South Korean researchers have developed a robot which can dance and get emotional when it's not tackling the chores.

Mahru can move its lips, eyebrows and even pupils freely to make faces and can emit two kinds of fragrances to match its emotions. It can move upper body parts freely while walking on its legs.

The robot was developed by a research team at the state-funded Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

"Mahru, which can dance while walking on its legs, was developed as a humanoid robot capable of working in place of a human," team leader You Bum-Jae said in a statement.

"It will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework."

Mahru is programmed to follow various human movements through an advanced motion capture system, he said, adding it can move its hands freely to cope with any interference or obstacles.

Link: MSN

Anal moderator for the first US Presidential Debate, Jim Lehrer, kicked off the proceedings with a disclaimer to the audience, demanding them to be on their best behavior.

There’s been a lot of talk about the new Batman movie, how it’s "visionary," "spellbinding," and "by far, the greatest thing civilization has created."

Likewise, there’s also been some kind word’s associated with Heath Ledger's performance as Caesar Romero (the Joker) in The Dark Knight; words like "transcendent," "Oscar-worthy," "Pant-filling," and "a performance way-better than the episode of Full House where DJ has an eating disorder." 

MySpace is launching a new music service that blends free online radio, community and ways to interact with bands and discover new tunes.

In what is billed as an initial phase of a MySpace Music evolution, the website features unlimited ad-supported streaming of songs along with tools for creating personalized playlists and buying tunes online from Amazon MP3 store.

MySpace Music users can collect as much music as they like and store it "in the cloud" on the News Corp-owned website's computer servers, meaning they can access the tunes from where ever they wish via the Internet. People can opt to share playlists with friends on social networking website or to cloak their musical selections from others. Along with being able to listen to music free of charge, digitized songs sold at MP3 can be freely copied or moved between iPods or any other players because they aren't shackled by digital rights management software.

MySpace Music also has software tools to help bands and studios make money from their songs, tours, memorabilia, corporate sponsorships and other "e-commerce offerings."

Moving beyond Internet radio, MySpace aims to create a place online where people can interact with bands and share discoveries with friends while getting "all you can eat streaming" of music. MySpace said its partners in the "landmark joint venture" include EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and The Orchard.

After its US launch Thursday, MySpace Music is to expand internationally. The website is to be available in Spanish as well as English.

Link: Yahoo News

People who hope to keep their age a secret won’t want to go near a computer running this software.

Computer software being developed at the University of Illinois can fairly accurately estimate a person’s age by examining only the person’s face.

“Age-estimation software is useful in applications where you don’t need to specifically identify someone, such as a government employee, but would like to know their age,” said Thomas S. Huang, the William L. Everitt Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Illinois

For example, age-recognition algorithms could stop underage drinkers from entering bars, prevent minors from purchasing tobacco products from vending machines, and deny children access to adult Web sites.

Estimating someone’s age is not an easy task, even for a computer. That’s partly because the aging process is determined not only by a person’s genetic makeup, but by many other factors as well, including health, location and living conditions.

The software can estimate ages from 1 year to 93 years. The software’s accuracy ranges from about 50 percent when estimating ages to within 5 years, to more than 80 percent when estimating ages to within 10 years.

Combined with algorithms that identify a person’s sex, age-estimation software could help target specific audiences for specific advertisements. For example, a store display might advertise a new automobile or boat as a man walks by, or new clothing or cosmetics as a woman walks by.

“All of this can be done without violating anyone’s privacy,” Huang said. “Our software does not identify specific individuals. It just estimates their ages.”

Link: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Imagine cycling in the river, with the wind in your hair, waving to passing boaters! Yes, your dreams come true with this Di- Cycle; an amphibious vehicle could stroll wonderfully on water and land. This stunning, sleek transportation vehicle with humongous wheels is designed by GBO. However the idea to create such product is not new. It is just like riding on old pedal boat that has extraordinary large wheels. The large yet might help the rider in covering distance faster. Its crisscross design provides comfortable and stylish seating for the rider. The spectacular work of art on the Di-Cycle is certain to make
some heads turn!

Via: Uber-gizmo

Yes, she may be beautiful, and have a body that is perhaps molded by God himself, but Gemma Atkinson, former Hollyoaks star (no, I haven’t heard of the show either), says she enjoys playing the Nintendo Wii just as much as normal, unremarkable people do.

Amazon.com said on Monday that its subsidiary, Internet Movie Database, would allow users to watch feature films and TV shows for no charge on its Web site, imdb.com.

Over 6,000 titles will be available, the company said, citing recent episodes of popular television shows like "24" and "Heroes" or classic films like "Some Like It Hot."

IMDB also said that the first episodes of new fall television shows like "Lipstick Jungle" and "30 Rock" will be available for free viewing before their first air date.

Amazon, best known as the global online retail giant, has been pursuing deals to increase its footprint into digital media. The company already offers downloadable films and television shows from almost all the major Hollywood studios and television networks on its own web site.

Link: Reuters

Liv Tyler, although soft spoken and pleasant, is in actuality a huge danger to filmgoers, especially when portraying Betty Ross in the newest Incredible Hulk movie -- dangerous like Schumacher’s Batman, but without the homosexual agenda.