Carry-on shame

"As we board, we notice  them. The baggage hogs. Those uncaring, rule breaking, inconsiderate passengers who knowingly take too much on board:

http://1bag1world.com/2014/06/carry-shame/ / toting sizer fitting weight reduced carry on carry-on bag fit overhead bin personal item small enough fit under the seat in front enough room extend our legs board boarding baggage hog uncaring rule breaking inconsiderate passengers on board pay for checked bags don’t know how to pack waved past passed gate agent the whole world revolves around me take up entire overhead bin over-sized carry-on bag over sized carry on personal item large dimensions allowed carry-on bag fit under the seat travel writer Spud Hilton travel editor San Francisco Chronicle name shame shaming take advantage of the system passenger pass security take a photo or video culprit post it on Twitter Instagram Vine hashtag  #carryonshame post the best Bad Lattitude blog SFGate post Twitter Instagram @CarryOnShame carryonshame airlines listen start cracking down United enforce enforcing enforcement shame few people /

Humans are brainy weaklings

The heading is obvious to most of us: the achievements of the human mind eclipse anything achieved by other animals. By contrast, in the physical sphere, there are animals that can run or swim faster & lift greater weights.

Some of the difference in physical capability are due to reasons other than strength: e.g. swimming speed of some fish is substantially due to their torpedo shape. Four legs & a flexible spine give the big cats a longer stride which partly explains their great speed.

While there is an obvious relationship between size & strength, gram-for-gram, chimpanzee muscle is twice as strong as human muscle.

Recent research, described in the linked article, indicates that the parts of the human brain associated with intellect has been the site of accelerated evolution. No surprises there. Puzzlingly, in parallel, human muscle has evolve to be less strong, gram-for-gram. Result is the greater intelligence & lesser strength of humans, compared with our closest living relative, the chimpanzee.

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21602988-human-beings-are-brainy-weaklings-muscled-out / geek nerd swots weedy jocks stupid cliche cliché paper just published PLOS Biology research researchers Chinese Academy of Sciences Max Planck Institute Germany evolutionary evolution truth Katarzyna Bozek colleagues how quickly human tissues have evolved compared other mammals human brain stronger species muscles weaker demonstration science hypothesis human brains 2% adult body weight fifth metabolic energy Richard Wrangham Harvard University cooking makes more nutrients available food raw state neurological expansion Homo sapiens supply brain energy other human organs under pressure economise muscle economised a lot Dr Bozek colleagues study metabolome water-soluble chemicals small molecules sugars amino acids vitamins biochemistry research researchers five types of tissue individuals four species mammal humans chimpanzees rhesus monkeys mice previously healthy dead individuals humans died mainly in accidents tissue types brain prefrontal cortex visual cortex cerebellum thigh muscle kidney metabolic enhancement metabolomes two species proportional time evolving separately larger differences particular type of tissue suggest strong specific evolutionary pressures on that tissue human prefrontal cortex complex cognitive behaviours abstract thought show markedly greater differences metabolome equivalent other species tissues thigh-muscle metabolism Homo sapiens sacrificed brawn for brains /

Will Tesla share its technology with other automakers?

Elon Musk has said & written, recently that other vehicle manufacturers are progressing too slowly with electric vehicles &, as a result he is contemplating making Tesla's technology available to them. This will be, "... in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology." He has also come to doubt the merits of patents, describing a patent as, "... a lottery ticket to a lawsuit".

Firstly, at the recent 2014 Tesla Shareholders' Meeting

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/does-tesla-plan-to-share-its-battery-technology-with-other-automakers/

Secondly, in a post entitled, "All Our Patent Are Belong To You", in the Tesla Blog, 12 June 2014, US Pacific Time

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1092697_musk-tesla-going-open-source-lifting-patents-in-good-faith

Tesla Shareholders' Meeting 2014

Part 1
http://youtu.be/FQMOq-qWVBg

Part 2
http://youtu.be/FQMOq-qWVBg

Tesla Blog post, "All Our Patent Are Belong To You", 12 June 2014 US Pacific Time

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you / wall of Tesla patents lobby Palo Alto headquarters removed Tesla Motors accelerate the advent of sustainable transport EV electric vehicles lay intellectual property landmines behind us inhibit others first company patents they serve merely to stifle progress entrench the positions of giant corporations enrich those in the legal profession rather than the actual inventors create patents copy our technology massive manufacturing sales marketing power overwhelm Tesla major manufacturers small non-existent large automakers producing electric cars limited range limited volume zero emission cars Tesla to build electric cars carbon crisis market is enormous small trickle non-Tesla electric cars produced enormous flood gasoline cars LiIon lithium ion battery charge recharge charger SuperCharger /

iOS 8 will bring split screen multitasking to iPad (video)

Something similar has been available in Android for some time.

http://www.funkyspacemonkey.com/check-ios-8-ipad-split-screen-multitasking-feature-video / Apple split-screen multitasking feature iPad iOS 8 Apple’s WWDC2014 keynote code references found iOS 8 SDK Steven Troughton-Smith hacked iOS 8 iPad Simulator split-screen multitasking feature demo OS operating system release /

Starbucks is trialling wireless charging in some of its coffee shops

Credit: Starbucks/Pocket Lint

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/129362-starbucks-is-trialling-wireless-charging-in-some-of-its-coffee-shops / PMA Power Matters Alliance Qi chi induction LiIon lithium ion metal plate cell mobile phone charging mat charge recharge batteries battery no plugs required wireless energy transmission mobile mobility consumer demand tangled power cords smartphone smart phone tethered plug-in chargers cables consumers charging methods inconvenience cables receiver plates cases tables receiver sleeves direct current phone receiver cases charged wireless charging charger /

Did we really land on the Moon?

Some people claim that NASA astronauts did not land on the Moon, despite the huge body of evidence to the contrary.

Mythbusters took a look at some of the claims of the naysayers.

NASA photographs taken on the surface of the Moon

Naysayers claim: On the surface of the Moon, there is only one source of light: the Sun. With only one source of light, all shadows are parallel & all objects within a shadow are inky black. Some NASA photographs show shadows which are not consistent with these rules.

Mythbusters video:



Buzz Aldrin's footprint


Credit: NASA/www.moillusions.com

Naysayers claim: Anyone who has walked on a beach knows that it is not possible to make a sharp footprint in dry sand. Well defined footprints are possible in damp sand. There is no free liquid water on the surface of the Moon. Buzz Aldrin's famous footprint could not have been made in the dry dust on the surface of the Moon.

Mythbusters video:



Other claims investigated include:
● that the way the astronauts walked, ran & hopped in the Moon's one sixth gravity could be replicated using slow motion techniques
● movement of the flag planted on the Moon indicates a wind, which does not occur in the vacuum on the surface of the Moon

Entire Mythbusters episode

Note: file is over 160 Megabytes & lip sync is poor in some parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chT1xqfxVuY&sns=em / MythBusters tackle Moon conspiracies biggest busts Jamie Hyneman Adam Savage explain fake photos built moon set in an hour weightless man went to the moon NASA America plans to go back moon landing massive conspiracy perpetrated by NASA elaborate sets special effects irregularities photography video movie film special effects lunar conspiracy theories Discovery Channel vintage NASA camera lunar moon conspiracy conspiracy theories film footage open source missions to the moon replication accurate myth fill light parallel added contours topography model moon surface regolith reflectivity index between 7 and 10 percent albedo of 8 /

Toyota to start fuel cell vehicle production in December

Credit: TreeHugger

Hydrogen fuel cell miracles notwithstanding, Toyota is forging ahead. Green Car Reports article suggests a hybrid drivetrain as used in other Toyotas.

Usually the argument for fuel cells is that they have the advantages of an electric vehicle (EV) with refueling as fast as an internal combustion vehicle. One of the EV advantages is the simple drivetrain. On the other hand, Toyota hybrids have an amazingly complicated drivetrain.

Green Car Reports also suggests performance similar to a Prius.

So, how big is the market for a vehicle with all the disadvantages of a fuel cell, performance of a Prius & a price similar to a Tesla Model S?

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1092596_toyota-to-start-fuel-cell-vehicle-production-in-december

Good news is that the disguised prototype is not as ugly as the concept version at the top of this article. / Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicle production ahead of schedule mid-December 2014 sales Japan Times Toyota's 2015 development develop test testing alternative fuel vehicle concept specifications technology constraints production vehicle technology Hybrid Synergy Drive combination hydrogen tanks battery pack FCV concept, 2013 Tokyo Motor Show performance Prius hybrids 90 kW 120 horsepower output battery-electric vehicles EV BEV ICE refueling full tank hydrogen pricing 8 million Yen $80,000 electric vehicles 3 to 5 million Yen by 2020 sales production capacity /