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Brain Scan Can Predict Math Mistakes 133

Posted by samzenpus
from the what-wrong-looks-like dept.
itwbennett writes "Computer Science Ph.D. candidate Federico Cirett says that he can predict with 80 percent accuracy when someone is about to make a mistake on a math question. Using an EEG machine, Cirett can identify the patterns in a volunteer's thinking that are likely to result in an error 20 seconds or so before it's made. 'If we can detect when they are going to fail, maybe we can change the text or switch the question to give them another one at a different level of difficulty, but also to keep them engaged,' Cirett said. 'Brain wave data is the nearest thing we have to really know when the students are having problems.' He will present a paper on his findings at the User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization conference in July."

Comment: Re:Obesity (Score 1) 504

I'm glad you asked for the citation. After tracking down the source, it turns out my statement was slightly misleading and I get an opportunity to correct it. I apologize. Also, it pisses me off when other people make claims like this without backing them up, so I get to eat my own dog food.

A more accurate statement: 75% of health care costs in the U.S. are due to chronic conditions, and the chronic conditions that are due to lifestyle choices dominate this category.

Source (it's a nice overview of the problem): http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/chronic.htm

Comment: Obesity (Score 2) 504

75% of money spent on health care in the U.S. is for self-inflicted diseases or the consequences thereof. That might be a good place to start looking.

I'm not saying that people that need dialysis or bypass surgery shouldn't be helped; I'm saying we should be spending money on ways to help them not get there in the first place.

Comment: Holy Crap (Score 3, Insightful) 160

I know this is still a research project and they don't know how well it's actually going to work in practice, but the fact that we're approaching a machine-nerve interface at all is incredible. If they are successful, they will end up with a permanent, prominent place in our history books.

Good work, people.

Raspberry Pi goes on sale today->

Submitted by niftydude
niftydude writes "The long-awaited raspberrypi went on sale today at 0600 UST. Due to anticipated demand, sales have been offloaded to farnell and rs components. Even so, both http://www.farnell.com/ and http://uk.rs-online.com/web/ have suffered temporary meltdown at the hands of avid raspberry seekers. Announcement is at http://www.raspberrypi.org./"
Link to Original Source
Movies

Submitting "Nuking the Fridge" To Scientific Peer Review 284

Posted by samzenpus
from the leave-Indiana-alone dept.
An anonymous reader writes "George Lucas claims there was 'a 50/50 chance' Indiana Jones could survive the atomic blast in Legend of the Crystal Skull by hiding inside a refrigerator. Dr. David Shechner subjects this claim to rigorous peer review, and his findings are not good news for people looking to hide from nukes in appliances."

But soft you, the fair Ophelia: Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws, But get thee to a nunnery -- go! -- Mark "The Bard" Twain