Oct 30
Some years ago, the airline industry set itself on the path towards its current record profits by shrinking seats more, and more, and more. What does the future hold for airlines? More shrinking seats.
Oct 30
The ThinkPad’s distant history is pocked with no-nonsense business machines sporting plain designs and thick bodies. Those are largely a thing of the past, with the newest ThinkPads coming with a side dish of sleekness that make them stand out from systems of days gone by. Such isn’t the case with Lenovo’s new ThinkPad W540, a mobile workstation targeted at … Continue reading
Oct 30
Ads in your Instagram feed are nothing new, but video ads? That’s happening. Instagram has gone ahead and made video ads live in your feed, but don’t panic — it’s not as bad as it seems. Though you’ll have ads forced upon you, they won’t be the same boring routine you’re used to. Instagram is taking steps to ensure the … Continue reading
Oct 30
In the past few decades, everything about our computers have changed. The screens. The guts. The size, weight, and materials. The software itself, of course. But one thing has stayed exactly the same, frozen in time from the early days: The tools we use to tell them what to do. So it’s odd that we’re so desperate to throw them out the window.
Oct 30
Midwest retail chain Meijer is refusing to go along with the coalition of retailers that have ditched Apple Pay in favor of their own vastly inferior alternative. At least one company cares about its customers.
Oct 30
The last time we thought about Timex, we were still using landlines and adjusting the tracking on the VCR so that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze would display properly. Remember “Indiglo”? That’s still a thing, apparently!…
Oct 30
The worst part of having a nice pair of sunglasses is losing them. Especially if they were stolen from your checked bag, and every single American Airlines employee you talk to ignores you for about five months. Then, when they get tired of seeing your of angry notes on social media they send an agent to “go look for them” and SURPRISE! they can’t be found damn-near half a year later. They then send you a needlessly complicated form to fill out, only to receive it, wait 60 days, and send a letter telling you that you’re magically expected to have a receipt for some sunglasses that you received as a gift two years ago. Not to be weirdly specific or anything.
That’s why Tzukuri sounds cool. They aren’t just a pair of sunglasses, they also have a proximity sensor that communicates with your phone when in range to give you “warmer” or “colder” signals. It’s just like finding that last, very sneaky hidden object as a kid. If it’s out of range, your phone will at least tell you what the last location where they were detected. The developers also promise that there are other potential uses for the Tzukuri, including detection of nearby friends, sun-exposure measurement, and automatic adjustment of other devices based on the wearer’s proximity. I can dig it.
Tzuruki recently opened up a round of pre-orders for the glasses, but has since closed the ordering window, so we’ll have to wait to see if and when they actually come out.
Oct 30
Autodesk is opening a $100 million 3D printing fund, called Spark Investment Fund, to give money to startups and designers in the 3D printing space.
The company is now encouraging those interested in developing hardware, software, materials, marketplaces and maker spaces to apply to participate in the Spark Investment Fund’s investment portfolio. Read More
Oct 30
If Silicon Valley wants you to think that self-driving cars are the future then a startup based in Slovakia wants to prove them wrong. AeroMobil, the startup in question, unveiled a flying car at the Pioneers Festival in Vienna. Its not a concept, mockup or model. Its an actual flying car that can take to the skies like it can take to the roads.
Called the AeroMobil 3.0 this is actually the third iteration of this particular flying car which has been in development for over two decades. CEO of AeroMobil, Juraj Vaculik, said that the startup believes “personal transportation is about to change forever.”
Stefan Klein, who is the founder and head of the Department of Transport Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Slovakia, designed the device and has been tinkering with the idea of a flying car in one form or another since 1989. Back in 2010 he and Vaculik joined forces and created AeroMobil.
They say that the AeroMobil 3.0 is close to being commercially available. It requires very little runway to take off and can be filled up at any conventional gas station as long as the wings are retracted. It can carry two people in the cockpit and comes with autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system.
Built out of advanced composite materials that make it durable and light, the AeroMobil 3.0 can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h when its in the air. The startup has not revealed as yet how much this flying car will cost when it is put up for sale.
Flying Car That Actually Flies Unveiled By AeroMobil
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Oct 30
Another Fracking Health Threat
Posted in: Today's ChiliYou may have been shocked by this recent headline: “Dead babies near oil drilling sites raise questions for researchers.” But those who are following the national debate about fracking are all too familiar with the concerns community members have about pollution from this new drilling technology.
In fact, our report on health risks to infants, children and pregnant women living near fracking operations found serious reasons for concern. As the CEH report notes, chemicals used in fracking and/or created by fracking operations have been linked to low birth weight, birth defects, respiratory problems, infertility and cancer, among other serious problems.
There has been much attention to water pollution risks from fracking, but there has been less research into air quality around fracking sites. Now a new study, co-authored by CEH’s Research Director Caroline Cox and published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health shines light on fracking air pollution risks. Along with the study, a report, Warning Signs: Toxic Air Pollution Identified at Oil and Gas Development Sites details the results from the sampling.
The study is an example of community based participatory research: CEH and our partner groups with the Coming Clean coalition worked with communities in six states where residents feel the daily impacts from nearby oil and gas development sites, including fracking operations. These local partners used their knowledge of the conditions in their neighborhoods to determine where and when to take air samples, and were trained to use sampling equipment that enabled them to collect air for laboratory testing. Even while taking air samples for this project, community members reported health symptoms including headaches, dizziness or light-headedness, burning or running noses, nausea, and sore or irritated throats.
Lab results from the air sampling were analyzed by CEH and a team of health, science, and community experts. The results were alarming:
- Fifteen of the 35 “grab” air samples (meaning, where air is intentionally drawn into a sampling device), had concentrations of volatile chemicals that exceeded federal exposure risk levels for cancer, or for non-cancer health effects.
- Fourteen of the 41 passive samples (where air naturally passes through a sampling device) had concentrations of volatile chemicals that exceeded federal exposure risk levels for cancer, or for non-cancer health effects.
- One sample had air pollution levels that may pose an immediate danger to life or health, according to Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
- Benzene, a known human carcinogen, was detected at sample locations in Pennsylvania and Wyoming, in levels exceeding health-based standards by several orders of magnitude.
- In three states, formaldehyde was detected at levels exceeding the health-based standards of the US EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System.
Others are also now finding air pollution problems associated with fracking operations. In Ohio, a team from the University of Cincinnati and Oregon State University are looking at air quality around fracked gas wells where residents have complained about odors and health concerns. These investigations point to the critical importance of further research into air pollution from fracking, and suggest a need for increased government monitoring, oversight, and regulation to protect public health.
State and federal agencies must use a precautionary approach when permitting oil and gas development. Even more critical, policies should promote renewable solutions to our energy needs, and stop subsidizing fossil fuels that contribute to our climate problems. Our health and our children’s and grandchildren’s health depends on it.
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