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Maria Gurova

Tesla's New Battery Could Solve One of Solar Power's Biggest Problems - 0 views

  • What’s happening in Hawaii is actually indicative of what’s going to be an issue everywhere as many cities start to see an increase in large-scale solar implementation: There’s going to be too much energy generated, and nowhere to put it.
  • The absolute best idea is for homeowners to start installing batteries that can store the power for later use instead of giving the power back to the utilities, something called peak load shaving.
  • Right now, Tesla’s batteries are about about $300 per kWh, which is comparable to the market rate the industry expected for 2020.
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  • homeowners will now very easily be able to achieve complete energy independence. You could store your power for off-peak usage, and you might be able to sell your excess energy to a neighbor
Anna Dubinina

This Mini, Portable Wind Turbine Could Charge Your Phone Or Power Your House - 2 views

  • The largest size (2500 watt) could provide enough power for a small house (though would obviously need backing up). The 1000 is good for RVs and boat owners, the Agustssons say, while the smallest 50 watt one is right for USB devices and laptops. The turbines can also back up electric cars when the grid isn't available.
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    Mini, Portable Wind Turbine Could Charge Your Phone Or Power Your House
Vladimir Antonov

Project Skybender: Google's secretive 5G internet drone tests revealed | Technology | T... - 0 views

  • Google is testing solar-powered drones at Spaceport America in New Mexico to explore ways to deliver high-speed internet from the air
  • Project SkyBender is using drones to experiment with millimetre-wave radio transmissions, one of the technologies that could underpin next generation 5G wireless internet access
  • High frequency millimetre waves can theoretically transmit gigabits of data every second, up to 40 times more than today’s 4G LTE systems. Google ultimately envisages thousands of high altitude “self-flying aircraft” delivering internet access around the world.
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  • “The huge advantage of millimetre wave is access to new spectrum because the existing cellphone spectrum is overcrowded. It’s packed and there’s nowhere else to go,” says Jacques Rudell
  • However, millimetre wave transmissions have a much shorter range than mobile phone signals. A broadcast at 28GHz, the frequency Google is testing at Spaceport America, would fade out in around a tenth the distance of a 4G phone signal. To get millimetre wave working from a high-flying drone, Google needs to experiment with focused transmissions from a so-called phased array. “This is very difficult, very complex and burns a lot of power,” Rudell says
  • The SkyBender system is being tested with an “optionally piloted” aircraft called Centaur as well as solar-powered drones made by Google Titan, a division formed when Google acquired New Mexico startup Titan Aerospace in 2014. Titan built high-altitude solar-powered drones with wingspans of up to 50 metres
  • Project SkyBender is part of the little-known Google Access team, which also includes Project Loon, a plan to deliver wireless internet using unpowered balloons floating through the stratosphere.
  • In 2014, Darpa, the research arm of the US military, announced a program called Mobile Hotspots to make a fleet of drones that could provide one gigabit per second communications for troops operating in remote areas.
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    Could this be a next gen. technology that would bring hi-speed internet access literally to every place in the world?
alexbelov

Cybathlon - Championship for Cyborgs - 0 views

  • Experience a world première: On Saturday, 8 October 2016 ETH Zurich is organising the very first Cybathlon! Individuals with physical disabilities will compete side by side in six demanding disciplines, using the latest assistive technologies.
  • There are races for athletes with powered arm and leg prostheses, for those wearing a robotic exoskeleton and for powered wheelchairs. There’s also a race for cyclists using electrical muscle stimulation and even a brain-computer interface race.
  • Cybathlon provides a platform for the development of novel assistive technologies that are useful for daily life. Through the organisation of the Cybathlon we want to remove barriers between people with disabilities, the public and technology developers.
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    The first world's olympic games for athletes with disabilities powered by cybernetic prothesis will take place this year in Zurich. It's expected that 80 teams from different countries will participate. The next Cybathlon is planned in Tokyo 2020 during the Summer Olympics.
zolotarev

Google Glass still exists: Meet Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 - 0 views

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    Google announced a new version of Google Glass. Glass Enterprise 2 is powered by the "Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform. The company says, "This enables significant power savings, enhanced performance, and support for computer vision and advanced machine-learning capabilities." Google VR/AR lead Clay Bavor has claimed ownership of Google Glass on Twitter, so now it seems the same group that brings you ARCore and Google Daydream VR goggles will be in charge of Google Glass.
Anton Vorykhalov

'Snooper's charter' bill becomes law, extending UK state surveillance | World news | Th... - 0 views

  • 'Snooper's charter' bill becomes law, extending UK state surveillance
  • The new surveillance law requires web and phone companies to store everyone’s web browsing histories for 12 months and give the police, security services and official agencies unprecedented access to the data.
  • “The government is clear that, at a time of heightened security threat, it is essential our law enforcement and security and intelligence services have the power they need to keep people safe. The internet presents new opportunities for terrorists and we must ensure we have the capabilities to confront this challenge. But it is also right that these powers are subject to strict safeguards and rigorous oversight.”
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  • He said the legislation was debated and passed while the public, media and politicians were preoccupied with Brexit: “Now that the bill has passed, there is renewed concern about the extent of the powers that will be given to the police and security agencies.
  • Home secretary hails ‘world-leading’ laws, which include forcing web and phone companies to collect browsing histories
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    British Yarovaya law
Anna Dubinina

Charging your phone from your jacket - 0 views

  • of GPS Smart Soles. This is exactly what you think they are -- insoles for your shoes that are GPS-enabled so that you can “keep connected to who matters most.”
  • They were specifically designed for:Seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s/dementiaTeens and young adults with autismAthletes and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI)Anyone who could potentially wander off and require oversight
  • This is just the beginning. Solar power is the most immediate, efficient green technology option, and your clothes will continue to get "smarter" and serve more functional purposes.
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  • It's not available yet. But scientists are working on textile-based nanotechnology that uses friction to convert mechanical energy from body movements into electricity
  • And before any of my devices demand to be recharged, I can plug them into my solar-powered jacket to recharge them while I'm on the go
  • Innovative companies such as Evolution Wear have come up with a clever way to keep mobile devices charged, using solar panels integrated into the user's jacket
Maria Gurova

How The Internet Of Everything Is Helping Humankind | Tae Yoo - 0 views

  • The good news is that the citizens faced with this disaster reaped the benefits of enhanced mass communications and early warning systems -- clearly the power of the Internet being used for social good.
  • Technology is getting smaller, faster, cheaper and more powerful every day. With this phenomenon, sensors in almost everything become the norm -- in our cars, machinery and infrastructure. This evolution, paired with the power of cloud computing and big data analytics, makes it possible for both humans and inanimate objects to communicate valuable information.
  • citizens already turn to social media for disaster updates to supplement traditional governmental and agency sources. Taken a step further, imagine an app that enables disaster victims and relief workers to view a shared map and see where all the rescue and aid efforts are situated in real time.
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  • Recognizing that while technology in and of itself does not save lives, the intelligent use of technology does.
Irina Marchenko

Russia starts censoring internet suicide content after passing child protection law - 0 views

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    Last year Russia passed a law giving the government powers to control and blacklist certain websites that it deemed to be harmful to children Outgoing FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has said the legislation signals "a troubling and dangerous direction" for the internet in Russia, and speaking to the Times, journalist Anton Nosik called the laws "absurd, harmful, and absolutely unnecessary" - while playing down the likelihood of a broader enforcement across the web. The government, for its part, argues that the bill was designed to protect children from harm by blocking pages on drugs, suicide, or child pornography.
Maria Gurova

Brown University creates first wireless, implanted brain-computer interface | ExtremeTech - 0 views

  • Researchers at Brown University have succeeded in creating the first wireless, implantable, rechargeable, long-term brain-computer interface. The wireless BCIs have been implanted in pigs and monkeys for over 13 months without issue, and human subjects are next.
  • Brown’s wireless BCI allows the subject to move freely, dramatically increasing the quantity and quality of data that can be gathered — instead of watching what happens when a monkey moves its arm, scientists can now analyze its brain activity during complex activity, such as foraging or social interaction
  • the device’s power consumption, which is just 100 milliwatts. For a device that might eventually find its way into humans, frugal power consumption is a key factor that will enable all-day, highly mobile usage
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  • Amusingly, though, the research paper notes that the wireless charging does cause significant warming of the device
  • While the wireless BCI isn’t approve for human use (and there’s no indication that they’re seeking approval yet), it was designed specifically so that it should be safe for human use.
Maria Gurova

Shell Creates 'Player' Powered Football Field | Digital Buzz Blog - 0 views

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    Shell build a field in one of the Rio's favelas, which generate electricity from the player's footsteps 
Maria Gurova

The first around-the-world flight in a solar airplane will launch this March | The Verge - 0 views

  • In around two months, the team behind the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2 will attempt the first ever around-the-world flight powered only by sunlight.
  • After taking off in Abu Dhabi, the Solar Impulse 2 will make stops in Oman, India, Myanmar, China, the US, and Southern Europe or North Africa before landing back in Abu Dhabi sometime in August.
  • The Solar Impulse 2's across-the-world flight should clock 500 hours total flight time and around 21,748 miles
Vladimir Antonov

Zwift launch new online multiplayer turbo training game - Cycling Weekly - 0 views

  • Startup tech company Zwift have launched a new online cycling that looks to change the way we train indoors
  • online multiplayer cycling game that looks to revolutionise indoor training
  • The game allows cyclists from all over the world to meet and ride together in virtual reality, possibly putting an end to tedious and lonely turbo training sessions
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  • Zwift’s software can then convert the signal into power data, which is calculated by considering rider weight, the virtual terrain and even drafting into account to convert the power to speed within the game.
  • the virtual environment is impressive as it gives off sound effects from your surroundings and from the other riders that pass or are around you, making it a supremely immersive training session
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    It's not new development, but it confirms that VR (kind of, just a game for now) is not somewhere there, it's here and I can use it for a reasonable price Next steps could be VR treadmill (for bad weather), VR swimming-pool (to be placed inside a garage or basement) etc, literally all kinds of sports that could be replicated indoor with VR 
Maria Gurova

Virtual Reality Is the Most Powerful Artistic Medium of Our Time - 0 views

  • “When the zeitgeist is moving, art usually goes hand-in-hand with it,” says Rossin, describing a world in which we’re constantly glued to our iPhones, Androids, laptops, and tablets as much if not more than we are to the faces of fellow humans. Mediums have historically risen from the predominant technology and social relations of the time in which they exist
  • “Because of the level of sensory overload we experience on a day-to-day basis, we need to have this fully arresting experience in virtual reality in order to get a total sense of vertigo from a work of art,”
  • Enveloping, consciousness-bending experiences aren’t “just to escape life,” says Rafman. “But to create a total experience that will create a feeling that is qualitatively new. That is ultimately the most radical thing.”
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  • “Ultimately, new technology can reveal desires that already exist on a deep level in society,” says Rafman of the works, which pull from and amplify the seductive forces of video games and cinema. “This desire to escape completely into another dimension has existed for a long time.”
  • Virtual reality’s recent resurgence in prominence begins with Oculus and its visionary 23-year-old founder, Palmer Luckey. In 2012, the then-18-year-old with an affinity for retooling defunct ’90s VR headsets took a hacked-together model to Kickstarter with a funding goal of $250,000. A month later, over 10,000 individuals contributed $2.4 million to the campaign for what was at the time mainly aimed at being a gaming peripheral. Two years later, Facebook wrote a check to buy Oculus VR for $2 billion
  • “This is not a drill. It’s real. It’s a moment,” says Michael Naimark, Google’s first resident virtual reality artist (like Char Davies, he’s listed as a pioneer of VR on Wikipedia). “And the arts community can play a huge role in propagation.
  • Throughout art history, art has reflected the prevalent social relations of the time. It makes sense, then, that the most relative and innovative art forms being produced today would mirror our reality—one defined by a perceived sense of agency in a world filled with invisible algorithms and clicks baited to us by past clicks. The internet spoils us with infinite choice: opportunities to invent our personas, refashion our self-brands, optimize our lives, and enhance our experience. But with mega-corporations quietly holding the joystick, can we really self-determine our destiny?
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    on how contemporary are embraces VR, what artist can do to explore, explain and populate the exciting technology.
zolotarev

Britain Proposes Broad New Powers to Regulate Internet Content - The New York Times - 1 views

  • Britain is proposing sweeping new government powers to combat the spread of violent and extremist content, false information and harmful material aimed at children.CreditHenry Nicholls/Reuters
  • Australia passed a law last week that threatens fines for social media companies and jail for their executives if they fail to rapidly remove “abhorrent violent material” from their platforms. New Zealand is also considering new restrictions.
  • In Singapore, draft legislation was introduced last week that supporters said would restrict the spread of false and misleading information.
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  • Germany last year began prohibiting hate speech
  • The rules would apply to social media platforms, discussion forums, messaging services and search engines.
  • Western democracies
  • are becoming more willing to intervene.
evgeny lavrov

2050 Demographics Projections | Prediction | Future | Technology | Timeline | Trend | 2... - 0 views

  • the average desktop computer now has the raw processing power equivalent to all of the human brains on Earth combined
  • There is no longer a clear distinction between human and machine intelligence
  • Full immersion VR is now a mainstream phenomenon
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  • Entire new societies have formed in cyberspace
  • By the mid-2050s, traditional Western news corporations no longer exist
  • News gathering, analysis and distribution has fragmented - shifting to millions of creative individuals, bloggers, citizen journalists and small-scale enterprises.
  • Traditional Western TV channels have largely disappeared
  • replaced by unique "personalised" web channels, covering practically any subject or combination of subjects imaginable
  • Debates are now occurring over "synthetic people" entering the population.
al_semenchenko

Artificially Intelligent Lawyer "Ross" Has Been Hired By Its First Official Law Firm - 0 views

  • Law firm Baker & Hostetler has announced that they are employing IBM’s AI Ross to handle their bankruptcy practice, which at the moment consists of nearly 50 lawyers.
  • Ross, “the world’s first artificially intelligent attorney” built on IBM’s cognitive computer Watson, was designed to read and understand language, postulate hypotheses when asked questions, research, and then generate responses (along with references and citations) to back up its conclusions. Ross also learns from experience, gaining speed and knowledge the more you interact with it.
  • “At BakerHostetler, we believe that emerging technologies like cognitive computing and other forms of machine learning can help enhance the services we deliver to our clients.”
Maria Gurova

Trunk Club Would Like You To Dress Better, Increase Your "Style Aptitude," Have More Se... - 1 views

  • ay you’re a time-starved man with a hankering to dress better. Just sign up on Trunk Club, one of whose style experts will call or email you shortly after to talk about your vision for your wardrobe. A few days later, a bemused FedEx employee shows up at your door bearing a trademark "trunk" (made of cardboard), which contains 10 or so items of clothing.
  • Finding someone who knows style is less important than finding someone who understands sales and relationship management
  • We have between 40 and 50 now, and 90% are women. They tend to have a background that includes sales, but rarely retail.
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  • Hey, is it cool if I friend you on Facebook to see what you do, and what you like?" It’s a powerful tool to help us get the right clothes your way
Anton Vorykhalov

Sketching Pictures Could Be the Future of Online Shopping | Digital Trends - 0 views

  • Forget keywords — this new system lets you search with rudimentary sketches
  • They’ve taught a deep learning neural network — an incredibly powerful tool that mimics the way that the human brain works — to recognize hand-drawn sketches and use them to search for real-life products.
  • The network was “trained” to match sketches to photos based on a data set consisting of around 30,000 sketch-photo comparisons.
alexbelov

Audible's new Channels audio content subscription service is a bet on a voice-powered f... - 0 views

  • Amazon-owned Audible announced a new service called Channels today, one that differs from its typical audiobook business in offering more bite-size content from original content producers, as well as recordings of news stores from NYT, WSJ, The Washington Post and others. The original programming will be rolling out over time, covering comedy, investigatory journalism (think Serial) and talk shows – which is really Amazon applying the Netflix/Prime Originals model to audio content.
  • The potential Amazon and Audible sees in Channels is the same potential that many others have been picking up on in podcasts. Podcasts present a way to provide multi-genre, opt-in entertainment to consumers with relatively low cost of entry, and unlike most other types of media, it can be consumed concurrent with other activities.
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    Amazon-owned Audible announced a new service called Channels today, one that differs from its typical audiobook business in offering more bite-size content from original content producers, as well as recordings of news stores from NYT, WSJ, The Washington Post and others. The original programming will be rolling out over time, covering comedy, investigatory journalism (think Serial) and talk shows. It's similar to podcasts, which provide multi-genre, opt-in entertainment to consumers with low cost of entry, consumed concurrent with other activities.
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