Apple's CarPlay: What we know so far

Credit: Apple/Mashable

Apple has a new in-car control system for your iPhone. Details are a little scant for now, although it seems to be iPhone 5 & up only. A public demonstration is expected at the Geneva Motor Show on 06 March.

http://mashable.com/2014/03/03/apple-carplay-need-to-know/ / Apple took the wraps off in-car software platform CarPlay new mobile environment consumer consumers driver drivers automakers car manufacturer manufacturers automaker iPhone users content at their fingertips Greg Joswiak Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS product marketing statement CarPlay driver drivers use iPhone car minimum minimal minimized distraction driver safety motorist road We won't see a public demonstration of the system until March 6 at the Geneva Motor Show details CarPlay's performance scant information available iPhones Lightning port connector older than iPhone 5 CarPlay iPad doesn't list it approved devices iPhone only iPhone-only service how it works transfer basic functions iPhone your car's dashboard iOS system tools Siri iTunes Maps Messages user make hands-free phone calls hands free listen to voice mails access features touch dashboard screen directly minimize visual distractions voice control button steering wheel /

Twitch Plays Pokémon: live gaming's latest big hit

Credit: Twitch/The Gardian

Tens of thousands of people play just one game of Pokémon, simultaneously, 24/7.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/24/twitch-plays-pokemon / infinite number monkeys infinite number typewriters rapidly type works Shakespeare videogame videogames people attempting to play Pokémon Red at the same time one game of Pokémon Red 150,000 people controlling it at once Twitch Plays Pokémon half art project half reality show 21st century idea is relatively simple 1996 Game Boy hit kickstarted Pokémon franchise running emulator hooked up to Twitch website which lets gamers broadcast video games live viewers enter button commands chat window pass passing passed onto into emulator which enters enter them order in theory harness harnesses wisdom crowds crowd find best way through the game play playing 24 hours day seven days a week game currently been running looks like this players all entering commands at once coordinated action nearly impossible worse still footage delayed delay around 20 seconds leaving players voting on actions they haven’t actually seen decision is obvious viewers deliberately disrupt events nothing quite goes to plan the Ledge event ledges one way one-way barriers player can jump off not climb up one particular ledge stream began just below a wall players press right for a few seconds walk twelve paces east then up pressing back to the start it took them seven hours to walk those twelve paces creator conditions of strict anonymity very popular concurrent viewers sitting at a computer all day dealing with servers anyway messages TPP opened on a secondary monitor all day democracy mode replaced original anarchy mode system of votes generated fanatical community devotion Internet /

NASA releases a set of breathtaking "Gravity"-inspired images just ahead of Oscars (slide show)

Credit: NASA/Digital Trends

http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/nasa-releases-awesome-gravity-inspired-images-just-ahead-of-oscars/ / gravity Oscar Oscars glitzy event Los Angeles LA NASA release released awesome Gravity-like shots real astronauts astronaut high above Earth altitude titled title Gravity NASA’s Real Life Photos from Space high hi res high reolution stunning hi-res images image astronaut astronauts work Earth blue planet Hubble space telescope critically acclaimed Gravity starring George Clooney Sandra Bullock incredible views from space entire movie actually filmed Pinewood Studios Shepperton Studios London England United Kingdom UK special effects outfit Framestore create highly realistic visual imagery movie film Mark Uhran retired NASA director International Space Station first reaction cinematography spectacular realism Hollywood filmmaker capture clarity resolution space station shuttle ISS International Space Station far away from terra firma gallery NASA’s special Flickr page images image /

LECHAL launches haptic based footwear

Credit: Lechal/The Gadgeteer

Originally aimed at helping the visually impaired find their way around by providing haptic directions from satnav, Lechal now includes fitness tracking. Available as complete shoes or as sole inserts for your existing shoes, as shown above.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/02/28/lechal-launches-haptic-based-footwear/ / develop development developer developed help visual impairments navigation navigating navigate Ducere Technologies launch launching launched LECHAL interactive haptic based footwear Hindi LECHAL footwear hands-free navigation system feet guide guidance guiding wearer destination vibrations shoes insoles exploring bluetooth phone find walk destination shoes vibration vibrate sign signal walk destination Bluetooth pair smart phone smartphone LECHAL footwear track fitness information steps walked calories burned Ducere Technologies initial motivation visually challenged /

How to make a diesel more efficient & cleaner? – Run it on petrol (gasoline) (video)

All other things being equal, diesels get better fuel economy than petrol engines. This is due, in part, to very high compression ratios – 18 or 20 to 1 or higher. Less widely known is that a litre of diesel contains more energy than a litre of petrol. Greater energy density equals less litres for the same trip, but gives an exaggerated impression of energy efficiency.

Also less well known is that a litre of diesel contains more carbon than a litre of petrol. This is responsible for the obvious particulate matter in diesel exhaust. High carbon level also causes elevated carbon dioxide emissons.

So, although the fuel cost of running a diesel vehicle will be less, air quality will be inferior.

Professor Bengt Johnasson at Lund University, Sweden has in development a diesel engine which uses petrol & a modified injection system to improve both emissions & efficiency. Sixty percent fuel efficiency, & emmissions so low that a catalytic converter will not be required, are hoped for.

Caveat emptor: fuel efficiency figures quoted above & in the linked movie & article are for laboratory conditions. Expect lower efficiency in real world driving.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1090617_gasoline-fueled-diesel-truck-engine-cuts-fuel-use-emissions / diesel engine more efficient efficiency gasoline research researching researchers Sweden Sweden's Lund University reduce reduced cut fuel use emissions heavy duty heavy-duty trucks truck Lund's experimental engine different combustion process Partially Premixed Combustion PPC researchers increase large truck's fuel efficiency 50 percent two fuel injections injection each combustion ratio varied changed behavior of the combustion control of ignition delay time between fuel injection combustion fuel is burned more efficiently tough tractor trailer Bengt Johnasson Lund professor internal combustion engines ICE process particulate NOx emissions production engine catalytic converter current test engine operates operation 50 percent efficiency 40 percent standard diesel engines further testing 60 percent efficiency more efficient more-efficient engine large trucks truck big impact overall emissions vehicle fleet produce disproportionate amount of emissions Environmental Protection Agency EPA develop new fuel-efficiency rules medium heavy duty heavy-duty trucks efficiency class vehicle rules new standards big trucks truck Corporate Average Fuel Economy CAFE standards passenger vehicles /

10 Steps to a better brain

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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9968-top-10-steps-to-a-better-brain.html?full=true#.Uw_IvtDZW2c / smart drugs food for thought Mozart effect gainful employment memory marvels sleep on it body and mind nuns on a run attention seeking positive feedback brainy education improve expand improve your mind boost boosting mental faculties studying hard reclusive book worm tricks techniques habits change changes lifestyle diet behaviour flex grey matter bestbrain cells age old mean worsening memory slower reactions fuzzy thinking age 40, honest notice noticing changes mental abilities beginning gradual decline dementia reverse slow mask cognitive enhancement on the market others on the way best-known modafinil licensed treat narcolepsy condition suddenly fall asleep notable effects health healthy people awake alert jitteriness bad concentration amphetamine amphetamines caffeine coffee produce sleep deprived sleep-deprived people perform even better well-rested unmedicated medicated sleep the normal 8 hours, and then pull a few more all-nighters with no ill effects ritalin attention deficit disorder ADD superior concentration exam exams pharmaceutical pipeline promising compounds drugs nicotinic receptors smokers exploit exploited drugs drug cannabinoid augment memory major side effects cognitive enhancers Daniele Piomelli University of California Irvine UCI study studying the body's cannabinoid system making memories less emotionally charged post-traumatic stress disorder memory unwanted effects Gary Lynch concern invent invention inventor ampakines, class of drugs how memory encoded how strong a memory trace is essence of learning rules optimise optimum optimised evolution improve improvement hidden downsides penalty disadvantge sleep-deprived preliminary studies dietary supplement industry supplementation eat eating breakfast glucose studies skipping breakfast reduce reduction reduces performance school work calories beans on toast Barbara Stewart University of Ulster UK high protein high-protein beans fibre high-fibre diet improved cognition wholemeal toast Marmite yeast extract B vitamins lunch is omelette salad choline neurotransmitter acetylcholine research researchers Boston University healthy young adults drug scopolamine block blocks acetylcholine receptors brain remember word pairs Alzheimer's disease study studies suggest boost boosting dietary intake slow age related age-related memory loss salad packed antioxidants beta-carotene vitamin vitamins C E age ageing brain damage damaging free radicals Dwight Tapp diet high in antioxidants improved cognitive skills yogurt alert stress stresses amino acid tyrosine production neurotransmitters dopamine noradrenalin study studies US military deplete depleted stress supplement supplementing intake improve alertness memory snack mid-afternoon maintain glucose levels avoid junk food highly processed cakes pastries biscuits contain trans-fatty acids implicate implicated serious mental disorders dyslexia ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder autism hard evidence Society for Neuroscience San Diego, California junk food rat maze remember solutions solve solved damage mediated triglyceride cholesterol performance memory tasks improved improve improvement brains brain 60 per cent fat omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid DHA fish brain food feed lubricate developing brain DHA dementia studies published amyloid plaques disease high-DHA diet strawberries blueberries fruit fruits improved coordination concentration short-term memory music thinking Mozart improved mathematical spatial reasoning rats ran mazes faster accurately Mozart piano sonata stimulate activity genes nerve cell nerve-cell signalling brain mental faculties feel better relax relaxation relaxed stimulate stimulation stimulated stimulus story performance boost music lessons drama lessons instruction IQ scores Rauscher spatial reasoning tests computer lessons exercise mental skills delicate precise finger movements listen listening pitch rhythm emotional dimension mental boost young children mental problem-solving abilities spatial skills memory verbal reasoning genetics working memory general intelligence short-term information storage system workbench solving mental problems calculate intermediate steps answer information general intelligence Torkel Klingberg Karolinska Institute Stockholm Sweden neural systems grow in response to training functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI MRI brain scans brain activity working-memory training programme tasks cognitive abilities /

Psychobiotics: How gut bacteria mess with your mind

There are more bacterial cells in & on your body than there are human cells! Ten times as many, according to one estimate.¹ Bacteria are much smaller than the cells of your body, so bacteria have much less mass & take up much less space.

Now it appears they have psychoactive effects as well:

http://forums.thechaniproject.com/topic/6743-psychobiotics-how-gut-bacteria-mess-with-your-mind/
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¹ Scientific American: “Humans Carry More Bacterial Cells than Human Ones”, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-humans-carry-more-bacterial-cells-than-human-ones/

/ influence gut bacteria emotion feeling feeling emotions felt stomach bug gut bacteria positive positively influence mood behaviour raising possibility new ways neurobehavioural disorders depression obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD obsessive compulsive disorder acquire intestinal microbes immediately after birth live important symbiotic relationship bacteria gut cells body mass weight mind brain bacteria vast array of genes produce producing hundreds thousands of chemicals influence your brain bacteria produce same molecules brain signalling dopamine serotonin gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA brain predominantly made of fats produced metabolic activity of bacteria absence gut bacteria brain structure function are altered mice reared raised germ-free germ free environment no exposure to bacteria alterations memory emotional state behaviour show autistic patterns of behaviour focus focusing inanimate objects other mice behavioural change driven alteration alterations underlying brain chemistry example dramatic changes in serotonin transmission changes key molecules brain derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor fundamental role forming new synapses probiotics health benefit Russian biologist Élie Metchnikoff region Bulgaria consumed fermented food live longer psychobiotics mental health benefit mental-health benefit California Institute of Technology Pasadena bacterium Bacteroides fragilis behavioural gastrointestinal deficits mouse model of autism Bifidobacterium infantis animal model of depression gut bacteria influence the brain mechanism mechanisms bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus dairy products potent anti-anxiety effects animals works changing expression GABA receptors brain changes mediated vagus nerve connects brain gut nerve severed no effect anxiety GABA receptors psychobiotic treatment L. rhamnosus alleviate OCD obsessive compulsive disorder behaviours behaviour GABA receptors brain synthesise release GABA evidence gut bacteria brain altering alter immune system manufacture of short-chain fatty acids short chain fatty acids /