Why Tesla gave up on patents

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/why-tesla-gave-up-on-patents/372703/#comments / Elon Musk blog post Tesla website company renounce enforcing patents patent technology company's trademark electric cars electric vehicle EV LiIon lithium ion Tesla's patents made public new company policy conference call shareholders press wall of Tesla patents lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters statement spirit of the open source movement advancement of electric vehicle technology Tesla materialistic drive developing patents cars Zip2 patents societal benefit patents abuse of the patent system individual inventor created technology benefitting society inventors greater good inventions profit John Walker invented the humble match inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee creator of the World Wide Web Internet CERN open democratic Web presence critical mass of users incentive develop infrastructure widespread electric vehicle charging stations patents hold back competition slow down innovation competition enormous flood of gasoline cars more charging stations Tesla's benefit society society's healthy competition pollution polluted air global warming /

Blood transfusions easier, safer, cheaper

Credit: University of Essex/ExtremeTech

Many lives have been saved, & continue to be saved by blood transfusions. But there are difficulties:

● supply volume — despite enormous efforts of collection organisations & donors, shortages occur
● storage — blood supplies must be stored at controlled temperature at great cost
● limited life of blood in storage
● potential cross infection — e.g. fears related to HIV
● blood types continue to cause difficulties — almost unsurmountable problems with the most rare blood types

Researchers at the University of Essex have created artificial blood which promises to solve all of the above problems.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/184294-real-true-blood-safe-artificial-blood-heading-to-a-bloodstream-near-you

Interesting to see what those who object to blood transfusions on grounds of belief make of this. / human blood transfusion transfuse short supply 100 million donations every year supply lacked the proper facilities store manage scientists blood substitutes patients HaemO2 project University of Essex England designing safer oxygen carrier molecule stored at room temperature long periods toxic effects blood substitutes human blood immune cells proteins researchers red blood cell transfusion donut shaped non nucleated cells main solid constituent blood distinctive red color red molecule heart red blood cell ability to carry oxygen haemoglobin hemoglobin iron bearing protein oxygen atom molecule lungs body cells HaemO2 project replicated develop artificial blood toxic side effects walls red blood cell circulation bloodstream decompose ferryl intermediates free radicals HaemO2 modified hemoglobin molecule naturally occurring vitamin C uric acid additional amino acids tyrosine inserting recombinant genes E. coli bacteria growing culture bacteria protein metabolic activity red cells recombinant proteins purified concentrated emergency responders blood typing no blood type markers room temperature emergencies distribution remote areas blood replacement immune compromised individuals as-yet-undiscovered bloodborne pathogens HIV epidemic granted patents transfusions /

Huawei Ascend Mate 2 review: incredible battery life & value

Huawei Ascend Mate 2, Nexus 5, iPhone 5c
Credit: Moshi/The Gadgeteer

Want a phablet, but put off by the price? With its nice spec sheet & good battery life, the Huawei Ascend Mate 2 might just fill the bill.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8031/huawei-ascend-mate-2-review / commodity commoditization smart phone smartphone segment progression of the PC industry buy a good smartphone 500 dollars Google Motorola small Chinese OEMs high end specs price point 350 450 dollars relative market share marketshare OEMs Samsung Apple high spec high value smartphones 5 inch display size segment tablet phablets Galaxy Note midrange phablet Galaxy Mega 6.3 priced contract or more value Huawei Ascend Mate 2 Ascend Mate2 4G SoC LTE modem unlocked device market build brand recognition branding ODM statusscreen battery volume switch rocker power SIM microSD SD card /

IZZYbike has no chain + 2 wheel drive option

Bicycle chains are oily. Oil holds dirt. Chains are a highly efficient method of transferring power, but they still cause losses. By moving the pedals from between the wheels to directly connected to the front wheel, the chain is eliminated, & with it, all of its disadvantages. At the same time, the bicycle becomes shorter, making it easier to maneuver & store. With the front & back wheels much closer together, it is easy to insert an idler wheel between them, providing 2 wheel drive. / bike chain dirty and noisy manufacturer replace belt drive Polish inventor Marek Jurek IzzyBike prototype drivetrain built in front wheel hub less mess fold bike extra hinges built into the frame very short wheelbase maneuverable 29 inch wheels jockey front and back wheels 2-wheel-drive increased traction more comfortable ride increased stability better visibility industrial partners potential customers price materials accessories /

Carry-on shame

"As we board, we notice  them. The baggage hogs. Those uncaring, rule breaking, inconsiderate passengers who knowingly take too much on board:

http://1bag1world.com/2014/06/carry-shame/ / toting sizer fitting weight reduced carry on carry-on bag fit overhead bin personal item small enough fit under the seat in front enough room extend our legs board boarding baggage hog uncaring rule breaking inconsiderate passengers on board pay for checked bags don’t know how to pack waved past passed gate agent the whole world revolves around me take up entire overhead bin over-sized carry-on bag over sized carry on personal item large dimensions allowed carry-on bag fit under the seat travel writer Spud Hilton travel editor San Francisco Chronicle name shame shaming take advantage of the system passenger pass security take a photo or video culprit post it on Twitter Instagram Vine hashtag  #carryonshame post the best Bad Lattitude blog SFGate post Twitter Instagram @CarryOnShame carryonshame airlines listen start cracking down United enforce enforcing enforcement shame few people /

Humans are brainy weaklings

The heading is obvious to most of us: the achievements of the human mind eclipse anything achieved by other animals. By contrast, in the physical sphere, there are animals that can run or swim faster & lift greater weights.

Some of the difference in physical capability are due to reasons other than strength: e.g. swimming speed of some fish is substantially due to their torpedo shape. Four legs & a flexible spine give the big cats a longer stride which partly explains their great speed.

While there is an obvious relationship between size & strength, gram-for-gram, chimpanzee muscle is twice as strong as human muscle.

Recent research, described in the linked article, indicates that the parts of the human brain associated with intellect has been the site of accelerated evolution. No surprises there. Puzzlingly, in parallel, human muscle has evolve to be less strong, gram-for-gram. Result is the greater intelligence & lesser strength of humans, compared with our closest living relative, the chimpanzee.

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21602988-human-beings-are-brainy-weaklings-muscled-out / geek nerd swots weedy jocks stupid cliche cliché paper just published PLOS Biology research researchers Chinese Academy of Sciences Max Planck Institute Germany evolutionary evolution truth Katarzyna Bozek colleagues how quickly human tissues have evolved compared other mammals human brain stronger species muscles weaker demonstration science hypothesis human brains 2% adult body weight fifth metabolic energy Richard Wrangham Harvard University cooking makes more nutrients available food raw state neurological expansion Homo sapiens supply brain energy other human organs under pressure economise muscle economised a lot Dr Bozek colleagues study metabolome water-soluble chemicals small molecules sugars amino acids vitamins biochemistry research researchers five types of tissue individuals four species mammal humans chimpanzees rhesus monkeys mice previously healthy dead individuals humans died mainly in accidents tissue types brain prefrontal cortex visual cortex cerebellum thigh muscle kidney metabolic enhancement metabolomes two species proportional time evolving separately larger differences particular type of tissue suggest strong specific evolutionary pressures on that tissue human prefrontal cortex complex cognitive behaviours abstract thought show markedly greater differences metabolome equivalent other species tissues thigh-muscle metabolism Homo sapiens sacrificed brawn for brains /

Will Tesla share its technology with other automakers?

Elon Musk has said & written, recently that other vehicle manufacturers are progressing too slowly with electric vehicles &, as a result he is contemplating making Tesla's technology available to them. This will be, "... in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology." He has also come to doubt the merits of patents, describing a patent as, "... a lottery ticket to a lawsuit".

Firstly, at the recent 2014 Tesla Shareholders' Meeting

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/does-tesla-plan-to-share-its-battery-technology-with-other-automakers/

Secondly, in a post entitled, "All Our Patent Are Belong To You", in the Tesla Blog, 12 June 2014, US Pacific Time

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1092697_musk-tesla-going-open-source-lifting-patents-in-good-faith

Tesla Shareholders' Meeting 2014

Part 1
http://youtu.be/FQMOq-qWVBg

Part 2
http://youtu.be/FQMOq-qWVBg

Tesla Blog post, "All Our Patent Are Belong To You", 12 June 2014 US Pacific Time

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you / wall of Tesla patents lobby Palo Alto headquarters removed Tesla Motors accelerate the advent of sustainable transport EV electric vehicles lay intellectual property landmines behind us inhibit others first company patents they serve merely to stifle progress entrench the positions of giant corporations enrich those in the legal profession rather than the actual inventors create patents copy our technology massive manufacturing sales marketing power overwhelm Tesla major manufacturers small non-existent large automakers producing electric cars limited range limited volume zero emission cars Tesla to build electric cars carbon crisis market is enormous small trickle non-Tesla electric cars produced enormous flood gasoline cars LiIon lithium ion battery charge recharge charger SuperCharger /