Scientist Shrinks Arduino To Size Of An AA Battery

An anonymous reader writes: Johan Kanflo has managed to make the already small Tiny328 Arduino clone into an even smaller computing platform about the size of a single AA battery. Not only will it fit in a typical AA battery holder, but it will actually draw power from the batteries beside it as it’s wired in “backwards” (with the + and – poles reversed). The Arduino platform consists of open-source hardware, open-source software, and microcontroller-based kits, making it easy to (re)program the processors, and develop software for hardware applications using a java-clone and an easy-to-learn IDE. For those interested in the AAduino, Johan has made his creation available online on Github with instructions and schematics to build your own. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Scientist Shrinks Arduino To Size Of An AA Battery

New stem cell treatment could ‘cure’ type 1 diabetes

Researchers at MIT and Harvard figured out how to produce pancreatic beta cells — the ones that produce insulin — in large quantities back in 2014. The same intercollegiate team announced in the journal Nature on Monday that they’ve now managed to implant those cells into mice that have been genetically designed to suffer from Type 1 diabetes — without the cells being rejected. Even more impressive, the diabetic mice produced their own insulin during the 174-day study period, eliminating the need for daily injections . Instead, patients would simply need “booster” injections of beta cells once every few years. This method “has the potential to provide diabetics with a new pancreas that is protected from the immune system, ” study co-author Daniel Anderson said in a statement, “which would allow them to control their blood sugar without taking drugs.” Human trials are expected to begin within the next few years. [Image Credit: Getty] Via: Gizmodo Source: Nature

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New stem cell treatment could ‘cure’ type 1 diabetes

Funimation is launching its own streaming anime service

Funimation announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Sony DADC to create its own ad-free Crunchyroll-style streaming platform, called FunimationNow . The new service will begin rolling out in February and complement the company’s existing streaming offerings through its website. It will be available through not only iOS, Android and Kindle apps as well as directly through the Apple or Amazon Fire TVs. Subscribers will have access to more than 400 titles from the studio’s expansive archive including full series of Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Tokyo Ghoul and Space Dandy . There’s no word yet on pricing. [Image Credit: Funimation]

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Funimation is launching its own streaming anime service

PlayStation Now just got 40-plus new PS3 games

Sony announced the addition of more than 40 PS3 games to its Now service, bringing the total number of available PS3 games to 300, 100 of which are PS3 exclusives . Additionally, Sony’s offering a pretty steep discount on the Now service itself for the holidays — $100 for a full year’s subscription . That’s more than half off what they normally charge. The discount offer runs through Monday, January 11th. [Image Credit: Getty]

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PlayStation Now just got 40-plus new PS3 games

LG’s New 4K OLED TVs Are Just Four Credit Cards Thick

That silly scifi dream of invisible screens that magically display graphics is inching towards reality. Thanks to LG, the world can now lust after a television that looks like it’s nothing more than a pane of translucent glass—and a very thin pane of glass at that. Read more…

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LG’s New 4K OLED TVs Are Just Four Credit Cards Thick

Turn Your Goals Into If-Then Statements to Account for Roadblocks

With any goal, pitfalls are usually inevitable. You want to eat healthier but your coworker brings cupcakes. You want to save money but your car needs work. To stay ahead of setbacks, give your goal an if-then plan. Read more…

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Turn Your Goals Into If-Then Statements to Account for Roadblocks

Now we can 3D print ceramics

Despite being able to build just about anything with 3D printing, until now items have been limited to polymer plastics, a handful of metals and glass . However, researchers at HRL Laboratories have announced a significant advancement in additive manufacturing: the ability to print ceramics . The trick, the HRL team figured out, was to not heat ceramic powder. Doing so generates too many microscopic flaws that can lead to cracks and fractures. Instead, the team developed a material they’re calling “preceramic polymers” that convert to ceramic when heated. Essentially, the HRL team prints out the 3D design using these preceramic polymers and then fires the resulting item (like in a kiln) to harden the material into ceramic. This material is compatible with stereolithography , a popular 3D printing method wherein a laser is used to solidify a liquid polymer. What’s more, the team figures it can print out a highly detailed and complex ceramic part 100 to 1000 times faster than conventional stereolithography by using an ultraviolet light and patterned masks. This advancement could prove a boon to the aerospace industry which already relies on ceramic components for everything from wing panels on planes to the internal mechanisms of orbital rockets. DARPA has awarded the team a development contract for an ablative ceramic aeroshell — essentially a heat shield for spacecraft as they enter an atmosphere — as HRL’s ceramics are reportedly 10 times stronger than the ceramic foam currently commercially available. [Image Credit: Getty] Source: MIT Tech Review

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Now we can 3D print ceramics

Hyatt is the latest hotel chain to spot malware on its systems

Unfortunately, Hilton isn’t the only hotel chain grappling with malware on sensitive computers. Hyatt is now warning travelers that it recently spotted malware on its payment processing systems (on November 30th, the company tells us). It’s still investigating what happened and has precious few details, but it maintains that you can “feel confident” using your card. Unfortunately, that’s not much help if you recently stayed at a Hyatt. How long does it think the malware was hanging around? And how much damage did the rogue code do? Hyatt tells that it’ll share more when the investigation is over. Until it offers the full scoop, your best option is to watch your financial statements for any shady behavior. [Image credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel] Via: Krebs on Security Source: Hyatt

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Hyatt is the latest hotel chain to spot malware on its systems

Stretchable square of rubber doubles as a keyboard

There’s a whole branch of science that’s dedicated to turning flexible surfaces into sensors that can be used as an artificial substitute for skin. These materials could then be used to give robots a sense of touch , or even to restore feeling for people with artificial prostheses. Researchers at the University of Auckland have taken the concept in a slightly different direction after building a square of soft, stretchable rubber that pulls double-duty as a keyboard. It’s hoped that the technology can be used to create foldable, rollable input devices, which reminds us of Nokia’s twisty-stretchy phone concept from way back when. Via: EurekaAlert Source: Smart Materials

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Stretchable square of rubber doubles as a keyboard