Google changing way brain remembers information: Study

BOSTON: Internet search engines like Google are changing the way our brains remember information, according to a new study that says readily available information online makes people easily forget facts since computers become their external memory ".

Researchers from Harvard University and Columbia University said Google and databases such as Amazon.com, IMDb.com serve as an external "memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves".People are more likely to remember things they think they will not be able to find online and will have a harder time recalling information which they know they can easily access online, the study added.

"Since the advent of search engines, we are re-organising the way we remember things," Columbia University psychologist Betsy Sparrow said.

Our brains rely on the Internet for memory in much the same way they rely on the memory of a friend, family member or co-worker.

The research also found that people remembered where they stored their information or where to look for information on the internet better than they remembered the information itself.

In the paper titled "Google Effects on Memory: Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips," researchers conducted four experiments.

They gave students 40 statements, asking them to type the information on a computer.

Those who were told the information would be saved had a much harder time remembering the statements later than those who were told it would be erased.

Similarly, Columbia students were asked a series of questions and allowed to take notes.

The students who were told the information would be saved in one of six computer folders had a harder time remembering the information later than those who were told it would be erased.

About 60 Harvard students were asked to type trivia, such as "An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain," into computers, and were told either the information would be saved or erased.

People who believed the data would be saved were less likely to remember, according to the study published online by the journal Science.

In the last experiment, Columbia undergraduates were told the same information would be saved in files with names such as 'facts', 'data' and 'names'.

The students remembered the file names better than the information itself, the study said.

Artificial intelligence to boost airplane safety levels

Researchers are developing a system based on artificial intelligence (AI) to pinpoint internal flaws in aircraft quickly and accurately that are missed otherwise.

Aircraft made mostly from composite materials are already on the drawing boards of major aeronautical manufacturers, which seek lighter planes able to carry more passengers, cargo and fuel.

While these ultralight materials are available, their widespread use is problematic because scanning them for potential flaws is expensive and more time—consuming than similar processes used for checking and certifying metals.

Swinburne University of Technology researchers are tackling this challenge by developing an automated approach, based on AI technology that greatly speeds up analysis and accuracy than a human technician can ever achieve.

“There is a lot of pressure on the technicians who analyse the scans of composite materials for certification,” said Mark Hodge, CEO of the Defence Materials Technology Centre, based at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus, according to a Swimburne statement.

“Getting it wrong could cost lives and a lot of money. The risk of those consequences means there is a tendency for the technician to be conservative and not certify parts that have any potentially threatening flaw,” he said. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success. John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1956, defines it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines."

The field was founded on the claim that a central property of humans, intelligence—the sapience of Homo sapiens—can be so precisely described that it can be simulated by a machine.This raises philosophical issues about the nature of the mind and the ethics of creating artificial beings, issues which have been addressed by myth, fiction and philosophy since antiquity.Artificial intelligence has been the subject of optimism,suffered setbacks and, today, has become an essential part of the technology industry, providing the heavy lifting for many of the most difficult problems in computer science.

AI research is highly technical and specialized, and deeply divided into subfields that often fail to communicate with each other.Subfields have grown up around particular institutions, the work of individual researchers, the solution of specific problems, longstanding differences of opinion about how AI should be done and the application of widely differing tools. The central problems of AI include such traits as reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence (or "strong AI") is still among the field's long term goals.

ISRO-developed computer helped PSLV-C17 put satellite in orbit

  Vikram has indigenous processors both in primary and standby mode

“One of the achievements” of the successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C17) mission that put the communication satellite GSAT-12 in orbit on Friday was that it used an indigenous computer, Vikram, with advanced software in the rocket's navigation, guidance and control systems, said K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This advanced mission computer helped the rocket put the satellite accurately in orbit.Mr. Radhakrishnan told a press conference here that the ISRO-developed Vikram had indigenous processors both in the primary and standby mode. The ISRO had tested the indigenous software and only after it was found flight-worthy, was it used in the mission.T.K. Alex, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, said the coming days would be “interesting” because commands would be given from the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, Karnataka, to the liquid apogee motor (LAM) on board the GSAT-12 to take the satellite from its present sub geo-synchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to a circular geo-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km. Dr. Alex was confident that the ISRO would do this with the experience gained from the Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008, “which was almost similar” to the GSAT-12 mission.S. Ramakrishnan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO, called Friday's success “yet another feather in the cap of the PSLV and the ISRO.”A GSLV with an indigenous cryogenic stage would be launched from Sriharikota by June 2012, said P.S. Veeraraghavan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.Asked whether the PSLV-XL version would be used more often to put the ISRO's communication satellites in orbit than India's Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) or the Ariane vehicle of Arianespace, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the GSLVs were “more efficient and powerful” than the PSLVs. The GSLVs could put a 2.2-tonne communication satellite in a GTO but the PSLV-XL version could put only a 1.4 tonne communication satellite in a sub-GTO.The GSAT-12, with its 12 extended C-band transponders, would boost ISRO's transponder capacity from 175 to 187. The ISRO had 211 transponders from its communication satellites at the beginning of the 11th Plan but it went down to 141 by April 2011 because of a series of failures with the GSLV flights. Dr. Radhakrishnan was confident that the ISRO's transponder capacity would go up to 215 by April 2012 with a series of launches of communication satellites from India and abroad. For instance, the GSAT-10, with 30 transponders, would be launched by an Ariane vehicle from Kourou island in French Guiana in April 2012.An arbitration process would get under way between Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Department of Space, and the Devas Multimedia Private Limited if the negotiations between the senior officials of the ISRO and Devas did not fructify, the ISRO Chairman said. (The ISRO annulled the allocation of 3G spectrum to Devas after allegations were made that the spectrum was sold to Devas at a low price). If arbitration was resorted to, the ISRO and Devas would each name an arbitrator of their own and these two would name another arbitrator. During the arbitration, which would take place in New Delhi, the Indian laws apply, he added.“Good progress” had been achieved in realising the orbiter, lander and rover of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, slated to take place in 2014, said Mr. Alex. While India would make the orbiter and the rover

“Lack of skills hit northeast's development - Handique”

Shillong: Lack of entrepreneurial talents and professional managerial skills has hindered development activities in insurgency-ravaged northeastern states, union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region B.K.Handique said on Saturday.

"The region has for very long, been experiencing a gap in professional managerial skills, because there had been no organisation to impart them any kind of

professional training for managing their business successfully," Handique said at the launching a six month course on "Developing Managerial Skills for Entrepreneurs" at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Shillong.

According to Handique, the region could be further developed by undertaking the challenge of creating and enhancing the multidimensional capacities that are crucial for the region.

Echoing Handique, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H. Pala, said the young talent of the region in whose hands lie the future of the region, often lack the opportunities to go out of the region for advanced and modern technical and professional development.

He said the reasons for the unprofessional managerial skills ranged from the remoteness of the region to lack of financial resources as well as the lack of awareness and information about the various business and professional opportunities available in this age of stiff competition.

Earlier, Handique's ministry had sanctioned Rs.79.15 lakh for developing managerial skills among the new generation of entrepreneurs from the northeastern region. 

Get Rupee symbol on computers for free

Like the U.S. Dollar and British Pound Sterling, the new symbol of Indian rupee will also be available in the computers by merely downloading a software provided free by the government.

The Rupee symbol can be downloaded from http://tdil-dc.in/ and typed by pressing ‘Alt Gr’ together with ‘4’

The software, released by TDIL Datacentre, has been developed by Unicode Consortium and ISO within three months of selection the rupee symbol.

“In order to promote the new symbol of Rupee, the same has been encoded in Unicode Standard and National Standard ISCII,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement today.

The symbol has been incorporated as UNICODE standard, which specifies the representation of text in all modern software products and standards.

Regarding the placement of the sign on the keyboard, a consensus was arrived among the stakeholders to use combination of ‘AltGr’ and numeral ‘4’ for typing the symbol, it said.

Microsoft has also released an update to support the new currency symbol for the Indian Rupee in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2.

It is available on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2496898.

Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL) programme is an initiative of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

The initiative comes exactly a year after India joined an elite club of countries to have a distinctive symbol for its currency.

The Rupee symbol -- a blend of the Devanagri ‘Ra’ and Roman ‘R’ -- was selected after a long process of screening.

It was designed by Bombay IIT post-graduate D. Udaya Kumar and was approved by the government in July last year.  

‘The promise of augmented reality: Gaga in a living room '

Augmented reality has been touted as the "next big thing" for a while, yet mainstream success has proved elusive. So what can be done to turn it from a gimmick into a commercial necessity?

Imagine being able to watch miniature versions of Kings of Leon or Lady Gaga play on a table right in front of your eyes.

This is augmented reality (AR) in action.

Integrating computer-generated images and the real world has been made possible by the ever-increasing power of small computing devices, which can now render realistic 3D figures in real-time.

One company - String, in partnership with tech firm Digicave - has developed and demonstrated a system that creates the impression of a 3D figure mapped onto, for example, a book shelf. Such technology opens up the possibility of having a pop star appear in your bedroom, performing as if they were on-stage.

"I think what we're delivering here is a unique experience that no-one has ever seen before," says String's CEO Alan Maxwell.

"For example, we can capture a live performance from an artist on stage… and deliver that performance to people's devices wherever they are in the world and they simply have to hold their device at a marker. I think there is a certain amount of value in that."

The idea of augmented reality was first mooted as far back as in 1965, with Ivan Sutherland's now famous essay Augmented Reality: The Ultimate Display. In it, he said that "with appropriate programming… a display could literally be the Wonderland into which Alice walked," stating that digital handcuffs would be able to actually restrain users, and those shot by digital characters would be killed in real life.

His vision bears uncanny resemblance to the Matrix, although it is far from the world of AR that we currently inhabit.

Nearly 50 years after that prophetic work, computers have advanced beyond comprehension. However, commercial developments in AR have been slow and the buzz that surrounded the technology a couple of years ago seems to be waning.

That is perhaps because, up until now, the products and software available to most people have been gimmicky, fun applications rather than - as much of the industry thought - lifestyle must-haves.

Google Transit launched in Chennai, Hyderabad

This is bound to be good news for those who use Google Maps to figure out their way around the city and who are determinedly faithful to the public transport system.

Google Transit, the search giant's application that gives users access to public transport systems embedded on Google maps, was launched in Chennai and Hyderabad on Wednesday. Currently, only information pertaining to local bus services is available.

Google Transit can be accessed on maps.google.co.in by clicking the train icon (indicative of public transport). As usual, with the maps feature, you can plot the route between point A to point B by choosing the ‘Directions' option.

A car and a train icon appear side by side; clicking on the train icon, you get a list of bus services from the start point to the destination, and approximate journey time.

It also provides the frequency of services, according to Manik Gupta, Head, Maps and Local Products, Google.

The service is also available as a mobile application. Additionally, on the mobile, you can even figure out where exactly the bus stop is located. “If you are not familiar with the area, you may not know where the bus stop is, it is not well laid out in every city. This is an additional advantage,” said Mr. Gupta.

In a chat with The Hindu, he said that the information was collated from multiple sources, and “we are quite certain that the data out there is accurate, in terms of services available and frequency.”

However, the application does not account for real time travel, or traffic logjams. So while Transit might indicate that it will take 26 minutes by bus (route No 11 A) to go from T. Nagar to Chintadripet MRTS station, the actual time taken is close to double that during rush hours.

Transit does not provide for direct instantaneous user feedback or updates on traffic scenes or breakdowns (of buses) that may help other users avoid a particular route.

On the other hand, Mr. Gupta says, information can be input into the Google Support page. Also, you could use the mapmaker tool to indicate if landmarks plotted on the maps have changed. “Hopefully, we will get going on this [direct user feedback] as well.” The goal is to expand the service to cover all forms of public transport in all cities in India. It is already available in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Bangalore.