5 design books worth a read

http://thetechblock.com/design-books-you-should-read/ / As Little Design As Possible dieter Rams Design of Everyday Things A. Norman Universal Principles of Design William Lidwell Elements of Typographic Style Robert Bringhurst Grid Systems Josef Muller-Brockmann form structure system solve problems practical framework key pioneer structure baseline measuring units Less is More form structure system art science typography letter language type rhythm proportion problem solving hierarchy Hick's law mental models mapping major design principles practical reference /

The Atlantic, Scientology & the theft of credibility

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/the-atlantic-scientology-and-stolen-credibility/    / advertorial editorial advertisement advertising ethics fraud cult religion abuse sponsor content mimic design /

FAA grounds Boeing's 787 Dreamliner after battery fires

"Lithium ion" (LiIon) is a term covering a number of battery chemistries, packaging & mechanical configurations.  Advantages they share are: high energy density & low physical density (weight for volume).  These are very attractive properties for aircraft where weight & space are at a premium.

On the other hand, some LiIon chemistries are unstable.  Once an energy source becomes uncontrollable, high energy density also becomes a problem.

One suggested solution is replacing LiIon with nickel metal hydride (NiMh).  Problem: lower energy density & high physical density.  It has been suggested that a NiMh replacement will add 200 kg to the weight of a 787.  This is equivalent to 2 to 4 passengers.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57564393-76/faa-grounds-boeings-787-dreamliner-after-battery-fires/ / Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines ground fleet fleets fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane onboard batteries proven safe operate Japanese carriers All Nippon Airways Japan Airlines grounding battery fire forced evacuation ANA flight in-flight Boeing 787 battery incident emergency airworthiness directive AD address potential battery fire risk operators to temporarily cease operations FAA flight operators U.S. US USA U.S.A. registered aircraft demonstrate Federal Aviation Administration batteries are safe ground grounded Boston Logan International Airport caught fire cause traced back battery pack auxiliary power unit United Airlines mishaps recent weeks oil fuel leaks cracked windshield false warnings electrical panel composite materials Boeing Company /

Scientists harness firefly technology to make LEDs more efficient

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/145696-firefly-technology-leds / total internal refraction manufacturers refractive index semiconductors gallium nitride GaN light organ. This results in greater transmission mismatch to a lower index material and therefore more reflection narrow emission cone cost complexity geometry critical angle efficiency transmit light optimally transmitting light from mantle researchers more light multi layer material multi-layer layer muscle mantle selected for transparency refractive properties light pulse frequency directionality mantle cover electron microscope key tiny serrations organized corrugated roof repeats every 250 microns appearance Fresnel lens /

Portable container holiday home • Port-a-Bach

Credit: Port-a-Bach/ the N{ES}T way

http://www.thenestway.com/2013/01/portable-container-holiday-home/ / transportation freight living space rooms sleep sleeps recycled reused materials Non-invasive foundation situate wide range of ground conditions locate install toilet living space bunk beds double bedroom kitchen bathroom flexible production commercial partners mass produce mobile home caravan flexible /

US-built 2013 LEAF will start at $28,800, 18% lower than 2012 model

Although some models are cheaper than equivalent 2012 models, the 18% reduction is for the bottom of the line model which has fewer standard features that any 2012 model. A surprising deletion from this model is cruise control, which is so important for hypermiling. And is there an EV owner anywhere who isn't a hypermiler?

http://www.chargedevs.com/content/news-wire/post/us-built-2013-leaf-will-start-28800-18-lower-2012-model / USA range up increase price down reduce decrease battery LiIon lithium ion charge recharge Smyrna Tennessee battery packs electric motors nearby plants reduce costs more affordable improvements aerodynamics regenerative braking energy management 3.6 kW onboard charger Push Button Start Bluetooth phone system power door locks CD/MP3 player 12-volt power outlet cruise control essential hypermiling tool EV drivers 6.6 kW onboard charger energy-efficient heating system sound system 7-inch color LCD display navigation system CARWINGS telematics 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels saving DC 480 V fast charge port photovoltaic solar panel rear spoiler leather seats 17-inch spoke alloy wheels $7,500 federal tax credit states cities ultra-green employers offer additional incentives /

How to tell if your company is monitoring you at work

http://bgr.com/2012/08/30/employee-monitoring-software-detection-how-to/?utm_source=related-sb&utm_medium=article / security spy spying abuse intranet LAN businesses employer rights install software monitors company owned computers reports report IT department information technology details employees doing company dime money expense time status updates Facebook account technical tech news employers safest play personal browsing chats smartphone determine whether or not your computer is being monitored bugged subtle tactics spying on you Windows users digging through start up programs folders entries VNC Shadow Web Sleuth Silent Watch good first step catching lazy IT workers who didn't bother covering their tracks next step snoop around your Windows Firewall settings to see if permissions have been granted to any suspicious programs Windows Task Manager big help as well be prepared search Google Bing Yahoo every process you don't recognize OSX OS X Macintosh Apple Mac Apple Micorsoft Yahoo News Activity Monitor search Web unknown process names spying software depending on the solution your company is using to watch  IT department may be able to figure out that you're hunting for monitoring software pretty easily. Search the Web for application and process names on your phone if possible, and definitely don't try to delete any suspicious software you find. Instead, use that knowledge to your benefit by performing personal tasks on your phone notes that a VPN virtual private network service will allow you to surf the Web securely, thus hiding your traffic from the corporate network /