What technologies and innovations will shape our lives after few decades.
How much will your career advance in one or ten years. Where will your kids go to college, be brave and predict here.
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This new $2.50 Batteriser, which extends disposable battery life by 800%, is on the energy market
A new device is set to give any disposable battery - from AAA to D - eight times its usual lifespan by keeping its voltage boosted to just above what most appliances consider 'dead'. Developed by US-based start-up, Batteroo, the so-called 'Batteriser' is a stainless steel sleeve that you can clip onto any battery, and because it’s just 0.1 mm thick, it can fit into any kind of device, including TV remotes, torches, bluetooth keyboards, and console controllers.
The idea behind the Batteriser is that a new alkaline battery will be able to generate 1.5 Volts for some time, but as soon as its voltage drops to 1.4 Volts or below, most devices write it off as dead. This means that when we’re throwing out what we think are spent batteries, we’re throwing out something that still has 80 percent of its energy left inside. And that’s where this new voltage booster technology comes into play.
"The Batteriser has boost circuitry that will boost the voltage from 0.6 volts to 1.5 volts and will maintain voltage at 1.5 - which is a brand new battery," one of the team behind the invention, electrical engineer Bob Roohparvar, told Jon Phillips at PCWorld.
While this technology behind the Batteriser voltage booster has been around for many years, the difference here is that Roohparvar and his team have managed to shrink it down enough so it will fit inside any battery compartment you throw at it. "The key is we’ve been able to miniaturise the boost circuit to a point that no one else has been able to achieve," Roohparvar said.
Testing the performance of the Batteriser is easy - Roohparvar just needs to take some 'dead’ batteries with a 1.3-Volt output, and slot them into a Bluetooth keyboard. Naturally, the keyboard doesn’t recognise these batteries as functional, and will not operate. The batteries are then fitted with Batteriser sleeves to boost the voltage back to 1.5 Volts, slotted back inside the Bluetooth keyboard, and "Voila: The Mac reported the battery level at 100 percent," Phillips reports.
"We tested the Batteriser sleeve in our lab and we confirmed that the Batteriser taps into 80 percent of energy that is usually thrown away," said physicist Kiumars Parvin from San Jose State University, who was asked to independently verify the results.
Roohparvar says the Batteriser will also work with rechargeable batteries that have slipped to a 1.2-Volt output, and will be sold in packs of four for $10. They’re planning on having them on the market by September this year, and will launch a crowd-funding Indiegogo campaign later this month.
It’s the kind of technology that just might put a dent in the 15 billion batteries that end up in landfill around the world each year, so hopefully we’ll see these helpful little devices in stores soon.
Source: http://www.sciencealert.com/
Siri introduces the Next Generation Apple TV
In March of this year, BuzzFeed News told you that Apple had a new Apple TV in the pipeline and planned to unveil it in June at its annual Word Wide Developers Conference. Two months later we told you the company scrapped that plan, delaying the device to do a bit more work on it. It opted instead to focus its keynote-address attentions on its next generation operating systems and Apple Music streaming service.
Now, as Apple heads toward its annual fall event, the successor to its superannuated set-top box is once again top of mind and at last headed to market — and for real this time.
Sources familiar with Apple’s plans tell BuzzFeed News that the company intends to announce its next-generation Apple TV in September, at the same event at which it typically unveils its new iPhones. The device itself is pretty much as we described it to you in March, sources say, but “more polished” after some additional tweaks. Expect a refreshed and slimmer chassis and new innards; Apple’s A8 system on chip; a new remote that sources say has been “drastically improved” by a touch-pad input; an increase in on-board storage; and an improved operating system that will support Siri voice control. Crucially, the new Apple TV will debut alongside a long-awaited App Store and the software development kit developers need to populate it.
It’s a significant overhaul of the diminutive set-top box, which hasn’t seen a material refresh since 2012, and one that Apple hopes will inspire a big upgrade cycle through the annual winter holiday consumer binge, setting the stage for the subscription internet-TV service Apple’s been trying to get off the ground for years. While that service is most certainly in the offing, sources tell BuzzFeed News that Apple does not currently plan to announce it alongside the new Apple TV. “Late this year — maybe, but more likely next year,” said one, seconding a June report by Re/code.
While launching new Apple TV hardware apart from a new subscription TV service might seem counterintuitive, it does make strategic sense if Apple doesn’t yet have the deals in place to field such a service. Certainly, Apple doesn’t need to debut the two things together. By rolling out the new Apple TV and SDK ahead of the service, Apple is giving developers some lead time to develop compelling apps for the device — and taking good advantage of a holiday shopping season that will likely drive sales, further growing the Apple TV installed base to which it will someday sell streaming service subscriptions.
Apple declined comment
Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/
UFC 191: Johnson vs. Dodson 2 MMA Revenge Predictions
MAIN CARD
Flyweight: Demetrious Johnson (c) def. John Dodson via Unanimous Decision
Heavyweight: Frank Mir def. Andrei Arlovski via Submission (kneebar)
Light Heavyweight: Anthony Johnson def. Jimi Manuwa via KO (head kick)
Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz def. Corey Anderson via Decision (unanimous)
Women's Strawweight: Paige VanZant def. Alex Chambers via Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Lightweight: Paul Felder def. Ross Pearson via TKO (knees)
Women's Bantamweight: Jessica Andrade def. Raquel Pennington via Submission (rear-naked choke)
Submssion of the Night: Frank Mir
Performance of the Night: Demetrious Johnson (c)
Fight of the Night: Demetrious Johnson (c) def. John Dodson
KO of the Night: Anthony Johnson
The US dollar will rise against most currencies, while the euro and yen will fall
Exchange market fundamentals played a big role in movements of currencies during 2014, and will continue to exert a strong influence during 2015. This means that the dollar will strengthen more, because of strong growth prospects and Fed rate hikes (sooner than most other central banks). Having risen by around 8% against major currencies in 2014, IHS expects the greenback to rise another 3–5% in 2015. The anticipated additional stimulus by the ECB and BoJ means that both the euro and the yen will keep depreciating in 2015. IHS predicts that the euro/dollar rate will fall from late-2014 levels of around $1.25 to a range of $1.15–1.20 by autumn 2015. Similarly, the yen is predicted to depreciate from about ¥117 at the end of 2014 to a range of ¥120–125 during 2015. As in the case of the US dollar, early hikes by the Bank of England and Bank of Canada will put upward pressure on sterling and the Canadian dollar, although in the case of the latter, weak oil prices will exert countervailing downward pressures.
Source: https://www.ihs.com/
"The Shepherd’s Crown" - The last Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel is published
Terry Pratchett’s daughter Rhianna has brought down the curtain on her father’s Discworld novels, declaring that she will not write any more herself, nor give anyone else permission to do so. The comic novels set in a world balanced on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant turtle are “sacred to dad”, she said.
The author, videogame and comics writer told a fan last week that her late father’s forthcoming novel, The Shepherd’s Crown, featuring teenage witch Tiffany Aching, would be the final Discworld book. And asked by a fan if she would be continuing the series herself, she ruled out the possibility.
“No. I’ll work on adaptations, spin-offs, maybe tie-ins, but the books are sacred to dad,” she wrote on Twitter. “That’s it. Discworld is his legacy. I shall make my own.”
She added: “To reiterate – no I don’t intend on writing more Discworld novels, or giving anyone else permission to do so.”
Responding to a Twitter user who praised her decision, saying “bravo @rhipratchett Heartily sick of reboots from lesser writers – no one can replace the original & greatest”, Pratchett tweeted that “the comment about ‘lesser writers’ … seemed rather pointed”, adding: “Although in fairness most writers are lesser compared to dad.”
She later said that Pratchett’s assistant, Rob Wilkins, would also not write any Discworld novels, and that the chance of an “unfinished writings compilation” suggested by a fan was “unlikely, sorry”.
The Shepherd’s Crown, which will be published on 27 August, is the 41st Discworld novel. The cover shows that it will feature Tiffany and the six-inch fairies the Nac Mac Feegles, but little else is known about the book.
The Long Utopia, the fourth novel in the science fiction series Pratchett co-authored with Stephen Baxter, will be published on 18 June. The final novel in the five-book series was completed by Pratchett, who died in March.
Larry Finlay, the managing director of Pratchett’s publisher Transworld, told the Bookseller: “We are proud to preserve and curate Terry Pratchett’s legacy according to his family’s wishes, and we are thrilled that there is still one more Discworld novel by Terry, The Shepherd’s Crown, to come.”
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/12/terry-pratchett-daughter-fans-shepherds-crown-last-discworld-novel
Deployed: Airbag vests for bikers and motorcycle riders in Europe and US
Though some motorcyclists wear little more than swimsuits, most try to temper their desire for two-wheeled exhilaration with a dose of self-regard.
Alpinestars, the cycle-sports outerwear company, seems to have scored one for the safety-minded. The company – with offices in northern Italy, Los Angeles and Tokyo – has developed an airbag system that cushions riders’ torsos in case of a crash.
Housed in a vest that fits into select jackets from the brand, the system adds minimal bulk while maximising a rider’s defense mechanisms.
Adjustments in a rider’s position or style are not required. When the Tech-Air Street airbag system’s sensors determine a crash is underway – a conclusion that is reached within 30 and 60 milliseconds – compressed air is released from a pair of cylinders, instantaneously inflating strategically positioned air bladders.
The system is stitched inside a vest that in turn zips within the company’s Valparaiso and Viper jacket models. The Airbag Control Unit and air canisters fit into a rigid section – modelled on a conventional back protector – along the rider’s spine. The entire device is activated when the wearer zips the Tech-Air-equipped jacket closed.
Airbags are positioned front and rear, providing coverage of the back, shoulders, kidney area and chest in the event of a crash. Riders would be hard pressed to detect a vest under a wearer’s jacket, though when the airbags inflate, a rider so-dressed appears to be wearing three sweaters.
Tech-Air systems require no connection to the motorcycle, so wearers can hop from one bike to the next without compromising operation. Users must, however, remember to charge the vest’s battery pack, which is good for about 25 hours of riding when fully topped up. An unobtrusive strip of LEDs runs along the rider’s forearm, indicating level of charge.
The Tech-Air Street system is the result of a decade of research on the road, at temperatures between -10C (14F) and 50C (122F), Alpinestars says. The equipment has also been tested on competitive circuits, where racing versions have protected MotoGP aces Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa from crash injuries. Indeed, a full racing suit for recreational sportbike riders and club racers would not be surprising down the road.
The system even is intended to protect stationary riders, in the event of a rear-end collision when waiting at a traffic light, for example. Other tested contingencies include a rider who wears a backpack over the jacket system, as well as a rider and rear passenger who suffer simultaneous accidental deployments, to ensure stability is maintained.
Alpinestars notes that the Tech-Air Street’s CE certification clears the system for ship, rail and air transport, meaning holidaymakers can take their protective equipment aboard. (The picture is less clear for those travelling in the US, considering authorities’ antipathy towards CO2 tire-inflation cartridges used by bicyclists. The Transportation Security Administration website does, however, note the admission of “small compressed gas cartridges” when used in “life vests,” which the Tech-Air could be considered, even though the rule is aimed at floatation vests.)
The Tech-Air will be available in select European markets in spring 2015, with US sales to come later in the year. Initial pricing for the vest is 1,200 euros ($1,440), which mates to either the Valparaiso (650 euros) or Viper (350 euros) jacket. Pricing for the US market will be announced closer to the system's availability date.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150105-deployed-alpinestars-tech-air-street-airbag-vest
Tech-Air official website: http://www.alpinestars.com/tech-air
The world’s best whiskey Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 is launched into space for the sake of science
The Japanese distillery company, Suntory, announced that it is partnering with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the International Space Station to launch its world-class whiskey into space.
Alas, according to the press release, the point of the mission is not to provide astronauts with fine whiskey, but to test the way zero-gravity affects the ageing and taste of the liquor. “With the exception of some items like beer, alcoholic beverages are widely known to develop a mellow flavor when aged for a long time,” the company writes. Scientists and Suntory hope that the alcoholic space mission will help determine the source of this mellowing process.
The whiskey’s launch date is August 16, when it will fly aboard JAXA’s transfer vehicle Kounotori. A spokesman for the company told the Wall Street Journal that Suntory will be sending two different whiskies: a single malt aged for 21 years and another whiskey that was just distilled.
Source: http://qz.com
My Malt prediction: the Yamazaki will return like 7 years aged on Earth and get some new unknown trendy alien flavor.
Kim Jong-un sets clocks back 30 minutes creating North Korea's own time zone
(CNN) North Korea is its own world in many ways. Now, it is getting its own time zone to match.
State news agency, KCNA, has announced that North Korea will set its clocks back by 30 minutes to "Pyongyang time" on August 15--the 70th anniversary of liberation from Japan.
That will reset the time to GMT+08:30, as it was before Japanese colonization.
"The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land with 5 000 year-long history and culture and pursuing the unheard-of policy of obliterating the Korean nation," KCNA reported on Friday.
New time zone could 'cause some problems'
North Koreans already have their own calendar. Instead of counting from the birth of Christ, they count from the birth of founding leader, Kim Il Sung. Kim was born in 1912 -- known in North Korea as Juche 1, making this year Juche 104.
The new time will put Pyongyang half an hour behind Tokyo and Seoul.
South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman, Jeong Joon-hee told a briefing on Friday that could cause some problems.
"Some difficulties are likely to come in inter-Korean exchanges, including flows to and from the Kaesong Industrial Complex," he said.
Jeong added it could have negative effects on inter-Korean integration in the long-term.
Source: http://cnn.com/
ESA Rosetta reaches its nominal end of the mission after giving us the answers about the Solar System origin and one big space surprise
My prediction is: Rosseta's Philae will successfully test the comet's ice and will find a new unknown physical state of the water.
ESA's schedule is: On 6 August 2014, the Rosetta mission achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first mission to rendezvous with a comet. During the coming months, Rosetta will orbit the comet, deploy the Philae lander (in November 2014), and accompany the comet through perihelion (August 2015) until the nominal end of the mission. During its 10 year journey towards comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the spacecraft has passed by two asteroids: 2867 Steins (in 2008) and 21 Lutetia (in 2010). The spacecraft entered deep-space hibernation mode in June 2011, and 'woke up' on 20 January 2014.
Source: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/
First Round-The-World Solar Plane "SOLAR IMPULSE", completed its historic mission
After the Solar Impulse prototype’s 8 world records, when it became the first solar airplane ever to fly through the night, between two continents, and across the United States, it is time for Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg to move on to the final phase of the adventure: the 2015 round-the-world flight.
What better way to demonstrate the importance of the pioneering, innovatory spirit than by achieving “impossible” things with renewable energy and highlighting new solutions for environmental problems?
The route: Si2 will take-off from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirate, in late February or early March and return by late July or early August 2015. The route includes stops in Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Myanmar; and Chongqing and Nanjing, China. After crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii, Si2 will fly across the Continental U.S.A. stopping in three locations – Phoenix, and New York City at JFK. A location in the Midwest will be decided dependent on weather conditions. After crossing the Atlantic, the final legs include a stop-over in Southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in Abu Dhabi. Solar Impulse unveiled the flight path in Abu Dhabi alongside partner representatives. This included main partners Solvay, Omega, Schindler and ABB. They were also joined by official partners Altran, Bayer, Google, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Swisscom and Moët Hennessy alongside Solar Impulse’s host partner Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company.
A great historic first: for such an adventure, as for any premiere, there are no references. We were, and will be, faced with a number of challenges, leading us to push the limits of technological, human and piloting performance.
Official website: http://info.solarimpulse.com/en/our-adventure/the-first-round-the-world-solar-flight/
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