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Passports: Another Bad Use of Self-Signed Certificates
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:37:28 -0400
The offline nature of the passport data makes it impossible to validate in any meaningful way. This weakness made it easy for hackers to device systems for cloning and modifying passport RFID chips. - I'm surprised it took this long: Hackers have released the specs and tools to clone and modify the RFID chips in US passports. 2 years ago when the plan to issue them was first widely discussed I asked what purpose they served and pointed out obvious problems with them. As far as I can tell, e-passp...
Craig Newmark Makes New List for Congress
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:23:00 -0400
Craigslist's founder is stumping the country for a more responsive and transparent government that puts everything the government does online. He's not just talking either, putting his support behind a variety of sites that track legislation, members of Congress, their staff, federal spending and lobbyists. If only the U.S. Senate would cooperate. - WASHINGTON Craig Newmark is getting political, even though the Craigslist founder readily admits, quot;Most people don't want to be bothered by politics, including myself. quot; Nevertheless, Newmark is banging the drum for Barack Obama and urging young voters to register to vote. quot;We nee...
Treo Pro Looks Good, but Needs Improving
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:39:10 -0400
The Treo Pro from Palm is bringing a sleek new look to the smart phone for businesses users. However, the erratic 3G performance and battery life issues in the Palm Treo Pro need to be resolved. - With the new Treo Pro, Palm for once is bringing the sexy to business users, delivering a sleek, appealing device ready for business use. Unfortunately, the Treo Pros erratic 3G performance quickly depletes the battery under certain circumstances, making it difficult to recommend the device until...
IBM Lotus Symphony 1.1 in Need of an Update
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:30:45 -0400
IBM Lotus Symphony 1.1 offers users a clean and attractive user interface,but it's based on a 4-year-old version of OpenOffice.org. Lotus Symphony 1.1 lacks a lot of the features and support offered in such competitive products as Microsoft Office. - Lotus Symphony 1.1 is a freely available office productivity suite from IBM that brings together a trio of word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications under a clean and well-implemented user interface. IBM built Symphony's UI atop the Eclipse IDE and the company's own Lotus Exped...
KDE Ships 'Codename'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:27:16 -0400
The KDE community has released KDE 4.1.2, which is code-named Codename. KDE 4.1.2 is a monthly update to the KDE 4.1 series of the popular free Linux desktop environment. The community will continue with monthly updates, ultimately reaching the next major release, KDE 4.2, in January 2009. - The KDE community has announced quot;Codename, quot; which is actually the code name for KDE 4.1.2, the latest version of the popular free desktop for Linux. Officials at KDE, the nonprofit organization that represents the KDE Project, said KDE 4.1.2 is a bug fix and maintenance update for the ...
First Impressions of Google Android
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:07:44 -0400
Google's Android mobile operating system holds a lot of promise for developers. Key features in Android include the ability for all applications to work together and to run in parallel. - The picture on the emulator Web site certainly looks intriguing. That was my first impression of Android, Googles new operating system for handheld devices. The image I saw reminded me of Windows Vista, with a clock gadget and some folder icons on it. To give Android a test run, I installed the ...

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Simple money moves can help family with special needs
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:04:15 -0700
When it comes to financial matters, Chad and Amy Patterson tend to play it safe. Before starting a family, the Lake Stevens couple made...
Small stuff suddenly seems big
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:44:48 -0700
In times of bad markets, investors don't just worry about the big things, they sweat the small stuff. For proof, consider this question...
Lawsuit raises new questions about demise of subprime lender MILA
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:08:35 -0700
Until WaMu failed, the biggest local business brought down by the mortgage crisis was subprime lender MILA, which closed abruptly in April...

NYT > Technology

Digital Domain: Can’t Open Your E-Mailbox? Good Luck
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:44:03 -0000
What would you do if you logged onto your e-mail and received an unfamiliar message: “User name and password do not match”?
Google and Yahoo Delay Ad Deal for Antitrust Review
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:42:17 -0000
The delay of the search advertising partnership would give the Justice Department more time to investigate its antitrust implications.
Credit Crisis Spreads a Pall Over Silicon Valley
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:34:35 -0000
Entrepreneurs and investors believe the question is when, not if, the country’s cradle of innovation will be hurt.

CNN.com - Technology

'Space elevator' could take humans into orbit
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:28:38 -0400
A new space race is officially underway, and this one should have the sci-fi geeks salivating. The project is a "space elevator," and some experts now believe the concept is well within the bounds of possibility -- maybe even within our lifetimes.
MIT celebrates 50 years of 'Smoot'
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:39:49 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
Chertoff seeks cyber counterattack system
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:00:51 -0400
First, there was "Einstein," the federal government's effort to protect itself from cyber attacks by limiting the number of portals to government computer systems and searching for signs of cyber tampering.

NPR Topics: Technology

New Solar Cell Easy As Pizza To Make
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:16:00 -0400
The iJET is a new type of solar cell that's cheap and easy to make, requiring not much more than a pizza oven, some nail polish remover, and a common inkjet printer. Australian scientist Nicole Kuepper describes her invention.
SpaceX Celebrates First Successful Rocket Launch
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:53:00 -0400
SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.
Northeast States Trade Carbon Emission Credits
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:46:00 -0400
A consortium of Northeast states has completed the first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction in the U.S. Under cap-and-trade, limits are set on emissions. Companies that do not use up their quota of emissions are able to sell their excess emission capacity to other companies.

BBC News | Technology | UK Edition

China 'spying on Skype messages'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:38:32 -0000
Chinese officials are censoring messages sent through the internet service Skype, Canadian researchers say.
Obama uses iPhone to win support
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:30:12 -0000
US Democratic candidate Barack Obama launches an application that could turn the iPhone into a political recruiting tool.
Music stars unite to seek control
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:30:43 -0000
Acts including Robbie Williams and Radiohead join a coalition to try to gain ownership and control of their music from record labels.

Reuters Video: Technology

Solar clothes
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:30:01 -0400
Oct. 3 - Argentine designer looks to the future by creating solar-powered clothing.
Ring ring, bling bling
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:21:52 -0400
Oct. 3 - Ring ring, bling bling; NIntendo's latest player, 3D reality, and a hybrid motorbike.
Nokia aims to take bite out of Apple
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:54:05 -0400
Oct 3 - The world's largest mobile handset maker is launching a 'free' music package and its first touch phone in a challenge to Apple's dominance of the digital music market.

AP Top Technology News At 4:35 p.m. EDT

Ex-McAfee executive clear of illegal option dating
By PAUL ELIAS Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:22:15 -0000
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A jury on Friday acquitted the former top lawyer at computer-security software maker McAfee Inc. of illegally tampering with his stock option grants to boost his pay package....
RIM CEO: AT&T still testing delayed BlackBerry
By PETER SVENSSON Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:18:15 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- A delayed top-of-the-line BlackBerry phone from Research in Motion Ltd. is still undergoing testing by AT&T Inc., and RIM's co-CEO implied that the carrier wants to avoid the chorus of complaints about performance that greeted the new iPhone this summer....
Labor report indicates squeeze on tech sector
By BARBARA ORTUTAY Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:00:34 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- The economic slowdown has started to squeeze the technology sector. So far this has not led to wide-scale job cuts, but a slowing demand for computers and other electronics may already be weighing on some payrolls....

CNET News.com

Apple cures the common cold and other stuff
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:39:00 -0700
Rumors of a "revolutionary" manufacturing process make the rounds - and this time the hype is off the charts.
Report: Palin, Obama lead in election-related spam
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:43:00 -0700
The spam study doesn't mean much in terms of who actually wins the election, but it does show spammers are staying on top of what names are hot among Net users.
Who's to blame for spreading phony Jobs story?
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:08:00 -0700
Silicon Alley Insider and CNN are at center of controversy surrounding false report that Apple CEO Steve Jobs suffered a heart attack. Citizen journalism may not be solely to blame.

 

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HUMANOID: simulating virtual people - The simulation of realistic virtual humans, who can interact within a 3-D environment and with the user, will improve the ability to create convincing human animation in the entertainment industry.

3D Virtual character actors for animation - 3D Cartoons, CG Animation, Virual Actors, Characters and Performers. Illustration, Design and Stop Motion animation.
Meta Description: [ The Clayman's 3D Cartoon Communications- Illustration, Character Design, CG and Stop Motion Clay Foam Puppet Animation, Advertising, Print Publishing, Entertainment, Safety , Education, by cartoonist Paul Moldovanos, Vancouver, BC, Canada ]

Ananova - Featuring a virtual newscaster, capable of delivering real-time on-demand news bulletins over the Internet and interactive devices.
Meta Description: [ Ananova: News on the move from the leading site for breaking UK and world news, sport, entertainment, business and weather stories and information. ]

AVAtalk - RTI International - Technology that enables spoken natural language dialog with virtual humans for training applications.
Meta Description: [ AVATALK® - RTI International - Technology that enables virtual humans for training applications ]

404 bluue - A company who is developing interactive digital beings with an emotional intelligence called heart for Handy, TV and Internet. It shows various character examples, TV and movieprojects.

Boston Dynamics - Cambridge MA. Boston Dynamics is a leading provider of human simulation software and services. Its product, DI-Guy, is widely used for adding lifelike humans to real-time simulations. PeopleShop, allows the rapid creation of scenarios with realistic people, and vehicles.
Meta Description: [ Boston Dynamics is the leading provider of human simulation software, tools, and solutions. Organizations worldwide use its products and services for simulation-based training, mission-planning, analysis, and virtual prototyping applications. ]

BOTizen - Offer virtual characters to support online customers by using natural language processing with speech capability.

Bruce M. Blumberg - He is currently starting up a new group called Synthetic Characters which will focus on the problem of building interactive animated characters.

C Creations - C C Creations. Virtual Characters, Chatterbots and Talking Agents for your website.
Meta Description: [ Your online connection for Virtual Characters, Chatterbots, and Talking Agents for your website. ]

Center for Human Modeling and Simulation - University of Pennsylvania. The Center for Human Modeling and Simulation exists to investigate computer graphics modeling and animation techniques for embodied agents, virtual humans, and their applications.

Characters Improvisation - References to autonomous characters that can improvise and react to their environment.

CLONE3D - Personality capture and automated animation. A new media site that specializes in real time 3d characters: the content is designed in the style of pin-up with the intent to bring high technology and art together with comedy.
Meta Description: [ automatic animation and realtime performing 3d characters, pin up art, pin up girls, high resolution, character, digital art, Haptek player, game characters, virtual host, web guide, avatar, automated personalities, artificial intellligence, automated lipsync, happy birthday, singing character, ... ]

CMU SCS OZ Project - The Oz Project at CMU is developing technology and art to help artists create high quality interactive drama, based in part on AI technologies. This especially means building believable agents in dramatically interesting micro-worlds.

CodeBaby - CodeBaby is a leader in web-based virtual agent technology, and enables corporations to integrate state-of-the-art, interactive 3D characters with their websites and online services.

Computer Graphics Lab - LIG is mainly involved in computer animation and virtual reality and teaches computer graphics, virtual reality, and computer vision at the diploma and the doctoral level.

Conversive, Inc. - Conversive's interactive knowledge management solutions complement existing applications and give them new functionality. Our proprietary Conversive Application Platform acts as a natural language interface layer for web pages, intranets and other digital information applications and provides users with coherent, flexible access to vital information. Knowledge is seamlessly accessible from any platform. Real answers are only a simple question away. Start the Dialog(sm) with your users now.
Meta Description: [ Conversive uses Natural Language Technology to help companies improve their customer service and internal communications. ]

CVSSP: 3D-Vision Virtual People - Capturing realistic models of individual people to populate virtual worlds.

Digital Humans - An evolving community for people interested in all types of applications and technologies dealing with digital humans.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to The Art and Science of Digital Humans a web site dedicated to the arts which use digital humans, the technologies used to create digital humans and the applications of digital humans. ]

DIGITAL QUTIES - A massive collection of virtual femmes and digital actresses. In japanese.

Georgia Tech Animation Lab - Animation Lab at Georgia Tech. We are interested in the simulation and animation of dynamic motion such as running, diving, and bicycling.
Meta Description: [ Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech, Research, Graphics, Visualization, Usability, GVU Center ]

Haptek - Home of Virtual Friends - synthetic talking heads that are able to morph into different shapes, talk via scripts, or act as virtual chat proxies.

luminous shadows - fantasy character design - Interactive fantasy and science fiction characters, featuring anime-styled women, aliens, fairies, and monsters.
Meta Description: [ the collected designs and animations of johnathan darkly, featuring fantasy, science fiction and contemporary virtual characters. ]

MIT Media Lab Synthetic Characters - The goal of the Synthetic Characters Group at the MIT Media Laboratory is to understand how to build interactive characters that come alive in the eyes of the people who interact with them.

noDNA virtual realtime character solutions - noDNA provides virtual characters, event services with virtual characters, virtual characters for internet applications like knowledge based bots, technology like motion capture devices for body, fingers and face.
Meta Description: [ noDNA bietet Ihnen: Events mit virtuellen Moderatoren, Technologie für Bewegungserfassung und Echtzeit-Animation, Humanoide Roboter für Forschung und Lehre ]

NYU Media Research Lab - The MRL's Responsive Animated Character research involves applying Prof. Ken Perlin's noise techniques from image rendering to character movement.

Personalized Avatar Creation using Face Recognition - Describes research on using automatic face recognition techniques to create personalized cyberspace avatars.
Meta Description: [ Personalized Avatars ]

Realtime virtual characters - MOTEK. Designs and produces a wide variety of 3D characters for use in VR of any format.
Meta Description: [ MOTEK motion technology - Motion Capture solutions and content for Medical Science, Simulation and Entertainment Industries ]

Responsive Virtual Human Technology Research - Advancing the complexity, robustness, and realism of responsive virtual humans for interaction skills training. NSF-funded RTI-led consortium developing spoken dialog interactions with affective virtual people.
Meta Description: [ Advancing the complexity, robustness, and realism of responsive virtual humans for interaction skills training. ]

404 Televirtual Avatar Technology - Researching and designing artificial virtual humans which can take their place in virtual environments and become an interactive part of the attraction and enjoyment of using the systems.

The Bot Factory - Interactive virtual characters with voice and lip synchronization. Works with any web browser.
Meta Description: [ Create an interactive talking character for your website. Animate its face, fine-tune its voice and bring its intelligence to life. Features include: fully customizable interaction interface with optional menu system, interchangeable character templates, lip synchronization and Artificial Intelli... ]

Virtual Human Interaction Lab - The mission of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University is to understand the dynamics and implications of interactions among people in immersive virtual reality simulations (VR).

Virtual Human Web Pointers - A collection of links to academic and commercial sites of developers and users of virtual humans.

Virtual Humans and Conversational Agents - Papers by Curry Guinn (RTI, Duke University) on virtual humans, conversational agents, synthetic characters, virtual personalities, computational models of human behavior, facial gesture, body gesture, and lip synching.
Meta Description: [ Papers by Curry Guinn on virtual humans, conversational agents, synthetic characters, virtual personalities, computational models of human behavior, facial gesture, body gesture, and lip synching. ]

Virtual Idol - Virtual Idol is a monthly magazine focusing on pretty female characters from games and female seiyuu. The first 8 issues of Virtual Idol came out in an irregular schedule, but it became monthly with volume 9.

Virtual Mermaids - Collection of 3DCG women including Yuki Terai, Kyoko Date, Lara Croft, and Kasumi and Ayane from Dead or Alive.
Meta Description: [ .VIRTUAL MERMAIDS. The Cool Place to Found 3DCG Girls(like Yuki terai, Kyoko Date, Lara Croft, Kasumi or Ayane from Dead Or Alive game, Soul Calibur, Shen Mue, Girls from Junichi Kawamoto or Steven Stahlberg, ...), Gallery of pictures, animations, Informations,... Only Virtual Women!!! ]

Virtual People in a Computer World - Describes the process of creating and controlling virtual humans in a virtual world.

Virtual Reality Laboratory - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The laboratory is mainly involved in the modelling and animation of Three-Dimensional Inhabited Virtual Worlds.

virtual-personality.de - virtual characters by interiorsphere
Meta Description: [ 3D-Charakter und Corporate-Charakter für Marketing, Edutainment und Entertainment | 3D-characters for marketing, communication and edutainment ]