Significant Developments Feed

Robo-Mommy

2006-04-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Scientists have developed a robot that simulates a woman giving birth. This full sized robot will emit pulse rates, breathe, urinate and deliver a small plastic baby. She can be configured to deliver normally or have special complications such as breech birth or an abnormally long or short labor. All of this allows medical staff to train on something realistic, without using women as guinea pigs.

Of course nothing beats actual hands on training (ask youself if you'd rather have an ob-gyn who delivered 1000 babies, or had used this machine 1000 times - or a pilot who flew vs. flight simulator, etc), but this is a big help to good training. It would really help in special circumstances, where nurses and doctors would be more relaxed the first time they see a real complication, because they had seen it simulated before.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention a funny comment on the WorldMagBlog thread where I saw this story; commenter Llama says "They really need this 'Birthing Robot' in Europe and other developed countries where real births are too low in number to do adequate training for medical practitioners." Ouch

MacIntel machines Massively parallel under Leopard?

2006-04-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Appears to be a strong rumor. See the following link for details:

http://www.macosrumors.com/20060402B.php

If true, this will certainly blow away in tiny hope that Vista would be able to save the now ailing Microsoft.

Andrew

Brant adds: This could be a very interesting development. PPC Macs had short, but wide processing, which attempts to make computing faster by distributing the processing across the wide pipe - the drawback being that you can't dial clock speeds as high and your lookaheads are short. Intel PCs had long, but thin processing, which allows for much higher clock speeds and deeper look ahead, but things like bubbles (where you can't determine the next instruction, or your look aheads were rendered useless by a branch) are much more costly.

Think of it this way - at the McDonald's you can go in, where there are 5 cashiers and shorter lines, but slower service at each one. Or you can go to the drivethru, where their is a longer line and only 1 cashier but they are trying to push people through faster. All things being equal, they are probably about the same. But if you have a slow cashier or some guy in front of you takes forever with his order, if you're inside you can just move over to another line. Conversely, some McDonald's put a lot of focus on their drivethru and can move people through it much more faster because its their only focus. So each has its benefits and downsides.

But now, we arrive at the peanut butter meets chocolate moment. Having both a huge parallel core, and really fast pipelines could very well give you the best of both worlds. You could process a lot of stuff at one time, and make the time it takes to process it much faster. Definitely something to keep an eye on.

The beginning of self-generated organ transplants?

2006-04-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4871540.stm

US scientists have successfully implanted bladders grown in the laboratory from patients' own cells into people with bladder disease.

Brant adds: Is it just me or is it kind of hard to believe that we live in a world like this? It's like all of the crazy things that people said we would have in the far off expansive "future" is actually here. I'm also glad to see this because it will perhaps eliminate the desire to create clones and harvest them for organs - a practice both creepy and immoral.

NanoTech Viruses

2006-03-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

UK scientists from Norwich have used a plant virus to create nanotechnology building blocks.

The virus, which infects black-eyed peas, was employed as a "scaffold" on to which other chemicals were attached.

The researchers tell the journal Small that their work could be used in the future to make tiny electrical devices.

The work is yet another example of how scientists are now trying to engineer objects on the scale of atoms and molecules.

Bionics

2006-03-18T02:16:00.000-08:00

Scientists have developed artificial, super-strength muscles which are powered by alcohol and hydrogen.they say these artificial muscles are 100 times more powerful than the body's own.

They said they could even be used in "exoskeletons" to give superhuman strength to certain professions such as firefighters, soldiers and astronauts.

Plot a course for tomorrow

2006-03-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

As I've said before, I don't know if I should love Google or fear them because they seem to be slowly taking over everything by making it cooler. It all seems to make sense if you think of them as a bad comic book villian who desires to take over the world. The reader will no doubt note the clever irony of typing this into a blogger blog.... And now comes this - the marriage of GPS to Google Earth. So. Freakin. Cool.

This article also mentions a couple other internet connectedness possibilities - getting current traffic conditions, current gas prices at nearby stations, or even searching for cool stuff to do where you are. All of which only makes the different Google apps (local, earth, search, etc) even more prominent.

No word on how much a service would cost to have your car internet connected, which will be the sticking point... for now. But it won't be long until the ol' free market brings that down to the rest of us.

Monkey Business

2006-03-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Monkey Controls Robot Arm with Thoughts

(h/t Jesse Ezell)

Brant adds : a little formatting and a title, for our more blogging-challenged friends. Just teasing Joe, glad to see your first post.

US 'plans stealth shark spies'

2006-03-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

Pentagon scientists are planning to turn sharks into "stealth spies" capable of tracking vessels undetected

Brant adds : While technologically interesting, this strikes me as rather morally questionable. Animal rights activists will flip out because they equate sharks with humans in terms of intrinsic value. While I disagree with that, I can't see how ramming electrodes into a shark's brain to turn it into some sort of cool new sub is fulfilling the dominion mandate. Either way it strikes me as a bit sick.

MultiTouch Demo

2006-03-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

Well, here's a great set of videos sent over by Jeff Wright. It's an excellent example of what Apple's patents could look like in the future:

MultiTouch Demo

As you all may have seen in my earlier posts regarding Apple's recent patent filings regarding gesture control of tablet devices, this video SHOWS it in action. It appears to be from NYU, and represents a UI that I would LOVE to have on my desktop!!

I can feel just how much more productive I would be with something like that going on!!

So, this further bolsters my prediction that Apple will release a new kind of tablet device this year. Perhaps in August at the next MacWorld Expo. Talk about blowing away the competition!!

Andrew

The Housing Bubble

2006-03-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

The Housing Bubble burst stories continue to ebb and flow. Personally, I think we're in for a doozy. Those that bought in the last couple of years and borrowed money at interest-only rates with a baloon, will be in trouble soon.

On the positive side, based on all the stories and research I read, the market will be in for a delicious correction that will actually make it possible for normal people to buy houses again. On the way down, there should be plenty of opportunities for flips as well as dream home buys.

Only time will tell...

In the meantime, check out these recent posts:

Digital Rules by Rich Karlgaard
Investor Insight

Andrew

iPod Video 6G?

2006-03-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this might be a total fake. So many skilled artists out there now, that using a technique similar to the HP commercials, this might be spoofed.

But, if it's real, it looks REAL cool!

Video of Sixth Generation Video iPod?

Andrew

Pay and benefits in the new economy

2006-03-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

I know "new economy" is a tired and silly phrase - after all, unless human nature fundamentally changes the laws of economics remain fixed - but it seems like a nice way of describing the future. Anyway, my question is who will win in the battle of low-price megastore wages - Costco or Sams/WalMart?

WalMart, as demagogues constantly remind us, pays comparatively low wages with no benefits for most workers. Costco, who's prices are every bit as low as WalMart/Sams, pays relatively high wages and benefits to even the lowest hourly worker (h/t Cranach). Is the fact that both are non-union a predictor of future trends, or mere coincidence?

Coming Soon - a la carte TV

2006-03-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

Market forces and changing opinions in D.C. are conspiring to push a la carte cable programming into your house. I'm all for it - I think about 70-80% of my current cable package is wasted space. Is there anyone who really wants to pay for programming in languages they don't even understand? (I probably have at least 5 such channels - if you count Spanish, which I understand un poquito).

My only gripe with this is that the market is going to do this anyway - so why are we creating laws to do this? Laws are slow and difficult to change while often being heavy handed, whereas the market is nimble and agile and quick to forget about past mistakes when companies do change. With the growth of Tivo and especially on demand stuff like iTMS, the cable companies will either change or simply die off. Think about it this way - would you rather spend $40-50 a month on the cable channels you never watch or get 25 1-hour shows (@$1.99 ea.) a month that you absolutely love and can now watch on your own schedule? Cable companies know how to balance this equation, and we'll see this coming with or without legislation.

Further Apple Developments

2006-02-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Well, looks like there is yet-again more developments within Apple. They have now either purchased or lease over 250,000 square feet in the Silicon Valley area. What could this all mean? Speculation abounds!!

Here is a document that talks about the most recent acquisition.

Perhaps this further bolsters my theory that Apple is rolling out a new Tablet Macintosh?! I can't imagine a new full screen iPod with a touch screen interface, as that wouldn't seem to require all this added real estate.

Well, I'm sure we'll all become much more aware of all these machinations tomorrow after Apple press event.

Andrew

Apple Press Announcement

2006-02-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well, in light of Apple's recent announcement of a press event on 2/28, everyone is already speculation wildly about what will be announced.

Brad Hill over at Weblogs, Inc. has the following to say:

Apple has notified the world that it will announce "fun new products" on February 28. Fake invitations to such events abound, but our Engadget team has reason to believe this one is legit. Let the speculations begin! They have begun. Touch-screen video iPod? Intel iBooks? iBoombox? Or this: "I have access to an inside source and he has told me that they are going to reveal that iChat is totally lame and that the iSight i bought to work with it doesn't work anymore and that i should shoot myself for trusting them!" Ouch. Six days left--go here to toss in your suggestions, speculations, and cynical musings.

I think I'm in line with his thinking. I think it will be some sort of touch screen device since so many patents have been made public.

Andrew

"Dynamic" ads in video games - coming soon

2006-02-24T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here's proof that Tivo, vidcasting, iTMS selling TV shows, et al. is having some effect. Desperate to get advertising back in front of the younger male market, advertising companies have sprung up in order to begin selling ads inside of video games. DoubleFusion, one such advertiser, signed a deal with Midway games to not only place ads in their games, but to update them via a user's internet connection.

Interesting development... I don't know if this will effect people's opinions of the games or not. I think there are a number of games that are just so ridiculously popular that nothing could stop them - but for me, much like with movies, it irks me that we have to do with more and more advertising and yet the prices keep going up. Of course, as many of my market-friendly cohorts here at SigDev will be quick to remind, if enough people were irked then the prices would go down.

Widget post!

2006-02-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

This is a test of the new Google Blogger posting widget! I think I will be posting a great deal more items on SigDevFeed through this! :)

Andrew

You have been declared.... obsolete

2006-02-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

Oh no! Our blog may already be obsolete as video podcasting and TV via web take precedence. This one is ripe with many things fit for predictions, but the safest one comes from the blogfather himself, and now author of An Army Of Davids:

"No, I think they're different markets, just like TV didn't end radio. I like to listen to an audio podcast in the car; I can't watch a video podcast while driving. And you can skim a text-oriented blog and get all the information you want in short order, and you can't really do that with either type of podcast. Everybody is saying that text is faster, and that's true."

So whew, we are not yet obsolete. Of course, since we are also a podcast, perhaps we were never in danger, but still.

(h/t to both VodkaPundit and Hughitt)

Toyota's Cuts Costs of Camry Engines 50 Percent

2006-02-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

Interesting and inspiring article on how Toyota continues to put the screws on GM and Ford.

Global Jihad?

2006-02-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

I predict, unfortunately, that we all face a global war with all muslims. A war that will be fought like no other we have other seen. No declarations. No uniforms. No regiments. It will be a decentralized mess of battles with all sorts of muslims around the world that just basically hate, hate hate...

It will be a vulgar war. One that no one will want to wage. Especially the liberals will continue to deny the existence of the raging battle (continuing to vie for their mystical utopia).

Unless the muslims learn how to forgive, releasing their resentment and bitterness about all things that have happened in their past, they will be doomed to a living (and dieing) hell.

Here are some articles that support this prediction:

gatewaypundit
memri.org
desiringgod

h/t to Michelle Malkin for keeping an eye on these loonies!!

More, as it happens...

Does Nissan have a Star Trek fetish?

2006-02-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Judge for yourselves. Their new concept minivan for the traveling scientist is pretty clearly Trek-ish.

Full disclosure - title was stolen from a comment there, but it was just too good not to use

Top speed - 180. 0-60 - 3 seconds. Emissions... zero? whoa!

2006-02-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Mullen GT to become the "carbon fiber super car" at the NY auto show.

This looks way cool - an all electric car (no gas!) with serious performance. Sounds almost too good to be true to me, so my question would be how do you get the energy into the batteries (i.e. how costly will it be to operate) and how long can it run on a charge (i.e. sure I can do 180, but for 5 minutes or an hour or two?).

What do you guys think? Seems to me that if we're dropping out this kind of high end machine now, realistic cars for average people can only be getting closer.

(h/t VodkaPundit)

LibraryThing and the power of aggregates

2006-02-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

While this is not as cutting edge as most SigDev stuff - I posed about this a while back on my blog, Sarcasmagorical - it is still a very cool thing. LibraryThing.com allows users to catalog all of their books online. Cool. You can then tag books with keywords (like "theology", "Neo-platinist", etc) and store your ratings and reviews on each book. Very cool.

But where it jumps into the Wow side of things is that all of these catalogs are then linked together. Meaning you can explore other people's catalogs who have many of the same books as you, or you can get targeted recommendations based on a book you love that other people own. I found from looking at a Sherlock Holmes collection I own (and love) that I might be interested in The Screwtape Letters - a C.S. Lewis book that I also really enjoy. Two seemingly unrelated books, and yet by aggregating the data from so many user's catalogs, they are able to give me an accurate suggestion. Get ready for similar uses of the web and the power of aggregating data - its a good time to be alive.

Apple Expansion?

2006-02-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

In light of recent events, Apple may be expanding their product line in an interesting direction.

First, they toss in another patent, this time for VERY interesting gesture modes in tablet style user interfaces:

Then, Apple just signed a lease for facility in Cupertino, CA:

Article on Apple Lease

What does this all mean? Well, they do still own all the patents to their Newton device and related technologies. For the things they didn't create, they still own a license to use InkWell (handwriting recognition software).

WikiPedia entry regarding the Newton

And finally, in spite of the constant comment from Steve Jobs that they are never going to produce a PDA again (Newton):

Article quoting Steve Jobs that he will never create a tablet.

"There are no plans to make a tablet. It turns out people want keyboards." -- Steve Jobs

Steve said for 5 years that they weren't considering running Mac OS X on Intel. Turns out, they had been maintaining a compilable version of Mac OS X for just that all this time. Would Apple release a Newton Tablet in spite of past denials? You bet!

So what's happening? Newtonian Physics!!

Andrew

Very cool move

2006-02-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

In an obvious effort to increase my (already sizeable) respect for their company, Apple is giving homeschoolers special education pricing like other traditional institutions.

Welcome

2006-02-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

This is our first post to our new feed of news for the Significant Developments Podcast - also known as SigDevCast. This site serves as our means of communicating amongst ourselves during the week as we prepare for the show. So you'll see us posting short comments and links to pieces of news we think are interesting, and then these will form the topics of discussion for the show. This blog is mainly meant for our own communication, but "power users" can use it to see what is coming up in the show and for the virtue of not having to wait until the podcast is up - because impatient salivating over the latest news in technology, business, real estate, sports, culture, entertainment and the rest of your world is what this show is all about.