Dominating Smartphone Applications
The digital market is growing. Just last January Apple announced that the App Store’s sales broke records. Apps and in-app purchases totaled to a half a million USD.
With this proof of the increase in digital sales, it would make sense for anyone with developing experience to attempt to create their own applications for consumer use. Whether it’s an app for recipes, organization, reading or playing ranked games, smartphone applications have a purpose to people living their everyday lives in a partnership with electronic devices.
As a younger generation explores the Internet’s capabilities and grows up with booming technology, society will witness a sea of people reliant on these applications.
A quick browse through Android’s Play Store shows the most popular smartphone game up for purchase is Minecraft developed by Mojang. At $6.99, the Pocket Edition of this popular game has sold 5 million downloads.
Two top free games in the Play Store are Clash of Clans and Candy Crush. They both show to have been downloaded at least 100 million times each.
Clash of Clans is a popular online multiplayer platform game for smartphones.
What app do you recommend smartphone owners to download? Post a screenshot of your favorite app and join in on the discussion.
To the right you’ll see an example of a screenshot on your phone. On my Galaxy S3 I can capture a screen shot by simultaneously pressing the “lock” and “home” buttons. Google directions on how to screenshot on your device, as every make and model of smartphones is different.
Personal favorite gadgets?
People use multiple types of electronic equipment everyday. A smartphone, GPS, Bluetooth, tablets, computers, headsets, etc, are among the most popular. Looking around a college campus, one may see students using laptops, the latest pair of headphones, smart-watches, tablets, e-books, and more. It’s interesting to look into the lives of someone else and imagining what electronic resources he or she uses to make everyday life easier.
Today, it’s particularly odd to see a cellphone without a touch screen. It seems as if phone companies quickly pushed their users to upgrade to a smartphone. This may be because of the push of 3G and 4G data plans. Nonetheless, a Nokia is obviously outdated.
What are some other technologies that are obsolete? Well, since tablets have been created, we’ve seen e-readers, netbooks, and laptops becoming more obsolete. Most of the time, a tablet comes with a small, portable keyboard that one can connect easily. They’re smaller, slimmer, and more portable than previous moveable computers – and they feature a touch screen!
The latest in hardware gadget development is the smartwatch. Recently, this “wearable tech” has been pushed into the market. It’s rare that someone “wears” their tech right on their body, but it’s use is designed for such a thing. The Apple Watch hasn’t even come out yet, but is expecting its arrival in late April. The Apple Watch is going to be small, slim, and feature apps that are created specifically for tiny screens.
It seems smaller gadgets are quickly taking over the use in everyday life. Readers, what is your favorite gadget and why? Comment below with your answer.
Cyber Summit Returning to OU
Photo courtesy of CyberOU homepage.
The second annual Cyber OU Security Summit is coming to OU this Friday. The event is open to all- faculty, students, and the general public. Participants must register soon to be able to attend.
Some speakers from well known technology companies will be attending to present towards the end of the event. The summit starts at 9 a.m. and will end around 2 p.m.
There will also be some new gadgets featured at the summit including Google Glass, The AR Parrot Drone 2.0, and a few of the latest WiFi kits.
This opportunity is a good learning experience for those interested in computer science and network security. The Cyber OU club has been around since 2013 and has hosted a variety of events (must have a Grizz Org account).
Podcast: Touring OU’s new mechanical engineering lab
Last Wednesday, I was granted the opportunity to tour one of the new labs in the engineering building right beside Kresge Library. There are many labs in the building. These workshops benefit students who prefer a “hands-on” approach. This is especially important for students to gain real-world experience in using potentially dangerous tools and machinery.
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- The frame of the formula car SECS is building.
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- The KERN laser-cutting machine that is also cutting-edge technology.
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- The KERN laser-cutting machine etches out pieces of steel for suspension tabs.
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- Here is a single suspensions tab recently cut out by the KERN laser-cutting machine. The piece is not hot-to-the-touch because of the machine’s ability to precisely target energy.
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- Third-year mechanical engineering major Zachary Goldstein is welding two pieces of steel. It is important to wear the proper headgear and gloves.
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- Lab director Mr. Peter Taylor is operating a milling machine to build a piece for Dr. Young’s class.
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- A coolant is sprayed onto the piece. This coolant protects the metal from rusting.
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- The finished product as a result of the milling machine. This is a “hand” that will be used to stretch sheet metal.
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- The new engineering building at OU.
Turn your DNA into a memory drive
As a student and Microsoft Office guru, I carry a lot of memory sticks (jump drives, flash drives, USB drivers, etc.). Someday we may not have to carry our information via USB drive; the next best thing is DNA memory.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a self-replication piece of information that exists in all living organisms. It essentially carries a genetic code.
Harvard professor and author George Church and UCLA’s Kosuri Sriram were the minds behind treating DNA as a digital storage device. Sequencing and binary are no new thing – humans have already replicated the oldest known animal genome, a 700,000 year old fossil.
Living tissue is able to store data, but only for a small period of time. This will limit completely biological aspects of storing data on oneself, but the discovery alone could be enough to open new doors.
At 700 terabytes per gram of DNA, the future’s looking spacey. Imagine having enough biological storage to recite every moment of your living days.
Though my imagination is fantastical, it’s hard to keep things in simple terms. An odd discovery like this is groundbreaking for the science community.
OU senior uses online data gathering techniques to present research on patients’ health decisions
RJ Mey, a senior at Oakland University, will be traveling to Tampa, Florida in March to visit the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) and attend the Research Network Forum (RNF).
Mey’s research is unofficially titled, “Their Words, Their Bodies: Assessing Agency in Endometrial Cancer Patients Within Online Discussion.”
RJ presenting last year’s poster for the CCCC. Courtesy of Lori Ostergaard.
He will be presenting his findings on how endometrial patients make their decisions for treatment and discuss such online.
The overall stance of his research is to examine the medical system and how patients who “know their stuff” choose treatment versus those who do little research and depend on their doctor or physician.
All of Mey’s research was found through examining public patient responses on open forums of the internet. The interactions of users of a website forum would expose how they felt about the medical system and what treatments they were looking into or decided to go forward with.
“I like to think that people who posted would be happy with my work, but I really can’t know,” Mey said. “It’s a given that this information is available indefinitely to the public.”
“This year RJ will be presenting research for the second time at [RNF] which is quite an accomplishment for an undergraduate researcher,” writing and rhetoric professor Dr. Besty Allan said.
Also an experienced researcher, Mey worked at Treato analyzing data. Treato is a company that collects patient-written health experiences from blogs and forums. Treato allows some insights into patients’ opinions and attitudes about the medical system.
“While debating my topic choice, my main concern was agency,” Mey said. “While working at Treato, I was seeing a lot of women and men being neglected by the medical field.”
What solidified Mey’s topic choice was having his article proposal accepted by a rhetoric journal called “Present Tense.”
“I took that as a good sign,” Mey said.
Mey’s major, writing and rhetoric, is paired with an odd choice for a minor, biology and philosophy.
“It’s a non-traditional major for a medical student,” Mey said.
What some med students may not know, though, is that medical schools look for students who have scientific knowledge as well as excellent writing and communication skills, according to Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, Lori Oostergaard.
Mey is combining his love for writing and rhetoric with his passion for human health, saying his being a pre-med student combines the hard science with communication.
DETROIT – 2015 Auto Gallery (NAIAS)
DETROIT- Listed at $40,000, the Acura NSX was first unveiled at the 2015 Auto Show. The eye-catching bright-red exterior created a large gathering of attendees in its viewing.
DETROIT- Named as a tribute to the engineer who founded the company, Alfieri Maserati, the Maserati Alfieri concept car was a definite eye-pleaser. With production starting in 2016, this sexy 460 horsepower V-8 will probably be quickly bought off the market.
DETROIT- This is Lexus’s RC F GT3 racing car concept. The widespan of the back wing was the largest most antendee’s have ever witnessed, measuring at 6.5 feet and weighs 755 lbs.
DETROIT- Always a top in luxury design, Bently took eye-pleasing interior to a new level. Laden with luscious leather and a sleek black theme, the $230,000 Continental makes it the best choice in luxury cars.
Young OU professor elaborates on his work for AI software and nano-imaging
From advising and teaching students, to collaborating with other doctorates, to flying planes, this OU professor is a man of many talents.
Dr. Hanna of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department started teaching at 19 years old. He began teaching supplement courses in chemistry and is now teaching courses related to computer engineering, computer sciences, and bioengineering.
Dr. Darrin Hanna (37) is working on AI software for nano-imaging.
“I really enjoy my undergraduate courses,” Hanna said. “There’s a lot of energy when interacting with the students that keeps me feeling young.”
He was raised his whole life in the Rochester area and had been attending OU for his entire college-level education, starting in 1999 until 2003.
“I have a special connection with Oakland University; It’s a home to me,” Hanna said. “I grew up here and have an active interest in everything that’s going on.”
Dr. Hanna’s research includes Artificial Intelligence (AI) and creating software for applications and vehicle networks in nano-imaging. Part of this research is connected to assisting AHK Technologies of Troy to create quicker, more efficient software for the company’s scanner that has the ability to scan something down to a size less than a quarter of an atom.
He also is working in collaboration with Dr. Madlambayan and William Beaumont to find better ways to identify and destroy harmful cells that are responsible for diseases such as leukemia and cancer.
“It’s getting really good results,” Hanna said.
Working with PhD students Jason Gorski and Anthony Bogedin, he’s assisted in the development of four different apparatuses that have a main goal to assist in destroying harmful cells in a way that is safe for human trial.
“I’m so impressed by the work that they’ve done so far,” Hanna said about his PhD students.
This biomedical breakthrough shows promise for the future of medical engineering in curing diseases.
“It may be easier than we think [with this process] and I doubt anyone has tried,” Hanna said.
Overall, Hanna most importantly feels lucky to have a job he loves doing. When asked about time management, Hanna gave some wise advice that applies to everyday life:
“When you’re doing what you love, it’s easier to manage time because you’ll find the time for it on your own.”
NASA Gains Gov. Support for New Budget
Since 1958 when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) first formed, the government has only allowed a low percentage of the federal budget.
Last Monday a proposal was formed by President Barack Obama to discuss increasing NASA’s budget to an overall $18 billion. $100 million of this is put aside for a special mission.
“President Obama is proposing a fiscal year 2016 budget of $18.5 billion dollars for NASA, building on the significant investments the administration has made in America’s space program over the past six years,” said NASA administrator Charles Bolden during an online broadcast.
This large increase in the budget will be used to fund world-changing missions like visiting Jupiter’s moon Europa, which was discovered to be covered in ice. Water is needed for any habitation, which is what the Mars rover and Europa mission will be looking for.
This larger budget will allow NASA to compete on a larger scale with the European Space Agency. The European Space Agency is already focusing on building a spacecraft that will explore Jupiter’s moons unmanned.
Bolden also said that NASA will also focus on developing advanced solar and electric propulsion systems which are needed for an asteroid redirect mission.
As always, NASA’s technology projects could benefit society. Some examples of advances seen through history are Teflon-coated fiberglass that was invented in the 70’s, cooling systems, robotic arms, and ballistic parachute systems.
Any advances in solar and electric engineering could mean good news for human consumers – breakthroughs in renewable energy are needed to cut down on pollution and give easier access to alternative energy.
Overall, the government finally recognizing NASA’s importance could be called a revolutionary movement. For this generation, the constant creations that assist in space missions will be exciting to follow. The human-manned Mars mission is planned to officially launch in 2024.
Until then, NASA has many different space events for every month in 2015.
Electric Cars Becoming More Common
2015 marks a new year of solving global issues. Fossil fuels are no stranger to criticism by activists all over the world, trying to solve the problem of air pollution and increases in greenhouse gases.
To combat this issue, many car companies have hopped on-board the electric-hybrid genre of new cars. The focus is to combine luxury with fuel-efficiency.
OU’s new parking garage features plug-in chargers for electric car users. The car seen here is a Chevy Volt.
Some companies that have joined the race to make “the best hybrid car in existence” are Chevrolet with the Spark EV and the Volt, Audi with the R8 e-tron and Q7 e-tron, SMART, and Tesla, the leader of the electric car revolution.
It’s rumored that Apple is working on developing their own electric car. With so many car companies taking the electric avenue to car-building, other global-leading companies are going to have to play catch up in 2015.
Featured at the Detroit Auto Show just last January, was a new concept model of Audi’s that had a plug in port right behind its moveable logo up front.
DETROIT – The Detroit Auto Show held in the Cobo arena featured many cars. This audi electric car was a new sight.
Also at the Detroit Auto Show was a Tesla exhibit that showed audiences the large benefits of owning an electric car, with a pin-pointed map of charging locations around the US.
According to the infographics at Tesla’s exhibit, when connected to a regular wall port, 60 minutes of charge would be good for 58 miles. The recommended time of charge is 72 minutes daily for top-off. As a commuter for school, this would be perfect for me because I drive about 80 miles a day. With a recharge station on campus, a charge during classes would give my car enough energy to end the day without worry of having to switch to the petrol engine backup.
The Tesla “Supercharger” is a form of charging that quickly adds more power to an owner’s car. The locations outlined on the map are either coming soon or already existing. South Michigan has plenty of locations.
My prediction is that electric will be an advanced step forward. When more charging locations pop up around the nation, there’s no doubt more consumers will take the plunge into the world that is electric auto technology.
OU Students Working on Leukemia Cure
OU students Jason Gorski, Anthony Bogedin, Michael Maywood and Chris Clement are developing a new way to destroy leukemia cancer cells using heat induced by magnetic fields.
OU students Jason Gorski (32) and Anthony Bogedin (25) work on their apparatus. They’ve been designing and creating for this research since summer of 2014.
A small, test-sized apparatus has been created using a copper coil, a cooling system, and a direct current (DC) alternator. The DC alternator plugs into the wall and uses a fixed-frequency of 170 kilohertz to build magnetic momentum.
Essentially, the apparatus would assist in terminating cells that have the ability to pair with cancer cells.
“Chemotherapy does not always kill all harmful cells,” systems engineering PhD student, Jason Gorski said.
Leukemia cells can attach to Enterochromaffin (EC) cells that line the digestive tract and detach and replicate after chemotherapy.
EC cells are healthy and plentiful in the human body, but they sometimes provide a safe haven for leukemia cancer cells to latch onto. This allows the leukemia cells to survive chemotherapy treatments. This discovery was made by Oakland University assistant professor of biological sciences Dr. Gerard Madlambayan.
The apparatus the students have created is made of a copper coil, a DC alternator and a few other”off the shelf” components. Scientists in Beaumont may use this device in the near future.
The apparatus that the students created works in pair with an injected solution that targets and marks the EC cells that are open to attachment.
Using nanoparticle technology, the solution of antibodies will guide molecules specifically designed to seek the targeted cells.
Also included in the solution is iron-oxide nanoparticles will have the magnetic properties that are needed to work with the apparatus to create a friction-inducing vibration therefore creating enough heat to kill off the cells.
“Iron-oxide-based nanoparticles are same sort of thing they use for improving the imaging in MRI machines,” embedded systems major Anthony Bogedin said. “So it’s something that’s been proven safe when inside the human body.”
Despite the great success the group has hit road bumps but continue to plan experiments and research ways to improve their approach.
“The next step we’re going through is finding out to establish how effective the machine is at killing the leukemic cancer cells while the antibody particle is unguided,” fourth-year bio-engineering student Clement said.
There is still much work to be done in order to move forward with funding which could result in a larger scale creation of these expensive nanoparticles.
Development has slowed down because of the biological complications of the process, but with such promising development, it’s difficult at this point for the students to lose morale.
Microsoft to Join the Virtual Reality Scene
It’s called the HoloLens – another addition to the 3D wonder that is virtual reality (VR).
This version of VR is different from the Oculus Rift because it combines the use of holograms into live visualization rather than transforming the user’s entire view.
This is similar to the already released product, Meta. Wearing the Meta simulates projected images into an environment as well. It’s quite difficult to describe, so watch this video of Oakland University’s (MI) League of Engineers and Computer Scientists (LECS) interact with an application on this device, The Space Learning System.
It seems VR is moving only towards the trend of “headset.” You can see mounted cameras uptop to track user movements. I believe this helps calibrate user activity and balance the gyroscope.
The Meta One Developer Kit. Source: Meta Co
No version of the newly announced HoloLens has been released yet. Microsoft Technology Advisor Bill Gates said in his Ask Me Anything thread (AMA) on Reddit yesterday that “making the device so you don’t get dizzy or nauseous is really hard,” and, “It will take a few years of software applications being built to realize the full promise of this.”
The Microsoft HoloLens Concept. Source: Microsoft
The news of Microsoft competing in the VR race is exciting – the world of technology is changing. One would be curious as to the many uses for virtual reality that will take over and help us humans live easier.
Microsoft’s website shows fantasy images of people interacting with the device and their environment.
A woman appears to be exploring a globe while wearing concept HoloLens. Source: Microsoft
A screenshot of a man conceptually using Microsoft HoloLens. Source: Microsoft
The Oculus Rift
LECS president Dom Dabish and vice president Ivan Gappy try on the new Oculus Rift.
The League of Engineers and Computer Scientists (LECS) have something not a lot of college students get to experience – virtual reality.
It’s called the Oculus Rift, a headgear that submerges your eyes into a simulated state of reality.
The virtual reality technology that exists today is similar to a simple version of a video game but includes more eye and head movement rather than button mashing.
A user can “look around” in real time, while moving his or her head up, down, and around. When using a simulated space application, for example, if the user looks up he or she will be able to see the stars as realistically as star gazing on a cloud-free night.
“A lot of people aren’t experimenting with this yet — we are among the first,” said LECS President Dom Dabish. “No rules, it’s all brand new.”
With two Oculus Rifts in their possession thanks to the Student Funding Board, the members of LECS are enjoying the virtual interaction and are optimistic about what they can create with this new technology.
“The first thing we want to do is develop,” Dabish said. “We want to use the programs available to make an original application.”
Eventually the LECS hopes to get its hands on Leap Motion input, which tracks finger and hand movements without connecting sensors to the user.
“It’s like you can pick up a Coke and drop it or throw it while watching it happen on the Oculus,” Dabish said.
The LECS is also seeking helpers. It needs students to generate unique and creative uses for virtual reality and people to test it out in action.
“We’re open to anyone joining,” Vice President Ivan Gappy said. “No background in computers required; we value all ideas.”
Playing with the Oculus Rift is fun and new. Some people, though, may be sensitive to the movement and get dizzy.
“Every time I play around with the Oculus, I think to myself how amazing this is,” said LECS member Andrew Alisa.
Technology Represent! 
