London, January 26 (ANI): A survey of 10-year-old children suggests that a 10p pencil is as good as a much expensive Nintendo brain-trainer at stimulating the memory.
The study's finding dismisses the claim in Nintendo's advertising campaign, featuring Nicole Kidman, that users can test and rejuvenate their grey cells.
"The Nintendo DS is a technological jewel. As a game it's fine. But it is charlatanism to claim that it is a scientific test," Times Online quoted Alain Lieury, professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Rennes, Brittany, who conducted the survey, as saying.
Nintendo claims to have developed certain "edutainment" programmes-like Big Brain Academy and Brain Training-which improve "practical intelligence by improving blood flow to the brain.
The company claims that its programmes can make users "two to three times better in tests of memory." It even claims to assess capacity by measuring "brain age", and insists that older people can keep their minds young by using the console.
"The more you use the brain in a challenging way, the better it can work. We know that the mental processes of our brain start to weaken if we only use it in our routine daily life," the Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima, who developed Brain Training, says on the Nintendo website.
Professor Lieury said that helping children with their homework, reading, playing Scrabble or Su Doku or watching documentaries, rather than soap operas, matched or beat the console.
The researchers conducted an study on 67 ten-year-olds with a view to testing whether Nintendo's claims were true.
"That's the age where you have the best chance of improvement. If it doesn't work on children, it won't work on adults," Professor Lieury said.
The researchers divided the children into four groups-the first two did a seven-week memory course on a Nintendo DS, the third did puzzles with pencils and paper, and the fourth just went to school as normal.
Before and after the programmes, the children undertook a variety of tasks-logic tests, memorising words on a map, doing sums and interpreting symbols.
The researchers said that the children who used the Nintendo DS system failed to show any significant improvement in memory tests.
They agreed that the children using the Nintendo DS did do 19 per cent better in mathematics, but so did the pencil-and-paper group, while the fourth group did 18 per cent better.
The researchers also observed that the pencil-and-paper group recorded a 33 per cent improvement in memorising, while the Nintendo children were 17 per cent worse.
In logic tests the Nintendo children registered a 10 per cent improvement, as did the pencil-and-paper group.
According to the researchers, the children who had no specific training improved 20 per cent.
In a book titled Stimulate Your Neurones, due out this month, Professor Lieury says: "There were few positive effects and they were weak. Dr Kawashima is one of a long list of dream merchants." (ANI)
http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090126/393/ttc-10p-pencil-as-good-as-100-pounds-nin.html
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Google Ocean makes waves around the world
Brussels/San Francisco, Feb 3 (DPA) Academics and armchair explorers were as of Monday offered a unique insight into the world's seas through a new release of Google Earth, which now also features satellite imagery, photos and videos of the planet's oceans.
The 5.0 version of the popular downloadable software was launched in San Francisco. The project was also presented in a number of European cities, including Brussels, where the European Commission is contributing by providing its own marine data.
'Google Ocean ... will further encourage the protection of the marine environment, which is such a vital and rich natural resource,' said the European Union's maritime affairs commissioner, Joe Borg.
Launched in 2005, Google Earth is a free internet application that combines satellite images and users' content about the planet.
Its latest version also offers users a virtual dive beneath the waves, allowing them to explore ocean beds, marine life and even shipwrecks, through 20 'layers' of information.
By clicking on 'placemarks' scattered around the seas, users can access additional photos and videos provided by, among others, the British Broadcasting Corporation, National Geographic and legendary French ocean researcher Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Google officials admit that the parts of the ocean that currently offer any level of detail are limited, but hope that conservationists, institutions and individual users will update it with more content after its launch.
And while they would not disclose the costs involved in the two- year project, they acknowledged that Google Earth is designed to help 'drive web usage'. Google makes most of its money by receiving a share of the money paid by advertisers to publicize their products over the internet.
Other novelties included in the latest release of Google Earth include sea temperatures, a three-dimensional image of Mars and a 'virtual time travel' feature allowing users to track the progress of major building sites or the melting of glaciers.
Google Earth 5.0 can be downloaded at http://earth.google.com.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090203/860/ttc-google-ocean-makes-waves-around-the.html
New Google Earth features host of educational tools
by Christopher Dawson
Google Earth 5 was just released and includes a host of new tools that educators can tap in the classroom. Google Ocean is being touted in particular, allowing users to interact with 3D maps of the ocean floor, courtesy largely of US Navy data. However, I found the databases and interactive features associated with the ocean views to be a lot more useful educationally than floating around the ocean floor.
Google has partnered with National Geographic, the BBC, Cousteau’s Ocean World, and several others to provide a wealth of information about everything from the global fishing crisis to footage of shipwrecks. Marine life census data, scientific expeditions, and countless links to information outside Google Earth make this a free treasure trove for science, social studies, geography, and even math teachers (how better to learn about coordinate systems?).
While the feature set of Google Earth 5 (still in beta, of course) is too vast to explore in a morning, this is really a must-download for teachers and students. Best of all, it works on Windows, OS X, and Linux, and I have it working solidly on our Windows terminal servers. I just had to turn off my Santa Tracker since it kept pulling me from Bermuda ship wrecks to the North Pole.
http://education.zdnet.com/?p=2119
Google Earth 5 was just released and includes a host of new tools that educators can tap in the classroom. Google Ocean is being touted in particular, allowing users to interact with 3D maps of the ocean floor, courtesy largely of US Navy data. However, I found the databases and interactive features associated with the ocean views to be a lot more useful educationally than floating around the ocean floor.
Google has partnered with National Geographic, the BBC, Cousteau’s Ocean World, and several others to provide a wealth of information about everything from the global fishing crisis to footage of shipwrecks. Marine life census data, scientific expeditions, and countless links to information outside Google Earth make this a free treasure trove for science, social studies, geography, and even math teachers (how better to learn about coordinate systems?).
While the feature set of Google Earth 5 (still in beta, of course) is too vast to explore in a morning, this is really a must-download for teachers and students. Best of all, it works on Windows, OS X, and Linux, and I have it working solidly on our Windows terminal servers. I just had to turn off my Santa Tracker since it kept pulling me from Bermuda ship wrecks to the North Pole.
http://education.zdnet.com/?p=2119
Ideas worth Millions
BURLINGAME, Calif.--Tough times don't last--but tough companies do. Even with venture funding falling off a cliff, a handful of companies with great ideas, money-saving products or ideas just too great (or cheap) not to fund can attract enough loot to keep their doors open and their servers warm.
In 2008, venture capitalists poured $28.3 billion into more than 3,800 companies. That was lower than in years past--about 8% less in dollars and 4% fewer deals, according to the National Venture Capital Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thomson Reuters. Money got much tighter at the end of the year too, with investments down to a mere $5.4 billion, a 26% decline from the third quarter.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/240/20090203/1318/ttc-5983448.html
In 2008, venture capitalists poured $28.3 billion into more than 3,800 companies. That was lower than in years past--about 8% less in dollars and 4% fewer deals, according to the National Venture Capital Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thomson Reuters. Money got much tighter at the end of the year too, with investments down to a mere $5.4 billion, a 26% decline from the third quarter.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/240/20090203/1318/ttc-5983448.html
India showcases low-cost laptop to bridge digital divide
Bangalore, Feb 3 (IANS) A novel version of the laptop, built by India's premier science and technology institutes and to be priced between Rs.500-1,000 (approx. $10-20), was showcased Tuesday in Tirupati town.
The low-cost device, developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, for the human resource development (HRD) ministry, is aimed at bridging the digital divide and making access to computer literacy affordable to the masses.
Demonstrating the laptop in presence of HRD Minister Arjun Singh and experts in the Venkateshwara University campus, Education Joint Secretary S.K. Sinha said the low-power consuming gadget would hit the market in the next six months.
'The device, which is smaller than the normal laptop in size and weight, still needs fine-tuning. With 2GB (gigabit) memory and wireless internet connection, the laptop will be priced between Rs.500-1,000 to make it affordable to everyone,' Sinha said.
To popularise and make extensive use of the laptop, the ministry plans to distribute the device in hundreds to higher secondary schools and colleges across the country on a pilot basis under the national mission on education through ICT (information and communication technology).
'We intend to provide high-speed internet access to schools and colleges to download e-books, e-journals and relevant educative material through the state-run Sakshat portal,' Sinha said.
'The goal of the national mission is to increase enrollment in higher education by five percent by 2014. The government will subsidise 25 percent of broadband connectivity costs for private and public colleges,' Singh announced.
The mission is part of the ministry's initiatives to help the common man in his quest for education. The central government has earmarked Rs.46.12 billion (Rs.4,612 crore) for the mission in the 11th Five-Year Plan.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and state HRD Minister D. Purandeshwari were also present on the occasion.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090203/864/ttc-india-showcases-low-cost-laptop-to-b.html
The low-cost device, developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, for the human resource development (HRD) ministry, is aimed at bridging the digital divide and making access to computer literacy affordable to the masses.
Demonstrating the laptop in presence of HRD Minister Arjun Singh and experts in the Venkateshwara University campus, Education Joint Secretary S.K. Sinha said the low-power consuming gadget would hit the market in the next six months.
'The device, which is smaller than the normal laptop in size and weight, still needs fine-tuning. With 2GB (gigabit) memory and wireless internet connection, the laptop will be priced between Rs.500-1,000 to make it affordable to everyone,' Sinha said.
To popularise and make extensive use of the laptop, the ministry plans to distribute the device in hundreds to higher secondary schools and colleges across the country on a pilot basis under the national mission on education through ICT (information and communication technology).
'We intend to provide high-speed internet access to schools and colleges to download e-books, e-journals and relevant educative material through the state-run Sakshat portal,' Sinha said.
'The goal of the national mission is to increase enrollment in higher education by five percent by 2014. The government will subsidise 25 percent of broadband connectivity costs for private and public colleges,' Singh announced.
The mission is part of the ministry's initiatives to help the common man in his quest for education. The central government has earmarked Rs.46.12 billion (Rs.4,612 crore) for the mission in the 11th Five-Year Plan.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and state HRD Minister D. Purandeshwari were also present on the occasion.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090203/864/ttc-india-showcases-low-cost-laptop-to-b.html
FLYING CARS COMING TO THE TOWN
Flying cars may become soon available for customers. Two projects in this field have recently drawn the attention of the world. First one is the SkyCar Expedition. The team behind this expedition claims they have built the world’s first bio fuelled flying car. Their intention is to use the SkyCar to travel from London to Tombouctou, across the Sahara desert. They set off for the journey in mid January. The car was designed by Giles Cardozo in 18 months and cost £50,000 ($73.800). It was the rapid development in flexible wing technology that made this project possible. The car has a parachute in its boot that can be easily unfolded. It also has a large fan mounted upon its rear. The vehicle needs a runway over 200m long to take-off. Once airborne it can climb to a maximum altitude of 4.572 m (15,000 ft). Top air speed is 110 km per hour (68 mi/hr) and range is 300 km (186 mi). The team estimates it will fly for about 40 per cent of the journey. When on the ground the vehicle top speed is 180 km per hour (112 mi/hr). The car is piloted by an ex Special Air Serviceman, Neil Laughton and Giles Cardozo is the co-pilot.
Another flying car project comes from the USA and a Boston-area company called Terrafugia. The company, founded by a group of MIT students in 2006, already has 40 orders for their flying car “Transition” which they prefer to call a "roadable aircraft". It is a two-seater airplane that looks like a car – it just has wings that can be folded up. The company is going to sell the machine for $194,000 (£130.000).
As with the SkyCar, Transition was constructed thanks to the fast development of new materials but also the changes in the U.S. flying regulations. In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration formed a new category of aircraft and license for sport aviation. It is easier now to get a sport pilot license than the private and commercial pilot licenses. They hope these changes will bring more people to flying so that there are enough pilots to fly airliners in the future. What they could not expect is that such license will make possible the success of commercial flying cars.
http://www.tourism-review.com/top_weekly_full.php?id=1374
Another flying car project comes from the USA and a Boston-area company called Terrafugia. The company, founded by a group of MIT students in 2006, already has 40 orders for their flying car “Transition” which they prefer to call a "roadable aircraft". It is a two-seater airplane that looks like a car – it just has wings that can be folded up. The company is going to sell the machine for $194,000 (£130.000).
As with the SkyCar, Transition was constructed thanks to the fast development of new materials but also the changes in the U.S. flying regulations. In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration formed a new category of aircraft and license for sport aviation. It is easier now to get a sport pilot license than the private and commercial pilot licenses. They hope these changes will bring more people to flying so that there are enough pilots to fly airliners in the future. What they could not expect is that such license will make possible the success of commercial flying cars.
http://www.tourism-review.com/top_weekly_full.php?id=1374
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Train details via SMS
Posted By editor On December 23, 2008 @ 6:34 pm In Featured, Kerala Today, Latest News, News Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday 23December 2008: The Railways have introduced SMS facility in collaboration with Google to know the reservation status of the train ticket and details of trains. The commuter has to just write down the 10-digit PNR number of the train ticket and send that text message to 9773300000. All this comes just at the cost of an SMS.Along with this, details of trains to aparticular destination will be available bysending SMS ‘Trains to…’ to the same 10-digit mobile number. Once ‘Trains toThiruvananthapuram’ is typed the entire list of trains to the State capital will be provided.Article printed from Kerala Online: http://keralaonline.comURL to article: http://keralaonline.com/news/train-details-sms_14013.htmlCopyright © 2008 Kerala Online. All rights reserved.
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