clapper

Intelligence chief offers dire warning on cyberattacks

If he was trying to scare the hell out of his listeners about the current state of cybersecurity, consider the newest warning from the nation's top intelligence official a mission accomplished.

In stark testimony delivered today to Congress, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper described a fast-eroding economic and national security landscape that's being rapidly penetrated by foreign agents infiltrating the nation's computer networks. This was the first time Clapper has included cyberattacks in his yearly congressional report on security threats facing the nation -- the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (PDF) -- … Read more

'Minority Report' meets the Clapper

The Minority Report's sci-fi touch screen has become a cliche for futuristic gadgetry, and some are willing to pay $100,000 or more for anything that even approaches its fable. But there may be a form of digital control that does it one better: navigation without laying hands on the computer at all.

As fellow Craver Michael Kanellos found at the Ceatec show in Japan, Toshiba and others were anxious to show off PCs and various devices controlled by hand gestures. One company, JVC, has even managed to combine the cutting-edge technology with a concept made famous by late-night … Read more

When you refuse to get 'The Clapper'

Here at Crave, we're unfailingly dedicated to conserving energy--especially our own. So to do our part in the fight against NBM (Needless Bodily Movement), we're always on the lookout for gadgets like the "Remote-Controlled Switch Socket."

This handy little thing facilitates our slothful ways with a remote that acts as a wireless toggle switch for whatever is plugged into its special socket on the wall within 100 feet, according to Uber-Review. Yes, "The Clapper" will do the same thing, but please--allow us some shred of what little dignity we have left.

Our only concern … Read more

Robotic hand plays piano classics

It's a graphic example of the convergence of music and technology, with a bit of Halloween creepiness thrown in for good measure. This robotic hand, according to Book of Joe, mimicks the playing of six piano classics, including Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony", Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer," and Chopin's "Minute Waltz." Sound sensors start the device when you clap--not quite the same as raising a baton, but close enough for a musician that runs on AA batteries.

(Photo: Book of Joe)