script – Page 134 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Nanotech has a future in monitoring tumors and diagnosing illness

A team of MIT researchers have developed nanoparticle sensors that could eventually be used to monitor tumors or other diseases, as well as act as a tool to diagnose illnesses. These nanoparticles are made of polymer chains that can bind to the sensors a doctor needs. For instance, in the scientists’ tests, they used an MRI contrast agent called nitroxide along with Cy5.5, which glows when it encounters vitamin C, as sensors. These individual strands then merge to form the structure you see above, which the researchers call “branched bottlebrush polymer.” As you can guess, the bottlebrush polymer the team developed for the study can perform MRI and detect vitamin C, as detailed in their paper recently published in Nature . Since nitroxide grabs electrons from the vitamin and remains inactive in its presence, the scientists don’t get confused by the two different signals. At the moment, the researchers are still working to refine the nanotechnology, developing another version that can carry three different drugs along with the vitamin C detector. As they can mix and match the sensors, though, they believe that in the future, the polymers could be used to evaluate oxygen radicals in a tumor to determine how aggressive it is. Also, the microscopic bottlebrushes could be used to collect real-time biochemical info on affected and healthy tissues, serving as a quick and accurate diagnostic tool. Filed under: Science Comments Source: Nature , MIT

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Nanotech has a future in monitoring tumors and diagnosing illness

Nielsen will finally start tracking Netflix and Amazon video

Nielsen, the holy vanguard of television ratings, has finally figured out how to track viewership from Netflix and Amazon’s streaming video services. And when it launches next month, it could fundamentally change the sorts of shows you see from them. Since neither Netflix or Amazon offer detailed viewership data, Nielsen has developed a way for its rating meters to track shows by identifying their audio, the Wall Street Journal reports . While it won’t track mobile viewers, it will help level the playing field for content owners when negotiating streaming deals, who have so far been clueless about how their shows are performing on Netflix and Amazon. That might lead to some of your favorite shows disappearing, but it could mean streaming data will help decide wether that show you’ve been binge watching gets cancelled. This isn’t the first time Nielsen has tried to make sense of newfangled viewing habits, though. Last year, the company updated its tracking platform to measure video streams from the web, mobile devices, and other modern viewing sources like DVRs. And it also tapped into Facebook and Twitter for broader viewing trends. The difference this time? Nielsen will be able to track how shows perform on specific streaming services. That could lead to some surprises, like a show that explodes on Netflix after floundering inexplicably on TV. And maybe, just maybe, it will prove once and for all that nobody is using Amazon’s instant video. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Amazon Comments Source: The Wall Street Journal

One of music’s big managers wants to pull 20,000 songs from YouTube

You may not know who Irving Azoff is, but he’s considered one of the most powerful managers in the music business… and right now, he’s wielding that power against YouTube. The industry vet’s recently established royalty group, Global Music Rights, has sent letters to YouTube insisting that it pull 20, 000 songs that it allegedly doesn’t have a license to play, including tunes from John Lennon and Pharrell Williams. A Google spokesman tells the Wall Street Journal that YouTube has the necessary rights for its new Music Key service, but Azoff doesn’t believe those count. Also, he argues that any royalty deal to keep the songs in place would require payments “major multiples” larger than what YouTube pays artists right now. Azoff’s clout and the sheer scale of his request will likely carry some weight. You’re probably going to notice if those songs disappear, after all. With that said, the exec hasn’t had success fighting YouTube in the past. He created Global Music Rights precisely because he was frustrated when challenging YouTube on copyright disputes — it would ask him to show exact instances where it was missing licenses and infringing artists’ rights, which was supposedly near-impossible. And historically, large-scale copyright battles with YouTube tend to be both drawn out and messy . Azoff may have a better chance at extracting cash than he did before, but you won’t want to bet on a speedy resolution. [Image credit: Thomas Hawk, Flickr ] Filed under: Internet , Google Comments Source: Wall Street Journal

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One of music’s big managers wants to pull 20,000 songs from YouTube

Square merchants can now make their own gift cards

It’s simple: Square arms small-business owners with an arsenal of weapons they need to do battle with larger (chain) competitors. In turn, you, the consumer, reap a variety of benefits . Now, the company’s furthering that entrepreneurial spirit with its own Square Register -integrated gift cards program. Starting today, any Square merchant can order custom-designed cards at $1.50 apiece, without having to worry about future subscription, redemption or transaction fees. What’s more, when a customer buys a gift card, the funds are immediately transferred into the seller’s back account, rather than sitting in limbo until they’re redeemed. For shopkeepers, it’s a simple, inexpensive way to entice customers. Filed under: Misc , Software Comments Source: Square

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Square merchants can now make their own gift cards

Facebook’s latest page keeps you updated on tech news

You probably don’t think of Facebook as a source for bleeding edge tech news, but the social network is determined to improve that reputation. It just launched FB Techwire , a page that blends technology news and commentary in a single feed. The site is ostensibly for journalists, but it’s handy for just about anyone who’d like to get all their tech stories in a single place — you won’t necessarily have to dig through a newsreader app or your Twitter timeline to keep up. Give it a look if you’re eager to see more in your social stream than the usual vacation photos and family announcements. Filed under: Internet , Facebook Comments Source: FB Techwire

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Facebook’s latest page keeps you updated on tech news

Solar power will give you non-stop water during bike rides

If you’re a cyclist, you know the anxiety that comes with running out of water in the middle of a bike ride — the last thing you want is dehydration when you’re miles away from home. Design student Kristof Retezàr may just set your mind at ease, though. He recently developed Fontus , a bike-mounted device that uses solar power to convert air moisture into water for your drinking bottle. The key is its use of thermoelectric cooling. Solar panels generate electricity that cools the top of the device, where air comes in as you ride; as the moisture condenses, it drips water into a bottle below. The bottom stays warm, but that only accelerates the condensation process above. This is a design exercise at the moment, but Retezàr is looking at both crowdfunding and investors to turn this into a shipping product. It won’t need much refinement to be both cheap and effective, at least. The Fontus prototype cost less than $40 to make, and it actually works best when conditions are at their worst — it produces half a liter (17 fluid ounces) of water in an hour when subjected to hot and humid air. That may not be completely satisfying if you’re extremely thirsty, but it should be enough to tide you over until your next rest stop. Filed under: Transportation , Science Comments Via: Huffington Post , Nerdoholic Source: James Dyson Foundation

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Solar power will give you non-stop water during bike rides

Court rules Google can arrange search results any way it wants

With the First Amendment behind it, Google is now free to put search results in whatever order it wants, according to a recent ruling by a US court in San Francisco . The company has been fighting to earn this right for years , but it wasn’t until last week that a judge in the Bay Area decided to grant the search giant such a thing, citing freedom of speech as the main influencer in the decision. It all started back when a site known as CoastNews filed a lawsuit arguing that Google was knowingly lowering its rankings in search results ; the tech giant supposedly viewed it like a competitor and, thus, didn’t want it to succeed. Shortly thereafter, Google quickly answered with an anti-SLAPP motion , which is often used by defendants to guard against litigation that would deter free speech . Sure, this doesn’t mean Google will be protected forever from other angry websites, here at home or elsewhere around the globe . But, should a similar lawsuit arise, it does allow the company to argument that a court has already agreed with it once before. [Image credit: Shutterstock] Filed under: Internet , Google Comments Source: Gigaom

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Court rules Google can arrange search results any way it wants

State Department shuts down unclassified email to cope with hack

The US government is no stranger to dealing with cyberattacks , but it just took a rare and relatively extreme step to keep itself safe. The State Department shut down its entire unclassified email system this weekend to bolster its defenses after spotting “activity of concern” (read: potential data breaches) that happened at the same time as an earlier hack that targeted the White House. Officials aren’t naming culprits at this stage — they’ve pinned some previous attacks on China and Russia, but it’s not clear that there was digital warfare involved this time around. More details are expected to come once the security upgrades are in place, so you may get a better sense of what happened in the near future. [Image credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite] Filed under: Internet Comments Source: AP (SFGate)

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State Department shuts down unclassified email to cope with hack

Court order stops Bitcasa from deleting your cloud data, for now

If you’re miffed that Bitcasa not only dropped its unlimited cloud storage option but made you migrate to a costlier limited tier just to keep your files, you’ll be glad to hear that you’re getting a reprieve. Angry customers have filed a tentative class action lawsuit against Bitcasa for allegedly breaching its contract through the sudden switch. In tandem with the suit, the court handling the case has granted a restraining order that forces Bitcasa to save those files until at least November 20th. That’s not exactly a long interval, but there’s a hearing on the 19th that could extend the grace period further. The complaint isn’t meant to make Bitcasa change its mind and bring back its Infinite service. At the moment, attorneys are focused on compensation and giving subscribers enough time to get all their files. As you might imagine, that could take a while when people paid for unrestricted online space. There’s no certainty that the lawsuit will succeed, but it might serve as a warning to other internet storage outlets that are thinking of scaling back their features. [Thanks, Jay] Filed under: Storage , Internet Comments Source: Bitcasa Community Forums , LCHB

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Court order stops Bitcasa from deleting your cloud data, for now

Facebook will filter out excessively promotional Page posts in 2015

Facebook is thankfully taking more steps to show fewer spammy posts on your News Feed — and we’re not talking about traditional web ads. We’re talking about overly promotional status updates posted by Page accounts, like the ones you can see after the break. The social network promised to bury “like-bait” posts (of the “1 Like = 1 Prayer” type) underneath more relevant content earlier this year, and now it’s doing the same thing to Page statuses that fall under any of these criteria: Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads Facebook’s devs have decided push through with this change, after a survey asking users how the News Feed can be improved revealed that people (as you’d expect) want to see more of their friends’ status updates. Non-spammy businesses and individual Pages don’t have anything to worry about, though — they will not be affected when the refreshed News Feed algorithm takes effect in January 2015. [Image credit: Shutterstock] Filed under: Misc , Facebook Comments Source: Facebook

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Facebook will filter out excessively promotional Page posts in 2015