A surface computer is a computer that interacts with the user through the surface of an ordinary object, rather than through a monitor and keyboard.
The category was created by Microsoft with Surface (codenamed Milan), the surface computer from Microsoft which was based entirely on a Multi-Touch interface and using a coffee-table like design, and was unveiled on 30 May 2007. Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such as paintbrushes across the screen, or by setting real-world items tagged with special bar-code labels on top of it.
The Surface is a horizontal display on a table-like form. Somewhat similar to the iPhone, the Surface has a screen that can incorporate multiple touches and thus uses them to navigate multimedia content. Unlike the iPhone, which uses fingers' electrical properties to detect touch, the Surface utilizes a system of infrared cameras to detect input. Uploading digital files only requires each object (e.g. a Bluetooth-enabled digital camera) to be placed on the Surface. People can physically move around the picture across the screen with their hands, or even shrink or enlarge them. The first units of the Surface will be information kiosks in the Harrah's family of casinos.
Besides the microsoft-created devices, other computer firms have also entered the surface computing market. These include Mitsubishi Electric with its DiamondTouch, and Smart Surface Sdn Bhd [1] with its SmartSurface.
Also receiving units will be T-Mobile, for comparing several cell phones side-by-side, and Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, which will use Surface to service lobby customers in numerous ways.[2][3]
The Surface has a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory, an off the shelf graphics card, a scratch-proof spill-proof surface, a DLP projector, and 5 infrared cameras as mentioned above. However, the expensive components required for the interface also give the Surface a price tag of between $12,500 to $15,000.[4]
A table top computer from Microsoft that incorporates multitouch, hand gestures and optical recognition of objects placed on the screen. Introduced in 2008, the Surface's 30" touch screen is used without a mouse and keyboard and is large enough for group participation. See multitouch.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sunday, October 18, 2009
SMARTWATER
SmartWater is an anti-criminal system marketed in the United Kingdom by Smartwater Technology Ltd.
It consists of a liquid containing a code which can be read under ultraviolet light.[1] It is intended to be applied to valuable items, so that if they are stolen and later seized by police, their original owner can be determined.Another application is a sprinkler system that sprays a burglar with the (invisible) fluid, which can't be washed off and lasts for months, to generate evidence which connects a suspect to a specific location.
Development of SmartWater was started in the mid-1990s by Phil Cleary, a retired police detective and later CEO of SmartWater Ltd, and his brother Mike Cleary, a chemist.
SmartWater comes in three variants, "Index Solutions", "Indsol Tracer" and "SmartWater Instant", which use different techniques to embed such a code - which, according to Phil Cleary, allows "millions of chemical signatures" and is an identifier superior to genetic fingerprinting DNA.
The "Index Solutions" variant is a water-based solution containing low-level additives, which are blended using a binary sequence to ensure uniqueness. The Index Solution is contained within a spray system which is activated by a intruder detection unit, similar to a burglar alarm, and marks the intruder with a unique forensic spray, which the police locate using a black (UV) light [4]
The "Indsol Tracer" variant is a polymer emulsion[5] which blends different chemical agents according to a binary code allowing 10 billion different possibilities, as stated by the company.[3]
The "SmartWater Instant" variant consists mainly of a copolymer of vinyl acetate in isopropyl alcohol.[6] This fluid contains millions of tiny fragments; a unique number called "SIN" ("SmartWater identification number") and registered in a national police database together with the owner's details, is etched into each of those particles.[3]
Security expert Bruce Schneier has pointed out that abuse of SmartWater is possible, because an owner of a personalised solution can easily administer it to other people's valuable items. [7] However, in a later article, Schneier accepted that SmartWater worked as a deterrent citing the publication of a research paper prepared by a team led by Professor Martin Gill, [8] who interviewed over 100 criminals and asked whether or not the presence of SmartWater would deter them from committing a burglary, with 74% saying that it would[9]
SmartWater has been used by police to convict both Tier 1 [10] and Tier 2 criminals [11] [12] and company claims in press releases to have over 600 convictions to their name.
In addition, the company developed a holistic crime reduction programme, called 'The SmartWater Strategy'. During the first six months of a pilot scheme involving 100 households in a part of Kent, police recorded a reduction in burglary of 94% [13].
Another area that has used the 'SmartWater Strategy' is Nottingham, where 30,000 homes have now had their property marked with individual SmartWater signatures and covert operations using SmartWater were instigated by the police. There has been a reported a 40% reduction in burglary since the start of the initiative.
DEMO:
HOW TO ADD GADGETS IN BLOG(THIS VIDEO SHOWS IT)
It consists of a liquid containing a code which can be read under ultraviolet light.[1] It is intended to be applied to valuable items, so that if they are stolen and later seized by police, their original owner can be determined.Another application is a sprinkler system that sprays a burglar with the (invisible) fluid, which can't be washed off and lasts for months, to generate evidence which connects a suspect to a specific location.
Development of SmartWater was started in the mid-1990s by Phil Cleary, a retired police detective and later CEO of SmartWater Ltd, and his brother Mike Cleary, a chemist.
SmartWater comes in three variants, "Index Solutions", "Indsol Tracer" and "SmartWater Instant", which use different techniques to embed such a code - which, according to Phil Cleary, allows "millions of chemical signatures" and is an identifier superior to genetic fingerprinting DNA.
The "Index Solutions" variant is a water-based solution containing low-level additives, which are blended using a binary sequence to ensure uniqueness. The Index Solution is contained within a spray system which is activated by a intruder detection unit, similar to a burglar alarm, and marks the intruder with a unique forensic spray, which the police locate using a black (UV) light [4]
The "Indsol Tracer" variant is a polymer emulsion[5] which blends different chemical agents according to a binary code allowing 10 billion different possibilities, as stated by the company.[3]
The "SmartWater Instant" variant consists mainly of a copolymer of vinyl acetate in isopropyl alcohol.[6] This fluid contains millions of tiny fragments; a unique number called "SIN" ("SmartWater identification number") and registered in a national police database together with the owner's details, is etched into each of those particles.[3]
Security expert Bruce Schneier has pointed out that abuse of SmartWater is possible, because an owner of a personalised solution can easily administer it to other people's valuable items. [7] However, in a later article, Schneier accepted that SmartWater worked as a deterrent citing the publication of a research paper prepared by a team led by Professor Martin Gill, [8] who interviewed over 100 criminals and asked whether or not the presence of SmartWater would deter them from committing a burglary, with 74% saying that it would[9]
SmartWater has been used by police to convict both Tier 1 [10] and Tier 2 criminals [11] [12] and company claims in press releases to have over 600 convictions to their name.
In addition, the company developed a holistic crime reduction programme, called 'The SmartWater Strategy'. During the first six months of a pilot scheme involving 100 households in a part of Kent, police recorded a reduction in burglary of 94% [13].
Another area that has used the 'SmartWater Strategy' is Nottingham, where 30,000 homes have now had their property marked with individual SmartWater signatures and covert operations using SmartWater were instigated by the police. There has been a reported a 40% reduction in burglary since the start of the initiative.
DEMO:
HOW TO ADD GADGETS IN BLOG(THIS VIDEO SHOWS IT)
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