Levitating light bulb

It’s not anti-gravity – unsurprisingly, the bulb is supported by magnets. Power is supplied to run the LEDs by induction.

And it will wirelessly charge your suitably equiped phone too – although not while the light bulb hovers.



Flyte began life as a Kickstarter project
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flyte/flyte-levitating-light

If you want one, they are on the expensive side for a 60 Watt light bulb equivalent – actual consumption is in the 3 Watt range, although most of that is consumed just levitating the bulb – even if the light is off.

Manufacturer’s web site has levitating plant pots too
https://flyte.se/ / Flyte levitating light globe bulb hovers hover magnetic levitation power powered mid air lightbulb lightglobe free break from gravity experience something surreal appears suspended no batteries powers light induction magnet magnets magnet magnetic magnetism levitation hover /

iPhone 8 rumours

Credit: Apple Insider

Next year’s iPhone 8 is rumoured to include:
● OLED display
● 5.1 or 5.2 inch diagonal screen

● substantially or wholly glass chassis – which may be for aesthetic or to facilitate;

● wireless charging

● 4.7 & 5.5-inch LCD screen models may continue alongside the OLED screen model, due to restraints on OLED screen supply

● OLED phone may share the 5.5 LCD phone’s dual camera

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/23/every-2017-iphone-to-feature-wireless-charging-and-glass-casing-analyst-says

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/52321/20161128/apple-iphone-8-specs-release-date-next-gen-will-sport.htm / 2017 iPhones expected feature wireless charging glass casing rumors Apple substantially glass chassis next-generation iPhone lineup aesthetics analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, however Apple glass sandwich design facilitate wireless charging note investors AppleInsider all 2017 iPhone models wireless charging competing handsets Samsung supplier Pegatron develop wireless charger cable hardware development outside electronic manufacturing firm Apple component comprehensive testing production Hon Hai Foxconn Taiwanese manufacturing giant Apple's OLED iPhone Foxconn Pegatron wireless charger supplier 2017 Apple wireless charging cable iPhone production introductory level wireless charging Pegatron OLED iPhone assembly manufacturer OLED iPhone orders next year offset supply risk diversifying Apple's supply chain Pegatron 4.7-inch LCD model iPhone orders next-generation iPhone mass production analyst demand new iPhone shipments OLED model 4.7 5.5-inch variants older LCD technology rumor mill Apple's first OLED iPhone expected release date OLED handset new form factor 5.1 or 5.2 inches diagonal constrained OLED panel supply analyst Apple 4.7 and 5.5-inch LCD offerings OLED variant 5.5-inch LCD 4.7-inch model dual-lens array module next year's flagship OLED iPhone celebrate 10th anniversary Apple's revolutionary smartphone monolithic all-glass design front-facing FaceTime camera earpiece Touch ID fingerprint sensor flexible OLED panel aesthetics completely seamless edge-to-edge display iPhone iPhone 8 2017 iPhone /

Is your phone charging too slowly? – the tools to identify the culprit

Credit: Twitter

Have you noticed that some chargers &/or cables take much longer to charge your phone? There are a number of reasons why this may happen, including the output of the charger & characteristics of the cable.

To identify slow cables & chargers, the quickest & easiest method is to measure the current, measured in Amps or milliAmps. A Google search for, “USB cable charger tester”, will yield a list of many devices which can measure the current flowing in a cable & charger combination. Many of them for less than $10.

Here’s a review of one which just makes it under the $10 bar
http://www.howtogeek.com/228869/how-to-monitor-your-usb-device-power-usage-and-output/

And a review of a few substantially more expensive meters which also measure a range of other parameters
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/11/26/qoopow-qualmeter-usb-cablecharger-testers-review/#more-207583

For Android devices, there are a number of apps which do the same thing. An advantage of this method is that it works for wireless charging too. Many have free versions. When tested side-by-side with an inexpensive physical meter similar to those mentioned in the tests above, all of the apps listed below yielded similar figures.

Ampere
from Braintrapp Tools
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gombosdev.ampere

Ampere Charging Meter
from ZAStudio Tools
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zastudio.com.ampere.charging.meter

Ampere Charging Meter Pro
from NovDev Tools
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livecharger / charging mobile device charge charger cable charging cable USB microUSB micro USB plug socket male female connector phone tablet charge recharge LiIon lithium ion battery charge rate Ampere Amp milliAmp MilliAmpere Volt Voltage /

Renewable energy & the national grid

Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA)

Around the world, national power grids have evolved to distribute power from sources such as coal, oil & nuclear fired generation. Such sources have come to be known as, “base load”. With ~100 years of development, these systems have become very good at balancing load & supply.

More recently, new understandings, have forced a rethink. Most obvious of these is climate change, but also important has been a growing understanding of the other costs & dangers of base load.

Renewable sources of energy avoid the dangers of fossil & nuclear, but present a new set of problems which have to be overcome.

“All of our research has shown that being part of a large integrated power system makes renewable integration easier.”

“Denmark & Germany have been very successful at balancing the variability of their renewable resources because they are strongly interconnected with other countries in Europe & imports & exports minute by minute, hour by hour & day by day can balance the variability of the renewables.”

“Renewables are variable – there are clouds & the wind goes up & down, but renewables are actually very predictable. We can predict renewables a day ahead. We know what the weather will be like tomorrow & so we can actually predict the output of wind & solar tomorrow with a high degree of accuracy … California, Germany, Denmark, Spain have all evolved very advanced day-ahead weather forecasting to predict accurately, the output of the wind & solar, so that they can be accommodated & scheduled properly.”

Stream or podcast all of the above & more at:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/renewable-energy-and-the-national-grid/7987134 / renewable sustainable energy electricity power generation renewables solar wind turbine photovoltaic photo-voltaic PV solar hydro electricity hydro-electricity storage battery pumped hydro /

More lithium ion battery fires – not just phones

It isn’t news to anyone that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was recently discontinued due to fires originating in the lithium ion (LiIon) battery.

Less widely known is a single claim of an iPhone 7 Plus delivered after apparently having a battery fire in transit.

And it’s not just phones. Fires in e-cigarettes have demonstrated that anything containing a LiIon battery is at risk.



A solicitor said that the victim suffered third-degree burns which will require surgery.

https://www.cnet.com/news/e-cigarette-explode-in-mans-pants-lawyer-says/

Further risks are posed by the chemicals inside a LiIon battery & the toxic smoke produced by their combustion.^1,2

What you can do:

● avoid subjecting a device to any force which may deform the case – & potentially, the LiIon battery

● a pants pocket is one of the worst places to carry a device containing a LiIon battery:

◌ may be bent when the user sits down

◌ places only one layer of (usually thin) fabric between the user & the potentially pyrotechnic device

◌ better alternatives to a pants pocket include a jacket pocket, backpack, handbag, bumbag, or holster

◌ See also, "Jeans with a dedicated phone pocket", https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2017/04/jeans-with-dedicated-phone-pocket.html

● avoid exposure to smoke or other chemicals which may be released in a battery fire

● if possible, move the device to a well ventilated area, away from flammable materials – although this may conflict with the previous point

__________

¹ Energizer Battery Manufacturing Inc: “Energizer Product Safety Datasheet – Lithium Ion Batteries”, http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/lithiumion_psds.pdf

² Honeywell Batteries: “Material Safety Data Sheet – HD220R-Li, HDR202-Li Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery”,

“When exposed to extreme heat/fire batteries may rupture leaking corrosive material &/or emit toxic fumes. Burning batteries may emit acrid smoke irritating fumes, & toxic fumes of fluoride.”

“Cobalt: Suspected human carcinogenic agent.”

http://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/application-notes/hdr202li_hd220rli_battery_msds.pdf

/ Samsung Galaxy Note 7 production permanently discontinued Samsung permanently discontinuing production Galaxy Note 7 smartphones halted global sales devices reports replacement devices catching fire South Korean regulatory filing stop manufacturing Note 7s consumer safety Samsung struggling regain consumer trust recall recalls prompted criticism faulty devices company's handling of the problem global halt sales Note 7 multiple reports exploding batteries major retailers stopped selling phones Samsung recalled devices initial recall identified manufacturing defect batteries battery top-of-the-line smartphone shipping new Note 7 phones safe safer reports replacements catching fire Samsung announcement announce stopping sales devices Monday Tuesday Wednesday South Korean firm comment identified cause of the fires replacement devices officials in Seoul several possibilities including batteries more difficult analyse cause accidents various patterns of the accidents official Korean Agency for Technology and Standards met with Samsung experts company offering exchange Note 7s other products refund them Note 7 could cost Samsung $17 billion analysts Samsung's decision pull Note 7s off the shelves raises fresh doubts about firm's quality control huge financial and reputational costs analysts permanent end Note 7 sales cost Samsung $17 billion tarnish other phone products minds consumers carriers investors wiped nearly $20 billion off Samsung Electronics market value Tuesday local time shares gadget vape vaping e-cigarettes e-cigarette /

What is the Internet?

Credit: The Book of Sorrows/Tumblr

“The Internet is the repository of the greatest library of useful & valuable information the world has ever seen – interspersed with the greatest collection of misinformation, biased reporting, nonsense, myth, rumour, half truths, error, misrepresentation & outright lies the world has ever seen.” – adapted from a submission by an ABC RN¹ listener

Thanks to John for his input to this item
__________

¹ ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), www.abc.net.au/radionational/ / what is the Internet what is the World Wide Web what is the WWW what is the Cloud online communications /

Tesla P85D instant acceleration for accident avoidance

A few more seconds on the end of the video above would help, but it looks like the Tesla's acceleration prevented an accident.

To a greater, or lesser extent this is true of all EVs. Because electric motors produce maximum torque at zero rpm, throttle response of an electric vehicle is much better than with an internal combustion engine vehicle – turbos even worse than normally aspirated. Although almost none can match Teslas at the moment, even EVs with moderate performance have instant throttle response. An important safety feature of EVs.

This video demonstrates the same thing in less pressing circumstances:

/ EV electric vehicle battery lithium ion LiIon charge recharge torque instant throttle response /