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Author Topic: Microsoft Mind Reader  (Read 2481 times)

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Offline Grumpmeister

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Microsoft Mind Reader
« on: October 23, 2007, 09:27:25 AM »
Given Microsoft's current track record with software I can see the blue screen of death taking on a whole new meaning.

Quote
Not content with running your computer, Microsoft now wants to read your mind too.

The company says that it is hard to properly evaluate the way people interact with computers since questioning them at the time is distracting and asking questions later may not produce reliable answers. "Human beings are often poor reporters of their own actions," the company says.

Instead, Microsoft wants to read the data straight from the user's brain as he or she works away. They plan to do this using electroencephalograms (EEGs) to record electrical signals within the brain. The trouble is that EEG data is filled with artefacts caused, for example, by blinking or involuntary actions, and this is hard to tease apart from the cognitive data that Microsoft would like to study.

So the company has come up with a method for filtering EEG data in such a way that it separates useful cognitive information from the not-so-useful non-cognitive stuff. The company hopes that the data will better enable to them to design user interfaces that people find easy to use. Whether users will want Microsoft reading their brain waves is another matter altogether.

Justin Mullins, New Scientist contributor

http://tinyurl.com/3ct98k

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Offline Uncle Mort

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2007, 10:09:29 AM »
I spent half of Sunday reinstalling Windows XP on one of my home computers after my son crashed it. Microsoft would not have wanted to read my mind during this process  cussing:

Offline Barman

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2007, 12:53:40 PM »
I spent half of Sunday reinstalling Windows XP on one of my home computers after my son crashed it. Microsoft would not have wanted to read my mind during this process  cussing:
It’s a shame they couldn’t – that’s just the kind of feedback they really need.  cussing:
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Offline Darwins Selection

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2007, 01:24:03 PM »
I would probably display no discernable brain activity at all. cry:
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Offline Barman

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2007, 01:42:22 PM »
I would probably display no discernable brain activity at all. cry:
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Offline Snoopy

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2007, 02:02:44 PM »
Would only work if it could cope with "WTF?" and  evil:
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Offline Barman

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2007, 02:05:00 PM »
Would only work if it could cope with "WTF?" and  evil:
I think it would need to cope with a lot worse than that - in multiple languages too!  Banghead
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Offline Grumpmeister

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2007, 02:10:11 PM »
I think it would need to cope with a lot worse than that - in multiple languages too!  Banghead

You mean US English and UK English?  whistle:
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Offline Snoopy

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2007, 02:12:17 PM »
I think it would need to cope with a lot worse than that - in multiple languages too!  Banghead

You mean US English and UK English?  whistle:


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Offline Barman

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Re: Microsoft Mind Reader
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2007, 02:15:15 PM »
I think it would need to cope with a lot worse than that - in multiple languages too!  Banghead

You mean US English and UK English?  whistle:
Don’t even get me started on the bastard shite suddenly deciding to change to US English!  Angry9:
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