Tag Archives : Edinburgh

Even if you’ve never woken up with a hangover after a night out at a bar, you’ve probably had a sore throat from shouting to be heard over a crowd. A design student in Edinburgh has come up with a creative, if not outlandish contraption that’s intended to make it easier to hold a conversation in a noisy environment. The speech bubbles, worn over the head, are meant to isolate the voice from external ambience. Uh-huh. We say: if you really want to carry on a serious conversation, why not just stay home. Using these devices, the only noise you’ll be trying to talk over is [...]

Researchers have discovered that voice recognition computers find it easier to understand women’s voices rather than men’s. Edinburgh University boffins made this fundamentally dull discovery, claiming that men say things like “umm” and “err” more often than women. Step away from the pub, Dave That is perhaps because they keep asking us all those tricksy questions, such as: “Have you been to the pub? Do you think my bum looks big in this?” And so on. The Edinburgh uni researchers recorded phone calls and studied how much of conversation [...]

There were more people than normal seeing double in pubs up and down the UK yesterday, with some lucky football fans watching the Super Sunday clash between Arsenal and Manchester United in Sky 3D. This has already been a significant tie in the tech calendar as it was also the match chosen to be the first to be shown in HD. With the complete success HD has had in the home, the stakes were high for 3D to make the same sort of impact. TechRadar were lucky enough to be at the Slug And Lettuce in Islington – London, Manchester,Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin were the host cities – where one of the [...]

TechRadar can bring you some of the details behind the first-ever live 3D screening of a sporting event for a live audience, with nine pubs in UK and Ireland getting the chance to watch Manchester United visit the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the Premiership. The broadcaster has selected pubs in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin to be kitted out with 3D TVs from LG and take advantage of the special broadcast, a precursor to hundreds of venues getting the technology in April at the formal launch of the Sky 3D channel. To make the 3D preview a reality, Sky Sports will produce [...]

Sky will launch its dedicated 3D television channel, called simply Sky 3D, in April, with Sunday’s Arsenal v Manchester United match being screened in 3D in selected pubs as a special preview to the service. The Arsenal / Manchester United clash will not only be a fitting introduction to 3D television, but also make Sky the first TV company anywhere to broadcast a live 3D TV sports event to a public audience. “2010 is the year for 3D TV,” said Gerry O’Sullivan, Sky’s Director of Strategic Product Development. “People have already embraced 3D cinema and because [...]

The Mobile Premier Awards, perhaps the most prestigious startup competition in the mobile business, has named 48 companies to participate in its semi-final round. They were each nominated by their local MobileMonday chapters (groups that meet on a monthly basis around the world to talk about the hottest topics and issues in the industry). An international jury will select 20 finalists from this list that will each get a chance to pitch their company at the Mobile Premier Awards ceremony on Feb. 15 in Barcelona. The event will take place during the Mobile World Congress. Here is the list of nominees: Austria [...]

LONDON; Heavy snow and icy roads are causing chaos across most of the UK, where Met Office severe weather warnings are in place as the “deep freeze” continues. Hundreds of schools were shut, many roads are hazardous, and buses, trains and planes have been delayed. Liverpool airport has closed for a second time. Snow fell in Scotland, and large parts of England and Wales, in what is said to be the coldest snap in decades. Snowfalls of up to 30cm (12in) have been forecast for southern England. Forecasters say the band will stretch from London to Cardiff, and warn some areas may even [...]

LONDON; Heavy snow and icy roads are causing chaos across most of the UK, where Met Office severe weather warnings are in place as the “deep freeze” continues. Hundreds of schools were shut, many roads are hazardous, and buses, trains and planes have been delayed. Liverpool airport has closed for a second time. Snow fell in Scotland, and large parts of England and Wales, in what is said to be the coldest snap in decades. Snowfalls of up to 30cm (12in) have been forecast for southern England. Forecasters say the band will stretch from London to Cardiff, and warn some areas may even [...]

LONDON: Revellers across Britain braved freezing temperatures to welcome the New Year at spectacular fireworks in London and Edinburgh. More than 200,000 people gathered on the banks of the Thames to hear Big Ben strike midnight, while thousands joined the Hogmanay celebrations in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A dry night with mainly clear skies provided onlookers with a perfect view of the seven-and-a-half minute display in London. Up to 80,000 people were ushering in the new year at the huge outdoor celebration in Edinburgh, where temperatures fell to a biting -6C by midnight. Partygoers in central [...]

EDINBURGH: Britain”s foreign secretary says a political solution for Afghanistan includes having senior Taliban commanders in government. David Miliband told NATO”s parliamentary assembly on Tuesday that most Taliban fighters are not committed to global jihad and could be persuaded to stop fighting. He said the Afghan government would include “high-level commanders that can be persuaded to renounce al-Qaida and pursue their goals peacefully.”” Britain has 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, the largest international contingent after the United States. Miliband [...]