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Stanford University's Metaverse U Conference
Virtual worlds and online gaming continue to grow in cultural importance, changing the outlook of commerce and entertainment almost daily. To make sense of these changes, Stanford University feels it's high time they convened a group of leading experts in the field to discuss what it all might mean, both today and reaching into the future. To this end, the Stanford University Humanities Lab is hosting the Metaverse U Conference, to take place on campus on February 16th and 17th. Among the notable names speaking at this event are Raph Koster of Areae's Metaplace; Cory Ondrejka, formerly of Linden Lab; Howard Rheingold, author and critic, credited with coining the term 'virtual community', and many other guests. In fact, those three in particular will be speaking together in conversation on Saturday, an event I expect will be both illuminating and provocative.I'll be attending with Massively's Barb Dybwad, so look for us and say hi! If you can't make it, however, don't despair -- the organizers have told us that "we are about to announce that the entire conference will be streamed for free into Second Life for anyone who wants to attend there."
Researchers get nanotube chips running at commercial speeds
Carbon nanotubes have a ton of promise, and we've seen a lot of prospective applications for the tech, but researchers at Stanford, working with Toshiba, have managed to demonstrate the first use of nanotubes in chips that run at commercially-viable speeds. The chip features 256 ring oscillators and packs over 11,000 transistors in just one hundredth of a square inch. When wired with the nanotubes and powered up, the chip ran at speeds between 800MHz and 1.06GHz -- not desktop speeds, to be sure, but still promising. The team says that while the experiment bodes well for the future, we shouldn't expect any direct applications yet -- but you know we're dreaming of tiny implantable supercomputers anyway.
Welcome to the World of Treecraft
Science Daily reports that a Stanford computer scientist named Vladlen Koltun has produced a program that allows both amateur and professional creators of virtual worlds to select from countless possible types of trees (all modeled based on scientific research) and to customize those trees based on their own needs.The program is cleverly called Dryad, and Koltun and his associates hope that it will be one of the first steps towards making the development of believable 3D online spaces an achievable goal for creative types without enormous budgets. Koltun said that there is a very small community of 3D modelers skilled in creating objects like trees, and that the rarity of the skill is partly responsible for a lull in the progression of user-generated virtual worlds.So, if you are planning on making a 3D MMO, you can use the program for free at the Stanford website. Maybe then your army of expensive employees can be smaller! It's also just fun to play with.
Stanford's nanowire battery leapfrogs Li-ion
Stanford claims its latest advances in silicon nanowires have it building batteries with 10 times the capacity of existing Li-ion cells. Apparently people have been trying to stuff silicon -- which has a much higher capacity than existing materials -- into a battery for decades, but since it swells when charged with positively charged lithium and shrinks during use, the silicon has a tendency to "pulverize." Who knew batteries could be so dramatic? Oh, right. The advancement at Stanford, led by Yi Cui, builds the battery in the form of silicon nanowires, giving the silicon room to grow and shrink without damage. A patent is being filed, and Yi Cui is already considering forming a company or licensing the tech to a manufacturer.
DARPA's Urban Challenge set to roll Saturday with 11 robotic cars
Oh man, can you taste it? That oily titanium tang is the smack of robotic cars set for release Saturday in the DARPA Urban Challenge. The final event pits 11 vehicles in competition for a $2 million first, $1M second, and $500k third place prizes. The 60-mile course at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville CA must be successfully navigated in less than 6-hours while avoiding about 50 carbon-based drivers. Can Stanford repeat their 2005 Grand Challenge victory with "Junior" or will Carnegie Mellon's "Boss" (pictured) bust out a BFG-9000 in swift retribution? Tune in Saturday to find out.
When good toys go bad VIII: Scoble attacked by autonomous helicopter
Generally speaking, we tend to give autonomous vehicles the benefit of the doubt, but we should really come to grips with the fact that not all robotic flying machines have positive intentions. Apparently, one such ill-willed creation managed to lose control of itself and plow right into Robert Scoble's leg while he was out photowalking at Stanford University. Thankfully, no humans were maimed and the chopper did manage to recover from the crash and proceed on its normal, non-threatening flight path, but we're sure Mr. Scoble will be watching any unmanned crafts with extra caution from here on out.
Computer learns baby talk, won't require a college fund
In an attempt to better understand the way in which human babies learn to speak, researchers at Stanford University say they have created a computer program which can learn baby talk. The largely accepted theory about human language is that all of the sounds we make are hard-wired into our brains, but now that James McClelland -- a professor at the Palo Alto college -- has tested his theory, it would appear that those notions have been debunked. During "training sessions" in both English and Japanese, a computer followed along to recordings of mothers speaking to their children, and was able to pick up the basic vowel sounds as the baby did. "It learns how many sounds there are. It figures that out," the professor said, he then laughed maniacally and continued, "and once it has learned to speak, it will be trained to sing the most beautiful operas ever written."
PS3 Fanboy breaks into the top 200 Folding@Home teams
As of today, the PS3 Fanboy Folding@home team has broken into the top 200 Folding@Home teams and now stand at 199th, beating out Joystiq (533), IGN (209), and Digg (438). Thanks everybody! There's no way we could have achieved this without the continued efforts from everybody here. If you haven't joined up yet, we'd love it if you would join up with us and help us and Folding@Home fight cancer, our team code is 57793, so join up today. Also, major props to Big Delicious, who holds down the single-user top score with an insane 330 Work Units completed. Now that is some serious dedication!In honor of this achievement, we're hosting a Folding@Home event tonight. Before you go to sleep, fire up the Folding@Home application and do a bit of good for the struggle against cancer. If you want to join our team, we'd really appreciate that -- but regardless of your affiliation we'd love it if you'd chip in tonight.
Stanford's "Junior" Volkswagen passes first DARPA test
While it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given that they've already won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, we're sure that the team from Stanford is still pretty stoked that they've passed the first test on the way to DARPA's upcoming Urban Challenge. Or, more specifically, that "Junior" the autonomous Volkswagen Passat passed the test. It apparently wasn't entirely smooth sailing though, as the car got stuck once on a course while passing a car, although it eventually managed to recover -- it never did push it past 15 mph though. As with the other contenders, however, Junior still has a ways to go before the big race, with another, more challenging test in store later this summer that'll narrow the field down to the top thirty.[Photo courtesy of CNET]
Stanford's virtual police lineup makes gangbangers cringe
Although the mere mention of "virtual reality" typically conjures thoughts of gaudy headwear and a fairly good time, Stanford researchers are taking the technology to a much more serious front. A newfangled $25,000 helmet can be used to take victims back to the crime scene, and moreover, can adjust 3D digital busts to give individuals a more accurate look at what the attacker may have looked like at the time of the incident. The virtual police lineup, as it's so aptly titled, enables a virtual world to be opened up in hopes of giving traumatized victims a chance at truly remembering what someone looked like. The weight, height, and basically any other physical attribute of the digital criminal can be altered to give folks a better view, and the wearer can actually approach the busts, inspect their figures, and check out the scar on John Doe's left arm as if the suspects were actually before them. Looks like ski mask robbery just came back into style.[Via Primidi]
PS3 beats Xbox 360 in console (folding) war
Vijay Pande, the man behind the Folding@home project, is the ultimate fanboy. So dedicated is he to the PS3 and PC, that he turns his nose up at the Xbox 360 even if it could help your grandma remember things better. "OMG d00d, so sorry," we imagine he's said at one point, "it's just not l33t enough." OK, so maybe he's not writing off the 360 entirely, but he did tell Pro-G that the 360's processor would be of limited help to his Alzheimer's Disease research project, saying that "the cell processor in the PS3 is much more powerful for our calculations than the CPU in the Xbox 360." Now sure, he's the expert, and we know he's crunched the numbers on how valuable the 360 could be to his important work. But we'd bet some of you would still like to use your 360's limited brain power to solve the world's ills (as long as it doesn't cost any points). How about it Vijay? Can we volunteer our 360 to be the Otis to the PS3's Lex Luthor?
PS3 network a boon to disease-fighting computations
What a difference a month and several thousand gaming consoles makes. Sony announced today that the 250,000 PS3s that have run Stanford's Folidng@Home research program in the last month have delivered nearly 400 teraflops of computing power, nearly doubling the pre-PS3 computing capacity for the network. The PS3 has been a PR dream for the project too, leading to a "halo effect" increase of 20 percent in the number of PC folders, according to Sony.A downloadable update for the PS3 version of the program will be available tomorrow, offering increased folding speed, better globe visibility and, most importantly, "the ability for users to create longer donor or team names." Finally, our dream of folding for Team "JoystiqSingleHandedlyCuresAllDiseases" can be realized.
Reminder: turn 'on' your PS3 tonight for Folding@home foldathon
Wanna discover a cure for cancer while you sleep? Or solve the mysteries of Alzheimer's in your dreams? Perhaps unfold the complexities of Parkinson's even as the drool beings to seep into your pillow? Then tonight, before you tuck yourself in, remember to power on your PlayStation 3 and launch the Folding@home application, joining PS3 owners everywhere as we commit our consoles' processors to the first-ever Sunday Night Foldathon.Note: After installing 1.6 Firmware, Folding@home can be downloaded from the Network tab in the XMB menu. The application requires 250MB of hard drive space. Once launched, the application will automatically download a work unit from Stanford University and begin computation. If you're feeling a pang of gamer camaraderie, hit triangle, select identity, and join existing team #57516. All set? 'Kay, this is your cue to hit the lights and let Cell do the rest -- while you rest. Sweet dreams.[Via PS3 Fanboy]%Gallery-2118%
Folding@home saves the world (via PlayStation 3) March 23rd
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Folding_home_saves_the_world_via_PlayStation_3_March_23rd'; Coupled with some glowing press about the admittedly impressive specs of the PlayStation 3's Cell processor comes news that the console's long promised Folding@home client will be using all those leftover processing cycles on March 23rd. The distributed computing project, whose PS3 partnership was detailed in an event at Stanford University this morning, will be accessible within the Network menu of the XrossMediaBar.Why bother donating all that computing power (not to mention electricity) to "help study the causes of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and many cancers?" If you're not in it for the altruism (and we're talking serious good karma here), then at least you'll be able to enjoy watching the protein folding happen in real-time, and manipulate the presentation using the Sixaxis. Somewhere, a slightly disgruntled Will Wright is wondering when Sony's going to donate all that unused processing power to a SETI@home client.%Gallery-2118%
EyePoint software improves vision-based input
We've all seen them before: high-tech eye-tracking systems that let disabled folks control their computers by adjusting their gaze, or those cheaper models that promise to free up gamers' hands and enable vision-based navigation. However, the problem with current systems -- both medical and recreational -- is that they have difficulty correcting for rapid, unconscious movements of the pupil, making them prone to frustrating errors and giving them only meager functionality. Well that may all be about to change thanks to a Stanford researcher named Manu Kumar and his EyePoint software, which can be used with the same multi-thousand dollar hardware as existing setups, but improves upon their accuracy through pupil-steadying algorithms and by throwing the user's hand into the mix. Someone using a rig powered by EyePoint first looks at the general area of the screen they're interested in, and then presses a key to magnify that area for purposes of editing text or clicking links. Kumar's ultimate goal is to bring eye-tracking hardware and software to the masses at affordable prices, but right now the 20% error rate means his system is still too flaky for everyday use; further refinement of the algorithms to incorporate peripheral vision may help somewhat, but he'll have to get the accuracy above 95% if there's any hope of widespread adoption. Or products like the Project Epoc thought-controlled helmet could end up making a big splash, and completing obviating the need for what is essentially a souped-up early 19th Century technology.[Via Gadget Lab]
Watch out Stanley, here comes Junior
With the slow vehicle passing and a 50mph speed limit, the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge didn't entirely seem to set the stage technologically for the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, but get ready, Stanford's already prepping, their entrant: Junior. The Volkswagen Passat wagon will be equipped with a 360-degree laser rangefinder, bumper mounted lasers, RADAR, GPS, a network of systems and software powered by Core 2 Duo processors, and hopefully also spinners to distract the competition's junk-ass rides. Junior's mission, if you choose to recall it: drive a simulated urban course 60 miles long; it must obey California state traffic laws, it must not crash, it must be able to operate without GPS, and it must run the course entirely without human input. The $2m at stake for first place is probably not nearly enough to immediately recoup the costs of a bunch of braniac grad students hacking complex AI algos, but it could be the icing on the cake for the current favorite after 2005's Grand Challenge was routed by Junior's pappy, Stanley.P.S. -CNET has some early pics of Junior's interior and such, check 'em out.
Scientists use earth-embedded GPS antennae to improve quake understanding
While GPS can do pretty much everything from provide basic map locations to help us engage in fun activities like geocaching, it had never occurred to us that it could also be used in seismology. Fortunately for folks living in quake country, geophysicists have figured out how to do just that. According to a paper that was just presented at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, a joint team from Stanford University and from the University of Indiana have figured out a way to use GPS antennae lodged deep in bedrock that can provide a new model for assessing risk of future earthquakes. Armed with these tools, scientists can now determine how quickly various points on the earth are moving, which allows for a better understanding of how tectonic faults shift. But if anyone's knowledge of earthquakes can be improved, it's certainly ours -- we had no idea they get shaken up occasionally over in Indiana.
California scientists unveil new way to make organic transistors
Our visions of cheap electronic paper may finally come to fruition, if scientists at Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles have their way. A joint team from the two universities just published a paper in the journal Nature, which outlines a new technique for mass producing single-crystal organic transistors (previously, the transistors had to be made by hand). According to the researchers, they can print transistors on silicon wafers and flexible plastic, meaning that soon it may be possible to print external inexpensive sensors for commercial products like future generations of LCDs. Exciting times, people, exciting times.[Via CNET]
Watch out, Rosie: Stanford researchers developing robot butler
Sure we all love robots that can play soccer, crawl through our intestines, or blow things up, but the real holy grail of robotics -- at least to the lazy folks among us -- is a multi-purpose bot that can perform a number of different tasks that humans find distasteful: we need a robot butler. Well thanks to a team of 30+ researchers at Stanford University (the same school that brought us Stanley the Grand Challenge-winning, um, autobot), our dream of one day bossing a domestic bot around the house while we blog from the hot tub may soon come to fruition, as the school's so-called STAIR program has just achieved the first of its four major objectives. Using a webcam and a proprietary algorithm, the STAIR bot is now able to analyze an unknown object and decide how to pick it up based on past experiences; so although it may never have encountered a roll of duct tape, for instance, it can query its on-board database to locate similar objects from which it can form a grasping strategy. The next steps for the robobutler will be significantly more difficult, however, as the project will only be deemed a success when the bot is able to clean up after a party (including loading the dishwasher), assemble one of those frustrating pieces of IKEA furniture using multiple tools, and guide guests around a dynamic space such as a research lab. Just don't expect to see the STAIR bot at your local Circuit City or temp agency anytime soon, as it won't be able to adequately fetch open-air objects until sometime in 2008 and hidden objects until 2011 or later, according to team leader Andrew Ng. Still, we love where this research is headed, because when it comes time for the inevitable mechatronic uprising, our future overlords will be able to calmingly lead us to our dungeons by the hand instead of painfully dragging us by the ear, nose, or other sensitive body part. Click on to check out the robobutler perched on its Segway-based mobility platform...[Via Robot Gossip]
Stanford machinima panel recap
Thursday's WoW machinima event at Stanford showcased the winners of the World of Warcraft Summer Movie Contest. Following the screening of the best videos, Daniel Kayser of GameTrailers.com hosted a panel discussion with a few Stanford professors and other machinima luminaries. Also, Joystiq's Christopher Grant sat on the panel.For an hour, Kayser led the group through questions about the state of machinima, its history, and its future. In general, the participants anticipated a bright, creative future for machinima, but they were uncertain how the art would change once corporations tried to exploit the style.Matteo Bittanti, from Stanford's Humanities Lab, commented on the continuing shift of machinima from in-jokes to a general artistic tool; many of the contest winners relied on WoW jokes, but the grand prize short, The Edge of Remorse, bore no direct relation to WoW as a game. Bittanti anticipated that the balance would continue to even out, with more machinima stories unrelated to games able to find a broader audience.Machinima's practical definition was another topic. Ezra Ferguson of Rufus Cubed Productions said that a feature-length machinima production is inevitable, especially as the game tools continue to evolve to show facial emotions and better acting. Animation director and one of the night's winners, Jun Falkenstein questioned the point at which those machinima tool updates would change the technique into a standard animated movie. Are the rough edges in machinima part of its definition?Henry Lowood, Curator of Stanford's History of Science and Technology Collections, also stressed that accessibility and rapid production are the root of machinima. He mentioned French Democracy, a story created with The Movies that responded almost immediately to last year's riots around Paris. He said that this method of quick reaction is "a power we really have never had before."Will machinima become regular-old animation once the results mirror other computer animation tools? Are accessibility and quick response the real root of the style?
