The Malaysian Insider :: Features

An online dating primer to playing it safe

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 06:53 AM PST

Looking for Mr. Right online? Experts say one in five people who try internet dating find love online. — shutterstock.com pic

NEW YORK, Feb 13 — According to online dating statistics, 40 million people in the US have dabbled in online dating. Experts say you've got a one in five shot at finding love online. But how do you weed out the bad seeds and keep yourself safe?

Don't fall for fraud
"Like any new technology, there are some downsides to online dating, too," says Wichita State University's Deborah Ballard-Reisch, an expert on communication and relationships for about 20 years. "One of the biggest is fraud." She adds: "There are a number of international consortiums that get on online dating sites and pretend to be someone they're not in order to get money out of people. So if someone asks you to send them money, especially out of the country, run."

Start sleuthing
Since friends and family can't vet your potential online dates, you'll have to do some detective work. Before you meet someone in person whom you've met online, Google them, she advises. "Use multiple search engines. Consider seeking criminal background checks. Make sure that people are who they say they are."

Meet in a public place
"Always meet in a public place the first few times," says Ballard-Reisch. "Let your friends and family know where you're going, with whom and when you plan to return." Keep your phone online so you can be tracked via GPS, she adds. "If something feels wrong, get out."

Don't overshare
"Don't give information about yourself too quickly," she adds. While it's important to be yourself, you can do this without sharing personal information. Take time to build trust with the person. — AFP-Relaxnews

IBM puts supercomputer to work on cancer

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:34 AM PST

Watson, powered by IBM POWER7, a work-load optimised system that can answer questions posed in natural language over a nearly unlimited range of knowledge. — AFP pic

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 — IBM is putting its Watson supercomputer to work fighting cancer, in what is described as the first commercial program of its kind to use "big data" to help patients with the disease.

The US computing giant last week unveiled its initiative with health insurer WellPoint and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

The supercomputer, which gained fame by defeating two human champions in the "Jeopardy!" quiz show, has been sifting through some 600,000 pieces of medical evidence, two million pages of text from 42 medical journals and clinical trials in oncology research.

This can speed up the way data is analysed to make the best diagnosis and find the optimal treatment, says Craig Thompson, Sloan-Kettering's president.

"It can take years for the latest developments in oncology to reach all practice settings," Thompson said.

"The combination of transformational technologies found in Watson with our cancer analytics and decision-making process has the potential to revolutionise the accessibility of information for the treatment of cancer in communities across the country and around the world."

IBM first announced plans to work with WellPoint in 2011, and last year began receiving data from the New York research hospital which specializes in cancer.

The first application will work with 1,500 lung cancer cases, where clinicians and analysts are training Watson to extract and interpret physician notes, lab results and clinical research.

The Maine Center for Cancer Medicine and Westmed Medical Group will be two centers testing the service and providing feedback to WellPoint, IBM and Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

"IBM's work with WellPoint and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center represents a landmark collaboration in how technology and evidence based medicine can transform the way in which health care is practiced," said Manoj Saxena at IBM.

"These breakthrough capabilities bring forward the first in a series of Watson-based technologies, which exemplifies the value of applying big data and analytics and cognitive computing to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges."

The program is being commercialised under the name Interactive Care Insights for Oncology, powered by Watson.

Watson, named after IBM founder Thomas Watson, can ingest tens of million pages of data in just seconds. — AFP-Relaxnews

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Rabu, 13 Februari 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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