 |
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
 |
A woman in White Plains, N.Y., had thousands of electronic gadgets stolen from her apartment. When the burglar turned on the stolen Macintosh laptop, the woman jumped onto another computer and remotely turned on the video camera, snapped a photo and turned it over to police — who arrested two men. By National Public Radio HYPERLIN link
Morning Edition, May 12, 2008
When does the conductor answer to the semiconductor? When a robot is leading the symphony.
Last night a 4ft-tall automaton with a baton called Asimo conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mitch Leigh's The Impossible Dream from the Man from La Mancha.
Asimo (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) greeted the audience with the words "hello, everyone," before waving to the orchestra.
Asimo is the latest robot designed by Honda, which has been developing walking robots since 1986.
It can run, walk on uneven slopes and respond to simple voice commands. It can also recognize faces with its camera eyes. Honda eventually intends its robots to be companions for the elderly or to assist schoolchildren at road crossings.
But Asimo's musical repertoire is limited. Unable to respond to the musicians, last night's performance was a case of elaborate "baton-synching", mimicking the actions of a conductor who had been videotaped before.
During the first rehearsal, the orchestra lost its place when Asimo began to slow the tempo, something a human conductor would have sensed and corrected.
"It's not a communicative device. It simply is programmed to do a sense of gestures," said Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra's musical director. "If the orchestra decides to go faster, there's nothing the robot can do about it. Hopefully, I keep that under control."Nevertheless, Asimo wowed the audience and even impressed some of the musicians. "The movements are still a little stiff, but very humanlike, much more fluid than I thought," said bassist Larry Hutchinson
|
|
|
| |
 |
Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100%. But, there are simple ways you can continue to maintain your computer's security, and decrease the possibility of infection.
- Use a firewall.
- Keep your system updated by downloading the latest versions of antivirus and Microsoft patches. They will ask you to update the software with a pop-up window. Make sure it is from your antivirus provider. If unsure call us.
- Maintain a current antivirus software subscription.
- Follow Best Practices guidelines. We have set of easy to follow guidelines if needed.
Tip: Because no one security method is totally guaranteed, it’s important to back up critical files on a regular basis before (heaven forbid!) you encounter a virus or other problems.
How to avoid viruses:
1. |
Use an Internet firewall.
Note: Windows XP with SP2 has a firewall already built-in and turned on by default. |
2. |
Visit Microsoft Update and turn on automatic updating.
Note: If you've installed Office 2003 or Office XP, Automatic Updates will also update your Office programs. If you have an earlier version of Office, use Office Update. |
3. |
Subscribe to industry standard antivirus software such as Windows Live OneCare, and keep it current. |
4. |
Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know. |
5. |
Avoid opening an e-mail attachment from someone you know, unless you know exactly what the attachment is. The sender may be unaware that it contains a virus.
|
|
|
|
