Walyou

Walyou

Link to Walyou

Stephen Hawking’s New Intel Speech System Gets a Boost from SwiftKey

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 09:28 AM PST

Intel Stephen Hawking Speech System SwiftKey

Intel has upgraded the Hawk’s speech system with SwiftKey, so that the Professor can take advantage of the app’s word predictions. In other news, Hawking said that the proliferation of AI could threaten the human race.

The chipmaker has been giving Hawking a voice for two decades now, and decided his voice synthesizing system could use an upgrade. The man who is considered one of the most intelligent scientists of our time will now be able to express himself at a greater pace, thanks to SwiftKey’s word prediction technology.

And this is what Hawking had to say about the new speech system: “Medicine has not been able to cure me, so I rely on technology to help me communicate and live. Intel has been supporting me for almost 20 years, allowing me to do what I love every day. The development of this system has the potential to improve the lives of disabled people around the world and is leading the way in terms of human interaction and the ability to overcome communication boundaries that once stood in the way.” In case it wasn’t clear, Intel will open the standards included in this system to allow other disabled people to benefit from this technology.

Hawking is not willing to change the synthesized voice that known for (and which can even be heard on Pink Floyd’s 1994 song Keep Talking) “That voice was very clear although slightly robotic. It has become my trademark and I wouldn’t change it for a more natural voice with a British accent. I’m told that children who need a computer voice want one like mine.”

Regarding the way AI could alter our future, Hawking is not that optimistic, envisioning something that sounds a bit like the script of Terminator: “The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved very useful. But I think the development of full AI could spell the end of the human race. Once humans develop artificial intelligence it would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded,” pointed out the brilliant scientist.

Not long ago, the physicist said that the Internet has had a negative, as well as a positive impact on humankind: “More must be done by the Internet companies to counter the threat, but the difficulty is to do this without sacrificing freedom and privacy.”

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Intel-powered Google Glass, or the Sesame touch-free smartphone that uses head gestures instead.

13 Funny Takes on the New Star Wars Lightsaber

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 06:00 AM PST

Menorah

While the internet had one huge nerdgasm over the new Star Wars trailer, not a lot of people were too happy with the new lightsaber, already known as the ‘crossguard lightsaber’.

‘Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens’ isn’t coming out for a whole year, but the excitement over every bit of information leaked out by J.J. Abrams causes huge title waves of reaction online.

Most people are simply excited that we’re getting a new chapter to the saga, but there were plenty of those who had to make fun of something that presents too drastic of a change in their opinion.

The One Taking it Way Too Far

The Star of David

The Menorah Version

And one for Xmas as well

Swiss Army Knife

The Spinning One

The Super Multi-Crossguard

The Stupid One

Lightsaber Tennis might be a Cool Sport

Someone made it into a balloon animal

 

A TV Aerial?

One that comes with IKEA instructions

But maybe it’s a good idea?

 

For a bit more of Star Wars Universe fun, check out this occupation flowchart.

Give Your eBooks a Cozy Home with Inateck’s Kindle Paperwhite Felt Case

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 04:30 AM PST

Inateck Kindle Paperwhite Felt Case 04

As great as Kindle’s eBook readers may be, they are very fragile, and even the slightest drop could deem them unusable. Inateck’s Kindle Paperwhite felt case provides them their much needed protection so that you can carry on with reading without having to worry.

Leipzig, Germany-based Inateck is a company that specializes in computer peripherals and accessories for Apple products, Android devices and Kindle e-readers. There’s a entire line of Kindle cases that includes book-like covers in various colors and the KPB-GR felt sleeve. Each of these has some advantages over the other, so it’s nice to see that Inateck has considered covering all the bases.

Measuring 20x14cm, this felt sleeve is marketed towards Kindle Paperwhite 1 & 2 owners, but it will fit the basic Kindle without any problems, as the size differences between these models are really negligible. The design is simple, yet attractive, with just white seaming and a narrow leather strap adding a touch of color to the otherwise gray mass. Another aspect that’s worth mentioning is the discreet Inateck logo that’s embossed on both sides of a piece of rubber attached to the sleeve’s bottom right side. I’m glad the manufacturer intends to attract attention with the product itself, and not with a logo that covers an entire side, as is the case with other companies.

So how does Inateck’s Kindle Paperwhite felt sleeve work in a real-life scenario? The case is snug, which means that the eBook reader won’t be able to slide out not even when you’re holding the sleeve upside down and the leather strap is not attached with the Velcro. To get the eBook reader out of the case you don’t need to insert your hand inside it. Just pull the leather strap gently (the company advises against pulling it too hard, as it might detach) and grab the reader by the bezel.

Inateck takes pride in having created a sustainable and renewable product from a plastic-free, metal-free, and thus environmentally friendly material. Personally, I think that the company has done a great job at creating a fashionable cover for the Kindle Paperwhite. That is not to say that the KPB-GR felt case doesn’t have its drawbacks, though.

The sleeve may offer better protection than its book cover counterparts, but it doesn’t provide quick access to the eBook reader the same way those do. Besides that, the book cover Kindle cases can turn the screen on or off, so you don’t have to press the power button each time you’re in the mood for reading. These problems are addressed in the other Inateck Kindle cases, so you cannot blame the company for not thinking about them. It’s just that different readers have different needs, and while some may find the KPB-GR sleeve more attractive, others will go for the book cover cases.

The Inateck KPB-GR Kindle Paperwhite felt case is available on Amazon US for $12.99, as well as on Amazon UK / Germany / France / Italy / Spain / Japan and Canada. Kindle Voyage has been out for a couple of months now, but the basic version and the Paperwhite won’t be discontinued any time soon, especially since Amazon upgrades them each year, so if you’re considering buying an eBook reader, you should also think of ways to protect it.

Not at last, I would like to thank Inateck for sending me a product sample for this hands-on review. Stay tuned, as more will follow!

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Kindle Voyage, Amazon’s most advanced eBook reader yet, or the Kindle solar charger that makes readers forget about wires.

We Can Now Use 3D Printers in Space

Posted: 03 Dec 2014 04:00 AM PST

NASA 3D Printing

As 3D printers become the next piece of ‘must have’ kit, NASA decide to take one for a spin…in space.

Thus far, 3D printing has proved itself to be incredibly useful. While some have used the new technology to print jewellery, other examples include using it to print body parts and even using it to print food.

An ingenious manufacturing process, 3D printing could become a widely used, incredibly useful tool to print things speedily and cheaply. Because 3D printers are so small they remove the expenses required with large industrial machinery and they make it easier for people to make their own products and projects too.

So easy is it to use a 3D printer that we can now do it in space. Battling against anti-gravity conditions, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found a way to let its astronauts put things together simply.

Not that they used your bog standard 3D printer, mind you. As mentioned, the anti-grav conditions of space would actually make it quite difficult for ordinary 3D printers to work which is why NASA commissioned the aptly titled Zero-G maker from a company called MadeInSpace in order to do the job.

Then, once Zero-G was ready to go, NASA sent the device up to the International Space Station (ISS) in a resupply mission at the end of September. And what was Zero-G’s first project? A part for its very own hardware.

Specifically, the part it made was a cover for all of its wires, innards and gubbins and is obviously quite important. It didn’t have much chance to make many of these though as after two weeks Zero-G was sent back down to Earth so that NASA could compare the 3D printer cover and the normal cover and see what the differences are.

NASA has yet to reveal if the first 3D printing in space was a success or not but theoretically it could be a big help to the astronauts on the ISS. They could 3D print foods, parts and other things needed to survive up in space meaning that not only will people be able to stay up in space for longer but it will give them more of a chance to research what’s out there too.

Source: TechCrunch

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, NASA's Swarmie Robots to Mine Asteroids Like Ants, Google Project Tango Smartphone to Empower NASA Robots Aboard the ISS

Comments system

Disqus Shortname