A new kind of spy

Anyone who has gone to the International Spy Museum has seen all the different was the Intelligence Community has tried to cleverly spy on its adversaries. Flying objects have been tried before but none like this before. "The Nano Hummingbird navigates by changing the angle and shape of its paper-thin wings—which beat 20 to 40 times per second—and can hover in place for up to 11 minutes. It is also small enough to fly through windows or other small openings, strong enough to carry a microphone or camera, and stable enough to maintain a highly controlled hover, even in gusts of wind." I mean, it will still it's limitations....it's
not like a hummingbird could come hovering into a cocktail party inconspicuously. Well, at least not without the chance of some timid party attender afraid it is a big bug swatting at it with her jeweled clutch. There would go who knows how many million of dollars of tech.

Siri-like voice recognition coming to cars

CNET NEWS | NOVEMBER 9, 2011
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/WSAE/~3/JMevdtUzqw8/

I am an early adopter...if something new comes out, I must have it. I am just going nuts waiting for Dec 2 to arrive so I can get the new iPhone at the discounted rate...I keep telling myself it is worth $300 to wait a few weeks but it has not been easy. The commercials every night showing off the Siri capability does not help matters. Now cars are going to upgrade to this tech. My car is pretty cool but have to admit the voice recognition is not exactly perfect...when I ask it to call my mom and it thinks I say call Tim Thomas...I mean really...they don't even sound alike. How am I going to convince my hubby I need a new car though just because I can have a better conversation with it. That one is going to take some work.

Crowdsourcing for Cancer

http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_bradner_open_source_cancer_research.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-11-01&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email)I

This week I wanted to share with you a TED video watched about a new way of curing some types of cancer.  Though the cure itself is remarkable, it is the method to which this lab came to discover the cure that I was most moved by.  I don't have cancer and hope I never get it.  I do have a chronic illness that I would give anything in the world for some lab to find some drug that would cure it...this is why this video moved me so. 
Now I understand why drug companies act the way they do...it is all about money...but wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where the result was more important...where what this lab did - sharing their research and tapping in to the power that is crowdsourcing - was how we cured disease? I often cannot believe how much my medicine costs...I luckily have great insurance but know there are so many who don't.  Wouldn't it be great if the greater good - saving people's lives - was more important than the bottom line?
I know...that is a utopia that is unrealistic...but you can always hope...and that was what this video did.  It gave me hope - hope that there are people out there who just want to solve these problems and want to use the power of the community to do it.  To me, that would be truly emerging, disruptive technology.