Game-Changing Reasons Why Parents Can Say Yes to Video Games

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

The iPad just recently celebrated its fourth birthday. In this relatively short amount of time, the tablet evolved from a mobile computer into an e-Reader, small business tool — and yes, babysitter. Kids and toddlers completely enthralled by playing video games on the iPad isn't a cultural or parenting rarity these days. 

Generally, observing young children tuned out to the world, whether at home or in public, provokes negative feelings that range from parental concern to outside judgment. Do gadgets and video games impede adolescent development? Can consuming digital media and gaming instead strengthen the brain and improve cognitive functioning? How much is too much?

Healthy Moderation

NPR also questioned the effects of digital media on children and asked: "Is that iPad help or harm?" Dr. Dimitri Chistakis — father, pediatrician and professor — approaches the contentious subject matter with neutrality. Christakis explains that pediatric research on how touchscreen devices affect children is limited because tablet technology is so new. Based on a compelling theoretical framework, Christakis still recommends that "judicious use of these touchscreen technologies is fine and may even be beneficial." Interactive play can foster essential learning and brain development, he adds. Parents and children can also engage in "joint attention" and play an online game together. Just as a parent would read a book with a child, a parent can play an online puzzle or word game with their little one as well.

Proof in the Numbers

I believe gaming is good for you. The following points highlight how gaming can change gamers for the better. 

• Kids who played Tetris for 30 minutes a day for three months had a thicker cortex compared to non-players. The cortex is the most highly developed part of the human brain that perceives, produces and understands language. Information processing, as well as critical thinking and reasoning, occur in the cortex. 

• Video games can improve early literacy, including letter recognition and story comprehension, for children ages 4 and 5. 

• More than 100 Fortune 500 companies (e.g. IBM and Cisco) use some form of gaming for employee training. 

Boosted Brainpower

Can playing video games really strengthen the mind and increase mental health? Cognitive neuroscientist Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., tells Psychology Today that brain games in particular aren't harmful, but downtime from technology, even for just 30 minutes, produces better brain health. Also, enforce household regulations that help kids reduce digital multitasking. Constantly shifting attentions and responding to every single notification interrupts brain functioning. Multitasking overloads, fatigues and stresses the brain, which decreases mental efficiency. Overusing electronics impedes deep cognitive thinking. Therefore, make it your responsibility to monitor and manage technology use.

The upsides? According to scientists from Queen Mary University of London and University College London, various video games can help train the brain for increased agility and improve strategic thinking, reports ScienceDaily.com. The study was based on subjects who played the strategy game "StarCraft" and life simulation game "The Sims." Data pulled from the subjects' psychological tests showed those who played "StarCraft," as opposed to "The Sims," performed cognitive flexibility tasks more quickly and accurately. Dr. Brian Glass of Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences explains that strategy games improve the brain's "ability to think on the fly and learn from past mistakes." Cognitive flexibility also promotes creative problem solving and out-of-the-box thinking. Rest assured, with balance and management, you can feel confident that allowing your child to play games on the iPad isn't detrimental.

SEE ALSO: The Parents' Guide To Buying Video Games

Dear Friends and Fans, have a great week and remember: "Advertising makes the promise BUT it is your people who deliver it!". 

Keep visiting us! We have a better way! 😉

*by andreascy*

Feeling Unproductive at Work? A Video Game May Be the Best Solution

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

What if your company looked at the workflow coming in as an obstacle to be conquered rather than a task to be completed? The next paradigm shift in the business world may be turning the tedium of everyday work into a game or challenge that everyone is eager to participate in. 

The success of the corporate gaming craze has already begun to hit home, with Business News reporting that gamification can increase productivity by some 40%. How can you take advantage of games in order to generate better employee work efforts at the office?

Gaming as a Means of Testing

Taking on a new employee represents a major investment for the employer due to the time and resources needed to get them trained and up to speed on a new system. While there are few jobs out there that require you to fight one-on-one in a deathmatch or take down waves of attacking trolls, companies have figured out how to use video games as diagnostics and training tools for their new employees. 

CNN reports that institutions ranging from the Navy to IBM to NASA use video games to create simulations that require a participant to solve a problem or complete a diagnostic. How could your company benefit from combining testing and training with games? For starters, employees would be far more eager to show up for a workshop where they may be mentally challenged, or one where they can conquer their co-worker. When bringing in new employees, you could ensure better retention of company policies during training by keeping the content lively and engaging when presented in the form of a video game.

From One to the Other

Multi-tasking is one of the most valuable skills any worker can bring to a company, but not everyone can quickly go from one task to the next. A study by Psychology Today indicates that strategy games can help. When gamers make different choices commanding workers, powerful units, and economies, their brain improves at jumping from task to task. It's not just strategy games either. Mazes, memory games, and matching puzzles are very stimulating. 

Hidden object games from iWin, for example, require a gamer to look over different areas and use different clue-finding techniques to solve a visual puzzle. With a few games under their belt, employees can better make a decision when the best solution isn't immediately clear. This pays off when it comes to productivity for any company that has multiple deadlines per employee or per project. With gamification like strategy or hidden object games, employees can manage deadlines that conflict across time or space better than they could before, potentially resulting in projects that come in on time or ahead of schedule.

Snap Decisions

Fortune favors the bold, said Alexander the Great. It's a maxim that applies perfectly to the corporate world, even two thousand years later. Employees who have responsibility for making decisions can become more efficient at their job by—you guessed it—plugging into a console or PC in order to duke it out with their gun of choice. A first-person shooter title like Call of Duty has the potential to help a person make decisions at a faster pace due to the influence of having to pump the opposition full of lead before they return the favor. There's no compromise in the quality of these decisions, either. 

You don't have to worry that the first FPS-influenced conclusion you come to will be any worse than one you could mull over if you had more time to consider the various options. Employees need to make a bevy of snap decisions each day, ranging from the options that a marketing team uses to promote a product to a sales member who has to identify the best customers out there. With faster decisions comes less time wasted on second-guessing and scrutiny.

SEE ALSO: Game-Changing Reasons Why Parents Can Say Yes to Video Games

Liked this post? Let us know your story and your thoughts in the comments below. Please share and help spread the information with your friends and other social circles.

*by andreascy*

Boston Dynamics Unveils BigDog's Dynamic Robotic Manipulation

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Robot Manipulation is the basic Science in Robotics. Most of the modern theories arise from the classical concepts of Robot manipulation. 

In the last two decades, there has been a tremendous surge of activity in Robotics, both at in terms of Research and in terms of capturing the imagination of the general public as to its seemingly endless and diverse possibilities.

This period has been accompanied by a technological maturation of Robots as well, from the simple pick and place and painting and welding Robots, to more sophisticated assembly Robots for inserting integrated circuit chips onto printed circuit boards, to mobile carts for parts handling and delivery. Several areas of Robotic automation have now become “standard” on the factory floor and the field is on the verge of a new explosion to areas of growth involving hazardous environments, minimally invasive surgery, and micro electro-mechanical mechanisms. 

A manipulator mechanism is a device used to manipulate materials without direct contact. It is an arm-like mechanism that consists of a series of segments, usually sliding or jointed, which grasp and move objects with a number of degrees of freedom.

Our loyal readers might be familiar by now with Boston Dynamics, the local Robotics company creating with remarkable behavior: mobility, agility, dexterity and speed, the most advanced robots on Earth. That includes the "BigDog", one of a few models utilizing the company's LS3 - legged squad support system - technology. But what happens when you add a brick throwing arm to those legs? Uh-Oh...

Yeap, you heard me right. Rise of the machines! 😀

"BigDog" now handles heavy objects and can fling them, using human motion as a model. The mechanical dog is over a meter tall and weighs more than 100 kilograms (which is more than the average man), and can throw using its whole body, 35lbs of concrete blocks across a room (a bit more than 17 ft). The company has been steadily improving “BigDog” for years with funding from the Army Research Laboratory (RCTA) and seems to have high hopes for this latest advance...

"The goal is to use the strength of the legs and torso to help power motions of the arm. This sort of dynamic, whole-body approach to manipulation is used routinely by human athletes and will enhance the performance of advanced Robots. Boston Dynamics is developing the control and actuation techniques needed for dynamic manipulation", a Boston Dynamics spokesperson said.

“There are a wide variety of applications, both military and civilian, where strong and dexterous manipulation would be needed,” another spokesperson added. “Think of anything a person does now in the field, such as clearing ruble, fighting a fire, digging up an IED, etc. Rather than focus on a specific mission right now, the RCTA program is focused on core functionality that will be useful for many applications.”

You might say it is hard to imagine any real world practical applications for this project. Actually almost everything has a real world practical application, especially if imagination flows without bounds. Moreover, in this case, it is not even hard to imagine! How about: close quarter combat, tear/rip the enemy (human or other robot) apart or throw the enemy somewhere to be terminated, rescue excavation (after an explosion, mine collapse, bombing, earthquake etc.)?

The problem though is that when we create things for destruction, they get used for destruction. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below. 

Subscribe on our Daily Newsletter to get free updates straight to your inbox! If you want to get in touch, then contact us by using this form. 

*by andreascy*

Boston Dynamics : Cheetah Robot and a New World Speed Record at 28.3 mph - Faster than Usain Bolt

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Cheetah Robot which is powered by a hydraulic pump is a fast-running quadruped developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA. It just blazed past its previous speed record recorded in February at 18 mph (29 Km/h), getting up to 28.3 mph (45.5 Km/h) - about 0.5 mph faster than Usain Bolt's fastest 20 meter split. 

"This version of the Cheetah Robot has a slight advantage over Bolt as it runs on a treadmill with offboard power." Darpa said in a statement, "but most of the power Cheetah used was to swing and lift its legs fast enough, not to propel iself forward." 

Usain Bolt: World's fastest human

The agency plans to test the legged robot in the field early next year. According to Darpa the aim is to "more effectively assist war fighters across a greater range of Defense missions." 

The machine's design has been inspired by the real cheetah, the fastest land animal which can reach speeds of 75 mph (121 Km/h).

"Cheetahs happen to be beautiful examples of how natural Engineering has created speed and agility across rough terrain," said Gill Pratt, Darpa programme manager.

Learn more about Boston Dynamics projects and see how they change your idea of what robots can do. 

*by andreascy* 

Introducing Mozilla Firefox Boot to Gecko (B2G) OS

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Bringing the Open Web to Mobile Devices

I saw this and couldn't resist having a little sneaky play around with it. 

* ATTENTION * 

This is NOT a daily driver and it's NOT stable, it's Pre-Alpha. If you want something to use as a phone, this isn't it. If you just want to use your phone as a phone, you need a custom Android ROM, so, be careful with your experiments.

Download the file here >>

So what is this? 

An Open Source project from Mozilla (the lovely people behind the Firefox Browser) that aims to support HTML5 apps written using "Open Web" technologies rather than platform-specific Native APIs. 

The idea is essentially to have all user-accessible software running on the phone be a Web app that uses advanced HTML5 techniques and device APIs, to access the phone's hardware directly via JavaScript. 

It initially targets Android-compatible smartphones. 

The company hopes to get onto smartphones and tablets to rival the likes of Android and iOS. B2G is based on the Linux kernel and includes drivers from Android, but on top of that is the same Gecko layout engine that powers the Firefox Browser. 

The main advantage of the OS being powered by Gecko is that developers can write apps using noting more than HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

Boot to Gecko (B2G) Simulator in Firefox

Want to see B2G in action? 

Well, fire up your copy of Firefox (preferably a Nightly Build) and head over to Mozilla engineer Paul Rouget's website where you will find the simulator.

Actually, the simulator is pretty nifty. Of course, it's quite limited in places and you can't do everything with it, but on the whole it's very neat. If nothing else, it gives you a feel for where the B2G project is headed.

It requires work in a number of areas, so I won't go into more details. I suggest you read a lot over at their wiki - start off at: https://wiki.mozilla.org/B2G and work your way through the pages.

You'll get suprised at how fast it boots. Can't wait to see the development for this, looks like it's going well already!

Overview:

Running on Galaxy S2:

We hope you enjoyed this article. Here are some resources / references for extra reading time.
Wikipedia, Mozilla Wiki
*by andreascy*

Introducing Taptic: A Touch Panel That Plays Sound Without A Speaker

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Haptic technology, or haptics, is a tactile feedback technology which takes advantage of the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user.This mechanical stimulation can be used to assist in the creation of virtual objects in a computer simulation, to control such virtual objects, and to enhance the remote control of machines and devices (telerobotics). It has been described as "doing for the sense of touch what computer graphics does for vision". Haptic devices may incorporate tactile sensors that measure forces exerted by the user on the interface. 

Haptic technology has made it possible to investigate how the human sense of touch works by allowing the creation of carefully controlled haptic virtual objects. These objects are used to systematically probe human haptic capabilities, which would otherwise be difficult to achieve. These research tools contribute to the understanding of how touch and its underlying brain functions work.

Meet Taptic

HiWave Technologies (Former Tectonic Elements and as of now Tectonic Audio Labs) has launched a touch feedback platform for control panels planned to be integrated into home appliances. 

The platform allows replacing button controls with flat control panels that still have the familiar feel of a mechanical key press. The key benefit of haptic technology is that panels can be firmly fixed or integral in the appliance, with no need for moving parts. This reduces cost, increases ruggedness and product lifetime, and allows the entire unit to be wiped clean.

The manufacturer’s Taptic demonstration platform uses third-generation haptic technology. It includes two HIHXC9C005-8 haptic actuators, which attach to the back of a flat printed touch interface panel, and a HiHS9002 haptic controller IC. It can work with both capacitive and resistive touch panel technologies. The actuators generate precisely localized acoustic waveforms on the panel to replicate the feel of a mechanical keypad and, if desired, simultaneously overlay audio cues. 

The haptic feedback responses can be selected and tuned by both the user and the manufacturer to replicate a wide range of button press sensations. The operating frequency range is over an octave for true wideband haptics and up to 15 kHz for audio playback. A range of audio outputs - from simple pings and clicks to MP3 files containing spoken instructions and music - can also be generated without additional speakers by using the touch panel as the sound emitter.

That was it for today. Feel free to share our article with your friends and help us spread the word out of mouth. 😊

*by andreascy*

Science Nation : Science for a Sustainable Future

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Princeton University physical chemist Emily Carter is using fundamental scientific principles to create computer simulation tools that will help predict the behavior of different materials including renewable fuels. 

The research, which is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has a broad range of applications including, improving thermal barrier coatings for jet engines, developing new materials for lightweight vehicles to improve fuel efficiency and creating novel materials for use in non-fossil fuel sustainable energy production.

*by andreascy*

Microsoft Flight now available on Steam for free

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Digital delivery systems, Steam in particular, seems to be the center of the PC gaming ecosystem. Want a new release? Just head on over to Steam, and you’re a few clicks away from downloading the game, easily and legally. 

The hottest new arrival on the Steam store is Microsoft Flight, and to celebrate the launch, Microsoft is releasing new downloadable content for the game, as well as three new planes to fly. 

Microsoft Flight is free to play on Steam, offering an experience similar to the traditional Flight Simulator games, but geared towards gamers instead of those curious about the mechanics and physics of flight. Additional content will cost you extra, though. That includes maps, plus additional planes.

The newest available content is the “Hawaiian Adventure Pack”, including all the terrain from that location, as well as the Vans RV-6, the Maule M-7-260C, and the North American P-51 Mustang planes. 

The pack costs $29.99. In addition, there’s a new plane that can be downloaded, the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero, which Microsoft say is “fast and agile”, ideal for “challenges requiring speed and high maneuverability.”

Microsoft will also show off the Alaskan Wilderness pack at PAX East 2012 at the Xbox booth starting from today until the 8th. The pack will be available later this summer, and Microsoft promise more content for Flight in the future.

More on :

http://www.microsoft.com/games/flight

*by andreascy*