Technology in the news – Articles from 2011

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NZ Herald online article, 27 April
Sony said it was working with investigators after hackers stole data from users of its PlayStation Network, and told customers it would restore services only when it was confident it was secure..
Discussion starters:
• Digital infrastructure: secure systems
• Nature of Technology: privacy issues; technologists' responsibilities
Stuff.co.nz video, 3 May
Tactile communications: it may not sound too exciting, but it's precisely the field of research that produced a device which lets users "transmit the feeling of a kiss" long-distance.
The Kajimoto Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications has created a device which consists of a hardware receptacle which is placed into the mouth, and software that remembers the movements of your tongue and sends them to the other connected device, which moves accordingly.
Of course, there's more to a kiss than just the movement of the tongue, and the folks from Kajimoto plan to recreate them all. "The elements of a kiss include the sense of taste, the manner of breathing, and the moistness of the tongue. If we can recreate all of those I think it will be a really powerful device," they explain in a video showcasing the device prototype.
New York Times online, 3 May
For the first time in 20 years, the number of homes in the United States with television sets has dropped.
The Nielsen Company, which takes TV set ownership into account when it produces ratings, will tell television networks and advertisers on Tuesday that 96.7 percent of American households now own sets, down from 98.9 percent previously.
There are two reasons for the decline, according to Nielsen. One is poverty: some low-income households no longer own TV sets, most likely because they cannot afford new digital sets and antennas.
Discussion starter:
• Are TVs becoming obsolete?
NZHerald online article, 4 May
PAVEMENT PARK: The Qtvan is the world's smallest caravan, and you can tow it with a mobility scooter.
EYE BEAM: Engineers from the University of Michigan are developing a tiny solar powered sensor to be implanted inside the eye.
A NOSE FOR CANCER: The earlier we can detect cancer the better our chances of dealing with it.
NZ Herald online article, 4 May
A breakthrough NZ invention fixes a world-wide problem that plagues processing plants- dust extraction.
Discussion starters:
• Processing Technology: safe practice
• Technological Products: relating material properties to fitness for purpose
• Technological Modelling: prototype development - testing and trialling
Stuff.co.nz article, 4 May
Most of the wine industry knows that pioneer Verdun Burgess and his partner Sue Edwards are selling their long-standing central Otago winery.
What most don't suspect is that Mr Burgess intends devoting much of his time once the winery is sold to getting a new project off the ground, literally. He will take to his shed and build a flying saucer, the self-confessed inventor said.
The technology, if he can make it work, would also be embraced by the car industry, he said.
TV3 News video, 4 May
The seabed off Abel Tasman National Park is being eyed up as the next spot which could produce millions of dollars of oil.
Much like the Brazilian company working off the East Cape, a Chinese-backed Australian company wants to carry out tests across much of Golden Bay.
"We can only find out if it's there first. Then the discussions start as to whether it's viable or whether the local community want us," says David Crawford of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association.
Discussion starter:
• Nature of Technology: socio-technological environments; accessing natural resources
TV3 News video, 6 May
An Auckland woman is warning people to be careful how they use their laptops after hers exploded into flames on her lap.
Discussion starters:
• Characteristics of Technological Outcomes: safe operating practice
• Technological products: Material properties and fitness for purpose
NZ Herald online article, 7 May
A renowned British climber has taken Twitter to a new high, firing off the first "tweet" from the peak of world's tallest mountain.
Discussion starters:
• Digital Technology: digital infrastructure;
• Nature of Technology: social networking
TVNZ News video, 7 May
A group of Wellington university students have improved upon the good old Kiwi bach.
Discussion starter:
• Construction Technology: material selection; energy efficiency
New Scientist online, 10 May
As the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) kicks off in Shanghai, China., the hot topic will be the critical role that robots are currently playing the other side of the East China Sea - exploring and clearing the wrecked reactor buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The convention will also see details on a fascinating crop of robots revealed, from levitating medical camera bots to droids that can burrow underground on Mars.
Discussion starters:
• Working in hazardous environments • Advances in robotic technology
Stuff.co.nz, 10 May
Farm Fleck socks are as ubiquitous in rural New Zealand as gumboots. Manawatu Standard reporter Jill Galloway went to the Kiwi Sock Company at Norsewood, to talk about what you wear in your boots.
Discussion starter:
• Manufacturing technology: competing on price/quality; material supply channels; investment in new technology.
New Scientist online, 11 May
VizWiz,is a new mobile phone application that provides the visually impaired with nearly real-time solutions to everyday problems. VizWiz can, for example, help the blind read their mail, coordinate their outfits, understand menus in restaurants, check expiration dates and interpret street signs. The app owes its swiftness and accuracy to a marriage of computer chips and good old-fashioned human brainpower.
Discussion starter:
• Artificial intelligence: addressing real time text and object recognition issues
Stuff.co.nz, 11 May
Social media website Twitter is a virtual office and a game for a New Plymouth graphic designer Ross Bennett - who could be spotted hard at work in a local cafe Tweeting a Melbourne woman he had never met as part of a social media competition he runs. This was Mr Bennett's third Free Logo Friday he had run where, in a live broadcast, he has three hours to design a business logo for one of his Twitter followers.
Discussion starter:
• Innovations in Technological Practice: managing stakeholder interactions
NZ Herald online, 11 May
Google wants Android to move into people's homes with the open-source software powering everything from smart light bulbs to sound systems.
Discussion starter:
• Digital infrastructure: smart phone control

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