Positive Technology Journal

Science has an interesting article by William Sims Bainbridge on the role that virtual worlds can play in the social sciences

Online virtual worlds, electronic environments where people can work and interact in a somewhat realistic manner, have great potential as sites for research in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, as well as in human-centered computer science. This article uses Second Life and World of Warcraft as two very different examples of current virtual worlds that foreshadow future developments, introducing a number of research methodologies that scientists are now exploring, including formal experimentation, observational ethnography, and quantitative analysis of economic markets or social networks.

Via NewScientist.com

US company Ambient has unveiled a motorized wheelchair that moves when the operator thinks of particular words. The wheelchair works by intercepting signals sent from their brain to their voice box, even when no sound is actually produced.

The wheelchair was developed in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. It could help people with spinal injuries, or neurological problems like cerebral palsy or motor neuron disease, operate computers and other equipment despite serious problems with muscle control.