Soldiers will soon steer iRobot's machines with an Android tablet

Soldiers will soon steer iRobot's machines with an Android tablet

Mariella Moon

Engadget

While iRobot's most famous for creating the Roomba, the robotic vacuum is far from being its only product: the company actually supplies defense, reconnaissance and first response machines to authorities, as well. In an effort to make these robots a lot easier to control in high-stress environments, iRobot has developed the uPoint Multi-Robot Control (MRC) system, which lets human operators navigate their machines using only an Android tablet. At the moment, these robots (all 6,000 of them deployed worldwide) are controlled using an old-school joystick and a separate monitor powered by a Linux-based OS. When uPoint launches, all the soldier/cop handlers need to do is fire up the app and steer their machines by tapping on the screen, effectively nixing the need to train them on the procedure for a few days.
In addition, operators can switch between robots just by switching tabs, share data to team members, as well as capture videos through a robot's camera and upload the clips to the cloud. The app, by the way, communicates with the machines through the company's new uPoint Robot Radio network, since Bluetooth might not be secure enough for sensitive situations. The system's slated to come out by the second quarter of 2015, though we doubt you'd get to use it unless you control a fleet of ground robots for the government.

Source: iRobot, The Wall Street Journal

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US: Teenage Girl Dies In 'Haunted Hayride' Crash

US: Teenage Girl Dies In 'Haunted Hayride' Crash

Sky News 

The Gauntlet Haunted Night Ride on a farm in Mechanic Falls, Maine, veered off a steep dirt road and struck a tree.

Those most seriously hurt on the Halloween-themed attraction, including the young girl who died of her injuries, were taken to hospital by air ambulance. A teenage boy, as well as the Jeep's driver, remain in a critical condition.

Concerned relatives of those on the ride began posting on the farm's Facebook page shortly after the accident.

Deb Wiles wrote: "There has just been a terrible accident here, involving a tractor pulling a wagon with people on board. Tractor tipped over. Ten ambulances. Life Flight, too."
Guy Desjardins, the sheriff of Androscoggin County, told reporters: "The trailer jack-knifed and the jeep went off the road. We're talking about a very narrow dirt road, but extremely steep.
"I've never witnessed a single incident that resulted in so many injuries."

In a separate accident in Idaho, also on Saturday night, a teenager playing a zombie was run over and killed at a haunted hayride.

The 18-year-old employee was entertaining passengers on the Zombie Slayer Bus Ride, who were using paintball guns to shoot live actors along the route.

But he fell over as he ran towards the vehicle, and is thought to have died instantly after being crushed by one of its rear wheels.

In a statement, officials said: "Many of the patrons believed it was just part of the ride.
"It was not until the bus had travelled away from the victim's location, and the role players began to reset for the next bus to come along, that anyone realised something was wrong."

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10 Best Places to Visit in Italy

10 Best Places to Visit in Italy

Located in Southern Europe, this boot-shaped country is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations for a number of reasons that include art treasures, trendy fashion, stunning landscapes, passionate people and top-class cuisine. Italy offers so much to see and do that it would take a lifetime to explore. An overview of the best places to visit in Italy:

• Naples

One of the busiest metropolitan cities in the country, Naples is the capital of the Campania region in Southern Italy. The city of Naples offers a treasure trove of art works and historic sites as well as a vibrant atmosphere of shops, restaurants and nightlife venues. Many favorite Italian foods originated from here such as pizza, spaghetti and parmigiana. These dishes are taken seriously in Naples and usually feature fresh, locally grown ingredients.

• Italian Lake District

The Italian Lake District stretches across Northern Italy. The southern ends of most of the lakes are relatively flat but the northern ends are mountainous as the lakes reach deep into the Alps. Popular with tourists for over 100 years, the Italian Lakes combine good weather with attractive scenery. Garda is the largest lake, and offers stunning scenery, especially in its mountainous northern stretches. Como is equally stunning, with forested slopes rising directly from the water’s edge. Further west, Maggiore is less popular yet just as beautiful, with several popular family resorts.

• Sicily

The largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily is an autonomous region of Italy that also includes several smaller isles. It is separated from the mainland region of Calabria by the 5 km (2 miles) Straits of Messina. Home to every great Mediterranean civilization, Sicily is rich in art and history; from Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples to Palermo’s Baroque churches. The island’s most striking geological feature is Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano.

• Cinque Terre 

Meaning “Five Lands,” Cinque Terre comprises the five villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso and Corniglia. Located in Italy’s northwestern coastal region of Liguria, the villages of Cinque Terre feature some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes that include steep cliff sides and wine terraces dating back to hundreds of years.

• Milan

Nearly destroyed from heavy bombing during WWII, Milan has since reconstructed and now shines as one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. Widely regarded as a mega fashion center teeming in designer shops, Milan also attracts many to its surviving world famous treasures like Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, the La Scala Opera House, the Castello Sforzesco and one of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral.

• Amalfi Coast

Situated in Italy’s southwestern region of Campania, the Amalfi Coast is known for its extraordinary beauty that makes it one of Italy’s top tourist destinations. Stretching 30 miles along the southern side of the Sorrento Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast is prized for its picturesque coastline that features shimmering bays, craggy cliffs, lemon tree gardens, multicolored villas and ritzy resorts

• Pompeii

One of Italy’s most visited tourist destinations, Pompeii is a famous Roman city which was buried under several feet of volcanic ash for nearly 1,700 years after the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The site is located near the modern city of Naples. A tour of Pompeii offers a fascinating insight into the everyday life of the ancient Roman world. Visitors can walk along the ancient streets to see the remains of bakeries, brothels and baths.

• Venice

One of the best places to visit in Italy, Venice is a unique city in that is built upon a lagoon surrounded by the Adriatic Sea. Located in northeastern Italy, Venice is an archipelago of 118 islands all connected by hundreds of beautiful bridges and scenic canals. Of the canals, the Grand Canal is most famous and divides the city into two sections. Picturesque waterways and historic architecture make Venice one of the most romantic cities in the world.

• Tuscany

Italy’s most famous region, Tuscany conjures images of beautiful rolling hills, olive groves, vineyards and cypress trees. The many pleasures of Tuscany include tasting wine in Chianti, simply relaxing in hill towns such as San Gimignano or exploring Renaissance art in Florence. The medieval city of Siena also holds excellent works of art while its historic center is one of the most popular places to visit in Italy. Elba, the largest of several Tuscan islands, offers great beaches while Pisa is world-famous for its Leaning Tower.

•  Rome

Formerly the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome today is the government seat and capital city of Italy. Located in the country’s central region of Lazio, Rome is a vast and complex city that is both historic and modern at the same time. Best known for housing ancient Roman structures and the Vatican City, Rome has endured for more than 2,500 years as an important center for culture, power and religion.

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Netflix Raises The Price For Those Who Want Ultra HD Video

Netflix Raises The Price For Those Who Want Ultra HD Video

Greg Kumparak

TechCrunch 

Are you thinking about buying a TV that can handle the absurdly high-def resolution that is 4K? The good news: Netflix is slowly but surely getting more 4K videos! They’ve got Breaking Bad in 4K! House of Cards in 4K! And…er… The Smurfs!
The not-so-good news: if you want 4K content, you’re going to have to cough up some more cash for your subscription.
Here’s how it works, according to the guys at HDGuru who first noticed the price hike:

• If you’ve already managed to sign up for a 4K-enabled account, your price won’t change until August 12th, 2016
• If you’re a new subscriber or a current subscriber who hasn’t already enabled 4K content, your monthly price will be $11.99 (vs the standard $8.99 that most new subscribers pay — which, itself, went up from $7.99 back in May). Thats a hike of about 33%.

“But wait!” you say. “I have a 4K tv and I’ve never even seen the option for 4K content on Netflix!”
Even if you have a 4K tv, it has to be one that Netflix supports. Ultra-early adopters got a bit screwed, there.
To oversimplify the whole thing: getting 4K tv content, even through Netflix, is still a bit limited/wonky right now. If you’re not already in the market for a TV upgrade, there’s no reason to rush out and get a 4K tv right now — you’d just be paying a premium (on both the TV and the subscription cost) for something you’ll hardly use right now. Wait a while.

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Lego Batman to Get His Own Movie

Lego Batman to Get His Own Movie

Dave McNary

Variety

The Dark Knight is rising at Warner Bros, this time as his own Lego movie.

Chris McKay, who supervised animation on “The Lego Movie,” is directing the script from Seth Grahame-Smith. Roy Lee and Dan Lin are returning as producers along with “Lego” directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Will Arnett will again voice the Caped Crusader, who mimicked Christian Bale’s Batman basso profundo voice in “The Lego Movie” and filled the film with quips such as “I only work in black and sometimes very, very dark grey.”

The Lego Batman project will apparently go before Warner’s Lego sequel. In February, after “The Lego Movie” opened, the studio announced that it had set the sequel to open on May 26, 2017 and that screenwriters Jared Stern and Michelle Morgan had been hired to write the script.

The studio had no comment Friday about the fate of the sequel or when the Batman Lego movie will open.

“The Lego Movie” was the first project to emerge from Warne’s animation the consortium. Most of the animation was produced by Australia-based Animal Logic.

Warner Bros. is also releasing “Ninjago,” based on the Lego characters, in 2016. Lin, Lee, Miller and Lord are producing “Ninjago” with Charlie Bean directing.

News about Lego Batman was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

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The next big iPad reportedly uses a souped-up iPhone 6 processor

The next big iPad reportedly uses a souped-up iPhone 6 processor

Jon Fingas

Engadget

Last year, both the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini used nearly the same A7 chip that you saw in the iPhone 5s. That wasn't exactly a problem, but it was a bit disappointing if you were hoping for some extra oomph in bigger iOS devices. You may not have to worry about getting similar parts this year, though. Taiwanese site Apple.club.tw has posted photos that reportedly show the next big iPad's motherboard, including what looks like a shiny new A8X processor. If history is any indication, that X means that it's a tangibly faster upgrade to the iPhone CPU that could involve improved graphics, a higher clock speed or other new (though not revolutionary) tricks. The club also claims that the new board has 2GB of RAM (twice as much memory as you see in the current iPad), although it's hard to verify this without a closer look. This probably won't prompt an upgrade if you're happy with the tablet you have -- assuming it's accurate in the first place, of course -- but it may give you something extra to look forward to at Apple's October 16th event.
Source: Apple.club.tw (translated)

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Taylor Swift's Cat Insulted by John Cleese on The Graham Norton Show Find Out How She Reacted!

Taylor Swift's Cat Insulted by John Cleese on The Graham Norton Show Find Out How She Reacted! 

E! Online

Oh, yes he did!

Comedy legend and Monty Python star John Cleese, 74, dared to throw shade at something dear to Taylor Swift 's heart—her new cat, Olivia Benson. To the singer's face.

The white-haired kitty is a Scottish Fold, a breed with a genetic mutation in which the cartilage of its ears appear folded.

"How did it have the accident?" Cleese asked Swift, 24, as they appeared together onThe Graham Norton Show in London.

"What? What accident?" she said, seemingly confused.

"Is that a proper cat?" he continued. "Or is it damaged? That's the weirdest cat I've ever seen in my life."

Oh, it's on. And it's payback time.! !! !

"John Cleese! You CANNOT say that is the weirdest cat you've ever seen in your life!" host Graham Norton said.

A picture of a Cleese's wife Jennifer Wade holding their large long-haired black cat was then shown on screen.

"It's a monster!" Swift, showcasing her trademark astonished look.

"It's an American breed and the reason it's not here tonight is it didn't want to come," Cleese said, turning to a glaring Taylor.

She did warm up to the comedy legend, scooting over to him as fellow guest Kevin Pietersen, South African cricketer, talked about how he is "not a massive fan" of cats, as he is allergic to them. Cleese then said he preferred cats to dogs.

"They're unpredictable and cussed, like women," he said, turning to Swift.

"Ooh, we don't wanna do that," she replied.

Swift introduced the cat, named after Mariska Hargitay's character fromLaw & Order: S.V.U., in June. She also has another Scottish Fold kitty at home, a gray and white one named Meredith Grey, named after Ellen Pompeo's character on Grey's Anatomy.

Swift recently shared on her Instagram page new pics of Olivia Benson, saying, "Last time I let my parents cat-sit, this portrait session/photo shoot happened. There's really no telling what I'll be coming back to this time..."

The cat recently made her debut as a model. She appears in an ad promoting a new addition to Swift's Keds shoes collection.

Swift flew to London to promote her new pop album 1989, which is set for release on Oct. 27. The singer held a secret listening party in the U.K. capital, following similar bashes that have taken place over the past few weeks, including at her home.

On The Graham Norton Show, Swift talked about meeting and sharing her new music with her fans, who she kind of, well, cyber-stalked.

"Well, so, actually, I found them on the Internet," she said. "I would go online, I would look at their Instagram pages or their Tumblr or their Twitter or whatever and just kind of watch them for months and months...and then invited them over and they came."

Norton then joked about some of the fans' reactions to meeting Swift, noting their usage of the word "die." Watch the hilarious segment below

Swift's appearance on The Graham Norton Show will air on BBC America on Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. ET.

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Withings makes some devices compatible with Apple's Health app

Withings makes some devices compatible with Apple's Health app

Edgar Alvarez
Engadget

A couple of weeks ago, Apple gave clearance to HealthKit applications with an update to iOS 8 -- one that, as you're likely aware of, ended up causing major problems for iPhone 6 users. But, since this issue has been resolved, more outfits have (finally) had the chance to make their software and hardware friendly with the platform's Health app. As of today, we can add Withings to the list, having just announced that some of its products, including the Health Mate app, can start integrating with Apple's HealthKit. This includes Whitings' Smart Body Analyzer, Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor, the Aura sleep tracker and the fitness-tailored Pulse O2, which is great news if you own one of these as well as an iOS 8 device. We'll likely see more developers do the same soon, so don't worry if your preferred brand isn't on board yet.

Source: Withings

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Microsoft's Android Wear keyboard lets you draw letters on your smartwatch

Microsoft's Android Wear keyboard lets you draw letters on your smartwatch

Tom Warren

The Verge 

Microsoft was quick to back Android Wear last month with the release of a new OneNote app, and the company is continuing to support Google’s smartwatches today with a new keyboard. Released as a prototype custom keyboard for Android Wear, Microsoft’s "analog keyboard" lets you enter text by drawing handwritten letters on a smartwatch screen. The keyboard supports square screens with a 320 x 320 resolution and the Moto 360, and you’re able to draw letters and even special characters and numbers freely.

The idea of a keyboard on a watch is still something that doesn’t appeal to everyone. Minuum and others have tried their own take, but voice input is still far more superior and easier to use. Google hasn’t built its own keyboard for Android Wear, but there could be a niche market for something that works well. After all, there are situations where you don’t want to be shouting into your wrist to navigate and search on Android Wear. Microsoft’s prototype keyboard is available to download, but follow the instructions carefully if you’re a Moto 360 owner as the lack of USB makes the install process a little more tricky.

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Google Bombarded With Requests To Delete Info

Google Bombarded With Requests To Delete Info

Sky News

The submissions came from more than 6,000 people who asked the search engine to erase links to more than 60,000 websites.

Altogether just over 145,000 requests have been made to Google by people across Europe wanting to improve their reputations.

That is an average of 1,000 a day since last May when the process began.

The controversial 'right to be forgotten' law covers the 28 countries in the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

According to Google, the highest number of requests have come from France (29,010), followed by Germany (25,078) and then Britain.

Altogether the submissions covered more than 497,000 web links, of which 42% - more than 200,000 - have been jettisoned.

Among all websites, Facebook's social network has had the most links erased so far - 3,332 - while Google's own YouTube video site has had nearly 2,400 removed.

Even when blocked from Google's search results in Europe, however, content can still appear in listings posted in other parts of the world, including the US.

Under the new law EU citizens can request that links to "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant" information be removed from Google search results.

In short, Google must remove articles if the impact on the individual’s privacy is greater than the public’s right to find it, the European Union Court of Justice found.

The legislation has been widely criticised for allowing murderers, rapists and paedophiles to bury information about their past and for undermining freedom of speech.
It followed a landmark case brought by a Spanish man who complained that an auction notice of his repossessed home on Google's search results infringed his privacy.

Google has given examples of links which have been deleted including one to old article about the murder of a woman's husband in Italy. This was removed because the story mentioned the wife.
The company says it has turned down requests from financial professionals seeking to remove links to material describing arrests or convictions for past misconduct.

It also rejected a demand from a "media professional" in the UK to erase four links to embarrassing content.

There are fears the whitewashing of search results could extend beyond the EU after a Japanese judge ruled Google should remove information that suggested a man once had ties to a criminal organisation.

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Taylor Swift is named Billboard Woman of the Year 2014

Taylor Swift is named Billboard Woman of the Year 2014

bbc

Taylor Swift has been named Billboard's Woman of the Year 2014, making her the first artist to receive the award twice.

The award goes to the female artist who "has shaped and inspired the music industry with her success, leadership and innovation" over the last year.

Previous winners include Pink, Beyonce and Katy Perry.

Swift will receive the prize at the Billboard Women in Music award ceremony on 12 December in New York.

"As one of the most influential artists of her generation, Taylor Swift has seen incredible success on the Billboard charts," said Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media's Entertainment Group, which includes Billboard.

"Over the course of her career, she's charted 60 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 - the most of any female artist since her debut in 2006.

"We are tremendously excited to be honouring her as the 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year for the second time."

Taylor Swift is a seven-time Grammy winner and the best-selling digital music artist of all time.

Earlier this week it was announced she would be performing on The X Factor results show this weekend.

On Thursday she appeared in the performed in the Radio 1 Live Lounge, where she sung her current hit Shake It Off and covered Vance Joy's Riptide.

Swift has just featured on the cover of British Vogue and explained what it was like to do high profile interviews.

"I don't really have anything to hide at this point," she told Fearne Cotton.

"It's sort of understood that anything I do is going to be discussed and dissected and debated and I'm used to that dynamic now."

She added: "I'm very proud of the way my life is.

"I'm 24, I'm single, feeling very independent. A lot of fun things have happened in my life."

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Scientists are a step closer to creating the memory eraser from “Men in Black”

Scientists are a step closer to creating the memory eraser from “Men in Black”

Adam Epstein

Quartz

Of all the cool gadgets in science fiction, one of the niftiest is the memory-eraser stick that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones wield in the movie Men in Black.

Now such a thing is a step closer to reality. Researchers at UC Davis have successfully erased specific memories from the brains of mice…by using beams of light. Yes—light—just like the “Neuralyzer” tool in that 1997 sci-fi comedy.

Neuroscientists have long believed that memory retrieval involves two parts of the brain, the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus.”The theory is that learning involves processing in the cortex, and the hippocampus reproduces this pattern of activity during retrieval, allowing you to re-experience the event,” said Brian Wiltgen, one of the lead researchers, in a release for the study.

Wiltgen and his colleagues used genetically modified mice (whose nerve cells glow green when activated) to test the theory that specific nerve cells in the brain could be switched off by light. The mice were trained by receiving a mild electric shock when placed in a cage. Thereafter, each time they were put in the cage, they would freeze in fear, instead of roaming around as they’d normally do.

Then came the fun part. The omnipotent researchers switched off the mice’s memories of being shocked by beaming light into their brains using a fiber optic cable. Since the mice were genetically modified, the researchers could isolate the exact cells responsible for those memories, and direct the light to those cells only—without disrupting any other cells in the hippocampus. When they mice were placed back in the cage, they would no longer freeze in fear, apparently because they had no memory of ever being shocked.

Of course, this experiment has yet to be done on humans (at least as far as we know). And for now, the light needs to be connected directly into the brain via a cable, rather than as a flash of light detected by the eyes and then converted into something the brain can read. But it’s one step closer to making science fiction a science fact—which is either totally awesome or unthinkably frightening, depending on whom you ask. We’re going with the former.

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