Chuck Wendig, Freelance Penmonkey | Chuck Wendig: Freelance Penmonkey Applying Google’s PageRank algorithm to the molecular universe A computational chemist at Washington State University has adapted Google’s seminal search algorithm, PageRank, so that instead of mapping trillions of web pages it maps out the shapes and chemical reactions of quadrillions of molecules. In the traditional PageRank algorithm, a web page’s “value” increases as more sites link to it, but the PageRank of the source site also matters. For example, if ExtremeTech receives a link from The New York Times, our PageRank would increase a lot, but a link from your personal blog wouldn’t have much of an effect. Ultimately PageRank was destroyed by Google bombing, where nefarious SEO goons would create thousands of dummy sites that artificially boosted the rank of a real site. Google still uses something similar to PageRank, but the algorithm is undoubtedly much more complex and intelligent. Back to the Washington State discovery. Why is this important? This isn’t the first time PageRank has been used outside of Google’s search engine, incidentally.
jabberwacky - live chat bot - AI Artificia BioShock Infinite Delayed to 2013 BioShock Infinite has been delayed to 2013. Despite a prior announcement that the game would hit stores on October 16th of this year, director Ken Levine has now revealed a new release date of February 26, 2013. In a letter released today, Levine says the team at Irrational has “come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary” and that the delay will give the development team "the time they need.” “I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter,” Levine wrote. You'll have to wait a bit longer to be terrified by these guys. Levine says the delay “means an even better BioShock Infinite,” adding that “we owe it to both ourselves and to you, our fans, to take this opportunity.” The game also won’t be shown at upcoming trade shows E3 and Gamescom. BioShock Infinite was first announced in late 2010.
Everything2 DARPA reveals Avatar program, robot soldiers incoming DARPA, the bleeding-edge research wing of the United States Department of Defense, has revealed that it will spend millions of dollars on a project called “Avatar.” If you’ve seen the movie of the same name — the highest-grossing movie of all time — let me put your mind at rest: DARPA isn’t looking to genetically engineer blue-skinned aliens that humans can control; no, they’re developing robots. In the words of DARPA itself, the Avatar program will work on “interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bipedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier’s surrogate.” If you’ve been following ExtremeTech for the last few months, you’re probably experiencing sweaty a mix of terror and excitement right now. Then there’s the interface: A joystick and multi-monitor display would probably do the job, or, if you really wanted to become one with your robotic avatar, you could use a virtual reality visor and a suit with sensors and actuators.
Artificial Intelligence Depot Three tech gadgets you might be tempted to buy, but shouldn't By Rick Broida, CNET You know the old saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For example, yesterday I received a PR pitch from Jabra, which is offering a $15 Amazon MP3 credit when you buy the Jabra Clipper Bluetooth stereo headset -- in your choice of four colors -- for $59.99. Here's the funny part: there's a fifth color, black, that sells for $39.99 -- right there on the same Amazon product page. This got me to thinking about other "deals" that aren't. I love wireless speakers. But AirPlay speakers? Those are among the reasons I'm sticking with Bluetooth speakers instead. For more on the subject, check out Matthew Moskovciak's "Why iPhone speakers are ditching AirPlay for Bluetooth." 2. Chromebooks were a sucky idea from the get-go. Maybe that's why Amazon is now selling the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook for $299.99. In my mind, a Chromebook offers exactly one advantage over a traditional, Windows-powered laptop: fast start-up. 3. Because they're terrible. Related Links
Photos of Sakurajima volcano 25 Feb 2010 On a recent visit to Japan, alien landscape photographer Martin Rietze captured some spectacular images of Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima prefecture. Multiple lightning flashes caused by fast moving fine ash Lava bombs hitting the flank Strombolian eruption with lightning Detail with multiple lightning flashes Lava brightens the ash cloud Ash eruption causing lightning Violent eruption Genius Swedish computer program has IQ of 150 Researchers at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics, and Theory of Science at the University of Gothenburg in Göteborg, Sweden, have created a computer program that can score 150 on standard non-verbal IQ test questions. Intelligence is an "I know it when I see it" phenomenon, but psychologists have formed no consensus on what abilities combine to produce the appearance of great intelligence. Despite this, the lure of condensing a person's "intelligence" into a simple "intelligence quotient" (IQ) has proven irresistible to many in the field. Measuring intelligence The first IQ test was introduced by Alfred Binet in 1905. IQ tests for adults are developed so that their scores fall on a bell curve, the peak of the curve being defined as an IQ of 100. The standard deviation of the test results is then evaluated. Of particular interest is development of IQ tests which are free of cultural, linguistic, and other biases - tests that can cut to a "pure" IQ. Testing a computer's IQ
One Per Cent: Next Xbox could have a biometric controller Jacob Aron, technology reporter (Image: US Patent Office) The controller for the next Xbox might be able to take biometric readings of your hand, according to a recent Microsoft patent. It describes a device that strongly resembles the current Xbox 360 controller, but also comes equipped with pressure sensors capable of identifying individuals or even reading their emotions. Gamers could login to their console simply by picking up the controller, thanks to a pressure-sensitive surface that reads the size of their hand and the strength of their grip then creates an identifying "pressure profile signature". That means you could pass the controller to a friend and the console will realise that a new user has taken over. (Image: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images) The pressure-sensitive surface could also have an impact on the actual games. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, have previously modified existing Xbox controls to create similar effects.