Marvin Minksy, A.I. pioneer, dies of brain hemorrhage at 88
The world lost one of its brightest minds to a brain hemorrhage recently; Marvin Minsky was 88 when he passed on Sunday night. A World War II veteran, his life’s work was essentially creating and advancing the field of artificial intelligence. The New York Times has eulogized the Turing Award winner, writing that when Minsky was choosing his career path he “ruled out genetics as interesting but not profound, and physics as mildly entertaining, he chose to focus on intelligence itself.”
This is a man who, in 1951, built the premiere “randomly wired neural network learning machine” which you can hear him talk about in the video below. He also built the first confocal scanning microscope (read: extremely powerful) at Harvard in 1956.
Two years later, along with John McCarthy (the man credited with naming “artificial intelligence”), he cofounded and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s venerable A.I. lab. The man who wants to resurrect his father as an AI construct via paper records, Ray Kurzweil, was one of his students there too. Hell, director Stanley Kubrick even consulted him during pre-production on 2001: A Space Odyssey to get his take on whether or not computers would be able to speak by the year 2001.
Saying he was brilliant would be a vast understatement, and I can’t possibly list all of his accomplishments here. But, that’s what NYT‘s exhaustive memorial is for. Godspeed, sir.
[Image credit: Boston Globe via Getty Images]
Source: New York Times
‘Sound wave tweezers’ can move cells around for 3D bioprinting
A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Penn State University have developed a different kind of tweezers, one that can move single cells around without damaging them. That’s because these tweezers are made of sound waves and don’t actually touch the cells. The team has been working on the method for quite some time, but their most recent paper discusses how it can be used for 3D bioprinting.
Since the group wanted to prove that the technique could be used to print out biological tissue, they experimented with 3D structures:
The researchers’ most recent version of acoustic tweezers involves a microfluidic device that uses acoustic wave generators to produce sound waves along the edges of the device. The device’s design allowed researchers to manipulate where the waves would meet along each of the three axes. At these meeting points, the waves formed a 3-D trapping node that captured individual cells. The researchers could then further manipulate the acoustic waves to move and place cells.
That microfluidic device can also pick up groups of cells and lay them down again in a preselected pattern, say, to create different types of tissues for specific organs. Seeing as these acoustic tweezers can do these without damaging cells, the team believes it has loads of potential applications. Its ability to prepare cells and tissues for bioprinting could eventually be used in the fields of biomanufacturing, cancer metastasis, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Source: MIT, PennState, PNAS, Carnegie Mellon University
Get realistic Android Wear watch faces with Weareal
There are a lot of really cool Android Wear watch faces to choose from. However, the vast majority of them have a distinct… artificial feel to them. Without the physical hands and the metallic sheen that we see on real luxury watches, even the fanciest faces strike the eye as unnatural. That’s what’s interesting about Weareal.
See also: 10 best Android Wear watch faces
Weareal has created a line of smartwatch faces that aim to give the reader an authentic, mechanical aesthetic. Their faces take into consideration the movement of your wrist to dynamically adjust how “light” is falling on the rendered watch face. The result is impressively convincing under normal lighting conditions, with reflections and shadows dipping and spinning as they would on a watch composed from the materials these faces seek to emulate.
There are a handful of different aesthetics to choose from. The “Rider” line has a distinctly vehicular feel to it, with micro-gauges indicating the internal temp, battery, and day of the week. “Golder” is a simpler minimalist design with a more decadent tone, and “Acute” offers a no-nonsense appearance of high-quality metal that doesn’t have to flaunt it. The newest line, “Airpower,” takes things in the opposite direction with complex arrays of inset gears and cogs ticking and spinning.
Weareal faces are available for round and square Android Wear devices. The developers claim that these fancy faces only consume an additional 3% battery when compared to less flashy alternatives, making them relatively battery-friendly. The smartphone app lets you play with different designs before you commit to one, kind of a virtual storefront.
What do you think of Weareal’s real-feeling Android Wear faces? Clever gimmick or a genuinely stylish alternative to what’s already out there? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to click that button to give Weareal a spin on your own!
Next: 10 best Android Wear games
Get it in the Google Play Store!Get it in the Google Play Store!
Save up to 50% on in-app purchases on select games in the Play Store
In-app game purchases are a very debatable topic in the gaming world, but I personally hate them. The only good thing is the games are usually free and buying things are only required to advance quicker. However, there is good news for the people like myself, in-app purchases are now 50% off for a limited time.
Unfortunately, this isn’t on every single game, but there are some good ones on the list. Very popular games like Clash of Clans are noticeably missing, however, other popular games like Mobile Strike, Game of War, and The Sims are all there. You can check all the games out in the Play Store.
This is a great way for gamers to buy some new gear/items for their favorite games, or to try out some new games for a cheaper price. What is your favorite game on the list?
Source: Play Store
Come comment on this article: Save up to 50% on in-app purchases on select games in the Play Store
Dropbox has passed 500 million downloads
I knew lots of people used Dropbox, but I definitely didn’t know it was over 500 million! Dropbox has just passed 500 million downloads on their Play Store app, which is a huge accomplishment for any app to do.
Google has many apps that are over 1 billion downloads, but they force their apps to be pre-installed, which to me doesn’t count. Facebook is another developer who have over 1 billion downloads, which is more impressive, but again, they usually have their app pre-installed on many devices. Dropbox on the other hand usually isn’t pre-installed, or at least less so than Facebook and Google apps, which makes this a much more impressive achievement.
There are very few third-party app developers out there to hit such a high number of downloads. Not even Netflix, Spotify, or Snapchat has this many downloads in the Play Store. Congratulations to you, Dropbox.
Come comment on this article: Dropbox has passed 500 million downloads
Microsoft’s iPhone keyboard has a one-handed mode
Microsoft isn’t just porting its Windows smartphone keyboard to iOS verbatim — it’s spicing things up in the process. Both Windows blogger Paul Thurrott and The Verge understand that iPhone users will get a fan-shaped one-handed keyboard. Based on the early peeks (including a few Verge pictures), the new mode resembles the touchscreen keyboard you got back in the Windows Vista days. Windows 10 Mobile already has a single-hand mode, but it only shunts the keys to one side — this is designed more explicitly to fit your thumb.
Besides that, you’re looking at a largely faithful rendition of the Windows keyboard, complete with Word Flow (swipe-to-type) and suggestions. The add-on still isn’t publicly available — you’ll have to wait a few months for that. Look at this way, though: you’ll at least know what you’re likely to get when this new input method arrives.
What’s on your HDTV: ‘X-Files,’ ‘Suits,’ and ‘The Witness’
You’ve had 24 hours to absorb the return of The X-Files, and now it’s time for episode number two. The other big highlight for this week is Jonathan Blow’s new game, The Witness, arriving on PC and PlayStation 4. Suits fans can also expect their show to return on USA, while The Magicians airs on Syfy. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- Goosebumps (3D)
- Comin’ At Ya (3D)
- The Assassin
- Downton Abbey (S6)
- Chi-raq
- Da Vinci’s Demons (S3)
- The Wrong Man
- Burnt
- The Witness (PC, PS4)
- Lego Marvel’s Avengers (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC)
- AIPD (PC, PS4)
- This War of Mine: The Little Ones (PS4, Xbox One)
- Sebastian Loeb Rally EVO (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Bombshell (PC)
Monday
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (winter premiere), CW, 8PM
- The Fosters (winter premiere), Freeform, 8PM
- Supergirl, CBS, 8PM
- Superstore, NBC, 8PM
- X-Files, Fox, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- American Dad (season premiere), TBS, 8:30PM
- Telenovela, NBC, 8:30PM
- Lucifer (series premiere), Fox, 9PM
- Jane the Virgin (winter premiere), CW, 9PM
- The Magicians (series premiere), Syfy, 9PM
- Scorpion, CBS, 9PM
- Top Gear, BBC America, 9PM
- War & Peace (Part 2 of 4), A&E, 9PM
- NCIS, CBS, 10PM
- Almost Royal, BBC America, 11PM
Tuesday
- New Girl, Fox, 8PM
- Finding Your Roots, PBS, 8PM
- The Flash, CW, 8PM
- Pretty Little Liars, Freeform, 8PM
- Grandfathered, Fox, 8:30PM
- The Outsiders (series premiere), WGN, 9PM
- Brooklyn Nine-nine, Fox, 9PM
- Shadowhunters, Freeform, 9PM
- Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
- Marvel’s Agent Carter, ABC, 9PM
- Moonshiners, Dicovery, 9PM
- NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 9PM
- Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM
- Teen Wolf, MTV, 9PM
- The Grinder, Fox, 9:30PM
- The Expanse, Syfy, 10PM
- Chicago Fire, NBC, 10PM
- Limitless, CBS, 10PM
- The Shannara Chronicles, MTV, 10PM
Wednesday
- Arrow, CW, 8PM
- 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- The Goldbergs, ABC, 8:30PM
- Mike & Molly, CBS, 8:30PM
- Supernatural, CW, 9PM
- Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
- Dual Survival, Discovery, 9PM
- Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
- Suits (winter premiere), USA, 10PM
- The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, MTV, 10PM
- Chicago PD, NBC, 10PM
- American Crime, ABC, 10PM
- Code Black, CBS, 10PM
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FXX, 10PM
- Man Seeking Woman, FXX, 10:30PM
- Teachers, TV Land, 10:30PM
- NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 11PM
Thursday
- You, Me, and the Apocalypse (series premiere), NBC, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- Beyond the Tank, ABC, 8PM
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, CW, 8PM
- WWE SmackDown, USA, 8PM
- Life in Pieces, CBS, 8:30PM
- The Blacklist, NBC, 9PM
- The 100, CW, 9PM
- Angel from Hell, CBS, 9:30PM
- Baskets, FX, 10PM
- Portlandia, IFC, 10PM
- London Spy, BBC America, 10PM
- Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
- Elementary, CBS, 10PM
- Colony, USA, 10PM
- Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
- Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 10PM
- Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM
- The Greatest Party Story Ever, MTV, 10:30PM
- Idiotsitter, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Dark Net, Showtime, 11PM
Friday
- Ever After High, Netflix, 3AM
- Undateable (season finale), NBC, 8PM
- Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
- The Vampire Diaries (winter premiere), CW, 8PM
- Undercover Boss, CBS, 8PM
- The Originals (winter premiere), CW, 9PM
- Grimm (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM
- Second Chance, Fox, 9PM
- Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
- Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
- Childrens Hospital, Cartoon Network, 11PM
Saturday
- UFC Fight Night 18, Fox, 8PM
- Lila & Eve, Lifetime 8PM
- 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TBS/TNT, 8PM
- Spurs/Cavaliers, ABC, 8:30PM
- Black Sails, Starz, 9PM
Sunday
- Grease: Live, Fox, 7PM
- 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
- Pro Bowl 2016, ESPN, 8PM
- American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
- 2016 Celebration of Gospel, BET, 8PM
- The Circus, Showtime 8PM
- Galavant (season finale), ABC, 8PM
- Madam Secretary, CBS, 8PM
- Downton Abbey, PBS, 9PM
- The Good Wife, CBS, 9PM
- Shameless, Showtime 9PM
- Vice: Fighting Isis, HBO, 10PM
- CSI: Cyber, CBS, 10PM
- Billions, Showtime, 10PM
- Mercy Street, PBS, 10PM
- The Venture Bros. (season premiere), Cartoon Network, 12AM
Sprint lets go 2,500 employees in cost-cutting measure
Sprint indicated a couple of months ago that layoffs were coming to its organization. Today, that finally happened, as at least 2,500 people were laid off from the company. According to Reuters, most of those job cuts came from customer care centers, and about 574 of those positions were from Sprint’s Overland Park, Kansas headquarters. A Sprint spokesperson told Reuters that this was in response to the trend of customers going online and using an app for their customer service rather than talking to an actual rep.
That said, the layoffs are also part of an overall plan by Sprint and parent company Softbank to turn around the organization, which is losing ground to the other big three carriers in the US. In particular, it’s planning to reduce costs by as much as $2.5 billion this year. In an interview with Re/Code in November, Sprint revealed that more extravagant benefits like private town cars for its executives have already been cut and employees would have to take out their own trash. It’s unclear as to whether there’ll be more layoffs in the future, but it does appear that the company is cutting costs any way it can.
Source: Reuters
Get the full-featured BlitzWolf VR headset for just $22 on sale this week
The Blitzwolf VR headset is on sale now for just $23.99 with an additional 10% savings when you use discount code 12blitzw at checkout.
Most VR headsets you can buy for around $20 are just about the basics. They’re usually made of cardboard, come in a fixed size, and are fun for about five minutes. And if you want better built virtual reality headsets like the Gear VR from Samsung, you’ll end up spending $100. Bangood.com is having a limited time sale on the Blitzwolf VR headset which is a full package designed for truly enjoying movies, games, and 3D content on devices with screens 3.5-6″. Best of all you don’t have to make compromises just because of the fantastic price.
In case you’re wondering, it works with Android devices as well as iPhones. The Blitzwolf VR headset is not made from cardboard, instead it is made from quality ABS plastic with resin lenses for optimal durability. It also comes with a comfortable head strap so you can enjoy your virtual reality content for hours versus minutes. Best of all it’s on sale for less than $22 when you use discount code 12blitzw for an additional 10% savings.
When you buy from banggood.com you also get a three day price guarantee. Find it cheaper somewhere else and they will refund you the difference. The Blitzwolf VR headset comes with free shipping and an 18-month warranty.
BlitzWolf VR Headset
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Use discount code 12blitzw for an additional 10% off.
Product information:
| Brand | BlitzWolf® |
| Model | BW-VR1 |
| OS Support | Android & IOS |
| Phone SreenSize Support | 3.5″- 6.0″ (Lmax: 154mm Wmax: 82mm) |
| FOV | 70°-80° |
| Pupil Distance Adjust | 55mm-75mm |
| Focal Distance Adjust | ±5mm |
| Screen Resolution Suggest | Above 1080P |
| Effect | The equivalent of five meters away to see 320-inch screen |
| Material | ABS shell with piano paint tech, imported resin lenses with 8 nano coating layers,artificial leather patch |
| Weight | 380g(Glasses)+150g(Package) |
| Size | 200*100*140mm |
| Color | Black |
The post Get the full-featured BlitzWolf VR headset for just $22 on sale this week appeared first on AndroidGuys.
JetBlue wants you to make your connection on their fleet
JetBlue announced today that they will be undertaking a major retrofit of the passenger cabins in their fleet of Airbus A320 planes that includes a new connected in-seat experience. The overhaul will bring both hardware and networking improvements to the fingertips of passengers to meet the connected needs of today’s travelers.
JetBlue says the focus of the update will be on helping travelers stay connected throughout the whole flight experience from the moment they board to when they depart. JetBlue flyers will be able to access the free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed Internet when the update is completed. Fly-Fi provides speeds of 12 to 20 Mbps via providers Thales and ViaSat.
Along with the improvements to the onboard Wi-Fi system, JetBlue will be installing AC power outlets and USB ports at all seats so flyers can keep their devices charged up.
For flyers who do not want to use their own devices, JetBlue is upgrading screens located in the back of each seat to a 10-inch high definition screen. Flyers will be able to access over 100 DirecTV channels and over 300 films and other content that is stored locally on the aircraft. The in-flight system powering all of these screens will be built on the Android operating system.
JetBlue says the refitted cabins will almost be like “being in your own home – with access to live television and high-speed Internet across multiple screens while relaxing in a comfortable seat.” If there is a downside to the announcement, it is that the upgrades are not scheduled to start until 2017 and will not be completed until 2019.
With All New Cabin Design, JetBlue Introduces Fully Connected In-Seat Experience From Gate to Gate
JetBlue’s First A320 Cabin Restyling After 15 Years of Flying Brings Gate-to-Gate Fly-Fi, New Inflight Entertainment System with Internet-Streaming on HD Seatback Televisions, Power Outlets for Personal Devices, Ergonomic Seats, and Generous Personal Space
Flying JetBlue Like Being in Your Own Home, But Better, With JetBlue’s Award-Winning Customer Service
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced it will introduce a fully connected in-seat experience, among other new features, as part of its Airbus A320 cabin restyling program, first announced in November 2014.
The restyled cabin will enhance the JetBlue experience to meet the needs of travelers today, including a greater focus on connectivity, comfort, and space. This marks JetBlue’s first complete redesign of the interiors on its A320 fleet since it launched in 2000.
A major focus of the new cabin will be keeping customers connected throughout their flight, including free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed Internet, a new Internet-enabled inflight entertainment system, high-definition seatback televisions, and in-seat power outlets with USB ports.
“We launched JetBlue with a customer-focused experience that no one expected from an airline,” said Jamie Perry, vice president brand and product development. “Travel preferences have changed in the last 15 years, and we’re investing in what customers want today. Our new cabin, combined with our award-winning customer service, is a powerful way for us to once again challenge the status quo.”
The First Fully Connected In-Seat Experience
On its fleet of 130 A320 aircraft, JetBlue will become the first domestic airline to launch an inflight entertainment system that connects the much-loved seatback television to the aircraft’s Wi-Fi Internet connection for customer use.
The new streaming television inflight entertainment system from Thales – STV+ – is built on the Google Android platform, opening unlimited possibilities for custom app and widget development, live content streaming, audio-and-video-on-demand, and personal device pairing to offer more entertainment options than ever in collaboration with JetBlue’s industry-leading content partners.
In addition to streaming content, JetBlue will expand the number of DirecTV® television channels offered from 36 to more than 100, and will have the capability to offer a library of over 300 on-demand Hollywood films and other content stored locally on the aircraft.
The experience will be delivered on a new 10-inch, high-definition touch screen at every seat – almost double the size of the screens today.
JetBlue will also enable gate-to-gate access to Fly-Fi – the airline’s free wireless high-speed Internet service powered by Thales and ViaSat. Fly-Fi delivers the highest quality streaming Internet experience with 12 to 20 Mbps to each connected device. With gate-to-gate connectivity, customers will be able to use high-speed Internet on their personal devices during takeoff and landing to surf or shop the web, post pictures to social media, email colleagues and friends, or connect to The Hub – JetBlue’s content portal – to access content and stream Amazon Video before the flight even leaves the ground.
Today’s personal devices require something often not found in the air: power. JetBlue’s new seat design offers AC power outlets with USB ports for every seat.
“Our customers don’t want to switch off when they take off, so we are continuing to build on our investment in Fly-Fi,” Perry said. “Flying JetBlue is more and more like being in your own home – with access to live television and high-speed Internet across multiple screens while relaxing in a comfortable seat with lots of space and all the snacks and soft drinks you want. What you can’t get at home is the award-winning service from our friendly crewmembers.”
Bringing the Best of A321 Design to the A320 Fleet
The A320 cabin will closely follow JetBlue’s A321 cabin design, introduced in 2014. The cabin’s design and features have quickly earned accolades from customers who walk onto the aircraft surprised to see the new JetBlue look. Key features include:
- The most legroom in coach* and the widest seat available for a narrow body aircraft so that customers enjoy great personal space while traveling.
- Sleek ergonomic B/E Aerospace Pinnacle® seats, great for long-haul or short-haul travel, which offer better comfort though its patented comfort suspension system.
- Moveable headrests that slide up, down and wrap around.
- LED cabin lighting and a modern interior color palette that makes the cabin experience more stylish and more comfortable.
As part of the retrofit, JetBlue will introduce Airbus’ innovative Space-Flex v2 galley and lavatory module on its A320 and A321 All-Core aircraft. The introduction of the Space-Flex v2 will free additional space in JetBlue’s A320 and A321 all-core cabins, requiring a reconfiguration of seating on those aircraft. The new A320 configuration will include 162 seats, revised from the original plan of 165, after a comprehensive review of layout options and feedback from frontline crewmembers who have been integral to the redesign process. Fifteen all-core A321 aircraft will be configured with 200 seats. The A321 Mint aircraft configuration will not change.
JetBlue and Airbus will add the new Space Flex v2 and seating configuration to all-core A321 aircraft in the second half of 2016. The A320 restyling will begin in early 2017 with completion targeted for 2019.
About JetBlue
JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline™, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 35 million customers a year to 95 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 900 daily flights. For more information please visit JetBlue.com.
* JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.
Come comment on this article: JetBlue wants you to make your connection on their fleet
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