the world as we write it

smiley status'

    eat my Twitter?

    The Black Rider

    authentic since 1981 'welcome to my bomboclot mind'

    Monday, April 16, 2012

    Reuter site - Google fined $25,000 for impeding FCC investigation

    This article was sent to you from bombastic4000@yahoo.com, who uses Reuters Mobile Site to get news and information on the go. To access Reuters on your mobile phone, go to:
    http://mobile.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSBRE83F00Q20120416

    Google fined $25,000 for impeding FCC investigation

    Mon, Apr 16 11:05 AM EDT

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google Inc has been fined $25,000 for impeding a U.S. investigation into the Web search leader's data collection for its Street View project, which allows users to see street level images when they map a location.

    The Federal Communications Commission imposed the fine late on Friday, saying Google had collected personal information without permission and had then deliberately not cooperated with the FCC's investigation.

    "Google refused to identify any employees or produce any e-mails. The company could not supply compliant declarations without identifying employees it preferred not to identify," according to an FCC order dated April 13.

    "Misconduct of this nature threatens to compromise the commission's ability to effectively investigate possible violations of the Communications Act and the commission's rules."

    Google said in a statement said it turned over information to the agency and challenged the finding that it was uncooperative.

    "As the FCC notes in their report, we provided all the materials the regulators felt they needed to conclude their investigation and we were not found to have violated any laws," the company said in a statement. "We disagree with the FCC's characterization of our cooperation in their investigation and will be filing a response."

    Between May 2007 and May 2010, Google collected data from wi-fi networks throughout the United States and across the world as part of its Street View project, which gives users of Google Map and Google Earth the ability to view street-level images of structures and land adjacent to roads and highways.

    But Google also collected passwords, Internet usage history and other sensitive personal data that was not needed for its location database project, the FCC said.

    Google publicly acknowledged in May 2010 that it had collected the so-called payload data, leading to an FCC investigation on whether it had violated the Communications Act.

    (Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Richard Chang and Eric Meijer)

    Reuter site - Can an app help you craft the perfect dream?

    This article was sent to you from bombastic4000@yahoo.com, who uses Reuters Mobile Site to get news and information on the go. To access Reuters on your mobile phone, go to:
    http://mobile.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSBRE83F0TL20120416

    Can an app help you craft the perfect dream?

    Mon, Apr 16 11:43 AM EDT

    By Natasha Baker

    TORONTO (Reuters) - Whether it is a stroll on the beach, sitting in a tranquil garden or a trip in the space shuttle researchers are testing a new iPhone app in a mass experiment to see if it is possible to craft the perfect dream.

    Developed by British psychologist Richard Wiseman, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire in England, the Dream:ON app plays a soundscape to evoke the sensation of being in a particular environment during the stage of sleep when dreams occur.

    "If it's birds tweeting, then the idea is that you'll hear birds tweeting in your dream," said Wiseman.

    There are 20 soundscapes with themes such as Wild West, Space Shuttle and A Trip to Tokyo. After choosing a wake up time and soundscape, the user places the iPhone face down on the mattress and the app monitors body movements throughout the night.

    During the last 20 minutes of sleep, the app plays the soundscape if the dreamer is in REM sleep, a state when body movements are suppressed and dreams most likely occur.

    The app activates the alarm when the user is coming out of REM sleep because there is only a ten-second window when a dream will be remembered, according to Wiseman.

    "Ten seconds later and it's gone," he said, adding that dreams are likely to occur in the last 20 minutes before waking.

    Users are then prompted to submit their dream to the database which will be analyzed by Wiseman and his team.

    The researchers are also studying whether they can help to induce lucid dreams, which is a state when you are conscious that you are dreaming and try to control the dreams.

    "Some of our soundscapes have a voice-over which tells you that you're dreaming and that it's okay for you to take over that dream. And one of the questions we're asking is 'Do those induce lucid dreams?'" Wiseman said.

    According to Allan Hobson, a dream researcher and professor of psychiatry emeritus at Harvard University, lucid dreaming is a rare occurrence.

    "There's no question that you can influence the plot of your dreams. But lucid dreaming is rare because it's a design error; it shouldn't happen," Hobson said.

    "The body doesn't want to be awake and asleep at the same time -- the brain wants to be in one state or the other," he added.

    Wiseman came up with the idea for Dream:ON while researching the link between external stimuli and sleep.

    "I had the idea of giving people a proper night's dream with the idea really being twofold. The mood you're in the next morning is related to the last dream you have before you wake up. You put people in a better mood and they're more productive and happier," he explained.

    He hopes that the app could be used to help people suffering from depression.

    "The research into depression and dreaming is quite well established in that (depressed people) dream more, and their dreams are more negative," said Wiseman.

    Since its launch at the Edinburgh International Science Festival last week the app has had 300,000 downloads, and has collected data from over 200,000 dreams.

    Reuter site - RIM considering hiring bankers: report

    This article was sent to you from bombastic4000@yahoo.com, who uses Reuters Mobile Site to get news and information on the go. To access Reuters on your mobile phone, go to:
    http://mobile.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSBRE83C0JO20120416

    RIM considering hiring bankers: report

    Mon, Apr 16 17:37 PM EDT

    TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion is considering hiring a financial adviser to weigh its strategic options, Bloomberg News said on Monday, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

    RIM said while reporting its latest quarterly results in late March that it was considering options including partnerships, licensing deals, joint ventures or even a sale.

    RIM spokeswoman Tenille Kennedy declined to comment, citing company policy.

    (Reporting by Alastair Sharp in Toronto; Editing by Gary Hill)

    About Me

    My photo
    If you know me then you know my name. I am The Black Rider and the world is my Flame. The rider writes, observes, creates, produces, and learns the world around him. Ride on. Ride on!

    The Remnants

    Powered By Blogger