What good is a 1-millisecond advantage? For humans, not much, but for a Japanese robot, it’s means victory every time…at least when it comes to the game of rock-paper-scissors. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a janken (rock-paper-scissors) robot, that analyzes the shape of an opponent’s hand mid-play using high-speed video processing and counters in 1 millisecond with the winning move.

Every. Single. Time.
via Singularity Hub

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By tying together the observational power of three radio telescopes, astronomers have made the sharpest observation of a distant galaxy, some two million times sharper than human vision. That’s big news in an of itself, but it’s even bigger news for astronomers pursuing next-level Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). The observation demonstrates a kind of telescopic collaboration that’s never been seen before, hinting at the future of astronomical observation.

< … Read More → "By linking telescopes, astronomers make the sharpest-ever observation of a distant object"

A new bionic eye implant could allow blind people to recognize faces, watch TV and even read. Nano Retina’s Bio-Retina is one of two recent attempts to help patients with age-related macular degeneration, which affects 1.5 million people in the U.S. Although a similar implant, Second Sight’s Argus II, has been on the market in Europe since last year, it requires a four-hour operation under full anesthesia because it … Read More → "Bio-retina implant could give laser-powered sight to the blind"

Images of the Antarctic huts used by polar explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott have been posted online as part of the latest extension to Google’s Maps service.

The prefabricated wooden cabins were erected in 1908 and 1911 respectively, and were used as bases for the men’s attempts to reach the south pole.

Users can navigate the 360-degree photographs to … Read More → "Shackleton and Scott’s Antarctic huts are put online by Google"

The majority of physicists say time travel probably won’t work (at least in the Hollywood-go-anytime-you-wanna sense). Several time traveler parties have gone famously unattended by time travelers (at least, any willing to fess up about it). In general, science is kind of a buzz-kill on this one.

But if you want some justification for your daydreams, the person to talk to is Ronald Mallett, a theoretical physicists at the University of Connecticut who is most well-known for being the guy who thinks time travel is totally possible. (Mark wrote about him here back in 2007.) In … Read More → "The physics of time travel"

In a recent TED talk titled “Abundance Is Our Future,” Peter Diamandis points out that though the amygdala in our brains may continually draw our attention toward negative news stories — and therefore help perpetuate a pessimistic view that the world is getting worse — the technological progress over that last century should fill us with an incredible optimism about the future. In homage to Peter’s message as well as the work of many entrepreneurs, innovators, and scientists, a new video called “The Future Is … Read More → "“The Future Is Ours” video inspires hope in technology and human progress"

If there were ever a retail model ripe for disruption, it’s the humble car dealer. And Audi thinks it has the answer with Audi City.

The goal is to bring some of the comfort, convenience and customization you’d get from an online car configurator, but with the added convenience of an informative, low-pressure, carbon-based sales rep and a range of new technologies to bring your ride to life – … Read More → "Audi just reinvented the dealership experience"

“You might think this is abnormal for me but, to the contrary, it’s customary.”  -Steve Wozniak

via Gizmodo

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For more than 20 years, Microsoft Office has served as the world’s default white-collar work tool. If you get paid to sit in front of a computer for a living, you probably use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and/or Outlook as part of your routine.

But chances are you don’t do this out of love. And you probably weren’t hanging on Steve Ballmer’s every word as he announced the new features of the latest Office release Monday. Like a box of Kleenex or your trash can, Office has … Read More → "Why you’re still stuck using Microsoft Office"

A new free Xbox game gives anyone the chance to steer through seven minutes of terror and attempt to safely land NASA’s newest rover, the Mars Science Laboratory.

MSL, which is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet the night of Aug. 5, is a car-sized nuclear-powered rover designed to search for signs of life on Mars, past or present. It is the largest robot that … Read More → "Kinect game lets you land NASA’s new rover on Mars"