Formula E, Beijing (video)

That's the entire race, above.

For that incident, start watching at the 1:02:30 mark.

Pre race, & background of the event. / video complete race whole race entire race Formula E all electric racing series inaugural Beijing ePrix 2.14-mile street circuit Bird’s Nest stadium races F1 FIA electricity sport electric vehicles EV terrific acceleration pass passing possible tracks with tight corners technology range race organizers identical cars Spark-Renault SRT_01E built French company Spark Racing Technology carbon fiber aluminum chassis Dallara electric powertrain electronics McLaren Electronics Systems Williams Advanced Engineering building 200 kiloWatt battery pack batteries powertrain generate 270 horsepower five-speed paddle shift gearbox fixed gear ratios Michelin 18 inch tires wet dry conditions sound 80 decibel whine full grid 20 cars FIA Formula E strategy street courses dedicated circuits tire wear grip management battery life charge prematurely testing drivers learn knowledge teams construction constructors constructing FanBoost pit stop second fully charged car advances in battery technology battery swaps charging battery Renault Michelin DHL Qualcomm Richard Branson Virgin Racing team Leonardo DiCaprio Venturi team /

Dumpster Project

Why would a university professor decide to live in a dumpster?

Professor Jeff Wilson has a few reasons, but it runs something like: downsizing after a divorce started him thinking about how much do we actually need in a dwelling, the impact of the way we chose to live & the impact of our choices on the planet, the environment & climate.


Über Dumpster — early concept sketch
Credit: Dumpster Project

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/the-simple-life-in-a-dumpster/379947/

http://dumpsterproject.org/the-dumpster/ / make yourself comfortable fully furnished 33 square foot house dumpster project large cargo container tiny house perfect symbol present themes waste consumption imagination turning goal the new one percent 1 % Professor Dumpster spending one year in a dumpster six 6 feet x 6 feet size average new American home Professor Dumpster use 1% water energy create waste average American home innovative systems develop development developed water filtration climate control waste reduction creative collaboration greater international design and education community need to live comfortably intense central Texas climate average summer temperature high 90s ninety degrees dumpster evolution dumpster camping average American dumpster home uber über dumpster phase camping tent trash can technologies old school methods meeting basic needs water will Austin town lake Huston-Tillotson campus phase two plugged into electrical water grid electricity appliances washing machine dryer hot water heater baseline water power comfortable home utility closet 1% energy use water use 10 cubic yards experiment dialogue concept living with less green campus initiative Huston-Tillotson University Austin Texas mobile house educational tours final analysis dumpster project grand experiment /

First Formula E race today, Saturday 13 September 2014 – update

Update: video of the entire event.

Formula One has gone hybrid, so, time for a pure electric open-wheel formula. Enter Formula E.

Times (Beijing local):
Practice 1 — 08:15
Practice 2 — 10:30
Qualifying — 12:00
Race — 16:00

Race time in other time zones:
18:00 Australian EST
10:00 Berlin
09:00 London
04:00 US Eastern
01:00 US Pacific

In this first year, it will be a one-make formula, with all teams running Spark-Renault SRT_01E cars. Spark Racing Technology will build the cars, with components supplied by a who's who of F1:

● chassis — Dallara
● powertrain & electronics — McLaren Electronics Systems
● battery pack — Williams Advanced Engineering
● tyres — Michellin — 18 inch, with a single formulation for both wet & dry conditions

Figures for the size of the battery pack are hard to find, but 28 kWh (kilo Watt hours) has been suggested. Whatever the size, after 25-30 minutes, the battery pack will be exhausted. Drivers will swap to a second car for the remainder of the race. Battery swapping was dismissed on safety grounds, & recharging was considered to be too slow.

http://www.fiaformulae.com/en.aspx

http://www.wired.com/2014/09/formula-e-electric-racing/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIA_Formula_E_Championship

Android apps

FIA Formula-e
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.app4mobile.app_6b298a09239143eb9b292d9ea5e0b342.app

FIA Formula E Championship
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.qtproject.FE360

iPhone app

FIA Formula-e
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fia-formula-e/id870131263?mt=8 / Formula E all electric racing series inaugural Beijing ePrix 2.14-mile street circuit Bird’s Nest stadium races F1 FIA electricity sport electric vehicles EV terrific acceleration pass passing possible tracks with tight corners technology range race organizers identical cars Spark-Renault SRT_01E built French company Spark Racing Technology carbon fiber aluminum chassis Dallara electric powertrain electronics McLaren Electronics Systems Williams Advanced Engineering building 200 kiloWatt battery pack batteries powertrain generate 270 horsepower five-speed paddle shift gearbox fixed gear ratios Michelin 18 inch tires wet dry conditions sound 80 decibel whine full grid 20 cars FIA Formula E strategy street courses dedicated circuits tire wear grip management battery life charge prematurely testing drivers learn knowledge teams construction constructors constructing FanBoost pit stop second fully charged car advances in battery technology battery swaps charging battery Renault Michelin DHL Qualcomm Richard Branson Virgin Racing team Leonardo DiCaprio Venturi team /

Towelroot app makes it easy to root Galaxy S5 & other locked Androids

Credit: geohot/LifeHacker

To root or not to root, that is the question ...

Several years ago, I had the first Android phone released, the HTC G1, which I rooted within days of purchase. At that time, it seemed the best course, as the stock G1 had a number of unnecessary restrictions, including no pinch to zoom & no WiFi hotspot.

Now I have a Samsung Galaxy S4, unrooted. Why no root? For me, the benefits are no longer there. Among other things, pinch to zoom & WiFi hotspot are both standard.

Some of the restrictions in stock devices are security measures. However, this can be fall down if a vendor is slow in releasing a security update.

Towelroot is a special case with respect to security, because it makes use of a vulnerability in many Android devices. The same vulnerability may be exploited by a piece of malware. Paradoxically, the best way to protect yourself against this exploit right now, is to exploit it yourself by rooting using Towelroot.

Executive summary:

http://lifehacker.com/towelroot-roots-android-kitkat-devices-in-one-tap-no-p-1592226618

Excellent coverage of the issues:

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2014/06/26/towelroot-app-makes-android-rooting-easy/

Official XDA thread:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2783157

Geohot's Towelroot site:

https://towelroot.com/

How does Samsung feel about it?

https://www.samsungknox.com/en/blog/samsung%E2%80%99s-official-response-%E2%80%9Ctowelroot%E2%80%9D / Samsung Galaxy phones S5 Towelroot iOS Apple ecosystem strictures iOS jailbreak jailbreaking Apple imposed prison sentence Android Androids vendor imposed system lockdown root rooting granting root access superuser administrator privileges approved unapproved open source operating system OS open ecosystem devices Google Nexus 7 devices popular researchers testers developers security reasons root access by default physical access phone unlock bootloader replace vendor supplied operating system Android Debug Bridge ADB via USB install software grant root access risks of rooting risk unlocked device install firmware bug bugs buggy recovery recovered recover bricking brick device mobile complete and utter vendor firmware reset factory reset Nexus 7 device vendor open source Android core layer of proprietary software limits access device good security reasons well implemented anti-root lockdown anti root infect virus malware software reading your contact list listening in on phone calls using the webcam intercepting SMS text posting to social media sites dialling dialing premium rate phone numbers malware extensive digital harm reputation bank balance why root because it's there non-security-related lockdowns restrictions on network access imposed by the vendor Wi-Fi access point WiFi hot spot hotspot access backup back-up back up otherwise inaccessible files APKs application packages software bought paid for installed remove unwanted apps bloatware) vendor own commercial reasons apply security updates vendor tardy providing security lockdowns often pitched vendor-imposed controls less secure prevent apply applying security fixes fix numerous benefits of rooting system administrators workplace policy company owned devices should not be rooted BYOD bring your own device prevent users connecting rooted devices business network rooted device well informed user safer faster more useful vulnerable hackers malware data security risks Towelroot no-reboot-required exploit Sophos Anti-Virus detects Andr/TowRoot-A Elevation of Privilege EoP exploit physical access to the device reboot Towelroot covert convenient quick security hole used covertly EoP purposes attacker GeoHot George Hotz author Towelroot vulnerability exists in Android kernels dated before 03 June 2014 Android 4.4.2 or earlier vendor Android update protect yourself exploits /

What is humanity's real problem — climate change or peak oil?

Answer: neither — they just aspects of a bigger problem that includes our still-expanding population.

World population passed 7 billion late in 2011 or early in 2012¹. Around one third of those 7 billion live in varying degrees of wealth, with more than enough food. Indeed, the dietary habits of the wealthy third are characterised by growing incidence of obesity & overweight. This is the same third that is largely responsible for climate change, & will be most affected by peak oil.

Of the remaining two thirds, many have a reasonable standard of living & enough to eat. Some though, live in poverty with malnutrition & famine a constant threat. You've seen the photos.

World population is expected to pass 9 billion around 2050¹. I.e. two billion more than we can't feed now.

http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-09-02/why-peak-oil-refuses-to-die
_______________
¹ World population
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population / fears imminent peak decline world oil production environmental problem oil supplies planet Earth petroleum resources peak-oil debunk extracting extract extraction resources affordable oil industry costs of production very high oil prices resources tight oil Arctic oil ultra-deepwater oil bitumen deep water US economy recession $20 per barrel oil $100 per barrel oil industrialized countries response oil producers liquid hydrocarbons industry apologists environmentalists global warming climate change carbon dioxide monoxide CO2 greenhouse effect fossil fuel energy transition substitution efficiency low-carbon energy sources solar wind nuclear use energy smarter electrify transport battery powered cars electric vehicle EV battery LiIon lithium ion anthropogenic climate change environmental issue humanity humanity transition to renewable energy politics regulation climate campaigners electricity sector variability wind solar power energy storage capacity redundancy grid upgrades /

Yes, Apple is entering the phablet market

Left to right: Apple iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, LG G3
Credit: GSMArena

Apple's big event yesterday announced the expected iPhone 6 in 4.7 inch & 5.5 inch variants, plus the smart watch that was less certain, & the payment system that was a late starter in the rumour stakes:

● iPhone 6 with 4.7 inch screen
● iPhone 6 Plus with 5.5 inch screen
● 16GB, 64GB & 128GB internal storage options
● prices in Australia, for outright purchase, range from $869 for a 16GB iPhone 6, to a startling $1249 for a 128GB iPhone 6 Plus
● Apple Watch — three versions — Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport & Apple Watch Edition — each available in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm in height, plus 6 different interchangeable band styles — although none of them to be called the iWatch
● Apple Pay — Apple's solution to security problems with credit cards

http://www.macworld.com.au/news/apple-september-event-wrap-iphone-6-iphone-6-plus-apple-watch-applepay-130342/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_content=News%20-%20Apple%20event%20wrap&utm_campaign=News%20-%20Apple%20event%20wrap&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=News%20-%20Apple%20event%20wrap&utm_campaign=News%20-%20Apple%20event%20wrap&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Apple+Event+-+109&utm_content=Apple+Event+-+109+CID_80d05d9074870edf461d3c9992950628&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Find%20out%20all%20you%20need%20to%20know%20in%20our%20full%20event%20wrap%20here#.VA-JzdB_W2d

With Apple entering the phablet market, GSMArena compares the specs:

http://blog.gsmarena.com/xl-size-apple-iphone-6-plus-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-4-vs-lg-g3/ / Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller thinner iPhone Retina HD display curved bezel A8 chip stainless steel Apple logo iPhone 6 model 1334 x 750 4.7 inch display pixel density 326 pixels per inch ppi iPhone 6 Plus 1920 x 1080 5.5 inch displaypixel density of 401 ppi deeper blacks wider broader viewing angles slimmer backlight thinner previous generation iPhones 6.9 mm depth iPhone 6 Plus 7.1mm Messages app faces contacts power button new gesture Reachability double tap Touch ID button next generation 64-bit A8 chip GPU CPU power efficiency motion co-processor M8 chip cycling walking running estimate distance travelled steps flights of stairs climbed new technology called VoLTE camera 8MP iSight photography True Tone flash 1.5 micron pixels f/2.2 aperture phase detection autofocus sensor fast autofocus 1080p 30 60 fps slow motion videos 240 fps frames per second front-facing FaceTime HD camera improved face detection new sensor LTE /

Apple iPhone 6 announcement just hours away

Apple's big announcement later today (10 a.m., 09 September US PDT) is universally expected to include the iPhone 6. Both 4.7-inch & 5.5-inch models are expected.

On a personal note: the suggested relocation of the sleep/wake button from the top to the side will represent the loss of the only feature I miss from my iPhone 4.

All the hype:

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/will-the-apple-iphone-6-be-a-crowdpleaser-or-a-flop-20140909-10ef4e.html

And a slightly different view:

http://theconversation.com/all-kneel-at-the-temple-of-apples-latest-technology-31364?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+9+September+2014+-+1905&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+9+September+2014+-+1905+CID_0f8224f68c78a5f4abcc34b3e46d8583&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=All%20kneel%20at%20the%20temple%20of%20Apples%20latest%20technology / hype Apple's product launch Wednesday Australian time new survey pricey iPhone 6 consumers Cupertino California smartwatch smart watch iWatch payment app feature iWallet health app eBay rumor rumour rumoured specs most expensive mass-produced smartphone market mobile wallet Visa MasterCard other credit companies connected wearable device iWatch Health app HealthKit developer tools track fitness exercise routine Samsung GearFit Fitbit sync smartphone wearable devices services launch near-field communication NFC payments tap-and-go payment cards Australian consumers contactless payments PayPass Paywave large screen iPhone L phablet iPhone 6L 6 Plus Samsung Galaxy Note larger screen functionality portability ease of use user experience software update iOS 8 Apple CEO chief executive Tim Cook predictive text respond to notifications unlock device new messaging features family user accounts connectivity smart devices hardware upgrades camera processor speakers wake/sleep button right-hand edge near the top top edge USB cable with a reversible plug longer battery life higher screen resolution more flash storage 128 GB /