Technology in the news – Articles from 2011

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Stuff.co.nz article, 5 April
Despite the recommendations of a coroner's court, the setting mandatory standards for the design and manufacture of light towbars appears to be a long way off.
Discussion starter:
• Setting mandatory safety standards: compliance costs versus safety risks
NZ Herald article, 6 April
Experts believe cloud players are the way of the future for music listeners.
Ever since the dawn of the internet, music fans have dreamed of a mythical celestial jukebox where every song ever produced would be available at the click of a button.
Now Amazon has sneaked ahead of arch rivals Apple and Google by becoming the first major internet company to unveil a music-streaming service - allowing people to store their music online and listen to the tracks on any computer or smartphone.
New York Times article, 7 April
The line between cyberspace and the physical world is blurring with a new search technology being demonstrated by Autonomy, a British software publisher. In a demonstration, the company was able to duplicate the effect seen in Harry Potter movies of newspapers with the people in their pictures coming to life. The software finds a video of an event captured in the photograph.
www.stuff.co.nz video, 8 April
Robots can already beat humans at chess and Jeopardy and soon they'll take us on in ping pong if a viral experiment in Zurich is any guide.
A team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has developed autonomous quadrocopters (helicopters with four blades) that are able to play ping pong against each other and juggle balls - all without any human intervention.
Aussies are already using similar technologies to film surfing competitions, while a German company has developed quadrocopters for traffic surveillance and crowd monitoring.
A video clip of the Swiss copters battling it out in the "Flying Machine Arena" has garnered over 1.5 million views on YouTube.
TV3 Campbell Live, 13 April
Gone are the days of TVs with bunny ears and wooden legs.These days it's all about smart TVs - a combination of TV, internet, and hard drive.
Discussion starter:
• Innovation in information and communication technology
Stuff.co.nz article, 17 April
As tough economic times continue, Kiwis are increasingly tightening the purse-strings and organic fruit and veggies are disappearing off the shopping list pretty quickly.
Discussion starter:
• Consumer preferences: sociocultural influences
NZHerald online article, 17 April
A homegrown towbar design and a deal with a German manufacturing giant are set to generate $50 million worth of export business for a small Kiwi company over the next five years.
Discussion starter:
• New product development: application of regulatory standards
TV3 Campbell Live video, 18 April
It sounds like a load of rubbish: A detection system that will warn of an incoming earthquake up to a minute before it actually hits. In fact earthquake warning systems are already up and running in Japan where residents of Tokyo who had signed up to the Japanese system had about 80 seconds of warning before the devastating March 11 quake. Experts say even a five second warning could reduce casualties by 80 percent and now a Christchurch company says it has perfected its own early warning system.
Discussion starters:
• Technological Practice: addressing needs and opportunitie
• Intervention by design: legal constraints
NZ Herald online article, 20 April
Biotechnology is the technology for the 21st century, says Michelle Sullivan, chief executive of the NZBio industry association."It touches our lives on a daily basis - the fact you can wash your clothes in cold water thanks to some enzymes in washing powder that function in cold water and chew up grease and fat," says Sullivan."There are so many examples and it's something most people take for granted. I think it is less visible but actually more important than IT."
Discussion starter:
• Nature of Technology: application of scientific knowledge.
NZ Herald online article, 22 April
Power blackouts caused by damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant have prompted a Christchurch company to begin marketing its solar powered products to Japanese consumers scared of being left in the dark.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of technological Outcomes: proper function / alternative function
• Enterprise attributes
TV3 news video, 23 April
A working replica of a famed red Fokker aeroplane can often be seen on the runway at Omaka, while inside the Heritage Centre there's a detailed history for visitors along with parts from the original. The Heritage Centre has been brought to life by Sir Peter Jackson, who provided much of the expertise courtesy of his famed props department.
Discussion starter:
• Information and communication technology: communicating heritage effectivel
NZ Herald online article, 23 April
New Zealanders are being warned smartphones, including iPhones and Android handsets, could be secretly tracking their every move - and storing information that others could view.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of Technology: privacy issues
• Characteristics of Technological outcomes: alternative functions
TV3 news video, 24 April
Five years ago a little film called Cars was released. The Pixar movie made over $580m at the box office - enough to warrant a sequel, which comes out here late June. That is,unless a court slaps an injunction on it. The question in front of a Californian court at the moment is who came up with the idea? - the answer may lie here in NZ, with a car called 'Cookie'.
Discussion starter:
• Intellectual property: copyright infringement and breach of implied contract.
IEE Spectrum online magazine, April
After being pummeled by economic storms, the world's major automakers are bruised but still standing. You'd think they'd be playing it safe, but many of them are actually doubling down on technology, seeing it as the only way to seize a competitive edge and thereby avoid the fate of Pontiac, Hummer, Mercury, and other brands that went extinct because they couldn't keep pace.
As this year's top 10 list reveals, companies are continuing to pile their chips on electricity, hoping for a jackpot down the road. And decades from now, 2011 may well be remembered as the year when plug-in cars finally went mainstream.
Discussion starter:
• Innovation in transport technology
• Energy efficiency
NZ Herald online article, 27 April
Caroline Jeffries is a Senior technical artist and game development course leader at Media Design School in Auckland. In this article she answers questions about her role as a senior technical artist.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of Technology: collaborative inter-disciplinary practice
• Gaming Technology: genres ; socio-cultural influences

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