Category: Science
Microsoft develops MySong "instant backing band" software
Two techies at Microsoft’s research lab have developed software which can automatically generate a musical backing track to anything sung at it.
MySong allows “creative but musically untrained individuals [to] get a taste of song writing and music creation,” according to co-creator Dan Morris.
The software first generates a file containing the sequence of sung notes using pitch tracking, and then computes a suitable musical backing using “chord probability computation”…
Jakob Nielsen: getting old makes you slow! Really, wow
For every year you grow older, you go to 0.3% more web pages to find what you’re looking for and spend 0.5% longer trying to find it when you get there. That’s according to the results of a new study by web usability boffin, Jakob Nielsen…
Australian man finds bit of rocket – then hands it in
Who would hand in a bit of rocket? If I found a bit of rocket, it’d be up on the mantelpiece the same day. Regardless of health implications from cosmic radiation or half-melted fuel cells.
The man in questions is James Stirton. The rocket part in question is unknown, as James has been on the phone to NASA to try and find out exactly what it is he’s just…
Titanic builder diversifying WILDLY by setting up world's best tidal electricity system
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Northern Ireland has just surged ahead in the sustainable energy world-saving race, thanks to the efforts of Harland & Wolff – the very same Harland & Wolff of Titanic fame.
The shipbuilder has engineered what it believes is the biggest tidal power system in the world today, with the its SeaGen setup capable of pumping out 1.2 megawatts – enough to keep the PCs and TVs on in around 1000 homes…
MY FINAL WISH: Sprinkle bits of me on the moon
Forget leaving money to the kids. They’ll just waste it on cars and holidays. The gentlemanly to spend your life savings post-death is clearly having your ashes dumped on the surface of the moon.
Yes. Having your ashes dumped ON THE SURFACE OF…
EADS wants "production line" of space planes! Crack out the silver tracksuit – we will be in space soon
EADS, or the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, has said it can see a day when space travel becomes as routine as paying £17.99 to go via RyanAir to Amsterdam for a three-day stag-do.
“It will develop towards a classical aeronautical business model. Someone will build the planes; somebody will operate them; somebody will sell the tickets; somebody will provide the accommodation – like any tourism,” said Robert Laine, the chief technical officer of the rocket builder. A division of EADS called Astrium, which currently makes the Ariane rocket, reckons it’ll be knocking about 10 “space planes” a year to sell to operators.
Here’s an entirely unrelated photograph of the space shuttle Endeavour in which you can clearly see an astronaut’s iPod through the window:
So hopefully, before we die, we’ll all get…
"Smart Goggle" will remember whether you put your keys in the oven or fridge while drunk last night
The whole idea of Terminator/Predator style augmented vision is shaping up nicely in Japan right now, thanks to the efforts of another group of clever augmented-reality scientists.
The rather bulky set of glasses to the left there features a camera and display, with the camera feeding data to a clever – and apparently the “best yet” – object recognition system…
Opinion: Why we should all be scared of real robot wars!
Jonathan Weinberg writes… One of the UK’s leading scientists reckons terrorists could soon be using robots to attack their targets – so should we all be worried and run for cover?
Well, I’ve already battened down my hatches, took the tin hat out of storage and stocked up on tins of corned beef and baked beans. Annoyingly, I don’t even like corned beef, but I’m told it lasts.
Anyhow, robots are without doubt one of the biggest technological advances and one of the biggest techno-tests we face in the future. If they can be used for good, it stands to reason they can be used for evil. Anyone who’s seen Steven Spielberg flick Artificial Intelligence: AI starring Jude Law will know how terrifying a world with ultra-realistic human-like robots could be…
Mucking about with the revolving door creates free electricity
Continuing today’s impromptu self-powering theme we have this from Fluxxlab. It’s a method of generating power for your home – or someone else’s office – by fitting a little charger to a revolving door.
So as you and your gerbil-like friends and employees turn the door, a flood of free electricity charges up all your batteries and keeps your stuff switched on for free…
Charge your gadgets with KNEE POWER
American and Canadian boffins have come up with a clever idea. It’s a little knee brace that generates electricity as you walk. Just like wearing a 100% polyester jumper.
Apparently capable of building up enough of a charge to power a phone for 30 minutes from just one minute of walking, the invention is designed to help people with complicated prosthetics power their complicated fake limbs…
