Cognitive Labs

I haven't checked what Arrington says about Microhoo/Yahoosoft but it's a little like the old joke Fedex is merging with UPS and now there's one company called "FedUps."

I see a couple of effects: check it out

(1) the yahoo mail franchise which may be the biggest asset now could become a platform for getting people to upgrade to Vista

(2) many tech types will switch to gmail. there's a huge number of users that have a gmail account but not for their primary use

(3) hotmail and yahoo mail integration creates an email behemoth, which may be unwieldy like the giant in 'jack and the beanstalk'

(4) a gap may be created for an enterprising dark horse (or two) to emerge

Labels: microsoft, yahoo

Microsoft and Yahoo to merge? Balmer, Semel & Co.

That's what the buzz is saying.

Labels: microsoft, yahoo

There were two major stories in technology over the weekend, for those interested in this topic. The first is Google's acquisition of DoubleClick on Friday, and the second, Microsoft's announcement of Silverlight, a vector authoring tool designed to compete with Adobe. Since Flash is installed on up to 99% of the total available market (TAM) for browsers, it will be interesting to see what their strategy is.

Labels: adobe, doubleclick, Flash, Google, microsoft, silverlight

We Can Remember it for you Wholesale...Pictures jog Your Memory. This is the premise of Memory TV and also our new test variations....good thing we've filed the patents

Scientists have found that Alzheimer's sufferers who were given a "human black box", have shown significant improvements in long-term memory.

The 'human black box' called 'SenseCam' is a square black camera 3in square and half an inch think, and is worn around the neck. It has a series of sensors that trigger a fish-eye lens to take pictures in response to changes such as motion and light variation, gestures or heat from a person in front of the camera.

The research was conducted by Microsoft.

As part of the study it was found that a patient, who without the camera, had virtually no recall of events five days after they happen, was able to recall details of trips several months after viewing images taken by the device to trigger her own memories, the Telegraph reported.

The device takes up to 2,000 pictures per day, which are downloaded to a home computer, and can be viewed as a speeded up slideshow or one by one. Microsoft is still testing prototypes.

The researchers claim that the miniature camera can enrich the lives of people with dementia and other memory problems.

SenseCam can also be used for tourism or as a personal digital diary. Combined with other sensors such as a heart rate monitor, it could have other medical applications.

The findings were revealed at the British Psychological Society conference in New York.

Labels: alzheimers, microsoft, remember, wholesale

This article from PC World pertains to Microsoft, but we get a little mention at the end.

Labels: brain, cognitive_labs, microsoft, PCworld