Lollipop for first gen Samsung Note & Motorola Moto G

CyanogenMod 12.0 incorporating Android 5.0 Lollipop
Credit: International Business Times

There is reason to think that there will be no release of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the original Samsung Note (N7000) or first gen Motorola Moto G.

http://www.techradar.com/au/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/android-l-5-0-release-date-when-can-i-get-it--1257804

A problem with any hardware is that, sooner or later, support from the manufacturer comes to an end. In this case, though there is an alternative: CyanogenMod will be releasing Lollipop for first generation Note 1 & Motorola Moto G. This illustrates just two of the advantages of custom ROMs: typically sooner to release, & continue support long after the manufacturer has lost interest:

http://www.android.gs/cm12-alpha-built-available-for-galaxy-note-n7000-and-moto-g/

http://www.cyanogenmod.org/

Ins & outs of rooting Android

http://www.androidauthority.com/rooting-for-beginners-144706/ / Galaxy Note N7000 1 one original device devices official Android updates over the air OTA Android 5.0 Lollipop first version of Samsung Galaxy Note lineup test latest Android platform install custom ROM firmware Galaxy Note N7000 first generation Motorola Moto G users xda developers developing stable version Cyaongen Mod CM12 Android 5.0 Lollipop software CyanogenMod custom ROM CM11 based stock Android KitKat available Android smartphones tablets next update CM 12 Lollipop firmware ported version custom ROM development stage pre apha build CM12 available Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 first model Motorola Moto G ROMs downloaded flashed devices custom recovery image of bugs software related issues user Nandroid backup testing flash flashing process root rooted rooting installed latest version CWM TWRP recovery installation process /

Formula E 2014 – Round 2 – Putrajaya, Malaysia – updated

Free Practice (1:16)


Qualifying (0:57)


Prost qualified fastest, but the 10 grid place penalty from the last lap collision at Beijing meant that he started the race 11th on the grid.

Race (1:09)


Complete results, including the race & qualifying:
http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/results/putrajaya-eprix.aspx / Formula E all electric racing series second race Putrajaya Malaysia ePrix stadium races F1 FIA electricity sport electric vehicles EV terrific acceleration pass passing possible tracks with tight corners technology range race organizers identical cars Spark-Renault SRT_01E built French company Spark Racing Technology carbon fiber aluminum chassis Dallara electric powertrain electronics McLaren Electronics Systems Williams Advanced Engineering building 200 kiloWatt battery pack batteries powertrain generate 270 horsepower five-speed paddle shift gearbox fixed gear ratios Michelin 18 inch tires wet dry conditions sound 80 decibel whine full grid 20 cars FIA Formula E strategy street courses dedicated circuits tire wear grip management battery life charge prematurely testing drivers learn knowledge teams construction constructors constructing FanBoost pit stop second fully charged car advances in battery technology battery swaps charging battery Renault Michelin DHL Qualcomm Richard Branson Virgin Racing team Leonardo DiCaprio Venturi team lithium ion LiIon battery charge recharge range battery management system BMS /

Formula E, round 2, tomorrow – update

Credit: BBC

Update: the race has been run & won. Full length video of practice, qualifying & the race.

Next Formula E race, round 2, is tomorrow:

Putrajaya, Malaysia
Round 2 - Saturday 22 November 2014
Practice - 07:45 Malaysian local time
Qualifying - 10:00
Race - 14:00

Note that all times have been changed from those previously published.

FIA, Formula E web site:
http://www.fiaformulae.com/ / Formula E all electric racing series second race Putrajaya Malaysia ePrix stadium races F1 FIA electricity sport electric vehicles EV terrific acceleration pass passing possible tracks with tight corners technology range race organizers identical cars Spark-Renault SRT_01E built French company Spark Racing Technology carbon fiber aluminum chassis Dallara electric powertrain electronics McLaren Electronics Systems Williams Advanced Engineering building 200 kiloWatt battery pack batteries powertrain generate 270 horsepower five-speed paddle shift gearbox fixed gear ratios Michelin 18 inch tires wet dry conditions sound 80 decibel whine full grid 20 cars FIA Formula E strategy street courses dedicated circuits tire wear grip management battery life charge prematurely testing drivers learn knowledge teams construction constructors constructing FanBoost pit stop second fully charged car advances in battery technology battery swaps charging battery Renault Michelin DHL Qualcomm Richard Branson Virgin Racing team Leonardo DiCaprio Venturi team lithium ion LiIon battery charge recharge range battery management system BMS /

5 compelling reasons to buy an iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 & 6 Plus
Credit: Cnet

Recently on these pages, we looked at 5 reasons you should buy a Galaxy Note 4 instead of an iPhone 6 Plus. Today, in the interests of even handedness, why you should get an iPhone 6 Plus instead:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2014/11/20/iphone-6-plus-the-5-top-reasons-to-buy-this-powerful-phablet/

And how it works out longer term:

http://www.technobuffalo.com/videos/iphone-6-plus-how-does-apples-big-phone-hold-up-two-months-later/ / buying guide shoppers handsets handset buy devices guide Apple biggest iPhone bigger is better Adobe research consumers prefer browse Internet larger screens 5 inches above smaller screens 5.5 inch screen outrageous outrageousness new normal smartphone smart phone phablet sector extra inches apps experiences tailored for bigger screens apps iPad better functionality landscape mode handsets camera best smartphone cameras experts DxO labs megapixels faster autofocus opitcal image stabilisation stabilization OIS excellent cameras picture quality larger iPhone 6 Plus pictures shaky blurry reduce graininess improve colour reproduction low light situations battery life 2915 mAh battery standby mode faster charging out of the box Apple Pay iPad charger partnerships retailers banks market share credit cards Whole Foods New York Times 150,000 transactions accessories big business Apple accessory market Otterbox Defender Olloclip accessory market size too big one hand handed reachability option settings menu sleek metal finish ergonomic slip out of your hand /

Is climate change a threat to your security?

Credit: Eco News

US military thinks so. Something similar from the UK armed forces. Many other nations too:

https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/climatesecurity

http://www.americansecurityproject.org/climate-change-considered-top-global-threat-according-to-recent-pew-research-survey/ / world world’s leading militaries global warming climate change Pentagon most comprehensive climate change plan identifies climate change immediate threat must be dealt with now Great Brittain United Kingdom England Scotland Wales impact impacts climate change integrated into future military planning countries world identifying climate change threat to national security soaring global temperatures rising sea levels increased increasing increases weather events play a role intensifying conflicts increasing displacement people worsening destruction natural disasters defense defence department climate change threat multiplier climate change armed conflict available availability food water human migration resettlement struggles essential resources increased movement of people within countries across borders making conflict worse engage in conflict assist during humanitarian disasters plans world changing climate responses mitigation reduce greenhouse gas emissions adaptation cope changing climate US Navy Great Green Fleet ships powered biofuel used cooking oil algae Navy’s energy security problem reducing emissions prepare humanitarian assistance disaster relief extreme weather related disasters more frequent intense respond to climate change Australia Australia’s military responding global energy food water coastal flooding low lying regions increase natural disasters changes rainfall patterns agriculture agricultural production large scale human migration pressure resources increase risk insecurity conflict comprehensive response to climate changevevidence clear compelling very real challenges warming planet /

US Air Force rolls out plug-in vehicle fleet

Ford F-Series pickup truck with EVAOS plug-in hybrid conversion
Credit: EVAOS/Charged EVs

Electric vehicles have a number of advantages over those powered by internal combustion engines. For the armed services, they have some additional advantages:

• silence is an aid to covert operations
• US military pays $400 per gallon for gasoline delivered, in theatre*. Electric vehicles hold the promise of reduced costs.

With this in mind, the general purpose vehicle fleet of the Los Angeles Air Force Base has been replaced with plug-in vehicles. Many of them with vehicle to grid capability.

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/air-force-rolls-out-plug-in-vehicle-fleet-with-v2g/

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095510_u-s-air-force-unveils-fleet-of-42-electric-vehicles-nissan-leafs-included
___________________
* "By 2007 ... $3 million worth of fuel a day."
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/05/mileage-military-vehicles-tech-logistics08-cz_ph_0605fuel.html / Los Angeles Air Force Base general purpose vehicle fleet with plug in vehicles 42 vehicles Nissan LEAF Ford pick up trucks EVAOS PHEV kit VIA Motors VTRUX van Electric Vehicle International medium duty trucks Phoenix Motorcars 12 passenger bus vehicle to grid V2G capability direct power to from electrical grid driven V2G capable CHAdeMO compliant fast charging station installed delivered commissioned Princeton Power Systems UL Certified bi directional multi port converter GTIB-30 provide 700 kilowatts power enhances power grid reliability security balancing demand against supply reserves standby generators fly fight win energy power Secretary Air Force Deborah Lee James vehicle-to-grid pilot /

10 questions on hydrogen fuel cell cars to ask Toyota, Honda & Hyundai

Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle
Credit: Toyota/Fuel Cell Today

A couple of issues which are not well developed in the linked articles:

• While hydrogen can be produced by splitting water electrolytically, “… in practice, the majority of hydrogen (∼95%) is produced from fossil fuels by steam reforming or partial oxidation of methane & coal gasification …”* I.e. it is not “green”.
• “The large amount of energy required to isolate hydrogen from natural compounds (water, natural gas, biomass), package the light gas by compression or liquefaction, transfer the energy carrier to the user, plus the energy lost when it is converted to useful electricity with fuel cells, leaves around 25% for practical use.” – Dr. Ulf Bossel**

Questions:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094899_10-questions-on-hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars-to-ask-toyota-honda-hyundai

Answers – Part 1:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095441_hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-questions-toyota-honda-hyundai-respond-part-1

Part 2:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095464_hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-questions-toyota-honda-hyundai-respond-part-2

Part 3:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095477_hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-questions-toyota-honda-hyundai-respond-part-3

One good piece of news though: there is nothing fundamental to hydrogen fuel cell technology that requires FCVs to be as ugly as the one pictured above.
______________
* Production of hydrogen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production#Electrolysis

** Dr. Ulf Bossel
http://phys.org/news85074285.html / hydrogen fuel cell vehicles California buyers users 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell lease fuel cell vehicle Los Angeles Auto Show Honda skepticism analysts green car fans electric vehicle car advocates viability practicality USA North America three automakers product executives hydrogen vehicles Hyundai Toyota Honda volume sales terms delivered minimum CARB California Air Resources Board ZEV rules launch sell lease battery electric plug in hybrid vehicles global auto production battery electric vehicle BEV hydrogen vehicle refuel for 300 miles less than 10 minutes Tesla Model S Supercharge Spercharger 200 miles 20 minutes larger batteries DC quick charged 135 kilowatts affordable battery electric car advantage disadvantage early adopter travel specific location refuel home workplace charging electric car miles today strong vocal lobby owners supporters advocates advocated groundswell fuel cell advocates consumer demand fueling infrastructure energy balance sector private enterprise profit making business building stations selling hydrogen fuel industry capital build thousands hydrogen fueling stations kiloWatt hour kWh energy propel one third distance hydrogen good use energy transportation wells to wheels footprint analysis same grid source critique higher carbon footprint dispute carbon footprint manufacturing batteries electric motors electric cars lifecycle carbon emissions manufacturing of its fuel cell vehicle results /