Review: The Woojer wearable woofer

 

The Woojer adds a new dimension to music listening (Photo: Paul Ridden/Gizmag)

Image Gallery (9 images)

About this time last year, the Woojer hit popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to raise production funds. Rather than merely massaging or enhancing the output from a mobile music player with the aid of a headphone amp, the so-called wearable woofer sends beat-driven vibrations throughout the region of the body where it's placed, adding a new dimension to the personal music listening experience. The matchbox-sized device entered the consumer space at the end of October, and Gizmag has been grooving to Woojer's polyphonic beat ever since.

First things first, the Woojer is not really a woofer. Developed by a rock concert audio engineer, it's essentially a Soundbug-like box tuned to lower end frequencies of source music and sends vibrations through a wearer's body "hotspots" instead of a window or table. Though it's claimed silent to anyone around you, some sound can be heard from the device in really quiet environments. It's probably not enough to get on anyone's nerves though.

The Woojer features an integrated belt clip to help with placement on pants or backpack/bag straps and comes with a magnet that's attracted to the metallic belt hook and allows user to hang the Woojer in the middle of the chest, with the magnet under the pullover or shirt and the device out front. The belt clip proved solid enough, but the magnet did lose its hold over the device on occasion (which was quite a test for my lightning-fast reactions). If you're going to be using the device on the move, I'd recommend adding a Woojer elasticated sport strap to your shopping basket.

Body hotspots include the sternum, the front of the hip, somewhere near the collarbone and at belt level on the spine. The Woojer can be worn with the front facing out or pushed against the body, the latter boosting the vibration effect a little. There are three user-selectable levels of vibration intensity from the device's "polyphonic" transducer, but I found that where it's placed and user activity level have just as much to do with how much of a buzz you get from the Woojer as the selected intensity level.

If trailing cables hit a nerve, then this device probably isn't going to win your friendship. The cable running to the output jack of the Woojer is going to be at least 3 ft (1 m) for most earphones/headphones and then another male to male jack audio cable runs from the source player to the device. Even though I took care with placement, I was attacked by tangle on more than a few occasions. It's by no means a big issue, though trying to untangle intertwined cables while running for the train is not something I would recommend.

The Woojer's vibrates to all frequencies below 500 Hz and has a reported latency of 1.3 ms (which is not even noticeable). It has about the same upper face dimensions as the Zo 2 personal subwoofer, but is quite a bit chunkier (28 mm/1.1 in) and tips the scales at 87 g (3 oz), including the detachable chest magnet on the belt clip.

Grooving with the vibes

Having watched the Kickstarter pitch video and some of the clips on the company's YouTube channel, I was expecting my chest, hips and spine to take quite a beating from the tunes I had lined up for Woojer-enhancement. As it turned out, for the most part, the music-driven thump was a good deal more subtle. But I'm jumping ahead, to the music ...

My first port of call was an old favorite. I plugged one end of the Woojer's supplied audio cable into my portable digital player and the other into the device itself. I connected some circumaural headphones to the output port, hooked the Woojer on my belt at the hip (I also detached and pocketed the magnet for safe keeping) and sat back for the driving bass and drums throughout New Model Army's The Love of Hopeless Causes in FLAC format. Rather than opt for a neutral EQ as advised by the instruction booklet, I decided to start with the player set to the preset I usually use to listen to this album, which enhances the lower registers.

At comfortable listening levels, the low setting on the Woojer didn't really have much to offer, but the second and third notches produced some nice beat-driven thumps. The vibrations were by no means overpowering, but they did add a pleasant new dimension to music listening while seated. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was barely a murmur from the device on the album's only primarily acoustic track though.

Continuing the bass-centric theme, I swapped to the headphone output of my NAD amp and invited quirky new wave rockers XTC to the party with the vinyl excellence that is the Go 2 album from 1978. I experimented with volume with these tracks, with the Woojer producing more and more punch as the amp raised the output to beyond what's comfortable or safe for headphones listening.

There are two LED status lights on the front on the Woojer, one is for power but the other is supposed to flash to the beat. Though there was barely a flicker when connected to my portable music player, the power of my hi-fi amp seemed to wake this up from its slumber to dance to the thumping kick and bass.

Returning to my portable player, I selected some popping blues in the shape of Keb Mo's BluesAmericana and opted to use my earbuds instead of the over-ear cans. Still wearing the Woojer on my hip, I flipped it around so that the front face was pushed against my pants and the clip over my belt. I flattened the EQ and had to push the Woojer up to the highest setting to really "feel the beat" of the pounding kick and chugging bass throughout these recordings, which was a little disappointing.

Dialing in my usual "blues" EQ, which ups the bass and lower mids, improved the Woojer's performance markedly and I actually found myself turning down the Woojer to its middle setting. The jazzy Old Me Better was particularly enjoyable with added thump. I was walking around while listening to this album and noticed that the Woojer's effect diminished while moving, and returned when standing or seated. So if you're the kind of mobile music lover who is always bustling between destinations on foot rather than on the train or bus, then this may be something to consider.

Before moving to a straight run to test the Woojer's battery life, I headed for the CD cabinet and picked out some drum-driven pop-punk from the recently-reformed China Drum. This time I slipped the Woojer under my t-shirt and positioned it in the middle of my chest, front face pointing in, and held it in place using the magnet.

Of all of the suggested hotspots and placements, this one proved to be most effective for me. The pace of the source music in this test was pretty fast throughout, and the rumble throughout my chest actually quite involving – not too far removed from the vibrations you might feel in the middle of a standing-only gig. I could even feel the music during the album's acoustic moment.

The Woojer website offers some recommended listening, and I did give some of them a whirl (via YouTube). Though it felt rather alien to have the likes of Shania Twain, Jay-Z and 2 Unlimited vibrating through my bones, I pushed on through and found the Woojer handled the different genres pretty well and don't in any way hold the device responsible for me not warming to Beyonce, Wiz Khalifa and others.

Movies, games and continuous play

The site also lists some movies to watch while wearing the Woojer, but I opted to watch a few DVD or digital vids instead, including top TV such as Sherlock and DCI Banks, movie favorites like Soul Men and Warm Bodies, and live music from such legends as Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, and Joe Bonamassa.

I found the Woojer had more to offer when watching music-driven content, straight movies and TV shows were less rewarding. Sure, I was perhaps more drawn in by atmospheric music than I would otherwise have been, but getting buzzed during loud dialog just felt weird – though getting a rumble through my chest when folks were being shot at was certainly an interesting experience.

Of course, in a gaming environment such sensations can be very welcome. Receiving a thump from the Woojer when hit by a sniper round or, less so, when shooting a few rounds in the general direction of the zombie hordes can certainly add an extra something to the game. You're not going to get anywhere near the same level of physical feedback as you would if the boys over at IRLShooter got their hands on you, but the feedback is there nonetheless.

If you're in the middle of a noisy battlefield though, you can expect the Woojer to mix in vibrations when shouts and screams, helicopters and tanks or even frantic footfall are detected. It can end up being a pretty constant rumble interrupted by the occasional bump, which I actually found more annoying than immersive.

The Woojer's 700 mAh Li-ion battery is claimed to offer 4 hours of continuous vibration-enhanced music listening per charge. In continuous music playback tests at comfortable earphone listening volume with the Woojer set to the second intensity level, I actually found that it consistently offered around 7 or 8 hours. Mixed gaming, movie-watching and music usage squeezed another hour or so out of the battery.

A juice up from flat took around 2 hours using the supplied charger with dual 350 mA USB output ports. Interestingly, sounds from the source device will continue to output to headphones even when the Woojer is switched off or runs out of battery and the device doesn't appear to add any of its own flavor or coloring to the source audio.

The bottom line

The Woojer looks stylish and feels well-made, and the battery life proved quite impressive. I prefer the non-gloss finish of the Kickstarter prototype to the fingerprint magnet production model, but maybe that's just me. It's a bit of a one trick pony but it never failed to put a smile on the faces of those who tried it during the review period.

Though the Woojer did indeed add another layer to music listening, the vibration effect worked best when I was seated and wasn't nearly as pronounced as I was expecting. To get any forceful physical feedback required upping the source volume to a level too uncomfortable for anything more than the shortest of short bursts of headphone listening.

I found that fast-paced, bass-driven tunes can result in a steady buzz rather than highlighted bass and kick action, but when positioned on the chest and listening to recordings of live concerts, the device did draw me in more than without it. Feeling the music while on the move proved more of a challenge though, and I got decidedly mixed results from videos and games.

The Woojer is available now in black, white, red or green for US$99. There's an optional free app available too, but as it's only currently available for iOS, I didn't have the opportunity to test that out as part of this review. App users are reportedly able to boost the bass or select from eight genre-tuned presets to squeeze more performance from the Woojer. The app can even be used to auto adjust the device for different types of headphones.

Source: Woojer

 

How to live past 150,000 (miles, that is)

 

Twelve tips to help you keep your car running forever

The author's 1993 Honda Accord: 140,000 miles and still going strong.  Aaron Gold

Improvements in technology, build quality and metallurgy mean that cars are living longer and longer, even in the Rust Belt. Not just Japanese cars, either -- domestics and Europeans are giving reliable service up to, and well past, 150,000 miles. With proper care and feeding, virtually any car can be kept on the road as long as the owner wants to keep it. Here are twelve guidelines to keeping your car alive well into six-figure territory.

• Buy a good car to begin with. Though Japanese cars are generally the most reliable, don't dismiss American cars -- their quality is improving and they are often less expensive to repair. European cars are generally the most expensive to fix. It's a good idea to do some online research or talk to owners of similar cars about their experiences.
• Follow the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual. If your car has a "maintenance minder", use that as a guideline for service, but be sure to double-check your owner's manual as some items need to be replaced based on time rather than mileage. Don't forget the timing belt! Most cars need to have the timing belt replaced every 60,000 to 90,000 miles. It's not cheap, but it’s far less expensive than the damage it will cause if it breaks.
• Keep a repair fund. Cars do break, and there's nothing like a $1,500 repair bill to scare an old-car owner into the new-car showroom. Remember, your car would have to generate repair bills of around $5,000 per year for at least four years in a row to even approach the cost of a new car. In place of your payment, put $100 or $200 per month into an interest-bearing car-repair account. That way an unexpected repair or major maintenance won't bust your budget.
• Do your homework. Many cars have known problems that pop up under certain circumstances or after enough mileage/time. Most makes and models have Web sites and forums devoted to them; they can be a gold mine of information. Knowing your car is prone to a given problem isn't necessarily cause to get rid of it; it just allows you to be prepared.
• Be aware. Be on the lookout for new noises, strange smells or anything that just doesn’t feel right. If something seems amiss, talk to your mechanic or dealership. Don't let them tell you "that's normal" -- if you've been driving your car long enough, you know best what normal is.
• Ask a friend to drive. Every two or three months, ask a friend to take you for a drive in your car. Some problems appear or increase so gradually that you may not even notice them, but they'll stick out like a sore thumb to someone less familiar. And by riding in the passenger's seat, you may spot something you missed while preoccupied with driving.
• Fix everything as soon as it breaks. If you're going to keep your car as long as possible, you have to want to keep it as long as possible. Don't ignore seemingly unimportant problems like broken trim, torn upholstery, or electrical glitches. Little annoyances add up and can begin to erode your love affair with your old car.
• Use quality replacement parts. Whether or not to use genuine manufacturer parts is open to debate, but don't just opt for the least expensive parts you can find. Discuss options with your mechanic or parts store. If a non-wearing part is damaged, consider buying a used replacement -- you'll get manufacturer quality at a more affordable price.
• Keep it clean. Paint does more than make your car look good; it protects the materials underneath. Wash your car regularly. When water no longer beads on the paint, wax it. (Read more: How to wash and wax and detail your car like the pros.)
• Fight rust. If you live where it snows, be sure to wash the car regularly -- but only if the temperature is above freezing. (Below freezing the salt stays in solution and won't harm the car.) Don't park in a heated garage; melting snow allows embedded salt to attack. Make sure your car wash does not recycle their water -- otherwise they're just spraying your car with salt from other people's vehicles. (Check out my four-season guide to preventing rust).
• Drive gently. There's no need to baby your car; in fact, a little foot-to-the-floor acceleration every once in a while is a good thing, but driving like a wannabe Michael Schumaker in his Formula 1 Ferrari isn't good for your car (or your nerves).
• Gloat! If you enjoy the surprised looks people give you when you tell them your car has 150,000 miles on it, wait until you see their faces at 250,000. If people chide you about your old wheels, chide them about their car payments and higher insurance rates. Keeping your car as long as possible saves you hundreds of dollars per month; keeping it in good repair minimizes the environmental impact by ensuring that it runs cleanly and efficiently as possible. Feel free to gloat -- you and your car have earned it!

www.about.com

 

 

10 Cool Painting Hacks

 

After surfing the web I came across some really creative ideas for painting in your house: walls, floors, furniture, etc. I live under the mentality that if you don’t like something change it, and if you can’t afford it, make it. These clever hacks definitely fall under those categories.

 

1. Paint Your Laminated or Vinyl Floors

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2. Half Painted Walls

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3. Accenting Your Steps

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4. Painting the Sides of Dresser Drawers

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5. Fun With Chalkboard Paint

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6. Accenting the Backs of Your Bookshelves

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7. Map Murals

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8. Accenting the Sides of Doors

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9. Painting Your old Book Covers

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10. Tree Murals

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www.paintersofloiusville.com

Lung regeneration mechanism discovered

 

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A research team led by Jackson Laboratory Professors Frank McKeon, Ph.D., and Wa Xian, Ph.D., reports on the role of certain lung stem cells in regenerating lungs damaged by disease.

The work, published Nov. 12 in the journal Nature, sheds light on the inner workings of the still-emerging concept of lung regeneration and points to potential therapeutic strategies that harness these lung stem cells.

"The idea that the lung can regenerate has been slow to take hold in the biomedical research community," McKeon says, "in part because of the steady decline that is seen in patients with severe lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (known as COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis."

Nevertheless, he notes, there are examples in humans that point to the existence of a robust system for lung regeneration. "Some survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, for example, are able to recover near-normal lung function following significant destruction of lung tissue."

Mice appear to share this capacity. Mice infected with the H1N1 influenza virus show progressive inflammation in the lung followed by outright loss of important lung cell types. Yet over several weeks, the lungs recover, revealing no signs of the previous lung injury.

Using this mouse model system, McKeon and his colleagues had previously identified a type of adult lung stem cell known as p63+/Krt5+ in the distal airways. When grown in culture, these lung stem cells formed alveolar-like structures, similar to the alveoli found within the lung. (Alveoli are the tiny, specialized air sacs that form at the ends of the smallest airways, where gas exchange occurs in the lung.) Following infection with H1N1, these same cells migrated to sites of inflammation in the lung and assembled into pod-like structures that resemble alveoli, both visually and molecularly.

In the new paper, the research team reports that the p63+/Krt5+ lung stem cells proliferate upon damage to the lung caused by H1N1 infection. Following such damage, the cells go on to contribute to developing alveoli near sites of lung inflammation.

To test whether these cells are required for lung regeneration, the researchers developed a novel system that leverages genetic tools to selectively remove these cells from the mouse lung. Mice lacking the p63+/Krt5+ lung stem cells cannot recover normally from H1N1 infection, and exhibit scarring of the lung and impaired oxygen exchange--demonstrating their key role in regenerating lung tissue.

The research team also showed that when individual lung stem cells are isolated and subsequently transplanted into a damaged lung, they readily contribute to the formation of new alveoli, underscoring their capacity for regeneration.

In the U.S. about 200,000 people have ARDS, a disease with a death rate of 40 percent, and there are 12 million patients with COPD. "These patients have few therapeutic options today," Xian says. "We hope that our research could lead to new ways to help them."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Jackson Laboratory. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Wei Zuo, Ting Zhang, Daniel Zheng'An Wu, Shou Ping Guan, Audrey-Ann Liew, Yusuke Yamamoto, Xia Wang, Siew Joo Lim, Matthew Vincent, Mark Lessard, Christopher P. Crum, Wa Xian, Frank McKeon. p63 Krt5 distal airway stem cells are essential for lung regeneration. Nature, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/nature13903

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Hope for those with social anxiety disorder: You may already be someone's best friend

 

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Making friends is often extremely difficult for people with social anxiety disorder and to make matters worse, people with this disorder tend to assume that the friendships they do have are not of the highest quality.

The problem with this perception, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis, is that it's not necessarily true from the point of view of their friends.

"People who are impaired by high social anxiety typically think they are coming across much worse than they really are," said study co-author Thomas Rodebaugh, PhD, associate professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences. "This new study suggests that the same is true in their friendships."

The study, published this month in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, finds that people with social anxiety disorder often overestimate how bad their relationships are with friends, when compared to what the friends say.

Much more than simple shyness, social anxiety disorder is a recognized psychiatric condition in which those struggling with the affliction often live in fear of meeting new people, passing up social invitations or work opportunities for fear of being rejected, embarrassed or otherwise singled out as a failure.

By some estimates, 13 percent of people in Europe and the United States experience social anxiety disorder. The disorder ranges in severity, from less severe, yet impairing fears of a single situation (most often public speaking), to fears about interacting with people in general.

Based on a battery of psychological tests designed to assess friendship quality, Rodebaugh's study involved a group of 112 participants, each diagnosed as having or not having social anxiety disorder. Each participant brought along a friend from a non-romantic relationship who agreed to take part in the testing.

"People with social anxiety disorder report that their friendships are worse, but their friends didn't see it the same way," Rodebaugh said. "Their friends seem to say something more like: 'It's different, but not worse.' "

People with social anxiety disorder reported that their friendships were significantly worse (as compared to people without the disorder). These misperceptions were stronger and more prevalent among younger study participants and in situations where the friendship was relatively new, researchers found.

"The friends of people with social anxiety disorder did seem to be aware that their friends were having trouble, and additionally saw the person with social anxiety disorder as less dominant in the friendship," Rodebaugh said.

The findings could play an important role in helping people with social anxiety disorder understand that their friendships may not be as terrible as they might imagine. Helping people form friendships is in itself important, because many studies confirm that the lack of strong social networks can leave people vulnerable to a host of problems, including disease, depression and even earlier mortality, Rodebaugh said.

The good news is that social anxiety disorder is treatable. Decades of research suggests that talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral treatment, is as, or even more, effective than medications for long term treatment of the disorder.

"Current treatments focus, in part, on helping people with social anxiety disorder see that they come across better than they expect they will," Rodebaugh said. "Our study suggests that's true for specific friendships as well."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. The original article was written by Gerry Everding. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Thomas L. Rodebaugh, Michelle H. Lim, Katya C. Fernandez, Julia K. Langer, Jaclyn S. Weisman, Natasha Tonge, Cheri A. Levinson, Erik A. Shumaker. Self and friend’s differing views of social anxiety disorder’s effects on friendships.. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2014; 123 (4): 715 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000015

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The backwards brain? How brain maps develop to help us perceive the world

 

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Artist's abstraction (stock illustration).

Driving to work becomes routine -- but could you drive the entire way in reverse gear? Humans, like many animals, are accustomed to seeing objects pass behind us as we go forward. Moving backwards feels unnatural.

In a new study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveal that moving forward actually trains the brain to perceive the world normally. The findings also show that the relationship between neurons in the eye and the brain is more complicated than previously thought -- in fact, the order in which we see things could help the brain calibrate how we perceive time, as well as the objects around us.

"We were trying to understand how that happens and the rules used during brain development," said the study's senior author Hollis Cline, who is the Hahn Professor of Neuroscience and member of the Dorris Neuroscience Center at TSRI.

This research, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could have implications for treating sensory processing disorders such as autism.

Reversing the Map

The new study began when Masaki Hiramoto, a staff scientist in Cline's lab, asked an important question: "How does the visual system of the brain get better "tuned" over time?"

Previous studies had shown that people use the visual system to create an internal map of the world. The key to creating this map is sensing the "optic flow" of objects as we walk or drive forward. "It's natural because we've learned it," said Cline.

To study how this system develops, Hiramoto and Cline used transparent tadpoles to watch as nerve fibers, called axons, developed between the retina and the brain. The scientists marked the positions of the axons using fluorescent proteins.

The tadpoles were split into groups and raised in small chambers. One group was shown a computer screen with bars of light that moved past the tadpoles from front to back -- simulating a normal optic flow as if the animal were moving forward. A second group saw the bars in reverse -- simulating an unnatural backwards motion. Using the TSRI Dorris Neuroscience Center microscopy facility, Hiramoto then captured high-resolution images of these neurons as they grew over time.

The researchers found that tadpoles' visual map developed normally when shown bars moving from front to back. But tadpoles shown the bars in reverse order extended axons to the wrong spots in their map. With those axons out of order, the brain would perceive visual images as reversed or squished.

Rewriting the Rules

This discovery challenges a rule in neuroscience that dates back to 1949. Until now, researchers knew it was important that neighboring neurons fired at roughly the same time, but didn't realize that the temporal sequence of firing was important.

"According to the old rule, if there was a stimulus that went backwards, the map would be fine," said Cline.

The new study adds the element of order. The researchers showed that objects moving from front to back in the visual field activated retinal cells in a specific sequence.

Cline and Hiramoto believe that this sequence helps the brain perceive the passage of time. For example, if you drive for a few minutes and pass a street sign, your brain will map its position behind you. If you keep driving and you pass another street sign, your brain will map out not only the street signs' positions relative to each other, but their distance in time as well.

This link between time and space in the visual system might also apply to hearing and the sense of touch. The original question of how the visual system gets "tuned" over time might be applicable across the entire brain.

The researchers believe this study could have implications for patients with sensory and temporal processing disorders, including autism and a mysterious disorder called Alice in Wonderland syndrome, where a person perceives objects as disproportionately big or small. Cline said the new study offers possibilities for retraining the brain to map the world correctly, for instance after stroke.

Support for the work came from the National Institutes of Health (EY011261 and DP1OD000458), the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation and an endowment from the Hahn Family Foundation.

Use of private social media affects work performance

 

November 13, 2014

University of Bergen

The use of online social media for personal purposes during working hours can have a negative effect on work performance and the well-being of organizations, research indicates. Every day, more than one billion people worldwide use social media. This habit has also invaded the workplace, as some research reports that four out of five employees use social media for private purpose during working hours, authors note.

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New research from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen (UiB) shows that the use of online social media for personal purposes during working hours can have a negative effect on work performance and the well-being of organizations.

In a new study, Use of Social Network Sites at Work: Does it Impair Performance?, Postdoctoral Fellow Cecilie Schou Andreassen and colleagues at the University of Bergen's (UiB) Department of Psychosocial Science looked at the consequences of the use of social media during working hours.

Every day, more than one billion people worldwide use social media. This habit has also invaded the workplace, as some research reports that four out of five employees use social media for private purpose during working hours.

Surprisingly, although this type of distraction may potentially harm the well-being of organizations, no studies of this relationship have been conducted until now.

The goal for Andreassen's study was to conduct a survey that specifically assessed the use of social network sites for personal purposes during working hours, and whether such use is related to self-reported work performance -- controlling for basic demographic, personality, and work-related variables.

The study shows that use of social media during working hours can impair performance at work and also harm the well-being of organizations. The overall finding of the University of Bergen study is that this type of distraction has a negative effect on self-reported work performance. However, the effects may be regarded as slight enough to be irrelevant, with no practical importance.

On the other hand, the study's results cannot rule out that use of online social network sites for personal purposes actually stimulates creativity and inspires some workers. Also, it cannot be ruled out that use of online social network sites aids performance, particularly if workers are interacting with their co-workers through these sites. However, this study explicitly focused on the use of online social network sites for personal purposes at work; use involving communication with co-workers was therefore excluded as a study focus.

Employers typically fear financial loss due to employees cyber loafing. Thus, research on this topic is important for organizations and their employees.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Bergen. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Cecilie Schou Andreassen, Torbjørn Torsheim, Ståle Pallesen. Use of online social network sites for personal purposes at work: does it impair self-reported performance?1. Comprehensive Psychology, 2014; 3 (1): Article 18 DOI: 10.2466/01.21.CP.3.18

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New way to move atomically thin semiconductors for use in flexible devices

 

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Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new way to transfer thin semiconductor films, which are only one atom thick, onto arbitrary substrates, paving the way for flexible computing or photonic devices. The technique is much faster than existing methods and can perfectly transfer the atomic scale thin films from one substrate to others, without causing any cracks.

At issue are molybdenum sulfide (MoS₂) thin films that are only one atom thick, first developed by Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State. MoS₂ is an inexpensive semiconductor material with electronic and optical properties similar to materials already used in the semiconductor industry.

"The ultimate goal is to use these atomic-layer semiconducting thin films to create devices that are extremely flexible, but to do that we need to transfer the thin films from the substrate we used to make it to a flexible substrate," says Cao, who is senior author of a paper on the new transfer technique. "You can't make the thin film on a flexible substrate because flexible substrates can't withstand the high temperatures you need to make the thin film."

Cao's team makes MoS₂ films that are an atom thick and up to 5 centimeters in diameter. The researchers needed to find a way to move that thin film without wrinkling or cracking it, which is challenging due to the film's extreme delicacy.

"To put that challenge in perspective, an atom-thick thin film that is 5 centimeters wide is equivalent to a piece of paper that is as wide as a large city," Cao said. "Our goal is to transfer that big, thin paper from one city to another without causing any damage or wrinkles."

Existing techniques for transferring such thin films from a substrate rely on a process called chemical etching, but the chemicals involved in that process can damage or contaminate the film. Cao's team has developed a technique that takes advantage of the MoS₂'s physical properties to transfer the thin film using only room-temperature water, a tissue and a pair of tweezers.

MoS₂ is hydrophobic -- it repels water. But the sapphire substrate the thin film is grown on is hydrophilic -- it attracts water. Cao's new transfer technique works by applying a drop of water to the thin film and then poking the edge of the film with tweezers or a scalpel so that the water can begin to penetrate between the MoS₂ and the sapphire. Once it has begun to penetrate, the water pushes into the gap, floating the thin film on top. The researchers use a tissue to soak up the water and then lift the thin film with tweezers and place it on a flexible substrate. The whole process takes a couple of minutes. Chemical etching takes hours.

"The water breaks the adhesion between the substrate and the thin film -- but it's important to remove the water before moving the film," Cao says. "Otherwise, capillary action would case the film to buckle or fold when you pick it up.

"This new transfer technique gets us one step closer to using MoS₂ to create flexible computers," Cao adds. "We are currently in the process of developing devices that use this technology."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by North Carolina State University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Alper Gurarslan, Yifei Yu, Liqin Su, Yiling Yu, Francisco Suarez, Shanshan Yao, Yong Zhu, Mehmet Ozturk, Yong Zhang, Linyou Cao. Surface-Energy-Assisted Perfect Transfer of Centimeter-Scale Monolayer and Few-Layer MoS2Films onto Arbitrary Substrates. ACS Nano, 2014; 141106093600005 DOI: 10.1021/nn5057673

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Atalhos para Windows 8

 

Tecla do Windows + começar a digitar
Pesquisar o PC

Ctrl + sinal de mais (+) ou Ctrl+sinal de menos (-)
Ampliar ou reduzir diversos itens, como aplicativos afixados na tela inicial

Ctrl+roda de rolagem
Ampliar ou reduzir diversos itens, como aplicativos fixados na tela inicial

Tecla do Windows + C
Abrir os botões. Em um aplicativo, abrir os comandos do aplicativo

Tecla do Windows + F
Abrir o botão Pesquisar para pesquisar arquivos

Tecla do Windows + H
Abrir o botão Compartilhar

Tecla do Windows + I
Abrir o botão Configurações

Tecla do Windows + K
Abrir o botão Dispositivos

Tecla do Windows + Q
Abrir o botão Pesquisar para pesquisar em qualquer lugar ou em um aplicativo aberto (desde que o aplicativo dê suporte à pesquisa de aplicativo)

Tecla do Windows + S
Abrir o botão Pesquisar para pesquisar no Windows e na Web

Tecla do Windows + W
Abrir o botão Pesquisar para pesquisar configurações

Tecla do Windows + Z
Mostrar os comandos disponíveis no aplicativo

Tecla do Windows + barra de espaço
Alternar o idioma de entrada e o layout do teclado

Tecla do Windows + Ctrl + barra de espaço
Alterar para uma entrada anteriormente selecionada

Tecla do Windows + W
Percorrer aplicativos utilizados recentemente (exceto aplicativos da área de trabalho)

Tecla do Windows+ Ctrl + Tab
Percorrer aplicativos utilizados recentemente (exceto aplicativos da área de trabalho)

Tecla do Windows + Shift + Tab
Percorrer aplicativos utilizados recentemente (exceto aplicativos da área de trabalho) na ordem inversa

Tecla do Windows + Shift + ponto final (.)
Ajusta um aplicativo à esquerda

Tecla do Windows + ponto final (.)
Percorrer aplicativos abertos

Esc
Para ou encerra a tarefa atual

Tecla do Windows + O
  Bloquear a orientação da tela (retrato ou paisagem)

Atalhos com a tecla do Windows

Atalhos
O que faz

Tecla do Windows + F1
Abrir a Ajuda e Suporte do Windows

  Tecla do Windows
Exibir ou ocultar a tela inicial

Tecla do Windows +  B
Definir o foco na área de notificação

Tecla do Windows +  D
Exibir e ocultar a área de trabalho

Tecla do Windows +  E
Abrir o Explorador de Arquivos

  Tecla do Windows + L
Bloquear o computador ou trocar de usuário

Tecla do Windows +  M
Minimizar todas as janelas

Tecla do Windows +  P
Escolher um modo de exibição de apresentação

Tecla do Windows +  R
Abrir a caixa de diálogo Executar

Tecla do Windows +  T
Percorrer aplicativos na barra de tarefas

Tecla do Windows +  U
Abrir a Central de Facilidade de Acesso

Tecla do Windows +  V
Percorrer notificações

Tecla do Windows +  Shift + V
Percorrer notificações em ordem inversa

Tecla do Windows +  X
Abrir o menu Link Rápido

Tecla do Windows +  Vírgula (,)
Espiar temporariamente a área de trabalho

Tecla do Windows +  Pause
Exibir a caixa de diálogo Propriedades do Sistema

Tecla do Windows +  Ctrl + F
Procurar PCs (se você estiver em uma rede)

Tecla do Windows +  Shift + M
Restaurar janelas minimizadas na área de trabalho

Tecla do Windows +  Número
Abrir a área de trabalho e iniciar o aplicativo fixado na barra de tarefas, na posição indicada pelo número. Se o aplicativo já estiver em execução, alternar para esse aplicativo

Tecla do Windows +  Shift + Número
Abrir a área de trabalho e iniciar uma nova instância do aplicativo fixado na barra de tarefas, na posição indicada pelo número

Tecla do Windows + Ctrl + Número
Abrir a área de trabalho e alternar para a última janela ativa do aplicativo fixado na barra de tarefas, na posição indicada pelo número

Tecla do Windows + Alt + Número
Abrir a área de trabalho e abrir a Lista de Atalhos do aplicativo fixado na barra de tarefas, na posição indicada pelo número

Tecla do Windows + Ctrl + Shift + Número
Abrir a área de trabalho e abrir uma nova instância do aplicativo localizado na posição especificada, na barra de tarefas, como um administrador

Tecla do Windows +  Tab
Percorrer aplicativos utilizados recentemente (exceto aplicativos da área de trabalho)

Tecla do Windows +  Ctrl + B
Alternar para o aplicativo que exibiu uma mensagem na área de notificação

Tecla do Windows +  Seta para cima
Maximizar a janela

Tecla do Windows +  Seta para baixo
Remover o aplicativo atual da tela ou minimizar a janela da área de trabalho

Tecla do Windows +  Seta para a esquerda
Maximizar a janela do aplicativo ou da área de trabalho, no lado esquerdo da tela

Tecla do Windows +  Seta para a direita
Maximizar a janela do aplicativo ou da área de trabalho, no lado direito da tela

Tecla do Windows +  Home
Minimizar todas as janelas da área de trabalho, menos a ativa (restaura todas as janelas com um segundo pressionamento)

Tecla do Windows + Shift + Seta para cima
Alongar a janela da área de trabalho até as partes superior e inferior da tela

Tecla do Windows +   Shift + Seta para baixo
Restaurar/minimizar janelas ativas da área de trabalho verticalmente, mantendo a largura

Tecla do Windows +   Shift + Seta para a direita/esquerda
Mover um aplicativo ou uma janela na área de trabalho, de um monitor para outro

Tecla do Windows +   Enter
Abrir o Narrador

Tecla do Windows + Barra (/)
Iniciar a reconversão do IME

Tecla do Windows +   Alt + Enter
Abrir o WindowsMedia Center

Tecla do Windows +   adição (+) ou subtração (-)
Ampliar ou reduzir usando a Lupa

Tecla do Windows +   Esc
Sair da Lupa

Atalhos para reorganizar aplicativos

Tecla do Windows + 
ponto final (.)
Entrar no modo de reorganização e selecionar aplicativos ou divisores entre os monitores

Tecla do Windows + Seta para a esquerda
Mover o divisor de aplicativo para a esquerda

Tecla do Windows + Seta para a direita
Mover o divisor de aplicativo para a direita

Tecla do Windows + Seta para cima
Maximizar o aplicativo

  Tecla do Windows + Seta para baixo
Fechar o aplicativo

Tecla do Windows +  Esc
Sair do modo de reorganização

 

20 essential PC shortcuts for Windows

 

I've always liked that Windows gives me multiple ways to perform popular tasks. Say you want to print something. You could go to the File menu and select the Print command, or you can press the Ctrl button and the letter P. Ctrl+P is just one example of a keyboard shortcut. Shortcuts combine two or more keys to do something special that neither key does alone.

I prefer to use shortcuts whenever possible. It’s kind of amazing how much time you can save by cutting out mouse clicks. Here are my top 20 shortcuts that you might not know about—but should.

 

Get to know the basics

There are certain shortcuts I use all day, every day. They work whether I’m doing stuff with photos, music, documents, or spreadsheets.

• Copy a selected item: Ctrl+C

• Cut a selected item: Ctrl+X

• Paste a selected item: Ctrl+V

• Undo an action: Ctrl+Z

• Redo that thing I just undid: Ctrl+Y

• Select everything: Ctrl+A

• Print: Ctrl+P

 

Manage open windows

Chances are, you use your PC to do a lot of things at once. Shortcuts go a long way towards cutting the clutter. Go ahead and try these out as you read about them.

• Switch between open windows
  Alt+Tab

  If you have lots of open windows and you're not sure exactly which one you need, press Alt+Tab, and get a quick thumbnail view of all open windows. Then, while holding down the Alt key, press the Tab key multiple times until you get to the window you want.

  

• Press Alt+Tab to switch between open windows

• Clear away everything and show the desktop
  Windows logo key +D

  Use this shortcut when you want to minimize a lot of open windows at once to check something on your desktop. Clutter-to-clean with two fingers.

  

  A desktop before pressing Windows logo key+D

  

  The same desktop after pressing Windows logo key+D

• Minimize the window
  Windows logo key +Down Arrow

  Minimizing a window is a surefire way to see what's underneath it. And it's fast to use the shortcut. If the window is maximized already (covering the entire screen) it'll go to “normal” size. And if it's normal size, it'll minimize entirely.

• Maximize the window
  Windows logo key +Up Arrow

  Maximizing windows works the same way.

Get even funkier with window management

It might surprise you to learn that there are even more options when it comes to dealing with your open windows and programs—but there are.

• Compare and contrast in a snap
  Windows logo key +Left Arrow or Right Arrow

  Snap is the easiest way I know to compare two documents—or to write up something while also looking at a web browser. The shortcut for Snap makes it even snappier. Go ahead and try this now.

  While pressing the Windows logo key , click the Right Arrow key or the Left Arrow key and your browser will slide over to one side. Select another window (such as a Word document) and use the shortcut only with the opposite arrow.

  

  You can use a keyboard shortcut to view windows side-by-side with Snap

• Multitask with multiple monitors
  Windows logo key +Shift+Right Arrow or Left Arrow

  Do you use more than one monitor at a time? Now you can shift an open window to your other monitor in less than a second.

Manage tasks

You might already be using a shortcut—Ctrl+Alt+Delete—to open up Task Manager or to lock your computer. But there are shortcuts for this shortcut.

• Open Task Manager
  Ctrl+Shift+Esc

  This simple shortcut whisks you straight to Task Manager—without any intermediary steps.

  

  Task Manager in Windows 7

• Lock your PC or switch users
  Windows logo key +L

  This shortcut locks your PC and instantly displays the login screen.

Display your way

No matter how you want to view your PC, shortcuts help you get there faster.

• Choose a presentation display mode
  Windows logo key +P

  Whether you're giving a presentation or are using multiple monitors, it's simple to switch settings.

  

  Choosing a presentation display mode

• Zoom in, zoom out
  Windows logo key +Plus Sign or Minus Sign

  The Plus Sign key (+) zooms you in, the Minus Sign key (-) zooms you out. This lets you see small text on a webpage or to check out the pixels in a photo.

  

  You can use your keyboard to zoom in on a photo detail

A few last tricks

Here are a few final shortcuts. For more keyboard shortcuts, check out the complete list.

• Search for files and folders
  Windows logo key +F

  In the past, finding a file could be like an archaeology expedition. But nowadays, search is really fast and thorough. Use this shortcut to get a search window, type in a few keywords, and presto, you’ll get your file.

• Open a new instance of a program
  Windows logo key +Shift+Click a taskbar icon

  I like Internet Explorer tabs—but sometimes I want a whole new browser window. To get one, I click the Internet Explorer icon while holding down Shift.

• And when you need it …get help
  Windows logo key +F1

  It's the simplest shortcut out there. When all else fails, and you're just not sure what to do, press F1.

How can developing countries afford to invest in infrastructure?

 

To maintain current growth rates and meet demands for infrastructure, developing countries will require an additional investment of at least an estimated US$1 trillion a year through 2020. In the Mashreq countries, the required infrastructure investment for electricity alone is estimated at US$ 130 billion by 2020, and an additional US$108 billion by 2030.

These gigantic financing needs will continue to place a huge burden on government budgets. Simply put, they cannot be addressed without private sector participation. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can help to close this growing funding deficit and to meet the immense demands for new or improved infrastructure and service delivery in sectors like water, transport, and energy (among others). In countries with diverse and numerous needs, PPPs can fill gaps in implementation capacity as well as the scarcity of public funds.

However, for PPPs to meet their stated purpose, governance is key. In particular, governments need to think carefully about their basic legal and institutional arrangements. It needs to be clear which ministries or local government entities are able and authorized to enter into PPP agreements, approve PPP transactions, and to monitor and regulate the project.

In addition, to ensure the best value for money, governments must have proper procedures to make sure that the PPP bidding process is competitive, objective, and transparent. Project outcomes and public-private relationships tend to be more successful when the rules of the game are fair. A 2010 IFC Survey of PPP investors in Africa found that the “appropriate legal framework for investment” was the primary factor affecting decisions to pursue investment opportunities in a particular country, ranking above even the political and economic stability.

Unfortunately, many public officials in the developing world, including those in the MENA region, often do not have the technical know-how to implement these complex, long-term arrangements. Systemic governance challenges are prevalent, and lack of transparency can open doors to corruption, delays, and inefficiencies.

Our teams are working together as One World Bank Group to address these challenges and increase knowledge of Procurement under PPP. An October 2014 World Bank workshop in Beirut, Lebanon financed by the Iraq Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Fund (TACBF) brought together contributors from across the world to share knowledge about how to manage and execute procurement for PPP projects. Led and facilitated by the Governance Global Practice, the event combined many different angles of the World Bank’s global knowledge. The event began as a request from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq, but eventually grew to include participants from other parts of Iraq, Lebanon, Washington, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and Yemen.

Recognizing that procurement under PPPs is extremely complex, participants aimed to better understand what a public-private-partnership is, and what kind of policy, legal and institutional frameworks could be put in place to ensure that PPPs are executed well. Presenters shared multiple case studies on private participation in Water and Energy projects in other low- and middle-income countries, including key success factors, and described the process for developing, appraising, and implementing a PPP procurement.

PPPs have not historically played a major role in the Middle East And North Africa Region despite clear need for private investments.

These issues are particularly relevant in the MENA region. Despite its vast needs, MENA has consistently ranked below other regions in the value of private investments in infrastructure. In recent years, the situation has started to shift. The Arab Spring exposed new opportunities to revamp traditional state-business relationships in the region and to break away from old systems of cronyism. Countries like Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco have successfully implemented PPP projects, and others like Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon are actively pursuing more private participation. Unfortunately, though, the current environment has not been fully conducive to attracting private investors to the region. Uncertainty and insecurity have made it more difficult to establish adequate risk management frameworks and secure the long-term commitments that PPPs need.

However, this is an area where the World Bank can continue to play a critical role. And it’s not just through its financing. By facilitating public-private cooperation and sharing global knowledge, the Bank can help to close the infrastructure gap in the KRG and beyond, while promoting the good governance that will be needed to address it.

This post first appeared on The World Bank Blog

Authors: Rachel Lipson works in the Public Integrity and Openness Department of the Governance Global Practice. Nazaneen Ismail Ali is a Senior Procurement Specialist working in the Governance Global Practice and currently based in the World Bank Office in Beirut, Lebanon.

Image: Labourers work at a flyover undergoing construction in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad July 2, 2009. REUTERS/Krishnendu Halder

12 Lesser-Known Google Projects That Are Absolutely Amazing

 

Google revolutionized the Internet by making the global brain easily searchable by anyone. In addition to search, Google has created all kinds of different tools like Google Maps, Gmail, Analytics, Android and Apps that many of us use everyday.

One of the reasons why Google has consistently released new innovative project is because of their 20% time policy, which gives many of their employees one day a week to experiment with new concepts and ideas. This has resulted in many lesser-known creative projects that have emerged from within Googleplex.

In this post, I want to show you some of most fascinating websites that Google employees have created and how you can use them as educational tools.

 

1. Google Trends Visualizer

Tap into the visual intelligence of the global brain by visualizing search trends as they are happening right now in every country in the world. I recommend downloading the free Google Trends Visualizer screensaver so you can observe real-time trends anytime.

 

 

2. World Wonders Project

Explore the ancient and modern wonders of the world like Angor Wat, the Pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge and the Great Barrier Reef in high-res photos and 3D Street View style imagery. It will surely inspire you to learn more about these mysterious and beautiful places.

 

3. Solve For X

Solve For A is a platform for discussing radical technology ideas for solving global problems. Inspired by Google X, this website will challenge you to think bigger and to speculate about technological “moonshots” that could change the world for the better.

 

4. Google Public Data Explorer

Search through databases from around the world, including the World Bank, OECD, Eurostat and the U.S. Census Bureau. After you find what you want, filter through categories to make graphs with the axes you want.

 

 

5. The Evolution of the Web

Explore the evolution of the technologies that power the World Wide Web. You can even look at how webpages and technologies like web browsers used to look like, if you want to be reminded of how far we have come in such a short time.

 

6. Ingress

Google’s intriguing augmented reality mobile game for iPhone and Android. Discover interesting places where you live in this urban exploration game.

 

 

7. Google Sky

I’m sure you’ve explored Google Earth, but did you know that you can fly through space with Google Sky? In addition to exploring our solar system and distant constellations, you can also check out the awe-inspiring topography of Google Moon and Google Mars.

 

 

8. Build LEGO With Chrome

Now you can build with LEGO bricks using Google Maps as your baseplate in Chrome. Google and LEGO have built an excellent creative academy that shows you how to build your own LEGO cities and LEGO-fied versions of popular landmarks.

 

 

9. Google Art Project

Browse super his-res photos of artwork from over 400 of the world’s greatest art museums. You can take virtual gallery tours with audio and video guidance, zoom in on individual artwork masterpieces and even create your own virtual collections.

 

 

10. Creative Sandbox Guide

Google’s Creative Sandbox is a guide to ideas that blend creativity with technology. It shows you how to use new technology to solve problems for businesses and organizations and ties together with their excellent educational resources Think With Google and Our Mobile Planet.

 

 

11. Google Earth Flight Simulator

I’m sure you’ve probably already heard of Google Earth but if you haven’t used it in the last year, you’ll be amazed at the 3D detail in the latest version. Zoom in on the 3D ridgelines of mountaintops and between skyscrapers in major cities. To activate the awesome flight simulator download Google Earth and and press CTRL + Option + A.

 

 

12. SmartyPins

Google has recently released a new Maps game called SmartyPins for geographic trivia. It’s a fun way to explore and learn about your community.

 

Kyle Pearce