Tech Newz

This is MY project! And I don’t want to see it end up on some Defense scrap heap before we know what it’s really about! – Brainstorm

The Intendix from Guger Technologies is a system that uses an EEG cap to measure brain activity in order to let you type with your thoughts, reports Engadget.

Meant to work with those with disabilities, Intendix is simple enough to use after just 10 minutes of training. You simply focus on a grid of ..read more

Amtrak has posted an RFQ for WiFi on all its trains. As the nation’s intercity passenger rail operator, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day to more than 500 destinations.

In March, Amtrak launched its Wi-Fi Internet service, known as AmtrakConnect (pdf), aboard all 20 high-speed Acela Express trains, in six major stations along the Northeast Corridor, and in all four ClubAcela lounges. Initially offered as a complimentary service, AmtrakConnect is available to every passenger on board Acela Express ..read more

The Washington Post Company won’t charge for online news, but the company told paidContent it was launching its first paid iPhone app today.

The app will include articles, columns, blogs and photo galleries which can be saved for offline reading in a “MyPost” folder.

According to Paid Content, the Washington Post joins a small but growing number of publishers who refuse to build pay walls or run meters but are willing to charge for mobile apps. The Wall Street Journal, in ..read more

Ferry riders on Puget Sound can now use “Vessel Watch” to access real-time location of each ferry. Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey said the new site, was launched Feb. 4 and upgrades a previous version that allowed users only to see approximate locations on a static map, reports the Seattle PI.

“Users can zoom in to see highly detailed information about a vessel’s location, including latitude, longitude and direction,” Coursey told the PI. With ‘next departure time’ to ..read more

News Hour has the story on light artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer who installed an interactive artwork at the Vancouver Olympics called “Vectorial Elevation.” Anyone with access to the Internet can program searchlights over Vancouver.

The twenty, 10 KW robotic lights are visible for 10-miles. Participants can create a light display on the project’s Web site, VectorialVancouver.net, where they will also find a virtual model of Vancouver. Users can set the angles and power of the searchlights. The information is then queued in ..read more

Sports photographer Kari Kuukka, based in Porvoo, Finland, posted an interesting essay on Changing Technology and Social Media on his blog.

My [Canon] 1D Mk4s produce something like 48mb files and my [Canon] 5d Mk2s 60mb files. I carry a MacBookPro and over a 1TB of memory with me on external drives. Yes, that is over thousand gigabytes. Over hundred times more than what I had in Salt Lake City.

Now I shoot RAW exclusively. Use the DSLRs also for producing ..read more

Android Guys rounded up some show stoppers that use mobile voice dictation at the Mobile World Congress show.

Nuance known for the Dragon Dictation for iPhone, is also releasing speech recognition for Android. They are currently working directly with operators but you may see their products very soon.

Charbax (above) discovers that Nuance uses the cloud to process and improve the voice recognition efficiency.

Another interesting voice application is Dial2Do. You call in to their hub, then request commands via voice. You ..read more

Google’s Street View application has been one-upped by Microsoft’s Bing Maps with indoor panoramas, still and video integration. Microsoft’s 3D maps are built from crowdsourced photos and even live video that is shared by others on sites like Flickr and You Tube. Here’s Vancouver BC, Seattle and San Francisco.

The new Silverlight-powered version of Bing Maps can be used from a web browser and uses Microsoft’s stunning Photosynth technology. Microsoft is integrating Photosynth with their Streetside technology, essentially expanding Streetside to ..read more

Google says it planned to build an open-access, fiber-to-the-home service, at speeds up to 1Gbps. Google’s Public Policy Blog says the project will build on their ongoing efforts to expand and improve Internet access for consumers – from our free municipal Wi-Fi network in Mountain View, CA, to their advocacy in the 700 MHz spectrum auction, to their work to open the TV “white spaces” to unlicensed uses.

We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans ..read more

Portland Mayor Sam Adams (@MayorSamAdams), at his annual State of the City Address this Friday, said the city will make available $500,000 for innovative small business ventures which may be matched by banks.

The city is creating a Portland Small Business Seed Fund in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Fund. Typically these investments would be in the $10-20,000 range.

The $500,000 seed fund will come from the Portland Development Commission, the city’s economic arm. The city will be loaning the ..read more