Mercedes B250e electric MPV (video)

Mercedes has a fully electric version of the B Class – the Mercedes B250e. Robert Llewellyn (of the YouTube series Fully Charged) was very impressed – except, “... no rapid charge ability … can be charged on a 13 Amp plug ... or it can use a wall mounted car charger, but only up to 16 Amps … it takes at the minimum, 4 to 5 hours to charge it.” So, like the owner of the test car, don’t plan on any long journeys.



Autocar staff had a look & were impressed too: “In terms of all-round refinement & pace, the electric B-Class is far better than its internal combustion engine sister cars.” No surprise to anyone who has driven an electric vehicle, but interesting to see in the mainstream motoring press.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mercedes-benz/b-class-electric-drive / Mercedes-Benz basedall-electric vehicle existing B-class Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive pure electric version newly facelifted B-Class all-new architecture electric vehicle EV based on standard production car minimum of amount engineering changes taking inspiration original A-and B-Class models new-generation car sandwich version rear half car’s platform Energy Space Mercedes underfloor space EV lithium-ion battery pack space natural gas-powered version B-Class spacious mainstream versions 500-litre boot generous head and legroom option fold-forward front passenger seat loads over two metres long electric drive system sourced from Tesla production car launched press Daimler disposed four per cent stake in Tesla B-Class Electric Drive three-mode operation Economy Plus constant steady-speed journeys reduces output motor 83bhp top speed 68mph Economy reduces output 132bhp Sport 179bhp Economy modes overridden full power and torque accessed driver kickdown function Collision Prevent Assist Plus system optional extra B-Class radar-assisted recuperative braking system regenerative braking system information from the radar state traffic ahead car battery-charging braking slow itself road ahead clear downhill switch sailing mode battery power fully recharging B-Class 16-amp home wall socket take around nine hours battery empty 400-volt three-phase electricity supply more common Asia Europe recharged three hours all-round refinement and pace electric B-Class far better than internal combustion engine sister cars car’s effortless torque near-silent progress category of its own refinement luxury models effortless overtaking ability most disorientating motoring excellence humble-looking baby MPV steering response ride quality electric B-Class markedly better petrol-powered B 200 handy size well-packaged nicely finished inside tablet-sized screen dashboard ideally placed graphics presentation of Mercedes-Benz sat-nav system first rate two trim levels Sport Electric Art entry-level Sport models 17in alloys climate control cruise control reversing camera smartphone integration Electric Art luxury leather velour interior bigger alloys dual-zone climate control delightful car to drive genuinely enjoyable satisfying downside limited range electric B-Class industrial three-phase electricity lengthy recharge time recharge battery overnight daily mileage less than 100 miles price government grant B 220 diesel with automatic transmission truly green MPV Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive /

New York City’s busy streets Photoshopped into beautiful desolation

Credit: Marc Yankus/ johnmcguirk.tumblr.com

As shown above, Marc Yankus photographs the buildings of New York City without all of the, often transient, distractions. See more of his work at:

https://www.wired.com/2016/10/mark-yankus-new-york-city/?mbid=nl_102816_p7&CNDID=#slide-2


How to do something similar yourself:


Credit: www.popsugar.com/ www.goodtips4life.com / Marc Yankus photography photographer uncluttered hustle and bustle that makes New York New York City The Secret Lives of Buildings shows at ClampArt Gallery in New York through November 26 /

Naked Case for the iPhone 7 & 7+

Naked Case fitted to an iPhone 7
Credit: The Gadgeteer

New phone – some are reluctant to cover that painstakingly designed shininess with plastic &/or leather. But the world is full of things apparently designed to scratch that expensive hardware. In particular, the Jet Black iPhone 7 is more susceptible than most:



One solution is the Naked Case. Contradiction in terms, of course, but at just 0.2mm thick, it’s very close.


Layers of a Naked Case – it is non-yellowing, 0.2 millimeters thick & self-healing
Credit: Naked Cases/Kickstarter

The Gadgeteer took a look: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/10/24/naked-case-for-the-iphone-77-review/#more-206256

Hard to see this adding any impact protection, but neither will it add any detectable bulk.

Naked Case is a Kickstarter project. As of this writing, $9,013
pledged of $11,250 goal (that’s Canadian dollars) with just 3 days to go.

If the Naked Case isn’t funded, the Spigen Air Skin is almost twice as thick at 0.36mm, but is still very thin by any normal standard. Check the Air Skin & other thin cases at iMore: http://www.imore.com/best-ultra-thin-cases-iphone-7

For something that will protect against drops too, have a look at:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-iphone-7-cases/

Or these for the 7 Plus:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-iphone-7-plus-cases/ / iPhone 7 iPhone 7 Plus Apple announced launch event San Francisco water resistance better battery life iPhone 3.5 mm 3.5mm headphone jack feels the same funky home button hands-on Apple's event water resistant water resistance demo room Apple's iPhone 7 seems bunch of upgrades no headphone jack home button solid-state Force Touch Jet black Apple's new glossy black color iPhone iPhone slim black obelisk iPhone 7 iPhone 6S same 4.7-inch screen HD Retina display 25 percent brighter last year's model pressure-sensitive 3D Touch layer buzzes slightly press and hold the screen static home button solid state physically press click pressure-sensitive taptic feedback three levels of pressure haptic feedback light or strong buzz doesn't feel like a button takes getting used to water-resistant water resistant IP67 no headphone jack Apple's new EarPods headphones Lightning connector port adaptor new funky-looking AirPods headset connects wirelessly auto-pairing worked well sounded pretty good new camera 12-megapixel camera larger aperture optical image stabilization stabilisation keeps images steadier camera sticks out more from the back second 56mm telephoto lens built-in zoom feature new front-facing camera iPhone 7's 7-megapixel front-facing camera 5 megapixels iPhone 6S auto-image stabilization stabilisation optical image stabilization digital image stabilisation stereo speakers second speaker joins Apple longer battery life greater battery capacity longer battery life 12 hours LTE browsing iPhone 7 Plus two more hours faster processor iPhone 7's new A10 Fusion chip 64-bit quad-core processor 40 percent faster last year's A9 processor two cores are high-performance two are high efficiency conserve battery while handling tasks deeper visual graphics gaming Super Mario is coming to the iPhone more storage! 32GB, 128GB, 256GB capacities colors colours color colour Glossy jet black matte black gold, silver rose gold new jet black Spigen Otterbox case scratch impact protection i-BlasonClear Halo GOOSPERY i-Jelly Case Peel Super Thin iPhone 7 Case Ringke Extreme Lightweight Cover Carved Traveler Case Burkley Snap-on Case Urban Armor Gear Monarch Series Case Dodocase Bookcase Metallics Collection Mujjo Leather Case Tech21 Evo Gem Case /

Uber’s self-driving truck makes its first delivery

Uber’s not just trialing self-driving cars – an Uber self-driving 18-wheeler just made its first delivery. Tech comes from a startup called Otto, which Uber bought recently for $680 million. At least initially, the the autonomous system will drive between cities, with a human driving the last few miles.

In many countries, there is a shortage of truck drivers.^1,2,3 Self-driving trucks can help in two ways:

1. a limited number of truck drivers can make more deliveries in a day if they only have to drive the last few miles

2. last-mile delivery turns interstate trucking into local work for the human driver – which may make the work a better option for more people

https://www.wired.com/2016/10/ubers-self-driving-truck-makes-first-delivery-50000-beers/?mbid=nl_102516_p3&CNDID=

DAF, Daimler, IVECO, MAN, Scania, & Volvo in Europe, have something similar in their Platooning tech.
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¹ The Age: “Wheels not in motion: Australia running short of truckies”, http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wheels-not-in-motion-australia-running-short-of-truckies-20160506-goo7o5.html

² Business Insider: “There's A Huge Shortage Of Truck Drivers In America – Here's Why The Problem Is Only Getting Worse”, http://www.businessinsider.com.au/americas-truck-driver-shortage-2014-7

³ Wall Street Journal: “Wanted in Europe: More Truck Drivers”, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443524904577651624294475232 / Uber self-driving truck makes first delivery 50,000 beers self driving truck cab of an 18-wheeler cruising through Colorado 55 mph tractor trailer tractor-trailer tractor prime mover lorry truck $30,000 worth hardware software San Francisco startup Otto world’s first autonomous truck delivery drive mundane Fort Collins merging onto Interstate 25 Otto driver punched switch labeled engage autonomous mode engaged warning chime truck trundled 120 miles south Colorado Springs Otto Uber bought last summer $680 million technology works only on highway maintains safe following distance changes lanes only when absolutely necessary Tesla Autopilot Otto system offers true ‘Level 4’ autonomy big rig hits interstate human deal with paperwork phone catch a few Zs technology ready start commercial pilots interstate runs Otto co-founder Lior Ron continue to develop the tech ready to encounter every condition on the road make trucking a local profession local work local occupation imagine a future trucks virtual train software rail highway interstate stop at designated depots humans drive the last few miles into town drivers harbor pilots bringing the ship to port Otto’s hardware works any truck with automatic transmission retrofit three LIDAR laser detection units cab and trailer radar bolts to the bumper high-precision camera sits above the windshield hints of a human-free two red half dollar-sized buttons shut off the autonomous system steering wheel sleeper cab behind the seats on/off switch labelled Engage bank of computers turns all that data into driving directions Uber engineer autonomous cars are sexy trucks are more practical here sooner than cars industry desperately needs them trucking industry hauls 70 percent nation’s freight 10.5 billion tons annually doesn’t have enough drivers American Trucking Association shortfall 48,000 drivers hiring spree autonomous technology make the roads safer 400,0000 trucks crash each year federal statistics killing 4,000 people human error is to blame self-driving technologies improve safety reduce emissions improve operational efficiencies shipments James Sembrot handles logistics Anheuser-Busch Otto October test run Sean McNally spokesman American Trucking Association autonomous technology can improve safety efficiency turning 40-ton rig over to a computer federal government working prototype fleet trucks interstates 101 280 San Francisco Bay Area engineers push software tweaks weekly major updates monthly focusing on the basics smoothing out acceleration braking improving lane control longer-term goals include predicting how other drivers are likely to behave navigating construction zones dealing with hazards sudden bad weather go-anywhere do-anything autonomy ultimate goal tackling more complicated city environments parking foreseeable future driver will remain an essential part of the system Otto deal with the stress of driving /

Computing Division at the US Department of the Treasury, mid 1920s

Credit: Old Pics Archive

More at: http://www.oldpicsarchive.com/us-in-1890s-1930s-43-pics/9/ / many people staff mechanical calculator mechanical adding machine Computing Division US Department of the Treasury mid 1920s/

US grid-scale battery start-up looks to Australia for R&D, manufacturing

Liquid Metal Battery – notice the refractory lining – this thing runs very hot (~475°C+)
Credit: The National Law Review

In January 2015, I posted about a lecture on grid scale storage using the liquid metal battery (LMB) technology developed by a team led by Professor Donald Sadoway at MIT.

Professor Sadoway had many important insights, on chemistry, materials abundance, price, scalability, & other matters. Worth reviewing at the link above – as you will see in the included video, this man is a fabulous public speaker.

Since that time, I have quoted his insights a few times, but the batteries didn’t make any headlines, & it started to look like this one was going to sink without trace, as so many have done.

But that concern may have been premature – the technology, & the company, Ambri, are still making progress. With $50 million in equity capital, the first grid-scale LMB prototype, probably 100kWh, is expected to be built in, “about a year’s time.”

Renew Economy:
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/us-grid-scale-battery-start-looks-australia-rd-manufacturing-89966

Much is made of the durability of Ambri batteries. Many different cell types have been tried, but something common to all LMBs is:

“We regenerate the battery every time. The battery actually gets better with use, ’cause it purifies.” – just after the 10 minute mark in the video linked at the top.

“This is not like your cell phone battery.”

And the name Ambri? – named after CAmbridge – that’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Professor Sadoway began his research, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). / US grid-scale battery start-up looks to Australia for R&D manufacturing US company promising grid-scale energy storage technology liquid metal batteries collaborative research base Australia manufacturing hub test technology at scale company Liquid Metal Batteries technology now called Ambri spun out of the research Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Donald Sadoway developed liquid metal chemistry team MIT Ambri raised $50 million equity Khosla Ventures Bill Gates oil company Total Swiss insurance company Building Insurance Bern GVB KLP Enterprises family office Karen Pritzker heir Hyatt hotel chain industrial conglomerate Marmon batteries comprise three self-segregating layers low density liquid metal on top high density metal bottom middle molten salt yet to be tested at a utility-scale tested extensively cell multiple-cell level highly conductive fast-responding long lasting very little capacity fade over time advantage other popular battery chemistries grid applications hero cell MIT Sadoway two years more than 1400 cycles with zero capacity fade upper metal lower metal batteries electrodes salt electrolytes battery respond very quickly deliver surges take surges from the grid plans establish collaborative R&D base University of Newcastle ARENA addition of a team in Newcastle enhance MIT’s achievements plenty of room for further innovation invention of a battery invention of a battery field Sadoway many different metals so many different salts team enhance potential manufacturing hub in Australia batteries competitive three years cater Australian and New Zealand markets grid-scale battery storage frightfully heavy don’t want to be shipping them long distances highly competitive stationary battery storage industry LMB chemistry forming company commercialise technology tested grid scale really tough game development first grid-scale LMB prototype probably 100kWh expected to be built about a year’s time tested US army base /

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency – new TV series

Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood) & Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett)
Credit: Bettina Strauss/BBC America/Wired

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, was the creation of the late Douglas Adams – in two books.¹ After his death, BBC America made a TV series.




Now there is another TV series related to the book & earlier TV series by not much more than the title ...



Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2016




Wired: The new Dirk Gently is nothing like the books – but it’s still a blast
https://www.wired.com/2016/10/dirk-gently-bbc-america/?mbid=nl_102316_p7&CNDID=
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¹ Wikipedia: “Dirk Gently”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirk_Gently / Holistic Detective Agency new Dirk Gently nothing like the books still blast makings new cult favorite crammed with weird ideas gore crazy set pieces few charming moments enjoy it stop thinking of it Douglas Adams adaptation BBC America show premiering based book duology Douglas Adams also created Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series basic concept holistic detective named Dirk Gently breezes around getting into weird situations ties all the threads together mixture of luck intuition TV show little in common Douglas Adams tone Douglas Adams Adams’ absurd wit stands out new show how American it all is new version Dirk Gently only British person U.S. city full of Yank archetypes snarky cops tattooed cultists badass bodyguards creepy shut-ins serial killers writer Max Landis wrote all eight episodes used Douglas Adams basic idea jumping-off point gonzo storyline creepy kidnappers indoor shark attacks bizarre diseases show will be about something completely different Douglas Adams books throw slew off-kilter ideas reader cram billion subplots into every episode wild spree works on its own terms don’t ever try to compare it work of the master first few episodes series delightfully perverse Electric Monk first Dirk Gently novel character save you the trouble of having to believe something believing it for you Douglas Adams creations often illuminate something of the weirdness and futility of humanity’s attempts to make sense of the universe clever storylines about Samuel Taylor Coleridge Norse mythology BBC America version rockstars bikers standard TV archetypes second Dirk Gently TV series in the past five years the first had minuscule fraction budget of this one aired minor UK channel written Misfits creator Howard Overman couple of Doctor Who writers new version throws a million dazzling science-fiction conceits at the viewer 2012 Dirk Gently show more of a weird detective show watching both Dirk Gently shows comparison Doctor Who Douglas Adams pilfered elements two Who scripts /