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While the anticipated arrival of  Windows 7  is still some 18 months away by Microsoft’s (tentative) reckoning, the Redmond-based company has this week taken the opportunity to unveil one of the ambitious new features it has planned for possible inclusion. With Apple’s iconic  iPhone  and  Nintendo’s  hugely popular dual-screen DS  videogame  console paving the way for a rush of ‘me too’ touch-sensitive devices, it hardly comes as a surprise to find American software behemoth Microsoft Corp. busy banding around a multi-touch interface for its next operating system. Specifically, during the Wall Street Journal’s ‘D: All Things Digital’ conference in California, representatives from Microsoft gave attendees their first video demo glimpse of the multi-touch interface in action. The demo‘s content, which appeared somewhat similar to Microsoft’s touch-based Surface technology, showcased a user applying simple tactile finger gestures to access, shift...

We've seen a rather creepy array of robots programmed to mimic human emotions, but teaching a machine to feel regret? Now,  that's  a new one. With funding from Google, a team of Tel Aviv Universityresearchers is working on an algorithm to teach computers to learn from their experiences, thus reducing instances of "virtual regret." According to the team's lead, such an algorithm would allow servers and routing systems to more efficiently deal with internet traffic, by recognizing and documenting things like sudden spikes in traffic or increased attention to an online product. Basically, the more they learn from their past inadequacies, the more effectual the machines become. Google's apparently interested in the potential impact on programs like AdSense and AdWords. Now, if they could just teach online advertisers a sense of shame... Full PR after the break. Tel Aviv University