Asimo Robot New 20 Features

This video demonstrates the capabilities of the robot Asimo which is being developed in Japan. Showing its impressive 20 new features it can perform complex tasks such as identifying multiple peoples' voices, unscrewing a bottle and pour liquid into it, and carry trays. More interestingly it can direct people in a facility, while giving instructions.

Video Description:
"he all-new ASIMO is now advanced from an "automatic machine" to an "autonomous machine" with the decision-making capability to determine its behavior in concert with its surroundings such as movements of people. At the beginning of the development process, the following three factors were identified as necessary for a robot to perform as an autonomous machine, and the technologies required to realize these capabilities were developed; 1) high-level postural balancing capability which enables the robot to maintain its posture by putting out its leg in an instant, 2) external recognition capability which enables the robot to integrate information, such as movements of people around it, from multiple sensors and estimate the changes that are taking place, and 3) the capability to generate autonomous behavior which enables the robot to make predictions from gathered information and autonomously determine the next behavior without being controlled by an operator."

Social and Ethical Concerns
People and Machines
This video provides an insight into the future when humans will be interacting with more human-like robots. With these capabilities, the all-new ASIMO takes another step closer to practical use in an environment where it coexists with people.

1.5 million pages of ancient texts to be made accessible online

A huge database will be created in digitizing 1.5 million pages of rare and ancient texts, most dating from the 16th century or earlier. The digitized pages will include early printed books—called incunabula—from Rome and the surrounding area; Greek manuscripts including early church texts and works by Homer, Sophocles, Plato, Hippocrates; and Hebrew manuscripts from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Employers Asking for Applicant Facebook Passwords

There are reports of employers asking for the Facebook passwords of job applicants and, in some cases, for current employees.   Checking social media sites this way is called "shoulder surfing" because the employer is seeing everything you do, rather than just the public information you want them to see.
If this happens to you, all the work you may have done on adjusting your privacy settings to limit what some of your friends, family and others can see is basically useless.  Once you have given out your login information, the company will have full access to your account.

Social Ethical Issues
Privacy: Employers have FULL access to your account and can see everything instead of what you limit to the public (privacy settings).

Reliability Integrity: How reliable are the employers? Can they ensure that the account information won't fall into the wrong hands?

Policies: It is against Facebook's policy to ever give your login information to anyone, so what do you do in this scenario?


http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2012/03/25/employers-asking-for-facebook-passwords.htm

Smart Phones Closing the Digital Divide

It found that just one in five adults does not use the internet in America.
“Once someone has a wireless device, she becomes much more active in how she uses the internet — not just with wireless connectivity, but also with wired devices,” reads the report “The same holds true for the impact of wireless connections and people’s interest in using the internet to connect with others. These mobile users go online not just to find information but to share what they find and even create new content much more than they did before.”
But while smartphones are boosting internet connectivity among less privileged groups, the financially secure, the well-educated, and young people are still more likely to own smart phones.
Internet use habits are changing, as well. In addition to email and search, more Americans are using the web to access social networks. Internet banking is also on the rise.
It also found that race is not a good indicator of mobile use. Whites are as likely as African Americans and Engish-speaking Latinos to own mobile phones.
“The internet access gap closest to disappearing is that between whites and minorities,” researchers wrote. “Differences in access persist, especially in terms of adults who have high-speed broadband at home, but they have become significantly less prominent over the years — and have disappeared entirely when other demographic factors (including language proficiency) are controlled for.”

social ethical issues:
Digital divide is lessening in America between minority groups and people in general. Because of the smart phone people feel more inclined to go online to share what they find.

http://tech.li/2012/04/smartphones-digital-divide/

Canada Considers Implementing Complete Digital Currency

"The Royal Canadian Mint has announced it will release a completely digital currency called MintChip. MintChip will be stored on physical chips and will be able to hand both big purchases and nano-transactions – purchases less than $1."

Reliability and Integrity / Security: The developers stated that the chip was unhackable, but there have been reports that it has been compromised by an electron microscope, needles, and acid. If you drop the chip then you lose the money stored in it. What preventative measures can stop someone else taking it?




Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/04/10/canadian-government-considers-completely-digital-currency/?iid=tl-article-mostpop1#ixzz1rpiqKgCp

Japan's ATM machine: Using your palm and a pin number to access

The way we use currency is always changing. We have undergone a transformation from coins to notes to credit cards and now, Japan is close to implementing a new type of system. You can soon access ATM machines using just your palm and a pin number. The machine uses biometric technology to access the IT and perform its function.

Security: This system looks like it would considerably increase the amount of security at banks because each palm is unique to an individual. It will be interesting to see if other countries follow this example.
Authenticity

http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/12/2943164/cardless-atm-japan-ogaki-kyoritsu

Google Glasses

Google glasses are Google's latest innovation. These glasses track your location and they constantly capture videos of your surroundings. They're recognition software is able identify location and faces of people discretely. There are plenty of cool features such as voice recognition and gps navigation commands.

Social and Ethical Issues
Reliability and Integrety: This device looks like it may impair vision. Will it be dangerous to use it while driving like texting because of the pop-up distractions? If someone is injured who is liable?
Pirvacy and Anonymity: This device constantly tracks your location.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/google-glasses-video-deve_n_1414882.html