As of 19 October 2016, all Teslas produced will have the hardware necessary for fully autonomous driving (video)

Yes, you read that right: “All Tesla Cars Being Produced Now Have Full Self-Driving Hardware” – The Tesla Team, 19 October, 2016

and ...

“... at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver.”

That’s the good news.

Bad news? – cars made after the 19th can do it, they’re just not going to. Adaptive cruise control & lane keeping, for example, will initially be disabled. And yes, you read that right too.

They’re going to watch the humans get it wrong for a few months.

Point of this is to gather statistics on how much better the fully autonomous system would have done it. To demonstrate how much more capable it is, the new system will be less capable, initially.

Can’t demonstrate how much better autonomous Autopilot is, if it never lets the humans make any mistakes.

One reason Autopilot is expected to be safer than a human, is that it is effectively able to see through the vehicle in front, by bouncing radar underneath. Samsung demonstrated some of the value of being able to see through the vehicle in front last year, with its impractical, “transparent safety truck”.

And if you ever thought you needed eyes in the back of your head, the new Teslas have them + the sides too – 8 cameras provide 360° vision.


Credit: Tesla

In addition to extra sensors, there has been a more than 40 times increase in computing power. This has been inevitable, ever since the comment about the effort required to, “shoehorn”, the last version of the software into the available computer hardware.

“Autonomous”? – Elon Musk has claimed that by the end of 2017 he will be able to demonstrate a vehicle capable of driving from LA to New York with no – that's none, nothing, zero, nada – input from the driver – apart from plugging in a charging cable as required.

Tesla’s announcement: All Tesla Cars Being Produced Now Have Full Self-Driving Hardware
https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/blog/all-tesla-cars-being-produced-now-have-full-self-driving-hardware?redirect=no



Road & Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a31237/tesla-autopilot-hardware-standard/

Thanks to Bill for a heads up on material in this item. / Tesla cars produced now have full self driving hardware Tesla Team self-driving vehicles play crucial role improving transportation safety accelerating world’s world transition sustainable future full autonomy enable Tesla substantially safer human driver lower financial cost transportation own car provide low-cost on-demand mobility low cost on demand mobility excited announce all Tesla vehicles produced factory Model 3 hardware needed full self-driving capability safety level substantially greater human driver eight surround cameras 360 degree visibility around car up to 250 meters range twelve updated ultrasonic sensors complement vision detection both hard soft objects nearly twice distance prior system forward-facing radar enhanced processing provides additional data about the world redundant wavelength seeing through heavy rain fog dust car ahead make sense data new onboard computer more than 40 times computing power previous generation new Tesla-developed Tesla developed neural net vision sonar radar processing software system view of the world driver alone cannot access seeing in every direction simultaneously wavelengths go far beyond the human senses eight surround cameras provide 360 degree visibility /

Arctic cities crumble as climate change thaws permafrost

Credit: Roger Bacon/Reuters

In the northern Russian city of Norilsk, almost 60% of buildings are impacted by foundations shifting as permafrost¹ melts. 10% of residential building have been vacated.

Most foundation movements happen slowly, & can be managed safely. In some instances more rapid movements place lives at risk, as when a roof collapsed at Norilsk blood bank, breaking both of a doctor’s legs.

Other problems include:

● craters in Siberia, which have been attributed to explosions of methane released by thawing permafrost

● a boy died after contracting anthrax from bacteria released by melting permafrost

● scientific outposts on the northern coastline are disappearing into the sea as permafrost thaws

https://www.wired.com/2016/10/thawing-permafrost-destroying-arctic-cities/
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¹ International Permafrost Association: “What is permafrost?”, http://ipa.arcticportal.org/publications/occasional-publications/what-is-permafrost / expensive dangerous Soviet era housing block Nurd Kamal mosque arctic Russian city Norilsk Yury Scherbakov cracks appearing wall installed two-room flat caused shoddy workmanship walls started cracking floor started incline could feel it tilt Nadezhda carry furniture out of the flat craftsman five-story building 59 Talnakhskaya Street northern Russian city Norilsk sinking permafrost thawed foundation slowly disintegrated March 2015 local authorities posted notices stairwells building was condemned cracking and collapsing structures growing problem cities like Norilsk nickel-producing centre people located 180 miles above Arctic Circle climate change thaws perennially frozen soil increases precipitation Valery Tereshkov deputy head emergencies ministry Krasnoyarsk region almost 60 percent buildings Norilsk deformed climate change shrinking permafrost zone local engineers 100 residential buildings one-tenth of the housing fund vacated damage thawing permafrost slow-motion wrecks patched prevented engineering solutions foundation shifts suddenly put lives at risk cement slabs broke doctor’s legs front steps overhanging roof Norilsk blood bank collapsed June 2015 building maintenance costs cities Russia’s resource-rich north engineers geologists technogenic factors sewer building heat chemical pollution warming permafrost Norilsk most polluted city Russia climate change deepening thaw speeding up destruction Russia establishing new military bases oil-drilling infrastructure across Arctic Greenpeace warned permafrost thawing caused thousands oil gas pipeline breaks were problems climate change Ali Kerimov engineer Foundation Research Production Norilsk study each case separately understand climate change global warming more frequent forest fires flooding across Russia impact permafrost covers two-thirds country’s territory at least seven giant craters discovered Siberia caused thawing permafrost methane explode ground 12-year-old boy Salekhard died from anthrax thawing released bacteria Arctic islands northern coastline scientific outposts disappearing permafrost thaws sea ice melts wave action increases Valery Grebenets Moscow State University department of cryolithology glaciology teaches students horror stories thawing permafrost buckling roads railways soil runoff killing fish release toxic radioactive pollutants contained frozen dams vegetation treeless tundra spots snow early storm warming built gulag prisoners city gets more than six weeks polar night 2 million tonnes snow each winter temperature drop below -51 degrees C -60F average annual temperatures Arctic rising faster anywhere else more than 2 degrees C since 1900 2015 study found increases soil temperatures Russia’s permafrost regions last 50 years soil temperatures Norilsk increased almost 1 degree C between 1999 and 2013 permafrost misnomer deeper soil remains frozen year-round active layer soil extending several feet below surface thaws summer thaws unevenly contorting warping buildings 1960s builders apartment blocks Norilsk drilling holes 100 feet deep pouring reinforced concrete piles stuck into permanently frozen soil below piles lifted building off the ground air circulation cool soil preventing further thawing engineers soil could start warming so much data Norilsk monitoring station showed active layer thawing earlier thickness increased from three feet to five feet climate change increased precipitation adding more moisture soi freezes expands crumbling concrete piles snow covers ground further warms permafrost effect climate change was not accounted for properly building falling thousands people living in buildings which have potential fall Dmitry Streletskiy professor geography George Washington University problem threatens Alaska Canada northern territories Russia has cities so far north buildings coal mining city Vorkuta damaged emergencies ministry’s Tereshkov Salekhard Nadym Dudinka port Yenisei River Norilsk Nickel ships products deformations 100,000 people living buildings critical condition across Russia’s far north Streletskiy fire protection engineer building condemned /

Do you like to vacuum? Neither does anyone else – best robot vacuums compared – update

Update 17 October 2018

PC Mag takes a look at,“The Best Robot Vacuums of 2018”
https://au.pcmag.com/vacuums/41460/guide/the-best-robot-vacuums-of-2018

Wired review of, “iRobot’s Roomba 690”
https://www.wired.com/review/review-irobot-roomba-690/
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DailyTekk takes a look at the top contenders – Roomba, Neato & Dyson – is impressed with all of them, (“I sincerely believe you’d be thrilled to own any of them.”) – but manages to declare winners in the areas of:

● cleaning performance
● cleaning time
● ability to get into tight spaces
● & others



http://dailytekk.com/2016/10/06/roomba-vs-neato-vs-dyson-the-best-robot-vacuums-compared/?reading=continue


More

Choice
https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/vacuum-cleaners/buying-guides/robot-vacuum-cleaners

Top Ten Reviews
http://www.toptenreviews.com/home/vacuum-carpet-cleaning/best-robot-vacuums/

Tom’s Guide
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-robot-vacuums,review-2000.html / durability reliability Roomba Neato Dyson best robot vacuums vacuum cleaner compared robot vacuums incredible extremely disappointing cheap tested three robot vacuums Roomba 980 Neato BotVac Connected new Dyson 360 Eye best of the best robot vacuum cleaners on the market utter joy watching them clean my house comparing these robot vacuums all amazing different strengths I sincerely believe you’d be thrilled to own any of them each of these vacuums perform equally all situations scenarios clear winner they’re all gems rating which bot performed best several different real-world tests results could easily vary from house to house my observations hope you find them useful right robot vacuum cleaner for you preferring recommending different bot robot different rooms furniture types requirements cleaning performance Roomba Neato Dyson tests various amounts types dust dirt carpeted floor Roomba clearly cleaned the best Neato very close second Dyson came in last video test conditions pile of dirt sitting on my carpet normal cleaning conditions I’m confident that each of these vacuums would do a great job cleaning time Dyson Neato Roomba speed test finish cleaning the test area better faster Neato and Roomba were much more thorough edges nooks furniture legs rank vacuums cover clean more of your floor places simply unreachable by any robot vacuum behind potted plants baskets bookshelves other don’t leave enough room robot robots suited different tasks types of furniture Neato Roomba slimmer profiles fit under the test couch test chairs living room Dyson too tall barely fit under chairs Dyson’s smaller width few places traverse wider bots couldn’t behind plant pots inside legs certain stools performed especially well kitchen bar stools table chairs height of the Dyson side brushes great job getting edges full width brush means it doesn’t need one Dyson’s brush doesn’t quite come in contact with the wall very small gap Neato square front fit into corners better than the other bots apps all app connected start them cleaning while you’re out of the house easily set up cleaning schedules all three apps simple attractive easy to use eco turbo mode clean the house clean a specific area remotely control it remote control Dyson app reporting feature shows you map where robot cleaned visual cleaning history several times Dyson app wouldn’t connect start cleaning pressing physical button on the bot itself Roomba app options toggling carpet boost turned on automatically edge clean Roomba make multiple cleaning passes lose Roomba hit locate button play a sound Looks Dyson Neato Roomba looks sleek modern scuffs and scratches Neato Roomba pretty deep scratches top sides while Dyson got scuffed up on it’s side price lowest priced vacuum What’s best robot vacuum cleaner? Roomba 980 definitely most intelligent capable vacuum most cleaning power Roomba is your best option costs $200 less major life upgrade for you or your family /

Clean water for the world

Care for a drink?
Credit: Emaze

Although water covers ~70% of the Earth's surface, 97.2% of it is saline.¹ Much of what remains is unsuitable for drinking because of the presence of chemical or biological contaminants.²

WaterSeer produces clean, safe water by condensing it from the humidity in the air – up to 37 litres (8.1 UK gal, 9.8 US gal) of pure water per day, with no electric or fossil fuel energy, or emissions.



More on Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/waterseer-water-women/x/9010251#/
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¹ National Ground Water Association: “Information on Earth's water”, http://www.ngwa.org/About/Pages/about.aspx

² Wikepedia: “Fresh water”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_water / every 90 seconds child dies lack clean water 2.2 billion people don't have access safe water WaterSeer alleviate chronic tragic burden access clean drinking water extracting water from the air WaterSeer purchased one sent family developing country build thriving communities start businesses improve lives save lives save lives women and girls WaterSeer create water self-sufficiency transformative force for good throughout the world abundance clean safe water drink shower bathe daily water lawns wash clothes dishes clean safe water unquestioned condition of our lives one in three people daily minimum 7.1 cups water needed to survive women children spend up to 6 hours daily collecting carrying polluted disease carrying water themselves families drinking bathing cooking worldwide child dies every 90 seconds lack of clean drinking water nearly 1000 per day daily nearly 10,000 people die dehydration waterborne disease condensation distillation condense distil condensed distillation condensation distillation condense distil condensed distillation condensation distillation condense distil condensed distillation humid humidity humid humidity humid humidity WaterSeer working clean water WaterSeer condenses pure water from the air without power chemicals green sustainable simple low-maintenance easily deployed scalable community UC Berkeley National Peace Corps Association develop device 37 liters pure water a day WaterSeer field tests ten-fold improvement all other water collection designs WaterSeer Orchard clean water entire community buy one give one engagement model send WaterSeer family developing country purchased partnership National Peace Corps Association non-profits WaterSeer deploys where it is needed most micro-finance micro-consignment families start businesses children go to school instead spending days collecting water not-for-profit initiative 100% funds improve WaterSeer communities make the most impact improve WaterSeer expand field tests multiple regions climates conduct pilots communities worldwide worldwide online community tell WaterSeer story Manufacture distribute WaterSeer change lives women children raise funding accelerate state-of-the-art water collection from the air community help raise funds awareness original WaterSeer model tested prototype UC Berkeley Gill Tract Community Farm results were excellent tested exceeded water production goals generate up to 11 gallons per day /

Coal CEO calls Tesla a “fraud" – Elon Musk fires back a challenge

Robert Murray, President of coal giant Murray Energy Corporation, claimed in a TV interview, “Tesla is a fraud ... he’s gotten $2 billion from the taxpayer ... not made a penny yet in cashflow ...”

Elon Musk tweeted Robert Murray's, “fraud”, charge:

Coal-mining CEO: 'Tesla is a fraud' https://t.co/IpQJAlAo3f via @YahooFinance

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2016

And then issued a challenge:

Real fraud going on is denial of climate science. As for "subsidies", Tesla gets pennies on dollar vs coal. How about we both go to zero?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2016

“How about we both go to zero?” – With fossil fuel subsidies running at $10 million per minute world wide,¹ that would be a huge leap forward for the world economy, for the environment, & for humanity.

Renew Economy – Coal CEO calls Tesla a “fraud,” doesn’t mention subsidies for failing coal
https://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-ceo-calls-tesla-fraud-doesnt-mention-subsidies-failing-coal-91514

The Huffington Post – Elon Musk Burns Coal-Mining CEO Who Called Tesla A Fraud
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elon-musk-robert-murray-fraud_us_57fbf510e4b068ecb5e0f5b2
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¹ Hithchhiker’s Guide 2 Tech, “Fossil fuel subsidies — $US10 million per minute”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/05/fossil-fuel-subsidies.html

/ Robert Murray President CEO coal giant Murray Energy Corporation called Tesla Motors fraud CNBC profit subsidies Tesla is a fraud gotten $2 billion taxpayer has not made a penny yet in cash flow subsidies Tesla founder Elon Musk Twitter Tesla pennies subsidies compared with coal industry climate science denial real fraud distortion coal subsidies Tesla $465 million guaranteed loan Department of Energy Tesla paid off in full nine years ahead of schedule earning government American taxpayers millions indirect subsidies Tesla $7,500 tax credits purchaser electric vehicles not Tesla receiving $2 billion American car buyers buy Tesla any other electric vehicle increased demand consumer-facing subsidies subsidies coal industry receives coal tax breaks coal industry benefits billions dollars tax policy loopholes ThinkProgress reported 2012 Treasury Department tax preferences coal save taxpayers $2.6 billion expensing exploration development costs coal companies expense costs locating coal deposits percentage depletion Hard Mineral Fossil Fuels tax code coal companies claim tax deduction cover costs investments mines capital gains treatment coal royalties private owners treated long-term capital gains taxed lower rate coal’s cheap ride rails coal companies benefit directly subsidized transportation America’s railways Association of American Railroads coal 47 percent of tonnage 25 percent of revenue U.S. railroads loans loan guarantees government agencies Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration received numerous tax incentives investments new infrastructure below market leases America’s public lands Murray’s mining operations Northern Appalachia Illinois Basin mines private lands Lila Canyon mine Utah publicly-owned lands takes advantage federal coal leasing process federal coal leasing program tantamount massive subsidy to coal companies buying coal owned American taxpayers well below market value coal-supporting subsidy figures costs borne by taxpayers climate damage local environmental health impacts mining transportation combustion disposal of coal Dr. Paul Epstein Harvard Medical School’s Center for Health Global Environment quantify how harmful coal local impacts alone total economically quantifiable costs $345.3 billion adding 17.8¢/kWh electricity generated from coal quantify externalities borne general public distortion not earning a profit coal industry is going bankrupt enormous subsidies coal companies are failing currently 52 bankrupt coal companies McKinsey and Company study United States coal industry bankrupt $45 billion funds debt employee-related reclamation liabilities billions in subsidies 52 coal companies have gone bankrupt industry as a whole worse than bankrupt owing $45 billion it doesn’t have current debts and liabilities fraud financial situation Murray Energy’s nces, Moody’s finances downgraded investment rating Murray Energy Corporation investment service wrote that the downgrade expectation company’s leverage metrics cash flow generation under stress due problems facing the coal industry government support Murray Energy Corporation receives subsidies special tax treatments company’s cash flow under stress America’s coal plants cause global warming /

20 most bike-friendly cities on the planet

Space occupied by 69 people, 69 people filling a bus, 69 people on bicycles & 60 cars
Credit: Cycling Promotion Fund (CPF)

Cities have a problem with moving people around. Part of that problem is the car. As can be seen in the image above, cars require many times more road space to move the same number of people as is required by other means of transport.

Other problems of cars include:
● resources required for their production
● resources required for their maintenance
● low efficiency – in practice ~20%¹

● low levels of utilization – societies, households & individuals invest large amounts of resources in cars, but they are parked most of the time – when in use they are mainly occupied by just one person – a car weighing 1.5-2 tonnes or more to move a single person weighing, perhaps 80 kilogrammes,² is inefficient

● resources required to provide fuel – including a significant fraction of the $10 million per minute world wide subsidy of fossil fuels³

● emissions are a major source of environmental pollution, & resulting impacts on health & costs

● cars require expensive roads compared with whose required by pedestrians or bikes⁴

● congestion caused by cars means that, in practice, a bike is often quicker, especially if cycle paths are available

● “Studies from Denmark tell us that for every kilometer cycled, society enjoys a net profit of 23 cents, whereas for every kilometer driven by car we suffer a net loss of 16 cents.”⁵

With all of the above in mind, the Copenhagen­ize Design Company’s Index, each year evaluates the most bike-friendly cities in the world. It may surprise that the top ranked city is not in the Netherlands – although the 2nd, 3rd & 8th are:

https://www.wired.com/2015/06/copenhagenize-worlds-most-bike-friendly-cities/
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¹ Wikepedia: “Fuel efficiency”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_efficiency

² BMC Public Health: “The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass”,
“Average body mass globally was 62 kg. North America has the highest average body mass of any continent (80.7 kg).”
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-12-439

³ Hithchhiker’s Guide 2 Tech, “Fossil fuel subsidies — $US10 million per minute”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/05/fossil-fuel-subsidies.html

⁴ The Guardian, “For the price of a mile of highway, you too can have a bike-friendly city”, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/28/price-mile-highway-bike-friendly-city

⁵ Wired: “The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities on the Planet”, https://www.wired.com/2015/06/copenhagenize-worlds-most-bike-friendly-cities/

/ 20 most bike-friendly cities on the planet bicycle bike makes sense in cities rising urbanization our cities need modern mobility solutions moving around on two wheels can offer results investment bicycle infrastructure modern intelligent move research shows social economic environmental health benefits urban cycling studies Denmark every kilometer cycled society enjoys net profit 23 cents every kilometer driven car suffer net loss of 16 cents many cities how much to invest where to invest how welcoming cycling benefits it brings cities governments working toward more bicycle-friendly urban landscape infrastruc­ture planning urban design solutions anthropology design principles solely focusing engineering traditional planning 2015 Index Copenhagen­ize Design Company index most bike-friendly cities world evolves ranked 150 global cities considered cities regional population over 600,000 top 20 Copenha­gen Amsterdam dominate new cities top 20 competi­tion nails South American continent Rio de Janeiro Europe Germany Berlin Munich Hamburg Asia Tokyo Nagoya Montreal 20th North American competition Minneapolis American cities methodology advocacy bike facilities social acceptance general perception cycling safe higher modal percentage residents get around by bike car public transit 50-50 gender split cyclists infrastructure is key Denmark Netherlands century tried tested proven work established best practice protected one-way bike lanes aren’t shared by cars buses pedestrians designing streets limit number speed cars city centers making public spaces safe welcoming everyone drivers Copenha­genize Index 2015 world’s 20 most bicycle-friendly cities Copenhagen Amsterdam Utrecht Strasbourg Eindhoven Malmö Nantes Bordeaux /

Drones are making deliveries now

Credit: Zipline/BBC

Many have announced plans to implement delivery by drone, including Amazon, Domino’s, & Zookal (a textbook company in Sydney, Australia).

First to deliver (literally) is the Rwandan Ministry of Health – for supply of blood to hospitals. Technology is provided by a company called Zipline.

Drones are electric, fixed-wing, with a range of 150km.

Catapult launch improves range by supplying energy to lift the aircraft to altitude, instead of drawing it from the battery.

Similarly, dropping payload by parachute at the delivery end eliminates the energy requirement to regain altitude after a landing, & reduces infrastructure requirements.

Use of drones in Rwanda is an interesting parallel to the way that mobile communication is being used to bypass fixed communication infrastructure in many countries.



Aljazeera:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/rwanda-turns-drones-deliver-vital-blood-supplies-161014095632407.html

BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37646474

Zipline webpage:
http://flyzipline.com/product/ / Rwanda drones drone deliver vital blood supplies Rwanda launches drone delivery programme transport medical product remote parts country Rwanda launched launch drone delivery network transport vital blood supplies far-flung areas country project unmanned aerial vehicles drones deliver small packages parachute bypassing traffic washed-out roads country dubbed Land of a Thousand Hills introduced Friday Rwanda Rwanda's Muhanga district expand country early 2017 on demand drones make around 150 deliveries blood 21 facilities day Zipline company behind the project health professionals order emergency packages text message deliveries made approximately 30 minutes speaking launch President Paul Kagame use commercial drones transport essential medical products considered milestone Rwanda technology becomes relevant meaningful works for people addresses challenges they face President Kagame launching Zipline medical delivery drone Muhanga drones shaped like fat-bellied miniature plane two-metre wingspan battery-powered range 150km weigh 13kg carry cargo 1.5kg three bags of blood drones launched fired into the air using catapult deliveries biodegradable parachute Rwanda population 11 million people majority live hard-to-reach rural areas economic gains past decade most citizens still poor /