Archived News for IT Professionals - February, 2014
A conference in Canberra has seen some of the chiefs of the online education revolution spruik their achievements to local universities.
Virtual course helps play out in real life
A pilot program is using technology to bridge education barriers worldwide, by conducting courses through avatars in an entirely virtual world.
Chicken eyes give better view on new state of matter
The light-sensitive cells in the eye of a chicken represent the first known biological occurrence of a potentially new state of matter.
Phase change found for ultra-thin future
Breakthroughs have brought the possibility of functional ‘Mottronic’ devices a bit closer.
Calls for remote access to take better mental care nationwide
A researcher from the University of South Australia says there are a few changes which would greatly improve mental health services in Australia, particularly to rural areas.
Closed talks continue on medical, intellectual and economic future
A new round of Trans-Pacific Partnership talks have begun in Singapore, where trade ministers from twelve nations carve out the final parts of the far-reaching deal.
Snowden: traitor, spy, elected student body representative
Students at Glasgow University in Scotland have picked an international fugitive as their representative, electing Edward Snowden as college rector.
Young inventor finds cheap help for the blind
An inventor has slashed the price of Braille printers by thousands of dollars, but even more incredibly – he’s only 12 years old.
Locals win fight to keep federal IT in Tasmania
The Federal Government says it will not pull workers out of Tasmania, abandoning a plan to relocate staff away from the ailing economy.
Utter silence expected from public sector before election
Tasmanian Liberals want public sector workers to keep their opinions to themselves in the run-up to the state election.
Fish-following boosted by rolling battery design
Engineers have created a tiny battery and sensor, no bigger than a grain of rice, which holds enough power to track the long migratory path of salmon.
New light links bend and stretch to future devices
Researchers worldwide are working on materials to better integrate humans with their technology, and a new development in the field of optics may provide a way to link it all together.
Working toward uniform genetic data
Researchers have made progress on a major hurdle for next-level genetic treatments.
Google's big green spend to save later
Google has dropped over a billion dollars into a range of renewable energy projects, possibly so that it can trim the power bills from its other big buys.
Health rating site derailed by junk food insider
What seemed like an innocuous error has become a scandal in the healthcare bureaucracy after a potential conflict of interest in the Health Department.
Many forlorn as fibre forgone to keep the copper
There has been widespread alarm and outrage since NBN Co announced it would wind back fibre-optic installations at some sites where the copper network seems fine.
Science lights up the decisive mental switchboard
Research has shown how our brain combines internal and external information to create a complete view of the world.
Talking app to use phones for mobility
A smartphone app is helping the blind stay mobile with public transport, giving up-to-the-minute location and stop information that is often lacking.
Boss looks to blue skies for jetpack launch
An NZ-based company is drumming up funds to make every ten-year-old’s dream come true; developing the world’s first practical, commercial jetpack.
Cell-moving robots bring organ-building closer
Biomedical engineers in the United States have announced an advance in the field of tissue manufacture – bringing the likelihood of 3D-printed replacement organs even closer.
Tests to lift necks from Nature's toolbox
Researchers are looking to nature for design advice, looking to pinch the secrets of their astounding neck joints.