Nintendo’s pandemic timing has been unintentionally impeccable. That was my first thought while getting a virtual walk-through of “New Pokémon Snap,” a long overdue return to a one-off, delightfully idiosyncratic entry in the Pokémon franchise. The game, a sequel-ish take on 1999’s Nintendo 64 title “Pokémon Snap,” feels like a bookend to last year’s “Animal Crossing: New … [Read more...] about ‘New Pokémon Snap’ may be just the game for this late-pandemic moment
The pandemic has strained relationships. Can video games help us find love?
There is a moment late in the game “Genesis Noir,” an abstract work with a hardboiled tone, when the malleably sketched black-and-white scenes suddenly explode in color and sound. Pastel flowers and warm faces fill the screen, and a rush of optimism comes over our cynical protagonist. A vision of a potential new partner takes his hand, and after a few hours of puzzling together … [Read more...] about The pandemic has strained relationships. Can video games help us find love?
Column: Peloton won’t recall treadmill that killed a child. Why aren’t officials acting?
Federal authorities have issued an “urgent warning” that Peloton’s Tread+ treadmill is dangerous and poses a grave risk to households “after multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured beneath the machines.”Peloton’s response? The company called the warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission “inaccurate and misleading,” and told customers “there is no … [Read more...] about Column: Peloton won’t recall treadmill that killed a child. Why aren’t officials acting?
New conductive polymer ink opens for next-generation printed electronics: A high-conductivity n-type polymeric ink for printed electronics
Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed a stable high-conductivity polymer ink. The advance paves the way for innovative printed electronics with high energy efficiency. The results have been published in Nature Communications. Electrically conducting polymers have made possible the development of flexible and lightweight electronic components such as … [Read more...] about New conductive polymer ink opens for next-generation printed electronics: A high-conductivity n-type polymeric ink for printed electronics
Augmented reality in retail and its impact on sales
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that superimposes virtual objects onto a live view of physical environments, helping users visualize how these objects fit into their physical world. Researchers from City University of Hong Kong and Singapore Management University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that identifies four broad uses of AR in retail settings … [Read more...] about Augmented reality in retail and its impact on sales
Materials advances are key to development of quantum hardware: Study explores challenges and opportunities for developing the information machines of the future
A new study outlines the need for materials advances in the hardware that goes into making quantum computers if these futuristic devices are to surpass the abilities of the computers we use today. The study, published in the journal Science by an international team, surveyed the state of research on quantum computing hardware with the goal of illustrating the challenges and … [Read more...] about Materials advances are key to development of quantum hardware: Study explores challenges and opportunities for developing the information machines of the future
AI agent helps identify material properties faster
A team headed by Dr. Phillip M. Maffettone (currently at National Synchrotron Light Source II in Upton, USA) and Professor Andrew Cooper from the Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool joined forces with the Bochum-based group headed by Lars Banko and Professor Alfred Ludwig from the Chair of Materials Discovery and Interfaces … [Read more...] about AI agent helps identify material properties faster
Forensics puzzle cracked via fluid mechanical principles: How can clothing of a close-range shooter remain free of bloodstains?
In 2009, music producer Phil Spector was convicted for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot in the face from a very short distance. He was dressed in white clothes, but no bloodstains were found on his clothing -- even though significant backward blood spatter occurred. How could his clothing remain clean if he was the shooter? This real-life forensic puzzle … [Read more...] about Forensics puzzle cracked via fluid mechanical principles: How can clothing of a close-range shooter remain free of bloodstains?
Fixed network of smartphones provides earthquake early warning in Costa Rica
Earthquake early warnings can be delivered successfully using a small network of off-the-shelf smartphones attached to building baseboards, according to a study conducted in Costa Rica last year. In his presentation at the Seismological Society of America (SSA)'s 2021 Annual Meeting, Ben Brooks of the U.S. Geological Survey said the ASTUTI (Alerta Sismica Temprana Utilizando … [Read more...] about Fixed network of smartphones provides earthquake early warning in Costa Rica
Designing healthy diets with computer analysis
A new mathematical model for the interaction of bacteria in the gut could help design new probiotics and specially tailored diets to prevent diseases. The research, from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, was recently published in the journal PNAS. "Intestinal bacteria have an important role to play in health and the development of diseases, and our new mathematical … [Read more...] about Designing healthy diets with computer analysis