8 Things Researchers Learned From Your Facebook Use

Facebook is a treasure mine of data and has been a hot bed of studies on online social behavior. The social media giant even has a team of data analyst (aka the Data Science Team) looking at all the data we have put up on Facebook. Whether it is information on ourselves in the About section or a simple Like, Facebook knows all.

Now if this isn’t bordering creepy, I don’t know what is. It is also perhaps why users were outraged when it was announced that a recent study had manipulated their News Feeds to show that their moods can be affected, based on whether the posts are positive or negative.

One can’t help but think what else does Facebook know about us and what other studies were done with or without our knowledge. Well, we did some digging, and here are 8 studies researchers and Facebook have done that reveal things about ourselves.

Recommended Reading: 5 Effects Social Networks Have On You

1. Facebook plays With Our Emotions

We will begin with the one that has been making headlines recently: 689,003 users were shown either primarily positive or negative posts for 1 week on January 2012. The results showed that our emotions can be influenced by what we see on our feed. Those who were exposed to more negative posts are more likely to come back with a negative status on their own, while those who were exposed to positive feeds will post positive statuses.

The problem however was not in the research, it was in how it was conducted â€" no one was informed nor had asked for their consent to be part of the experiment. As usual, Facebook and the researchers defended the study by stating that consent had been given via their Data Use Policy (which they know no one reads) which included being part of studies that Facebook wants to conduct on their users. Didn’t really matter that the term "Research" was added only in May 2012.

2. You are what you like

A study conducted in 2013 by the University of Cambridge revealed that the things we like on Facebook reveal our personality. That doesn’t sound like groundbreaking results, it’s pretty obvious that if my favorite book is the Bible, then there is a high possibility that I am a Christian. But this study goes beyond that. Apparently, your likes reveal your ethnicity, sex, age, political leanings, sexual orientation, IQ level, emotional state of being and whether you abuse drug substances (whoa).

At least this time, the 58,000 users volunteered to have their Facebook likes examined, with an app the researchers came up with. After looking at all your likes, the researchers can deduce who you are from there. The method was reported to have a high accuracy rate, although there were some odd findings, like how if you are smart, you prefer curly fries and Morgan Freeman’s voice. Have a look at the study here.

3. Facebook knows your close friends

Unless you actively stalk someone via Facebook, it’s probably safe to say that you prefer to indulge yourself in liking or commenting on the statuses (and hence, lives) of your close friends. This is the basis of this study conducted by San Diego’s University of California which involved 789 Facebook users.

The participants were asked to list the people they were closest to. The researchers then examined the Facebook activity of the participants and were able to accurately predict who the participants’ closest friends were, 84% of the time. This may not seem impressive but it definitely disproves the notion that your IRL relationships are separate from your online relationships.

(Image source: PLUS One)

4. We Actively Censor Ourselves

If you have ever wondered if Facebook could see what you typed into your status box but didn’t publish, then the politically correct answer is No. And yet, Facebook’s data scientist Adam Kramer and Facebook intern Sauvik Das tracked the unpublished status updates of 3.9 million users over the course of 17 days in 2012 and came to the conclusion that we actively self-censor when we are on Facebook.

By matching their findings with user demographics, social circles and ideological leanings, the researchers found that people will censor opposing views unless they know their views can be tolerated by their social circles.

But if they don’t track our unpublished statuses, and the content of the statuses as well as the keystrokes are not studied, just what metrics do they base this study on? Or are they being less than truthful when it comes to the methodology used in the study?

(Image source: Ars Technica)

5. Teens May Be Leaving Facebook

So media outlets were having a field day with that headline about teenagers abandoning the 10-year old social network. Our own Azzief Khaliq took a look at the situation in his own post here and where he argued that in truth, teens are fickle-minded and teens may hate Facebook but weren’t actually leaving it by the droves.

Then again, reports later resurfaced about teens making the move from Facebook to messaging apps. Digital agency iStrategyLabs also published that there are now 3 million fewer teens aged 13 to 17 on Facebook as compared to 2011 but as this article pointed out, the data may be flawed because these teens could be lying about their age. Perhaps it could just be due to the simple fact that these teens basically outgrew their teen status.

(Image source: iStrategyLabs)

Recommended Reading: Teens, Facebook And The Future Of Social Media

6. Facebook Will Die In 3 Years

All the hullabaloo about teens leaving Facebook led to reports about teens deeming Facebook as "dead to them". Then, there is that study predicting the rapid decline of the social network giant and eventual death within 3 years. The study conducted by a couple of Princeton researchers modeled their research on the social media network off epidemiological models â€" the study of infectious diseases, which spreads quickly, and dies, suddenly.

The researchers tested this model on MySpace then made the prediction that Facebook’s peak user base will decline by 80% by 2017, like how MySpace lost its users. As much as we all love Facebook to die (guilty!), a Slate article tells us why this study is flawed (hint: the eclectic combination of aerospace engineering researchers studying about online social behavior in social networks based on infectious disease models was pretty hard to miss).

About the only useful thing this research revealed is that everyone loves a dying Facebook story.

7. Facebook Is Depressing

Well before this negative statuses begets negative responses, a 2013 study by the University of Michigan has already come to the conclusion that Facebook makes people depressed. Researchers texted 82 college participants 5 times a day for 2 weeks to garner their emotional levels whilst using the social network. The study found that the more often you use Facebook, the less happy you are, a finding that other similar research have previously revealed.

An extended study by Michigan’s researcher Ethan Kross however revealed that this may be because we are using Facebook wrong: you shouldn’t just read your Facebook feed like a spectator, either actively participate and engage with your friends socially, or get yourself off the social network.

(Image source: PLOS One)

8. Facebook Motivates Voting

Did you know that Facebook will be releasing “I’m a Voter” buttons across the world? India was the first to get the button during its elections which saw Narendra Modi as its new prime minister. The reasoning behind this is that the Voter button will generate more voter turnout. In fact, a 2012 study by the San Diego’s University of California found something similar during the 2010 US congressional elections.

On election day, Facebook released a banner which reminded users that it is indeed election day, accompanied by polling info, as well as a button that lets them know which of their friends have voted. A direct effect from the exposure spurred 60,000 more people, who would otherwise would not have voted, to vote. The research also suggested that 280,000 other users were indirectly influenced to vote, a 0.6% hike from the previous election in 2008.

The graphics were non-partisan, but one can’t help but consider this scary thought: Can Facebook eventually influence who we vote for?

(Image source: Nature)

10 Viber Features You Need To Know [Android]

As a messaging app, Viber has evolved quite a bit since it was launched in 2010. Viber doesn’t just have the regular features of other messaging apps, it takes it even further with the stickers and emoticons that allows for more customization. Currently, there are more than 200 million Viber users located in over 193 countries. 200 million people have to be on to something, right?

If you’re interested in exploring another messaging app for your Android device, maybe Viber in particular, we have just the thing for you. We’ve put together 10 Android Viber app tips and tricks to showcase just how much you can do with the app. With our tips and tricks, you will find yourself becoming a power user in no time.

Recommended Reading: A Look Into: Viber Desktop For Windows And Mac

1. Enable Smart Notifications

By default, you will keep on receiving every single notification sent to you by your friend, even if that person sent them consecutively. If you find that annoying and distracting, turn on the Smart Notifications feature to let Viber combine those messages into one notification instead. To do that follow these steps.

1. Enter the chat room where you want to enable smart notifications, and swipe to the left.
2. Tap on Smart Notifications to enable it.

2. Switch Between Conversations Quickly

If you’ve got a lot of conversations going on, you probably need to change between chat rooms quickly. Instead of going to the app’s main page every single time you want to switch chat rooms, there’s a better way to do that. Have a look at the following tip.

1. Enter any chat room of your previous conversations, and swipe to the right of your device screen.
2. In here you can see all your active chat rooms and you can easily switch to a different chat room by tapping on your friend/group chat name.

3. Block And Unblock Mobile Contact Numbers On Viber

If there’s someone on Viber that you would rather not have contacting you, you can just add them to the block list. Those that are in your block list will not be able to have a one-on-one conversation with your or call you using Viber. To block and unblock your mobile contact, follow these tips.

Block Mobile Contact Number:

1. Enter the conversation screen between you and the person that you want to block, swipe to the left and tap on the Navicon at the top right.
2. Choose Block to block that person.

Unblocking Mobile Contact Number:

1. On the app main page, tap on the Navicon at the bottom and go to Settings.
2. Privacy > Block List.
3. Tap on Unblock beside the Phone Number/Contact Name.

4. Hide Seen And Online Status

Sometimes, you don’t really want people to see when you are ‘Online’ or if others have ‘Seen’ your message. You can disable these features to give you a little bit more privacy. If you would like to hide the ‘Seen’ status, follow these steps.

1. On the Viber app main page, tap on Navicon and choose Settings.
2. Tap on Privacy and untick Send ‘Seen’ Status.

To hide your ‘Online’ status, have a look below.

Note: This feature can only be turned on/off once every 24-hours.

1. Go to the app main page and tap on Navicon. Next, tap on Settings.
2. In here, tap on Privacy and untick Share ‘Online’ Status.

5. Turn off Notifications

There’s a certain time of the day that you want to make sure you don’t receive any notifications from Viber, especially when you’re at work. Well, all you need to do is turn off notifications from within the Viber app and you’re good to go. To know where to look for at the settings, follow these steps.

1. From the app main page tap on the Navicon and choose Settings.
2. Tap Notifications and turn off every notification related settings such as Show message preview, Contact Joined Viber, New Message Popup, and Light screen for messages.
3. Alternatively, you can also turn off Viber notification using the Android settings option by going to the Android Settings app > Apps > Viber and untick Show notifications.

6. Turn Off Light Screen For Messages

If you don’t like having your Android device screen turning on every single time you receive a new Viber notification, you can disable it. That way any new incoming messages will no longer light up your device screen automatically. To turn off light screen for messages, follow these steps.

1. Tap on the Navicon at the bottom right and go to Settings.
2. Next tap on Notifications and untick Light screen for messages.

7. Delete Messages In A Conversation

If you don’t want certain messages you or your friend have sent in a conversation, you can actually have them erased from the chat room. But this will only work on the users-side where, whatever messages you’ve deleted will only be deleted on your device, as it will still appear on your friend’s device. If you’re still interested in deleting those messages, here’s how.

1. Enter any chat room, and look for the messages that you want to delete.
2. Tap and hold on the messages and choose Delete.
3. Alternatively, you can also tap on the Navicon and choose Edit Messages.
4. Then tick on the messages that you want to delete, and tap on the bin icon at the bottom right.

8. Change WiFi Sleep Policy

By default, Viber will always keep your WiFi active on your device to prevent you from going offline. If you prefer it to follow the default sleep policy your device is set to, we have the steps for you. Follow these steps to change the WiFi sleep policy.

1. Tap on the Navicon in the app main page, and go to Settings.
2. Tap on General and then tap on Wi-Fi sleep policy.
3. Next, tap on Use device’s settings.

9. Doodle On Any Photo

Did you know that you can Doodle on any photo that is available on your Android device? Whether you receive it from your friends on Viber or if it’s a snapshot taken using your smartphone camera, you can still use the Viber Doodle feature on those photos. To Doodle on any photo, follow these steps.

1. Tap on any photos that you received on Viber app, and tap on the Navicon then choose Doodle on this photo.
2. You can play around with the brush options, eraser, colors or change to a different photo in the Doodle editor.
3. Once you’re done, tap on SEND to send your doodle to any of your Viber friends.

10. Access Conversations Gallery

So you’ve shared plenty of photos and videos with your friends on Viber, and now you want to look for those photos and videos without going through your chat history. There’s a Conversation Gallery that lets you specifically go through the photos and videos shared between you and your friends. To access the Conversations Gallery, follow these steps.

1. Enter any chat room where you’ve shared photos and videos before, then swipe to the left side of your screen.
2. Choose Conversations Gallery then swipe left and right to switch between photos/videos.

The 10 Sins of Mobile Device Addicts That Annoys Everyone

It’s hard to dispute the fact that smartphones and tablets have become an essential part of our increasingly connected daily lives. However, this doesn’t give any of us an excuse to let our mobile devices rule our lives and forget some basic aspects of decency and manners. Don’t get me wrong, smartphones and tablets are wonderful devices, but the way most of us use them willy nilly without regard for those around us is troubling.

Here’s a list of 10 things that you really shouldn’t do with your mobile devices in public. From listening to music loudly in public to using your smartphone in the cinema and quite a few things in between, this list is a catalogue of some of the things you and I really shouldn’t be doing with our smartphones. None of us are perfect, and I’m guilty of some of these as well, but what is life if not a process of gradual self-improvement?

Recommended Reading: 5 Epic Ways We Misuse Mobile Technology

1. Don’t Blast Music Or Play Games Loudly In Public

There are precious few things more annoying in life than trying to have a meal at a restaurant and having the people at the next table over listening to music loudly using their mobile devices. Sure, it’s great that we can now carry around a lot of music with us, but nobody is interested in how much you love Adele and want to listen to her music while eating. Neither is anyone interested in how highly you’re scoring on Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga or whatever.

(Image Source: Fast Company)

If you really have to listen to music or need audio in whatever game you’re playing, please do the world a favour and get a pair of headphones or earphones. Not only will it stop the people around you from getting very annoyed, it’ll probably also give you better audio quality and let you listen to the finer details in whatever you’re listening to. It’s a win-win situation.

2. Don’t Record Performances With Your mobile Device

That may seem like I’m painting with a bit of a wide brush, so let me clarify: you’re not the only person in attendance who paid for tickets, so please don’t take it upon yourself to block the view of others by hoisting your huge tablet or smartphone up into the air to record the performance. Not only are you blocking someone else’s view, it’s also a pretty big distraction that can, and will, adversely impact other people’s enjoyment of the show.

(Image Source: Indie88)

And, really, what is it that you’re trying to achieve by recording the show? If you absolutely have to record, say if a family member is involved in the performance, try and find an angle a bit off to the side that won’t block other audience members. If it’s just some concert or other, just refrain: unless you’re using really good equipment, your videos will probably turn out really poor, and nobody really cares about low quality videos. Leave the documentation to the experts, and enjoy the show with your own eyes and ears.

3. Don’t Prioritise Your Smartphone Over Your Friends

Just because you get a notification on your device saying that you have a new message or email doesn’t mean that you immediately have to answer it. If you’re expecting something important, sure, excuse yourself while you reply to the message or email, and do it quickly. If not, just leave the messages for later and focus on the here and now. You’re with people you care for, aren’t you?

(Image Source: Huffington Post)

Snubbing your colleagues, friends or, even worse, date to reply to a text message or send an email is really poor form, and is very disrespectful to the people you’re with. If they’ve made the effort to disconnect from their digital lives for a moment in order to spend time with you â€" no matter the reason â€" then the least you could do is do the same. And, no, don’t even try to reply a text under the table: it’s even more annoying and disrespectful.

4. Don’t Tweet And Drive (Or Walk)

Okay, you might be able to get away with scrolling through your Twitter or Facebook newsfeeds while walking if you’re particularly good at multitasking, but honestly, I’d just recommend that you not do it, as you can quickly lose track of your surroundings, bump into people and possibly even step into traffic. Driving is a whole other matter, of course, and I don’t think there’s any reasonable justification for doing that while driving. It’s not really a sign of poor etiquette as it is just an incredibly dangerous thing to do.

(Image Source: Christian Science Monitor)

If it’s really that important, there’s no harm in pulling to the side of the road â€" if you’re driving â€" or taking advantage of some shade to reply to text messages, or tweets, or take a call. If it’s not important enough for that, then it can wait. Focus on the task at hand, and get to your tweets or messages or so on when it’s safe to do so. You’re not that pressed for time, are you?

5. Don’t Use Your Smartphone In The Cinema

People have been complaining about this forever, but it really doesn’t look like it’s going to stop. Not only do people still talk on the phone during movies, but we now get people who text endlessly â€" without switching their phone to silent, no less â€" through the entirety of a film and people who spend half the film staring at their smartphone looking up some obscure factoid or bombarding social media with their thoughts on the film.

(Image Source: The Independent)

As far as I’m concerned, going to a cinema is about an immersive, all-encompassing experience. This is cheapened by spending half of the movie’s running time staring at your mobile device. Not only are you not enjoying the film to the fullest, you’re probably annoying the people around you with the off-putting glow of light coming from your smartphone or tablet. Next time, try keeping your smartphone in your pocket and pay attention to the film: old school, I know, but who knows, you might actually enjoy it.

6. Don’t Poke Your Nose Into Friends’ Photos And Apps

This is happening way too often: you hand your smartphone to a friend for some reason or another, and they immediately start swiping through your photo gallery and, god forbid, maybe even decide to open up your Facebook. I really don’t know why people do this, but if you’re one of these people: please stop. I know, we’re probably constantly being monitored by some government agency or another, but that isn’t an excuse to abuse someone’s trust in you by digging through their messages or photos.

(Image Source: Techmotus)

The only thing worse than taking advantage of that sort of situation is just not asking in the first place. The former situation is rude, but poking your nose into someone’s personal data without permission is just borderline unforgivable. Sure, "sharing is caring" and all that, but sharing requires consent, remember? If you have a burning question that you need answered, why not just ask your friend straight up?

7. Don’t Hog Public Charging Stations

I know, public charging stations are there to be used, but they’re not there for you to hog and charge your phone up to the brim. You’re not the only person with crappy battery life, so do take into consideration the fact that there are other people who also need to charge their phones. Unless you’re going to be on the road for a long while, you’re probably going to be able to charge your device when you get to your destination, so all you really need is to charge your device up just enough to get you to wherever you need to go.

(Image Source: NY Daily News)

Here in Malaysia, it’s all too common to have some of the outlets at these stations not work, so it’s even more important that you not hog the working outlets and let everyone charge their devices up. And if you still have a reasonable amount of battery life left, just let others â€" who may have more pressing needs for battery life â€" charge their devices instead.

8. Don’t Take Photos Indiscriminately

Sure, smartphones have made photography incredibly convenient, but that’s all the more reason to learn to use discretion when taking photos and videos. You’re not the paparazzi, do you really need to take photos of anything and everything you see? No, not really. Unless your life is really all that interesting, and it probably isn’t, there’s really no reason for you to keep snapping photos endlessly. This applies double when you’re out and about with other people.

(Image Source: Mundobit)

If you’re having dinner, don’t kill the mood by pulling your phone out to snap a ton of photos of your and everyone else’s meal. And if you’re at an event or at a party, please exercise discretion and don’t just snap, upload and tag anything and everything you see. As quaint as this may seem, not everyone wants their every move broadcast onto social media, you know.

9. Don’t Hold Up The Line At A Restaurant

Picture this: you’re standing in line at a Starbucks, waiting to order, but the line is moving incredibly slow for some reason. You peek past the people in front of you and you see someone busy checking their smartphone, or maybe on the phone, when they’re supposed to be ordering. This is, as you can imagine, really rude. Not only does it slow everyone else down, but it also disrespects the staff that are serving customers and taking orders.

(Image Source: ABC News)

It really doesn’t matter what you’re doing: answering an email, replying a text or, god forbid, Instagramming the restaurant menu. You can, and should, set all that aside; make your order and move aside to let the person next in line make their order. Reply that text once you’re seated, and if you just have to Instagram that menu, do it when there’s a lull in the number of customers. This applies to most lines, really, but it’s really annoying when it happens at restaurants.

10. don’t shout Into Your Smartphone

Okay, this is a gripe that’s been around forever, but it’s particularly pertinent in this day and age: the microphones we get on smarpthones these days are so much better than what we used to get back in the earlier days of mobile phones, with all manner of fancy noise-cancelling technologies, and network coverage is also a lot better too. Unless you happen to be taking calls in the middle of a warzone, there’s no real reason to shout when you’re on the phone these days.

(Image Source: Digital Trends)

Shouting is really annoying, and makes you come across as more than a bit inconsiderate. Not only will the person on the other end have his or her ears blown off, but your loud voice will also annoy and potentially even disrupt the people around you. Turn the volume down a little bit, it’ll help in the long run.

How To Use Picture Element To Achieve Responsive Image

Responsive Design may be here to stay but there are many issues that need to be addressed when it comes to making images responsive. Although responsive images automatically resize itself upon the viewport size (which is technically easy), one problem users face is that the image vocal point will become barely visible when the image becomes too small.

The ideal consensus among web developers is that the actual dimension should be responsive too. The browser should be able to load smaller or larger images in accordance to the viewport size. That way we can direct and deliver the best image proportion rather than the shrunken image (as shown).

This is where the HTML5 picture element comes in. The picture allows us to provide multiple image sources and control the delivery through Media Queries. Though there isn’t any browser that implement this element yet, we can use a polyfill called Picturefill to do this. Let’s see how it’s done, shall we?

Recommended Reading: 5 Methods To Serve True Responsive Images

Getting Started

Picturefill is a JavaScript library developed by Filament Group. It allows us to use the picture element now. To get started, download the script in the Github repository and put the picturefill.js or picturefill.min.js. Picurefill is a standalone JavaScript library which does not require any other library to work. You can simply add it in the head tag.

  <script src="js/picturefill.js"></script>
  

The Image

I have prepared an image in three different dimensions, as follows. The image has been cropped to preserve focus on the person in the image. The plan here is that we will show the smallest size in small screens and the larger image in large screens.

Using Picture Element

Picturefill can work in two ways: we can embed srcset in the img tag or use the picture element. Here we will opt for the picture element as it is more manageable, easier to undestand, and more readable.

Similar to video and audio elements, picture wraps mulitple source elements pointing to the image source, as follows.

  <picture>
  	<source srcset="img/person-xsmall.jpg" media="(max-width: 480px)">
  	<source srcset="img/person-small.jpg" media="(max-width: 640px)">
  	<source srcset="img/person-med.jpg">
  	<img srcset="img/person-med.jpg" alt="">
  </picture>
  

The source element, as you can see from the above code snippet, is set with media attribute. In this attribute we specify the viewport breakpoint on which the image should be presented. You can see the effect immediately.

Check out our demo page, and resize the viewport size, you should find the image shown within the specified viewport width.

Picturefill for WordPress

If you are using WordPress, you can use a plugin called Picturefill.WP which allows you to implement the picture element in WordPress, without the hassle. Simply upload and embed your image as usual, and this plugin will take care of the rest.

Final Thought

The picture element is a great addition in HTML5. We have more control over the image size and dimension that the browser should present. And with picturefill we can use this new element right now even though no browsers have implemented it yet. Picturefill works in a wide range of browsers including in IE (albeit with a few caveats).

Lastly, see the demo and download the source code below.

10 Amazing Prosthetic Replacements That Make Us Part Man, Part Machine

Aimee Mullins was born with a condition that required her legs amputated below the knee at an early age. This however did not stop her from becoming a world-class athlete in track and field, representing America in the 1996 Paralympic Games, with the help of prosthetics. Aimee also has a career in modeling and is a living inspiration to those who do not wish to be defined by their physical limitations.

(Image Source: aimeemullins.com)

Known as the woman with 12 legs, her prosthetics continues to aid her in her day to day life. For many people like her, who wish to live to the fullest, prosthetic limbs and organs are giving them a second chance and a new lease in life. Here, we highlight 10 such amazing prosthetic replacements that are advancing modern medicine.

Recommended Reading: How Smartphones Are Revolutionizing Diagnostic Medicine

Hand: i-LIMB

The i-LIMB is the world’s first commercially available bionic hand, released in 2007. It allows the user to have control of the hand by using muscle twitches that are in the stump area. Certain muscle twitches will trigger the hand to position itself in a preconfigured grip. For example, two fast muscle twitches will activate a pinch grip. Since its release, the prosthesis has only gotten more advanced, with more automatic finger and thumb controls and a mobile app to activate the grips.

Hand: Bebionic3

Known to the public as the ‘Terminator arm’, the Bebionic3 is another advance prosthetic hand that is available commercially. Like the i-LIMB, it too uses muscle impulses to activate the different grips that allows the user to perform everyday tasks normally. Precision is not much of a problem for these cybernetic hands, as most of the things a real hand can do can be replicated with the artificial ones, allowing amputees to live a normal life unaided.

Leg: Power Knee

For people who had to undergo above knee amputations, getting around with traditional prosthetics can be difficult, as they will have to adapt to movement without the assistance from the knee. The is where the people from Össur, come in, creating a bionic knee known as the Power Knee.

With it, the user will be able to walk normally and naturally again, as it replicates the muscle activity needed to bend the legs. It can also learn the user’s walking pattern and gait to be more efficient and comfortable.

Feet: Proprio Foot

Created by the same company that made the Power Knee, the Proprio Foot is a bionic foot aimed at helping the user navigate uneven terrain. The prosthesis features designs and technology that helps reduce the compensatory movements that user’s would usually make with traditional prosthetics. From the lightweight material, a powered ankle and intelligent terrain adaptation, the foot will allow users to have a natural walking and standing stance.

Leg: BiOM

Most of you have probably heard of BiOM through a TedTalk that was given by Hugh Herr, the head of the Biomechatronics research group at MIT Research Lab, the Center For Extreme Bionics. In it, he talks about the research done on bionic legs and the potential of such technology on humanity. If you haven’t seen the talk yet, you really should, as he shows of how advance his prosthetics are and the process of creating it. To top it off, He even invites a dancer wearing the bionic leg to display its dexterity.

Hand: The Deka Arm

Affectionately known as the ‘Luke Arm‘, after Luke Skywalker, the DEKA Arm is the brainchild of inventor Dean Kamen and his team at the DEKA Research and Development Corporation. The arm was created with funding from DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthesis program, which aims to propel prosthetic research forward.

The arm works via a combination of electrodes, movement and switches where an on board processor translates them into hand movements. The prosthetics received FDA approval on May 2014, so expect to see this on market in the near future.

Hand: Modular Prosthetic Limb

The Modular Prosthetic Limb, developed by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, is another project that is funded under Revolutionizing Prosthesis. The aim is to create a bionic arm that gives the user the same functionality and dexterity as a normal arm, all being controlled using the mind.

As the name implies, the arm is meant to be modular, with it being able to replace an injured limb at any level. Testers for the limb have noted that they have gained the ability to differentiate between their fingers as well as sense the hardness of an object.

Eye: Argus

The Argus II retinal prosthesis is a retinal implant designed by a company called Second Sight to improve vision in people that are afflicted by retinitis pigmentosa. The prosthetics work by using a retinal implant and an external camera mounted to eyeglasses connected to a processor.

Images are recorded by the camera, processed and then sent to the implants in the eye wirelessly. The implant will then stimulate the remaining retinal cells in order to give the user limited visual information. It doesn’t cure blindness but it is one step closer to restoring vision to the blind.

Artificial Hearts

Artificial hearts have actually been around for more than 50 years and though they cannot permanently replace the heart just yet, they can extend the life of a patient long enough to get a heart transplant. Example of artificial hearts include the AbioCor, which has a life expectancy of 18 months.

(Image Source: ru.wikipedia.org)

Sometimes, all that is needed is an implant to assist the heart instead of replacing it and that is where Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) come in. They are used to partially or completely replace a part of the heart that is failing, doing the job of pumping out the blood. A famous user of a VAD is former US Vice President Dick Cheney, who lived with the device for 20 months.

Bionic Pancreas

A recent development in bionic organs research, the bionic pancreas is a solution to make the lives of people affected with Type-1 diabetes easier. Instead of the usual routine of manually injecting insulin, the bionic pancreas uses a system where a sensor will read the user’s glucose level and send it to a smartphone app for analysis.

The app will calculate the amount of insulin required and automatically administers it through an implanted pump. The only thing the user’s ever need to do is to tell the app when they are eating, so it can take this into account. The system is still in its early changes but already the benefits of such a device is apparent.

(Image Source: Science Alert)

Extra: Deus Ex: The Eyeborg Documentary

Filmmaker Rob Spence lost his eye in a shooting accident. He now has a camera installed in his prosthetic eye which can wirelessly transmit video to an external device. Commissioned by Square Enix to make a documentary about cybernetics and prosthetics to coincide with the release of the video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution, he travels the globe in search of people like him and ponders the future possibilities of the technology. The short documentary is a must watch for anyone who has an interest in the field.

Building Your Own Mobile App With Cordova

Using Cordova may be the fastest way for many web developers to start building a mobile application. With Cordova, you don’t need to learn a new set of programming languages, you can simply use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

You can compile your codes into numerous mobile platforms including iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry using the Phonegap build tool. The question now is “where to start?”

To begin with, we need to create a “Cordova Project”. If you are a web developer who is interested in building your own mobile application, follow this post. We will show you the quickest way to start a project for building mobile application with Cordova. Let’s just get started.

Recommended Reading: 10 Frameworks To Build Mobile Application With HTML, CSS & JavaScript

Cordova CLI

Cordova comes with Command-line Interface (CLI) that includes the command to create a project, emulate and build the app. The Cordova CLI is available as a Node.js Package. So you have to install Node.js to be able to install it.

Assuming you have it installed in your computer, you can type this command line in Terminal or Command Prompt to install Cordova CLI.

  npm install -g cordova
  

This will install the cordova command globally; you can reach the command anywhere in your computer directories. Type cordova -v to get the installed version.

Creating a Project

Once you have installed the Cordova CLI, starting a Cordova project will be a breeze. Even without being familiar with command lines, this should be easy to follow. We can create a project with the create command followed by the project folder name, for example:

  cordova create hongkiatcom
  

This command will download all the necessary files as well as some example files to help us get started with the development.

Once the project has been created, enter the project directory using cd <name-of-the-project-directory>. This folder should contain the number of folders as follows.

• The hooks folder may contain scripts that customize the native Cordova commands.
• The merges folder may contain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files for specific platforms and will override with those in the www folder upon the application deployment.
• The platforms folder will contain native app files when we aim to build for specific platform.
• The plugins folder will contain plugins that extend Cordova.
• The www folder contains general web files that are shared across platforms.

Platform IDE

Before proceeding further, we will need to have an IDE such as Xcode for develeping iOS app, Android Studio for developing Android, and Visual Studio for Windows Phone. Since I’m using OS X and have Xcode installed already, I will be using them to add the iOS platform in my project.

Type the following command:

  cordova platform add ios
  

As mentioned, this command will add native files to build apps for the specified platform in the command line. After running the above command, you should find a folder named ios containing .xcodeproj files and a bunch of other files, as follows.

If you have added the Android platform, you shold find a folder named android instead.

Add the Project in IDE (Xcode)

Now we add the project directory to the IDE, which in this case is Xcode. Launch Xcode. Go to File > Open menu and navigate to the platform directory â€" for example /platforms/ios. Click Open to open the folder in Xcode.

You can modify anything â€" HTML, CSS, Image, and JS â€" within the www folder. When it is done, click the play button on the top left of Xcode to compile the app and present it in iPhone Simulator.

Final Thought

Cordova has made creating a mobile app easy to follow. We can build a mobile app like we build a website. In this post, we have shown you how to create a Cordova project and present the app in iOS simulator. There are actually so much more to explore in Cordova. Alas I hope that this post can help you get started on using Phonegap for developing mobile app.

10 Mobile Apps To Find Upcoming Events & New Places of Interest

After a while, you get bored with being stuck in front of your devices and you find the need to reconnect with friends and go do something together. Before you chuck that mobile device away, try out these 10 apps to help you find an event you can chill out with friends first. These apps will locate events like concerts, art gallery openings, ticket performances and the likes.

(Image Source: Spotsetter)

Also included are apps that will help suggest locations of interest to you like an up-and-coming restaurant or a cafe your friends on Facebook frequent. If you need to find a new place to gather with friends, or to find new friends who share your interests, we have apps for that too. As usual if you have other similar apps that you want to suggest, leave a comment in the comment section below.

Recommended Reading: Organize Your Social Media Events With Sunrise Calendar App

1. Hangtime

Hangtime allows you to sign in to your Facebook account and see what events your friends are interested in. Along with your friend’s activity, it will also show you local events in your area using sources such as Facebook, Ticketmaster, Livenation, etc. Events can be searched by date and interest, so if you want to search for a live jazz event on a Friday night, Hangtime can help you with that.

[Get the app: iOS, Android]

2. Eventbrite

Some may know Eventbrite as the online ticketing system that allow event organizers to easily set up, promote and sell their events via the service. With the Eventbrite app, you can also easily find these events all on your mobile device. The app will display all events that are within your location and get yourself an e-ticket in-app. iOS have the further option of using Passbook with this app.

[Get the app: iOS, Android]

3. Meetup

Meetup allows you to create or join local groups with varying interests: tech, food, photography, you name it. The app will suggest local meet ups around your vicinity and you can finetune the suggestions by indicating how far you are willing to travel and for which interest. There is also a calendar of events that will allow you to quickly see all the meet ups that are happening or will happen soon.

[Get the app: iOS, Android]

4. Field Trip

Coming out of Google’s Niantic Labs, the same lab that made the popular Ingress augmented reality (A.R.) game, Field Trip also uses AR but to help you find interesting things. Instead of the usual visual focus, this app is aural: it tells you what is interesting through your headphones. It will point out to you recommendations from a list of interests such as food, offers, history, architecture among others.

[Get the app: iOS, Android]

5. Spotsetter

Spotsetter uses your existing social networks to make recommendations based on your friends’ activities. The more social networks you connect to, the better its recommendation will be. It also has an active feedback mechanism set up. For example, if a friend checks into restaurants frequently you can like their activity and categorize them into say, a Foodie. In the future, the app will let you know when they check into an interesting eatery.

[Get the app: iOS]

6. Vamos

Vamos is a discovery app for events that are happening in the city. On top of Facebook events, it will map out other public events that are listed on Eventbrite and Ticketmaster. From the app, you will be able to get a ton of information about the event from offers, guest lists and Instagram photos. The app is on a city-by-city basis so your results may vary.

[Get the app: iOS]

7. Gravy

Gravy will help you find an event based on the mood you are in. Lively, classy or brainy, you can pick from these moods and Gravy will find the nearest event that will match it. Alternatively, if you are feeling "meh" at best, pick Whatever for a random selection or go the traditional route of sifting through the categories. The app will also plug into social media to expand your selections.

[Get the app: iOS, Android]

8. Songkick Concerts

If you feel like going to a concert anytime soon, Songkick Concerts is the app for you. In addition to tracking the tours of your favorite artists, the app will inform you of any concerts that are happening in your area, drawing from newspaper listings and venue websites. It will pull your favorite artists from who you follow on Facebook, your Last.fm pickings and even from your iTune app, so it knows whose concerts you would probably want to follow up on.

[Get the app: iOS, Android]

9. Time To Enjoy

Time To Enjoy draws from your calendar and notifies you on what events to look out for when you have free time. Broken down to the date and the hourly timeslots, the app lists out events you can attend in your area and even allows you to publish your own events so others can join or attend it. So far, the app works in the US, Canada and Europe but there are plans to expand this worldwide.

[Get the app: iOS]

10. MapMyNearest

If you find yourself in a new place for work or leisure, not knowing where the nearest police station, petrol station, bus stop or laundromat is, then this handy web app MapMyNearest will be of assistance. It will locate the nearest location for you, based on your current location. You will need to grant it access to your computer or device location to fully utilize its mapping abilities.