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Cloud

Submission + - Review: Google Compute Engine (infoworld.com)

Submitted by
snydeq
snydeq writes: "InfoWorld's Peter Wayner takes an in-depth look at Google Compute Engine, the search giant's response to Amazon Web Services and Rackspace. 'If you want to build your own collection of Linux boxes, Google Compute Engine offers a nice, generic way to buy servers at what — depending on the size of compute instance you need — can be a great price. The most attractive feature will probably be the proximity to the other parts of the Google infrastructure,' Wayner writes, adding that Google Compute Engine is just one part of the Google APIs portal, a grand collection of 46 services. 'I suspect many developers will be most interested in using Google Compute Engine when they want to poll these Google databases fairly often. While I don't think you're guaranteed to be in the same zone as the service you want, you're still closer than when traveling across the generic Web.'"
The Military

Submission + - Raven AirBot Teams with iRobot PackBot (blogspot.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Today the Air Force, Army and Navy all have robots for the air, land and sea, but none of them communicate with each other for coordinated missions. A new joint DoD development effort aims to change that by getting Raven UAVs cooperating with iRobot PackBots on the ground, for both military and civilian applications. For instance, in agriculture the Raven could spot invasive species from the air and spray them with herbicides, then alert ground-based PackBots to zero-in on difficult-to-spray locations where it could dig up the toughest hombres. The FAA still has to approve UAVs for domestic civilian applications, but by 2013 you should start hearing a weird new buzz overhead that is already familiar in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Privacy

Submission + - Meet Elvis: The robot that interrogates people traveling across the border (networkworld.com)

Submitted by colinneagle
colinneagle writes: Even though it's been 35 years, some folks have a specific King of Rock-n-Roll in mind when they hear the name "Elvis." However you might have a case of the Jailhouse Rock blues if the new Elvis catches you in a lie. That's because this Elvis is AI; an android behind a touchscreen who questions people on behalf of U.S. Customs and Border (CBP) Protection to analyze potentially suspicious behavior and to predict threats. He's an Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-Time (AVATAR) kiosk.

Tucson News reported that there are not enough CBP agents to handle all of the Trusted Traveler Program applications that require face-to-face interviews. It works by using sensors "to screen passengers for unusual physiological responses to questioning — which can indicate a subject is lying," according to CNN.

  It's not what you answer, but how you answer. Are you upset or fidgeting? CNN reported that it "uses three sensors to assess physiological responses: a microphone, which monitors vocal quality, pitch and frequency; an infrared camera, which looks at pupil dilation and where the eyes focus; and a high-definition camera recording facial expressions."

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