Samsung's new Chromebooks have a 3:2 aspect ratio screen, rather than the more common 16:9, although the thick margin at the bottom exagerates the visual impression Credit: Samsung/ZDNet
Chromebooks with their browser-centric operating system have long been suitable for those with modest computing demands – web browsing, email, word processing & spreadsheet – which can be met by the Google suite of Web apps.
In progress, is the addition of Android apps to the repertoire of Chromebooks.
Among the first to implement Android app capability are Samsung's Chromebook Plus, & the more highly specified Pro. Google had substantial input into the design.
ZDNet – “Samsung's new sub-$500 Chromebook Plus comes with support for Android apps from the Google Play Store right out of the box.” http://www.zdnet.com/article/samsung-chromebook-plus-goes-on-sale// Samsung Chromebook Pro Samsung Chromebook Plus Android apps Chromebooks quietly infiltrated computer market Google’s affordable just a browser devices best-selling computers in schools around boardrooms cubicles more people bought Chromebook than Mac Macintosh Google’s you ought to buy Chromebook consumer Chromebook onslaught starts Samsung’s Chromebook Plus and Pro most well-rounded Chrome OS devices every normal-person laptop budget Chrome OS touchscreens support pen input run millions of apps Google’s Play Store part smartphone part tablet part laptop feels like the computer of the future using the Pro brilliantly polymorphic computer the good kind of cheap good laptop relatively light and thin body attractive well-spaced clicky keyboard spacious smooth trackpad high-res screen enough power battery extra-long day at work $500 Best Buy special Chromebook Pro half-inch thick 2.38 pounds smaller than almost every laptop doesn’t ooze class and wealth every time you open the lid magnesium alloy body silver black peel off the unsightly Energy Star sticker rounded edges exposed hinge decidedly utilitarian look laptop 12.3-inch 2400×1600 display excellent works well as a touchscreen really shines pop tiny stylus out of the body Chromebook Pro stylus matches Samsung’s Galaxy Note phones works just as well draw doodle take notes Google Keep note-taking app supports pen input tool works fabulously futuristic signing right on your computer screen Intel’s Core M3 processor four gigs RAM Chromebook Plus costs $450 lower-powered OP1 chip 32 gigs internal storage plus microSD slot for adding more specs power’s not an issue Chromebooks Chrome browser so stable upwards of ten hours battery charge flip the screen full 360 degrees turning your laptop into a tablet digital picture frame 360-degree screen power button /
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016 with Samuel Barnett in the title role & Elijah Wood as his sidekick) – after having seen half of the first series, I can confirm that it is, as described in Wired, “... nothing like the books – but it’s still a blast!”
Next piece of good news – there will be a season two!
All incarnations highly recommended – books, original TV series, plus the 2016 TV series./ Holistic Detective Agency new Dirk Gently nothing like the books still blast makings new cult favorite favourite 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 /
More than 20 electricity transmission towers destroyed by SA storm on Wednesday 28 September 2016 Credit: Debbie Prosser/The Advertiser
On the afternoon of Wednesday 28 September 2016, a once-in-50-year storm, with winds up to 130kph & more than 80,000 lightning strikes, occurred in South Australia. Result for residents, was a state-wide failure of electricity supply.1
At the time, & since, some, mainly on the conservative side of Australian politics, have seen this as an opportunity to attack South Australia’s high proportion of renewable energy (43%).1,2 This despite the evidence available at the time, & the growing body of evidence which has accumulated since, that the blackout was unrelated to the source of the electricity.1,2
These attacks generally take the form of a statement about the storm, & then an attack on renewables. Here is an example from an interview in Launceston, Tasmania on the day following the SA blackout:
“... what we know so far is that there was an extreme weather event that damaged a number of transmission line assets, knocking over towers & lines & that was the immediate cause of the blackout … Now, turning to the issue of renewables. There is no doubt that a heavy reliance on intermittent renewables by which in South Australia we’re mostly talking about wind but there’s also solar, but intermittent renewables does place very different strains & pressures on a grid than reliance on traditional base load power whether it is fossil fuel or of course hydro …” – Malcolm Turnbull
See for yourself:
Now it has been revealed that the Australian Government, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, & his ministers, was informed that renewables were not responsible for the blackout as early as 7:20 on the morning of 29 September. I.e. before the statement in the video above.3
‘Officials told the prime minister’s office early on 29 September the loss of major transmission lines during the storm, which led to a loss of wind power being generated and transmitted at the time, was “followed by the Torrens Island gas power station shutting down shortly afterwards”.’ – The Guardian
“There has been unprecedented damage to the network (ie bigger than any other event in Australia), with 20+ steel transmission towers down in the north of the State due to wind damage (between Adelaide and Port Augusta). The electricity network was unable to cope with such a sudden and large loss of generation at once. AEMO's advice is that the generation mix (ie renewable or fossil fuel) was not to blame for yesterday's events – it was the loss of 1000 MW of power in such a short space of time as transmission lines fell over.” – Sydney Morning Herald
/ Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ministers were told wind not to blame renewables for South Australia blackout Turnbull government statements blaming last year's South Australian blackout high renewable energy target ignored confidential public service advice was not the cause emails obtained under freedom-of-information rules febrile debate renewable energy versus coal-fired generation raging in Canberra revelation undermine Coalition's energy messaging shatter confidence call for investment sober debate bipartisan policy solutions government denies it ignored the early advice it was the storm which brought down lines ministers canvassed publicly central state's high renewable energy reliance contributed subsequent assessment refer to the state's energy mix complicating factor security of supply advice to the government dated 29 September 2016 day after the whole of SA went black devastating storm suggested problem state's high reliance on wind generation key parts electricity distribution network wrecked during a severe weather event email trail senior official from Malcolm Turnbull department seeking explanation blackout 8.31 evening of the storm next morning outlines subsequent discussions 5am phone hook-up departmental political staff email sent Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's own officials assessment of the blackout including advice Australian Energy Market Operator unprecedented damage network bigger than any other event in Australia 20+ steel transmission towers down State wind damage Adelaide Port Augusta electricity network unable to cope sudden large loss generation capacity AEMO's advice generation mix renewable or fossil fuel was not to blame yesterday's events loss 1000 MW power such a short space of time transmission lines fell over within hours of the calamity Turnbull government capitalising on the blackout suggesting state's unsustainably high quotient wind generation failed to keep working in the conditions Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce chorus from Canberra state Labor government's unrealistic energy policies other senior ministers including Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg major storm major blackout across a whole state South Australia renewable energy target storm capacity to handle it intermittent renewables pose real challenges state Labor governments priorities renewable targets extremely aggressive extremely unrealistic energy security blackout South Australia extreme heat event energy blame game intensified evidence again suggests adequate supply gas turbine generation sitting idle wind contribution fell Labor's spokesman climate change energy Mark Butler hysterical Mr Turnbull playing politics very deep crisis enveloping our energy system /
Difference of opinion as to whether its 2.27 or 2.28 seconds. Motor Trend actually recorded 2.275507139 seconds. Apparently, Elon Musk truncated to yield 2.27 seconds, while Motor Trend took the next decimal place into account & rounded up to 2.28 seconds.
Motor Trend – “2017 Tesla Model S P100D First Test: A New Record – 0-60 mph In 2.28 Seconds” http://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/model-s/2017/2017-tesla-model-s-p100d-first-test-review// Production Tesla Model S P100DL sets Motor Trend all-time world record to 60 mph in 2.27 sec Tesla Inc sedan Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk Tesla Model S luxury sedan electric vehicle EV battery electric vehicle BEV lithium ion battery LiIon /
Tesla is preparing for production of Model 3 (note that it's no longer spelled Model ≡ (check https://www.tesla.com/model3))
● production of current offerings (Model S & X) will shut down for a week, to prepare for production of the Model 3
● building of pre-production Model 3 units will begin on 20 February
Production is scheduled to begin in July of this year. When this was announced last year, anyone familiar with Tesla's performance against target dates was skeptical. However, pre-production beginning on 20 February is consistent with Model 3 production beginning on schedule.
Reuters – “Tesla pausing factory for Model 3 preparation this month” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-model-idUSKBN15N2W7/ Tesla Inc shut down production California assembly plant week prepare for production high-volume Model 3 sedan mass market company meeting target start production July Tesla brief, planned pause company add capacity existing paint shop prepare for Model 3 other general maintenance Tesla begin Model 3 production later this year planned start the ramp towards 500,000 vehicles annually 2018 Tesla spokesman pause material impact first-quarter production delivery figures added production days to compensate luxury electric carmaker planned begin test-building Model 3 20 February February 20 Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk more than 370,000 customers deposits down Model 3 start building cars July 2017 analysts and suppliers timeline too ambitious difficult to achieve Tesla's history missing production targets Tesla starting pilot production factory Fremont California shareholders two days later reports fourth-quarter results Model 3 rollout stoke the fan base highly anticipated vehicles Tesla small number test assembly system quality of vehicle parts stoke the fan base Wall Street pre-production models earnings announcement Tesla's plans Tesla spokesman production schedule Elon Musk investors July 2017 startup target suppliers deadlines Tesla Model 3 government incentives sedan Tesla niche luxury player automotive sector Tesla $41.4 billion market capitalization equals Nissan Motor Co Ltd Elon Musk bold approach cars space exploration clean energy investor enthusiasm Tesla skeptics Elon Musk promise producing 500,000 cars per year by 2018 Tesla 373,000 refundable $1,000 deposits for Model 3 production total sales fully electric vehicles /
On the afternoon of Wednesday 28 September 2016, a once-in-50-year storm, with winds up to 130kph & more than 80,000 lightning strikes, occurred in South Australia. Direct damage included destruction of more than 20 electricity transmission towers. In addition, 3 items of critical distribution infrastructure were destroyed. Other items of infrastructure responded to protect themselves, as planned, by shutting down.
Result for South Australia residents, was a state-wide failure of electricity supply.
Coincidentally, at over 40%, SA is leading the nation in adoption of renewable energy.
Just to be clear – the loss of power in SA was totally unrelated to the source or capacity of generation. Failure occurred because of the loss of critical distribution infrastructure.
Unfortunately, some, mainly on the conservative side of Australian politics, saw this as an opportunity to attack renewable energy.
On 08 February 2017, a heat wave in South Australia led to a spike in demand, which forced, “load shedding”. At the time, gas power plant at Pelican Point, new Adelaide, was sitting idle due to a lack of foresight &/or planning by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the relevant authority.
Once again, those on the conservative side of politics rushed to judgement, attributing the power outages to renewables. Witness this remarkable piece of double speak from Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg:
“Well we're not politicising the fact that there is an insecure energy system in South Australia & that high renewable energy targets, be it in that state or in other states, put in place by Labor governments is going to bring great instability.”
In the event, no load shedding was required during peak load. This was due, in no small part, to load being shed before the event – some industrial users including Tomago Aluminium (which consumes 10% of the power generated in New South Wales) , & Visy paper mill had taken some of their operations offline to help conserve energy.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation – “NSW power: Blackouts across the state averted, energy operator says” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-10/nsw-power:-blackouts-across-the-state-averted/8260830/ renewable energy sustainable energy electric power solar photovoltaic photo voltaic coal fired power station wind power wind turbine gas fired power station accurate weather forecasting grid /
Take home message from the article above, is that the major dangers to your phone are being dropped onto a hard surface, or submerged under water.
Part of the problem arises from the materials used in making phones. If I'm carrying hundreds of dollars worth of hardware, that I depend on for a large & growing list of functions, I'd prefer something with the resilience of a basketball. That's not going to happen, but a minimum of glass, & replacing metal with shock-absorbing plastic would be a good start.
On the other hand, for most people, functionality dictates a minimum of a 3.5 inch diagonal screen, & probably the most popular size is around 5 inches – either way, that's quite a lot of glass.
Manufacturers & reviewers seem to have agreed that a, “premium”, phone should contain as much glass & metal as possible – in some cases, including metal covered with glass at the back.
Look at the image above – there's a good chance that a case would have prevented the carnage. Problem with cases is that for many people, after choosing a phone with skinny-jeans-compatibility, making the phone bigger by adding a case doesn’t appeal. If this sounds like you, take another look at the image above …
If you are still committed to the skinniest phone, you may be interested in the Naked Case – essentially the plastic used in plastic screen protectors extended to cover the entire phone. Such a case won't absorb an impact, but will reduce the chance of screen breakage & provide protection against scratches.
Rmour is only available for the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, but it does illustrate two important principles in protecting any phone in a fall:
● protect the corners
● prevent the screen from touching the ground – in addition to covering the corner, each Rmour covers a small part of the front & back of the phone – if it falls face down, the phone is supported at the corners, & the screen doesn't actually impact the ground
If you are looking for a minimal phone case, look for something with:
● good corner protection
● a ridge in front of the screen that will touch down before the screen – this will protect the screen in a fall & any time you put it face down – check the image below
Credit: Otterbox
If your are serious about protection, a good place to start is to buy a phone from Apple or Samsung, as they are generally best supported by case manufacturers. It's early days, but support for Google's Pixel is looking good too.
Some rules of thumb
● more popular phones are better supported by case manufacturers (surprise!)
● more expensive phones are better supported by case manufacturers
● older phones are poorly supported – manufacturers generally do one, or a small number of production runs, & then sell from stock
● its worth checking cases before you buy the phone
In my experience, the most protective cases come from LifeProof & OtterBox. (LifeProof was acquired by Otterbox in 2013,1 but, at least at the design level, they operate as separate entities, with no overlap in their catalogues.) Check their sites for cases offering a range of protection, bulk & price. If you want waterproof, LifeProof is your best bet. This is becoming less important, though, as there is a growing trend for phone manufacturers to make the phones themselves waterproof.
Best way to protect your phone from a fall is to not drop it in the first place. A case can help here too – grippy is better.
Why it's importance to place your phone face down
Look at the image at the top of this post again – notice that the cracks all radiate from a central point – the point of impact – either from the phone falling on something – or something falling on the phone. You can protect your screen from something falling on it by placing it face down – but check the surface. Paper, desk top, carpet, bed, all OK, but something more abrasive, no. Once again, a case with a ridge in front of the screen that will touch down before the screen, helps.
1Wikipedia: “LifeProof”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeProof/ Naked Case iPhone 7 iPhone 7+ Rmour silver case what is the worst thing to happen to your mobile phone major dangers to your phone dropped onto a hard surface submerged under water underwater mobile phone cell phone hardware large growing list of functions glass metal shock-absorbing plastic functionality 3.5 inch diagonal screen most popular size 5 inch diagonal screen premium phone glass aluminium metal glass phone skinny-jeans-compatibility case skinniest phone Naked Case plastic screen protectors absorb an impact reduce the chance screen breakage protection against scratches The Gadgeteer Naked Case iPhone 7 7+ Naked Cases web site minimal case protects corners Bumprz production Rmour crowd funding pre-order Kickstarter Rmour silver case iPhone 7 iPhne 7 Plus Rmour manufacturer's web site Rmour illustrate important principles protecting phone fall protecting the corners prevent screen from touching the ground Rmour covers front and back phone falls face down phone supported corners screen impact ground minimal phone case good corner protection ridge above the screen touch down before the screen protect the screen fall put it face down Otterbox if your are serious about protection buy phone from Apple or Samsung best supported by case manufacturers support Google's Pixel most protective cases LifeProof OtterBox LifeProof Otterbox protection bulk price waterproof LifeProof growing trend phone manufacturer make phones waterproof Otterbox LifeProof place your phone face down cracks radiate from a central point point of impact phone falling on something something falling on the phone protect your device something falling ways to protect your phone's screen /
