In this edition of DL Radio, we explore ways for you to manage stress and subdue anger more effectively

Robots Dazzle at Japanese Exhibit
A robot math whiz breezes through a Rubik’s Cube, using metal hands to twist and turn the colorful toy. A panda robot uses sensors to detect when people are laughing, and joins in. A dentistry student peers into the mouth of a new patient — a humanoid practice robot with a complete set of pearly white teeth. Japan showed off its cutting-edge robots Wednesday at the country’s largest robotics convention, a dazzling display of the technologies that make it a world leader in both service and industrial robotics. The dental training robot, dubbed Simroid for “simulator humanoid,” has realistic skin, eyes, and a mouth fitted with replica teeth that students practice drilling on. A sensor fitted where the nerve endings would be raises the alert when they drill too close — triggering a yelp from the robot. “Ow, that hurt!” a female robot squeaked, narrowing her eyes as a young dentist drilled on her replica teeth. “Now, I’m OK,” she said as the dentist eased off. “Our aim is to train dentists to worry about whether patients are comfortable, and not just focus on technical expertise,” said Dr. Naotake Shibui of the Nippon Dental University in Tokyo, who collaborated with technicians at Kokoro Co. to develop the robot. Researchers are still ironing out a few kinks — including perfecting a function that lets novices inject anesthetic into robot gums — before working on commercialization plans, Shibui said. He said a prototype has been used at the university since September. Across the hall, Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Mr. Cube robot used built-in color sensors and a pair of dexterous hands to solve a Rubik’s Cube, then raised the completed puzzle in glee to show off to spectators. Mr. Cube is no match for his human counterparts, taking up to five minutes to solve a typical puzzle while the human…

Outcry Prompts Facebook Privacy Changes
Facebook has drawn the ire of thousands of its users, and has once again bowed to the pressure of the political campaign against its advertising techniques. Facebook has made significant changes to its recently launched Beacon advertising platform after 50,000 Facebook members signed a MoveOn.org petition over a 10-day period, asking the site to respect user privacy. Beacon sends messages to Facebook members’ friends about what they are purchasing online. If a member booked a trip to Japan on Travelocity.com, for example, friends on Facebook would know it. If the member purchased a ticket to “American Gangster,” that would also be known among friends. But the social-networking site now says it won’t send messages about members’ Internet activities without getting approval each and every time. Members will opt in to the program. Big Brother Is Watching When Facebook launched the program on November 6, it certainly wasn’t positioned as the Big Brother scenario that privacy advocates have criticized it for being. The new advertising solution was positioned as an option to share actions on other sites with friends on Facebook. “Just as Facebook shares your on-site interactions with your friends through News Feed, we now give you an option to let News Feed share your off-site actions with your friends as well,” explained Leah Pearlman, the product manager for Facebook ads, in the company blog. She figured adding the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to your queue on Blockbuster.com might be something you want your friends to know about. Pearlman promised members complete control over the information. The only problem, as far as privacy advocates were concerned, is that members had to opt out instead of opting in. MoveOn.org launched its petition on November 20, saying Beacon was an invasion of privacy. “Site like Facebook must respect my privacy,” the petition reads. “They should…

China Disputes Cyber Warfare Report
The Chinese government on Thursday disputed a report labeling it the world’s most aggressive offender in probing for holes in other nations’ Internet security and encouraging a looming global cyber showdown. The report, issued Thursday by security software vendor McAfee Inc., said government-affiliated hackers in China are at the forefront of a brewing “cyber Cold War” still in its infancy. Within two decades, according to McAfee, the scuffle could erupt into a worldwide conflict involving hundreds of countries attacking one another’s online networks with sophisticated software. McAfee said about 120 countries are developing cyber attack strategies and most are merely testing them to determine the risks involved in certain tactics — though devastating international attacks could come one day. Based on McAfee research and input from security experts with NATO, the FBI and other intelligence outfits, the report said hackers in China are believed responsible for four out of five major cyber attacks on government targets in 2007. The biggest intrusions appear to have targeted a Pentagon computer network and government agencies in Germany, India and Australia and New Zealand. “The Chinese have publicly stated that they are pursuing activities in cyber espionage … they speak of technology being a large part of war in the future,” the McAfee report read. McAfee said that in 2007, there were more attacks reported on critical national infrastructure than ever before. Targets included financial markets, utilities and air traffic control machinery, and the attacks were believed to have been launched by governments or government-allied groups. Another large attack occurred in April, when severe and well coordinated cyber attacks struck Estonia’s banks, government institutions and media outlets. Estonian officials have claimed the attacks originated in Russia. Russian authorities have denied any involvement. China has steadfastly denied it is engaged in any cyber crime and said its networks too have been targeted. “China has also…

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Medical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.