[From MIT’s Technology Review Editors blog; a 4:17 minute video is here]   Monday, April 12, 2010 New Computer Interface Goes Beyond Just Touch Manual Deskterity combines a touch with the trusty pen. By Erica Naone Touch screen interfaces may be trendy in gadget design, but that doesn’t mean they do everything elegantly. The finger is simply too blunt for many tasks. A new interface, called Manual Deskterity, attempts to combine the strengths of touch interaction with the precision of a pen.…

[From MIT Media Relations; a 1:42 minute video is here]   MIT Media Lab unveils ‘Surround Vision’ New system would let TV programs spill off the screen and into the living room for immediate release: April 9, 2010 contact: Jen Hirsch – MIT News Office email: jfhirsch@mit.edu call: 617-253-1682 written by: Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Surround sound technology uses multiple speakers to extend the world of a TV show or movie beyond the edges of the screen: the audience can, in effect, hear what’s happening just off-camera. Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have developed a system…

[From WSAZ-TV in West Virginia; the story features a 3 minute video]    Apr 7, 2010 The Future of Mine Safety Training Days after one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history, one group is hoping to change the way coal miners get their safety training. Brad Myers HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ-TV) — Just days after 25 miners died in an apparent mine explosion in West Virginia, the push is already on to take safety training for miners to the next level. “One of the tragedies of having a disaster of this sort is to see the human suffering,” West Virginia…

[From the New York Times] TV Sports In 3-D, Masters Does Have Extra Dimension By RICHARD SANDOMIR Published: March 31, 2010 If the test footage shot recently at the Augusta National Golf Club is an authentic gauge, the Masters in 3-D will look terrific. Only a few thousand early adopters with 3-D television sets will be able to see the tournament in this manner, but they will be fortunate: one look at Augusta in 3-D will make high-definition seem obsolete.…

[From Gizmag] First advanced prototype revealed for the Australian bionic eye By Loz Blain March 31, 2010 Researchers at Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) have produced a prototype version of a bionic eye implant that could be ready to start restoring rudimentary vision to blind people as soon as 2013. The system consists of a pair of glasses with a camera built in, a processor that fits in your pocket, and an ocular implant that sits against the retina at the back of the eye and electronically stimulates the retinal neurons that send visual information to the brain. The resulting visual…

[From the Pink Tentacle blog; watch a :42 minute video here] [Pictured: Geminoid F and her human counterpart, wearing outfits by fashion designer Junko Koshino] Geminoid F: Remote-control female android 05 Apr 2010 Researchers from the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University have teamed up with robot maker Kokoro Co., Ltd. to create a realistic-looking remote-control female android that mimics the facial expressions and speech of a human operator. Modeled after a woman in her twenties, the android — called Geminoid F (the “F” stands for female) — has long black hair, soft silicone skin, and a set of lifelike teeth that…