Future of Computers. - Articles - Zimbio

8th European Space Power Conference

Tue, 20 Aug 2008 10:41:27 GMT

posted by icelefant
"European Space Power Conference" an der Hochschule Konstanz (HTWG) Die achte "European Space Power Conference" findet vom 14. bis zum 19. September an der Hochschule Konstanz (HTWG) statt. Die Teilnehmer, Spitzenkräfte auf dem Gebiet der elektronischen und elektronischen Systeme von Raumfahrzeugen und Satelliten kommen aus der ganzen Welt und wollen sich am Bodensee über die neuesten Entwicklungen austauschen. Erwartet werden 250 Teilnehmer...

Computers...that read minds. Scary thought!

Tue, 4 Jun 2008 02:11:00 GMT

posted by julianayrs

Does the thought of a computer reading your mind make you uneasy?

Maybe it should.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are teaching PCs how to scan the thoughts of subjects with amazing success.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (!) on nine subjects, brain patterns associated with fifty-eight different associations for various nouns were first identified, then logged for the record.

Then, the scientists proceeded to test the ability of the computer to discern between two different nouns chosen for the experiment.

According to the researchers, when the little devils were asked to determine which nouns the subject was thinking of, seventy-seven percent of the time the data chasers were right on target.

What are the ramifications?

On a positive note, an application of the principles may one day be used to develop useful devices to open up the field of communication for individuals who have difficulty speaking, for instance.

But, there is the potential for misuse in the event the knowledge falls into evil, self-serving hands.

For example, advanced computers could be programmed to fathom the nature of the thoughts of an individual, figure out if they're fessing up, and so forth and so on.

The science may open a whole Pandora's box of new-fangled "mind police" gadgetry with the ultimate aim of subduing and controlling the masses.

Far fetched?

In the past couple of years one particular bit of research sent up a red flag for me.

In that experiment, a handful of robots were programmed to secure a specific object in an empty room. A can of dog food, for instance. But, when the moment came to carry out the task, something startling occurred.

The robots not only sought out the objects they were programmed to snatch up, but actually pushed and shoved the other robots aside, when they got in the way.

Yet, they had not been programmed to do that!

In a moment of "crisis", the remarkable man-made creations not only figured out how to resolve the dilemma - but ultimately - carry out their directive.

Scary!

The scenario reminded me of the one depicted in Stanley Kubrick's award-winning futuristic feature, 2001: Space Odyssey.

In that top notch Sci-fi thriller - Hal, the main computer - over-rode his Officer's urgent commands when a life-threatening "emergency" scenario developed on the orbiting Space Station

No wonder.

Hal had been programmed with enough code to not only "out-think" his master, but correctly justify his single-minded actions, in spite of the strenuous protests of his superior.

If we give computers too much power - is it possible they may think for themselves one day - and eventually take over at the helm?

Data for thought!

Web 3.0 will be 3D-Internet!

Sun, 28 May 2007 16:56:35 GMT

posted by ultrafeel

The future of the internet develops from the common 2D web into a more and more realistic three-dimensional cyberworld.
This however is so far still basically unknown to a wider public; but this trend seems unstoppable. At this moment the internet is conquering the virtual threedimensional space. We hardly got used to the term 'Web 2.0' - already 'Web 3.0' knocks at our doors. At least this term will be easy to remember, because…

Web 3.0 will be nothing else than three-dimensional internet.
In Web 2.0 we have the possibility to participate in the internet with blogs, Wikipedia, Youtube, Facebook, Digg or Myspace. With Web 3.0 we will do the same thing - but in 3D! The leap from Community Web 2.0 to 3D Web 3.0 will be a quantum jump, which can be compared to the step from book to television.

At this very moment thousands of users worldwide linger in 3D-worlds like Second Life or 3D-games suchs as Entropiauniverse and Activeworlds.
These virtual spaces are however just forerunners of a much greater trend. The whole net will become a complete threedimensional world - a virtual parallel-world to real life. These new worlds will be inhabited by so-called avatars.

An avatar is an artificial person or a graphic representative of a person in a virtual world, as for example in a computer game.
So it is about a kind of virtual I or we could also call it our alter ego. The word avatar is sanskrit and literally means 'descent' and implies descent of a god into the bodily realms of planet earth. Computer-avatars however represent real people - at least for the time being. In this regard, virtual worlds are more real than certain telephone-hotlines!

Philip Rosedale, founder of Second Life, believes that one day 1'500 million people will have a second existence.
Rosedale believes that virtual identities will become as popular as email-addresses and mobile phones. Too daring a prediction? If we consider the fact that 10 years ago in 1997 only a handful of people owned their own email-address, virtual identities for a great part of the population seem very well realistic.

The adding of the third dimension will shift the internet into a hyper-realistic parallelworld.
In the year 2020 it will be difficult to distinguish this computerworld from the real world. A foretaste of this can be seen in the onlineworld which is currently best-known: Second Life. Luxurious flats on tropical islands…sports like skydiving and skateboarding…virtual campus including teachers and lecture rooms…virtual sex, escort agencies, red-light district, tabledance…purchase and vending of land, real estate, cars, furniture, clothes…3D-chat…and all the rest of it. This and much more can be experienced at this stage!

(www.internet3d.org)

Welcome to our wikizine called "Future of Computers."

Wed, 31 May 2007 13:47:49 GMT

posted by Dncollins20
Wikizines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is called "Future of Computers.". Here you can find fresh voices and respond in real time. Some members write articles about recent news and trends related to the wikizine's topic, others recount relevant personal stories or share their favorite pictures and video clips. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this wikizine? Well, then put on your journalist's cap and add your own article!

The way we use computers may change forever!

Wed, 31 May 2007 05:14:00 GMT

posted by Dncollins20

With the latest debut of Microsoft's Coffee table Computer named the "Milan", the only question I can ask is will computers change forever or will this be just another dud for the rich people who can't control their spending.

The "Milan" will run Windows Vista and will be all touch screen technology. (Sorry all you people who love keyboards and mice.) This computer has a lot of promise, but I don't know if it will catch on with the masses.

It is being heavily marketed to casinos and also to the corporate big shots. The flat display measures 30 inches diagonally and is designed to make it easy for multiple users to reach across and touch the screen. Images are projected onto the display via a custom DLP engine. Five infrared cameras set below the display detect contact with the display and enable users to navigate the interface.

I don't know what is next, but I can't wait to see what else is under the Computer giants hats.

For full review go to Pcmag.com Hands on with Milan