behavioral
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New wristband could predict aggressive outbursts in people with autism
Researchers are hoping a new wearable wristband will help predict aggressive outbursts in people with autism. The device monitors heart rate, sweat production, skin surface temperature and arm movements. It can predict outbursts 60 seconds ahead of time with 84 percent accuracy. While that might not seem like much time, it could give caretakers an opportunity to relax the individual wearing the wristband and make sure everyone is safe.
Facebook considers tracking your mouse cursor and screen views to improve its ads
It's no secret that Facebook likes its targeted advertising. However, that affinity may soon blossom into a full-fledged love affair. The social network's Ken Rudin tells the Wall Street Journal that his company is testing a system which targets ads based on where users' mouse cursors hover; it can also tell whether or not mobile users see their news feeds. Neither tracking technology is new, but the scale of behavioral data collection would be unprecedented when Facebook has almost 1.2 billion users. Don't be too quick to close your account in protest, though. Rudin notes that there won't be a decision on the technology for another "couple of months," and it may never see the light of day. If you don't like the idea of Facebook monitoring your on-screen habits, we'd suggest making yourself heard.
Smoking Jacket catches smoke, darkens symbolic lungs
We've seen jackets that alert you when approaching uncomfortable scenarios, light up on demand, and track the poor soul trapped within, but Fiona Carswell's iteration does a number on smokers who don't mind warning labels. Similar in craftiness to the Ruyan e-cigarette, the Smoking Jacket sports a stylish white exterior with a pair of symbolic lungs and a sophisticated internal tubing system. The aptly-dubbed "visceral, absurd information displays" morph from pristine air containers to dark, murky caverns as smokers blow excess smoke into a tube located in the collar. The one-way air valve traps smoke in the lungs, creating a relatively repulsive sight in the eyes of both onlookers and smokers alike. Of course, Fiona can't promise that such a dramatic effort will faze the hardcore puffers, but trying to continually ignore the disgusted faces looking your way as you walk by would be challenging indeed.[Via WMMNA]
