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Microsoft Touch Mouse to take center stage at UIST Student Innovation Contest
It's August, and that can only mean three things: vacations, back to school shopping, and another UIST Student Innovation Contest. Taking center stage this year is Microsoft's Touch Mouse -- a multitouch gesture-based peripheral that we first saw earlier this year. UIST contestants will have to come up with cool new ways to interact with the mouse, with the winning innovator receiving $1500, and $500 going to the runner-up (trophies are apparently involved, as well). All entries will be demoed on October 17th in Santa Barbara, and the winners will be announced on the following day. Hit the source link for information on registration, or squeeze past the break for a video from UIST chair Kayur Patel, along with a clip on the Touch Mouse.
Cox unloads 10 new HD options in Santa Barbara, CA
Those growing displeased with Cox Communication's lineup in Santa Barbara, California will have to back off the griping for at least awhile, as said carrier just dropped a full ten new high-def channels in the area. Effective immediately, users in the region can park their derriere and catch USA HD (704), TBS HD (707), CNN HD (722), CNBC HD (724), Discovery HD (732), Animal Planet HD (733), Lifetime HD (741), History HD (755), HGTV HD (761) and Food Network HD (764), not to mention On DEMAND HD on slot 701. Anyone else with cable jealous, or what?[Thanks, Carlos]
Shuji Nakamura wins €1m for invention of LEDs
If you've ever turned on a computer, you can thank Shuji "Fiat Lux" Nakamura for the LED that glows back at you. This University of California, Santa Barbara-based professor was recently awarded the 2006 Millennium Technology Prize by the government of Finland yesterday for his work on light emitting diodes. The previous winner of the first prize went in 2004 to Tim "The Webfather" Berners-Lee -- and Nakamura, like Sir Tim and each future winner of this biannual prize, takes home a cool €1 million. Nakamura has also worked on the blue laser diode that is used in the reading of Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. Maybe we can now get Nakamura to use his smarts to go after the Nobel Peace Prize by solving the Blu-ray / HD DVD format war. [Via BBC]
