Newsletter

That's one giant blunder for mankind - Video footage of the first Apollo moon landing is missing, as well as original recordings of the other five Apollo moon landings. If they can be found, it has been proposed that digitalized copies be created to treat the world to a very different view of history. (Little known fact: The ghostly images most folks associate with the first moon walk are actually the product of a television camera pointed at a monitor showing the actual footage.) But the searchers may be running out of time. The only known equipment on which the original analogue tapes can be decoded is at a Goddard center set to close in October, raising fears that even if they are found before they deteriorate, copying them may be impossible.

A Public Service Announcement - Every savvy Windows user knows that they need to keep their system patched and up to date to prevent security problems, but how bad does it need to be for Homeland Security to tell you to do it? Oh, somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 serious software vulnerabilities. It's Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-040 and it fixes vulnerabilities in the server service that could allow remote code execution.

Robots are Cool - A shopping cart that follows you around, but never bumps you in the heels. The Beertender, which senses your arrival and offers you a cold frosty drink. A poker dealing robot that never deals from the bottom of the deck. Part of some wonderful dream? No, just a sampling of student projects at the Intelligent Machines Design Lab.

Life in the Funny Papers - A friend of mine has a quote in the signature of her e-mails that always strikes a bittersweet chord with me: Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.' Charles Schulz wasn't talking about the IT Industry when he wrote it, but he might as well have been. Nearly all companies have failed investments in software initiatives--many in the six and seven figure range! The good news is that the leading causes of these failures can be avoided by applying Menlo's High-Tech Anthropology^® practice. Join us for a FREE 90-minute presentation on September 21st to learn how our approach creates the right software for the right application.

Another cup of coffee? Yesssssss. - Have you ever wondered why so many important conversations seem to take place in coffee shops these days? Australians researchers have found that caffeine makes you more open to persuasion Apparently a caffeine hit improves our ability to process information and increases the extent to which we listen to and absorb a persuasive message.

The iPod Dominates - The iPod seems to be everywhere these days, and specialty accessories seems to be the order of the day. So what are the 10 oddest iPod accessories? My vote goes for the "powder room player"... Eeeew.

Video Games and PTSD - In a twist that turns entertainment technology into a tool for healing, doctors are drawing on video game technology to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Iraq war veterans. The hope is that treating soldiers from the current conflicts soon after their combat experience can prevent PTSD later in life.

Pump up the Volume! - At Menlo we work in an open and collaborative environment, so there isn't much shelter from the collective low-level chatter, ringing cell phones, ad hoc meetings, and the general din of the workday. Noise is considered the curse of the information age, but in fact, not all noise is bad. In his new book, Noise, Bart Kosko argues that even the most annoying racket can be beneficial.

We're Passionate About What We Do - "Good communication should be as stimulating as a strong cup of coffee and just as hard to sleep after." (Ann Morrow Lindberg said that and we agree!) Menlo is filled with passionate, enthusiastic people who only love one thing more than the work they do: sharing that passion with others. We love public speaking and are thrilled to have the opportunity to share inspiring messages focused on business success. Look here for our current speaking engagements and a list of some topics that we've spoken about in the past. Call us today at (734)665-1847 to book your next event.

Vista, Vista, Veeeeeeeeeesta! - With Microsoft ending support for many aging operating systems, are you starting to feel like you have no choice but to fall in line, buy an expensive new computer, and upgrade to Microsoft Vista? Not so! Tech Web offers some simple tips for how to stay happy with Windows XP. Turns out, many of the new features of the Vista operating system are available for download today.

All Your Burgers Are Belong to Us - Think your boss is an inhuman machine, endlessly telling you what to do, completely bereft of emotion? Well maybe he's a computer. No, really -- meet HyperActive Bob, the Fast Food Management Robot. The system uses rooftop cameras that monitor traffic entering a restaurant's parking lot and drive-thru and tells workers how much food to put on the grill. According to the company website using HyperActive Bob results in 23% improvement in speed of service, 65% decrease in product hold time, and an 81% reduction in food waste.

Where are all the Cool Kids hanging out this summer? - At Menlo of course! This month they're running through their paces at Agile Bootcamp, but there's plenty of other opportunities to join us in the coming months. The Menlo 2006 class schedule is out so now there's no excuse not to learn the real secrets of software success.

Robots are Cool, Part II - Introducing...Ballbot! This robot balances on a ball and can move in any direction instead of walking with with mechanical legs or rolling on wheels. Ballbot is equipped with an onboard computer that analyzes balance data from internal sensors. That data then helps produce instructions for activating rollers within Ballbot's ball. Coming up next: a head and arms to help rotate and balance its body.

Advances in Medicine - When a soldier is injured in the field a blood transfusion can make the difference between life and death; yet getting that life blood to them is a task that can prove near-insurmountable in the heat of battle. Thanks to research by Israeli-based company freeze-dried blood packs may make it possible for a soldier to carry his own freeze-dried blood as part of his mandatory personal kit. If necessary, a medic could take the freeze-dried blood and mix it with physiological water and inject the soldier with a transfusion of his own blood.

Smile! - It's an old adage that the camera adds ten pounds which can make anyone feel frumpy and unattractive, but what if a camera made you prettier instead? By making tiny adjustments to the distances between hundreds of different facial features, the "digital beautification" algorithm in this new camera is designed to make a face more attractive in just a few minutes without significantly altering the person's appearance. The result? It's you, only better!

Stopping in the Nick of Time - One of the most familiar scents of my childhood is sawdust, as my father was an avid craftsman. He spent every weekend out there ripping through wood and -- on a few very scary occasions -- his fingers. Fortunately, that may be a thing of the past as a new saw blade halts the blade in less than 5 milliseconds when it comes into contact with skin. As a result, many woodworking accidents will now require only Band-Aids instead of emergency medical care.