The man with a chip in his brain
Meet Matthew Nagle, who became a quadriplegic after a knife attack in 2001. The 25-year-old from Weymouth, Mass., is able to turn his TV on and off, read his e-mail and play video games just by thinking about it. Nagle is able to do all this, thanks to a device embedded in his brain called BrainGate, produced by Foxborough, Mass.-based Cyberkinetics. The chip was placed in Nagle’s motor cortex (the part of the brain that controls movement) where it allows him to control everyday objects with his brain. Hundreds of electrodes in the chip send Nagle’s thoughts or brain waves to a computer that deciphers them. As well, Nagle has been able to move candy from one person’s hand to another by controlling a prosthetic arm. The chip’s develpers hope the device will one day give those living with paralysis the ability to regain use of their limbs through limb-moving devices.
Rogers finally makes it possible to watch TV on your cell phone
It may be a 200-channel universe out there in TV-land, but when it comes to your cell phone, you have just eight channels from which to choose — which is still quite an accomplishment. Rogers Wireless in Toronto and Berkeley, Calif.-based MobiTV have teamed up to give Canadian subscribers of Rogers Wireless access to Rogers Mobile Television. The Toronto-based cell phone carrier recently announced it will offer live television programs on its wireless devices from Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Subscribers will have access to programs including Toronto Blue Jays game highlights, the Weather Channel and shows from MSNBC and the Discovery Channel. Rogers Wireless Television is available now and can be purchased directly from the handsets. Price tag: $9/month plus data transport costs of up to $15. For more information, visit here.
Sharpen your network skills with a new game from cisco
Three games were released by Cisco Systems last month to help network professionals hone their skills and challenge others. Its Learning Game Trilogy is a combination of three online technology games: Rockin’ Retailer (where users learn the benefits of IP communications solutions), Network Defenders (players have their networking knowledge put to the test and also learn how to defend against security attacks), and SAN Rover (gamers build a storage area network). These games are part of the Cisco Career Certifications program and are free from its Web site. Visit here
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