Store unlimited photographs for $US11.99 per year with Amazon

Or store unlimited files of any type for $US59.99 per year. Plus the first 3 months are free.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2015/03/27/amazon-offers-unlimited-cloud-storage-for-any-file-for-less-than-5-a-month-or-photos-for-less-than-1-a-month/ / Amazon offer unlimited Cloud storage any files less than $5 a month photographs photos less than $1 a month perk for Amazon Prime members store unlimited photos Cloud free Amazon extend type of files you can store very reasonable prices business unlimited cloud storage Prime members store unlimited photos $11.99 a year Unlimited Everything Plan $59.99 a year Unlimited Everything store unlimited photos videos documents other files Amazon’s Cloud access your stored files any device first three months free automatic automatically renew Unlimited Photos Unlimited Everything /

Magnetic silly putty engulfs a rare earth magnet

Available on eBay & Think Geek. / thinking silly putty flow fracture fast slow magnetic plastic stretch stretching molecules realign themselves with the direction of motion shatter speed time liquid spread moderate timescales stretches plastic solid short timescales bounces elastic solid very short timescales time scale impact high-speed projectile smart mass putty shatters dilatant compound solid under the influence of pressure Oobleck chemistry majors behaviors behaviours listed above are an example viscosity resistance to flow increases faster than the strain rate concentrated aqueous corn starch suspension oobleck /

Just what have the other car manufacturers been doing all this time?

Credit: TestDriven

“In fact, it makes us wonder: just what have the other car manufacturers been doing all this time, if what amounts to an internet start-up company can suddenly come out with this.”

http://www.testdriven.co.uk/tesla-model-s-review/

The item linked above reads in part: “Let’s not get bogged down in hypothetical meta-discussions about an electric car’s green credentials, because that way lies endless debates about how its ecological aspirations extend only as far as those of the power station it’s fed by.”

That statement is misleading. No, “endless debates”, about an, “electric car’s green credentials”, are justified. The issues are actually quite simple.

Pro: Any electric vehicle (EV) driver can provide for renewable electricity for that vehicle by generating green electricity with rooftop solar or entering into one of the many, “green power”, arrangements available around the world. All EV owners I know are doing one or both of these.

Con: But the EV driver can’t be sure that, in a mixed grid (part renewable, part fossil), that the green electricity paid for, is actually going into the EV.

Pro: Who uses a particular electron doesn’t matter. What does matter is the mix of renewable verses fossil electricity on the grid. If an EV driver pays for additional renewable energy to be generated, it will displace the same amount of fossil electricity, no matter where, or by whom, it is consumed.

Pro: Electric grids around the world are becoming cleaner. Worst case, if a driver takes no steps to provide green electricity for an EV, it will become progressively cleaner, as the grid it is charged on becomes cleaner.

Further reading: Why does an electric car generate less carbon dioxide than a petrol powered one? / petrolheads gearheads Tesla Model S Tesla power powered entirely electric vehicle EV battery lithium ion LiIon chemical chemistry lithium ion phosphate electric car’s green credentials ecological aspirations power station Model S electric car Renault Twizy Nissan Leaf style electric vehicle personal transportation tech giant Apple car industry charismatic figurehead over-achieving Elon Musk spark of inspiration iPhone car plug-in recharge downloads regular updates Internet iPad embedded in the dashboard user interface Silicon Valley start-ups dinosaur juice-slurping established automotive companies car manufacturers alternative power sources natural gas hydrogen cars fuel cells hybrids starting from scratch compelling platform latest model laptop batteries vital organs suspension brakes steering electric motors completely flat floor most aerodynamic saloon car on the market body on top electronic rear lights Jaguar Aston Martin premium brands Tesla’s design team gloss black snout radiator faux grille laptop tall drivers steeply-raked A-pillars huge flat-screen centre console perfectly at home intuitive user interface permanent 3G data connection built-in web browser Rdio music service speaking its name voice control audio quality internet powered Google-based navigation system speed limit indications choice of route planning shortest quickest added later Mercedes sourced electric window switches only two buttons glove box hazard lights tab touch-screen headlights heated seats electric sunroof tapping swiping practical put your phone shelf under the central touch-screen interference connected car electro-magnetic shielding instrument cluster 12.3-inch screen display central dial combines speed power use regeneration navigation system guidance map option shortcut menu jog-dial on the steering wheel flick through settings driver temperature screen brightness sunroof lack of storage space no door bins Model S interior rear seat space for three adults headroom optional pair rear seats boot floor frunk front trunk 1,800 litres of space column-mounted lever D for Drive Tesla 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds base single-motor model 0-60 in 5.9 seconds range dual-motor P85D model acceleration traction all-wheel-drive layout McLaren 650S suck-squeeze-bang-blow maximum torque from zero rpm instantaneous and seemingly endless power regenerative braking braking effect friction brakes kinetic energy battery batteries chemical energy regeneration Tesla’s rampant acceleration near total silence other noises wind noise tyre noise suppressed Model S slippery shape keep wind noise well in check speed tyre roar 19 inch rims optional 21-inch rims wheels tires tyres Model S handles big heavy car wider than a Porsche Panamera mass laptop batteries low down in the floor centre of gravity over 2,100kg charge recharge range 230 miles charge 370 km 400 kilometres recharging standard three-pin plug is possible charging painfully slow average person’s commute overnight charging Tesla’s network of Superchargers half a charge in about 20 minutes full charge hour free forever any public charger dual on-board chargers Tesla smartphone app pre-set the car’s climate control sunroof remind you where you parked company car zero benefit-in-kind tax no road tax exempt from the London congestion charge Supercharger cheaper to run than conventional car recharged plan your route more carefully charging stations built-in satnav Tesla has an impressive record of tweaking the car via over-the-air software updates Autopilot array of ultrasonic sensors cameras functions lane departure warning adaptive cruise control ability for the car to park itself 21-inch wheels very impressive a few foibles electric car astounding it makes us wonder: just what have the other car manufacturers been doing all this time if what amounts to an internet start-up company can suddenly come out with this start up startup /

Flat green house gas emissions — trend or aberration?

Recently on these pages, some good news on climate change: in 2014, CO2 emissions were the same as in 2013, while the world economy grew by 3.3%.

Next question: Was 2014 the beginning of a downward trend in CO2 emissions, or merely an aberration?

Scientists are divided.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/3/24/science-environment/scientists-have-mixed-opinions-about-whether-stagnant-energy?utm_source=exact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1227831&utm_campaign=cs_daily&modapt= / International Energy global greenhouse gas emissions burning fossil fuels energy 2014 same as they were in 2013 first time in 40 years energy-related emissions were flat economy grew announcement established economic wisdom economic growth inextricably linked rising fossil fuel consumption rising climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions flat energy-related GHG green house gas climate change emissions CO2 carbon dioxide emissions growing economy leading climate scientists economists tight coupling decoupling emissions and economic growth in progress developed world climate scientists mixed opinions decoupling seen last year global CO2 emissions in the future renewable energy fossil fuels expand India China other developing nations with booming economies economic growth anthropogenic very hopeful sign grow the economy and lower carbon emissions at the same time Michael Mann climate researcher director Earth System Science Center Penn State University impossible possible appears to be happening already Steve Cohen director Earth Institute Columbia University increases use of fossil fuels China India show few signs of abating push emissions in the opposite direction in 2015 development affordable renewable energy technology counter that trend globally energy-related greenhouse gas emissions 32.3 billion metric tons CO2 IEA US energy-related greenhouse gas emissions USA US relatively flat growth US Energy Information Administration analyst Perry Lindstrom relatively low growth linked to both the adoption of more fuel-efficient vehicles replacement of coal-powered electricity with renewable energy sources relatively cleaner-burning natural gas policymakers opportunity make a big difference in emissions Rob Jackson earth systems science professor Stanford University flat or declining energy-related emissions can continue globally US energy-related emissions showing little growth flat policies impact downward direction Lindstrom Jackson decoupling CO2 emissions economic growth fast-growing economies China India this year’s good news link between CO2 emissions economic growth developed countries in part availability of inexpensive natural gas beginning replace coal for electric power generation Harvard University business and government professor Robert N. Stavins US boom in hydraulic fracturing fracking, horizontal drilling natural gas decrease energy-related CO2 emissions carbon pricing through cap-and-trade systems carbon taxes greater energy efficiency constrain CO2 emissions decades overall energy intensity energy use per unit of GDP economies developed world decreasing energy comes at a cost firms households incentives economise on energy use Stavins said Mann implement incentives create a greater gulf between CO2 emissions economic growth beginning of a trend emissions in the US Germany dramatically lowered their carbon emissions feed-in tariffs incentive incentivise non-fossil-fuel energy West Coast Northeast states US investing more in renewable energy decrease in emissions globally stagnant energy-related CO2 emissions exception to the rule beginning of a trend scientists greenhouse gas emissions Ken Caldeira climate scientist Carnegie Institution for Science Stanford California reduce GHGs climate significant investments in wind solar nuclear power emissions are going to rise in the long term substantial reductions emissions possible United States of America US rest of the world herculean efforts transforming global energy system use the sky as a waste dump Caldeira positive policy moves increasing automobile efficiency get serious avoiding the risk of dangerous climate change Climate Central /

Australia’s biggest solar plant starts generating to the grid

Credit: AGL Energy/Renew Economy

Still a work in progress, the solar power plant at Nyngan in central western New South Wales, has a capacity of 25MW. When completed, capacity will be 102MW.

Which points up another advantage of a photovoltaic power plant: it can start generating power while incomplete.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/australias-biggest-solar-plant-starts-generating-to-the-grid-53079

http://www.wattclarity.com.au/2015/03/first-production-from-nyngan-solar-farm-seen-over-the-weekend/ / PV photovoltaic Nyngan solar power plant western New South Wales began generating power into the National Electricity Market 25MW completed date feeding into Australia’s main grid Australian 350,000 solar PV panels installed First Solar nominated capacity to 102MW first of two plants being built by AGL Energy 53MW Broken Hill plant under construction Nyngan visible Australian Energy Market Operator’s market NEM Watch several dozen large scale solar projects in planning mode several MWs mega projects 2GW plan western Queensland renewable energy target RET Nyngan Broken Hill projects defunct solar flagships program funds now managed Australian Renewable Energy Agency other large solar plants being constructed ACT solar auction process AGL’s head of merchant energy Anthony Fowler significant milestone Australia’s largest utility-scale solar PV plant project stakeholders local electricity distributor Essential Energy Australian Energy Market OperatorAEMO First Solar AGL to NSW Government transition to renewable energy NSW Environment minister Rob Stokes estimated 13,000 jobs supported by renewable energy in NSW mostly in regional areas development of projects in regional NSW provide traditional farming communities with alternative income streams that are not rainfall dependent Jack Curtis First Solar Asia-Pacific regional manager utility-scale solar Australia’s generation mix ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht large-scale solar plants more competitive creating jobs boosting skills contributing to local communities development of utility-scale solar diverse energy future Paul McArdle NEM-Watch /

Finally — good news on climate change

News on the climate change front has been uniformly bad, but finally a bit of good news: there is reason to think that in 2014, CO2 emissions were the same as in 2013, while the world economy grew by 3.3%.

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21646716-ray-hope-debate-about-climate-change-flatlining / carbon dioxide emissions rose world level of economic activity low-carbon energy International Energy Agency IEA energy consumption consuming rich countries worldwide emissions carbon dioxide 2014 2013 CO2 emissions falling fallen economic contraction world economy growth grown International Monetary Fund IMF emissions risen European Union GDP CO2 emissions energy use GDP rich countries energy developed developing countries IEA’s regulations pollution European Union EU household appliances household electricity use flat efficiency standards requirements European law IEA vehicle emission efficiency standard fuel-efficiency global improvement USA America vehicle emission standards coal-fired gas-fired power stations economic activity China world’s largest polluter manufacturing heavy industry decline share of GDP services increase demand for coal is dwindling China’s national bureau of statistics coal consumption fell by pushing CO2 emissions down flattening of global emissions carbon dioxide atmosphere standard measurement atmospheric CO2 concentration Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii growth dormancy great forests northern hemisphere 400 parts per million emissions stay flat temperature rise 3°C by 2100 pre-industrial levels 2°C emissions fall climate-change treaty global carbon price negotiation new climate treaty Fatih Birol IEA’s chief economist /

Google’s 2015 Pixel — best Chromebook to date

Credit: Engadget

Many people’s requirement of a computer are modest:
● email
● web surfing
● social media

This seems to be the target market for Chromebooks. Modest price matches the modest capabilities.

Then came the Google Pixel. Far from modest hardware & price, with ordinary battery life.

In its second incarnation, somewhat better price ($US999 & $US1,299), premium hardware, & battery life right up there with the best.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-best-chromebook-ever-the-chromebook-pixel-2015/

http://betanews.com/2015/03/14/13-things-you-should-know-about-chromebook-pixel-2015/

http://www.zdnet.com/pictures/new-chromebook-pixel-first-impressions-exceptional-hardware-upstages-chrome-os/

If a Chromebook suits most of your needs, but there are one or two applications which aren’t available on Chrome OS, the Pixel has enough processing power to run Linux & Chrome OS side-by-side:
http://www.itworld.com/article/2891142/how-to-run-linux-and-chrome-os-on-your-chromebook.html

Chromebooks in general have less storage than other laptops. At 32 or 64GB, the Pixel has more than most, but if your feel the need for more, have a look at:
http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/expand-your-laptop-storage.html / Google's new Chromebook Pixel high-end model 5th-generation, 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-5500U processor 16GBs memory 64GB Solid State DriveSSD for $1,299 top-of-the-line Chromebook Pixel sold out worth it Google's Chromebook Pixel 2015 best Chromebook ever price-tag to match Chromebook Chrome Web browser laptop 2015 Chromebook Pixel's 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 fast processor laptop laptops Intel Core i7-5500U processor high-end systems price-tags new Pixel USB-C port power peripherals new Pixel USB-C USB 3.0 ports USB-C port DisplayPort video HDMI displays USB-C adapter USB-C adapters MacBook larger SDD 256GB SSD upgrade 512GB SSD 64GB SSD SD card slot storage 1 TeraByte of Google Drive service for three years how fast high-powered Pixel Principled Technologies' CrXPRT 2015 benchmark evaluates Chromebooks performance battery life playing video games watching movies editing pictures office work fastest of all Chromebooks battery life of 11.58 hours better battery life benchmarked Chromebook laptop 12.85 innch 2560 x 1700 IPS display 239-pixel-per-inch density retina display 3:2 aspect ratio display web pages Intel HD Graphics 5500 display sharper and faster 4K video output DisplayPort HDMI networking new Pixel Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 802.11ac Wi-Fi 2x2 spatial streams WiFi dual antennas no 4G option tethering Wi-Fi connections from their smartphones built-in 4G keyboard touchpad good keyboard best laptop keyboard glass touchpad ThinkPad's pointing stick touchpad Pixel's touchpad exceptional weight weighs 3.3 lbs lighter computers laptops desktop operating system cloud services content mobile-centric game changer cloud-based services thin fat clients OS operating systems cloud-based office software Google Docs QuickBooks Online SugarCRM Microsoft Office QuickBooks Microsoft Dynamics CRM Google Microsoft software-as-a-service SaaS Office 365 stand-alone desktop laptop Chromebook is already replacing it for many users photo-editing programs GIMP Photoshop desktop operating system OS Crouton desktop Linux Linux-based Chrome OS GIMP edit images Ubuntu 14.04 window applications apps work habits work on the Web Mac OS X Windows full Linux desktop Chromebook is all you need Pixel work on the cloud i5 better battery life laptop /