Mind Reading MRI Technology

This week on “60 Minutes,” they showed this segment on new brain scan technology, called Functional MRI.  By watching which parts of the brain are active, they are developing new methods of actually reading someone’s mind.

This sort of technology has been in use for a while now, such as knowing which areas of the brain contain speech, memory, etc.  However, this new method can actually start to understand your intentions and emotions.

Some parts of this video amaze me and other parts scare me.  Such as being able to beam a light onto your forehead and read your mind without you even knowing.  Someone questioning you will know if you’re telling the truth, or a store could use that technology to know what you want to buy and how to sell it to you.  What if we could even scan our friends and family to know if they were being honest with us?  Would we even  be able to live our lives normally anymore?

They also say how they can use this to investigate crimes, which could be an incredible way of proving innocence or guilt, but there are still so many ethical questions we need to ask before we could use something like this.

Apparently this technology could be reading our minds within the next few years, so it will be interesting to see what changes this brings about in society.  Big Brother isn’t just using cameras anymore.

The Readius Reveals New Technology

A problem many of us have with using our mobile devices for internet, or choosing an e-reader over a book, may be the size of the screen.  We want our devices to be pocket-sized, yet we want a big screen.  With things like the iPhone, the Kindle, and other products making developments in ease of internet browsing and e-reading, we still have to use a relatively small screen.  The Kindle has offered a new larger screen, but it doesn’t make it very portable.

The Readius is the first device that will be made available that is finding a way around these problems.  By using a rollable display, the Readius folds up to a pocket-sized device, yet the screen extends to 5 inches.  There is no creasing and no fold marks, no matter how much you fold and unfold the screen.  It boasts the same quality of screen images as other e-readers, and can even be used in bright sunlight.

The Readius is primarily an e-reader, but also has global wireless connectivity for internet access as well as a mobile phone.  You can check your e-mail, browse the web, call your friends, and download a book.  The battery life is 30 hours, so you won’t have to worry about it cutting out in the middle of a chapter.

This is just the start of the rollable display technology.  The Readius may be the first to offer it, but we can expect to see it on our other devices soon.  Research on flexible and rollable displays has come a long way and this will be the first major test of it’s success.

The Readius will launch in several countries in the fall and although they haven’t released a set price, marketing reps have said that it will be more expensive than the Kindle, which currently sells for $359.

The technology is all pretty amazing to me, but I personally think that it’s just going to get better and better from here, and I wouldn’t buy the first thing that comes out.  The screen is all black and white, which is fine if you just want to use it as an e-reader, but browsing the internet without color seems a little disappointing to me.  It also seems a little slow when you watch the demo, and would be better as a touch screen.  Maybe I’m too picky, but I just know all those things will be improved on as soon as the technology catches on.

Click here to see the Readius website, where you can view product specs and sign up to be notified when Readius launches in your country: www.readius.com

Click Read More to see the video demonstrating the Readius.
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Lady Gaga Revenge iPhone App

This is the most exciting news for the iPhone since the Taco Bell Shaker!  Lady Gaga has a new app from the makers of the “Tap Tap Revenge” game.  The game is a sort of “Guitar Hero” for your iPhone or iPod Touch.  You tap the circles along with the beat, and shake your iPod back and forth with the arrows.  “Tap Tap Revenge” has a huge library of songs to download, but now “Lady Gaga Revenge” has all of Gaga’s hits, including the remixes, to tap along with.

The graphics and game themes go along with Lady Gaga’s album “The Fame,” making it nice to look at as well as fun to play.  The game can also give you a chance to meet Lady Gaga.  They are giving away 4 tickets to a show with backstage passes to meet Gaga herself.  To win, you have to download the game and submit your high score for each level, including the bonus stages.  They are also giving away 30 autographed copies of “The Fame,” which you can win just by submitting one high score.

The app sells for $4.99 and can be downloaded from the iTunes store or by clicking HERE.

Project Natal’s Amazing New Technology

The new technology being revealed with Project Natal is something that will change technology forever.  Some of these things have been talked about for a while, but now with a 12-18 month release date projected, we will be using them very soon.

More game interaction is something that has grown lately.  With the Nintendo Wii allowing you to have motion activated controllers, things have changed already.  However, now no controllers will be needed.  Your body and voice becomes the direction.

The trailers being released by XBox are very impressive, and live demos have proven that the technology really is as good as it looks.  People who have been lucky enough to try it are raving about how realistic it is.

The Milo project is especially fascinating to me.  To interact with a boy who remembers you and actually mimics emotion in your voice is incredible.  To be able to hand something to someone inside your game and have them look at it isn’t something I ever imagined I’d be able to do.

We’re getting closer and closer to the holodeck from “Star Trek” that I’ve been hoping for since I was a kid, and I’m getting pretty excited!

Watch the Project Natal trailer above and then click Read More to see the Milo demo.

[Thanks to Andrew!]

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