Science Feature

Amazing Facts

Mind Reading Computer
A team from the University of Cambridge is working on a computer that can read minds. With a special camera, the computer observes a person's emotions through facial expressions. The computer does this by observing what the team calls “feature points”-prominent features on the face to measure movements of the head or facial features. In total, there are 24 feature points the computer watches for and 20 movements, regardless of what's on a person's face. Even users who wear glasses or have beards are programmed into its memory. In practice, facial expressions vary from person to person, and as everyone expresses emotions differently, the team still has some work to do. In order for the computer to read minds, it needs thousands of samples to precise identify one's emotions. The group sees several practical applications for the project, including customized advertising. In this scenario, a computer camera combo, maybe even a home webcam, could tailor advertisements specifically to your mood. Other potential uses include aiding those with autism and Asperger's syndrome, who typically have a difficult time interpreting the facial expressions of others. In conjunction with MIT, the developers are working on a special headset version of the system that would communicate the emotions of others to its wearer. They also have plans to develop a system to be installed in cars, which would keep drivers safer on the road.

Flying Fish
A flying fish (Cypselurus heterurus) escapes its enemies by launching itself into the air. It bursts through the surface of the sea and glides as far as 100m (330 ft) before splashing back into the sea. A flying fish's “wings” are very enlarged fins. Some species glide using one pair of fins, while others use two.

Compiled By: Edward Apurba Singha

Tip 1: Auto update
Windows XP users can utilize the opportunity to update their OS by enabling auto update option in Windows XP. Under this facility, Windows XP download and install latest patches as soon as they become available in the web. As a result, users not need to visit the Windows update site separately. To enjoy this facility follow these steps in Windows XP…
Right click My Computer
Select Properties
Click Automatic Updates
From the appeared dialog box, you can select any option that is convenient for you.

Tip 2: Direct X info
DirectX is a Windows component and it controls multimedia functions. If you need to check DirectX information, for instance DirectX version, follow these steps in Windows XP…
Click Start>Run
Type dxdiag
Click Ok
Choose System tab and look under “System Information” on the lower part of the screen

Tip 3: Update your drivers
If the OS functions properly you can escape driver update option but in many cases driver update can give you advantage over difficult situation. Follow these steps in Windows XP…
Right click My Computer
Select Properties
Click Hardware>Device Manager
Carefully observe the viewed information. Look for entries with yellow question marks or red exclamation points: The question mark indicates that Windows is using a generic driver instead the specific driver and an exclamation point means that the device is not working. The drivers for graphics boards, sound cards, and printers are most likely to need an update. On the other hand, drivers of floppy disks, keyboards rarely require updating.
To update a driver, double click the particular component and choose Driver>Update Driver in the product's Properties dialog box
Sometimes updating a driver causes difficulties. In Windows XP, click “Roll Back Driver” under the Driver tab in the properties dialog box to return to the previous version.

Edward Apurba Singha
Computer Engineer

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