Sep 27
Sep 27
Partially automated Nissan Leaf prototype approved for use on Japanese roads
Posted in: Today's Chili
Looking forward to Nissan’s 2020 autonomous vehicle push? Then get pumped: the company has just been given approval to test some of its automated driving systems on Japanese streets. Nissan has been issued a license plate to use with a Nissan Leaf kitted out with the firm’s Advanced Driver Assist System on, which will allow the vehicle to change lanes, pass cars, exit freeways and cruise down the road without driver assistance. Although the plate is technically just a normal license plate (unlike the distinctive red plates Nevada issues to automated vehicles), but marks the first time Nissan will be able to test these features on a public road. More importantly, the company says, it allows it to further develop the technologies that will eventually go into its fully automated vehicles. It’s a baby step, but at least it’s progress. Check out the company’s official announcement at the jump.
Filed under: Transportation
Sep 27
Results of a study published in Breast Cancer Research & Treatment
indicate that girls who eat peanut butter or nuts regularly when they
are young have better breast health when they are older. Specifically…
Sep 27
(Credit: Parallax)
Congrats to Nels S. of St. Paul, Minn., for winning a pair of HiFiMan HE-400 headphones in last week’s giveaway. If you like geek toys, this week’s prize will have you flying high.
Here’s what you’ll find inside the kit. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: Parallax)
We’ve got an Elev-8 Quadcopter Kit from electronics manufacturer Parallax. The kit includes a frame, mounting hardware, motors, speed controllers, propellers, and a control board for flight stabilization. You just need to provide the battery and the RC radio equipment (Parallax recommends a six-channel RC radio).
This kit’s not for beginners, as building and flying this baby requires a moderate amount of mechanical skill. Once it’s put together, the flyer measures about 3 feet by 3 feet and weighs 2.5 pounds. You can use it for land mapping and surveying, taking aerial video, or just looking cool.
Normally, an Elev-8 Quadcopter Kit would cost you $599, but you have the chance to get one for free. How? There are a few rules, so please read carefully. And while we’re talking Parallax, CNET’s Donald Bell and Seth Rosenblatt … [Read more]
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Sep 27
Microsoft reportedly close to unifying its app stores across Windows and Windows Phone
Posted in: Today's Chili
Microsoft is apparently far closer to bringing together its disparate stores than many thought. The company has reportedly already demoed a single app portal for both Windows and Windows Phone behind closed doors at its annual company meeting in Seattle, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. One of her sources tells her that the new unified store will likely launch alongside the next iteration of Windows, version 8.1, although other sources were less certain on this. In any case, the gossip tallies with comments by Microsoft’s Terry Myerson last week, who said that he sees the unification of Microsoft’s platforms and APIs as a priority.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Microsoft
Source: ZDNet
Sep 27
This article was written on December 15, 2009 by CyberNet.
Our internet connections have become faster over the years, but with that our need for speed increased too. And sadly, having a fast internet connection does not mean the server you’re downloading from gives you the speed you pay for. That’s where download managers come in. One of their more interesting features involves speeding up your downloads. So how exactly do they do it?
Getting the software
Before showing you the tricks, let’s have a look at some good download managers. If you’re a Windows user, I’d recommend Free Download Manager (freeware) or GetRight (shareware that never expires). Another big name in the download manager business is Download Accelerator Plus, but I advise you to stay away from that one because it is ad-supported and tends to slow down your system.
Trick 1: chop the download in pieces
How long does it take to transport 20 people from point A to point B with one taxi? A lot longer than when you have multiple cabs at your disposal. It’s just like that with the internet: in most cases one connection is doing all the work, even though your pipe can handle more than one. When you let a download manager chop your download in segments, simultaneous connections with the server are established that enable you to download different parts of your file at the same time. Often referred to as segmented downloading, this technique can greatly increase your download speed.
I put this to the test by downloading Internet Explorer 8 (16.1MB) using Firefox and Free Download Manager. It took my browser around 47 seconds at an estimated average of 343 KB/s to download the entire file. FDM did it in a whopping 21 seconds, which accounts roughly for an average speed of 767 KB/s. These calculations are not fully accurate, but the difference is clear. Keep in mind however that your mileage may vary depending on your connection and the server you’re downloading from.
Trick 2: using download mirrors
A second trick to speed up your downloads is using mirrors. The idea behind this is that you download a file from multiple sources at once, combining the speed from these servers to get faster downloads. Both FDM and GetRight have a feature for automatic mirror search, but from my experience they don’t find any as soon as you download something that’s not on the list of the top 15 best-known programs.
You can however choose to enter mirrors manually. Whenever your download is bigger than 500MB and the site you’re downloading from offers alternate download links, it doesn’t hurt to enter them. A good example of when you’d want to use this is when you’re downloading Ubuntu‘s install CD.
Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com
Sep 26
FAA reportedly okays use of electronics on planes during takeoff and landing
Posted in: Today's ChiliThere has been a large push to have regulations loosened on the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing on flights. In March, word surfaced that the FAA was holding a study on the matter, and that regulations could be changed by the end of this year allowing for wider use of electronics on […]
Sep 26
We were pretty impressed with what Roli showed off at SXSW back in March, and now the company’s rubberized keyboard is up for pre-order. The instrument is built in a standard piano configuration, with a soft surface that allows you to directly bend pitch and add vibrato and other effects to the notes as you’re playing them — sort of like bending guitar strings. The Seaboard Grand comes in three price configurations that hit a pretty wide spread, starting at $2,000 for the 37-key Grand Studio, all the way up to $8,888.88 for the massive 88 key Grand Limited First Edition. Only 88 of the latter will actually be sold — a vaguely superstitious pricing scheme, it seems. That one will be shipping in December of this year. The others will start arriving in fall of next year.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Source: Roli
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