Self driving bus in Helsinki

You may remember Ollie, the autonomous, 3D printed bus. Here it is in operation in Helsinki.

#Selfdriving bus in action in Helsinki today. Handled traffic + aggressive taxis very well! #sohjoa #autonomous #iot pic.twitter.com/ymEMZn8Xdh

— iSoftStone (@SmartCity_CoE) August 16, 2016

Clue: when shooting video with your phone, turn it to landscape mode. Most stills too. In this particular instance, landscape would have avoided cutting off the ends of the bus around the 16 & 25 second marks. Plus, what's happening around the bus would probably have been more interesting than large areas of wet road & grey sky. / Ollie Olli IBM Watson powered driverless autonomous electric EV electric vehicle bus 3D-printed vehicle seat 12 passengers cute driverless bus roaming streets Washington DC Olli autonomous electric minibus designed Local Motors sell 3D-printed cars this year automaker designed 12-seater 12 seater self-driving self driving system IBM use Watson's capabilities control EV's features AI artificial intelligence Watson tell Olli where you're going natural language ask questions how the technology works Olli Local Motors test the bus cities outside US Berlin Copenhagen Canberra ride trial runs local authorities EV your city driverless public vehicles legally shuttle passengers summon Olli app smartphone mobile device just like Uber Local Motors plans app company co-founder John Rogers building hundreds micro-factories all over the world 3D print Olli Ollie 10 hours assemble in one /

At last – Tesla Model S P100D Ludicrous

Tesla Model S P100D Ludicrous – Performance, 100 kWh battery, Dual motors (i.e. 4WD) Ludicrous performance upgrade
Credit: electrek

Tesla’s Model S with 100 kWh battery – first hinted in March – is here.

Indications are that there will be several variants, including:
● 100 kWh battery + 4WD (100D)
● 100 kWh battery + Performance + 4WD (P100D)
● 100 kWh battery + Performance + Ludicrous + 4WD (P100D Ludicrous)
● Model X SUV equivalents

https://electrek.co/2016/08/12/tesla-model-s-x-100-p100d-battery-pack-approved/

“New Tesla Model S Now the Quickest Production Car in the World” – Tesla

Fastest, quickest? – Yes, the Tesla Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode is the the quickest car 0-60 mph (2.5 sec) you can buy. Or 0-100 kph for that matter. And the quickest 4 door sedan 0-60 mph ever. Anything quicker was a limited run, two door, with token luggage space, no longer available new, & almost impossible to buy second hand. New or used, price was/is several times the price of a Model S.

And the Model X P100D Ludicrous is the world's quickest SUV 0-60 mph ever.

Tesla
https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/blog/new-tesla-model-s-now-quickest-production-car-world?redirect=no

Road & Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/news/a30536/tesla-model-s-p100d-quickest-not-fastest/ / Tesla Model S P100D Performance 100 kWh battery Dual motors 4WD Tesla’s Model S 100 kWh battery 100 kWh battery 4WD 100D 100 kWh battery Performance 4WD P100D Model X SUV equivalents Tesla Model S now quickest production car in the world Tesla fastest quickest Tesla Model S P100D Ludicrous mode quickest car 0-60 mph 2.5 seconds 0-100 kph quickest 4 door sedan 0-60 mph ever quicker limited run two door token luggage space no longer available new almost impossible buy second hand new used price several times the price Model S Model X P100D Ludicrous world's quickest SUV 0-60 mph ever Tesla Model S X 100 kWh battery pack ~380 miles range approved European authority long-rumoured 100 kWh battery pack bring Tesla Model S X new level performance coming first revealed Tesla hacker cryptic message Elon Musk 5 months ago new battery pack been approved RDW Dutch regulator European authority used Tesla approve vehicles European roads imminent release three new versions Tesla’s battery pack 100D P100D P100D Ludicrous upgrade Dutch blogger found reference new battery pack looking through RDW open database reminiscent California Air Resource Board CARB updated website surprisingly add unannounced new Tesla Model S 75D list approved vehicles Tesla confirmed new battery pack CARB updated website new 100 kWh pack new information RDW’s data correct several new Tesla variants new battery packs received approvals from RDW Tesla comment approval by RDW new 100D Model S range 613 km ~380 miles single charge New European Driving Cycle NEDC EPA rating doesn’t really reflect real-world range 100D Model S range over 300 miles single charge Model X range closer 300 miles 257 EPA-rated miles significantly increase power output vehicles translate into higher performance /

New features in Android 7 Nougat

Android 7 split screen
Credit: Android Authority

● smarter notifications
● multi-window mode

● Quick Switch back & forth between apps with a double tap of the menu button

● adjust size of icons
● upgraded file manager

● Data Saver – when activated, prevents non-essential apps from using data

● Doze mode – low power mode when phone is not in use, to save battery

● customise Quick Settings
● direct replies from notifications bar

● Multi Locale language settings – use two or more languages at the same time

● 72 new emojis – Android now has over 1500

● JIT Compiler – smart compiler optimises for each individual phone, for faster updates & smaller executables

● Virtual Reality mode

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/08/the-best-new-features-in-android-7-nougat/?utm_source=Lifehacker+Australia&utm_campaign=3abd05cb17-lifehacker_2016_08_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9fc709844c-3abd05cb17-278953185

http://www.androidauthority.com/android-7-0-features-673002/ / Google rolling out latest mobile operating system Android 7 Nougat select Nexus devices major changes operating system OS Android N officially out today range of Nexus phones dubbed Android Nougat new mobile operating system improvements new productivity tools Nexus models currently supported update Nexus 6 Nexus 5X Nexus 6P Nexus 9 Nexus Player Pixel C General Mobile 4G Android One official Android Beta program receive update marter notifications Android 7 new notifications pane overhauled new options notifications app bundle themselves together easier viewing tap main icon rest app its own notifications settings adjust features vibration silence notifications app level Multi-window mode Android Nougat biggest new features OS support multi-window mode most apps activate multi-window mode simply long-press square Recents button open two apps at once nothing new Samsung Galaxy users first time built directly into Android OS Quick Switch switch back and forth between apps double tap menu button Icon size adjustments text size change size of the icons on your device vision isn’t the best nice option to have Advanced file manager Android built-in file manager third-party tools like File Commander ES File Explorer new-look menu easier access specific file types directories rename files move them different folders Data Saver new tool limit how much data your device uses activated non-essential apps run in the background won’t be able to access your data Doze mode new battery saving feature automatically activates low power usage carrying phone around without using it customise Quick Settings rearrange Quick Setting tiles prioritise the ones you use most neat little time saver direct replies from notifications bar reply directly to messages emails notifications bar without opening the required app multi Locale language settings bi-lingual mulri-lingual use two or more languages at the same time 72 new emojis Android has over 1500 emoji built in Vulkan API Android’s latest application programming interface API designed work across different mobile console desktop gaming platforms easier develop boon anyone into mobile gaming uses graphically taxing work applications JIT Compiler latest version Android JIT compiler optimises apps your phone’s unique hardware specifications potential significantly reduce storage space apps should make updates run faster Virtual Reality mode Android inbuilt Virtual Reality mode compatible with Daydream-ready phones download auto-updates enabled received prompt update operating system manually download Android Nougat diving into your phone’s settings mass updates users receive update Google could take several weeks reach all devices OS Google’s official Android website /

Aliens in orbit around a distant star? – Probably not, but $100k raised on Kickstarter to find out

Star KIC 8462852, a.k.a. Tabby’s Star, image on Astronomy Picture of the Day. See more at http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160613.html
Credit: Shannons

KIC 8462852, was just an unremarkable star 1,480 light years away, until citizen scientists noticed its extreme & irregular dimming. Tabetha Boyajian, an astronomer at Louisiana State University, set up a Kickstarter project which raised over $100,000 (largest single pledge, $10,000) to fund use of a telescope to find out more.

Tabetha Boyajian on Ted Talks


Kickstarter project
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/608159144/the-most-mysterious-star-in-the-galaxy/description

Tabby’s Star has its own Subreddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/KIC8462852/

Wired
http://www.wired.com/2016/08/mysterious-star-universe-became-brand/?mbid=nl_82316_p2&CNDID= / revealed first data telescope survey very special star using Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network watch unpredictable dimmings KIC 8462852 star 1,480 light years away strange flickering pattern many explanations stars asteroids or comets passing between there and Earth turned this star into a star making Boyajian’s new survey possible aliens new research wouldn’t exist support 1,762 people who signed on Boyajian’s Kickstarter campaign emailed sneak data-peek yesterday entire subreddit devoted discussion Tabby’s Star we’ll get to the bottom greatest mystery ever faced scientific community user named Pringlecks member shared Boyajian’s email forum Tabby’s Star logo moniker figurehead cohesive online presence fan base brand now points to new way of doing science Tabby’s Star began celebrity ascent more than five years ago Kepler exoplanet telescope collected weird data March 2011 scientists believe something huge passed in front of KIC 8462852 whatever it was big enough block 15 percent of its light 28 February 2013 happened again blocking 22 percent reference Jupiter transit darkens the Sun just 1 percent data also showed bunch of smaller irregular dips in brightness group citizen scientists Planet Hunters were the first to notice saw KIC 8462852 weird behavior Kepler data alerted Boyajian member Planet Hunters science team brainstormed astronomical explanations discovery paper subtitle Where’s the Flux WTF idea that astronomer Jason Wright proposed what if alien megastructures big construction projects circled the star Boyajian eventually embraced megastructures last-resort hypothesis harness monetize excitement aliens work solving mystery KIC 8462852 star’s dips don’t come regular intervals needed long-term program catch the action Kickstarter project page Most Mysterious Star in the Universe $100,000 Boyajian’s team monitor star one year using private Las Cumbres telescope network long shot scientist regular outlets blast the notice millions of people 1,762 backers donated more than $107,000 overwhelmed humbled public support WTF science megastructures Kickstarter page most of the backers cheering astronomers wary associating themselves alien hypothesis lumped with UFO spotters accused hyping unlikeliest explanation publicity people get more excited about hypothetical extraterrestrials swarms of comets current leading explanation comet swarms are also cool community psyched for this science unfolding an help unfold Tabby’s Star star of the people story non-professionals interacting inexplicable data uncovered it in the first place put it on Boyajian’s radar their clicks made it popular their disposable income funding private project get more data informational website called Where’s The Flux new faculty job Louisiana State University official website reddit official /r/KIC8462852 page some posts are technical Gaia data release Tabby’s Star crowd new data Las Cumbres follow-up project Tabby’s Star multiple colors check out public data-processing software code citizen observers backyard telescopes contribute their own observations American Association of Variable Star Observers hypotheses science data SETI scientists official protocol Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence other research other scientists aliens disseminate promptly openly widely through scientific channels public media observing procedures declaration International Academy of Astronautics post it to Reddit /

Two Tesla's hacked, stolen – update

Tesla Model S, Supercharger
Credit: Shannons

Security, tracking & monitoring available in the Tesla Model S would seem to make it a bad target for theft. Case in point – a Model S stolen in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada late last year, was able to be tracked & the thief quickly apprehended. And how did the thief gain entry & drive the Model S away? Apparently, a recently purchased electronic key fob was left in the vehicle – a definite no-no in any vehicle with keyless entry.

On 11 June & 02 August, two Teslas were stolen in Germany, & have since been untraceable. It is understood that the thief or thieves were able to breach the owner’s Tesla account, in each case, to gain entry, & take the vehicle away. Whereabouts of the cars remains unknown.

Hacking of Tesla’s Model S is not completely without precedent. Other breaches, have required physical access to the vehicle & apparently achieved less control. Tesla quickly released an update.^1,2,3

One of the attractions of a Tesla Model S is the perception that Tesla’s monitoring of its vehicles makes them virtually theft-proof. Apparently the thieves in Germany disabled this capability. Most likely these thieves wanted the vehicles for parts, most obviously, the battery which is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

This brings up once again the question mark over the security of any internet-connected device. Note too, the suggestion that the hacks were actually against the owners’ Tesla accounts, rather than the vehicles themselves.

http://bgr.com/2016/08/22/tesla-model-s-stolen/

http://cleantechnica.com/2015/11/04/i-could-tell-the-911-operator-was-excited-tesla-owner-about-tracking-stolen-model-s/
__________

¹ “Tesla Model S hacked”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/08/tesla-model-s-hacked.html

² “Tesla Model S hacked at Beijing symposium”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/07/tesla-model-s-hacked-at-beijing.html

³ “Hacker locates, unlocks GM OnStar-equipped vehicle”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/07/hacker-locates-unlocks-gm-onstar.html / nobody can steal Tesla Model S Model X advanced tracking system thieves try to get away with it easily caught on-board GPS not really the case Tesla cars incredibly valuable thieves do whatever it takes grab one leave no traces behind two such thefts reported in Europe two Tesla owners Germany Tesla Model S cars stolen brand new Tesla Model S P90D August 2nd disappeared on June 11th how it happened owners will ever get them back hackers breach owners’ Tesla accounts use iPhone or Android apps access drive cars away still has the keys to the car jam GPS signal on the cars Model S briefly stolen Vancouver owner direct police location of the car using tracking data from his account how thieves plan to use these stolen Teslas painting the cars over changing plates won’t suffice take advantage Tesla’s features use car’s software Tesla keeps track of what happens with each car able to find these stolen vehicles if they ever reconnect to the system Tesla comment ways retrieve stolen cars prevent similar thefts in the future /

July 2016 was the hottest month ever recorded

Credit: Matthew S. Urdan/Twitter

On 21 July 2016, I posted:
“June 2016 was the 14th consecutive month of record heat for the globe. Fourteen consecutive record hot months is, in itself, a record.”¹

Make that 15:
“June July 2016 was the 14th 15th consecutive month of record heat for the globe. Fourteen Fifteen consecutive record hot months is, in itself, a record.”

July 2016 was world's hottest month since records began, says NASA
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/16/july-2016-was-worlds-hottest-month-since-records-began-says-nasa

July 2016 was the hottest says NOAA
http://www.ktts.com/storm-shield/storm-shield-featured/july-2016-was-the-hottest-month-ever
__________

¹ hhg2tech: "2014 was the hottest year on record – until 2015", http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/07/2014-was-hottest-year-on-record-until.html / First half 2016 blows away temp records record hot June 2016 will be the hottest year on record globally data released running average global temperatures during 2016 monthly numbers from NASA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA planet on track surpass 2015 hottest on record 2016 blown that out of the water Gavin Schmidt director NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies 2016 boost exceptionally strong El Niño record temps excess heat built up in Earth’s atmosphere accumulating greenhouse gases heat raising global sea levels disrupting ecosystems more extreme weather events every month this year has been record warm globally among the first ever recorded exceed 1°C 1.8°F above average NASA NOAA all six months of the year so far exceeded that remarkable benchmark compared to preindustrial temperatures El Niño temperature departures record-high levels June above 20th century average NOAA above 1951-1980 average NASA June record warm for the contiguous U.S intense record-breaking heat wave NOAA record unprecedented 14 consecutive record-hot months streak Deke Arndt head climate monitoring division NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information long-term warming trend setting records beyond anything we had seen before early 2015 June’s record heat year-to-date above the 20th century average NOAA above average NASA temperatures excess global temperature data baselines comparing temperatures long-term warming trend nations have agreed goal keeping warming under 2°C 3.6°F above temperatures from preindustrial times manmade greenhouse gases increasing in the atmosphere end of the century current global temperatures into perspective NASA NOAA data two datasets averaged compared average from 1881-1910 preindustrial era above the average Arctic sky-high temperatures this year record-low sea ice levels roasting Arctic temperatures extended into Alaska hottest temperature Arctic coast oceans persistent warmth NOAA global average ocean temperature above the 20th century average largest such departure in 137 years of records elevated temperatures record third year of a global coral bleaching event water changes temperature air landglobal ocean heat temperatures record pace forecasts predictions La Niña global temperatures year warmest long-term trend of warming is clear record heat of the 15 warmest years on record, 14 have occurred in the 21st century warmest on record climate variability factors strength of the La Niña warmest years on record /

Sandisk Extreme 900 SSD – 10Gbps USB 3.1 performance at last!

Sandisk Extreme 900 SSD
Credit: Hardware Zone

Good:
● fast
● rugged
● runs cool

Bad:

● drive contains 2 SSDs configured as a RAID 0 array¹ – which accounts for some of the speed – but 2 drives, all other things being equal, have twice the failure rate – the “R” in RAID stands for “Redundant” – but RAID 0 doesn't have any – perhaps that’s what the zero stands for

● larger & heavier than alternatives^2,3



PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3046549/storage/sandisk-extreme-900-review-10gbps-usb-31-performance-at-last.html

Cnet
http://www.cnet.com/au/products/sandisk-extreme-900-portable-ssd/

AnandTech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/10245/sandisk-extreme-900-usb-31-gen-2-portable-ssd-review
__________

¹ Wikepedia: “Raid 0”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_RAID_levels#RAID_0

² hhg2tech: “Small, fast, cute — Samsung T1 Portable SSD”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/09/small-fast-cute-samsung-t1-portable-ssd.html

³ hhg2tech: “Samsung T3 Portable SSD (video)”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/05/samsung-t3-portable-ssd.html / testing Sandisk new Extreme 900 portable SSD 10Gbps USB 3.1 device Extreme 900 800MBps performance specs specifications pricing Samsung pint-sized T1 T3 Extreme 900 dimensions typical external 2.5-inch hard disk drive chunky heavy slide it into larger pockets heftiness drive’s incredible performance reasons Extreme 900’s size heat dissipation shock resistance SanDisk two TLC Triple Level Cell/3-bit NAND-based 6Gbps SATA SSDs controller bridge chip running RAID 0 6Gbps SATA 10Gbps performance SATA RAID next performance step PCIe SSDs multi-lane PCIe-to-USB bridge chip Extreme 900 features USB Type C port ships Type C-to-Type C Type C-to-Type A SuperSpeed cables nice inclusion USB-C device plug storage drive support 10Gbps USB 3.1 USB-C port USB 2.0 speeds 10Gbps USB 3.1 Thunderbolt messy world of Type C ports Type C reversible connector older Type A USB connectors 50-50 chance plugging in correctly first time 50-percent happen more often Sandisk Extreme 900 available 480GB 960GB 1.92TB three-year warranty on par Samsung’s T1/T3 price-wise other external USB hard drives roughly six times the price you get roughly six times the performance performance first test AS SSD Extreme 900 796MBps reading sequentially Extreme 900’s TLC NAND AS SSD write performance 781MBps TLC-as-SLC Single Level Cell/1-bit cache 598MBps cache normal use external drive almost 400MBps faster reading minimum 200MBps faster writing closest competitor Sandisk TLC SLC cache total capacity reading/writing single 20GB file hit speeds 666MBps between 550MBps and 454MBps speed dependent whether cache consecutive operations numbers dropped real-world copy tests always slower numbers generated by synthetic benchmarks Extreme 900 formatted universally readable/writable exFAT any device USB mass storage exFAT performance kiss-of-death writing small files folders formatted exFAT Extreme 900 84MBps copy 20GB mix files folders reformatting NTFS 224MBps NTFS considerably slower sequential backup copy times drastically USB 3.1 10Gbps card Extreme 900 results reflect NTFS formatting exFAT formatted to 10Gbps USB 3.1 newer PCs benchmark SanDisk’s drive testbed Atech Flash Technology Blackbird MX-1 USB 3.1 Gen II Host Card laptop users Thunderbolt 3.0 ports 10Gbps speeds Extreme 900 good performer 5Gbps USB 3.1 3.0 write speeds 420MBps read speeds 410MBps fast faster external USB SSD speed bonus 10Gbps USB Extreme 900 bested Samsung’s T1/T3 considerable margin USB 3.1 Generation 2 faster USB 3.x Gen 1 up to 780Mbps writing slower results SanDisk first major player 10Gbps USB drive implemented it extremely well MLC Multi-Level Cell/2-bit NAND more consistent write performance TLC numbers impressive Sandisk Extreme 900 drive that can hit 10Gbps USB 3.1 speeds USB Type C USB Type A cables speed portable drive big as a portable hard disk drive not exactly cheap 10Gbps USB 3.1 port is needed to take advantage of it /