New Haptic System Uses Ultrasonic Vibration

A UK research team created a system designed for use in public spaces that lets people feel what is on a device’s display without needing to touch a separate haptic-feedback object in the process, as is the case with most haptic approaches. University of Bristol scientists designed UltraHaptics, which , uses ultrasonic vibration to provide multiple users with mid-air haptic feedback. The system works with a phased array of ultrasonic transducers, which emit high frequency sound waves. These provide the force that generates haptic sensations for users as they view the screen. The researchers are presenting their work at the 26th annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology this month in St. Andrews, UK. (PhysOrg)(Bristol Interaction and Graphics, University of Bristol) 

View the original article here

Survey Identifies Best Paying Companies for Software Engineers

Juniper Networks tops a newly released list of US companies currently paying the most to its software engineers. The 2013 list of the 25 highest paying companies for software engineers compiled by Glassdoor—which runs a US-based job and career website—ranked the networking-equipment maker atop its list with an average annual base salary of $159,990. The firms ranked second through tenth were LinkedIn, Yahoo, Google, Twitter, Apple, Oracle, Walmart, Facebook, and Integral Systems Development Corp. The list—based on various surveys and reports compiled by Glassdoor—ranks only salaries without taking into account factors such as benefits or job location. (Information Week)(GlassDoor)

View the original article here

US Security Officials Use Government, Private Databases to Prescreen Airline Passengers; Privacy Advocates Worry

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has expanded its airline-passenger screening by gathering information from various government and private databases, including those that the Department of Homeland Security maintains. Privacy advocates are concerned about the intrusive nature of the program, which was likened to a “pre-crime assessment every time you fly” according to a consultant to one of the groups opposing the program. Edward Hasbrouck said, “The default will be the highest, most intrusive level of search.” TSA agents are now accessing data such as car registrations, tax identification numbers, previous travel information, and material gathered by law-enforcement or intelligence officials for all travelers, not just those entering the US. The TSA has not publicly released many details of the new program. “The measures go beyond the background check the government has conducted for years, called Secure Flight, in which a passenger’s name, gender and date of birth are compared with terrorist watch lists,” noted the New York Times. (SlashDot)(The New York Times)
 

Please sign in to flag this as inappropriate.

View the original article here

Is Google Behind the Mystery Afloat in San Francisco Bay?

A large structure being built on a barge docked in the San Francisco Bay appears to belong to Google, but its purpose is a mystery. Reporters following the paper trail say the firm that owns the barge, By and Large, has ties to Google. The structure consists of cargo containers stacked atop a barge, which pundits suspect may be a floating data center. Google holds a 2009 patent for such a structure. A similar structure has also been seen off the coast of Portland, Maine. That barge is owned by the same company. One report, from CBS San Francisco affiliate KPIX, contends it is a floating store for the Google Glass wearable computer that will be towed to San Francisco’s Fort Mason area and then float from city to city. Google has not commented on the matter. (CNET)(The Telegraph)

View the original article here

British Citizen Charged in Numerous US Hacking Incidents

US officials have charged a UK computer hacker with breaching thousands of computer systems, including US military and government networks, and stealing confidential data. They charged Lauri Love, 28, with one count of accessing a federal agency’s computer without permission and one count of conspiracy. US attorneys filed their case in New Jersey, the location of one of the servers that Love allegedly used. Love was arrested on 25 October in the UK. Between October 2012 and October 2013, Love and others allegedly placed back doors in networks they breached, which allowed them to re-enter and take data. They reportedly hacked networks including those run by the US Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency and allegedly took budget information and personal data on military and government personnel. Love faces US and UK charges related to other incidents. (Reuters)(Associated Press @ Washington Post)
 

View the original article here

Study: Chromecast Users Circumventing Network TV Viewing Restrictions

A new study finds a third of Google Chromecast owners are using the digital media streaming adapter daily to download and watch television shows on their TVs—rather than other devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets—in violation of network viewing restrictions. Typically, broadcasters specify the types of devices on which consumers can watch downloaded content for free or for a fee, based on licensing agreements with content providers. However, in an August 2013 online survey of 3,000 broadband households, market research firm Parks Associates found that Chromecast owners are watching current TV shows on their televisions via the Hulu online servicefor free, designed for viewing via conventional computers, instead of paying the service’s subscription charge for viewing televised content via Internet-connected TVs, mobile devices, and game consoles. They are also using Chromecast to view sports events that are streamed online but not broadcast, noted the Parks Associates researchers, which also violates viewing restrictions. “Chromecast is giving people in Hollywood headaches right now,” stated Parks Associates’ director of consumer analytics John Barrett. “All the wrangling over licensing restrictions doesn’t mean much if consumers can simply circumvent them.”  (The Los Angeles Times)(Mashable)(Parks Associates)
 

View the original article here

Apple Is Now the World’s Most Valuable Brand

Apple is now the most valuable brand in the world, displacing Coca-Cola from the top spot it held since the report’s inception 13 years ago. According to Interbrand—a corporate identity and brand consulting company that has compiled its Best Global Brands report since 2000—the Apple brand’s value is now $98.3 billion, up 28 percent from last year, when it ranked second. Google is second place in the new report, followed by Coke, IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald’s, Samsung, Intel, and Toyota. (The New York Times)(CNET)(Bloomberg Businessweek)(Interbrand) 

View the original article here