Researchers create car that can be steered by thought

The case for outlawing the practice of talking on cell phones while driving got a boost from the latest breakthrough from the innovation labs of Freie Universität Berlin. German scientists working there have installed a car with new technology that can read the driver's brain waves, thus allowing the car to be steered entirely by thought, reports Science Daily. Needless to say, you probably don't want to be distracted while driving this vehicle. The technology is made possible by commercially available sensors for recording electroencephalograms (EEGs), which are basically the electrical outputs your brain produces while it thinks. Scientists then trained a computer program to distinguish the particular electrical patterns that are produced when a person thinks certain commands, such as "left," "right," "accelerate" or "brake." Once the training was complete, it was time to take it out for a spin in the real world. Also on MNN:

Russian Company Displair Creates Interactive Cold Fog Computer Screens - Video Vault It seems every other day a story breaks that claims to have the next Minority Report-like technology—but this one comes closer than any we've seen so far. Russian company Displair projects images into a cold fog and then uses an infrared camera to capture user movements. As TechCrunch reports, Displair "has only 0.2 seconds lag time between gesture and computer reaction, compared to 0.1 second lag time of Kinect," making it a close competitor to the motion-sensing device for the Xbox 360 as far as accuracy, but going about it in a whole different way. Educational, commercial, and entertainment applications abound, but Medical-Group, in Russia, has already expressed an interest in using the technology for psychotheraputic treatments. Michael del Castillo Upstart Business Journal Technology & Innovation Editor Email Michael earned his BA from Mercer University, along the way excavating a Roman bathhouse with the American School of Archaeology.

Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK Over the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts. I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are conservative.” The average number of these ten lies that I hear in most pitches is ten. Top Ten Lies of Investors “I liked your company, but my partners didn’t.” Do you know what the difference is between the lies of entrepreneurs and the lies of investors? It’s not all bad news. Marketing: use blogs and social media to promote your products.Tools: most tools are Open Source and free.