0 to 100 km/h in 1.785 seconds* & less than 30 metres (video)

Credit: AMZ Racing/Gizmag

* awaiting official ratification by the Guinness Book of World Records

Built by students from ETH Zurich & Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts in Switzerland, for the Formula Student international competition. Design & construction time was less than 12 months. Total output is only 147 kW (200 hp). Available power is put to best use by:
• carbon fibre construction, including monocoque chassis & wheel rims, limits mass to 168 kg (370 lb)
• hub motors drive all 4 wheels, with individual electronic traction control

Video of the 0-100 kph run:





This vehicle is so competent, none of the drama comes through in either video. Over so soon too! ;)

From the driver's seat, it must feel very different. Witness this description of 0-100 in 3.2 seconds in a McLaren F1: "It was among the most shattering few seconds of my life ... I just hung the hell on as the world melted into a smear."

http://www.gizmag.com/electric-car-world-record-acceleration-eth/34563/ / students ETH Zurich Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts new world record electric vehicle EV car acceleration EV dubbed Grimsel students previous record Delft University military airfield Dübendorf Switzerland awaiting official ratification ETH Zurich Lucerne University constructed carbon fiber total weight 168 kg 370 lb generates 147 kW 200 hp integrated planetary gearbox AMZ M4 wheel hub motors 37 kW 50 hp tire-shredding 1630 Nm 1200 ft-lb torque powerful electronic traction control torque distribution precisely control each wheel hub motor chassis one-piece carbon fiber monocoque very light very strong torsional stiffness of 4500 Nm/deg3319 ft-lb/deg one piece carbon fiber rims pushrod suspension many successes Formula Student international competition wins AMZ Racing /

Richard Branson angered by coverage of Virgin Galactic test accident

Credit: AP/BBC

Having seen the images above, the recent Virgin Galactic accident was widely interpreted as an engine explosion. However, a US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) representative has said that premature deployment of the feather capability was the cause of the accident.

National Transport Safety Board representative explains feathering



Spaceship 2 feathering in testing



Feathering is the solution Virgin Galactic has adopted for the problem of re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere*. It was designed to be deployed at 350,000 feet. By decelerating the SpaceShip at extreme altitude, in a thin atmosphere, extreme heat build-up, as experienced by NASA & other space vehicles (with occasional catastrophic results), is avoided. Richard Branson & others have referred to this as, "carefree re-entry"**.

In the recent accident, feathering was deployed at a relatively low altitude (40,000 feet), where the atmosphere is much thicker, at a velocity greater than Mach 1. Forces generated were much greater than SpaceShip 2 would normally encounter. Apparently these forces destroyed the aircraft.

In the image at the top of this post, the right hand pane appears to show a ball of flame at the top right, with pieces of SpaceShip 2 & a debris trail below & to the left. The apparent ball of flame was widely interpreted as an explosion in progress.

In light of the NTSB investigation, the image may be interpreted as the feathered space vehicle with the rocket engine pointing straight up. I.e. away from the camera. In this case, the apparent, “ball of flame”, would be the rocket exhaust pointing straight down toward the camera.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-04/no-explosion-behind-virgin-galactic-crash-branson/5864110
_______________

* Virgin Galactic technology originated in Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites:
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-company-testing-virgin-galactics-spaceshiptwo-2014-11

** Care-free re-entry:
http://www.typgalactic.com/english/faq.html / Virgin Galactic crash Richard Branson angered damaging innuendo feathering function deployed early Sir Richard Branson British billionaire founder Virgin Galactic self-proclaimed experts explosion crash spacecraft last week Mojave Desert California kill 39 year old pilot Michael Alsbury injure 43 year old Peter Siebold no explosion crash oxidiser oxidant fuel tanks engine irresponsible innuendo damaging sensationalist press reports incredibly hurtful journalists push on passenger travel space programme fly members of the public fly myself and family member investigation one year space safety expert warnings /

Forget Apple Pay – the master of mobile payments is – Starbucks

7 million mobile payments per week (90% of all mobile payments in 2013) & growing by almost 50% every year – Apple Pay still has some way to go to catch that.

http://www.wired.com/2014/11/forget-apple-pay-master-mobile-payments-starbucks/ / Apple Pay’s checkout counter Apple CEO Tim Cook mobile payment services companies mobile payments business Starbucks quarterly earnings recently latte transactions mobile device 7 million mobile payments per week 1 million credit cards registered launch buy a cup of coffee merchant-agnostic system in-person paying by phone coffee Wall Street analysts CEO Howard Schultz mobile payments stores growing by almost 50 percent annually 90 percent of all mobile payments tech Google Apple PayPal well-funded startup Square tech industry consumers physical wallet smartphone-based Google’s NFC mobile wallet mobile payment app offer offering coffee delivery order by phone e-commerce company pay coffee place order payments card smart phones proprietary payment option plastic card loyalty programs CurrentC scanningscan in-app QR code checkout counter loyalty program partnerships mobile payment companies value rewards program programme /

TrackR bravo – not just another tracker for your keys (video)

There are lots of trackers out there. Attach it to keys. Link it to an app on your smartphone. When your keys go missing, locate it using the app. You can even make the tracker beep. Works the other way too. If you misplace your phone, press a button on the tracker & your phone will beep. Even if on silent.

Heard all this before.

What makes TrackR bravo different is a, “crowd GPS network”. To quote the Indiegogo page: “When another user of the TrackR app comes within 100ft range of your lost item, you will receive a GPS update of where your item is.”

So they sell a few thousand TrackR bravos world wide, that doesn’t create a very big “crowd GPS network”.

Well, it doesn’t have to, because the the “crowd GPS network” already exists:



https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/trackr-bravo-the-thinnest-tracking-device-ever--2/x/9010251 / lose keys key wallet lose something looking for my keys hiding under the couch cushion design designed invented TrackR keep track of items smart phone research development R&D customer feature suggestions product revisions TrackR bravo slim slimmest tracking device Crowd GPS network locate TrackR app iPhone Android locate items distance indicator radar Ring Device button lost item to ring track any Bluetooth device Bluetooth tracker device locate silent mode item goes missing TrackR Crowd GPS network find GPS update track any Bluetooth device Bluetooth tracker device world's largest Crowd GPS network best techniques materials thinnest tracking device ever dog's name tag accessory pack track pet collar attachment water proof water-proof attachment water proof casing Compatible with iPhone 4s iPad 3rd Generation Android 4.4 device Bluetooth 4.0 /

Virgin crash sets space tourism back by years – update – no explosion

SpaceShip 2 has an engine explosion soon after being dropped from the White Knight 2 launch vehicle.
Credit: AP/BBC

Update: US National Transport Safety Board investigation has revealed the accident was caused by premature deployment of the re-entry system.

Virgin’s launch system has a “re-useable first stage” in the form of the jet-powered aircraft, White Knight 2. At 40,000 feet, SpaceShip 2, the second stage, is dropped, the pilot starts the rocket engine, & the craft continues to around 350,000 feet.

Virgin rocket motors are of a relatively new type, using rubber as fuel, with nitrous oxide as the oxidising agent. Porous rubber allows the oxidiser to diffuse through. Throttle control is obtained by varying the flow of nitrous oxide.

Rocket motors by their very nature, release huge amounts of energy in a very short period of time. By this means, they achieve amazing outcomes, such as lifting SpaceShip 2 to 350,000 feet. Sometimes the mechanisms creating, containing & directing this energy, fail. Result: an accident such as has just occurred.


Spaceship 2 wreckage
Credit: KABC News in Los Angeles/Phys Org

And space tourism? Virgin had plans to carry it's first paying passengers into space in 2015. That schedule will have to be revised.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29857182

http://phys.org/news/2014-10-virgin-space-tourism-years-experts.html / pilot killed injured Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo space tourism craft crashed California desert flying manned test a serious anomaly first powered test flight since January Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson shocked and saddened tragic loss blog post deeply saddened space is hard persevere and move forward together Dr David Whitehouse space scientist no such thing as routine regular safe access to space both pilots Scaled Composites designed pronounced dead transported local hospital debris Ken Brown photographer exploded released National Transportation Safety Board Saturday morning investigate cause accident supporting investigation George Whitesides chief executive of Virgin Galactic new type of rocket motor development challenge exceptionally hard /

The case for collaborative consumption

Do you own a power drill? How much do you use it? Did you actually want the drill or the hole?

Do you own any DVDs? How many times have you watched them? Will you ever watch them again? Would you like to exchange one of your existing DVDs rather than pay for your next one?

Time for collaborative consumption:



More video:

http://youtu.be/kTqgiF4HmgQ

http://youtu.be/K6FXZJU2-w8

More from Rachel Botsman:

http://www.rachelbotsman.com/

http://www.rachelbotsman.com/book/ /Collaborative Consumption cultural economic force transforming business consumerism the way we live 10 Ideas That Will Change the World TIME magazine hopeful book social revolution Financial Times revolution think about ownership WIRED What’s Mine is Yours rapidly growing socioeconomic groundswell technology enabling sharing exchange assets money cars skills stuff scale enormous marketplaces eBay Craigslist emerging sectors peer-to-peer travelAirbnb social lending Zopa swap trading Swap.com car sharing Zipcar disruption disrupting outdated modes business reinventing what how consume travelling global entrepreneurs established companies three systems product service systems collaborative lifestyles redistribution markets maps key principles global brands start-ups public services innovate adapt opportunity opportunities Rogers power of collaboration big ideas /

Naked & afraid: that's how open public WiFi security should make you feel

Free WiFi. Better yet: no annoying password to type in.

All true.

But ... everything you type, or see on your screen is sent in the clear, & visible to anyone with a little knowledge ...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/29/naked_and_afraid_thats_how_telstras_wifi_security_makes_you_feel// sit down open up the laptop join advertised SSID go online free WiFi makes working cafe breeze transformed Sydney’s libraries most sought-after spots in town encourage tourists business residents spend more time money everything they send receive over their connection read by anyone else free network understand the risk Wireshark root access free WiFi network never has a password easy to log on in read the network traffic transmitted in the clear every packet of data Telstra public WiFi hotspots free trial period public WiFi hotspots open warnings login screen perform sensitive tasks connected smart phone smartphones weather forecast emails downloading podcast proactive script kiddie Wireshark root need secure connections public security paranoid risks WPA2 authentication access public WiFi network unsecured WiFi network consider safety of their users open networks unacceptable unnecessary risk risky environment SSID corporate secrets tablets or laptops surfing the Web secure website Google Facebook Twitter HTTPS encryp traffic between web browser server snoop metadata sites visited content of that traffic websites secure HTTPS authentication encryption authenticated and secured HTTPS website Internet known threats The Reg naughty list HTTP devs developers developer develop alerted /