Everyone fails at some point in their lives, some more than others, but owning up to that failure is the most difficult part of being human. On Friday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he will be retiring within the next 12 months and also owned up to one of Microsoft’s biggest failures.

After working as CEO for 13 years, Ballmer oversaw many operating systems, software launches and product releases. Through all the success, he admitted that he particularly regretted the launch of Windows Vista the most. In an interview with Mary Jo Foley, Ballmer states,

“I would say probably the thing I regret most is the, what shall I call it, the loopedy-loo that we did that was sort of Longhorn to Vista. I would say that’s probably the thing I regret most. And, you know, there are side effects of that when you tie up a big team to do something that doesn’t prove out to be as valuable.”

The “loopedy-loo” Ballmer describes was the thing most heavily criticized surrounding its launch. Vista’s high system requirements meant that many people, even those with new PCs, weren’t able to access all of the OS’ features. There were also many issues surrounding compatibility with pre-Vista hardware. User Account Control was also criticized for producing too many prompts, causing many users to simply disable the feature entirely. This caused more of a problem than a benefit for users.

It was not until two years later that Microsoft came up with another operating system, Windows 7, to correct the issues Vista was having and derived a whole new look that Windows users are now at ease with. Windows 8 was the last operating system released under Ballmer’s rein. Come October we will see what Bellmer’s plans are for Windows 8.1 and new management will have in store.

Overall, Ballmer is most proud of the impact Microsoft has had on peoples’ lives over the years. Being a part of “the birth of intelligent personal computing” was a significant part of his career. The future for Ballmer is unknown but he is ready for a change and for someone new to spruce up the Microsoft name for the better.

Google Chromecast was launched to compete with the Apple TV, which sells for $99.00, at a fraction of the price. The launch was an instant hit selling out in all of the major online retailers. Furthermore, Google is frantically posting job listings for their Chromecast team in order to meet production and create betas for Chromecast.

Chromecast is able to stream in HD quality to your TV in both 720p and 1080p, though some users reported a little lag in the 1080p streaming. Fortunately though, Chromecast works crossplatform on any machine that can download Google Chrome. In addition, Google is working hard to bring more support and apps for Google Chromecast.

In order for Chromecast to continue to move forward from its successful launch, Google needs to act fast in an effort to make it widely available to consumers.

Well, how close did this all come to a reality?

Google Glass physically consists of a 5MP camera with a clear prism that is attached to a flexible metal frame.  Google is working to incorporate prescription lenses for those who need glasses. The product comes with built in WIFI and Bluetooth technology, but no gps chip. In addition, Google Glass comes with 16GB flash memory preinstalled.

Directly from the Google Glass “What It Does” page:

• Take pictures, video, and live stream hands free
• Turn by turn directions in front of you
• Speak to send a message
• Ask any question
• Get translations for different languages
• Get answers without asking

In fact, Google posted a video back in February demonstrating these features:

One of the most heavily debated aspects of the device surrounds the ability to discretely record video or use the device. Privacy is a big public concern as people are afraid of the capabilities and customization options to come. Moreover, Google Glass has not even fully launched yet and it is already being banned in public places such as casinos.

Currently, Google Glass is not available to everyone. If you are one of the lucky developer’s chosen by Google, you can purchase a pair for a whopping $1,500! The tech world is speculating a late 2013 or early 2014 widespread launch of Google Glass.

FaceBook’s move appears to have made a larger impact than many had predicted as Topsy’s Analytics show an increase in Instagram posts and a decline in Vine posts since the launch.

The Orbis Team decided to take a stab at it…

Lenticular printing is a technology used in 3D displays to produce printed images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move the image when viewed from different angles.

Here’s an example of Lenticular art to help give you a better picture. You can see that depending on your point of view, the image changes.

A Spanish organization ANAR, which aids children in distress has come up with a rather ingenious way to reach out to those who need help the most. Their use of lenticular printing in an advertisement has created a lot of conversation about the medium. Instead of simply trying to sell a product, it could quite possibly change someone’s life.

ANAR wanted to advertise their special hotline for minors at risk, but they faced a challenge in how to spread the word. If an adult, or potential aggressor could see the ad, it’s purpose would be defeated. Their solution was unique, and it allowed children and adults to be looking at the same advertisement, yet receive entirely different messages.

ANAR has used this technology to create a poster with a hidden message for people of different heights. Using the average height of a 10 year old, the ad was created so that children would see one message encouraging them to seek help, even if they were walking alongside an abuser.  The advertisement to those 4’ 5” and below is the face of an abused child with the message that reads, “if somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you,” alongside the organization’s help line number. People 4’ 5” and taller, on the other hand, see a different message highlighting awareness of child abuse. Check out the photo below for a visual explanation.

To see the ad in action, check out this short video.

Lenticular printing certainly isn’t new, but this ad certainly encourages everyone to think outside of the box on how it can be used. While this ad is used to help children, however, it may only be a matter of time until the process is used to advertise products directly to children, while parents are none the wiser.

Time will tell if this “Child of the 90’s” can grow up into a successful modern browser.

Using sugar is not only more efficient, but is also much more cost-effective. Most rechargeable batteries found in digital cameras, cell phones, and other electronics are lithium ion batteries, but lithium is a rare element, making these batteries expensive. Since lithium is rare, it must be imported to many countries, contributing to the high price. Sodium ion batteries were created as a cheaper, more sustainable substitute. Sodium supply, unlike lithium, is unlimited; and plentiful elements like iron, aluminum, and sodium can be used in manufacturing, instead of copper or cobalt. Sugar is what turns batteries into high-capacity devices – the battery’s negative charge comes from hard carbon derived from sucrose, another extremely abundant element.

Hard carbon is made using a process called pyrolyzing, which basically means it’s heated in an oxygen-free electric furnace at a very high temperature. The process is very precise because the sucrose will burn if air gets in, but even so, it is very easy to manufacture. The end result is a black powder, called hard carbon.

The research group has been able to increase the storage capacity of regular batteries by 20% simply by using sucrose as the base for hard carbon. Kombata’s group forsees that it may take five years before a practical version of the battery is produced, but the savings in both money and rare elements would certainly be a real breakthrough in the way our electronics are powered.

Detecting these types of cells is difficult. Achieving good statistical accuracy requires an automated instrument using what is called a ‘high-throughput screening’, which can examine millions of cells rather quickly. Even though microscopes outfitted with digital cameras are regarded as the ideal way to analyze cells, they just aren’t fast enough. Engineers at UCLA have developed an optical microscope that would stand up to the task. In order to view these cells, the cameras needed must have the ability to capture and digitally process millions of images continuously, at a very high frame rate. Conventional cameras are not rapid or sensitive enough, and the actually become less sensitive to light at a high speed because of the time needed to read data from the pixels.

The method currently used, relies on single-point light scattering, as opposed to taking a picture. This method is also not sensitive enough to detect early stage cancer cells, or other types of rare cells. UCLA has led research in breaking through to conquer these limitations. Experts in the field of optics and biotechnology have developed a high-throughput optical microscope that can detect rare cells with a sensitivity of one part per million in real time. In 2009, the same research team created the world fastest continuous-running camera, and they put it to good use here. Their developments are based on, but also enhance the technology behind the world fastest continuous-running camera.

This new technology is leaps and bounds more efficient when classifying cells in blood samples than conventional methods. Additionally, research indicates that false-positive results are at record lows with the new method, at a rate of one cell in a million. Early test results have shown that this new technology has the potential to quickly enable the detection of rare circulating tumor cells from a large volume of blood, which paves the way for both statistical accuracy in early detection of cancer, and for monitoring the efficiency of drug and radiation therapy. In addition to these breakthroughs, the technology can cut down on errors and reduce costs in medical diagnosis.

Tests were conducted by using lab-grown cancer cells, which were mixed with blood in various proportions to emulate the real-life blood of a potential patient. Clinical tests are also in the works, but researchers also say this technology can be useful in various other ways, such as for urine analysis, water quality monitoring and other related applications.

The technology was just presented on July 13^th in the Journal of Neural Engineering, and researchers from Imperial College London held a demonstration with users playing the classic computer game Pong without any tactile controllers. Video of this demonstration can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zapK5wvYU84
The learning curve was almost non-existent, as six of the subjects, who had never used their eyes as a control input before, were still able to score within 20% of the able bodied users after the first 10 minutes with the device. Users also demonstrated browsing the web and composing emails hands-free.

The device is made up of two fast video game console cameras, costing less than $32 each, that are attached, outside of the line of vision, to a pair of glasses that cost just around $5. The cameras constantly take pictures of the eye, working out where the pupil is pointing, and from this the researchers can use a set of calibrations to work out exactly where a person is looking on the screen.

Even more impressive, the researchers were also able to use more detailed calibrations to work out the 3D gaze of the subjects — in other words, how far into the distance they were looking. It is believed that this could allow people to control an electronic wheelchair simply by looking where they want to go or control a robotic prosthetic arm.

The commercially viable device uses just one watt of power and can transmit data wirelessly over Wi-Fi or via USB into any Windows or Linux computer.
The system has also solved the ‘Midas touch problem’, allowing users to click on an item on the screen using their eyes, instead of a mouse button. Previously, this issue was resolved by staring at an icon for a prolonged period or blinking. The issue with this solution is that blinking happens naturally, and unintentionally, so the researchers calibrated the system to respond so that a wink would represent a mouse click. Since winking occurs voluntarily, it’s a much more effective solution.

Not only is the device a 3D eye-tracking system, but it is hundreds of times cheaper than commercial devices, and allows real-time interactions with users that are faster and smoother than what is currently available. No word on a release date yet, but soon affordable devices can help people worldwide independent of their healthcare circumstances.