Mobile Music Touch is a novel treatment for people who have lost sensation in their hands from a spinal cord injury. Not only does it have therapeutic benefits, but it also teaches people to play the piano in the process. Developed by Tanya Markow at Georgia Tech, the MMT is a device consisting of a glove, control box and five small vibrating motors. These have two functions. Firstly, it vibrates continuously and helps restore feeling and mobility to people suffering from spinal cord injuries. Previous studies have shown that vibrations can have a restorative effect, and a recent study with the MMT supports these results. Unlike other therapeutic devices, the MMT is small enough to be worn comfortably for extended periods of time. However, the MMT has a second trick — it teaches music. As music is played, a light-up keyboard indicates the correct key and the MMT vibrates the corresponding finger. A recent study, focused not on piano playing but on frequent wear of the MMT alone, had promising results. “Some people were able to pick up objects more easily,” Markow told Georgia Tech. “Another said he could immediately feel the heat from a cup of coffee, rather than after a delay.” The musical component of the MMT is important, though. For one thing, the researchers found that users who learned songs with the MMT learned them faster. It also gives users more of an incentive to use the device, and a goal to work towards. “Equipment used for hand rehabilitation may seem monotonous and boring to some, and doesn’t provide any feedback or incentive, […] Mobile Music Touch overcomes each of those challenges and provides surprising benefits for people with weakness and sensory loss due to SCI,” said Thad Starner, of Georgia Tech’s Contextual Computing Group. “It’s a great example of how wearable computing can change people’s lives.” While extremely promising, Markow and her colleagues are looking forward to further research using the MMT — expanding it to include MRI studies to observe the effects on patients more directly. “I am No Man” Doesn’t Cut It: The Story of Eowyn Why All Those Sexist Complaints About The New Ghostbusters Movie Are Garbage Study Says Binge-Watching Is For Lonely & Depressed People & Those Who Lack Self-Control The Pirate Bay Has Returned To the Land Of the Living After Two Months This article originally published at Geekosystem here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/18/mobile-music-touch/
There’s a long history of daredevils entertaining us with their antics. Tragically, many of them died while performing their stunts. In this day and age, I think we’re a little more reluctant to feed into activities that could result in someone’s horrific death. That doesn’t mean that the practice has totally died off, however. One man in China recently lost his life while free climbing a tall building, and it was all caught on video. Wu Yongning became famous in China by free-climbing and doing other dangerous stunts without nets or safety equipment. Youtube / Ultimate challenge No.1 He posted his death-defying feats to Chinese social network Weibo, where people became enamored by his recklessness and bravery. Youtube / Ultimate challenge No.1 Unfortunately, his latest stunt may have gone terribly wrong. After his girlfriend confirmed his death, new, disturbing video claims to show the moment he fell from a tall building in Beijing. <div class="llcust" data-lltype="video" id="ll_5a3b255ccc41a" data-source=" Youtube / The Star Online Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/daredevil-death/
Hope For Paws received a call about a family of dogs struggling to survive in the desert. They were told one of the dogs had given birth beneath a broken down shack, so Eldad Hagar, who runs the organization, asked several volunteers to assist him. What they found was 3 dogs and 9 puppies out there in the hot desert. The conditions they were found in so were intense, it was a miracle they were still alive. Just goes to show you, with a little bit of teamwork and love 12 precious lives can be saved. These dogs were living, neglected, in 100+ degree weather. hope for paws Their rescue is a must-see. Now? They’re happy as can be! hope for paws (Source: Eldad Hagar) Please share this video with your friends and family below, and help get these dogs a new forever home. You can also visit Hope For Paws (or their Facebook page), the organization behind this incredible rescue. They have been doing wonderful work for years and could use your support. Read more: http://viralnova.com/dogs-rescued-from-desert/
Commenters say this is “the super moonwalk” and “moon running.” The fast moving, backwards moonwalker in this clip is Eric Nash, according to his Twitter account. He goes by the handle @Onelovecandyman on Twitter and YouTube. He posted the video on July 5 after doing this move somewhere outside after what appears to be a rain shower. So far the video has more than 630,000 views. Nash’s Twitter account says he’s based in Santa Monica, Calif. and is a performer in the Los Angeles-based group Street Performers United. The Internet seems to love Michael Jackson’s legendary dance move. In 2010, this video of the “Walmart moonwalker” went viral. Shortly after Jackson’s death in 2009, this site called “Eternal Moonwalk” asked viewers to share videos of themselves moonwalking. Is that the longest Moonwalk you’ve seen? Tell us in the comments. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/07/moonwalking-man-thrills-crowd-with-moves/
There are many things that blindness prevents people from doing, but Dan Mancina proves that skateboarding is not one of them. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/meet-dan-mancina-the-blind-skateboarder/
Wait a minute, what’s Samwise Gamgee doing talking to a bunch of NFL rookies? Actually, that’s Rudy Ruettiger — or Sean Astin, the actor who played both the underdog Notre Dame football player immortalized in the 1993 film Rudy, as well as Frodo Baggins’ erstwhile sidekick. Astin is part of a Pepsi Max digital marketing campaign, in which he employs his football expertise (or lack thereof) to engage in some gridiron banter with the NFL’s latest crop of talent. The back-and-forth is good for a few chuckles, so check it out in the video above. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/12/rudy-nfl-rookies/
According to Craigslist’s terms of use, selling pets on the site is prohibited. However, it does allow users to rehome their pets and charge prospective adopters a small fee via its pet section. But because these rules haven’t been strictly regulated in the past, many have abused them for nefarious purposes, including selling animals to research labs, as bait in dog fighting rings, or even to people who torture them for fun. One young woman from Portland, Oregon, became the victim of such a seller back in 2015 when she bought a puppy from someone she thought was a reputable breeder. She only got to spend 24 hours with her new friend before being forced to make a gut-wrenching decision. After coming across an ad on Craigslist for an Akita mix, Kristen Jondahl arranged to meet the seller in a parking lot in Lacey, Washington. She named the puppy Lacey. YouTube / Marlin Brown Jondahl noticed that Lacey was quiet on the car ride home, but she chalked it up to her being tired after the day’s events. The morning after, though, Lacey began throwing up. YouTube / Marlin Brown She immediately took Lacey to a local vet, where she was devastated to learn the puppy had parvovirus, a highly contagious and life-threatening illness. Painful as it was for her, Jondahl chose the most humane option for Lacey — euthanasia. YouTube / Marlin Brown <div class="llcust" data-lltype="video" id="ll_5a31ea944fd44" data-source=" Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/craigslist-puppy-death/
When it comes to street performers taking on classical songs, it can be a huge hit or a monumental miss. This lady was filmed singing “Ave Maria” on the street in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and her performance was definitely in the former category. It’s by no means an easy song to sing, but her soothing voice does Franz Schubert’s famous piece stunning justice. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBP_ATF’); }); Not only does she have an angelic singing voice, but her mandolin accompaniment puts the performance on an entirely new level. What a beautiful rendition of an already beautiful song. This certainly isn’t what you’d expect to hear from a street performer, and that just makes it so much better. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/street-ave-maria/
Microsoft has launched a new ad for Windows Phone 8, and it features none other than Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Narrated by Ballmer, the ad focuses on the platform’s personalization capabilities, and also features Bill Gates — if only as an image — who gives some Surface-related design advice to Ballmer. The phone featured in the ad is the powerful HTC Windows Phone 8X — a bit of a slap in the face of Nokia, who is Microsoft’s biggest Windows Phone partner. As far as Ballmer starring in a Microsoft video ad, the last time that happened was 1986, and the product being advertised was Windows 1.0. Check out the result here. How do you like the new ad? Share your thoughts in the comments. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/30/steve-ballmer-shows-off-his-windows-phone-in-new-ad-video/
