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Doctors at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital are using a video game to help them identity signs of addiction in their patients. The said video game, based on a previous research made by Dr. Michael M. Fleming of the Northwestern University Feingberg School of Medicine, is derived from the same technology used by FBI agents during interrogation. Already in its final stage of testing, the video game uses an actor’s voice to simulate a hypothetical conversation with a patient. The game generates responses based on the doctor’s questions, and the doctor must be able to identify indicators of possible addiction or abuse based on the simulated patient appearing on the screen before them.
Read full post →Video game helps doctors detect drug abuse in patients


This is not really the first time for us to talk about couches. First there was the Sound Sofa which can double up as an iOS speaker dock. Then there’s the Sega Master System Sofa that’s perfect for video game fanatics, although it did not have any electronics on it. Today, we’re adding another interesting sofa to the lineup. We’d like to introduce the Trophy Cuddler Audio Sofa that features an iPod dock and a built-in speaker system.
Read full post →Trophy Cuddler Audio Sofa has built-in speakers and an iPod dock





Earlier this month, a concept utility pole dubbed as V-Pole (V for Vancouver) was unveiled at the New Cities Summit in Paris. The V-Pole is the brainchild of Douglas Coupland, a Canadian writer and artist who is known for writing about the intersection of culture and technology. Essentially, the V-Pole concept hopes to introduce the future of urban utility poles. The V-Pole is a slim, modular utility pole connected to underground optical wiring. It can be installed in urban settings and it promises to provide neighborhoods with WiFi access, LED street lighting, electric vehicle charging, parking transactions and can reportedly act as an electronic neighborhood bulletin board.
Read full post →V-Pole concept could be the next generation utility pole


Yesterday, we wrote to you about Dell’s Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet that, according to the screenshot, will be powered by an Intel Clover Trail Atom dual-core processor and will be accompanied by a 2 GB RAM and an Intel integrated graphics chipset. While the idea of Dell launching a tablet running on Windows 8 is interesting, PC World argues that the incoming tablet and its specs are relatively “weak”.
Read full post →Leaked Dell Windows 8 tablet isn’t so convincing, report says


We can still remember how excited we were when we first heard that Yahoo is working on a news reader, the beautifully designed “digital living magazine” that is Livestand. But eventually, all good things must come to an end, too soon, unfortunately, for Yahoo’s Livestand. Today, Yahoo announced that it will discontinue its digital newspaper app. The company explained that it has decided to discontinue or consolidate a number of products, including  Livestand, in order to focus on more opportunities.
Read full post →Yahoo decides to discontinue Livestand


The two satellite photos that you are seeing above are from the Ball Square in Somerville and West Cambridge. Do you notice the differences? I’m sure you have. But did you notice that the photos reveal that West Cambridge has more trees than Ball Square? Well, according to Tim DeChant, who blogs over at Per Square Mile, urban trees – or the lack thereof – can actually reveal income inequality. “I was curious, could I actually see income inequality from space? It turned out to be easier than I expected,” DeChant said.
Read full post →Income inequality revealed from space [Research]


Rumor has it that Facebook is planning to acquire the company behind the Opera web browser. The rumor mill exploded earlier today from various sources on the web. According to Pocketlint, a trusted source of theirs reportedly told them that the social networking giant is planning to buy Opera Software, the company behind the Opera web browser. The source reportedly said that Facebook could be on the verge of expanding into web browsers, similar to the likes of Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and of course Yahoo with its recently announced Yahoo! Axis.


Read full post →Facebook to acquire Opera? [Rumor]


Cisco is announcing that it will be shutting down its Android-based Cius tablet project. OJ Winge, Senior Vice President of Cisco’s TelePresence Technology Group, said that the company will no longer invest in the Cisco Cius tablet and that no further enhancements will be made to it. The Cius tablet was first revealed in 2010 as a business tablet running on Android OS. Last year, the company announced that the tablet will be arriving on Verizon’s network but clearly it wasn’t doing so well.
Read full post →Cisco to discontinue its Android-powered Cius tablet

Seen at: blogs.cisco 


It is one thing to live in a really spacious home, where your master bedroom has its separate bathroom, and turning on the lights there will not blind your partner. However, not everyone is privileged enough to earn that kind of money and purchase such a home, so those of us who live in cramped apartments will just have to feel our way around at night when we need to pee or let loose some logs. Guys, especially, will need to aim properly, otherwise they might end up making a mess of things. The Toilet Sensor Clip that you see here will clip onto your toilet tank, sporting soft blue LED lights that are powered by a trio of AAA batteries which will light up the moment it detects any movement. It is said to deliver the right amount of light so that you can navigate the bathroom without having to wake anyone up. Expect the Toilet Sensor Clip to retail for $15 a pop if you are interested.

Seen at: dvice 


QR codes seem to be all the rage these days, and you can even reveal a QR code by filling up a glass with the black liquid known as Guinness, but here we are with something radically different – Korean Emart has placed 3D QR code sculptures throughout the city of Seoul, where it will depend on the position of the sun as the QR code can only be scanned between noon and 1 pm every day, assuming there is no rain, of course. Those are one of the quieter periods at the store, so it is the right time for shoppers to receive discounts by scanning in the QR codes.

Known as “Sunny Sale” (how obvious!) Emart’s effort requires setting up a bunch of what is known as “shadow” QR codes, where it will depend on peak sunlight in order to view the QR code properly. Each successful scan will send you over to a dedicated home page that will put up special offers, with a coupon worth $12 thrown into the mix as well.

Seen at: springwise