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Friday, February 26, 2010

Tiny Chip Made of Paper Diagnoses Diseases and Costs Just a Penny

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/fingerprint-sized-paper-lab-chip-costs-just-penny

Puts medical diagnostic tools at the fingertips of everyday folk

Existing lab-on-a-chip designs can put the power of testing in the palm of your hand, but an upcoming model may represent the cheapest and most colorful one yet. A Harvard University chemist has created a prototype "chip" technology out of paper that could help diagnose HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases for just a penny each time, according to CNN.

A drop of blood on one side of the paper chip results in a colorful tree-like pattern that tells physicians or nurses whether a person has certain diseases. Water-repellent comic-book ink helps channel the blood into the tree-like pattern, as several layers of treated paper react to the blood and create the telling colors.

George Whitesides, the Harvard chemist, said that the colors can also reveal the severity of a disease rather than just saying if a person has it or not. It's not the most sophisticated lab-on-a-chip, but that's the point -- many of these could become cheap diagnostic tools for a developing world that often lacks physicians and clinics.

Patients in Africa or Asia could even take photos of their diagnostic results with mobile phones, which have become wildly popular even in the poorest regions. They could then send the photos on to medical centers for proper diagnosis.

Whitesides was one of the speakers at the recent TED Conference. Perhaps he should discuss his work with fellow TED attendee Bill Gates -- we know that the Gates Foundation has devoted $10 billion over the next decade toward vaccines as a method of combating childhood diseases. Maybe Gates could spare a bit of change for this nifty yet simple tech as well.

[via CNN]

The Telescope-Toting 747 That Sees More than Hubble

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-02/flying-telescope-sees-more-hubble

A telescope-toting 747 is about to become astronomy's most versatile tool

In the movies, opening the door on a plane at 45,000 feet is disastrous. But this spring it will be standard procedure on one 747—one carrying a telescope high enough to capture the cosmos better than ever before.

Built into the tail end of a Boeing 747, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) will soar above the atmospheric water vapor that blocks most infrared light from ground observatories, to shoot detailed images of star-forming nebulae, planets' atmospheres and clouds of organic molecules. The 2.5-meter mobile telescope—operated by NASA and Germany's space agency—will best the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes by scanning the widest range of light of any scope, from ultraviolet to the far infrared. And because SOFIA is easier to design and maintain than a space telescope, it could be built and operated for a third of the cost.

Stargazing from a flying plane is no easy feat, but the scope's non-pressurized, cooled compartment should smooth the transition to similar stratospheric conditions. And since test flights in 2007 (which earned SOFIA a Popular Science Best of What's New award that year), engineers added a collar around the scope to cut turbulence. NASA's pilots will fly the plane, but the telescope's controls are integrated with autopilot to capture steady images. "Although we changed the plane to fly the telescope," says SOFIA astronomer Dana Backman, "when we're observing, the scope actually flies the plane."

Use LogMeIn and VNC Software for Remote Computing Power [Remote Acccess]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/-PCc04YZEuE/use-logmein-and-vnc-software-for-remote-computing-power

Netbooks and ultra-portable laptops may be convenient, but they don't always have the horsepower to get done what you need. Mobile-obsessed blogger James Kendrick suggests using LogMeIn (or maybe a free equivalent) to do the battery-draining stuff remotely.

Kendrick suggests that video editing, file encoding, and other tasks that might take your portable computer far too long are best done with a remote LogMeIn/VNC connection. Likewise, tasks like system updates, malware scans, and other maintenance that will take a long time when you're sitting down can be triggered remotely and set to shut down when done.

Kendrick lists four other clever uses of LogMeIn that he relies on regularly. We're wondering if you use remote desktop access regularly, and for what kinds of functions. Drop your discussion in the comments, if you please.

Top 5 Ways To Get The Most Out of LogMeIn [jkOnTheRun]

5 more Buzz tips: post by email, follow the Buzz team, and more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/Z-iZ35tFerY/5-more-buzz-tips-post-by-email-follow.html

Posted by Brian Stoler, Tech Lead, Google Buzz

1. Post by email. You can post buzz by emailing buzz@gmail.com — super handy for posting photos you take on your phone. Photos that you attach to your email will appear along with the subject line of your message. You can choose who can see posts you email into Buzz from the connected sites menu (click "Buzz," then "Connected Sites").

2. Prevent your boring chat status messages from being posted to Buzz. By default, your chat status messages are posted to Buzz and shared with your chat contacts. Don't want a boring message like "be right back" to turn into a Buzz post? Just put parentheses around it. If you don't want any of your chat status messages to get posted, you can always disconnect chat from the connected sites menu.

3. Look for the yellow line to see what's new. Can't figure out what's new on the Buzz tab? Posts and comments new since your last visit have a light yellow line along the left hand edge (if you're using a different theme the color may vary).

4. Link to a post. Each Buzz post has a permalink, so you can link to it. Click the down-arrow in the upper right-hand corner of a post, and select "Link to this post." Of course, you'lll only be able to see the posts you have access to.

5. Follow the Buzz team in Google Buzz. Visit buzz.google.com/googlebuzz and click "Follow Google Buzz" to get updates about what we're working on and send us your feedback.

Samsung's new 3DTVs get an early eyes-on, through $150 shutter glasses

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/26/samsungs-new-3dtvs-get-an-early-eyes-on-through-150-shutter-g/

Firsthand impressions outside the CES crucible are flowing in following the worldwide launch of Samsung's new LCD 3DTVs. UK publications have gotten up close with production versions of the new HDTVs, TechRadar observed the Monsters vs. Aliens Blu-ray disc packed in with the new displays over there plus the 2D-to-3D conversion feature, reporting the latter worked better on sports footage of ice skaters but caused "disconcerting" effect on news broadcasts. A video preview from Which? (embedded after the break) gives a good look at the new remote and managed to clear up one of the early worries about new display by confirming the 3D effect continued to work even from a wide viewing angle. For those who have already pressed the buy button, taking advantage of that effect will of course require 3D glasses. While Samsung's already promised multiple models a lone battery powered pair for adults has appeared for preorder on Vanns for $150, which despite the relatively reasonable cost of the displays could make group viewings very expensive for the early adopter. While that may not be out of the price range for some, we'll keep an eye out for pricing info from the competition -- and looking for cheaper 3rd party alternatives. Check out their impressions and decide for yourself how much a 3D World Cup experience is worth.

[Thanks, Dave]

Continue reading Samsung's new 3DTVs get an early eyes-on, through $150 shutter glasses

Samsung's new 3DTVs get an early eyes-on, through $150 shutter glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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