[From Scientific American] June 8, 2010 Can People Become Experts without the Experience? A geologic field study explores whether expertise can be taught to novices By Charles Q. Choi Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the News Scan story “Expert Education,” from the June 2010 Scientific American. DEATH VALLEY, CALIF. —The dozen students and scientists spread over an area called Furnace Creek looked like cyborgs in floppy hats scrabbling over the boulders. Before hammering chips off rocks, they inspected them with magnifying lenses held up next to eyeglasses sporting miniature cameras and infrared lights. A seasoned geologist could…

[From GreenMuze (“Green Ideas and Innovations!“)] Virtual Reality Veneer Monday, 14 June 2010 Michael Jantzen For over forty years I have been working as an experimental artist and designer. In all of that time I have become very aware of how important aesthetics are in dictating the amount of the Earth’s resources that are consumed by the human population. Most things, including building, have to look a certain way in order for people to feel good about using them, and most often a lot of resources are consumed just to make these things look a particular way. Much of the…

[From TechNewsDaily via MSNBC; a 0:57 minute video is here]   ‘Imaginary’ interface could replace real thing Screen, even keyboard, for mobile devices might be supported by gestures By Adam Hadhazy, TechNewsDaily Staff Writer June 8, 2010 Researchers are experimenting with a new interface system for mobile devices that could replace the screen and even the keyboard with gestures supported by our visual memory. Called Imaginary Interfaces, the German project uses a small, chest-mounted computer and camera to detect hand movements. Unlike Tony Stark in “Iron Man,” who manipulates holographic elements in his lab with his hands, users conjure up…

[From Fox News]   Octavia the Android, a Real-Life Rosie the Robot By John R. Quain Published May 26, 2010 She has an expressive, alabaster face, a delicate touch — and two wheels where her feet should be. She is Octavia, a brand new robot designed to improve interactions with humans. And at the annual Fleet Week in New York City, the Navy is bringing its débutante out of the lab.…

[From CNN] Kids experiment with ‘video playdates’ By John D. Sutter, CNN June 11, 2010 (CNN) — At first, Ella didn’t really understand Skype. Don’t get all tech-elitist on her, though. She was only 1. Back then, Ella would do silly things like try to hand her grandmother stickers through the computer screen during video chats, says her mother, Robin Riggs. But now, at age 2, Ella has come a long way. She understands now that her grandparents are five hours away, looking at her through a webcam, Riggs said. “She knows the noise the computer makes when Mimi and…

[From TechNewsDaily; a 0:49 video is here; the Wearable Absence web site is here] ‘Smart’ Clothing Responds to Wearer’s Emotions By Michelle Bryner, TechNewsDaily Contributor 08 June 2010 High-tech clothing with embedded biosensors and an Internet connection could respond to your mood and help you get through the day. The new “smart” clothing contains wireless biosensors that measure heart rate and temperature (among other physiological indicators), small speakers, and other electronics that wirelessly connect to a handheld smartphone or PDA. Data from the sensors is sent to the handheld where it is converted into one of 16 emotional states, which…