Got A Heart Calling On Line Two

from the ooh-i-hope-it's-not-long-distance dept

Thu, Nov 17th 2005 02:56pm - Carlo Longino

A company has released a new heart monitor that sends cardiograph information to a call center where the company compares it to a patient’s medical history to see if they need to go to the hospital when they’re feeling unwell. The device uses three electrodes to record two minutes of heartbeats, then when the patient presses a button, they’re played as a series of beeps into the microphone of any phone and sent in for review by a cardiologist that then advises a course of action. The company says they’re working on a model that would talk directly to cell phones over Bluetooth that should be ready in the next couple years — so they’re well behind the pacemaker industry, which has had devices capable of calling doctors for some time.

6 Comments

Expand

Mind Over Mouse

Bleeding Edge

from the look-and-click dept

Wed, Nov 16th 2005 11:57am - Mike Masnick

We’ve written a few times in the past about efforts designed to set up a mind controlled computer system in monkeys and humans (different groups are trying different approaches). The technology continues to move forward as newly published reports discuss the successful mind control of computers by two humans. Of course, this latest effort is using chips implanted in the brain, and the one we discussed last year was about non-implant mind control — which is probably a lot more appealing to folks who’d rather not have their skulls cracked open. Either way, it looks like we’re a long way away from anything most of us would be using. Still, once they combine this with retinal displays and built in wireless internet access to our bloodstream, just think of how much fun the professional worriers will have about what it’s doing to our culture.

19 Comments

Expand

Patent Office Grants Patent On Anti-Gravity Device

Bleeding Edge

from the physics-is-for-pansies dept

Wed, Nov 9th 2005 06:41pm - Mike Masnick

It’s absolutely true that you can get a patent on a technology or concept that you haven’t built yourself. While many of us find this to be extremely problematic, plenty of patent trolls love the concept, because it lets them lock up all sorts of ideas. Then later, when someone else actually builds it, they can trot out the patent and squeeze the real innovator for money. However, should you be allowed to patent ideas that, not only haven’t been built, but go against the laws of physics? Apparently you can. The US Patent Office has handed out a patent for an anti-gravity device. While it’s true that there are some who believe that anti-gravity devices are possible, it would seem like a working model would be a fairly important part of the process before you hand out a patent like this to someone. What’s next, a patent on x-ray vision or faster than light travel?

18 Comments

Expand

Dance, Fat Kid, Dance

Bleeding Edge

from the i'm-just-burnin-doin-the-neutron-dance dept

Thu, Nov 3rd 2005 01:24pm - Carlo Longino

Using video games to get kids to exercise isn’t anything new, nor is using the game Dance Dance Revolution in particular. But a company’s developed some new, industrial-strength DDR hardware specifically designed for use in workouts, and they’re hoping schools and health clubs will buy into the heavy-duty equipment, particularly since it’s backed by a four-year warranty. This seems like a pretty positive use for video games, so it will be interesting to see what game critics come up with to knock it. We can see it now: kids use video games like jailhouse inmates use weights, spending their time bulking up for their next game-induced killing spree.

10 Comments

Expand

But What If We Want To Control The Weather?

Bleeding Edge

from the good-question dept

Tue, Nov 1st 2005 10:16am - Mike Masnick

With all of these hurricanes, it seems that “controlling the weather” is suddenly a hot topic. A few weeks ago we wrote about historical attempts to control the weather (they weren’t very successful). However, now, MSNBC is looking at new efforts to control the weather. The beginning of the article notes that right now the focus is (and should be) more on using technology to better predict and respond to natural disasters — but there are some who are still looking into ways to have more control over the weather. Of course, many people fear that such things will set off a chain reaction of unintended consequences that will be anything but healthy. However, the supporters of weather control point out that we’re already impacting the weather and climate with many of our activities — and research into weather control might also help us to better understand the impact of other activities.

10 Comments

Expand

Forget Class, Just Get The Podcast

Bleeding Edge

from the cutting-101 dept

Fri, Oct 21st 2005 09:07am - Carlo Longino

Forget borrowing somebody’s notes or looking at the prof’s PowerPoint slides on the Internet, now college students can just subscribe to the podcast if they don’t want to go to class. Cue the inevitable backlash from people calling this the downfall of higher education, but it seems like a pretty good use of technology, really. If a student wants to go over a lecture again, they can, and somebody that tries to replace actually showing up for class with a podcast probably wasn’t that interested (and probably wasn’t going to do very well) anyway. But I guess Duke’s finally found a use for all those iPods they gave out.

8 Comments

Expand

Can I Have Your Passwalk?

Bleeding Edge

from the paging-hollywood dept

Thu, Oct 13th 2005 02:08pm - Carlo Longino

Researchers at Finland’s VTT Technical Research Center have come up with a way to secure mobile phones and laptops by sensing changes in their carrier’s walking style. The thinking is that if something is stolen, it will be carried by somebody with a different gait, and the device will sense this and shut down. The researchers say the method’s better than typical password or biometric methods since it can happen completely transparently to the user, but it seems like it’s got a few pitfalls — like, for instance, if you loan your laptop to somebody, or you break your leg and are on crutches. It would, however, cut down on the number of people whose fingers get cut off or eyeballs get pulled out so thieves can use them to gain access to equipment, which is always nice.

6 Comments

Expand

The Latest iPod Killer — Breast iMplants

Bleeding Edge

from the hi-dr-nick dept

Thu, Oct 13th 2005 09:07am - Carlo Longino

Researchers at BT Laboratories say that within 15 years, women will be able to store MP3 players and their music collection in breast implants. “One boob could hold an MP3 player and the other the person’s whole music collection,” apparently. The implants would transmit sound and be controlled over Bluetooth, and could also work with sensors to detect heart murmurs, blood pressure increases, diabetes and breast cancer. Sounds really great and everything — but what happens when they come out with a new model with bigger capacity, a color screen, or plays video? Sounds like the upgrade could be pretty painful. The BT boffin says, “if a woman has something implanted permanently, it might as well do something useful” — but why just breast implants when it seems like they could be implanted anywhere? Why not make buttocks more useful, or shins? But I guess that’s the perk of a BT research job — sit around all day thinking about boobs and music.

20 Comments

Expand

Nanomedicine For Real Or Just More Hype?

Bleeding Edge

from the can-we-see-it-in-action? dept

Thu, Oct 13th 2005 07:23am - Mike Masnick

For years and years we’ve been hearing about expected revolutions in the medical field from things like nanotechnology. And, for years and years, nothing much has happened. While this stuff isn’t simple, and things certainly don’t happen overnight, the failure to see much of anything should keep everyone pretty skeptical until we see nano-medicine in action. So, while it’s encouraging to read about some new nano-medical systems that may be coming to market, it would be nice to keep the hype in check until it’s really here and really working.

2 Comments

Expand

Throw Your Dirty Dishes Away; You'll Just Make New Ones At Dinner

Bleeding Edge

from the innovation-in-the-kitchen dept

Wed, Oct 12th 2005 08:23am - Mike Masnick

We keep hearing about how 3D printers for rapid prototyping are getting closer and closer to going mainstream — but they’re still not there yet. While they’re used in plenty of places, having them in more common usage could lead to quite a revolution in how people view the things that they own. Take, for example, some research being done to create recyclable dishes. The idea is that you have some raw material wafers in a machine, and you punch in what type and how many dishes you need (four place settings, please), and it makes the proper dishes on the spot. After you’re done, you put them back into the machine and it deconstructs them back to the raw materials, which can be used again for the next meal. In the process it also cleans the material. It’s not there yet (it can’t get out grease and it hasn’t figured out how to trim the excess material from smaller items like cups), but it does give one simple example of where all of this could eventually go. Not that recyclable dishes are in huge demand — but the concept of using some kind of rapid construction machine to build tangible goods on demand has plenty of potential.

11 Comments

Expand

<< Newer Stories Older Stories >>

Follow Techdirt

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Essential Reading

The Techdirt Greenhouse

Read the latest posts:

Read All »

Trending Posts

Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Older Stuff

Wednesday
13:29	Automaker Lobbyists Keep Undermining Maine's Effort To Pass Popular 'Right To Repair' Reforms (2)
12:13	Gun Rights Activists Briefly Pause MAGA Cheerleading To Half-Assedly Defend Rights Of Murdered Minnesotan (17)
10:52	Minneapolis Proved Something MAGA Can't Accept: Most People Are Actually Virtuous (39)
10:47	Daily Deal: StackSkills Premium Annual Pass (0)
09:23	Minnesota's Top Judge Exposes DOJ's Desperate Attempt To Salvage A Bunch Of Church Protest Arrest Warrants (17)
05:21	Brendan Carr Pretends To Care About Competition, Helps Larry Ellison Undermine Netflix Warner Brothers Merger (1)
Tuesday
20:02	CDC Dep. Director On Measles Going Kazoo: It's Just 'The Cost Of Doing Business' (51)
15:38	How Hackers Are Fighting Back Against ICE (9)
13:44	TikTok Already Getting Shittier Under The Ownership Of Trump's Billionaire Buddies (11)
12:04	Border Patrol Thug Greg Bovino Gets Booted Back To The Border By The Trump Administration (3)
10:40	ATproto: The Enshittification Killswitch That Enables Resonant Computing (22)
10:35	Daily Deal: Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 + The Premium Learn to Code Bundle (0)
09:35	The Trump Administration Is Losing The Support Of Local Law Enforcement (10)
05:31	Brendan Carr Again Threatens Talk Shows That Refuse To Coddle Republicans (37)
Monday
20:09	Shift Up's CEO Says They Need AI Because Of The Chinese Boogeyman (29)
15:33	The FBI Raided A Reporter's Home, Ignoring Laws Designed To Prevent Exactly That (12)
13:43	Ten Shots (19)
12:05	Right Wing Influencers Caught Copy Pasting Identical Rants Against New AI Regulations (22)
10:50	Judge Blocks DHS From Destroying Evidence From Alex Pretti's Execution By Federal Officers (28)
10:45	Daily Deal: Tinymoose Pencil Pro Plus for iPad with Wireless Charging (3)
09:29	An American Murder (63)
05:32	'Trump Phone' Still Doesn't Exist, Pre-Order Totals Appear Completely Made Up (20)
Sunday
12:45	Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt (3)
Saturday
12:00	There's One Week Left In The Public Domain Game Jam! (1)
Friday
19:39	Techdirt 2025: The Stats (23)
15:28	White House Push AI-Altered Images Of Arrested ICE Protesters To Manufacture Cruelty (37)
13:42	A Year In, And It's Time To Recognize: The Oval Office Is Empty (21)
12:16	Noem Says ICE Is Being Menaced By Ice Cubes, Protesters Should Be Cooped Up In 'Free Speech Zones' (22)
10:35	Got Ideas For Growing The Open Social Web? Bring Them. (5)
10:30	Daily Deal: Luminar Mobile for iOS And Android (0)

Got A Heart Calling On Line Two

from the ooh-i-hope-it's-not-long-distance dept

Mind Over Mouse

from the look-and-click dept

Patent Office Grants Patent On Anti-Gravity Device

from the physics-is-for-pansies dept

Dance, Fat Kid, Dance

from the i'm-just-burnin-doin-the-neutron-dance dept

But What If We Want To Control The Weather?

from the good-question dept

Forget Class, Just Get The Podcast

from the cutting-101 dept

Can I Have Your Passwalk?

from the paging-hollywood dept

The Latest iPod Killer — Breast iMplants

from the hi-dr-nick dept

Nanomedicine For Real Or Just More Hype?

from the can-we-see-it-in-action? dept

Throw Your Dirty Dishes Away; You'll Just Make New Ones At Dinner

from the innovation-in-the-kitchen dept

Get all our posts in your inbox with the Techdirt Daily Newsletter!

The Techdirt Greenhouse

Trending Posts

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

Saturday

Friday

More

Tools & Services

Company

Contact

More

from the ooh-i-hope-it's-not-long-distance dept

from the look-and-click dept

from the physics-is-for-pansies dept

from the i'm-just-burnin-doin-the-neutron-dance dept

from the good-question dept

from the cutting-101 dept

from the paging-hollywood dept

from the hi-dr-nick dept

from the can-we-see-it-in-action? dept

from the innovation-in-the-kitchen dept

Techdirt Daily Newsletter

Get all our posts in your inbox with the Techdirt Daily Newsletter!

The Techdirt Greenhouse

Trending Posts

Email This Story

Tools & Services

Company

Contact

More