Archive for September, 2008
Unraveling ‘math dyslexia’
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008Bat-style footstep detector
Monday, September 29th, 2008
Security services interested in automatically spotting people who may be security risks are also interested in systems that listen out for footsteps. It should be possible to estimate someone's speed, footwear and perhaps build from the sound of their steps.But detecting footsteps is harder than you may think. Any airborne sounds of footsteps are quickly drowned out by noise from the wind, while the ground vibrations are so distorted by materials they pass through that they are impossible to detect more than a few metres away.
Both those problems can be avoided at a stroke, says James Sabatier, a physicist at the University of Mississippi, if you listen for the ultrasonic signals associated with footsteps.
Ultrasonic microphones are not as badly affected by wind noise, says Sabatier. He also proposes an ultrasonic sonar system that broadcasts a signal and listens for Doppler shifts that indicate echoes from a moving pair of feet. The strategy is also used by bats to detect the flutter of insect wings.
In addition to footsteps, Sabatier points out that the movement of a walking person's arms towards and away from the ultrasonic source should produce the same effect. The inventors hope to interest groups involved in various security applications such as border control.
Read the full bat-style footstep detector patent application.
Justin Mullins, New Scientist consultant
‘Hub’ of fear memory formation identified in brain cells
Monday, September 29th, 2008Spacing, not size, matters in visual recognition, researchers find
Monday, September 29th, 2008Balancing the brain
Sunday, September 28th, 2008Selective deletion of Rett syndrome gene provides insight into origin of complex behaviors
Sunday, September 28th, 2008New brain imaging shows effects of withdrawal on smokers
Saturday, September 27th, 2008Protect Loved Ones From Resentment
Friday, September 26th, 2008by David
Sometimes we have to protect our loved ones from their own resentment. Imagine you are having a good day and all of a sudden something very unnatural happens. A loved one says something or does something that hurts you or makes you angry. You react and now there are two of you acting in an unnatural way. What if you were able to not react?
Some might call not reacting, turning the other cheek. A lot of people have trouble doing this. Well, this isn't a religion lesson where you feel you must become like a monk to get along in the world by not reacting to your loved ones resentment and/or cruelty. However, if you can stop reacting, you might help them to see what is going on. It takes two to fight. If you remain neutral it doesn't have to mean you are turning the other cheek. It means you're not going to be drawn into a disease I call resentment.
Your loved ones don't know how to cope with neutrality. You may not know either. but looking at it the right way may change your mind about it. The world is full of people who think their way is the right way and at the snap of a finger can become resentful, angry or even violent towards someone.
If someone takes their resentment out on you, neutralize the situation or take a break. After all, you may be wrong. If we harbor resentment we can't see that we are sometimes wrong because we can't see anything clearly. Take care of your little corner of the world, your friends, your loved ones............and you.
