Friday Morning 10:30 Team's Quest Relived

After a chaotic introduction to geocaching the teams were assembled and sent out on the hunt for the hidden treasure. We received our first sign of communication through text message and the teams were onto something at 10:45. Our next message came swiftly as team two headed towards state street while they were ft away from their first clue. Team three went on a wild goose chase under the WTHR building at 10:46.

Minutes later we received our first real clues from team 6.
"I cover many things. and had a picture of the Bell Tower."

The second team, Team 2, responded with their clue and told us:
"I am independent. Metal letter C." found near the engineering fountain, in the bushes that spelled out Purdue.

As things heated up in the investigating central unit headquarters teams started overwhelming us with clues. The teams were very persistent and clear with presenting information, besides a confusion between the central reporting unit and team 2, when an extraneous clue surfaced. We quickly discovered the miscommunication and got back on track.


"I am the largest of my kind in the state. Nearly Naked Mile." Quickly coming in to the headquarters at 10:53 located outside Haas Hall wall closest to BRNG. Underneath an evergreen bush.

"If I disappear, Purdue students would be furious."

Team one relentlessly reported back to their field reporter, Ashley Scott, and provided imminent details on their clues. Below is the original transcript of Team 1 progress on Twitter.

Team 1 is on the way. We have decided to work through twitter....I had to warn my followers this was a class activity. Hopefully I don't lose any because of this randomness...
www.twitter.com/ashleygscott
Update #1: Heading to ee building
Update #2: Toward engineering mall and halfway there
Update #3: Compass is not clear so not using that option
Update #4: almost there and crossing northwestern now
Update #5: Seems like we are right location but no box
Update #6: found it
Clue #1 My boss is livingston,
Clue #2 - 1111

As the puzzle was solved we were frantically worrying about Team 3, who lost contact with us, and ultimately got back to class with their clue, but the puzzle had been solved. Our epic journey had come to an end, a mere sixteen minutes after the fun started.

As the clues rolled in we quickly deliberated and came to the conclusion that the "cache" was The Exponent.

10:59 am - The Exponent (16 minutes)

Time when teams reported to central unit:
Team 1 @ 10:56 "My boss is livingston & 1111
Team 2 @ 10:52 I am Independent & Metal letter C
Team 3 @ 11:03 Letter J made of wood & I will be at PU longer than any of you
Team 4 @ 10:56 If I disappear PU students would be furious & 743
Team 5 @ 10:55 I am the largest of my kind in the state & nearly naked mile
Team 6 @ 10:48 I cover many things & picture of the bell tower.

After a chaotic introduction to geocaching the teams were assembled and sent out on the hunt for the hidden treasure. We received our first sign of communication through text message and the teams were onto something at 10:45. Our next message came swiftly as team two headed towards state street while they were ft away from their first clue. Team three went on a wild goose chase under the WTHR building at 10:46.

Minutes later we received our first real clues from team 6.
"I cover many things. and had a picture of the Bell Tower."

The second team, Team 2, responded with their clue and told us:
"I am independent. Metal letter C." found near the engineering fountain, in the bushes that spelled out Purdue.

As things heated up in the investigating central unit headquarters teams started overwhelming us with clues. The teams were very persistent and clear with presenting information, besides a confusion between the central reporting unit and team 2, when an extraneous clue surfaced. We quickly discovered the miscommunication and got back on track.


"I am the largest of my kind in the state. Nearly Naked Mile." Quickly coming in to the headquarters at 10:53 located outside Haas Hall wall closest to BRNG. Underneath an evergreen bush.

"If I disappear, Purdue students would be furious."

Team one relentlessly reported back to their field reporter, Ashley Scott, and provided imminent details on their clues. Below is the original transcript of Team 1 progress on Twitter.

Team 1 is on the way. We have decided to work through twitter....I had to warn my followers this was a class activity. Hopefully I don't lose any because of this randomness...
www.twitter.com/ashleygscott
Update #1: Heading to ee building
Update #2: Toward engineering mall and halfway there
Update #3: Compass is not clear so not using that option
Update #4: almost there and crossing northwestern now
Update #5: Seems like we are right location but no box
Update #6: found it
Clue #1 My boss is livingston,
Clue #2 - 1111

As the puzzle was solved we were frantically worrying about Team 3,

As the clues rolled in we quickly deliberated and came to the conclusion that the "cache" was The Exponent.

10:59 - The Exponent

Team 1 @ 10:56 "My boss is livingston & 1111
Team 2 @ 10:52 I am Independent & Metal letter C
Team 3 @ 11:03 Letter J made of wood & I will be at PU longer than any of you
Team 4 @ 10:56 If I disappear PU students would be furious & 743
Team 5 @ 10:55 I am the largest of my kind in the state & nearly nakes mile
Team 6 @ 10:48 I cover many things & picture of the bell tower.

Microchips in Humans

Microchips in Humans


In 2004, the FDA approved microchips in humans. According to the Washington Times, A microchip that can be implanted under the skin to give doctors instant access to a patient's records won government approval, a step that could revolutionize medical care but is raising alarm among privacy advocates.
The tiny electronic capsule, the first such device to receive Food and Drug Administration approval, transmits a unique code to a special scanner that allows doctors to confirm a patient's identity and obtain detailed medical information from an accompanying database. Implantation takes about 20 minutes and leaves no stitches.
Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla., plans to market the VeriChip systems — the chips, scanners and the computerized database — to hospitals, doctors and patients as a way to improve care and avoid errors by ensuring that doctors know whom they are treating and their personal health details.
Doctors would scan patients like cans at a grocery store. The patient's medical record would pop up on a computer screen. Emergency-room doctors could scan unconscious car-accident victims to check their blood type, medications and make sure they have no drug allergies. Surgeons could scan patients in the operating room to guard against cutting into the wrong person. Chips, about the size of a grain of rice, could be implanted in Alzheimer's patients in case they get lost.
"In hospitals today, many deaths occur because people aren't able to communicate timely enough their medical information or because of wrong information," said Scott Silverman, the company's chief executive. "With VeriChip, you'll be able to have accurate information even if a patient can't talk."
Discussion:
· Latest use in hospitals for medical information
· Microchipping in humans create ethical issues
· Big Brother?

mStage Tech Briefing

Steven George
COM 435, Technology Briefing

Ditech’s mStage for Mobile Web Users

What is it and Who makes it?

· mStage is a mobile phone platform that is designed to save users time and hassle searching for information online without having to hang up on a current phone call.

· It operates through the human voice with a verbal command (keyword mode) followed by an item, place, or event that activates an online search. Example: “Find: Pizza Hut”

· The voice activated search engine then pulls up the information while during a phone call. The user can continue the verbal process if he or she wishes. Example: “Find: Prices for Large Pizza (Pizza Hut)”

· mStage is not just for looking up information. It can also involve other activities like checking email and communicating with social networks.

· A good example of this is the “whisper message.” This allows users to communicate by sending verbal reminders to each other within a phone call.

· mStage will tell you if the person you sent a “whisper message” to received it during a phone call. Through social network sites like Facebook or instant messengers like AIM, mStage will let you know if they are online via mobile device and in the middle of a call.

· Ditech Networks has been testing this platform within the month of February 2009 and believe that it will be made available for users in Fall 2009.

Who is the Target Audience?

· Ditech has originally created the mStage platform for those who are business oriented.

· This platform also applies to those who are very social and would like to communicate with two or more people at once.

Why is it Important?

· The service keeps people updated on what’s going on in both business and social settings. If people need to get a hold of multiple people at the same time to update them on plans rather than just the person they are currently talking to, this service takes care of that.

· If a person prefers to stay productive, they can definitely do so with this platform. Checking e-mail while talking to your friend on where you should meet up will definitely create some productivity in a less amount of time.

Other Positive and Negative Implications on Society

· Positive: The service can work with the following customers: Verizon, Sprint/Nextel, Orascom Telecom, AT&T, Telus, Global Crossing and West Corporation.

· Positive: Face it, most of us communicate on cell phones while behind the wheel of a car. With mStage, you can activate a search engine to get information that does not require you take your eyes off the road.

· Positive: The service can be activated or deactivated at any time. This can be useful because “whisper messages” have the tendency to interrupt a current conversation. If you know you are about to jump into an important conversation, turn the service off.

· Negative: People you are talking with may lose respect for you if your focus is on the mStage features rather than the current conversation. Make sure that you tell the person you are on the phone with when you are utilizing its features.

· Negative: While it is a voice operated service, mStage needs the click of a button in order to become activate. You can “hot key” the service to any button then press and hold to activate or deactivate the service.

· Negative: The keyword mode is sensitive. If you say something that you did not mean to say, you might have to start the process all over again after clearing what you just started.

Additional Links for Your Convenience

· Press Release: http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=033000KRV9H3&full_skip=1

· Ditech Product Information: http://www.ditechnetworks.com/products/mstage.html

· The Technology Review’s Article: http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/22166/?a=f

robomedic tech briefing

The robot is essentially a mechanical arm with multiple points of articulation. These joints are driven by servos and allow the robot to move in multiple directions, much like the snakes on which the robot’s design is based. This gives it lots of free range to check for injuries. Its maneuverability also allows the robot to fit into small spaces in case the soldier
cannot be removed. The arm is equipped with a camera and covered with an array of sensors that can diagnose the patient’s condition. The robot is operated completely by remote control, keeping the medics out of the field of fire, with software that helps the operator manage the multiple articulated points. The researchers plan to team the robot with an electronic stretcher that can perform more tests as the wounded are moved off of the battlefield.
This technology is meant strictly for the military as this specific robot would have very little use in the consumer market. It would work well in battle conditions where army medics could not safely reach wounded soldiers and assess the damage or remove them from the middle of the fighting. The military is looking more and more to using robotics and other technologies as a means of keeping human soldiers safe and away from danger.
This technology is important because it would be useful in keeping some soldiers on the battlefield safe and still allowing medics to diagnose the damage and injuries to wounded soldiers. Remote operated robots have already been frequently used in battlefield conditions with success and have prevented deaths. This particular system could be used to save even more and limit the number of deaths from wounds sustained on the battlefield and by those who try to help the wounded.
There are several positive impacts of this technology. Perhaps the most notable would be the decrease in deaths of those wounded because medical treatment could not arrive in time. The robot’s capability to assess injuries would be a useful tool for medics on the field. It would also keep those medics out of harm’s way by sending in a robot instead of a human who could be easily injured while trying to treat another injured patient.

www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22045/