New Amazon store lets customers customize & print 3D products for delivery

Credit: Amazon/Gizmag

3D printing is a disruptive technology. Uses include:

● ultra-small-scale manufacture
● just-in-time manufacture of ultra-small-scale parts
● upload customer file to 3D printer site for printing & delivery
● purchase item online for local printing
● customer modification of seller design prior to 3D printing

Amazon is just now entering into the last of these markets:

http://www.gizmag.com/amazon-3d-printed-products-store/33151/ / 3D Printed Products store launch launched 200 print-on-demand print on demand designs users custom customize earrings pendants rings bobble head dolls special widget 3D printed 3D-printed print deliver delivered deliver offer 3D printed items for sale websites Shapeways i.materialise Thingify 3D printing options site users upload print their own items buy items designed by others customize items designed by others community aspect too entrance of Amazon into the market disruption disrupt disruptive store online find and purchase 3D-printed products size popularity ubiquity raises competitors market markets marketplace market place creators retailers sell their offerings Amazon store i.materialise Thingify shift in online retail manufacturing more nimble adaptable adaptive immersive customer experience Petra Schindler-Carter sellers designers manufacturers more dynamic inventory customers personalize customize available designs customization engine interactive 3D preview /

Reasons why Tesla can scale where others have failed

Tesla Roadster.
If you think it looks familiar, you're right. It's based on the Lotus Elise. In fact, the Roadster was a rolling chassis, supplied by Lotus, with Tesla drive train.
Credit: Discover

Between the end of 2010 & 2013, Tesla stock increased in value by over 500%. They sell all the cars they can make, & are allegedly, the only company making a profit from manufacture of electric vehicles. Tesla has plans in train to build a Gigafactory, which will effectively double world production of LiIon battery capacity.

So, what are they getting right that everyone else is getting wrong? My take is that part of it is Elon Musk's commitment to something important outside himself — nothing less than conversion of the car industry to a sustainable technology. Bob Lutz has admitted that the Tesla Roadster was his inspiration to push General Motors into development of the Volt EV. Venture Beat has some more ideas:

http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/27/3-reasons-why-tesla-can-scale-where-others-have-failed/ / Tesla rocked plans build 5 GW lithium ion battery plant 5 GW giga Watt gigaWatt battery production double global battery manufacturing industries scale battery companies A123 Valence Technology filed for bankruptcy supplier qualification supply chain economics electric vehicle demand production capacity electric vehicle EV manufacturers battery suppliers expensive part assemble battery packs Panasonic small cylindrical battery cells assemble assembled cell thermal management system software electronics mechanical enclosure quarter cost battery pack Tesla assembling volumes rise designs mature cost optimization third party battery vehicle engineering time and resources communication hiccups BMS battery management system designs optimize battery time and resourcebattery integration radical technology disruption battery cell technology research and development R&D testing groundbreaking scaled to production performance quality safety targets Panasonic 18650 cells laptop computers second-generation cell design secure patient capital quick buck Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk /

Flexible, printed batteries for wearable, & medical devices

A problem with wearable devices is providing a suitable battery. Even in something as big as a watch, incorporating a battery adds considerable bulk. Check the size of most smart watches. A large number of applications are waiting on the availability of smaller batteries. E.g. smart clothing, smart labels & medical devices. Imprint Energy, of Alameda, California believes this need can be filled by its battery, which uses zinc, rather than lithium, & can be printed inexpensively using industrial screen printers.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/528996/flexible-printed-batteries-for-wearable-devices/ / California startup development develop developing flexible rechargeable batteries battery printed cheaply commonly used industrial screen printers Imprint Energy Alameda California test testing ultrathin zinc-polymer zinc polymer batteries wrist worn wear wearable wrist-worn devices sell manufacturers wearable electronics medical devices smart labels environmental sensors safe for on-body applications small size flexibility product designs impossible with bulkier lithium-based batteries small formats deliver enough current low power low-power wireless communications sensors $6 million funding Phoenix Venture Partners AME Cloud Ventures VC venture capital venture fund Yahoo co-founder cofounder Jerry Yang proprietary chemistry finance batteries’ commercial launch previous investors CIA-backed venture firm In-Q-Tel Dow Chemical research company co-founder Christine Ho graduate student University of California Berkeley collaborate collaborated researcher Japan produce microscopic zinc batteries 3D 3-D printer batteries power laptop smartphone smart phone smart-phone lithium highly reactive protected add size bulk more stable water-based electrolytesform dendrites branch like structures clothes body eye sensors monitor health status /

Renewable energy is ready to supply all of Australia's electricity

Interesting article by Professor Mark Diesendorf, of the University of New South Wales. Amongst other things, he claims that, based on conservative projections to 2030 for the costs of renewable energy by the federal government’s Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE), an optimal mix of renewable electricity sources to supply all of Australia's electricity needs:

● 46% wind

● 22% concentrated solar thermal (electricity generated by the heat of the sun) with thermal storage

● 20% photovoltaic solar (electricity generated directly from sunlight)

● 6% biofuelled gas turbines

● 6% existing hydro

In Australia (as in many other countries), substantial subsidies are paid to the fossil fuel industry. Professor Diesenforf claims that the cost of the scheme described above could be recouped by ending those existing subsidies.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/7/22/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-ready-supply-all-australias-electricity?utm_source=exact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=832013&utm_campaign=cs_daily&modapt

A commmon concern about sustainable energy is summed up by: "solar only when the Sun shines, wind only when it blows". It is encouraging that, after running the simulations & doing the maths, Professor Diesendorf concludes that thermal storage inherent in concentrated solar thermal, plus existing hydro will be sufficient, with no need for chemical batteries. / University of Melbourne Frank Larkins Australia’s targets increase renewable energy electricity more expensive problems consistency storage developments renewable energy integration electricity grids technically feasible scenariosAustralian electricity industry 100 per cent renewable energy Sun shine irregular weather patterns uncertain intermittent power output electricity generators retailers money variability renewable energy sources better understood empirical experience wind power electricity grids hourly computer simulations demand states countries global regions South Australia coal fired coal-fired power stations gas fired gas-fired wind farms non-renewable energy supply Germany Schleswig-Holstein Mecklenburg-Vorpommern transmission links neighbouring states supply problems National Electricity Market (NEM) generation Ben Elliston Iain MacGill UNSW meet demand reliably papers published in peer-reviewed international journals, downloaded website mix /

Five myths about HIV

One of the greatest risks to do with HIV & AIDS is lack of knowledge. Check out the article linked below. Focus is the situation in Australia, but the myths are universal.

https://theconversation.com/five-myths-about-hiv-in-australia-29320 / Australian quick effective response HIV epidemic tendency underestimate effort maintaining HIV prevention responses misinformation lazy assumptions quick fixes sustained effective HIV prevention initial response multifaceted safe sex affected communities needle syringe programs program programme health workers injecting drug user clients screening donor blood HIV antibody test interventions saved untold lives health dollars treatment Australian researchers researching effective anti-HIV drugs infection cause death managed a pill a day minimal side effects scary general population campaign sexually-active aware take responsibility sexual health partners men sex with men gay homosexually active men HIV infections key populations include people high-prevalence countries Aboriginal people inject drugs HIV prevention interventions communities telling people what to do use condoms get tested for HIV take treatment engage with the real reasons effective health promotion minimise waiting times increased availability of HIV treatments community pharmacies good health promotion social marketing addresses underlying issues sex workers instituted effective safer sex practices HIV rates in Australian female sex workers are less than 0.1% decriminalisation sex work agency working conditions voluntarily occupational health and safety standard penetrative sex HIV transmission female version different kind of condom inserted vagina femidom barrier protection drugs treatment HIV prevent transmission /

Robocup 2014

Credit: Robocup/Mashable

Robocup is an annual soccer competition for robots. Robocup 2014 is on right now (July 21 to 25) in João Pessoa, Brazil.

Long term goal of Robocup is to create a robot soccer team, capable of winning the World Cup, by 2050. Great strides have been made since Robocup began in 1997, but they still have a long way to go.

Competition involves a large number of classifications. While the humanoid classifications look most interesting at first sight, in practice, they are hampered by the simple need to balance on two legs.

Freed of the restrictions of the humanoid classes, mech classes play a faster game, with an apparent understanding of positional play. This is well illustrated in the video below. Audio won't tell you anything if you don't speak Dutch, but video show the robot's apparent understanding of positional play quite clearly.

/ 2014 RoboCup annual robot-soccer robot soccer football competition develop further robotics technology crown RoboCup champion winner World Cup 2050 robot teams human soccer players teams 45 countries this year's competition teams compete different categories robot size construction humanoid fields Kid Teen Adult sizes divisions fewer restrictions design robot look like android anthropomorphic humanoid Humanoid League matches play playing two 10 minute halves hosted in South America Nao humanoid robots began development French robotics company Aldebran Robotics popular platform increase in processor component speeds matches become faster in pace football /

Tesla Model S hacked at Beijing symposium

You may remember a recent post about the Symposium on Security for Asia Network (SyScan360) in Beijing, which offered a $10,000 prize to any symposium attendee who could hack into a Tesla Model S.

Well, one team was partly successful & has been awarded 10,600 RMB in prize money. They were able to remotely unlock the vehicle, sound the horn, flash the lights, & open the sunroof.

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/security-buffs-win-a-prize-for-hacking-into-a-tesla-model-s/ / hack hacker hacking hacked process cracking software operating system OS computer smart phone smartphone car electric cars challenge hackTesla Model S electric $10,000 prize register registers SyScan conference eligible enter competition rules Tesla Model S experts try their luck learn lessons crack its software entirely-electric Tesla websites central display screen operating major functions of the car from a remote computer web browser 17 inch screen warranty would be void high-tech nature Tesla already takes security very seriously full vulnerability disclosure program allowing users to report any flaws in the car's system ex-Apple security expert Kristin Paget improve digital security research take control of cars hitting brakes jerking the steering wheel fun and games exploited experimentally subtext very sinister advanced hacking virus viruses lessons learned /