Can Staples Connect bring order to the smart-home universe?



Next step for connected devices? Connect the devices

Instead of calling a handyman to repair a busted refrigerator or thermostat, imagine instead calling the "maker man." In addition to being able to check the mechanics of a device on the fritz, this fix-it person could also check things like connectivity and signal strength for the Wi-Fi-enabled appliance.

That's what Alex Hawkinson, chief executive of SmartThings, envisions. His startup makes a family of Internet-connected devices for the home. SmartThings also runs a platform service that helps people remotely control all of the other disparate devices made by different companies that are beginning to make their way … Read more

Yale's smartest deadbolt decoded



Making sense of lock security

If I asked you what type of deadbolt you have on your front door, would you know the answer? Kwikset? Yale? Schlage? Maybe you know the manufacturer off the top of your head, but do you know the specific model? How about ratings -- do you know how much force your lock is capable of withstanding?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you're not alone. Despite the fact that we use our locks more than just about any other piece of household hardware and depend upon them to protect our homes from intruders and theft, we … Read more

Yale prof: Tea Partiers know more science than you think

Prejudice, like beauty, comes in many forms.

The assumption is that if you hold a particular opinion, it follows that you must hold a particular other opinion. If you don't, goes the argument, then you must be stupid.

It's a little like those who believe that a smartphone is its specs, therefore you can't possibly want to buy an iPhone.

Such logical thought-extension can sometimes pollute science. There are fears that researchers try to find evidence that satisfies their own assumptions.

Some might find it marginally heartening, then, that one researcher, Dan Kahan, admitted to his prejudices being slapped on the behind by actual results.

Writing on the Yale Cultural Cognition Project blog, Kahan described his analysis of research into possible correlations between religious or political beliefs and grasp of science.… Read more

How robot planes could learn carrier crew hand gestures




Yale oversight exposes 43,000 Social Security numbers

Names and Social Security numbers of 43,000 Yale University students, faculty, staff, and alumni were accessible via the Google search engine for about 10 months, according to the school newspaper.

The problem was discovered June 30 and university officials disclosed it on August 12, offering affected individuals two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft insurance even though they said there was no indication that the information had been exploited, the Yale Daily News reported last week.

The data, mostly belonging to people who worked for the university in 1999, was stored on a file transfer protocol (FTP) … Read more


