Category: Cell Phone

New phone app might be able to predict onset of manic behavior in people in bipolar disorder

On By A.P.In bipolar disorder, Cell Phone, Joe Palca, mania, Medicine, Melvin McInnis, mental health, mental illness, Neuropsychiatric Disease, psychiatrist, Psychiatry, Speech and Signal Processing, Technology, The Future, University of MichiganLeave a comment

by Joe Palca

There are smartphone apps for monitoring your diet, your drugs, even your heart. And now a Michigan psychiatrist is developing an app he hopes doctors will someday use to predict when a manic episode is imminent in patients with bipolar disorder.

People with the disorder alternate between crushing depression and wild manic episodes that come with the dangerous mix of uncontrollable energy and impaired judgment.

There are drugs that can prevent these episodes and allow people with bipolar disorder to live normal lives, according to Dr. Melvin McInnis, a psychiatrist at the University of Michigan Medical Center. But relapses are common.

“We want to be able to detect that well in advance,” McInnis says. “The importance of detecting that well in advance is that they reach a point where their insight is compromised, so they don’t feel themselves that anything is wrong.”

Early detection would give doctors a chance to adjust a patient’s medications and stave off full-blown manic episodes.

McInnis says researchers have known for some time that when people are experiencing a manic or depressive episode, their speech patterns change. Depressed patients tend to speak slowly, with long pauses, whereas people with a full-blown manic attack tend to speak extremely rapidly, jumping from topic to topic.

“It occurred to me a number of years ago that monitoring speech patterns would be a really powerful way to devise some kind of an approach to have the ability to predict when an episode is imminent,” says McInnis.

So he and some computer science colleagues invented a smartphone app. The idea is that doctors would give patients the app. The app would record whenever they spoke on the phone. Once a day, the phone would send the recorded speech to a computer in the doctor’s office that would analyze it for such qualities as speed, energy and inflection.

Right now the app is being tested with 12 or 15 volunteers who are participating in a longitudinal study of bipolar disorder.

McInnis and his colleagues presented preliminary results at this year’s International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, and so far, things are looking encouraging. McInnis says the software is reasonably good at detecting signs of an impending manic attack. It’s not quite as good catching an oncoming depression.

For now, this app is only intended for patients with bipolar disorder, but McInnis thinks that routinely listening for changes in speech could be an important tool for early detection of a variety of diseases.

This drone can steal what’s on your phone

On By A.P.In Black Hat security conference, Cell Phone, Crime, Da Brayn, Daniel Cuthbert, data storage, drone, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Glenn Wilkinson, Human Behavior, Sensepost Research Labs, Snoopy, TechnologyLeave a comment

The next threat to your privacy could be hovering over head while you walk down the street.

Hackers have developed a drone that can steal the contents of your smartphone — from your location data to your Amazon password — and they’ve been testing it out in the skies of London. The research will be presented next week at the Black Hat Asia cybersecurity conference in Singapore.

The technology equipped on the drone, known as Snoopy, looks for mobile devices with Wi-Fi settings turned on.

Snoopy takes advantage of a feature built into all smartphones and tablets: When mobile devices try to connect to the Internet, they look for networks they’ve accessed in the past.

“Their phone will very noisily be shouting out the name of every network its ever connected to,” Sensepost security researcher Glenn Wilkinson said. “They’ll be shouting out, ‘Starbucks, are you there?…McDonald’s Free Wi-Fi, are you there?”

That’s when Snoopy can swoop into action (and be its most devious, even more than the cartoon dog): the drone can send back a signal pretending to be networks you’ve connected to in the past. Devices two feet apart could both make connections with the quadcopter, each thinking it is a different, trusted Wi-Fi network. When the phones connect to the drone, Snoopy will intercept everything they send and receive.

“Your phone connects to me and then I can see all of your traffic,” Wilkinson said.

That includes the sites you visit, credit card information entered or saved on different sites, location data, usernames and passwords. Each phone has a unique identification number, or MAC address, which the drone uses to tie the traffic to the device.

The names of the networks the phones visit can also be telling.

“I’ve seen somebody looking for ‘Bank X’ corporate Wi-Fi,” Wilkinson said. “Now we know that that person works at that bank.”

CNNMoney took Snoopy out for a spin in London on a Saturday afternoon in March and Wilkinson was able to show us what he believed to be the homes of several people who had walked underneath the drone. In less than an hour of flying, he obtained network names and GPS coordinates for about 150 mobile devices.

He was also able to obtain usernames and passwords for Amazon, PayPal and Yahoo accounts created for the purposes of our reporting so that we could verify the claims without stealing from passersby.

Collecting metadata, or the device IDs and network names, is probably not illegal, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Intercepting usernames, passwords and credit card information with the intent of using them would likely violate wiretapping and identity theft laws.

Wilkinson, who developed the technology with Daniel Cuthbert at Sensepost Research Labs, says he is an ethical hacker. The purpose of this research is to raise awareness of the vulnerabilities of smart devices.

Installing the technology on drones creates a powerful threat because drones are mobile and often out of sight for pedestrians, enabling them to follow people undetected.

While most of the applications of this hack are creepy, it could also be used for law enforcement and public safety. During a riot, a drone could fly overhead and identify looters, for example.

Users can protect themselves by shutting off Wi-Fi connections and forcing their devices to ask before they join networks.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/20/technology/security/drone-phone/?google_editors_picks=true

Thanks to Da Brayn for bringing this to the attention of the It’s Interesting community.

New urine-powered phone chargers

On By A.P.In Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Cell Phone, England, Ioannis Ieropoulos, microbial fuel power stack, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry, Technology, University of Bristol, UrineLeave a comment

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British scientists said they have harnessed the power of urine and are able to charge a mobile phone with enough electricity to send texts and surf the Internet.

Researchers from the University of Bristol and Bristol Robotics Laboratory in south west England said they had created a fuel cell that uses bacteria to break down urine to generate electricity, in a study published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.

“No one has harnessed power from urine to do this so it’s an exciting discovery,” said engineer Ioannis Ieropoulos Tuesday.

“The beauty of this fuel source is that we are not relying on the erratic nature of the wind or the sun; we are actually reusing waste to create energy.

“One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine,” he added.

The team grew bacteria on carbon fibre anodes and placed them inside ceramic cylinders.

The bacteria broke down chemicals in urine passed through the cylinders, building up a small amount of electrical charge which was stored on a capacitor.

Ieropoulos hoped that the cell, which is currently the size of a car battery, could be developed for many applications.

“Our aim is to have something that can be carried around easily,” he explained.

“So far the microbial fuel power stack (MFC) that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call.

“The concept has been tested and it works – it’s now for us to develop and refine the process so that we can develop MFCs to fully charge a battery.”

They hope the technology will eventually be used to power domestic devices.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/17/scientists-power-mobile-phone-using-urine/#ixzz2ZJII394D

Michigan judge holds himself in contempt of court for his cell phone

On By A.P.In Blackberry, Cell Phone, contempt of court, judicial system, Michigan, Raymond Voet, Technology1 Comment

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A Michigan judge whose smartphone disrupted a hearing in his own courtroom has held himself in contempt and paid $25 for the infraction. Judge Raymond Voet has a posted policy at Ionia County 64A District Court stating that electronic devices causing a disturbance during court sessions will result in the owner being cited with contempt, the Sentinel-Standard of Ionia and MLive.com reported.

On Friday afternoon, during a prosecutor’s closing argument as part of a jury trial, Voet’s new smartphone began to emit sounds requesting phone voice commands. Voet said he thinks he bumped the phone, and the embarrassment likely left his face red.

“I’m guessing I bumped it. It started talking really loud, saying ‘I can’t understand you. Say something like Mom,'” he said.

Voet has used a Blackberry mobile phone for years, and said he wasn’t as familiar with the operation of the new touchscreen, Windows-based phone.

“That’s an excuse, but I don’t take those excuses from anyone else. I set the bar high, because cellphones are a distraction and there is very serious business going on,” he said. “The courtroom is a special place in the community, and it needs more respect than that.”

Over the years, the judge whose court is about 110 miles northwest of Detroit has taken phones away from police officers, attorneys, witnesses, spectators and friends. During a break in the trial, Voet held himself in contempt, fined himself and paid the fine.

“Judges are humans,” Voet said. “They’re not above the rules. I broke the rule and I have to live by it.”

http://www.wxow.com/story/21977920/judge-holds-self-in-contempt-for-his-smartphone

New cell phone app designed to prevent incest in Iceland

On By A.P.In Book of Icelanders, Cell Phone, Human Behavior, Iceland, incest, Technology1 Comment

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A new cellphone app touts itself as a way for Iceland’s singles to avoid sleeping with relatives — as the isolated country’s small population of 320,000 means most people are related. The acquaintances just have to bump their phones together and it tells them instantly if they’re family. Three Icelandic engineers designed the app with the help of the Book of Icelanders that contains data from 720,000 people born in Iceland.

News of Iceland says, “Everyone has heard of (or experienced) it when someone goes all in with someone and then later runs into that person at a family gathering some other time. This new app might just prevent such awkward moments.”

Its slogan: “Bump the app before you bump in bed.”

The app is available for Android phones and will be available for iPhone soon.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2013/04/18/20753176.html

Brazilian woman almost killed by train while trying to retrieve her dropped cell phone

On By A.P.In Accidents, Brazil, Cell Phone, Corinthians-Itaquera station, Sao Paulo, StupidityLeave a comment

This video shows a woman trapped on the tracks below a commuter rail platform in Brazil escape within an inch of her life from an oncoming train. Two men pulled the woman to safety less than a second before the train speeds by at the Corinthians-Itaquera station in Sao Paulo.

Bystanders said she jumped onto the tracks to retrieve her dropped cellphone, but couldn’t climb back out.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2013/04/02/20704421.html

South Africans offered free phone for every 60 rats caught

On By A.P.In Alexandra, Cell Phone, Johannesburg, Pied Piper, Rat, South Africa, TechnologyLeave a comment

 

Alexandra’s discarded piles of rotting food and leaking sewage have become a perfect breeding ground for rats.
 
As it was in medieval Hamelin, so it is today in the South African township of Alexandra: wherever you go, you are never far from a rat.

But residents of the Johannesburg suburb have been offered a deal unavailable in the era of the Pied Piper – a free mobile phone for every resident who catches 60 of the rodents.

Alexandra has just turned 100 years old and was the young Nelson Mandela’s first home when he moved to Johannesburg. Its cramped shacks and illegal rubbish dumps sit in brutal contrast with neighbouring Sandton, dubbed the wealthiest square mile in Africa.

The crumbling structures, leaking sewage and discarded piles of rotting food are a perfect breeding ground for rats, much to the torment of residents. There have reportedly been cases of children’s fingers being bitten while they sleep.

In an attempt to fight back, city officials have distributed cages and the mobile phone company 8ta has sponsored the volunteer ratcatchers.

Resident Joseph Mothapo says he has won two phones and plans to get one for each member of his family. “It’s easy,” he told South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper, wielding a large cage containing rats. “You put your leftover food inside and the rats climb in, getting caught as the trap door closes.”

But there were signs that the PR stunt could backfire, as animals rights activists criticised the initiative on social networks.

On Monday 8ta denied responsibility for the initiative. It said it was a long-time sponsor of a charity called Lifeline, which had taken the decision to hand out phones.

“You will have to ask Lifeline why they decided to use these promotional products,” said Pynee Chetty, an 8ta spokesman. “They do a lot of good community work, including in Alexandra. They used the promotional material to incentivise members of the community. I wasn’t aware this is how they were going to resolve the problem [of rats].”

He added: “We won’t distance ourselves from Lifeline. It is a charity that does a lot of good work and our support for them is steadfast. I don’t want to deny the story. What I’m saying is that it’s not our initiative.”

The Mail and Guardian reported that thousands of rats have been gassed to death by a specialist, Ashford Sidzumo, at the local sports centre. “We record all the people’s details so we can see where the rats are causing the biggest problem,” he was quoted as saying. “We use this to send fumigation teams there.”

Local councillor Julie Moloi told the Mail & Guardian there had been no choice but to carry out the drastic experiment. “We are afraid these rats will take over Alex and it will become a city of rats,” she said.

In another measure, owls have been given to three local schools because of their rat-catching prowess. But wider deployment of the birds may be difficult: Moloi said people kill them because of traditional beliefs that they are to be feared.

Texas man texts about danger of texting while driving just before he plunges off cliff

On By A.P.In Alabama, Cell Phone, Chance Bothe, Texas, textingLeave a comment

A college student from Texas believes he is lucky to be alive after a terrible crash. He was texting and driving when his truck flew off of a cliff.

Chance Bothe’s truck plunged off of a bridge and into a ravine. One of the last things he typed indicated what almost happened to him.

He wrote, “I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident.”

After the crash, Chance had a broken neck, a crushed face, a fractured skull, and traumatic brain injuries. Doctors had to bring him back to life three times . Now, 6 months later, he’s finally able to talk about what happened.

“They just need to understand, don’t do it. Don’t do it. It’s not worth losing your life,” he said. “I went to my grandmother’s funeral not long ago, and I kept thinking, it kept jumping into my head, I’m surprised that’s not me up in that casket. I came very close to that, to being gone forever.”

Chance’s father said, if he had a child just learning to drive, he would disable texting and Internet on their phone.

As of August 1st, drivers in Alabama will face a $25 fine the first time they are caught texting behind the wheel.

Premature Baby in Argentina Found Alive in Morgue Refrigerator 10 Hours After Being Pronounced Dead

On By A.P.In Argentina, Cell Phone, Health, Luz Milagros Veron, Medicine, Miracle Baby, Premature Birth, Refrigerator, SurvivalLeave a comment

 

 

One-week-old Luz Milagros Veron is Argentina’s miracle baby. Pronounced dead after her premature birth, the baby withstood more than 10 hours in a morgue refrigerator before being found alive.

“Today is the eighth day of my daughter’s resurrection,” the girl’s father, Fabian Veron, told CNN Wednesday.

Doctors at the Perrando Hospital in northeast Argentina can’t explain it, and every, doctor, nurse and morgue worker who dealt with the baby has been suspended as an investigation gets underway, officials said.

Luz Milagros remains in stable condition but she’s in intensive care, a health official said.

Analia Boutet, the baby’s mother, had given birth four times previously, and had recently suffered a miscarriage. This baby was born on April 3, three months early, and had no vital signs, hospital director Dr. Jose Luis Meirino told CNN.

The gynecologist on hand didn’t find any signs of life, so he passed the baby to a neonatal doctor who also didn’t find vital signs, Meirino said.

The doctors observed the baby for a while, and only then, pronounced her dead.

The hospital followed protocol, Meirino said.

Two morgue workers then put her body inside a little wooden coffin and placed it in the freezer.

“Up to that point, there were still no vital signs,” the hospital director said.

That night, Boutet began insisting on seeing her dead daughter’s body, Veron said.

She wanted to take a picture with her cell phone of the baby just as she lay, as a memory, the husband said.

It took some cajoling, but finally, hospital officials allowed the couple to visit the baby in the hospital morgue around 10 p.m., Veron said. As many as 12 hours had passed since the baby had been declared dead.

“They put the coffin on top of a stretcher and we looked for a little crowbar to open it because it was nailed shut,” Veron told a local television station. “It was nailed shut. I put the crowbar in there and started prying. I took a breath and took the lid off.”

Boutet approached the baby’s body, touched her hand, and heard a cry, Veron told CNN.

She jumped back. “It’s my imagination, it’s my imagination,” she repeated.

But the baby was alive, and crying.

Veron’s brother-in-law rushed the baby back to the neonatal ward. He clutched her close to his chest for warmth. She felt like an ice-cold bottle against his body, the relative told Veron.

“I can’t explain what happened. Only that God has performed a miracle,” Veron said.

His daughter was given a fresh, if precarious chance, and along with it, a new name.

She was going to be named Lucia, but after finding her alive, her parents said she would be Luz Milagros — the Spanish words for light and miracles.

In the meantime, an investigation has been launched at the hospital.

“I don’t have an explanation for what happened, but if there is culpability we’ll see what we’ll do,” Rafael Sabatinelli, deputy secretary of health in the Chaco region, told CNN.

“The personnel who were involved have responsibilities, and therefore, will have to be held accountable for their actions,” he said in a statement.

Both Sabatinelli and Meirino said it was the first time they had witnessed an incident like this, but that a nearly identical thing happened in Israel in 2008.

In that case, a baby was found alive in a morgue refrigerator after having been declared dead.

Some doctors at the time said that it was possible that the low temperatures inside the refrigerator had slowed down the baby’s metabolism and helped her survive. However, that baby later died.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/11/world/americas/argentina-baby-survivor/index.html?hpt=hp_c2