Feb 04
Bill O’Reilly Gets A Savage Public Reminder Of How Much He Paid In Settlements
Posted in: Today's ChiliFormer Fox News host’s Super Bowl complaint backfires spectacularly.
Feb 04
This Robot Will Beat You at Jenga
Posted in: Today's ChiliWhen not building robots that we kill us and take over the world, researchers at MIT are working on robots that will just demoralize us and make us feel like losers. For example, this specialized robot combines vision and touch to teach itself to play Jenga. In case you’ve been living under a rock all your life, Jenga is a game of stacked wooden blocks where you have to pull out blocks without making the tower collapse.
The robot has a soft-pronged gripper, a force-sensing wrist cuff, and an external camera that allows it to “see” and “feel” the tower and the individual blocks. It can push gently against a block as the visual and tactile feedback is assessed from the camera and cuff. These forces are compared to other measurements. It can learn in real-time if the block can be removed without making the tower collapse. There’s no way we can compete with that.
Researchers think this technology would be great for things like separating recyclable objects from a landfill, and assembling consumer products. Then they just laugh at how much this robot will kick your butt at Jenga. Really they are just using their big brains to mess with us and to point and laugh.
[via SlashGear]
Feb 04
With the recent cold snap here in the midwest, I’ve been downing cups of tea like they’re going out of style. At times, I even imagine taking a swim in some chai or mint tea since it smells so good. Of course, if you’re going to fill a swimming pool with tea, you’re going to need some pool floaties. Or is that Float-Teas?
The wacky minds over at Fred came up with these cute and clever tea infusers that look like inflatable pool floats. But not to worry about keeping these ones filled with air. They’re actually made from stainless steel, and offer a compartment inside for your loose tea. Simply fill, and float in a mug of hot water, and your mini pool will soon be filled with a delightfully-fragrant beverage.
The Float-Tea is available in pink flamingo, unicorn, and swan designs, and they’re just $15 each from Fred. Now if only tea water was blue or green instead of brown…
Feb 04
Don’t worry, this rocket-launching Chinese robo-boat is strictly for science
Posted in: Today's ChiliIt seems inevitable that the high seas will eventually play host to a sort of proxy war as automated vessels clash over territory for the algae farms we’ll soon need to feed the growing population. But this rocket-launching robo-boat is a peacetime vessel concerned only with global weather patterns.
The craft is what’s called an unmanned semi-submersible vehicle, or USSV, and it functions as a mobile science base — and now, a rocket launch platform. For meteorological sounding rockets, of course, nothing scary.
It solves a problem we’ve seen addressed by other seagoing robots like the Saildrone: that the ocean is very big, and very dangerous — so monitoring it properly is equally big and dangerous. You can’t have a crew out in the middle of nowhere all the time, even if it would be critical to understanding the formation of a typhoon or the like. But you can have a fleet of robotic ships systematically moving around the ocean.
In fact this is already done in a variety of ways and by numerous countries and organizations, but much of the data collection is both passive and limited in range. A solar-powered buoy drifting on the currents is a great resource, but you can’t exactly steer it, and it’s limited to sampling the water around it. And weather balloons are nice, too, if you don’t mind flying it out to where it needs to be first.
A robotic boat, on the other hand, can go where you need it and deploy instruments in a variety of ways, dropping or projecting them deep into the water or, in the case of China’s new USSV, firing them 20,000 feet into the air.
“Launched from a long-duration unmanned semi-submersible vehicle, with strong mobility and large coverage of the sea area, rocketsonde can be used under severe sea conditions and will be more economical and applicable in the future,” said Jun Li, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a news release.
The 24-foot craft, which has completed a handful of near-land cruises in Bohai Bay, was announced in the paper. You may wonder what “semi-submersible” means. Essentially they put as much of the craft as possible under the water, with only instruments, hatches and other necessary items aboveboard. That minimizes the effect of rough weather on the craft — but it is still self-righting in case it capsizes in major wave action.
The USSV’s early travels
It runs on a diesel engine, so it’s not exactly the latest tech there, but for a large craft going long distances, solar is still a bit difficult to manage. The diesel on board will last it about 10 days and take it around 3,000 km, or 1,800 miles.
The rocketsondes are essentially small rockets that shoot up to a set altitude and then drop a “driftsonde,” a sensor package attached to a balloon, parachute or some other descent-slowing method. The craft can carry up to 48 of these, meaning it could launch one every few hours for its entire 10-day cruise duration.
The researchers’ findings were published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. This is just a prototype, but its success suggests we can expect a few more at the very least to be built and deployed. I’ve asked Li a few questions about the craft and will update this post if I hear back.
Feb 04
Fourteen years after unveiling its first location in New York, Nintendo is finally opening an official store in Japan, too. Nintendo Tokyo will be located in Shibuya Parco, the new flagship of the Parco department store chain. Nintendo Tokyo is scheduled to open at the same time as the shopping center (autumn 2019).
In an announcement, Nintendo said “we are preparing to make this store, which will be a new base for communicating Nintendo information in Japan, an enjoyable place for a wide range of consumers.” In addition to games, consoles, accessories like amiibo and branded merchandise, Nintendo Tokyo will also host gaming kiosks and events (if the New York store, in Rockefeller Center, is anything to go by, these might include tournaments, demos and launches).
Nintendo recently posted strong third-quarter revenue growth, but also cut its Switch forecast for the year. Sales may pick up again, however, if Nintendo releases a smaller and less expensive version of the console, as Japanese financial publication Nikkei reported it plans to do.
Feb 04
It’s 2019 and, in two months, Twitter would be 13 years old. A lot has changed since it launched in 2006 but one thing has not: its inability to edit tweets. This feature has long been requested to not only edit embarrassing typos but also to clarify erroneous statements. Knowing too well the can of worms it could open, the … Continue reading
Feb 04
The biggest movie during last year’s Super Bowl was Avengers: Infinity War. And so Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had to come back for 2019, right? Well, half of them at least.
Feb 04
Feb 04
Apple has made a ton of money over the years, which is largely thanks to the iPhone. However it also seems that the company could be taking a loss on some of their other products in a bid to try to get customers to get on board its ecosystem, such as the Apple TV and the HomePod smart speaker.
This is according to John Gruber during his podcast “The Talk Show” in which he claims that Apple is apparently selling the Apple TV at cost, meaning that little to no profit is made with every unit sold. He also claims that the HomePod is actually being sold at a loss despite its heftier price tag compared to the competition.
According to Gruber, “One thing I’ve heard from a reliable little birdie is Apple effectively sells [Apple TV] at cost. Like they really are like $180 a box. And you think, ‘wow, this is amazing, it has an A10 processor, which we know is super fast, and has crazy good graphics.’ I’ve heard the same thing about HomePod too. Like, why is HomePod so much more expensive than these other speakers you can talk to? I have reason to believe Apple actually sells it at a loss. I can’t prove it, I don’t think it’s a big loss.”
It is surprising if this is true, and given that Gruber tends to have pretty good inside information, there is a chance he could be right. However not everyone agrees with Gruber where according to Mark Gurman (via 9to5Mac), he has refuted those claims and suggested that both the Apple TV and HomePod are being sold at profit.
Apple Said To Be Selling Apple TV At Cost, HomePods At A Loss
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Feb 04
Pocket Sky helps keep you happy
Posted in: Today's Chili
For some people, the change in seasons would be accompanied by a change in moods, but for the worse. There is just something about a lack of sunlight or perhaps even with a bleak outlook for a few months that will send the human body into a spiral of depression. Pocket Sky from Austrian healthtech-start-up Active Wearables intends to prevent that, where it is touted to be able to put a stop to the likes of seasonal affective disorder, jet lag, or even shift work disorder. The Pocket Sky is meant to be worn like a pair of glasses for just 20 minutes daily, and it tips the scales at a mere 12 grams so that you will not even know that it is there, enabling it to blend smoothly into any lifestyle.
Courtesy of its unrivalled diminutive and unobtrusive look, the Pocket Sky is easy enough to be worn anywhere and anytime. This helps one facilitate personalized, highly effective routines, where its soft blue light will be able to help improve the wellbeing of the individual as well as vigilance through the suppression of the production of melatonin.
Pocket Sky will upend the way biologically active light is consumed, bringing with it the potential of helping out many millions worldwide who are negatively affected by disturbances of their body clock. Being able to be charged without the need for any cables via a stylish looking cradle, the Pocket Sky will be able to offer up to a couple of weeks’ worth of battery life on a full charge, making it ideal for travelling or commuting. Available from February 2019 onwards, this seems to be the ideal gift for someone who works shifts that are constantly changing, as well as for frequent travelers who skip time zones like a skipping rope each month.
Press Release
[ Pocket Sky helps keep you happy copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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