Cloud backup for all your files

Credit: livewireit.net

For comprehensive information about backup for Macintosh computers, check here.

Cloud backup for all computers – desktop, laptop, phones, tablets – free & paid
http://au.pcmag.com/file-syncing-and-backup / computer Mac Macintosh Android iOS Linux Unix Windows stolen damaged replacing hardware technically very easy money data hard disk SSD precious photos carefully amassed iTunes library work novel best case scenario pay hundreds thousands of dollars data recovery specialist worst case gone for good you should back up your computer phone different ways of backing up backup strategy lose any of your files pros and cons different back up backup your computer information data informed decision protecting your data detailed information if you do nothing else, do this easy cheap some basic protection against data loss recommendation good mix of backup methods your data can withstand almost any catastrophe if you do nothing else do this buy a hard disk plug it into your Mac when prompted backup back up accept prompt launch System Preferences pick hard disk backup pane wrong format Macintosh Mac Android iOS iPhone Windows Unix Linux reformat disk utility repartition partition drive single partition Mac OS X format recommended system simple backup process disk connected to your computer good safe backup strategy your data best chance surviving range of problems minimize your down time if disaster strikes back up backup using disk connected to your network extra convenience clone your hard disk daily disk connected to your computer use a cloud backup or peer-to-peer backup service mixing these three strategies file versioning overwrite or delete go back to an earlier draft of a file ability to quickly boot from your cloned disk internal drive fails safeguarded against theft or damage more serious disaster such as fire your data also stored elsewhere in the world cloud other remote backup system three copies of your data if one or more fails options disc disk connected to your computer apps back up backup your files external hard disk simple built-in sure to be supported file versioning simple backup older copies of your files current one restore the most recent version step back through time grab older drafts good idea to buy a hard disk that’s two or more times the size of your internal drive space to store lots of versions all handled automatically hard disks are cheap 4TB drive laptop SD card slot fitting an SD card Micro SD card inside Nifty MiniDrive drive portable hard drive laptop physically connected disk smaller disks 2.5-inch mechanisms 3.5-inch desktop drives bus-powered drawing the power USB port separate power supply set-it-and-forget-it easy cheap built-in supported takes a snapshot of your files every hour easy to retrieve deleted and overwritten files versioning feature restore an entire system have the disk connected for back ups desktop laptop replace a failed internal hard disk boot from it offers no protection against theft local disasters such as fire disk connected to your network back up disk disc connected directly to your network network backing up centrally back up completely automatically over the network every hour via Wi-Fi or ethernet laptops especially connect your backup disk automatically whenever the awake network-attached network attached storage device network router built-in hard disk plugging a hard disk USB port available on the network for Network-Attached Storage NAS backup fireproof waterproof fire proof water proof disks advantages over your home network a little slower speed of your network bandwidth restoring is even slower still connected to your home network extra complexity theft or other local disasters cloning your disk mirror contents of your internal disk to an external drive set schedules internal disk fails boot from the external clone slow level of redundancy down external clone fails FireWire USB boot from USB no protection against local disasters RAID disks Cloud backup services CrashPlan Backblaze Livedrive good data redundancy backup abilities backup back up your photo library documents stored on backup system on iOS peer-to-peer offsite backup CrashPlan initial backup process CrashPlan RAID disaster-proofed drive data encrypted backup drive cloud backup data is protected from theft local disasters CrashPlan Backblaze Livedrive /

Kanex has an external battery for your MacBook

Credit: Kanex

External batteries for phones or tablets are widely available at low prices.

For MacBooks, there are few options, & they tend to be expensive.

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/03/external-battery-for-macbook-now-there.html

For the MacBook 12" that has changed with the Kanex GoPower, which can completely charge a MacBook 12" through its USB-C port, & costs just $US99.95. Other USB-C laptops too.

USB-C can also be used to charge a small, but growing number of phones & tablets multiple times. Other phones & tablets can be charged through the USB-A port.


Credit: Kanex

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/05/25/kanex-gopower-keeps-your-macbook-running-after-the-battery-dies/

Manufacturer Web site
http://www.kanex.com/gopower-usbc / Kanex GoPower MacBook 12 inch running after the battery dies latest MacBooks have great battery life battery will drain charger outlet power point socket dead batteries battery MacBook USB-C port Kanex GoPower built in 15,000mAh battery USB 3.0A 2.4A fast charging ports GoPower enough extra battery power completely recharge your USB-C MacBook MacBook GoPower provide multiple recharges other USB-C devices Nexus 6P LG G5 charge two devices at one time extra USB-A port Kanex GoPower priced at $99.95 /

UNESCO report the Australian Government didn’t want you to see

“The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia ... The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space & is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms ... selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.”¹ – endangered by global warming
Credit: NASA/Summer Reading Club

Book burning?

No.

Easier, & more effective, to suppress the parts you don’t like before the book is published.

This is the path taken by an Australian government department when a draft of a UNESCO report mentioned risks of climate change for the Great Barrier Reef¹. Paradoxically, the governmental organization involved is called the, “Environment Department”.

All mention of Great Barrier Reef was deleted from the final report.

ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-27/australia-removed-from-un-climate-change-report/7450898

Professor Will Steffen (Climate Councillor; Emeritus Professor, ANU)
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/reefgate

Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/4l7dps/australia_scrubbed_from_un_climate_change_report/

Chapter of the UNESCO report the Australian Government didn’t want you to see
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/27/revealed-the-report-on-the-great-barrier-reef-that-australia-didnt-want-the-world-to-see

Climate Council
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/

Donate to the Climate Council
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/donate/
__________

¹ Wikepedia: “Great Barrier Reef”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef / Australia references stripped UNESCO UN United Nations climate change report tourism concerns references Australia removed UN report climate change Environment Department expressed concerns cause confusion negatively affect tourism report jointly published UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Union of Concerned Scientists United Nations Environmental Program UNEP chapter Great Barrier Reef sections on Kakadu Tasmanian forests statement Environment Department indicated did not support Australia's world heritage properties Environment Minister Greg Hunt not involved briefed issue Will Steffen, scientific reviewers UNESCO paper Emeritus Professor Australian National University head of the Climate Council scientific assessment Great Barrier Reef report very surprised Australia was not included one of the major case studies in the report most iconic world heritage sites in Australia globally iconic site one of the sites where climate change one of the most prominent threats normal UNESCO report information global scale issues information report document putting on the table risks of climate change most beautiful places around the planet reefs survival essential tourism viability Australian Department of Environment concerns title Destinations at Risk department World Heritage Committee include the Great Barrier Reef on the endangered list difference in terminology technical thing World Heritage endangered list absolutely no doubt Great Barrier Reef is at risk increasing temperature rise coral bleaching ocean acidification extremely well documented contact department explanation decision warned Australia wanted keep tourism viable longer term major risks threatening the reef other world heritage sites can't sweep that under the carpet short term protect the reef taking some actions there fall down trying to sweep under the carpet long-term most fundamental threat to the reef all levels of Government Prime Minister ministers recognise climate change most significant long term threat to the reef urging other countries reduce their emissions lagging behind /

Traffic-straddling bus to reduce traffic congestion (video)

Public transport reduces congestion in cities, because a bus or tram carrying 60 people occupies a fraction of the road space occupied by 60 cars, or even 15 cars with 4 passengers each. (Not gonna happen.)

And a single bus produces less pollution than 60 cars or even 15.

On the other hand, a bus does actually occupy space on the road. What if the bus could avoid occupying road space altogether? Without a separate roadway?

What if all of the above could be done without the expense of a tunnel?

In Beijing, a company called Transit Explore Bus claims to have worked out how to do all of this. Testing of the first full size example is planned to begin in July or August this year.



More
http://inhabitat.com/china-to-test-insane-traffic-straddling-bus-this-summer/china-traffic-straddling-bus-2/ / bike bicycle bus pedestrian congestion traffic air quality space size road occupant occupancy passenger passengers occupancy pollution air quality transport commute commuter congestion pollution idle traffic lights stop carbon dioxide monoxide CO CO2 unburied hydrocarbons carcinogen EV electric vehicle China traffic jams traffic jam serious business 50 lanes of gridlock serious Beijing company Transit Explore Bus test incredible solution traffic-straddling bus width of two traffic lanes alleviate congestion city more than 11.5 million people straddling bus model prototype prototype first example pollution congestion /

It’s so hard to park a car

Credit: HH

Is that why they put a line down the middle of the parking spots?

Shrug / idiot retard incompetent driver parking spot parking lot can't park bad parking missed learn to park bad parking /

5 Android N features you won’t find on an iPhone

Credit: Redmond Pie

Split-Screen Multitasking – this has been available on larger Android phones for some time. iPads too, but has yet to appear, on even the largest iPhones

Instant Apps – test apps in the Google store – no need to download

Power-Saving Features – battery saving features added in Marshmallow, expanded in Android N

Background System Updates – had enough of your phone being incommunicado during system updates? Under Android N, system updates will download in the background (Wi-Fi only) & then be applied instantlaneously at the next reboot

Virtual Reality – Daydream is Google’s attempt to introduce some consistency into an increasingly chaotic market

https://bgr.com/2016/05/19/android-n-vs-ios-9-iphone/

http://www.redmondpie.com/android-n-features-and-changes-everything-that%E2%80%99s-new/ / Android N features changes new Google announced latest version Android Android N developer preview Android Developers Blog Dave Burke VP of Engineering release first developer preview builds OEMs Google feedback of developers big Android releases Android N brings new features imagination Android fans developers changes Android N game changers make Android a better platform Android N multi-tasking picture-in-picture video split-screen multitasking apps Android N new capability devices tablets large-screen smartphones phablet improved notifications Direct Reply new addition existing notifications instantly reply notifications messages in-line notification shade reply to a message without leaving the app group notifications by app name battery improvements battery saving power saving Android N Doze feature Android Marshmallow saving even more battery power device’s screen turned off phone display turned off Doze save battery memory improvements Project Svelte Google reduce memory making background tasks more efficient big impact devices with limited memory Java 8 support new version Android Java 8 developers improvement tweaks other minor improvements overall stability Night Mode Android Marshmallow Google final release tweaks to UI Android N first developer preview Android N /

Do you know where your towel is?

Douglas Adams
Credit: DNA Press Photos by Jill Furmanovsky

International Towel Day — Celebrating the life & work of Douglas Adams

25 May every year, is Towel Day

‘A towel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, & of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.’

‘More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: nonhitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have “lost”. What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length & breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through & still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.’

‘Hence a phrase which has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in, “Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is.”’

‘(Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)’

– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

More about Towel Day
http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/05/international-towel-day-celebrating.html

Towel Day
http://towelday.org/

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day

More about Douglas Adams
http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2012/02/7-awesome-things-that-douglas-adams-did.html / Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Towel Day annual celebration 25 25th May tribute late author Douglas Adams 1952-2001 fan fans around universe proudly carry towel his honour I love Douglas Adams get involved help spread the word about Towel Day #towelday tweet blog post in forums share a link in Facebook events event organize Towel Day announce carry a towel where everywhere proudly show world observe observed Towel Day upload picture Facebook Flickr tag ittowelday group video on YouTube Adams author wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul The Meaning of Liff The Deeper Meaning of Liff Last Chance to See stories television series Doctor Who posthumous collection his work unfinished novel published The Salmon of Doubt in 2002 Restaurant at the End of the Universe Douglas Adams Douglas Addams /

What Pebble had up its sleeve – two new smart watches & a new type of connected device (video) - update

Pebble’s big announcement is a Kickstarter project which includes two new smartwatches & a new type of device called Pebble Core (see below).

It's another Pebble success story, passing $US2 million in pledges around 2:17 after the project went live. Most popular – Pebble Time 2 with close to 2,500 pledges. No other perk had reached 500 pledges at that time.

Update 15:54 Sunday 29 May – a little over 5 days – pledges have passed $US9 million, from over 47,600 backers.

Pebble 2 – an update of the original Pebble smartwatch


Pebble 2
Credit: Pebble/Kickstarter

● monochrome e-paper display
● built-in activity tracking & heart rate monitor
● plastic body
● water resistance to 30 metres
● microphone
● battery life up to 7 days
● access to 13,000 Pebble apps & watchfaces
● ships September 2016
● $US99 – early bird – 1st 10,000 backers

Pebble Time 2 – an update of the Pebble Time Steel smartwatch


Pebble Time 2
Credit: Pebble/Kickstarter

● colour e-paper display – 53% larger than previous Pebble smart watches

● built-in activity tracking & heart rate monitor
● stainless steel body – a first for Pebble
● water resistance to 30 metres
● microphone
● battery life up to 10 days
● access to 13,000 Pebble apps & watchfaces
● ships November 2016
● $US169 – early bird – 1st 10,000 backers



Pebble Core – a new type of device aimed at runners & hackers


Pebble 2 + Pebble Core fitted with earphones
Credit: Pebble/Kickstarter

● track location, distance, pace

● emergency SMS with location
● syncs with your favorite fitness app
● stream spotify
● voice notes
● leave your phone at home
● pairs with Pebble watch
● optional wireless charging $US20
● 3G + Bluetooth + WiFi
● hardware expansion port
● 2 programmable buttons
● early access to the Core SDK
● $US69 – early bird – 1st 5,000 backers

Kickstarter project
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra?ref=nav_search / two new heart-rate enabled smartwatches entirely new 3G ultra-wearable go for a run ditch the phone project Pebble 2 Time 2 Pebble Core Pebble Core for hackers Pebble Health third and best Kickstarter project announce two new smartwatches entirely new lightweight hackable connected device replace your phone when you’re out running Pebble 2 Time 2 new smartwatches with activity tracking fitness tracker smartwatch have it all new Pebble smartwatches keep you connected notifications show your schedule perform simple tasks with the click of a button built-in activity tracking heart rate monitor updated suite of Health tools Pebble on your wrist Pebble 2 Time 2 standard multi-day battery life water resistance to 30 meters e-paper displays readable indoors and out Pebble 2 Time 2 work with iOS and Android smartphones prices Pebble 2 Time 2 Pebble Core ultra-compact ultra-lightweight Core armbands hip pouches hassles exercising with your phone connected control Core streams music Spotify syncs GPS data Runkeeper Strava Under Armour Record leave phone at home run phone-free Pebble Core first 3G truly connected ultra-wearable Pebble Core for Hackers Pebble you can hack it Core is a tiny hackable Android computer keychain magic button for anything call an Uber with a click track your pet Stream data from your car’s ODB port pilot a drone from the web early access to Core SDK Pebble original smartwatch Kickstarter community Pebble launched smartwatch industry first ever $10M Kickstarter campaign record $20M produced five amazing smartwatches widely acclaimed epic battery life thoughtful design making Kickstarter wearable history Pebble 2 Time 2 Pebble Core Pebble Core for Hackers Pebble Health Pebble Core ultra-wearable for running leave your phone at home adaptive goals and scheduling /

Pebble has something up its sleeve

Pebble Time & Pebble Time Steel
Credit: Personal Tech Reviews

Update: this is what Pebble had up its sleeve.

Web page of the Pebble smartwatch has a countdown timer &:

Wait for it ...
You're in for a treat on May 24th at 10AM EDT
Enter your email to get all the juicy details first.

Last time Pebble published such a cryptic message, the revelation was the Pebble Time smartwatch.

“10AM EDT”, is 10am on the USA east coast. If you're not sure what time that is where you live, check the count-down-timer at: Update: No countdown timer now, but read about current & soon-to-be-available Pebble products at:

https://www.pebble.com/ / Pebble smartwatch smart watch smartwatch smartwatches indie Kickstarter project Pebble improving product selling watches CEO Eric Migicovsky one millionth Pebble price cuts new feature boosted sales figures Google Android Samsung Galaxy Gear new products new software platform Google Apple smartwatches app smartphone smart phone Pebble's new software new framework interaction model apps main focus platform Pebble Steel investment year webOS TV tasked new software platform launch Apple Watch Google Android Wear platform second third generation Android Wear smartwatches third-party developers web-based emulator developers build test apps install software 6,000 apps watchfaces watch face current platform hardware software wrist /

Your jeans just had a birthday

Credit: Art of Style

A patent was granted to a Reno tailor named Jacob Davis (inventor) & Levi Strauss in San Francisco (who financed the patent application) for riveted work pants on 20 May 1873.

So say happy birthday to your jeans :)

https://timeline.com/blue-jean-birthday-32bfc4fb6a26#.6zgtd6qhz

Official “History of the Levi’s® 501® Jeans” at http://www.levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/History-of-Levis-501-Jeans.pdf / blue jean birthday pockets Levi’s Levis were born today 1872 Reno tailor named Jacob Davis Levi Strauss San Francisco modification invented make work pants stronger apply for the asked Strauss willing to provide the funds Strauss agreed patent for Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings granted May 20, 1873 20 May 1873 modern blue jeans were born waist overalls modification that made all the difference small metal rivets fasten pocket seams in place find them on your jeans today invention Pacific Rural Press simple device seems quite effective manufacture overalls popular amongst our working men overalls are made and cut style best custom made pants nothing looks more slouchy workman pockets ripped open hanging down clothing apt to be torn ripped pockets Levi’s new work pants featuring rivets called XX reference 9 oz. XX denim make the pants rebranded as 501’s top-selling work pant for men United States of America patent public in 1890 other manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon blue jeans became a staple of American fashion /

New MacGyver series in the works (video)

Credit: CBS/insidethemagic.net

This new series with have Lucas Till in the title role. No sign of Richard Dean Anderson, but, as can be seen from the image above, the Swiss Army Knife is making a re-appearance.



https://bgr.com/2015/10/05/macgyver-2015-tv-series-reboot/

https://bgr.com/2016/05/20/2016-macgyver-trailer-release-date/

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/05/cbs-retools-macgyver-in-new-series-this-fall/

And then there was this pilot, which had as its central character, the nephew of the character played by Richard Dean Anderson
/ MacGyver from your childhood you’ve been waiting for finally happening trailer new MacGyver TV series remember MacGyver 80’s TV show featured bright know-it-all dude knew how to make the most of any dire situation figure out a way to get out of it new MacGyver series in the works MacGyver episode first trailer new MacGyver show character Lucas Till MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson starring Addison Timlin Michelle Krusiec George Eads action movie takes place in our present young MacGyver secret organization many talents will be put to good use secret agent unlike any other MacGyver escapes perilous situations paper clip his trusty knife his wit CBS character movie air Fridays 8:00PM starting this fall /

Drone counter-measures in the works – update

DroneDefender from Battelle
Credit: gamesareasocial.com

Drones pose a number of threats. Fortunately, counter measures are in development.

DroneDefender, shown above, has two emitter aerials, one of which can transmit signals to disrupt control signals from the operator. The second aerial can transmit signals to disrupt GPS or GLONASS for drones in self-navigation mode.

Dronebuster operates similarly, but has the advantage of being smaller & lighter than DroneDefender, which can weigh up to 15 pounds (6.8 kilogrammes).


Dronebuster from Flex Force
Credit: Ars Techica

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/05/dronebuster-will-let-you-point-and-shoot-command-hacks-at-pesky-drones/

DroneDefender Web site
http://www.battelle.org/our-work/national-security/tactical-systems/battelle-dronedefender

Or this low-tech approach may still bear fruit:
http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/in-netherlands-police-are-training.html / Dronebuster point and shoot command hacks pesky drones jammer gun exploits library drone control protocols anti-drone technology public safety military organizations drunken federal employee crashed a drone White House lawn Navy League Sea Air Space Exposition two slightly different approaches problem anti-drone device deployed in the hands of federal law enforcement military street legal version coming soon drone killer Sea Air Space DroneDefender system developed researchers nonprofit research and development organization Battelle DroneDefender two-pronged drone jammer disrupt command-and-control signals from a remote operator disrupt automatic GPS GLONASS guidance two triggers powered by a small backpack DroneDefender radio-frequency targeted simple optical sight range of about 400 meters Battelledirected RF energy weapon sends jamming signal Industrial Scientific Medical ISM bands global positioning bands 30-degree cone point of aim Department of Defense counter-drone gun Dronebuster CTO chief technology officer Flex Force Dronebuster drones interfered with firefighters California first-responders local law enforcement version Dronebuster federal government customers device broadband jamming DroneDefender much smaller DroneDefender aimed optical sights integrated radio frequency power meter signal analyzer trained device distinguish what kind of signal is being emitted from the drone telemetry remote video streaming control jamming technology illegal to use in the US new version developed Flex Force operates completely within FCC regulations drone targeted new device FCC license jamming C&C Dronebuster exploits weaknesses drone communications protocols Dronebuster's operator trigger fly home command drones land command cycling through command sets various drone systems GPS GLONASS jamming add-on card available only to federal customers pending FCC approval Dronebuster customers /

Storing energy with an electric rail car & a hill

electric rail car + rocks + hill = electric energy storage system
Credit: ARES/Wired

Electrical energy can be stored using pumped hydro. I.e. use electricity to pump water uphill in times of oversupply, run it down through a hydro-electric system in times of shortage.

Anything at the top of a hill contains a store of potential energy, which can be released by running it down the hill. Case in point, a company called ARES (Advanced Rail Energy Storage) plans to have a rail energy storage system in Pahrump, Nevada by 2019. Electrical energy can be stored in the system by powering the electric motors to drive the rail car up a hill. Energy capacity of the system can be increased by increasing the mass of the rail car. Among the cheapest ways is loading the rail car with rocks.

Energy stored in the system can be released by running the rail car back down the hill, using the electric motors to generate electricity. Same principle as regenerative braking in an electric car.

ARES’ pilot system is planned to have a capacity of 12.5 megaWatt-hours.

https://www.wired.com/2016/05/forget-elons-batteries-fix-grid-rock-filled-train-hill/?mbid=nl_51616

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/First-Grid-Scale-Rail-Energy-Storage-Project-Gets-Environmental-Approval-Fr / natural resource gravity local utility surplus electricity power electric motors 9,600 tons of rock concrete filled railcars up 2,000-foot hill railcar generate electricity regenerative braking energy used to move the train up the hill stored when it comes back down ARES pilot project demonstration track in California Pahrump $55 million energy storage system utility companies relatively minor adjustments electricity output input Nevada project power capacity 50 megawatts produce 12.5 megawatt-hours electricity energy electrical energy relatively large battery storage projects Fifty megawatts economies of scale ARES CEO James Kelly more efficient larger ARES rocks gravity low-tech cheap project on-the-ground electronics telecommunications equipment railcars specifications IHS Emerging Energy Research kiloWatt hour energy storage analyst GTM Research new technology simplicity ARES different scenario safety weight future of energy storage /

Hard disk drives – what’s most reliable?

If you are looking at buying a hard disk drive, it’s easy to compare speed of rotation, size of buffer, read & write speeds, but what isn’t usually available is good information on reliability.

Problem solved – Cloud backup provider, Backblaze, has recently published the results of its experience with over a billion hours of aggregate drive usage.


Credit: Backblaze/Ars Technica

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/05/one-billion-hours-on-and-hgst-still-rules-the-roost-for-hard-disk-reliability/
__________

“HGST, Inc. (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Digital that sells hard disk drives, solid-state drives, & external storage products & services.” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HGST / one billion hours HGST rules the roost hard disk reliability five-year-old disks still going strong Cloud backup provider Backblaze latest data accumulated reliability hard drives passed more than a billion hours of aggregate drive usage started tracking reliability in April 2013 HGST drives disc drive disk drive most reliable trend continues failure rate remarkably low three years in service 3TB and 4TB units annualized annualised failure rates 2TB units on average more than 5 years old small increase in failure rate extraordinary reliability bad experiences with certain models annualized annualised failure rates approaching 30 percent Seagate's performance Backblaze most common disk type 4TB Seagate unit nearly 35,000 of the drives in use demonstrating a failure rate of 2.90 percent Seagate 4TB units worse failure rates better pricing availability Backblaze typically orders disks 5,000 to 10,000 at a time suppliers of Seagate Western Digital-owned HGST Western Digital Toshiba disks 4TB 6TB 8TB units pricing cost-effective bulk availability uses a mixture of different disks Vaults individual Storage Pods older storage pods holding 45 drives standardizes standardises standardize standardise on a particular type Backblaze buy 1,200 disks deploy disks at scale /

Rage Against the Machine predicted Donald Trump’s presidential campaign 16 years ago

Frame from Rage Against the Machine's, "Sleep Now in the Fire" music video
Credit: Rage Against the Machine/consequenceofsound.net

Hey guys – it was a warning – not a suggestion!

This is the video in question – image at the top of this post appears momentarily around the 1 minute mark


The Simpsons depicted the situation after a Trump presidency


http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/10/rage-against-the-machine-predicted-and-mocked-donald-trumps-presidential-campaign-16-years-ago/ / Rage Against the Machine predicted mocked Donald Trump presidential campaign 16 years ago political rise The Donald band's video Sleep Now in the Fire ridiculously accurate memes Donald Trump’s so-called hair viral Vine clips incredibly easy to mock businessman turned kind of politican long before Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign officially began band predicted the massive shitstorm headed our way Rage Against the Machine Billboard alt rockers’ 1999 music video Sleep Now in the Fire proudly holding up Donald Trump for President sign RATM apocalyptic campaign deride the hell out of it clip ever-political outspoken Michael Moore greedy dystopian society despicable people Trump a real shot at winning the White House hats off to RATM The Donald RATM The Simpsons predicted trashed Trump’s political career 2000 episode Bart to the Future /

Real-time translation that fits in your ear

Waverly Labs Pilot in-ear translator will come in three colours
Credit: 3.i.baomoi.xdn.vn/Waverly Labs

Real time translation? Hasn’t that been done?

Yes. It’s probably available on your phone. But Pilot adds two new claims:

● compresses the hardware into something that fits in your ear, so that it is less intrusive on the conversation

● translation is done in the device itself – no data connection required¹

More:
http://www.gizmag.com/waverly-labs-pilot-in-ear-translator-translation/43359/

Waverly Labs Web site – enter the draw for a free pair
http://www.waverlylabs.com/launch/

Hat tip to Glenn for this item
__________

¹ Waverly Labs: “10. Does it work offline? Yes it is designed to work offline for overseas use.” – http://www.waverlylabs.com/2016/05/faqs-about-early-bird-and-launch-date/ / Pilot earpiece language barriers live conversation translation Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Babel fish Star Trek universal translator science fiction break down intergalactic language barriers New York startup Waverly Labs Pilot earpiece in your ear provide near real-time translations of multilingual conversations technology science fiction reality Babel fish from Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy translate any language in real time Manhattan-based company called Waverly Labs commercializing commercialising electronic device Pilot earpiece listens in to a conversation communicates your smartphone close-to-real time translation several potential weak-link systems clear signal built-in in-built microphone converting signal from speech into text both speakers' languages good effective translation online translation engine Google Microsoft translating each language spoken chatty form convert translation text to speech earbud do all these tasks concurrently if the other person keeps talking all these systems are already out there up and running none are perfect glitchy and inaccurate steadily improving Waverly Labs launch with European Latin and Germanic languages handled far better by online translators Euro-to-Asian language translations Google Translate Microsoft's Skype Translator real-time conversation translation mobile desktop applications Pilot key innovation wearable device whispers the translation into the listener's ear works out in practice inevitable delay translation system the conversation the other party received the translation of the last thing you said super quick Waverly Labs launch the Pilot system pre-orders via Indiegogo deliveries launch a mobile app translation experience on your smartphone pair of earpieces foreign friend communicate real-time translation technology suggest that the language barrier may finally be broken /

Britain's biggest rechargeable battery

Many sustainable sources of electricity are highly variable, most notably solar & wind.

By contrast, some non-sustainable sources of electricity, have little ability to vary their output – most notably nuclear & coal. This is often represented as highly desirable, “base load”.

To balance electricity supply with demand as it occurs, a power source which can be quickly varied is required.

What coal, nuclear, solar & wind have in common is their unsuitability for this purpose.

A sustainable electricity source eminently suited to this purpose is hydro-electricity – water running down hill used to turn turbines, which drive generators to produce electricity. Case in point, the Dinorwig hydro power station in Elidir Mountain, North Wales, can go from zero to 1.32 gigaWatts in 12 seconds, to match rising demand.

Dinorwig, in common with many other hydro installations can also store electricity by pumping water uphill in times of oversupply, such as from solar on sunny days, or from coal or nuclear in the middle of the night. Such a system is called “pumped hydro”.



The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/05/16/geeks_guide_electric_mountain/

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station / Electric Mountain Elidir Mountain slopes Llyn Peris reservoir smaller higher Marchlyn Mawr reservoir up in the hills dropping two reservoirs one of Britain’s biggest post-war industrial projects Dinorwig pumped storage power station mountain effectively a monster battery power is stored pumping water from Llyn Peris to Marchlyn Mawr at night generated by letting it flow back down at times of peak demand Dinorwig designed supplement Britain’s national grid station First Hydro Company owned by Engie and Mitsui fastest installations of its kind peak output of 1.728GW Wales power station massive industrial equivalent uninterruptible power supply Dinorwig through visitor centre Electric Mountain Llanberis other side of the valley Snowdonia national park Dinorwig power lines underground power station publicly owned Central Electricity Generating Board 10 miles of tunnels central hall six valve units National Grid Britain’s power supply analyse television schedules breaks in popular television programmes TV pick-up in power demand coal and nuclear power stations take hours to increase output solar tidal wind power Pumped storage stations Dinorwig designed specifically to cope with spikes in demand power station power-flushes lake through a Welsh mountain ramp valley power station site mountain station travel downhill tunnel steeply quickly Francis reversible fixed-speed turbine magnet magnetic repulsion generate electricity industrial scale cavern six enormous water slides flowing artificial cave main inlet valves Dinorwig six turbine units giant taps water upper reservoir flows gently sloping tunnel falls 450 metres 1,476ft vertically sloping tunnel speeding it up manifold six pipes turbine two 16 tonne yellow counterweights climb a metal staircase turbine hall power station Francis reversible fixed-speed turbines bigger casings turbine made by Markhams of Chesterfield British industry turbine hall vast scale internal floors Dinorwig Dinorwig recovers 76 per cent of the energy it uses to pump the water up the pipes at night 76% efficient Dinorwig’s construction mountain above the power station uphill Snowdon Pass of Llanberis power station Electric Mountain working power station station caverns machinery Dinorwig British engineering history /

Complete, easy guide to backing up your Macintosh

Credit: LaCie

Backup – we all know we should, but do you? How much do you have to lose? Photographs? Music? Video? Documents? How much work?

If you have a recent Macintosh, the article linked below explains how to do it all.

Focus is on recent OS X, but if you are using another OS (including older versions of OS X, phones & tablets), some of it, including online backup with services such as CrashPlan, Backblaze & Livedrive, will be useful to you too.

http://www.idgconnect.com/abstract/12227/the-complete-easy-guide-backing-mac / Mac stolen damaged replacing hardware itself technically very easy money data hard disk SSD precious photos carefully amassed iTunes library work novel best case scenario pay hundreds thousands of dollars data recovery specialist worst case gone for good you should back up your Mac computer phone different ways of backing up backup strategy lose any of your files pros and cons different back up backup your computer information data informed decision protecting your data detailed information if you do nothing else, do this easy cheap some basic protection against data loss recommendation good mix of backup methods your data can withstand almost any catastrophe if you do nothing else do this buy a hard disk plug it into your Mac when prompted Time Machine backup accept prompt launch System Preferences pick hard disk Time Machine backup pane wrong format Macintosh Mac offer reformat it for you launch Disk Utility repartition drive single partition GUID map Mac OS X Extended format Time Machine every version of OS X since OS X 10.5 recommended system simple backup process Time Machine disk connected to your Mac good, safe backup strategy your data best chance surviving range of problems minimize your down time if disaster strikes back up backup using Time Machine disk connected to your network extra convenience clone your hard disk daily to a disk connected to your Mac use a cloud backup or peer-to-peer backup service mixing these three strategies file versioning Time Machine overwrite or delete go back to an earlier draft of a file ability to quickly boot from your cloned disk internal drive fails safeguarded against theft or damage more serious disaster such as fire your data also stored elsewhere in the world cloud or other remote backup system three copies of your data if one or more fails options Time Machine disk connected to your Mac apps back up backup your files external hard disk Time Machine is simple built-in sure to be supported file versioning simple backup older copies of your files current one restore the most recent version step back through time grab older drafts good idea to buy a hard disk that’s two or more times the size of your internal drive space to store lots of versions all handled automatically hard disks are cheap 4TB drive laptop SD card slot fitting an SD card Micro SD card inside Nifty MiniDrive Time Machine drive Time Machine portable hard drive Time Machine laptop physically connected disk smaller disks 2.5-inch mechanisms 3.5-inch desktop drives bus-powered drawing the power USB port separate power supply set-it-and-forget-it easy cheap built-in supported takes a snapshot of your files every hour easy to retrieve deleted and overwritten files versioning feature restore an entire system have the disk connected for back ups desktop laptop replace a failed internal hard disk boot from it offers no protection against theft local disasters such as fire Time Machine disk connected to your network Time Machine back up disk disc connected directly to your network network backing up centrally back up completely automatically over the network every hour via Wi-Fi or ethernet laptops especially connect your backup disk automatically whenever the Mac is awake Time Machine network-attached storage device Apple’s Time Capsule network router built-in hard disk plugging a hard disk AirPort Extreme’s USB port available on the network for Time Machine Network-Attached Storage NAS Time Machine backup fireproof waterproof fire proof water proof disks advantages of Time Machine over your home network a little slower speed of your network bandwidth restoring is even slower still connected to your home network extra complexity theft or other local disasters cloning your disk SuperDuper! Carbon Copy Cloner mirror contents of your internal disk to an external drive set schedules internal disk fails boot from the external clone slow level of redundancy down external clone fails FireWire USB PowerPC Macs can’t boot from USB no protection against local disasters RAID disks Cloud backup services CrashPlan Backblaze Livedrive good data redundancy iCloud’s backup abilities backup back up your photo library documents stored on iCloud Drive backup system on iOS peer-to-peer offsite backup CrashPlan initial backup process CrashPlan RAID disaster-proofed drive data encrypted backup drive cloud backup data is protected from theft local disasters CrashPlan Backblaze Livedrive /

NASA unveils first Mercury maps from MESSENGER spacecraft

Credit: http://kenh14.vn/

While the image above may look like the surface of the Moon, it is actually Mercury, although the reasons are the same: impact craters. Images are from the MESSENGER (for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft which ended its mission with an impact on the planet surface on 30 April, 2015.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/228110-nasa-unveils-first-mercury-topography-maps-from-messenger-craft / NASA Mercury topography maps MESSENGER space craft spacecraft
MESSENGER Mercury explorer 4,104 orbits around the planet closest to our sun one-year mission MESSENGER expiry stayed in orbit around Mercury protected by its ceramic cloth sunshade ran out of fuel crash landed on the far side of the planet 30 April 2015 NASA analyzing data probe topographic maps Mercury’s surface MESSENGER MErcury Surface Space ENvironment GEochemistry Ranging characterize Mercury’s surface chemistry geological history exosphere quasi-atmosphere rarefied gas Mercury’s strangely paired core magnetosphere technological firsts first spacecraft to orbit Mercury first image Mercury MESSENGER 2011 extension extended mission March 2015 MESSENGER descended high eccentric orbit hover altitudes planet’s surface shallow orbit MESSENGER’s surface team execute seven orbit correction maneuvers LASER laser topographic images complete topographic map of Mercury planet surface elevation altitude lowest point 5km below its average elevation highest point 4km above average MESSENGER past volcanic activity extensive lavas APL Applied Physics Laboratory Nancy Chabot Instrument Scientist Mercury Dual Imaging System MDIS Mercury relatively young surface completely refreshed violence frequency volcanic activity. Consequently, no part of its surface is quite as old as the planet itself, making the project of mapping Mercury’s topography an ongoing challenge MESSENGER spent most of its time close to Mercury around the planet’s high northerly latitudes mean that, just like on Earth, in its pictures the sun is always low in the sky. Long shadows can obscure the real color characteristics of the rocks. So MESSENGER’s MDIS captured images planet’s north pole five narrow-band color filters 1100-lb spacecraft image 93-km Jokai crater MESSENGER source of data ESA’s BepiColombo spacecraft orbit Mercury MESSENGER crater scientists precise timepoint time point measure the rate surface weathering micrometeorites sculpt planet’s craterous surface MESSENGER chemistry specialist neutron spectrometer gamma spectroscopy data images Mercury’s surface chemistry elements geological ages /

Gboard – Google makes a better iPhone

Today, Google released a keyboard for iOS it calls, Gboard. Features include swipe typing, & (being Google), search, including emoji search & animated GIF search.



http://betanews.com/2016/05/12/google-apple-iphone-gboard-keyboard/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/05/googles-gboard-for-ios-combines-a-keyboard-with-google-search/

Get it at the App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gboard-search.-gifs.-emojis/id1091700242?mt=8 / Google launched Gboard iOS keyboard combines Google Search typing type keyboard search local business images animated GIFs Gboard looks like a normal keyboard except for the Google icon left side suggestion bar Google search bar suggestions type in a query usual return send button turn blue search results appear horizontally scrolling interface keyboard area sift through search results without leaving current app tiny tabs on the bottom for normal search results images GIFs normal results pasted into the conversation usable text picture of the Google results card normal search results local businesses Google answer cards card weather celebrity direct answer to a question find YouTube videos drop them into a conversation offer a better way to get media search results conversation show a friend a trailer on YouTube work flow workflow leaving the app opening search typing your query copying the result messaging app pasting the link Gboard do all that without leaving the current app saving Gboard is also a normal keyboard supports swiping Google Keyboard on Android search emojis emoji suggestions list keyboard available in the App Store glide typing keyboard swype typing swipe typing /

USB-C docking & charging station

Apart from the headphone socket, Apple's MacBook 12" has only one port for all i/o, including data & video, plus charging. Even that is the still-uncommon, USB-C.

Most users will require some sort of adapter to expand i/o. Apple has some, but unsurprisingly, they are far from inexpensive.


Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter
USB-C, HDMI, USB 3.0
Credit: Apple

And, compared to the Marble USB-C docking & charging station, quite limited.


Marble USB-C docking & charging station
Credit: MOFILY/Kickstarter

Compared to the nearest Apple equivalent, Marble adds:
1 more USB-C port
1 more USB 3.0 port
microSD card reader
60 Watt AC power adapter
10.5 Watt charging for your phone or other mobile device (x2)

Marble can also charge &/or expand the functionality of other devices, including laptops, phones & tablets.

Also available is the Marble DCS2 which replaces the full size HDMI port with micro HDMI & Mini DisplayPort.


Marble is not much larger than an Apple power adapter
Credit: MOFILY/Kickstarter

More about the Marble USB-C docking & charging station on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2121748736/marble-a-portable-2-in-1-usb-c-docking-and-chargin?ref=nav_search / Marble portable USB-C docking charging station Apple MacBook 12 inch expand USB-C HDMI DisplayPort USB USB-C USB A microSD charge 4x devices simultaneously built-in 60W AC 12" MacBook XPS13 9350 laptops new powerful USB Type-C port computer power data transfer input output i/o wired single USB-C port single port Marble ultra-portable 2-in-1 docking charging station designed work with USB-C devices Apple’s new 12-inch Macbook Dell XPS 13 9350 Samsung TabPro S Huawei Matebook Chromebook Pixel Marble’s port expansion function devices USB 3.1 port charging function USB 3.1 devices charging voltage device voltages: 5V 9V 12V 14.5V 19V Marble disabled charging function third-party chargers HP Spectre X2 Marble compact connect multiple devices USB-C ported laptop Macbook Dell XPS13-9450 Samsung TabPro S Huawei Matebook USB 3.0 high-speed ports 2 USB-C ports MSD 4.0 microSD card reader monitor extension ports HDMI Mini Displayport Marble 60W AC adapter chargers adapters smartphone tablet other devices Marble Marble charge USB-C port laptop devices AC outlet Marble multifunctional hub laptop power supply USB ports automatically switch from AC to laptop total maximum power output of 5V 1.5A USB bc1.2 specifications travel companion connecting laptop Marble much more powerful charger /

Last coal-fired power generator in South Australia switched off

Shortly after the shut down of its last coal fired power station, South Australia’s electricity was being supplied by a mix of gas, wind & solar
Credit: Renew Economy – reneweconomy.com.au

South Australia's last coal-fired power station was shut down at 09:40 on Monday 09 May, South Australian Local Time.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/last-coal-fired-power-generator-in-south-australia-switched-off-88308

A "Live Generation" feed of the information shown in the image at the top of this item is available at:
http://reneweconomy.com.au/nem-watch

From my observations, "NEM Time", used in the "Live Generation" feed, is Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) +4 minutes to -1 minute. E.g. "10:20 (NEM Time)", in the diagram at the top, means between 10:16 & 10:21 AEST. / last coal-fired power generator South Australia switched off 520MW MW mega Watt Northern brown coal power generator last coal fired power station South Australia switched off last time Monday morning decarbonised grid Port Augusta switched Alinta Energy generation falling wholesale power prices renewable energy wind solar graph RenewEconomy Live Generation widget coal power station closed down coal-fired generator replaced by solar power strong community support 110MW solar tower storage facility built Coalition Labor indicated interest supporting solar tower technology growing need dispatchable generation wind solar PV rise above 50 per cent Port Augusta Mayor Sam Johnson Upper Spencer Gulf transform renewable resource centre tender South Australian government low-carbon technology solar tower contract existing gas-fired generation withdrawal last coal-fired generator loss of grid stability soaring power prices Australian Energy Market Operator no increased risk to reliability equipment failure gas-fired generator did not follow market instructions scare campaigns power pricing locking in high-priced contracts local retailers customers are paying twice what they need to pay price of electricity wholesale market $200/MWh jumps were replicated in most states National Electricity Market traders outages coal fired generation on maintenance 2,000MW Liddell coal plant in NSW offline for two months boiler tube leaks South Australia pricing more volatile withdrawal Alinta market dominated two major generation companies AGL Energy GDF Suez more than 60 per cent market share Australian Energy Regulator strategic bidding surges in spot prices market /

Is sustained weight-loss, by dieting, possible?

Many people who lose weight by dieting, find that they later gain it back. In some cases, ultimately reaching a weight greater than before the diet.

Commonly, this is attributed to the dieter returning to their pre-diet eating habits.

The item linked below paints a more complex picture:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/opinion/sunday/why-you-cant-lose-weight-on-a-diet.html?_r=0 / yoyo dieting yo-yo dieting dropping 129 pounds The Biggest Loser a new study reports participants burning about 500 fewer calories a day other people their age and size helps explain regained 70 percent of their lost weight diet industry reacted defensively participants lost weight too fast ate the wrong kinds of food diets do work study research in the long run dieting is rarely effective doesn’t reliably improve health does more harm than good problem neuroscience metabolic suppression several powerful tools brain uses keep the body within a certain weight range set point range varies from person to person determined by genes and life experience dieters’ weight drops burn fewer calories produce more hunger-inducing hormones find eating more rewarding brain’s weight-regulation system your set point correct weight for you 120 pounds drops to 80 starvation state of emergency get that weight back up to normal diets down Biggest Loser participants coordinated brain response dieters weight loss hard to achieve maintain severe obesity normal weight range severely obese women gaining the weight back over the next five years diet industry weight loss rarely sustained diet achieve permanent weight loss Biggest Loser diet plan previous study metabolic suppression had lost weight and kept it off for up to six years weight is lost slowly or quickly later regain different approaches diet plans provide the same calories different types of food similar weight loss and regain neuroscientist brain’s ability to fight weight loss experience my normal weight my goal maintaining that weight started gaining long-term studies dieters non-dieters obese men and women across ethnic groups childhood through middle age normal weight range female dieters experts argue dieting long-term weight gain genetically prone to gain weight more likely to diet test study researchers twins aged 16 to 25 dieters were more likely to gain weight non-dieting identical twins increase weight gain accounting for genetic background difference in weight gain fraternal twins dieters higher genetic tendency to gain weight study diet increased the odds of becoming overweight men women diets study likely to become overweight causal relationship diets weight gain tested by studying people external motivation lose weight boxers and wrestlers diet qualify for their weight classes genetic predisposition toward obesity 2006 study elite athletes weight-conscious sports three times more likely to be obese competed in other sports test rigorously researchers program weight randomized trial eBody Project online program to fight eating disorders less dieting prevented future weight gain program weight remain stable over the next two years peers intervention gained a few pounds dieting lead to weight gain dieting is stressful calorie restriction produces stress hormones act on fat cells increase the amount of abdominal fat fat is associated with medical problems diabetes heart disease overall weight weight anxiety dieting binge eating weight gain dieters early adolescence become overweight study adolescent girls who dieted frequently non-dieters binge repeated dieting research predict graduate school stress binge eating carton of ice cream box of saltines with butter urge to keep eating intense made myself sick stress out of control binge eating common mammalian response to starvation understand about weight regulation studies of rodents whose eating habits resemble ours mice and rats tasty food plentiful gain different amounts of weight genes that influence weight in people similar effects in mice stress rodents eat more sweet and fatty foods both laboratory and wild rodents have become fatter over the past few decades laboratory rodents learn to binge when deprivation alternates with tasty food dieters rats develop binge eating five days of food restriction followed by two days of free access to Oreos brief stressor eat almost twice as much stressor diets restricted binge on regular chow repeated food deprivation changes dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain govern how animals respond to rewards increases motivation seek out and eat food animals binge brain changes can last long after the diet is over dieting reduces influence brain’s weight-regulation system rules hunger to control eating modern environment marketers advertising supersizing all-you-can-eat buffet long-term dieters eat for emotional reasons because food is available dieters ignored their hunger exhaust their willpower leading to weight gain difficulty of long-term weight loss dieting health problems obesity heart disease diabetes our culture obesity uniquely deadly low fitness smoking high blood pressure low income loneliness better predictors early death obesity exercise study low fitness deaths obesity accounts fitness exercise reduces abdominal fat improves health weight loss overweight people exercising calorie restriction evidence dieting improves health sustain weight loss for years 2013 study obese overweight people diabetes dieters maintained 6 percent weight loss dieters heart attacks strokes deaths from heart disease control group researchers intentional weight loss no effect on mortality overweight diabetics followed for 19 years diets improve cholesterol blood sugar other health markers short term gains may changes in behavior like exercising eating more vegetables obese people exercise eat enough vegetables don’t smoke die young normal-weight people meta-analysis results of multiple studies health improvements dieters amount of weight they lose diet dieting mindful eating paying attention signals of hunger and fullness judgment relearn eat brain’s weight regulation weight-regulation system commands chronic dieters eat when they’re hungry stop when they’re full less likely to become overweight more stable weight over time spend less time thinking about food mindful eating people with eating disorders binge eating learn to eat normally individual’s set point mindful eating reduce weight powerful tool maintain weight stability deprivation dieting happier dieting daily habits exercise meditation enjoy food worrying about it less /

David Attenborough turns 90 today (video)

David Attenborough & golden eagle, 1988
Credit: biography.com

60 Minutes interview (11 minutes)


Society of Biology (180 minutes)


Ardman Studios (1:38)


Interview with The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/sir-david-attenborough-at-90-a-national-treasure-a7013651.html

More videos in this article at The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2016/may/04/attenborough-90-wildlife-legend-top-10-tv-moments

Biography
http://www.biography.com/people/david-attenborough / BBC1 BBC2 landmark birthday Sir David Attenborough national treasure maintains his passion for work great natural history presenter Attenborough programmes BBC1 documentaries documentary national treasure TV image infectious laughter never meet your heroes charismatic compelling charming geriatric moments celebrate his birthday his famous voice space explorer specimens absolutely riveted by them land on the moon amazing new flowers strange little worm world of television listens intently yet politely to your thoughts superb communicator still fired up by the same tremendous curiosity powered his career the last seven decades contagious lust for life his trademark passion shows no sign of waning stellar career he continues to be commendably modest and grateful opportunities Sir David Attenborough Sir David Attenborough Sir David Attenborough Greatest Living British Icon viewers BBC2 The Culture Show play golf I’m fantastically lucky I’m more grateful than I can say that people still want me to do things presenting his first natural history programme program Zoo Quest Sir David Attenborough documentaries inspire successive generations his fans President Obama invited to the White House interview Sir David Attenborough future of the planet watching Attenborough documentaries Sir David Attenborough his magnetic sense of wonder the natural world how amazingly big unpredictable the natural world is the natural world complexity of the natural world behaviour of pufferfish and peacock spiders always new things to find out nine seasons of the landmark Life series the power of television to educate inform and entertain natural history filmmakers natural world is unbelievably amazing unimaginably varied quite beyond our comprehension over half of the human race is now urbanised we’re out of touch with nature our comprehension of the animal kingdom biological concepts altruism evolution environmental issues making impassioned and influential speech at the UN conference on climate change in Paris we are completely dependent on the natural world people have to change their behaviour what goes on in the natural world embrace conservation causes overwhelming evidence about climate change effect on the climate you have to look at the evidence and make a stand make more documentaries Planet Earth 2 BBC1’s you never tire of the natural world /

Canon’s new video camera can see in the dark

Canon ME20F-SH
Credit: Canon

See in the dark? Not quite, but ISO 4,560,000 gives Canon’s ME20F-SH enough sensitivity to take video by starlight or the light from a single fire-fly.



Looks like a development of the sensor used to shoot the video above, has finally made its way into production.


Sensor in Canon’s ME20F-SH is around the size of a full-frame 35 mm sensor, but because the pixel count is smaller, each individual pixel is over 7.5 times larger & so able to gather much more light
Credit: vidmuze.com

http://www.wired.com/2016/04/canon-me20f-sh-2/

http://www.vidmuze.com/how-the-canon-me20f-sh-sees-in-the-dark/ / ISO 409,600 sensitivity see in the dark Canon’s latest high-end video camera ME20F-SH shoot a scene close to pitch black record full-res HD video camera 4,560,000 ISO light a portrait light emitted by a single firefly Canon camera’s remarkable low-light capabilities sensor’s 19-micron pixels 19-micron pixel 19 micron pixel HUGE two and four times the size pixels most other cameras more water light size of the pixels Canon full-frame sensor 1080p image shoot in 4K gets downsized to 1080p higher-res option ME20F-SH costs $20,000 for just the body no internal recorder viewfinder battery mount dope metal box new sensor Canon’s releasing kit heavy price tag pick and choose various components low-light camera Sony A7S II shot some head-to-head footage capturing the same scene same light well-built well built ME20F-SH entire body is all metal incredibly sturdy built-in neutral density filters infrared cut filter 2x and 4x teleconverter cine-style lock mount for lenses two HD-SDI ports great images in daylight serious filmmaking weighs only 2.4 pounds bit larger 4-inch cube sleek and light cube design various mounting points MOVI drone shape and space camera film northern lights bioluminescent creatures underwater dimly lit tunnels cities forests dark side of the moon ME20F-SH /

Is it true that smoking causes wrinkles?

Credit: WebMD

Does anyone actually believe that the skin is exempt from the damage that smoking causes to every other part of the body?

In the LifeHacker article below, some mention is made of e-cigarettes – implication being that they represent a way to avoid the damage to the skin caused by smoking. Point to note – it is the nicotine in cigarettes that causes skin damage (see the Mayo Clinic article below). Thus, while e-cigarettes are probably less of a threat to health than tobacco cigarettes, & may be of use in quitting, they are not a way to avoid damage to the skin.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/04/ask-lh-will-smoking-really-ruin-my-good-looks/?utm_source=Lifehacker+Australia&utm_campaign=f25a95fced-lifehacker_2016_05_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9fc709844c-f25a95fced-278953185

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/expert-answers/smoking/faq-20058153/ smoker smoking hot cigarettes age you prematurely will smoking really ruin my good looks whiten teeth professionally problem smoking is bad for me quit friends most of them are smokers socially easy inexpensive way to quit Miss Marlboro smoking stupid filthy expensive dangerous habit everyone around you at risk allow smoking enclosed public spaces federal law health of hospitality workers patrons convenience of smokers it’s good that you want to quit smoking is a self-destructive waste of money benefit social tough anti-smoking legislation improving your overall health reducing the risk of cancer giving up smoking definitely help to maintain your good looks recent study compared appearance 79 identical twins did and didn’t smoke graded for wrinkles Lemperle Assessment Scale twins’ environmental aging factors controlled Mann-Whitney test sunscreen use alcohol intake perceived work stress smoking twins looked significantly older identical genetic makeup smoking twins compared nonsmoking counterparts worse scores upper eyelid skin redundancy lower lid bags malar bags nasolabial folds upper lip wrinkles lower lip vermillion wrinkles jowls lower lid hyperpigmentation in the smoking group statistical significance transverse forehead wrinkles glabellar wrinkles crow’s feet lower lip lines accentuated by puckering statistically significant differences in scores greater 5 years’ difference in smoking duration twins who had smoked longer had worse scores lower lid bags malar bags lower lip vermillion wrinkles smoking affects middle lower thirds of the face cause noticeable differences in facial ageing make you look old before your time beauty youthfulness smoking hot extra wrinkles around the eyes look younger health to consider tobacco smoke toxic chemicals carbon monoxide cyanide carcinogens smoking one of the leading causes of preventable death globally female smokers lose an average 14.5 years total life expectancy non-smokers lung throat mouth cancer linked to heart attacks strokes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease emphysema fatal diseases quitting is a smart choice cold turkey required discipline willpower cut down in a consistent limited way bad habits reduce the habit reduce the variability in the habit effort toward self-control decrease in bad habits over time limiting cigarettes electronic cigarettes e-cigarettes helping people quit safe lungs tobacco smoke apps help quit smoking Quitbuddy Australian National Preventive Health Agency set goals highlight danger times read messages of encouragement friends and family hypnotherapist quitting tips /