Facebook Allows Users To Send And Receive Money With Messanger App

Facebook has annoounced that it is adding a new feature to its Massenger app that will allow US users to send and receive money through it.According to a Facebook statement this service facility will be available in the next months.

To send money, users can tap a new symbol icon "quot; in the Facebook chat room.Add the amount you want to send and debit card number then tap "pay" button on the top right side.To receive money for the first time, open chat room and tap "add card" button then enter debit card number.Once you enter a Visa or MasterCard debit card number, you will be able to create a PIN code to provide security the next time when you send money.The money you send may take three days depending on the banks you used. 

Facebook handles more than one million transactions every day on its site for games as well as advertisers since 2007."We use secure systems that encrypt the connection between you and Facebook as well as your card information when you ask us to store it for you."

This new feature is rolling out in the US in the coming months accross Android, iOS, and desktop.

Read more »

0.5 mm Thick Battery Could Be Utilized In Electronic Applications

A team of researcher from KAIST in South Korea, is developing a flexible battery that is thinner than a credit card and which could be used in various electronic applications such as watch straps, smart cards and wrinkle smoothing patches.The new battery is 0.5 mm thick and the electrodes are laid side by side on the same plane.The battery exposes a 7.4 voltage that is maintained over 5,000 bending cycles.

The researcher Jang Wook Choi said, "The greatest significance of this work is reducing the thickness of the battery while demonstrating robust bendability and cell performance."Its performance could be increased by closely putting the 2 mm electrodes, approx 400 µm aside from each other.In the battery electrodes are very close which raise the chance of short circuit.The researchers solved this problem by interelectrode barriers with curvy electrode structure and interelectrode barriers have direct link between adjacent electrodes.In bending, adjacent electrodes ends stay away from each other due to the curvy electrode structure.

The researchers said that the battery timing can be increased by decreasing the distance of interelectrodes.They are thinking that printing technique has potential to produce more detail patterns at high speeds and more precise."Future plans include developing a process for scalable production, such as printing techniques," Choi said.

The battery could be recharged without any wire and by an integrated solar cell.For wireless charging connect the battery to a coil that receives electromagnet power from a transmitting coil that is 1 cm away.For solar charging connect the battery to a solar cell.

Read more »

New Desktop Application Has Potential To Increase Asteroid Detection, Now Available To Public

A software application based on an algorithm created by a NASA challenge has the potential to increase the number of new asteroid discoveries by amateur astronomers.

Analysis of images taken of our solar system's main belt asteroids between Mars and Jupiter using the algorithm showed a 15 percent increase in positive identification of new asteroids.

During a panel Sunday at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, NASA representatives discussed how citizen scientists have made a difference in asteroid hunting. They also announced the release of a desktop software application developed by NASA in partnership with Planetary Resources, Inc., of Redmond, Washington. The application is based on an Asteroid Data Hunter-derived algorithm that analyzes images for potential asteroids. It's a tool that can be used by amateur astronomers and citizen scientists.

The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge was part of NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge. The data hunter contest series, which was conducted in partnership with Planetary Resources under a Space Act Agreement, was announced at the 2014 South by Southwest Festival and concluded in December. The series offered a total of $55,000 in awards for participants to develop significantly improved algorithms to identify asteroids in images captured by ground-based telescopes. The winning solutions of each piece of the contest combined to create an application using the best algorithm that increased the detection sensitivity, minimized the number of false positives, ignored imperfections in the data, and ran effectively on all computer systems.

"The Asteroid Grand Challenge is seeking non-traditional partnerships to bring the citizen science and space enthusiast community into NASA's work," said Jason Kessler, program executive for NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge. "The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge has been successful beyond our hopes, creating something that makes a tangible difference to asteroid hunting astronomers and highlights the possibility for more people to play a role in protecting our planet."

The data hunter challenge incorporated data provided by the Minor Planet Center (MPC), at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and images provided by the Catalina Sky Survey, an astronomical survey project run by the University of Arizona, Tucson, and focused on the discovery and study of near-Earth asteroids and comets.

"We applaud all the participants in the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge. We are extremely encouraged by the algorithm created and it's already making a difference. This increase in knowledge will help assess more quickly which asteroids are potential threats, human destinations or resource rich," said Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer at Planetary Resources. "It has been exciting for our team to work with NASA on this project, and we also look forward to future space-based systems leveraging these results."

Astronomers find asteroids by taking images of the same place in the sky and looking for star-like objects that move between frames, an approach that has been used since before Pluto was discovered in 1930. With more telescopes scanning the sky, the ever-increasing volume of data makes it impossible for astronomers to verify each detection by hand. This new algorithm gives astronomers the ability to use computers to autonomously and rapidly check the images and determine which objects are suitable for follow up, which leads to finding more asteroids than previously possible.

"The beauty of such archives is that the data doesn't grow stale, and with novel approaches, techniques and algorithms, they can be harvested for new information. The participants of the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge did just that, probing observations of the night sky for new asteroids that might have slipped through the software cracks the first time the images were analyzed," said Jose Luis Galache of the MPC. "Moreover, this software can now be used to analyze new images and is available to any observer who wants to use it. The Minor Planet Center applauds these efforts to provide superior tools to all, and looks forward to receiving new asteroid observations generated with them."

The desktop software application is free and can be used on any basic desktop or laptop computer. Amateur astronomers may take images from their telescopes and analyze them with the application. The application will tell the user whether a matching asteroid record exists and offer a way to report new findings to the Minor Planet Center, which then confirms and archives new discoveries.

Through NASA's asteroid initiative, the agency seeks to enhance its ongoing work in the identification and characterization of near-Earth objects for further scientific investigation. This work includes locating potentially hazardous asteroids and identifying those viable for redirection to a stable lunar orbit for future exploration by astronauts using NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The Asteroid Grand Challenge, one part of the asteroid initiative, expands the agency's efforts beyond traditional boundaries and encourages partnerships and collaboration with a variety of organizations.

Application can be downloaded at:topcoder.com/asteroids

Read more »

Scientists Used Fruit Flies To Describe How We Judge Cold And Hot

Scientists from Northwestern University have observed that how a fruit fly's brain reacts to hot and cold temperature, which has implications for understanding the way more complex human brain and how it replies to sensory stimuli.

Marco Gallio, who led the research is an assistant professor of neurobiology in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences said, "The brain is a beautiful machine, and one of the new frontiers in biology is to understand how it works.""The fruit fly is a fantastic model in which to study how the brain controls behavior, and it can help us understand how sensory circuits work in humans."

Scientists have found several neural pathways that send information about temperature from the antenna and meet in three central areas in the brain.Majority of neurons react to temperature change either hot or cold instead of their accuracy.These neurons help the animals to realize abrupt temperature change.Neuron which reacts to both types of temperature hot or cold is known as third kind of neuron.This neuron helps the fly to get danger signal about temperature.

"Humans are more resilient than flies in reacting to temperature change," Gallio said, "but the principles we are finding in the fly brain—the logic and organization—likely are the same in both. Whether human or fly, the sensory systems have to solve the same problems, so they often do it in the same ways."

Gallio added some more lines, "we decided to focus on temperature as one of the most fundamental sensory modalities.""Much like in the fly antenna, the sensory neurons in our skin respond to either hot or cold temperature. The brain knows what the hand feels by simply keeping track of which cell type is active—what we call a 'labeled line' system."

During the study they utilized a photolabeling technique to discover the connections that send temperature information to the brain.They discovered that signals meet at three regions which are the Mushroom Body and the Lateral Horn and the third one isthe Posterior Lateral Protocerebrum.

Then they used vivo imaging process to find the thermosensory projection neurons activated by either hot or cold stimuli have narrow tuned and those react to both hot and cold have broadly tuned.

Gallio and his team were confused and unable to unstand about different paths of brain after researching."We found there was an elegant answer," Gallio said. "Some neurons respond to only hot, some neurons respond to only cold, and some neurons respond to both hot and cold. They all converge in the brain, where all the messages are orchestrated into a cohesive response."

Read more »

Japan Space Scientists Make Wireless Energy Breakthrough

Japanese scientists from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have taken a breakthrough step toward making solar energy transmition from space wirelessly becoming a reality.Japanese scientists successfully utilized microwaves to deliver 1.8 kilowatts of power by the air to a pinpoint receiver 55 metres away without wire.In this process the researchers convert electrical signal into microwaves and send to a receiver.Then again convert into electrical signal.The major benefit of solar power generation in space is permanent availability of energy.

A spokesman for the JAXA said,"this was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly two kilowatts of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device." He also said, "while the distance in Mitsubishi's experiment was not huge, the technology could pave the way for humankind to eventually tap the vast amount of solar energy in space."

JAXA has been working on Space Solar Power Systems project for years and has target to send solar power from space to Earth by using microwave transmission, the spokesman said.The microwave-transmitting solar satellites have antennae and panels for gathering sunlight, which transmit microwaves from an altitude of 36,000 kilometres.The JAXA spokesman forecasted that the practical application of this technology could take years, hope so it could be launched in 2040.

Read more »

Apple Is Going To Unveil First Smartwatch

Apple is expected to launch smartwatch at a media event, San Francisco.Apple announced its wrist watch last year without specific launch date.Apple's Watch will be available in two different sizes and in three collections, these are Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition.Apple Watch Edition is coated with 18 karat gold which is crafted from 18 karat yellow or rose cases.

"Apple is poised to once again show how computing platforms are won or lost on the one-two punch of eager consumers and hungry ecosystem partners," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey.

Apple Watch comes with different apps and sensors such as health and fitness app, weather, calender, music, activity and clock.The watch will connect with the iPhone, and also contains map software which guides users.It comes with long time battery life.Apple Watch costs start from $349 USD.

The watch has some features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity to stay in touch with iPhone, light will display for alerts when iPhone's notifications are locked.The watch does not has shut down button, user can power off by pressing communications button for long time and has 8 GB storage capacity.There is no buttons pad for input command, user can do so by voice or touch.

Research firm Strategy Analytics forecasts that Apple will sale 15.4 million units in 2015 and Deutsche Bank analyst Sherri Scribner also forecasts that sales of 17.6 million units is accepted this year. ."The Apple Watch is the catalyst to ignite the global smartwatch market," said Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston.

Analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates Roger Kay said, "There will be 10 million people who will buy it because it's from Apple."

Read more »

Recycler That Changes Waste Plastic Into 3D Printer Plastic

At the Unversity of British Columbia, engineering students (Dennon Oosterman, Alex Kay and David Joyce) have launched a plastic recycler that turns plastic into 3D printing material, the recycler known as ProtoCycler.It ables to crush plastic bottles and lego etc.After chruing, it melts plastic into a filament that can be ate into 3D printers.

Dennon Oosterman said that we were concerned about the amount of plastic waste generated in our engineering projects, so we looked for a way to recycle that plastic back into usable filament.

Oosterman explained that there are several ProtoCycler type machines on the market which grind plastic and filament extruder as well, but ProtoCycler is a combination of the two that is faster and easier to use.It has potential to produce filament of 10 feet in a minute.The fastest extruder on the market, says Oosterman.

ProtoCycler can create 1 kg spool of filament with purchased plastic in cost of $5 or produced free with used plastic.The cheapest spool is available at $30.ProtoCycler costs $699 and for pre-orders visit at www.redetec.com.

"Schools are including 3D printing as part of their science and technology curriculum, but the cost of having each student try a project can quickly become unaffordable.""With ProtoCycler, the students can try over and over until it's perfect, nearly for free, without harming the environment," Oosterman said.

Read more »