Beginning today, drivers of a federally-funded organ-collecting wagon will be monitoring New York’s 911 emergency calls indicating someone might be about to croak in his home.

The so-called Organ Donation Unit and a special ambulance will then hover outside the patient’s residence, waiting for bad news from the emergency workers inside.

Once the patient is declared dead, a team from the organ van will pounce upon grieving relatives, to persuade them to part quickly with their departed loved one’s parts.

From Fox News in New York:

The team — composed of two EMTs, an organ donor family services specialist and a Bellevue emergency physician — will interact with grieving and shocked family members in the limited time available before it is too late to use a person’s organs. A police detective will arrive at the scene before the team to make sure there’s nothing about the death that warrants a criminal investigation.

via MyFoxNy.

Two college professors have already given one robot the ability to handle a crabby patient with compassion.

Susan Anderson, a philosopher at the University of Connecticut, and her husband, Michael Anderson, a computer scientist at the University of Hartford, have programmed a robot with the ability to make an ethical choice.

via A robot exhibits bedside manners — and ethics – The Boston Globe.

Recently I interviewed Ben Goertzel for Singularity 1 on 1. During that interview Ben argued that the technological singularity is not necessarily inevitable and that The Future Is Ours To Create. Interestingly, in the video below Ben argues that it may not be absolutely ridiculous to consider that the singularity may actually happen as yearly as 10 years from now.

via Ben Goertzel: 10 Years To The Singularity.

The Pioneer 10 spacecraft, known best for the pictures it’s taken of Jupiter, “is being pulled back to the sun by an unknown force,” scientists report:

“If the effect is real, it will have a big impact on cosmology and spacecraft navigation,” said Dr Laing, of the Aerospace Corporation of California.

via Mysterious force holds back Nasa probe in deep space — Signs of the Times News.

From my Boston Globe column this week, a hunting cam to mind those gun toting meth heads creeping onto your compound…

Strapped to a fencepost or to a tree, the half-pound OutbackCam might deter prowlers. But it is not a surveillance camera. It does not transmit live images back to your PC, for example.

But gun-toting mountain meth heads are only part of the region’s wildlife that Bob hopes to study.

The OutbackCam (about $150) should also help him understand the habits of the nocturnal creatures living on his property: It stamps each still frame with the date, time, and moon phase.

via For peaceful living, a rugged watchdog – The Boston Globe.

The Amphibx Waterproof Armband provides a fully integrated, wearable water sports music solution. It’s shaped to hug your upper arm firmly and comfortably while you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing around water. Go on, submerse it up to 12 feet – it’s 100% waterproof with its secure seal. The ClearTouch window enables full access to your touchscreen or click wheel. And if for some reason, it should come off your arm in a shark attack, maybe? the Amphibx will float to the surface, even if your big clunky iPod Classic is inside. Just remember, kids: you need waterproof earbuds to go with your waterproof armband. Submersing regular earbuds will result in unpleasant and possibly deadly sensations. Play safe with electricity!

via ThinkGeek :: Waterproof iPhone Armband.