudgement - 2012, May 16 - 06:00
Flipboard for Android has been leaked and we've got our hands on it. Ron and Chris give you a quick tutorial on where to find the APK, and how to install the beautiful RSS and news reader.
Categories: Blogs
Audio Podcast #137: Whatever Happened to Peace, Love and Digital Democracy?
Search Engine Blog - 2012, May 16 - 02:56
Micah Sifry on the slow growth of Internet-powered politics.
Listen now: Whatever Happened to Peace, Love and Digital Democracy? [.mp3]
Search Engine with Jesse Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License.
Categories: Blogs
FDA Updates information related to: Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging
AAPM - 2012, May 15 - 14:01
Like all medical procedures, computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine imaging exams present both benefits and risks. These types of imaging procedures have led to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of numerous medical conditions. At the same time, these types of exams expose patients to...
Categories: Blogs
FDA announces a Public Workshop - Device Improvements for Pediatric X-ray Imaging, July 16, 2012
AAPM - 2012, May 15 - 13:58
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a public Workshop on "Device Improvements for Pediatric X-ray Imaging." The main purpose of the workshop is to discuss the draft guidance "Pediatric Information for X-ray Imaging Device Premarket Notifications." This guidance will apply to...
Categories: Blogs
Globe & Mail Mortgage Chat — Wednesday May 16
Mortgage trends - 2012, May 15 - 13:38
No one wants to pay more for a mortgage. But tomorrow during a live chat we'll discuss when it actually might make sense… Date: Wednesday, May 16th Time: Noon (ET)...
Categories: Blogs
