Japanese scientists say they have found a way to "read" people's dreams. Researchers at the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for what they say is, "the world's first decoding" of night-time visions. Their research is published in the journal "Science". The researchers wrote: "Visual imagery during sleep has long been a topic of persistent speculation, but its private nature has hampered objective analysis. Here, we present a neural decoding approach in which machine learning models predict the contents of visual imagery during sleep." They were able to predict what images their volunteers had seen with a 60 per cent accuracy rate.The research is a part of a wider programme aimed at studying the brain. It hopes to unlock the secrets of the unconscious mind to help the disabled move artificial limbs using brain activity. It could also help those with dementia and other neurological conditions. A spokesperson said: "Our expectations from the dream study are quite high, but we are also looking carefully at the ethical aspects of the technology, which may allow a third person to look at somebody else's thoughts." Head researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani said, "dreams have fascinated people since ancient times, but their function and meaning has remained closed". He believes his research is "a key step towards reading dreams more precisely".
PASSWARDS:Researchers from the University of Berkeley's School of Information have come up with an ingenious device that might, one day soon, replace the need for passwords. A press release explains: "Instead of typing your password, in the future you may only have to think your password." Their research explored the feasibility of brainwave-based computer authentication as a substitute for passwords. This resulted in the creation of the Neurosky MindSet headset – a $100 device that can read brainwaves. The team believes this new technology is secure, accurate, and user-friendly. They also believe people would be willing to replace passwords with pass-thoughts.The project's findings were unveiled at the 2013 Workshop on Usable Security at the Seventeenth International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security. Team leader Professor John Chuang explained his new technique provides a more fail-safe and cheaper solution than things like fingerprint scans, retina scans, or facial or voice recognition. He said his team's inexpensive headset connects to a computer wirelessly using Bluetooth and is little different to headsets used with mobile phones, music players, and other computing devices. However, security experts expressed concern regarding the ability of software that can "hack" people's minds to extract things like ATM PIN
AIR TIKETS.....BY WEIGHT:Samoa Air has become the first airline in the world to base fares on a passenger's weight. The national carrier of the South Pacific island nation has discarded the traditional pricing model of asking fliers to pay for a seat and instead has moved to a price-per-kilogram structure. The airline flies domestically between the country's two main islands and has started international flights to American Samoa and Tonga. Travellers pay a price of around US$1 per kilogram on shorter routes, and over US$4 on longer flights. Samoa Air CEO Chris Langton said the new initiative would help promote health awareness in Samoa, which has one of the world's highest rates of obesity.Reaction to the new pricing scheme has been mixed. A spokeswoman from the New Zealand-based campaign group Fight the Obesity Epidemic vehemently opposed the new fares. She said: "I think that's absolutely appalling. It's a stigmatisation of people, and really, just powerfully discriminating." A Samoan community leader said he appreciated that weight was key for airlines. He told the New Zealand Herald: "I weigh 200kg. I would be okay to pay the fare, provided it's reasonable, but I don't think it's a good excuse saying that they're trying to promote healthy living - that's a lame reason." Many industry analysts believe other airlines will follow suit in charging overweight passengers extra
PASSWARDS:Researchers from the University of Berkeley's School of Information have come up with an ingenious device that might, one day soon, replace the need for passwords. A press release explains: "Instead of typing your password, in the future you may only have to think your password." Their research explored the feasibility of brainwave-based computer authentication as a substitute for passwords. This resulted in the creation of the Neurosky MindSet headset – a $100 device that can read brainwaves. The team believes this new technology is secure, accurate, and user-friendly. They also believe people would be willing to replace passwords with pass-thoughts.The project's findings were unveiled at the 2013 Workshop on Usable Security at the Seventeenth International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security. Team leader Professor John Chuang explained his new technique provides a more fail-safe and cheaper solution than things like fingerprint scans, retina scans, or facial or voice recognition. He said his team's inexpensive headset connects to a computer wirelessly using Bluetooth and is little different to headsets used with mobile phones, music players, and other computing devices. However, security experts expressed concern regarding the ability of software that can "hack" people's minds to extract things like ATM PIN
AIR TIKETS.....BY WEIGHT:Samoa Air has become the first airline in the world to base fares on a passenger's weight. The national carrier of the South Pacific island nation has discarded the traditional pricing model of asking fliers to pay for a seat and instead has moved to a price-per-kilogram structure. The airline flies domestically between the country's two main islands and has started international flights to American Samoa and Tonga. Travellers pay a price of around US$1 per kilogram on shorter routes, and over US$4 on longer flights. Samoa Air CEO Chris Langton said the new initiative would help promote health awareness in Samoa, which has one of the world's highest rates of obesity.Reaction to the new pricing scheme has been mixed. A spokeswoman from the New Zealand-based campaign group Fight the Obesity Epidemic vehemently opposed the new fares. She said: "I think that's absolutely appalling. It's a stigmatisation of people, and really, just powerfully discriminating." A Samoan community leader said he appreciated that weight was key for airlines. He told the New Zealand Herald: "I weigh 200kg. I would be okay to pay the fare, provided it's reasonable, but I don't think it's a good excuse saying that they're trying to promote healthy living - that's a lame reason." Many industry analysts believe other airlines will follow suit in charging overweight passengers extra
Reaction to the new pricing scheme has been mixed. A spokeswoman from the New Zealand-based campaign group Fight the Obesity Epidemic vehemently opposed the new fares. She said: "I think that's absolutely appalling. It's a stigmatisation of people, and really, just powerfully discriminating." A Samoan community leader said he appreciated that weight was key for airlines. He told the New Zealand Herald: "I weigh 200kg. I would be okay to pay the fare, provided it's reasonable, but I don't think it's a good excuse saying that they're trying to promote healthy living - that's a lame reason." Many industry analysts believe other airlines will follow suit in charging overweight passengers extra.
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