VOICELESS MOBILE CHAT

A US company has demonstrated a ‘voiceless ‘ phone call, using a neckband that translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals.
Ambient Corporation claims that any person can use the new device- called Audeo – to send nerve signals to their vocal cords without having speak.
Michael, Calahan, one of the founders of the company, says that the signals picked up by the neckband are relayed wirelessly to a computer that converts them into words spoken by a computerized voice.
A user only needs some careful training on how to use the device, he says.
With the new system, the first public voiceless phone call was made on stage at a recent conference, held by imcrochip manufacturer Texas Instruments.
Callahan says that the Audeo’s ability to voice people’s inner thoughts need not worry them. He says that a user has to think specifically about voicing words in order for them to be picked up by the equipment.
Callahan also said that the Audeo is the same system that had previously been used to let people control wheelchairs using their thoughts.
He added that the new system might be beneficial for those who do not want to be overheard while making a private call, and also for those who have lost the ability to speak.

GLOWING LOOK

When you look into the mirror, what is it on your face that you would like to get rid of ? is it the wrinkles, the dark circles under the eyes, the pores on your cheeks, the double chin, or your complex ion….? What takes a lot of makeup to hide, or maybe even cosmetic surgery, now finds a cure in acupuncture it seems and all this without pinching your pocket too much.

People usually got for acupuncture treatment to get rid of diabetes, psoriasis, reducing pain and anxiety, but now acupuncture is also proving to be wonderful solution to make you look beautiful as well.

No wonder acupuncture clinics catering to beauty treatment are mushrooming all over the world, although fewer compared to beauty parlors and allopathic clinics, believers in this therapy are on the rise.

Clients for acupuncture include career-oriented women, who want to look good, in short time.

However, there is also another view, blemishes and wrinkles are caused because of many factors such as over-exposure to the sun, pollution, etc. acupuncture can cure only underlying problems relating to the senses and nerves. Such cosmetic problems can be treated only through chemical peeling or high-end lasers.

HIKING IN HONG KONG

Nothing will prepare the tourists for luscious, multi-layered, luminous Kong, with its luxuriant old world charm, neon-sparkled sharp skyscrapers, amazing restaurants, fascinating sights, and a surfeit of shopping that would tire even the most ardent retail addict.But if you think Hong Kong’s hype is only about stacking your wallet and taking a dizzy, tizzy mall crawl through a city that seems to spawn unending crops of shops, thing again !

The real magic of Hong Kong’s stunning natural beauty has to be experienced – juxtaposed, rather jumpily, with urban aggression from wild hillsides, tower blocks spring into view! The city offers varied scenery: rugged peaks, coastal walks, and secluded beaches.

Unknown to one, until visited, nearly two-thirds of Hong Kong is farmland or countryside. Additionally, an incredible 40 percent of the territory has been officially conserved and protected through country and marine parks. The ecological and natural environment in and around Hong Kong is surprisingly diverse.

Bang in the middle of the buzzing business district and commercial hub of Central, is this soothing public park, very modern in design, but verdant with natural wonder. This glamorous Hong Kong hotspot is better known for its bustling dim sum dinner, designer boutiques and lovely stores like the iconic Shanghai Tang with its flagship boutique at 12 Peddar Street, from where tourists buy ‘ Chairman Mao ‘ ashtrays. Central is also home to Charter Road, the bastion of A-list luxury. And, then, there is the discovery of a superlative sanctuary in the Hong Kong Park, sprawled across eight hectares. Water has been turned into thematic feature here, running through the Park by way of streams and waterfalls off artificial rock cliffs.

So, Hong Kong is not only the place for shoppes, it is also a place for wanderers.

KILLING CANCER CELLS WHILE SPARING OTHERS.

It has not exactly been the medical equivalent of the hunt for the holy grail, but scientists have for long been looking for a drug that kills cancer cells and spares healthy ones. And the goal appears within sight.

People get cancer because a protein called p53- which is supposed to suppress tumors- is not doing its job. About half the time, this is because the gene that holds the protein is mutated or missing.

Beut the rest of the time, another protein, called the human MDM2, is the culprit. It binds to p53 and inhibits its tumor suppressor function, promoting cancer development.

For over a decade, scientists have been searching for ways to block the inhibition of the p53 protein- but in vain.

Now, US researchers at the University of Michigan say they have designed a small molecule, called MI-219 completely inhibited tumor growth and appeared to cause no toxicity to animals.

If clinical trials bear these results, the drug, could potentially treat many different types of cancer, say the authors of the study published.

The MI-219 also offers the advantage of being capable of development as an oral pill, rather than traditional chemotherapy that must be given intravenously.

However, the researchers cautioned that MI-219 needs to be evaluated in human clinical trials for safety and efficacy for cancer treatment since it is a brand new drug.

IPODS WITH A WINK

Don’t read to much into some one winking at you in Japan- a researcher says he has developed a system that will soon let people run their ipods with the flick of an eye.

The system, comprising a single-chip computer and a couple of infrared sensors, monitors movements of the temple and is so tiny that it can be built into the side of a pair of eyeglasses. Closing both eyes for one second starts an ipod. While blinking again stops the machine. A wink with the rifht eye makes the machine skip to the next tune while with a wink of the left eye it goes back.

As a person does not have to move either hand, the system can serve as “ a third hand “ for caregivers, rock-climbers, motorbike drivers and astronauts, as well as people with disabilities.

“ You don’t have to worry about the system moving incorrectly as the system picks up signals when you close your eyes firmly. You can use this when you’re eating or chatting with someone, “ said the device’s developer, Kazuhiro Taniguchi.

The system – dubbed as “ Temple Switch “ can easily differentiate a deliberate one-second wink from natural blinking. Normally you blink in an energy –saving manner, very quickly and lightly, but you would close your eyes more firmly to operate a device.

DYSLEXIA,

Don’t frown at your children if they have problem in spelling a word or difficulty in grasping a concept quickly.

They may be suffering from DYSLEXIA, said Prof. Sumant Majmudar at a multi-disciplinary seminar on dyslexia at Kanoria Centre for Medical Education and Research.

As many as 175 participants, including psychologists, students and teachers from across the city took part in the multi-disciplinary seminar.

All that such children need is an enabling environment, for dyslexia is just a disorder, not a disease, said experts.

The rate of dyslexia in USA is 4 per cent while it is around 10 per cent in India. Reading writing and mathematical disorders are included in dyslexia.

The seminar where such problems were discussed was held by KCMER faculty Rajul Malik.

The centre runs postgraduate courses like in applied clinical counseling and psychotherapy, certificate course in educational counseling and parental counseling

LEAPFROGGIN AS STRATEGY

Leapfrogging is not only an interesting game in which youngsters indulge but it can be also an effective strategy in overcoming problems.

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai pointed out in the context of technology, India being a late comer in many areas of technology, had had an advantage because India can leapfrog through the intermediate stages of technology.

In telecommunications, for example, we have witnessed this advantage of leapfrogging. For hundred years wireline technology dominated the scene now.

India had a telephone density of one telephone per 100 persons of the population as late as 1990.

But it recent times India is touching 24 for 100 people.

This has been mainly due to the liberal policies of the government, giving opportunities to the private and also the explosive growth of new wireless communication technology. Unlike United States and other developed countries, India does not have to worry about the sunk costs of the wireline infrastructure on the ground. India can adopt wireless with a clean conscience.

In face, leapfrogging is nothing but eliminating a stage or stages in any process.