Drones in space

Astronauts with drone helpers
Credit: NASA/The Economist

Drones have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since 2006. Because the ISS is a microgravity environment, they have no need to generate lift to maintain position. However, they do need to generate thrust to move around. Drones currently in use generate thrust using CO2 canisters. Planned replacements will use battery powered motors to compress ambient air for thrust.

How are drones useful in space? Current & planned uses include:
3D maneuverable camera mount
virtual eyes for ground controllers
lost property tracker/finder
sound level checker



http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21666115-crew-space-station-will-soon-be-getting-new-factotum-astrobusybee

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/311.html / crew space station new factotum Earth drones experimental 22cm across Synchronised Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites SPHERES truncated rhombic dodecahedrons buzzing around International Space Station since 2006 new more advanced version Astrobee designed Ames Research Centre NASA laboratory Mountain View California Astrobee scheduled deployment 2017 30cm cube more complex SPHERES rely on beacons position positional information Astrobee computer vision orient itself navigate around powered propelled thrust space drone airborne space station free-fall appears to float with respect to the station’s walls need motors move itself around jets of carbon dioxide propel themselves canisters gas stored shipped station changed by the astronauts returned to Earth for refilling Astrobee compress air on board using battery power propulsion batteries steer several recharging docks astronauts are busy people new drone relieve them several routine tasks set of virtual eyes ground controllers station Chris Provencher Astrobee’s project manager astronauts regularly check sound levels noise damage the crew’s hearing full sound check two hours task easily automated Astrobee help keep station neat and tidy tracking down floated away proper places station’s managers radio-frequency identification RFID tags found go missing pressurised portion station looking for missing items RFID-tagged time-consuming Astrobee crew new drone flight controllers camcorders fixed arms high-definition camera controllers position /

Printer case to test patent rights for refurbished goods (update)

When you no longer have a use for something, you may pass it on to a family member or friend. You may choose to sell it. Ebay & others have business models built on the latter case.

Does anyone question your right to do this?

Does it make a difference if you repair it before sale?

Does it make a difference if you have the skills to return it to "as new" condition?

Does it make a difference if you buy second hand for the purpose of repair & resale?

Does it make a difference if you employ others to help with the work?

Refurbishment is frequently described as returning an item to “as new” condition, or even "remanufacturing" & in some cases, resold with new warranty. Some manufacturers claim that sale of one of their products after it has been refurbished infringes their patent(s).

Lexmark International Inc & printer cartridge refiller Impression Products Inc are fighting it out before a dozen judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Drug, biotech & medical device industry representatives, smartphone & computer manufacturers have joined in.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-02/printer-case-to-test-patent-rights-for-revamped-car-parts-drugs / Court hears appeal dispute refilled printer cartridges Silicon Valley Big Pharma Pharmaceutical companies lawsuit used printer cartridges proxy fight consumers buy refurbished resold goods car parts computers case argued dozen judges U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit dispute inkjet cartridges sold Lexmark International Inc refilled sold Impression Products Inc. Lexmark infringe infringed infringing patents cartridges paid once patented inventions cartridges were first sold exhausted its patent rights multifront effort scale back manufacturer’s rights control who repairs refurbishes products after sale Jacob Kramer antitrust lawyer Bryan Cave Washington not involved case drug biotech medical device industries representing Pfizer Inc Johnson & Johnson filing briefs restrictions resale products safety reasons smartphone computer manufacturers Google Inc Samsung Electronics Co arguing limits confusion paid supply chain complex electronics refurbished goods appeal consumers lower prices more choices innovation Kramer case U.S. US overseas trial judge Ohio agreed argument cartridges initially sold U.S. sold overseas refurbished cartridges effectively deemed new product infringed U.S. patent rights appealing argument lost closely held company Charleston West Virginia appeal 2013 Supreme Court decision allowed resale copyrighted materials initially sold abroad no difference between patent and copyright law argue drugmakers ruling in favor overseas sales issue open the door firms buying cheaper medicines overseas shipping U.S. Government price controls economic issues lower costs other countries HIV medicines Circuit Judge Pauline Newman questioned drugmakers lose their rights selling medicines HIV drugs court should overturn older ruling medical device makers restrict use products single use restrictions sales contracts regulatory means resorting patent law lawyer Edward O’Connor Avyno Law Encino California sell it hearing technology companies Google Intel Corp Samsung LG Electronics Inc drug maker’s concerns U.S.Food and Drug Administration strict rules limiting re-importation medicines manufacturer electronics companies components modern devices mobile phones computers patent owner multiple bites at the same royalty apple complicate negotiations higher prices consumers patent exhaustion sale patent rights exhausted Andrew Pincus Mayer Brown Washington arguing computer companies retailers victory Impression boon $318.2 billion after-market after market refurbished auto parts industry re-sterilizes repairs orthopedic devices Lexington Kentucky Lexmark printer companies makers razors sells product low cost relies sale essential replacement parts ink cartridges blades profit business model at stake Lexmark program charges less money agree return used cartridges judge unenforceable medical device manufacturers limits single use products purchasers chose bundle of rights buy Lexmark lawyer Constantine Trela Sidley Austin Chicago user right reuse cartridge buy it printers biotechnology crop science industries restrict use inventions recoup billions dollars research new medicines plants printer cartridges software smartphones Barbara Fiacco Foley Hoag Boston biotech agriculture companies Federal Circuit heard case argue lawyers representing arguments Obama administration decision Lexmark International Inc. v. Impression Products Inc Patent Law Lexmark International Inc Tech Alphabet Inc Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Washington Law U.S. Court of Appeals Products Inc Pfizer Inc /

How much can you store in your Google Drive?

At first sight, the answer is clear, but there are a few file types that don’t count:

1. “Anything you’ve made with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides doesn’t count toward your storage limit.”¹

2. Photographs stored at “High quality”.²

Google allows 2 options for storing your photographs —

● “High quality”, which will, “Save high-quality photos and videos while reducing size.”² Photographs stored this way don't count against your free allocation.

● “Original”, “Stores your photos and videos exactly as you captured them.”²

Probably amounts to: “High quality” compresses images less than 16 megapixels with little or no loss. Larger images stored at "high quality" are reduced to 16 megapixels before compression.²

https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/how-to-maximise-your-free-storage-space.html

http://www.cnet.com/au/how-to/how-to-free-up-google-drive-space/

Thanks to Anne for this item.
__________

¹ Google: "See your storage limit", https://support.google.com/drive/answer/6558?hl=en

² Google: "Choose the upload size of your photos & videos", https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6220791 / Between Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive services cloud storage best ways to get extra free space service cloud storage provider promos extra storage space promotions new customers freebies providers bonus storage extra space invite a friend up to 16 GB extra storage adds 500 MB of space your account complete get started guide 250 MB bit of extra space install Carousel 3GB bonus for enabling auto upload your photos promo installing the Carousel app Android iOS install Mailbox 1GB similar promotion Mailbox app logging in once space permanently Apple store deauthenticate device link your Facebook Twitter accounts 125MB each social networks extra space little extra space connecting your accounts invite other users social sites device bonuses promotional offers 48GB of space for two years log in new Samsung HTC phone get more space page link check your personal account settings Google Drive your data syncing folders your desktop default 15GB upload data doesn’t count against your storage limit use play music store audio Play Music Google’s storage locker for your music bumped storage limit up to 50,000 tracks convert your documents Google Drive format Drive store your documents converting automatically convert documents upload Google Docs uploading crop photos below 2048×2048 upload an unlimited number of photos rule video below 15 minutes check your storage settings taking up space delete or convert some of your files purchase certain devices complete tasks Security Checkup promo Box 10GB of free storage basic plan pad that out OneDrive Microsoft’s OneDrive bonuses earn Camera Roll bonus link Office 365 subscription 1TB work school personal use refer a friend activated OneDrive backup photos with Camera Roll 3GB OneDrive app Android iOS Windows Phone automatically backup your pictures service enable disable integrated directly most-used desktop operating system sync unlimited space BitTorrent Sync service just launched 2.0 software folder workaround space on a server Amazon Cloud Storage Prime unlimited photo backup MEGA MegaUpload security end-to-end encryption Wuala breaks files into segments stores different servers combined over 100GB storage /

Apple releases OS X 10.11 El Capitan — new features

Apple has just released its latest iteration of OS X, with features including improved performance, natural language search in Spotlight, Split View in full screen mode & a new Safari Web browser with pinned tabs. El Capitan is available as a free download.



Appleinsider
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/09/30/apple-releases-os-x-1011-el-capitan-with-safari-9-new-spotlight-search-split-view-more

Lifehacker
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/10/top-secret-features-in-os-x-el-capitan/

ExtremeTech
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/215243-the-best-new-features-in-os-x-10-11-el-capitan

Macworld
http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/os-x-el-capitan-best-new-features-video-3616306/ / Apple on Wednesday released public OS X 10.11 El Capitan enhancements features Safari Spotlight ramping up Macintosh performance Spotlight search files content natural language information weather stocks public transit schedules system-wide features Split View fullscreen full screen mode streamlined Mission Control upgrades Chinese Japanese language support new fonts better keyboard trackpad input Safari pinned tabs Web video AirPlay muting tabs Smart Search field Apple Maps search public transit info transport push directions iPhone Google Maps Mail iOS swipe gestures marking deleting items quickly add contacts Calendar events message content new Notes app checklists attaching photos videos URLs map locations application app share webpage note Safari Photos app improved support third-party editing extensions options sorting albums tagging faces locations games graphics-intensive apps run faster Apple's Metal technology speedier performance improvements app launch task switching PDF viewing El Capitan upgrade free download available Mac App Store Safari 9 OS X Yosemite version /

Aerobic fitness in just 6 minutes per week

Aerobic fitness in just 6 minutes per week — sound too good to be true?

Actually, it gets better — the programme outlined in the video below also prevents or reverses aging of the skin.

Other benefits include prevention or reversal of insulin insensitivity & many effects usually attributed to aging.



Transcript at:
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4319131.htm

Thanks to James for this item. / aerobic fitness oxygen mitochondria mitochondrion VO2 max measure of the maximum volume of oxygen interval training athlete can use measured millilitres per kilogramme body weight per minute ml/kg/min inactivity related metabolic syndrome intensity Wingate test all out effort for 30 second recovery low volume high intensity training HIT doubling endurance capacity improve fitness just a few minutes of exercise per week stationary bike bicycle physiological adaptations insulin sensitivity fast twitch slow twitch intermediate muscles sugar diabetes mitochondrial function exercise muscle high intensity exercise fast critically important to health mitochondrial disease biological filter effects of aging skin statum cordeum elderly menopause estrogen visceral fat cytokines subcutaneous fat liver inflammation pedal fast intermittent receptors hormones fat cells overweight sprints menopause increase increased muscle mass arterial stiffness age feel better hot flushes sleep better sleeping Professor Martin Gibala evidence Professor David Bishop Professor Mark Tarnopolsky Professor Stephen Boutcher Anja Taylor Professor John Hawley Professor David Bishop Professor Martin Gibala /

Blindsight — like "a black shadow moving against a completely black background"

In the video below, a blind man, who usually walks with a cane, makes his way along a corridor strewn with obstacles. Amazingly, he finds his way safely past every hazard. This is an example of blindsight.



‘Importantly, the participant claimed that not only was he not aware of having seen anything; he was not even aware of having moved out of the way of the objects. He insisted he had just walked straight down the hallway ... he was “at a loss to explain or even describe his actions”.

More at:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150925-blindsight-the-strangest-form-of-consciousness / London National Hospital ophthalmologist Michael Sanders human consciousness half blind healthy eyes brain operation cure headaches destroyed region crucial for vision everything left of his nose was invisible to him blind spot second sight guiding his behaviour beyond conscious awareness psychologists Elizabeth Warrington Lawrence Weiskrantz clever tests screen blind spot point at a circle take a guess almost always right single line screen decide horizontal vertical nothing had appeared accuracy 80% guess guessing randomly blindness healthy eyes watching the world passing information unconscious guiding behaviour blindsight fractured conscious state sceptical accepted phenomenon fundamental questions human mind decisions awareness illusion of control conscious mind direct our actions purpose vivid internal life zombies acting without awareness parts of the brain normally not visible Marco Tamietto Tilburg University view functions difficult to observe consciousness minds vivid sense of awareness feeling being experiencing the world close to consciousness subjective experience Christopher Allen Cardiff University blindsight participant is still perceiving lack awareness of perception tasks test what blindsight patients are capable of without conscious visual awareness sense emotion happy sad angry surprised unconsciously mimic expressions conscious level change in attitude synchronisation of emotional expressions pictures blind field mirroring expressions show physiological signs of stress see a picture of a frightened face pay attention bodily reactions in danger bodily changes understand what’s going on in the world something interesting problematic blindsight patient blind across the whole of his visual field normally walked with a white cane corridor furniture trip him up not aware seen anything aware distinguish movement fast high-contrast film sense of knowing vision controversy truly reflect visual experiences experiments Allen’s lab Cardiff UK /

First Tesla Model X SUV delivered to customer

Tesla Model X — falcon doors
Credit: Tesla/Wired

Actually, that's 6 vehicles delivered to 6 customers.

250 all electric miles (400 km)
SUV
seven seats
cavernous interior space
5,000 pounds towing capacity (2,268 kg)
0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds
0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds — P90D in ludicrous mode — $US10,000 option
$US130,000

Presumably, those 0-60 times are not achieved while taking advantage of the claimed towing capacity.



http://www.wired.com/2015/09/tesla-model-x-suv-reveal-specs-price/

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/29/9411049/tesla-model-x-suv-release-price-video-elon-musk / world first luxury electric SUV gorgeous futuristic Tesla Motors redefining electric vehicle Silicon Valley automaker Model X production model six customers keys electric vehicle 250 miles on a charge carry seven people haul Model S P90D sedan phenomenal car design futuristic performance holy shit fast dramatic falcon doors lift vehicle SUV cool desirable Tesla mission Tesla accelerate advent sustainable transport CEO Elon Musk company’s factory Fremont California any kind of car can go electric more than a one hit wonder Model III $35,000 EV 2017 prototype X less complicated easier engineer build most amazing features mind-bending acceleration gorgeous design amazing rear passenger doors falcon doors lift like the wings of a bird double-hinging double hinge doors ultrasonic sensor scan area around vehicle works beautifully Tesla engineers park between two cars frivolous extravagance practical cavernous internal volume swallow cargo accessory hitch four bikes six pairs skis Model X Class 3 towing capacity haul 5,000 pounds space not a problem cavernous monopost design second-row third-row seats seat panoramic windshield exceptional view largest windshield ever installed production vehicle glass roof sound system glorious 560 watts 17 speakers best sound smallest power requirements sound crisp clear loud styling taller 5,441 BMW X6 acres of white leather cubbies cupholders enormous 17-inch touchscreen first electric luxury SUV Bentley plug-in hybrid Rolls-Royce Lamborghini Audi Aston Martin performance handling comfort benchmarks Porsche Cayenne BMW X5 sporting capabilities acceleration 90 kilowatt-hour battery dual motors P90D performance model ludicrous mode stomp on the accelerator /