Big Brother Inc.

According to a new study performed by Krux Digital, in the last year there has been a huge surge in the number or companies and services that are following you around the Internet.

Finding out what you do on the Internet is a massive business now and you are the product. Does that freak you out a little? It should. According to the Krux Digital study, the number of companies tracking you on “popular” sites has nearly doubled in the last year and the number of “data collection events” has risen 400% in the same period.

So what is all that information being used for? Who’s checking out what we’re doing? Well… that’s just the thing: We don’t know. You are not asked if you want to give the information, it is just taken. You are not asked if you are ok with them selling the information, it’s just sold. You are not given any warning about what sites or services are tracking you or what information they’re gathering. That should trouble you, it certainly troubles me.

It is, however, not all doom and gloom. The Internet is full of smart people (as well as trolls and cats) and they are aware of the problem – The smart people… the trolls and cats would not be of much use in this instance. So if this post has got you thinking, then I suggest you head over to TED and watch a video by Gary Kovacs. He will explain the situation, give you some tools to track the people that are tracking you and offer some suggestions on how we can work against this worrying trend.

One of the major powers of the Internet is it’s anonymity. That can get irritating when we have to deal with the trolls, but ask an Egyptian or Chinese citizen about how important it is and you will see that we need to be very careful about how we let the Internet develop.

-Odd

“If you stare long into the abyss, the abyss states back into you” – Friedrich Nietzsche

In The News

Swiss scientists design a turbine to fit in human arteries - this little gizmo could create enough power to run pace makers and other suck bio-implants... as long as they figure out a way to mitigate the turbulence it causes.

Laser used to transfer data at 26terabytes per second - now that is FAST! and unlike similar projects, this one does it with a single multi-colour laser. So it's cheep(ish).

Is Graphene a miracle material? - a great article on a new wonder material... watch out for this stuff, it's going to be making a big impact.

Grand Co-operative driving challenge - building smarter driverless cars that can communicate with each other to make better use of the road. Cool.

Teaching robots to read - It's not quite at a human level... but this sort of research is what is going to make personal robots possible. Keep up the great work!

In The News:

Force field creates invisible multi-touch interface - awesomeness.... This thing can turn any surface into a multi-touch interface.

Android tablet robot - want a robot? there's an app for that.

Rising orbital debris levels - this is a big problem that could potentially stop all our space flight, and as far as I know there's nothing being done about it.

US Navy creates MMO to combat Somali pirates - The US Navy is getting into the crowd sourcing game... hoping that you can come up with a solution to piracy.

Ground effect robotic train - a flying train! not content with high-speed mag-lev... now they'll just make it fly. Very cool.

In The News:

Quantum teleportation breakthrough could herald instantaneousness computing - the idea of quantum teleportaion has been around for a while... but they're actually developing usable applications for the theory.

Robot throws first pitch at a baseball game - all to encourage science and maths education. Robots are cool.

iPhone tracks your location - This has been huge news over the last few weeks.... Apple has since released a new version of iOS that apparently fixes this. If you're using an iPhone/iPad... update your software!

Cracker sized satellites to launch with Space Shuttle Endeavor - A new era in satellite technology? Or just creating more traffic and space-junk in orbit?

Sony Online Gaming Platform Hacked - reports say somewhere around 25 million users had their information stolen... scary, scary, scary things.

In The News:

Control a mouse cursor with brain implants - I want to be a cyborg!!

Researchers build wearable generators - It may not be a huge amount of energy generated, but if we all wear these and use them to power our personal gadgets, it could have a big impact on the global energy situation.

Boy scouts can now earn robotics merit badges - so cool! wish this was available when I was a cub...

U.S. Navy getting closer to arming ships with lasers - sweet... Laser guns are one of the foundations of Science Fiction, now I'm waiting for a portable version.

Scientists aim to improve photosynthesis - talk about tinkering with nature! still... it could have a great impact on food and energy problems.

In The News:

New surveillance robot, and it knows how to hide - these little UAVs are getting smarter and smarter

Rome's Air Force super computer made out of PS3s - 1,716 PS3s linked into a massive super computer for image processing.

Artificial leaf may be a breakthrough in solar energy - another step closer to a viable energy alternative.

Nanotech implant checks for Cancer and heart attacks - where can I buy mine?

China to overtake the US in science in two years - a lot sooner than commentators thought... this should be a wake up call for the western world.

In The News:

Geminoid-DK: possibly the creepiest android yet built - another master piece by Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro. This thing is so far down the uncanny valley that it's scary.

Printing a human kidney - a TED talk demonstration of this amazing technology... we're fast approaching the immortal tipping point.

Masdar city runs into problems - the ambitious project to build 'the city of the future' in the middle of the desert has run into funding problems during the recession.

50 000 Japanese download the Android flashlight app after disaster - mobile computing is saving lives... go google!

Death and the Powers: A robot Opera - an opera combining human and robotic performers... and it's getting good reviews.

Internet killed the LAN (Star)

I should preface this by saying that I don't play a lot of computer (or console) games anymore. I'm not even on the WOW bandwagon, but I used to be a regular gamer and I still try to keep an eye on the industry.

I've noticed a trend in the gaming industry that has worried me for some time. It happened quite a while ago... there was no outcry, no one checked if I was ok with it... it just happened. They took all the LAN support out of games.

LAN stands for Large Area Network... and it used to be the social space for gaming geeks. We would all descend on someone's house, link up all our computers and spend the weekend in a sleep deprived Valhalla of death matches, co-op strategy and camaraderie. Some of my most precious memories stem from this period of my life. Battling through the Dust mission in the original Counter Strike, frantically building up an army in WarCraft 3 or sniping from Faces in Unreal Tournament is so much more meaningful when that headshot you just pulled off causes the guy on the other side of the room to scream in anguish.

This style of play is not possible now. Modern games have dispensed with the LAN in favor of internet based multi-player. The internet is quite a cool place, I suppose, it allows you to play people from all over the world, people who you wouldn't have the opportunity to meet otherwise, but it doesn't have the same feel as getting a bunch of your mates into the same room and slaughtering them in your favorite FPS.

I always used to laugh at people who said that computer games were anti-social. I used to regularly get together with 12 or 15 of my friends (in person) and connect through the medium of gaming. Now I think those same people have a point (even if it is accidentally). Even with voice chat, it's just not the same thing.

I miss LAN parties... I wonder if I can get a group of people together who want to play the ancient games that enabled this pinacle of geek culture.... Counter Strike anyone?

-Odd

"Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them." -Pacifist Badge, 1978

In The News:

Creationists in America at it again - this time they're co-opting the arguments of a pro-evolutionist to try get "intelligent design" back in schools... what's wrong with these people?

Taiwan researchers turn to silk for flexible devices - cool tech... and i'm looking forward to the day I can blog from my tie.

Cyber attack against South Korea - at what point does a digital attack warrant a physical response?

Electronic gadgets maybe be effecting your sleep detrimentally - no way! you mean the long hours I spend watching videos instead of going to sleep is preventing me sleeping? wow...

Warner Brothers to release movies via Facebook - This makes a lot of sense to me. If I had a cheap, easy, available platform to watch movies online, I might not pirate as much as I do... maybe... possibly.

In The News:

World largest radio telescope built - at least until the Square Kilometer Array gets approved

US Military to cloud source new military vehicle design - .... my version would transform into a giant robot.

Biodegradable sneakers - I'm all for green technology and recycling is essential to our continued existence... but biodegradable shoes? really?

Researchers create computer that fits on a pen tip - tiny computers... very cool. I want one attached to my car keys that will beep at me when I scream "GOD DAMN IT, WHERE THE F#*& ARE MY KEYS!?!?!"

Two planets found sharing one orbit - which entirely sinks our current theory on how planets form... and our definition of such... sorry Pluto, we might have been a bit hasty.

In The News:

Scientists build first Anti-Laser - Damn! We haven't even got laser guns yet, and they're already coming up with defenses. I want a laser gun....

Ants build cheapest computer networks - Yep, scientists are studying the way that ants dig their tunnels to get an insight into how to build more effective computer networks.

Iceland to tap liquid magma as a new energy source - awesome idea... and I think it's impressive that we have the technology to be able to tap this primal force.

Microsoft releases a development kit for the Kinect system - so we'll soon be seeing some really useful (and cool, no doubt) applications for this motion capture system... time to use that hack to hook it up to my PC then.

Scientists build bigger anti-matter 'bottles' - not so sure I like the idea of them storing more and more of what is effectively the most volatile substance we've ever discovered.

In The News:

New Zealand emergency services computers go offline - they were able to make do while their IT guys brought them back online, but this highlights just how dependent we've become on computers.

IBM Watson (Super computers) vs. Humans in Jeopardy game - two of the champions of this american game-show are taking on IBM's new Watson Jeopardy super computer... after the first round, Watson is tied for first.

Removing a 'dumb' gene from mice makes them smarter - interesting article, but like it points out: we have no idea what other effects removing this gene will have... the whole field of study seems terribly hit-and-miss to me.

Steps towards a robotic eye - I've posted a lot of the build up to this specific piece of tech in earlier News, but this article sums up where we are quite nicely.

Obama seeks big boost in cyber-security spending - looks like we might be amping up to a new arms race... the cyber-arms race.... why do I have a picture of a bear with robot arms in my head?

In The News:

"Soft" robot has deft touch - massive metal hands have trouble holding squishy objects? You don't say! .... while this is possibly a big advance in robotic science, I unfortunately foresee the sex industry making the most use of it.

Could the US shut down the internet? - coming off of Egypt's not so succesful shutdown, this article explores how that happened and if it could be duplicated in the US... the short answer is "not really".

Proposal for cyber war rules of engagement - with the possible exception of earth orbit, this is going to be the biggest theater of war in modern conflict, so it's probably a good idea to set some boundaries.

All the internet has (kind of) run out of space - all the IP addresses for the world wide web have now been shipped out for sale... so all 4.3 billion addresses have been marked for sale. That's quite a number... but don't worry, the introduction of IPv6 that will happen shortly should mean that you won't even notice the difference.

RoboEarth teaches robots to learn from peers - I'm just glad they didn't name it SkyNet... this project aims to connect all robots through an internet-like network so that they can share what they learn... either making them better servants of more invincible overlords... not sure which yet.

In The News:

Meditation alters brain structure - New research provides scientific evidence of what many cultures have taken for granted for centuries: Meditation improves your brain.

Artificial retinas see well enough to balance a pencil on it's tip - a bit step to functional robots.

Apple App Store reaches 10 billion downloads - TEN BILLION! thats a lot of apps....

Android Smart-phone to be sent into space - ... this a test to check it's viability to run satellites... can you iPhone do that? didn't think so.

Computer program recognizes human emotion from conversational analysis - this should make it possible to actually have a conversation with a robot without wanting to rip it's head off.

In the News:

MySpace is up for sale - ...but as the article says.... who the hell would want to but it?

New wave of Office robots - ... coming to take your job soon?

Flying robots - more robots coming... and these ones can build more robots... they look kinda cute... not scary at all

worm remote controlled by laser - yep... and organic organism being remote controlled by laser... who thinks this stuff up?

Israel/US confirm testing StuxNet - and here I thought that China was winning the digital arms race.

In the News

Urinal video games - .... WTF? seriously? .... actually... that could be pretty cool

First photos taken of China's new stealth fighter - yet another of America's biggest military advantages is no more

Tampa airport shuts down due to change in magnetic poles - They had to shut down the airport in order to re-mark the runway... starting to worry yet?

Wireless car-jacking - hackers to start stealing cars?

New 'non-lethal' laser designed to deter pirates - I do so love stories about laser guns :D

In the News

Kinect for PC - I can't wait to get my hands on one of these

Emotion recognition in robots - this should make it far easier to interact with robots and machines... imagine if the M$ paper-clip had this?

Amateur discovers 4 planets without a telescope - ordinary people doing extraordinary things... /inspired

5 gadgets to watch from CES - a small report from the Customer Electronics Show... cool stuff

10 websites to watch in 2011 - some say we're heading into another internet bubble... but there are people doing some very cool things.

WebComics: MacHall and ThreePanelSoul

It's been a heavy news week, with offensive songs, the murder of a beloved Spielberg character and a tragic motor accident. All of which is depressing, so I'm not going to talk about it. Instead I'll introduce you to two of the internet's most talented residents: Ian McConville and Matt Boyd.

Ian and Matt are two of the biggest and most loved players on the WebComic scene, starting out with MacHall when they were both in college in 2000. MacHall chronicles the lives of a bunch of college students living in res at Bowling Green State University. The geek factor in the humor is high, and even though the comic stopped posting in September 2006, the archives are well worth the read. Seeing the evolution of Ian's artwork and Matt's scripting is truly something special. 

One of MacHall's later strips

Both Ian and Matt have long since graduated and moved on to be successful members in their respective fields, obviously this puts a large amount of strain on one's free time and they've switched their WebComic energies to ThreePanelSoul. TPS is a very different format, having only three panels in each strip, which provides a very different flavor to their earlier offerings. The strip's humor is matured, clever and completely unique (and yes, i know 'completely unique' is redundant... give me a break, will ya?). 

Awesome example of Matt's brilliant sense of humor

So have a click through to MacHall and ThreePanelSoul the next time you're looking for something to do online, it's more fun than harvesting crops, I promise you.

In the news:

Supersonic Freefall - this dude is going to attempt to break the sound barrier in free-fall i.e. without a plane.... I think this is possibly the craziest (read stupidest) thing I can think of.

Researchers develop a robot that folds towels - it might not sound like much, but this is a huge breakthrough in robotics, read the article to find out why.

After 27 years, a New High Score For Asteroids - I can't believe people are still playing this... competitively yet.

Solar cells: UQAM researcher solves two 20-year-old problems - heralding a new age for cheap, renewable energy.  I definitely think it's time for sunny South Africa to take advantage.

Synapse on a Chip - a new kind of computer memory that mimics brain neurons (yes i know there isn't another kind). Soon to bring big advancements to a peripheral near you.

Transhumanism and Superheroes - possibly the simplest, most concise explanation of post- and trans-humanism I've read. Great stuff, give it a read.

And there you have it... another post. It's April, but I'm still looking for my hill.

-Odd

"Everything is funnier at 2am."