Princeton
Latest
iPhone camera being used for traffic light testing
A group of researchers at MIT and Princeton University are testing to figure out how to best save fuel when stopping and re-starting cars at traffic lights, and they're using the iPhone to do so. The smartphone is mounted on the car's dashboard, and uses the camera and GPS information in a system called SignalGuru that tells the driver when it's best to slow the car down in order to save fuel (so you're not always revving up the engine and then having to put on the brakes when the next light pops up). The system works, apparently, and in Cambridge, MA testing, fuel consumption was cut down by 20 percent. The system was also tested in Singapore, where most traffic lights change the length they're displayed based on the traffic around them. In that area, as opposed to the US (where lights are generally on fixed schedules), the prediction mechanism didn't work quite as well. It was off by up to two seconds, say the researchers. It sounds like any indication can be helpful. It's hard to see if this is something that could eventually make its way to the consumer market -- more likely it would be used in commercial vehicles as a solution. But you never know -- if the system works on an iPhone and there's an in-car mount that's standardized enough to work at the right angles, your phone could be telling you when to slow down on the road, and saving you money at the same time. [via Engadget]
Fuel cells get stronger, potentially cheaper with graphene, ITO
As the sustainable Juggernaut of fuel cell vehicles (FCV) powers ever forward, a group of scientists are cooking up ways to make the alternative energy source more durable and even cheaper. By combining graphene -- think pencil lead -- and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles, the team produced a catalytic material that is both stronger and more chemically active than the usual catalytic combo. Fuel cells typically use a chemical catalyst like platinum, sitting atop a base of black carbon or metal oxides, to break down oxygen and hydrogen gases, creating water in the process -- thing is, carbon is easily eroded by the resulting water, and metal oxides, while more stable, are less conductive. Using graphene -- which because of its porousness erodes less quickly -- in combination with the stable ITO and platinum nanoparticles, researchers have created what could be referred to as a super fuel cell -- a stronger, longer lasting, and potentially cheaper version of the alternative energy source. Unfortunately, without enough hydrogen filling stations, these super fuel cells won't come to anyone's rescue anytime soon.
Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect
You might think of a laser as light forced into a single, directed beam, but scientists have recently discovered that if you fire a laser in one direction, the air itself can fire another right back. Using a 226nm UV laser, researchers at Princeton University managed to excite oxygen atoms to the point that they emit infrared light along the same channel as the original beam, except this time pointed back where it came from. Since the return beam's chemistry depends on the particles in the air to generate the return beam, the "backward laser" could potentially carry the signature of those particles back to the source and help identify them there. That seems to be the entire goal, in fact -- the project, funded by an Office of Naval Research program on "Sciences Addressing Asymmetric Explosive Threats," hopes that such a laser can ID bombs from a distance by hunting for trace chemicals in the air. Sounds like the perfect addition to our terahertz specs, and one step closer to the tricorder of our dreams.
Princeton study shows that easy fonts make things harder to remember
Clicking your way through Ulysses and having a hard time remembering just what it is Bloom ate for breakfast or, indeed, just what he did on the beach? Don't blame James Joyce, blame your Kindle! A Princeton study entitled "Fortune favors the bold (and the Italicized)" (their emphasis) has shown that readers retain information more reliably when they are challenged with so-called "disfluent" fonts (like the top one above). This flies in the face of the belief that easy to read text is easier to remember and should give typographical titans something else to ponder when placing text upon a page character by character. Now, what does this have to do with e-readers? Most are stuck with standard fonts that cannot be changed and fall squarely in the "fluent" category -- they're so easy to read your brain spins down. The solution is, of course, to add more and broader font support to the devices, something we'd love to see regardless of scientific merit. Until that comes to pass try holding your Kindle at odd angles or squinting. Maybe that'll help. Or, you could just put down the Proust and pick up some Clancy.
Sequoia e-voting machine hacked to play Pac-Man (video)
Oh Sequoia, why are you so changeable? The thoroughly hacked electronic voting machine is back with another ignoble showing, courtesy of researchers from the universities of Michigan and, of course, Princeton. Picking up an AVC-Edge box that had seen live duty in collecting votes for the 2008 Virginia primaries, they quickly and all too easily managed to supplant the embedded psOS+ software with DOS, which was promptly followed by the installation of Pac-Man. Given that the underlying circuit boards were populated with such luminaries as a 486 processor and 32 megabytes of RAM, we find this a most appropriate match of hardware and software. As to that whole voting security thing, maybe next time we should let people do it with their BlackBerrys, eh? See the Pac do his thing on video after the break.
Princeton, Cornell, George Washington University and the iPad
There have been several stories published recently, both on the web and in print, about ivy league schools banning iPads. Fortunately for students, they aren't true. Philip Elmer-DeWitt points out an article by Steve Wildstrom that explains what happened. Princeton's Office of Information Technology noticed that some iPads were having trouble with the IP addresses sent to them by the school's system of distribution. The department blocked the misbehaving units and warned students that they could have trouble. However, there never was a ban put in place. The school maintains up-to-date information on the issue here. Meanwhile, the Cornell Daily Sun reported that Cornell University "...[has] researched the issue and have found no negative [iPad] impact at Cornell at this time." That's a quote from the university's IT director Dave Vernon. In fact, Cornell sells iPads in their bookstore. The story at George Washington University is a bit different. Their network requires a VPN client of sorts that isn't available for the iPad. The devices aren't banned, they're just unable to access the network for the time being. According to the school's website, "We believe iPads will work on our wireless network this summer."
Ivy Leaguers asked to lay off the iPad
No iPads for the Tigers. Princeton University's Office of Information Technology is asking students to please stop using Apple's latest wonder gadget on the campus wireless network. According to the OIT, the issue is as follows: "Network monitoring has shown that many iPad devices are causing a problem on the campus network. These devices are continuing to use an IP address they have been leased well beyond the time they should." The university tech types say they've seen the quirky DHCP behavior from the majority of iPads connecting to the campus WLAN. They blame a bug they believe exists in the iPad OS. The Princeton tiger team has hit Apple up for help but, until the fix is in, the OIT recommends not connecting an iPad to the campus network, as it is likely to malfunction. The OIT says users who keep trying to connect may find their devices blocked, so that the stability and reliability of campus network services can be maintained. This is not the first time iThings have run afoul of higher learning's network wonks. Duke University suffered network outages around the release of the iPhone in 2007 and blamed those on the iPhone invasion; those hiccups eventually turned out to be a problem with Cisco routers, not Apple's phone. [via MacNN]
Kindle DX called "poor excuse of an academic tool" in Princeton pilot program
We've never thought the Kindle DX was ideal for serious studying, and it sounds like the students and teachers in Princeton's pilot program agree with us -- after two weeks of use in three classes, the Daily Princetonian reports many are "dissatisfied and uncomfortable" with their e-readers, with one student calling it "a poor excuse of an academic tool." Most of the criticisms center around the Kindle's weak annotation features, which make things like highlighting and margin notes almost impossible to use, but even a simple thing like the lack of true page numbers has caused problems, since allowing students to cite the Kindle's location numbers in their papers is "meaningless for anyone working from analog books." That's all led to word that Princeton won't be bringing the Kindle back to school next year, but we'll see if Amazon -- or anyone else -- can address all these complaints before that decision is made final. [Thanks, Tom]
Hang your head, Sequoia e-voting machine; you've been hacked again
Oh, Princeton University, won't you leave the poor electronic voting machines alone? Haven't they suffered enough without you forming teams with researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the University of Michigan to spread their private moments even further asunder? That group of brainiacs came together to devise a new, even easier hack that allows someone with no special access to take complete control of a Sequoia AVC Advantage voting machine -- an example of which the team purchased legally at a government auction. The machine does not allow modifications to its ROM (because it has an O in the middle), but the team was able to use a technique called return-oriented programming to modify how the machine executes existing code, taking the bits they want and, ultimately, devising a way to re-program its behavior by simply inserting a cartridge into a slot -- presumably after blowing on it for good luck. The hack only works until the machine is powered off, but the attack even foils that, intercepting the switch signal and making the system only appear to power down. Today's top tip for electronic voting polling stations: unplug your boxes overnight. [Via Digg]
Paper desktop speakers rock you like a handcrafted hurricane
Like my grandmother always says, sometimes the best gadgets are the ones you build yourself -- with kits imported from Japan, purchased at places like Fred Flare. Princeton's Paper Speaker kit comes with a pair of 1W stereo speakers, a USB connection, paste, and a paper template for building a retro desktop sound system. Three designs are available -- take your pick from a cabinet record player, a component stereo system, or an old school boom box. Check 'em out below, and then get yours when it becomes available in early July for ¥1,980 (approximately $21). [Via Akihabara]
Kindle DX college plans revealed: only 300 students total
We knew the Kindle DX pilot programs at Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, Pace, Reed, and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia would be limited in number, but it sounds like students at those schools will have be extremely lucky or well-connected to get their hands on Amazon's latest -- according to Pace reps at today's launch event, each school will only receive around 50 Kindle DXs for the trial. That's just about 300 total Kindles, and it makes Amazon's crowing about revolutionizing education seem a little hasty. Not only that, but it's not like the program is particularly ready to go, either: the schools still haven't figured out which classes they'll try and switch over to the Kindle, instructors have yet to be brought on board, and it's still not clear whether Amazon or the schools themselves will pay for the Kindles, although students will definitely have to shell out for the books. That's a lot of dealmaking to get done -- looks like Amazon just gave itself some summer homework.
Researchers develop technique to unscramble light for a much sharper picture
Trying to circumvent the need to choose between getting a wide-angle shot and zooming in for details, a team of researchers at Princeton led by electric engineer Jason Fleischer have developed a new method to get the best of both worlds, by passing the light through a "nonlinear crystal" that would normally distorts the picture. A computer algorithm then pieces together the data and, as they claim, produces a wide-view image that also manages to capture the finer points otherwise missing when using conventional techniques. The goal is to build "super-resolution" microscopes for better medical diagnostics, but the group also sees uses in the fields of data encryption and lithography / microchip production. Is it too much to ask that our next Canon or Nikon have this a standard feature? [Via PhysOrg]
Princeton publishes how-to guide for hacking Sequoia e-voting machines
If you're American, it's nearly time to do your civic duty and pick the lesser of two evils for the greater good... and then to wonder if that vote actually got counted. With Diebold admitting its own machines are utterly insecure, competitor Sequoia is now under the microscope and, after a little quality time with the company's machines, Princeton researchers have filed a 158 page report on the ease of replacing their ROMs and winning yourself an election. Okay, we know what you're thinking: "Hacking hardware isn't exactly easy when the computer is in a locked box." Amazingly, it is. A researcher was able to bypass the physical security mechanisms in 13 seconds, despite never having picked a lock before. Now you're thinking: "But you'd need to do that on hundreds of them!" Not so; once infected that malicious code can spread itself to others, and, with no paper trail and an easily bypassed internal audit system, you're well on your way to whatever dark corner of Washington, D.C. you care to occupy![Via Ars Technica]
Time Warner Cable brings 11 HD channels to North Texas
Earlier this year, Time Warner Cable decided to add 11 new high-def channels in Dallas, Texas, but many of the surrounding North Texas towns were inexplicably left out. A half year later, TWC is finally making things right by bringing the newcomers to Allen, Frisco, Stonebridge, The Colony, McKinney, Princeton, Wylie, Sachse, Parker, Murphy, St. Paul and Fairview. For those who have forgotten, we're talking CNN HD (740), TBS HD (744), History HD (745), Food Network HD (752), HGTV HD (753), A&E HD (754), Discovery HD (756), Animal Planet HD (757), National Geographic HD (771), Versus / Golf HD (786) and Fox Sports SW HD (787). Apparently, the carrier is also working to expand these even further, with Carrollton, Arlington and Addison (among other locales) to get 'em "in the immediate future." [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
Researchers boast of progress towards more efficient OLED lighting
We haven't seen all that many OLED lighting options, but a group of researchers from the University of Michigan and Princeton University say they could be on the verge of changing that situation, with them now boasting of a new breakthrough that could greatly increase the efficiency of OLEDs. The key to that, it seems, is a combination of an organic grid and some tiny dome-shaped micro lenses that guide the trapped light out of the devices. As the researchers point out, with current OLEDs, only 20% of the light generated is actually released, but they say this new method could boost the efficiency by a full 60%, or about 70 lumens per watt of power. Of course, they're also quick to point out that all of this is still quite a ways away from becoming practical for commercial purposes, although they seem to be optimistic that the eventual production cost for these new and improved OLEDs will be competitive with existing ones.
Princeton to start publishing Kindle-edition textbooks
Amazon's Kindle ebook reader has been doing pretty well as a consumer device, but we've always thought it had amazing potential as a textbook reader -- especially coupled iTunes-style with Amazon's online distribution system. Apparently Princeton University (Jeff Bezos's alma mater) agrees with us, because it's just announced plans to publish Kindle version of its textbooks this fall, joining Yale, Oxford, and Berkeley in supporting the device. It's not clear how many books are due to be published on the device or how content like photographs and full-color diagrams will be handled (what's a bio book without red mitochondria? They're the "powerhouse" of the cell!), but we're certain students will gladly make the tradeoff to reduce their backpack loads just a little bit.
Princeton follows Shuttle's minimalist lead with 19-inch touchscreen
Shuttle may have been the first out of the gate with this minimalist design (presumably OEM, and likely only a sign of things to come), but that's not keeping Princeton from doing its own thing with its new PTB-TMW19B tablet display, which just got official for Japan today. While the exterior's identical to the Shuttle, the Princeton model takes a slight dip in resolution to 1440 x 900, although the company makes up for that somewhat by including a stylus and some handwriting recognition software. Otherwise, you can expect a 5 ms response time, an 850: 1 contrast ratio, and even a pair of built-in speakers. Look for this one to set you back ¥128,000 (or just under $1,200) when it hits Japan later this month.
Silicon wafer directs and filters out cancer cells
Normally we get excited when a slab of silicon makes our games run at 60 frames per-second, but in this case we're impressed with a new chip that filters out cancer cells. The device, created by some impressive souls at Princeton and Boston University, directs and focuses streams of cells in a liquid. Like a change sorter, it then separates regular cells form unusual ones. The silicon wafer is tacked with tiny pillars that catch abnormal cells that are, in the end, potentially cancerous. The device hasn't been used to any major extent, but we'll keep an eye on this promising discovery.
Sequoia takes aim at Princeton profs over e-voting analysis plans
Princeton professors Ed Felten and Andrew Appel are certainly no strangers to drawing controversy, and it now looks like they've stirred the pot yet again, this time drawing the ire of Sequoia Voting Systems as a result of their plans to conduct some further e-voting analysis. At the heart of this latest brouhaha is plans that New Jersey election officials reportedly had to send some Sequoia Advantage e-voting machines to the profs for analysis, which Sequoia is unsurprisingly not so keen about. In fact, they've gone so far as to send Felten an email saying that such a plan violates Sequoia's licensing agreement for use of the systems, and that they've "retained counsel to stop any infringement of our intellectual properties, including any non-compliant analysis." No word on the professors' future plans just yet but, given their past history, we suspect they won't be backing down quite that easily.
Princeton's tiny Bluetooth adapter with big 300-foot range
Yes sir, you're looking at a tiny 4.5 x 23 x 14-mm USB Bluetooth adapter with a hearty 100-meter range. It's also Bluetooth 2.0+EDR so you can expect to push a data rate of up to 3Mbps. Princeton's 10-meter adapter released in August now looks like school on Sundays -- no Class 1. Look for the PTM-UBT4 to hit Japan and beyond for ¥2,980 (about $28) later this month. [Via Impress]
