Project Glass

Google Glass revealed

By Joshua Ostrer in Sci/Tech | April 12, 2012 | Views: 116

On April 4, Google released a teaser video entitled “Project Glass: One day…” The video, which has already gained over 10 million views, showcases Google’s new product: Project Glass.

Project Glass is Google’s attempt at integrating your entire life with social media using their prototype glasses. The glasses, as shown in the video, employ the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in a transparent display in front of the user’s very eyes. Google intends to integrate Google Maps, Google+ and voice recognition technology to allow users to live their life through a Google-guide. “We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of the way when you don’t,” says the Project Glass Google+ page.

In the video, the wearer of the glasses is able to look outside and instantly check the weather and see his schedule for the day, respond to text messages he views through the glasses by voice, view step-by-step directions anywhere he wants to go and is able to take a photograph by simply commanding the headset to “take a photo of this” and instantly share it to his Google+ circles. The video concludes with the user sharing his own view with his girlfriend while overlooking a sunset. While the device has excited many users over its futuristic ability to essentially merge a smartphone with your own eyes, it has also stirred up a lot of controversy.

Google says that the glasses could be available for a late 2012 release, but others insist that the technology featured in the video is unrealistic and would not be available for another two years. “In one simple fake video, Google has created a level of over-hype and over-expectation that their hardware cannot possibly live up to,” said Director of the Augmented Environments Lab at Georgia Tech Blair MacIntyre.

Since the video’s release, a Google spokesperson has indicated that it is unlikely the glasses will be available by the end of 2012. However, the price of the glasses has been announced, and is expected to range from $250 to $600. Despite the technical debate of whether or not Google Glass is actually possible today, the glasses have sparked an argument about whether they are positive or negative project. Many have spoken up in opposition to a world where everyone who is wearing a computer is constantly aware of your personalized data and most likely feeding all of that information back to Google’s servers.

For more information regarding the development and release of Google Glass, go to the Google Glass Google+ page online or check out the preview through Youtube.

Source: http://www.concordy.com/article/science-and-technology/april-12-2012/google-glass-revealed/4398/

Active Users - March 2012

ACTIVE USERS OF THE LIRC

(Period: 01/03/2012 to 31/03/2012)

CATEGORY: STUDENTS

Sr. No.	Member	No. of transactions
1	MERIN SHAILA MANIDURAI PACKIALET	20
2	SAWANT SAISH UMAKANT SHRADDHA	20
3	ISHA D. SHAH	16
4	KOTIAN HARSHITA MOTILAL	16
5	PAIS NIGEL	16
6	DESAI GOURI S.	15
7	JHAWAR SHRIMOHAN	13
8	YOGESH PUSARLA	13
9	ROSE JOYCE JOSEPH	13
10	PAWAR VIVEK	12
11	YADAV JAGDISH H.	12

CATEGORY: FACULTY

Sr. No.	Member	No. of transactions
1	Asso. Prof. NAZNEEN ANSARI	10
2	Asst. Prof. PRACHI RAUT	10
3	Asso. Prof. BIDISHA ROY	05
4	Asst. Prof. NITIKA RAI	05

CATEGORY: NON-TEACHING STAFF

Sr. No.	Member	No. of transactions
1	Ms. YASHADA AGHARKAR (Lab. Asst. – ExTC)	02
2	Ms. SEEMA JADHAV (Lab. Asst. – ExTC)	02
3	Shri. AMANAT PATHAN	02

The above “Active Users” are entitled to one extra book till 30^th. April, 2012.

Typing A to Z in a blink

Breaking the records of Jayasimha, Mohammed Khursheed Hussain, Pothireddy Krishna Teja and Sridhar Raju, B V A Manoj Varma, a junior analyst at the Wordworks Apex ITES (India) Pvt Ltd set a new record.This confirmed his entry into the India Book of Records for typing all the 26 English alphabets in just 2.16 seconds without any space in between the letters, and 3.90 seconds with space between the letters.However, he has his dreams, set high.A native of West Godavari district, BVA Manoj Varma Penmetsa pursued his masters in computer applications from Karimnagar and is also an expert with the lower hand in typewriting.“I have been practicing this for almost two years and it is my dream is to become a Guinness World Record holder.” His stint at the India Book of records, Varma says, is his first step to the Guinness Books of Records.“Two years ago, when I saw Jayasimha breaking the world record, I have been working on it. And this is very important to me as people get recognised for their talents in different fields and being one among them would be a great feeling.”Evidently excited Manoj, flanked by his friends and teachers cheering him up, did have to struggle a bit with the second task where he had to type each letter with a space.And he was successful after quite some attempts.He used a Dell key board for typing the alphabets without space, while he used a Logitech one for typing with space.He says, “The type of keys on the keyboard are very important and spacing your fingers between them is also vital. Keys on laptops are surely placed close to each other, but are really soft, hence they reduce the speed of typing.”Guests who were judging this attempt were DSP G Nageshwar Rao, Krishnaiah Goud, dept of commerce, AV College and R Ramchandhar Rao, head master, ZPHS, Miyapur
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/typing-a-to-z-in-a-blink/243453-60-121.html

First cancer encyclopedia ups hope for new drugs

London: The first “book of cancer knowledge” detailing how hundreds of cancer cells respond to anti-cancer agents has been published, which scientists say will speed up the search for new cancer drugs.
The cancer “encyclopedia” is a step towards tailoring cancer medicine to a patient’s genetic profile.
In the field of cancer research, scientists have so far grown a number of cancer cells in the lab that allowed them to study the effect of new cancer drugs on humans. Now, a team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge and various cancer institutes around the world have released two papers cataloguing data on hundreds of cancer cell lines, the BBC reported.
The team screened more than 600 cancer cell lines with 130 drugs, identifying genetic signatures linked with drug sensitivity. Already clues are emerging that could be of benefit to patients, including the discovery that a rare bone cancer in children.
Mathew Garnett of the Sanger Institute, lead author of one paper, said, “It’s bringing together very large and powerful data sets and asking which cell line is the most sensitive and what is behind that sensitivity.” PTI
Source: Times of India dated 30 March 2012

Scholar's Card Facility now available

First three toppers of the odd semester examinations from FE to BE are requested to avail the Scholar's Card Facility. Kindly contact the library for more details.

SFIT - IRIS 2012 TIME CAPSULE

Time capsule planned at Borivli college fest

TNN Feb 24, 2012, 03.03AM IST

Tags:

• Time capsule|
• St Francis Institute of Technology

MUMBAI: Burying your problems and worries now seems possible with the help of a time capsule. Designed by two third-year engineering students of St Francis Institute of Technology, Borivli, as part of their college fest, Iris 2012, the idea behind the project is to invite people's suggestions on things they want to see in 10 years.

"A leather-bound book will be kept on the day of the festival for comments. We will place the book along with pictures and other memorable items in the time capsule and bury it," said Shelton Nazareth, one of the designers.

The capsule will be unearthed in 2022 at the same fest by the students. "We will place a Google Maps picture and an environmental report of Mumbai from 2012, photos of prominent locations of Mumbai among other things," said Prathamesh Chodankar. The capsule will have a report on the present and future expectations for the city that will be written by three of the institute's professors. The event will be held at the institute on February 26.

SFIT - IRIS 2012 - TIME CAPSULE

A time capsule with hopes for 2022

An empty Virar local train, a Hindi version of the Hollywood blockbuster Inception and a corruption-free government – these are a few of the dreams of students of St Francis Institute of Technology, Borivli, which they have stored in a time capsule, for the year 2022.

As part of the institute’s annual festival, Iris 2012, students on Wednesday consigned a written list of their hopes, memories and wishes to a time capsule, decorated with graffiti. The capsule will be uncovered during the college festival in 2022.

“The Bollywood version of Inception will include love songs and a lot of melodrama,” said Tushar Karia, 19, a first year engineering student of the institute.

Initially scheduled for February 26, the event was shifted to February 29 to mark the leap year and to accommodate 500 envelopes filled with personal messages in the time capsule. “We had more than 500 people who penned personal messages. Organising it on February 29 also added to the enthusiasm levels,” said Shelton Nazareth, 20, who designed the capsule.

Besides personal notes, the time capsule also includes an environment report, a map of the city, photos of prominent locations and a 16 GB flash drive with chart-topping videos and songs.

For students, the time capsule presented a way to preserve special moments, to look back on a decade later. “We made a photo collage of all our birthday parties and included a note describing each of our qualities and habits,” said Sherin Gilson, 20, a third-year student. “Ten years from now, these note will take us back in time and help us trace how we’ve changed,” she added.

Surprisingly, for most of the budding engineers, seeing Mumbai turn into the next Shanghai was not part of their vision for the city.

“The infrastructure boom will cost us green pockets and clean air. A pollution-free city is my dream for the city in 2022,” said Melinda Gomes, 20, a resident of Vasai. “I am also hoping that Mumbaiites get de-addicted from social networking sites and and make time to meet each other in person instead,” she added.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/819108.aspx