Hoverboard a no-show, but Uber has promised a flying car for 2020

Credit: EHang/Twitter

Hoverboard was a no-show in Back to the Future year.¹ We’ve been waiting even longer for the flying car, but Uber has promised them for 2020.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, the problem is that the technology doesn’t exist. Uber’s way around this is something like an X-prize – competitive development of a device to carry out a defined task – in this case, a flying car. And the prize? Access to Uber’s world-wide client-base. Though, at this point only Dallas-Fort Worth & Dubai have indicated an interest.

Uber has signed deals with five companies – if they don’t deliver, an obvious contender would be the Lilium jet electric aircraft.²

Wired: “Uber Really Seriously Promises Flying Cars by 2020”, https://www.wired.com/2017/04/uber-really-seriously-promises-flying-cars-2020/

CW33: “Uber SERIOUSLY promises flying cars by 2020 in DFW!”,
https://cw33.com/2017/04/25/uber-seriously-promises-flying-cars-by-2020-in-dfw/

“Flying car”? Anything that might be developed to provide the functionality required, is closer to a light aircraft. New term required:

The Verge – “Stop calling them flying cars”
https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15426178/flying-car-uber-larry-page-vtol-elevate
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¹ HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “Back to the Future year – hoverboard a no-show – self lacing sneakers …”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/09/back-to-future-year-hoverboard-no-show.html

² HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “Lilium jet electric aircraft”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2017/04/lilium-jet-electric-aircraft.html
/ Uber promises flying cars by 2020 Uber fly taking ridesharing to the air roll out network flying cars Dallas-Fort Worth Dubai by 2020 ambitious aircraft Uber shuttling customers through the air electric vertical takeoff and landing capability VTOL flying 100 miles in just 40 minutes infrastructure support FAA Federal Aviation Administration agency speed aircraft federal safety regulations fit into complex air traffic control system Uber catalyst spurring manufacturers build aircraft FAA regulations cities company CEO Travis Kalanick reward Xprize X prize X-prize Uber’s 55 million monthly active riders 600 cities worldwide 2020 realistic vehicle replacing an airplane replacing a car Richard Pat Anderson director Flight Research Center Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University purely electric aircraft serial hybrid setup aircraft carries fuel-burning turbine Chevrolet Volt Uber Elevate summit partnerships real estate companies Hillwood Properties Texas Dubai Holding UAE United Arab Emirates identify locations vertiports built Chargepoint electric vehicle charging spots North America Australia design develop deploy infrastructure keep the aircraft going white paper Uber Uber developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft Pentagon-backed Aurora Flight Sciences electric plane maker Pipistrel Bell Helicopter Embraer small plane maker Mooney Germany’s Lilium funky electric aircraft can fly China’s eHang launch people-carrying drones Dubai Google founder Larry Page revealed flying car prototype Skymall cities city Dubai flying cars Fort Worth Elevate pilot Mayor Betsy Price FAA air traffic control Uber pilot FAA certifying new technologies consensus-based standards system private market rules FAA accelerate three years is optimistic flying cars will need to negotiate already congested airspace build novel aircraft paying passengers flying car /

Kitty Hawk Flyer is a flying electric recreational vehicle

Kitty Hawk Flyer
Credit: Kitty Hawk/YouTube/GeekWire

Some details of the, “flying car”, backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, have finally surfaced.



Available specs are thin on the ground:
● weighs 220 lbs (100 kg)
● single passenger
● altitude 15 feet (4.6 metres)
● 8 electric motors drive downward-facing propellers

Kitty Hawk claims that it is possible to learn to pilot the Flyer in minutes, & that it qualifies as an ultra light, so that no licence is required.

Consumer version is promised for the end of 2017.

Trusted Reviews – “Forget self-driving cars, the Kitty Hawk Flyer is officially off the ground”
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/kitty-hawk-flyer-larry-page#pA01bAO63bZ5KvIf.99

The Verge – “This is the first footage of Larry Page’s ‘flying car’”
https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/24/15406208/larry-page-flying-car-kitty-hawk-flyer-prototype

If the name rings a bell, Wright Flyer was the name of the first heavier-than-air machine flown by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1903.¹


Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, 17 December 1903
Credit: Wikipedia
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¹ Wikipedia: “Wright Flyer”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer / flying car backed Google co-founder cofounder Larry Page available specs 220 lbs 100 kg single passenger altitude 15 feet 4.6 metres 8 electric motors drive downward-facing propellers Kitty Hawk to learn to pilot Flyer minutes qualifies ultra light FAA regulations no licence required consumer version end of 2017 self-driving cars Kitty Hawk Flyer Larry Page’s flying car Wright Flyer first heavier-than-air machine flown Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk 1903 Kitty Hawk flying car company financially backed Google founder Larry Page published first video prototype aircraft Kitty Hawk Flyer all-electric aircraft designed to operate over water doesn’t require pilot’s license to fly Kitty Hawk learn to fly in minutes consumer version available end of this year test flight footage Flyer aerospace engineer operating the craft Kitty Hawk what the Flyer is for price retail version enticing eager pilots priority placement waiting list company-branded gear exclusive access flight simulator company events members $2,000 discount retail price Flyer ultralight aircraft FAA regulations no pilot’s license required Kitty Hawk light aircraft Kitty Hawk Zee.Aero industry giants Airbus flying car startups Zee.Aero Uber flying car Kitty Hawk Zee.Aero flying car Larry Page invested Kitty Hawk /

Lilium jet electric aircraft – update

Credit: Lilium/Wired

Although the Lilium aircraft is called, a “jet”, it would be more usual to describe its propulsion as, “ducted fan”.¹

Advantages of ducted fans compared to conventional propellers¹

● more, shorter blades allow higher speed of rotation & more thrust, without the problems caused by the tips of the blades approaching the speed of sound

● reduced noise – especially when driven by an almost-silent electric motor
● surrounding shroud makes ducted fan safer
● occupies less space

In urban environments, where Lilium sees many of it's aircraft operating, these advantages are particularly valuable.

Conventional aircraft generate lift by using relatively few engines to produce thrust (jet &/or propeller) to drive the aircraft forward. Forward speed produces lift due to the motion of the wings through the air.²

A small number of engines is a limitation imposed by internal combustion engines. In an electric aircraft, many small motors can be used.² Illustrations show the Lilium with 36. Many motors allow lift to be generated at low aircraft speed (even zero) because they can drive air over the wings at a speed independent of the aircraft’s forward motion.

In an aircraft with few engines, the most difficult & dangerous parts of a flight are taking off & landing, due to the direct dependance of lift on speed. Wings are optimised for these purposes.

Multiple motors, by disconnecting lift & speed, increase safety at take off & landing. Wings can be optimised for cruise, increasing overall efficiency – wings are shorter & narrower & so lighter, with less drag. Check the image above & the video.

Such a configuration will have disastrous glide characteristics. Electric motors are very reliable, & 36 of them provide plenty of redundancy, but battery failure is a problem which does not appear to have been addressed. This is not surprising in a prototype with only one unmanned test flight to its credit. Two solutions which spring to mind are battery redundancy (which may already have been allowed for in the existing battery configuration) or a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System.³

Lilium has its ducted fans pivoted vertically, to direct thrust at a range of angles, including straight down, for vertical take off.

Multiple motors can be run at different speeds to turn the aircraft, eliminating the drag created by a vertical tail.

Drag is further reduced by a lifting body design⁴ – the body of the aircraft is shaped to produce lift – thus the wings can be smaller & lighter for the same total lift.

Lilium has backing from the European Space Agency.



Video above appears to be no longer available. Try this:



Engadget – “Lilium's electric personal jet manages a vertical takeoff”
https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/21/lilium-electric-jet-vertical-takeoff-landing/

Futurism – “A Real Life, All-Electric Flying Car Just Took Off”
https://futurism.com/a-real-life-all-electric-flying-car-just-took-off/

Manufacturer’s web site
https://lilium.com/
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¹ Just to complicate things, almost all current jets are of the turbofan type, which is a ducted fan, where the fan is driven by a gas turbine – that is to say, a jet engine.

Wikipedia: “Ducted fan”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducted_fan
“The most common ducted fan arrangement used in full-sized aircraft is a turbofan engine, where the power to turn the fan is provided by a gas turbine. Turbofan engines are used on nearly all airliners, fighters, & bombers.”

² HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “LEAPTech — many more propellers for better performance”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/04/leaptech-many-more-propellers-for.html

³ Picture this: complete blackout conditions at 5,000 feet – engine fails – it is not possible see the ground, let alone look for a landing site – pilot survives – video at the link is definitely worth a look

Cirrus Aircraft: “Cirrus Airframe Parachute System”,
https://cirrusaircraft.com/innovation/airframe-parachute/

⁴ Wikipedia: “Lifting body”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifting_body

/ Lilium electric personal jet vertical takeoff all electric flying car took off Lilium jet concept futuristic aircraft fly couldn't be further from the truth completed series of flight tests Munich Germany the first all-electric vertical take off and landing vertical takeoff and landing VTOL jet capable taking to the skies released a video Lilium's maiden flight plans to conduct manned flights future first series of tests remotely controlled two-seater prototype from the ground release five-seater version fit whole families groups of friends Lilium potential become great personal jet flying car VTOL doesn't need a runway take off and land like helicopter within the city range 186 miles speeds up to 186 mph German startup pre-orders Lilium five-seater variant years of testing successful test flights \backing from the European Space Agency production version make its way to market /

What to do with your old phone

Your old phone has many potential uses
Credit: Macworld UK

Bright, shiny new mobile phone – but what to do with the old one? Some people have a drawer full of them. Two of the more popular options are: sell it, or pass it on to a family member or friend. These are obviously good options, depending on your circumstances, but there are others.

Keep it as a spare – that bright, shiny new phone, may suffer a misadventure – drop, or other physical damage, internal failure, loss or theft. In any of these circumstances, another phone to swap the SIM into, or a new SIM, depending on the misadventure, could be very useful.

Second phone – many have abandoned their fixed phone. A second phone with its own account can become a home phone. Some mobile phone providers have pay-as-you-go accounts, with no cost while the phone remains unused. I used such an account with an old phone, for several years, to contact family members at home, at no cost.

Use it as a mobile router – free public WiFi, is not always available when you need it, & is not secure¹ – your own mobile data is a more flexible & secure choice. You can use the hotspot function of your mobile phone, or, if your data allocation is insufficient, an additional, data only account. Rather than buying a purpose-built mobile router,² use your old phone at no cost.

Other possibilities include:
● add it to a multi-camera video shoot
● baby monitor
● video doorbell
● GoPro replacement
● dedicated VR headset
● white noise generator

7 ways to repurpose an old Android phone
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/ways-to-repurpose-an-old-android-phone/

8 ways to repurpose an old iPhone
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/repurpose-an-old-iphone/
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¹ HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “VPN Internet security for mobile use”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2017/03/vpn-internet-security-for-mobile-use.html

² Many mobile routers are available, such as: Huawei's Mobile Wifi Pro, http://m.huawei.com/enmobile/consumer/mobile-broadband/mobile-wifi/detail/e5770-en.htm

Google, “mobile router”, to see many more.

/ what to do with your old phone your old phone has many potential uses bright shiny new mobile phone what to do with the old one some people have a drawer full of them two of the more popular options are sell it pass it on to a family member or friend other options spare bright shiny new phone drop or other physical damage internal failure loss or theft another phone to swap the SIM in new SIM useful second phone fixed phone second phone with its own account home phone mobile phone providers pay-as-you-go accounts no cost while phone remains unused old phone contact family members at home at no cost mobile router free public WiFi not always available when you need it not secure your own mobile data more flexible and secure choice use the hotspot function your mobile phone your data allocation is insufficient additional data only account purpose-built mobile router your old phone backup phone dedicated camcorder add it to a multi-camera video shoot baby monitor video doorbell GoPro dedicated VR headset Amazon Echo nightstand repurpose an old Android phone repurpose an old iPhone VPN Internet security for mobile use mobile router mobile router smartphones smartphone upgraded upgrade upgrade your old phone sell it defray the cost of the upgrade option repurposing that old phone favorite uses for a discarded Android smartphone iPhone phones lost stolen broken phone my old standby access to my calendar contacts email they're all synced daily-use apps Facebook Spotify Twitter password manager no better short-term rescue option new phone pop the SIM card out old phone restoring voice and data repair repairs old phone in a drawer low-cost second line no-cost second line unlocked GSM phone model SIM card Freedompop sign up Basic plan 200 voice minutes 500 text messages 200MB 4G data per month at no charge how to set up a backup phone dedicated camcorder recording wedding kid's soccer game music video indie movie multiple cameras edit mix footage different angles positions create much more interesting video your old Android great second camera older lower-end phones capture at least 1,920x1,080-pixel video 30 frames per second as much storage as possible new footage baby monitor video Android phone baby-monitor duty exceed standalone products app like Dormi audio and video monitoring app offers two-way audio crying baby audio video audio/video feeds Android phone connected via Wi-Fi Dormi app supports multiple parent devices phone that's doing the monitoring app is free unlock lifetime monitoring video doorbell door duty outdoor Wi-Fi webcam smart doorbell phone full-time video monitor Canary Flex versatile security-minded webcam video doorbells August Doorbell Cam DoorBird Video Door Station Ring Video Doorbell SkyBell Video Doorbell GoPro video option turn your old phone into a GoPro solid camera in there mount it for action-video duty Velocity Clip phone mounts bike chest head strapped to your head cheaper than buying a separate GoPro mount option cheap Bluetooth camera-shutter button start and stop video recording dedicated VR headset old Android phone iPhone virtual reality smartphone virtual reality VR experiences headset and some apps headset universally compatible VR goggles adjust focal width adjust focal length accommodate users less-than-perfect vision Bluetooth gamepad control games and access menus apps Google Play Store search for VR Google Cardboard Android and VR headset iPhone iOS App Store nightstand old phone nightstand lamp serve countless purposes alarm clock alarm Voice Snooze Alarm iPhone iOS App Store alarm clock snooze customizable vocal command clock radio TuneIn Radio alarm sleep-timer features dedicated e-reader iBooks Kindle Nook OverDrive iPhone iOS App Store app meditation player Calm spare Roku remote latest update white-noise machine white noise machine /

Giant iceberg in Iceberg Alley

Iceberg Alley is an area stretching from the coast of Labrador to the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. Every spring, icebergs from the massive glaciers on the west coast of Greenland appear there.

In the past week, many more icebergs than usual have appeared, including this monster:


Ferryland, Newfoundland, Canada
Credit: Greg Locke/Reuters/Huffington Post

More, larger glaciers, appearing earlier in the season is consistent with climate change.

Wired: “An Enormous Hunk of Ice Gets Stuck in Iceberg Alley”, https://www.wired.com/2017/04/enormous-hunk-ice-gets-stuck-iceberg-alley/ / giant iceberg in Iceberg Alley Iceberg Alley coast of Labrador to the northeast coast island Newfoundland every spring icebergs massive glaciers west coast Greenland more icebergs than usual many more icebergs consistent with climate change accelerating chunks Greenland ice sheet break off & float away enormous hunk of ice stuck Iceberg Alley enormous 150-foot tall iceberg near Ferrlyand Newfoundland Canada earliest icebergs break free and drift down Iceberg Alley Newfoundland famed Iceberg Alley passing icebergs each spring chunk of ice double take especially big one ran aground near the village of Ferryland iceberg towers 150 feet above dark blue water North Atlantic unusually large Ferryland beautiful iceberg start of iceberg season along the Northern Atlantic coastline each April icebergs Arctic float away carried south by the current past Labrador and Newfoundland open sea season started early this year March storm broke up more sea ice than usual Ferryland a popular tourist destination /

Kentucky coal investing in solar

Credit: Electrek

Kentucky is a US state famed, perhaps most of all, for its bluegrass (the pasture plant & the music), & for its coal mines. It’s making progress towards note for its solar energy output too – & coal interests may be the drivers:

● Kentucky’s Berkeley Energy Group & EDF Renewable Energy are considering a solar farm with a peak capacity of 100 megaWatts:

Renew Economy – “Kentucky coal company to build state’s largest solar farm on old coal mine”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/kentucky-coal-company-build-states-largest-solar-farm-old-coal-mine-14857/

Insurance Journal – “Coal Mining Company Proposes Turning Kentucky Mine Into Solar Farm”
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2017/04/21/448601.htm

● In the small town of Benham (population 500¹), the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum, owned by Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College, is investing in solar panels. Budget cuts have necessitated cost saving measures:

WYMT – “Kentucky Coal Mining Museum converts to solar power”
http://www.wymt.com/content/news/Kentucky-Coal-Mining-Museum-converts-to-solar-power-418430563.html

Huffington Post – “A Coal Museum In Kentucky Went Solar This Month. The Backstory Is Even Better.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kentucky-coal-solar_us_58f76a49e4b029063d3590a9

New York Times: “Coal Museum Sees the Future; Trump Doesn’t”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/opinion/coal-museum-sees-the-future-trump-doesnt.html

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¹ Wikipedia: “Benham, Kentucky”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benham,_Kentucky

/ coal mining company turning Kentucky mine into solar farm former strip mine converted into solar farm under proposal Appalachian coal company hundreds of thousands of panels Kentucky mountains Berkeley Energy Group EDF Renewable Energy former Democratic state Auditor Adam Edelen mountaintop removal site Pikeville Kentucky coal country diversify energy output nation’s third-largest coal producing state economic impact declining coal industry state legislature voted decades long moratorium nuclear energy Kentucky Coal Museum installed solar panels on its roof build solar on the foundation of coal Kentucky energy producer powered the entire country adopt an all of the above energy strategy Kentucky more than 80 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power plants percentage dropping steadily coal plants replaced natural gas largest solar farm Kentucky Louisville Gas & Electric’s E.W. Brown Plant Mercer County 10-megawatt array solar panels 50 acres produces enough electricity power 1,500 homes Berkeley Energy Group Development Executive Ryan Johns proposed solar farm generate between 50 100 megawatts electricity sold to power companies along East Coast project cost tens of millions of dollars include hundreds of thousands of solar panels strip mines thousands of acres engineering and cost studies coal mined using mountaintop removal surface coal mining technique blasting heavy machinery remove layers dirt rock coal seams jobs project construction phase officials EDF Renewable Energy hire former coal miners work Eastern Kentucky filled with former coal mines redeveloped various purposes Tyler White president Kentucky Coal Association proposed solar farm subsidies federal tax credits coal rolling back policies winners and losers /

Pebble smartwatch – app update

Pebble 2 smartwatch – last model delivered
Credit: Best Buy

An update to the Pebble app for Android appeared on my phone today. Judging from dates on the comments, it appeared world-wide at the same time. I have no way of verifying this, but it appears that an update for iOS has also been released, or will soon.¹

What will the update do for your Pebble?

“WHAT'S NEW” for the update says:²

We’ve updated our Android app to preserve the Pebble smartwatch experience & remove the dependence on cloud services.
The app lets Pebble devices keep working, even if online servers are not accessible for any reason. The login process can be skipped, apps can be side-loaded, & the latest watch firmware (including language packs) can be installed.
Visit developer.pebble.com for full details.

All of which promises to extend the useful life of Pebble watches.

All functions I use continue to work, including:
● notifications: incoming SMS & email
● phone calls
● music control
● step count (with sync to Google Fit)

● weather continues to update – temperature indication retains the inaccuracy which has always prevented me from using it – to be fair, it's no worse than almost every phone app I have tried

● watch faces continue to be available for download

Pebble – “Pebble App & Developer Transition Updates”, https://developer.pebble.com/blog/2017/04/04/transitioning-update/

Pebble – "First Steps Forward With Fitbit"
https://developer.pebble.com/blog/2016/12/14/first-steps-forward-with-fitbit/
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¹ Pebble: “Pebble App & Developer Transition Updates”, https://developer.pebble.com/blog/2017/04/04/transitioning-update/

² Google Play: “Pebble”
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getpebble.android.basalt / Pebble Into the Future Pebble ecosystem next major transition working hard make sure Pebble users can keep enjoying their smartwatch experience share the progress made Pebblers today continuing efforts honor Pebble's legacy ecosystem functionality Pebble app updated for iOS and Android today’s updates Pebble apps iOS Android liberate from past dependency on cloud services freeing ecosystem from these dependencies Pebble smartwatches can operate normally online servers are not accessible Pebble authentication server can’t be reached mobile app Pebble devices keep working login process can be skipped apps can be side-loaded the latest watch firmware including language packs can be installed iOS users update Pebble app iTunes App Store Android users Pebble beta program download update beta channel updated Android app publicly available Google Play Store soon after the beta channel release full release notes User Account Tokens deprecated getAccountToken() API discouraging developers relying on it consistently generated unique account token API continues to work normally for most users return random unique value users skipping Pebble app’s login process account token value should remain constant user either re-installs the Pebble app switches to a different smartphone danger zone authentication issues likely to arise user re-installs Pebble app skips the login process generate different account token value causing problems validating user account any watchapps purchased from third parties restoring a purchased license third-party watchapp re-validating new account token third-party service new options community developers updates include three new options for Pebble developers integrate efforts official Pebble mobile app Offline Mode link enable Offline Mode mobile app attempting to communicate with any Pebble cloud services Default Mode Online Mode Custom Boot Config link Pebble mobile app load its service configuration from the specified custom URL mobile application periodically check custom URL configuration updates default service configuration files iOS and Android developers new weather property variable identifies which server to ask for weather data /