The cloud bites back: Google bug shared private Google Docs data

Between the Lines | ZDNet.com | TwineThe cloud bites back: Google bug shared private Google Docs data: "Google has confirmed that a software bug in its Google Docs online applcation service exposed documents thought to be privately stored.

The problem was fixed by the weekend, and is believed to have affected only half a percent of the digital documents at a Google Docs service that provides text-handling programs as services on the Internet.

According to Google, the problem occurred in cases where people had chosen to collaborate on multiple documents and adjusted settings to allow access to others. Collaborators were unintentionally given permission to access documents aside from the ones intended."

Wolfram Alpha: Next major search breakthrough?

Outside the Lines - CNET News Wolfram Alpha: Next major search breakthrough?: "In May, Wolfram will unveil his latest creation, now called Wolfram Alpha. It applies his work with Mathematica and NKS (A New Kind of Science) to Web search. 'All one needs to be able to do is to take questions people ask in natural language, and represent them in a precise form that fits into the computations one can do,' Wolfram said in a recent blog post. 'I'm happy to say that with a mixture of many clever algorithms and heuristics, lots of linguistic discovery and linguistic curation, and what probably amount to some serious theoretical breakthroughs, we're actually managing to make it work...It's going to be a website: www.wolframalpha.com. With one simple input field that gives access to a huge system, with trillions of pieces of curated data and millions of lines of algorithms,' he added."

"Stephen Wolfram has a track record of scientific breakthroughs and some controversy. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Caltech in 1979 when he was 20 and has focused most of his career on probing complex systems. In 1988 he launched Mathematica, powerful computational software that has become the gold standard in its field. In 2002, Wolfram produced a 1,280-page tome, A New Kind of Science, based on a decade of exploration in cellular automata and complex systems. The book stirred up a lot of debate in scientific circles.

Chess too easy; can computers beat humans at Go?

Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe A new world record in Go established by PRACE prototype and French software: "After the victory of IBM's Deep Blue against Garry Kasparov, the game of Go has replaced chess as a test bed for research in artificial intelligence (AI). Go is one of the last board games where humans are still able to easily win against AI. Although there has been quite some research in the Go domain for 40 years, the progress in Computer Go has been slow. However, researchers have discovered new performing algorithms and computers are catching up really fast. Since 2006, when a new algorithm called Monte-Carlo Tree Search was proposed, the level of Go programs has improved drastically. The application 'MoGo TITAN', developed by INRIA France and Maastricht University, runs on the Dutch national supercomputer Huygens, which is one of the PRACE prototypes."

The First Virtual Reality Technology to let you See, Hear, Smell, Taste and Touch

The First Virtual Reality Technology to let you See, Hear, Smell, Taste and Touch: "The first virtual reality headset that can stimulate all five senses will be unveiled at a major science event in London on March 4th.

What was it really like to live in Ancient Egypt? What did the streets there actually look, sound and smell like? For decades, Virtual Reality has held out the hope that, one day, we might be able visit all kinds of places and periods as ‘virtual’ tourists."

"Professor David Howard of the University of York, lead scientist on the initiative, says: “Virtual Reality projects have typically only focused on one or two of the five senses – usually sight and hearing. We’re not aware of any other research group anywhere else in the world doing what we plan to do.

“Smell will be generated electronically via a new technique being pioneered by Alan Chalmers and his team at Warwick which will deliver a pre-determined smell recipe on-demand. Taste and smell are closely linked but we intend to provide a texture sensation relating to something being in the mouth. Tactile devices will provide touch.”

"A key objective will be to optimise the way all five senses interact, as in real life. The team also aim to make the Virtual Cocoon much lighter, more comfortable and less expensive than existing devices, as a result of the improved computing and electronics they develop.

Robots of Doom: Funny or scary

A light take on a serious subject! Daily Show Roombas of Doom

Why robots can't be trusted with weapons - tech - 03 March 2009 - New Scientist

Why robots can't be trusted with weapons - tech - 03 March 2009 - New Scientist: "THE idea that robots might one day be able to tell friend from foe is deeply flawed, says roboticist Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield in the UK. He was commenting on a report calling for weapon-wielding military robots to be programmed with the same ethical rules of engagement as human soldiers.

The report (www.tinyurl.com/roboshoot), which was funded by the Pentagon, says firms rushing to fulfil the requirement for one-third of US forces to be uncrewed by 2015 risk leaving ethical concerns by the wayside. 'Fully autonomous systems are in place right now,' warns Patrick Lin, the study's author at California State Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo. 'The US navy's Phalanx system, for instance, can identify, target, and shoot down missiles without human authorisation.'"

New Method Of Self-assembling Nanoscale Elements Could Transform Data Storage Industry

New Method Of Self-assembling Nanoscale Elements Could Transform Data Storage Industry: "'The density achievable with the technology we've developed could potentially enable the contents of 250 DVDs to fit onto a surface the size of a quarter,' said Xu, who is also a faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory."

"An innovative and easily implemented technique in which nanoscale elements precisely assemble themselves over large surfaces could soon open doors to dramatic improvements in the data storage capacity of electronic media, according to scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst).