Thursday, 3 September 2015

Motorola Moto 360 (2nd Gen.)


Credit: The Gadgeteer

And … the latest version of Android Wear will be compatible with iOS.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2015/09/03/motorola-launches-moto-360-2-smartwatch/

http://www.androidauthority.com/motorola-moto-360-2nd-gen-specs-price-features-638975/

Vs Huawei Watch
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCkQqQIwAWoVChMI9LjPydzcxwIVwaumCh342Qj6&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gizmag.com%2Fmoto-360-2-vs-huawei-watch-comparison%2F39250%2F&usg=AFQjCNFREyIajSWu9z-KS-Qw1NA5g0YLcw&sig2=xAlZ0O6SGS9y9ln3qVRhrw / Android Wear compatible with iPhones Apple Watch smartwatch revolution Motorola availability pre-ordering second-generation Moto 360 smartwatch new version men’s version two different sizes women’s version sport model Motorola Web site new Moto 360 offer something for everyone men’s version two sizes 46 mm 42 mm ordered with metal bands leather band women’s version smaller 42 mm size sports model silicone band Motorola Web design watch parameters design Moto 360 designed your choice rose gold silver black case yellow stainless steel black gunmetal leather bands battery life estimated 1.5 days mixed use 42 mm version watches are water resistant activity fitness applications heart rate sensor wireless charging wi-fi connectivity ambient light sensor prices range $299.99 to $429.99 /

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

98% of Tesla P85D owners would buy this car again — Consumer Reports









Oprah — probably in the 98%. / Tesla Motors electric vehicle EV battery lithium ion LiIon charge recharge regenerative braking Supercharger sustainable sustainability Consumer Reports road test testing all wheel drive Elon Musk /

Tuesday, 1 September 2015

One more reason not to jailbreak your iPhone

Apple’s tight* control over its iOS platform is not without advantages.

One of them is security. Tight control over the hardware, operating system & applications which can be installed, confers a unique level of security.

Some iOS users who evaded two Apple security measures:
1. operating system — by jailbreaking their devices
2. applications — by installing an app from an unauthorized source
have found this out the hard way:

https://recode.net/2015/08/31/malware-targets-jailbroken-iphones-steals-some-225000-apple-accounts/

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34114487
__________

* some would say paranoid, others megalomaniacal, egotistical ... / malware targets jailbroken jailbreak jailbreaking jailbreak iPhones steals stolen theft thief thieves 225,000 Apple accounts another reason not to jailbreak your iPhone 225,000 Apple accounts stolen malicious software installed unlocked jailbroken iPhones largest known thefts of its kind Palo Alto Networks malicious software KeyRaider pilfered Apple account usernames passwords device IDs intercepting iTunes traffic device victims China made themselves vulnerable to attack jailbreaking device removing hardware restrictions Apple’s iOS operating system OS installed an application from an unauthorized store student Yangzhou University discovered attack earlier this summer amateur technical group investigating reports some users’ accounts unauthorized purchases examining various jailbreaks version collected user information uploaded suspicious site security analyst non-issue small fraction of iPhone users affects jailbroken phones using alternative app stores advise advice advising against jailbreaking devices allowing jailbroken devices corporate environment Chris Camejo senior vice president NTT Com Security Apple did not comment /

Monday, 31 August 2015

Saving the forty-spotted pardalote


Larger image
Credit: Tasmanian times

With only 1500 forty-spotted pardalote in the world, extinction threatens. Assumed causes were loss of habitat, drought & possums, until Amanda Edworthy, PhD student from the Australian National University in Canberra, suspected that parasitic fly larvae were causing the 15% fledge rate in chicks. To test her hypothesis, she spent the last three summers climbing trees to nests to spray with a plant-based insecticide which does not affect the chicks.

Result: 15% fledge rate leapt to 90%.

Next problem: how to protect the chicks without so much tree climbing.

Possible solution: in the Galapagos Islands, Darwin's Finches1 are threatened in a similar way. Solution is to spray the insecticide onto small balls of cotton-wool, & attach them to bushes with wire. Small nesting birds collect soft, fibrous material to line their nests. When they line their nests with fibres of cotton-wool laced with insecticide, the parasite problem is reduced or eliminated.

Over the next two summers, the cotton-wool method will be trialled with the forty-spotted pardalote.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4302953.htm

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?id=5207
__________

1 "Darwin's finches", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin%27s_finches / cotton-wool fight to save one of Australia's most endangered animals species new study tiny fly larvae killing forty-spotted pardalote cotton wool prevent the small bird disappearing completely small bird big problem species endangered 1500 left in the world southern Tasmania Amanda Edworthy PhD student candidate Australian National University ANU Canberra last three summers climbing trees studying study bird driven the population down biggest threat that we found parasitic fly adults lay maggot larvae nest eggs larvae burrow underneath skin nestling feed on blood 75 per cent mortality researcher loss of habitat drought possums reaching into nest boxes larvae larva discovery Amanda Edworthy's high-up nests spraying mild plant-based insecticide 15 per cent of nestlings survive fly spray kill off almost all the parasites fledge rate 90 per cent aurvival surviving effective practical search more manageable solution Galapagos Islands fly larvae problem endangered Darwin's Finches Scientists access bird's nests cotton-wool method Sonia Kliendorfer professor animal behaviour Flinders University Adelaide cotton wool method spraying little balls of cotton plant-based insecticide kills lava parasitic fly does not harm birds researches cotton wool intertwined with wire bush tears off small pieces weave into its nest birds naturally search soft warm insulating material conservation behaviour using insights animal behaviour inform conservation cotton-wool method trialled forty-spotted pardalote next two years buy the small bird some time birds hang on in the short-term long-term important to figure out why parasite loads have increased increased manage forests reduce fly populations in general researcher Amanda Edworthy /

Sunday, 30 August 2015

Formula E season two — technical developments (update)


Credit: The Roar

Formula E, season 1, was effectively a single make formula. All parts, including drive trains, were fixed. This season, inverter, electric motor & gearbox can be designed by the individual teams, but the battery is still controlled.

Perhaps most interesting in season 2, is the number of gearbox ratios used. In the fixed specification season 1, all cars had 5 forward gears. This year, everything from 1 to 5 forward gears is being used by different teams.



Andretti, in their season 2 car, has had problems with software, plus coolant leaks from the gearbox have been shorting out the motors. As a result, they will be reverting to the season 1 drive train.

http://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/andretti-ditches-season-two-powertrain

http://current-e.com/features/analysis/gambling-on-deadline-day/ / Andretti ditches season two powertrain Andretti Formula E team revert season one powertrain disastrous testing campaign team completed only a handful of laps new ATEC-01 technical package develop new package season three 2016/17 2016 2017 Andretti ATEC-01 season two package newly designed carbon gearbox series of coolant leaks shorted out the motors software glitches team first two Donington tests Andretti team running two cars Donington Park season-one specification Robin Frijns Simona de Silvestro first effective laps team Andretti TE Connectivity Houston Mechatronics building developing season two powertrain homologated season two McLaren Hewland motor gearbox respectively loss of face reverting season one technical package prepares first race revert back to the season one powertrain package new software updates change motor maps optimise internal communication between motor battery introduced this season software available to all teams original season one tech package learn the new software software models McLaren Hewland package Beijing test software season one package /

Saturday, 29 August 2015

Three things everybody agrees about nutrition


Credit: www.eatforhealth.gov.au

What should you eat?

The answer is confused by any number of factors, including:

● people who regard their food preferences as nutritional imperitives

● people who (often unconsciously) regard food as entertainment, a cure for boredom or stress, or a solution to any number of psychological symptoms, & ignore nutrition

● propaganda from marketing organisations for food industries — beef, sugar, salt etc.

● charlatans who want to part you from your money with large volumes of cheap fat, sugar & salt, fad diets, or devices such as blenders


http://lifehacker.com/why-theres-so-much-confusion-over-nutrition-and-fitness-1572870867

However, there are three things almost all authorities agree on:
1. Minimise sugar
2. Avoid artificial trans fats
3. Eat more vegetables

If you read the comments in the article below, keep in mind:

● Ignore most of the fruit vs vegetables debate. A botanist will tell you that a fruit is the part of a flower in which the seeds develop1. Thus, a wheat grain & a tomato are fruits & an apple is a false (or accessory) fruit2 (to a botanist, the fruit of an apple is the fibrous part around the seeds that you probably throw away — the core). For a discussion of nutrition, the botanist’s definition is irrelevant. This is much more useful: “From a culinary standpoint, vegetables are less sweet — or more savory — & served as part of the main dish. Fruits are more sweet & tart & are most often served as a dessert or snack.”3 So vegetables include what the botanist will call a fruit (tomato), stem (celery), leaf (lettuce), flower (broccoli), root (carrot) & tuber (potato), but exclude grains, nuts & seeds.

● If a “diet” differs from the advice given above & in the article linked below, it is generally the “diet” which is wrong. Keep in mind that many popular diets were originally designed to treat specific medical conditions & may even be dangerous if used for other purposes.


http://vitals.lifehacker.com/the-only-three-things-everybody-agrees-on-when-it-comes-1709039566
__________

1 “What's the Difference Between a Fruit & a Vegetable?” http://www.livescience.com/33991-difference-fruits-vegetables.html
2 “Accessory fruit”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_fruit
3 “Fruit or vegetable — Do you know the difference?”, http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/fruit-vegetable-difference/bgp-20056141 / not much agreement about nutrition fat salt carbs government guidelines paleo vegan fad diets eggs white bread low-fat salad dressing three basic things sugar trans fat vegetables government guidelines controversial Paleo non-scientific disagree minimize sugar bad for you really bad for you World Health Organization evidence linking sugar to obesity tooth decay strict limit no more than 10% of your calories should come from added sugar Five percent even better food pyramid discouraged fats sweets calorie limit SoFAS solid fats added sugars added sugar calories can of Coke Starbucks smoothie allowed sugars for the day added sugars include table sugarsucrose corn syrup natural sweeteners honey maple syrup empty calories calories glass of milk side salad handful of nuts burger calories vitamins protein useful nutrients increases triglycerides bad cholesterol linked to diabetes endocrinologist Robert Lustig sugar fructose causes fatty liver chronic metabolic disease Paleo gurus The Sugar Association part of a healthy diet calorie content empty calories artificial trans fats partially hydrogenated oils trans fats aren’t found in nature oil donuts pie crusts frying oil margarine unhealthy saturated fats saturated fats trans fats nature dairy products conjugated linoleic acid harmless beneficial labeling partially hydrogenated oils heart disease diabetes obesity diet junk food fried foods mass-produced cupcakes USDA trans fat on their naughty listsolid fats SoFAS saturated fat World Health Organization paleo vegan processed foods eat more vegetables vegetarians vegetables paleo natural food vegetables USDA detox diet solid food veggies eat more vegetables potatoes starch starchy beans leafy greens vegetables health benefits vitamins fiber lowered lower risk of heart disease eat those veggies fruits too much sugar whole fruits sugar in fruit fiber purveyors of crap science gateway claims sales pitches too much sugar in our diet healthy diet lots of vegetables principles /

Friday, 28 August 2015

do NOT link


Credit: 417Marketing

If you publish a link to a web page, web crawlers will crawl the page, raising the link’s rank in search engines. This will happen, even if your link is contained in a post criticising a scam, cult, or other questionable material. So, your critical article will increase the popularity of the site, unless … doNOTlink

http://www.donotlink.com/dnl/faq

How web crawlers work:

http://www.google.com/insidesearch/howsearchworks/crawling-indexing.html / donotlink linking to dubious websites no such thing as bad publicity Internet link to a website strengthens its position in search engines bad review of a website makes it more popular alerting others website promotes fraud scam cult questionable business link to that site search engines improve offending site's rank more people will find these shady websites exposed to their content proper context donotlink donotlink.com Google juice seaarch engine donotlink block search engines crawling link post link forums message boards Facebook Twitter Reddit shady websites undue credibility linking questionable websites prevent your links improving these websites' position search engines url shorteners donotlink creates hortened url website url linking directly to the website visit donotlink.com website's url shady stuff prevent search engines crawling website routes links questionable sites unique intermediate url forwards visitor destination javascript url is blocked robots.txt file search engine robots discouraged from crawling it nofollow attribute link intermediate page robots reminder not crawl link known robot crawl the link code identify serve it a blank page 403 Forbidden instead of redirecting to the url continually improving our algorithms combination blacklists bayesian inference identify crawlers bots search engines scrapers caught out /