10 best remote control drones for 2014

Credit: faveable

Mention the word "drone", & most people think of a quadrocopter or a military drone similar to the one in the image above. Actually drones come in a large range of shapes, sizes, capabilities & prices.

● Single rotor, dual rotors, 4, 6, or 8 rotors, or fixed wing

● With or without GPS, gyroscope, gimballed or not

● Camera capability, sometimes accommodating a GoPro.

● Almost any price you want to pay. Prices in the linked article range from $34 to $60,000. The military style drone at the top of this item (a model of the U.S Air Force Predator drone with 5 foot wingspan) can be yours for just $460.

http://faveable.com/articles/74/best-rc-drones / drones buzz curiosity creative sci-fi fantasies drone fascinating expensive tech toys extremely wildlife photographers zoom up close subject aerial views epic landscapes what's other side mountain wall send your drone up scout trail ahead pilot piloting gadgets learning curve beginner tech-challenged newbie mounted camera fun quadcopter GPS capability do it yourself kit helicopter copter ready to fly flight time light frame stable in wind HT-450 Quad RTF with MultiWii STORM Drone 4 Flying Platform ready to fly 2.4Ghz transmitter controller drone carry GoPro camera minutes of flying landing land dragons dragon jet powered jet-powered engine fly 70 mph breathe breathes fire propane tank jet fuel kerosene Flying Fire Breathing Dragon Hammacher Schlemmer UDI RC U816A UFO Quadcopter 6 axis gyro gyroscope Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Quadricopter controlled iPod touch iPhone iPad Android devices live stream 720p HD video smartphone tablet record AR.FreeFlight 2.0 piloting app 4 Channel Predator Reaper Style UAV Drone RC Plane brushless motor replica of the U.S Air Force Predator drone wingspan fuselage flight weight charge DJI Phantom FC40 Quadcopter UAV RC Drone Wifi camera aerial photography DJI Phantom Aerial UAV Drone Quadcopter GoPro detachable first person camera transmitter 984 foot range connectivity 5.8GHz Wi-Fi transmitter GPS flight control learning to fly Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Quadricopter acrobatic DJI F550 GPS Drone NAZA V2 RTF hexacopter six propellers much smoother flight bigger payload recording equipment DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Quadcopter with FPV HD Video Camera and 3-Axis Gimbal shoot smooth video crystal clear stills built-in camera 5200 mAh battery gps navigation USB port quadracopter quadcopter give you more power /

Apple replies to complaints of bending iPhones

Credit: YouTube/Unbox Therapy/ABC

In response to claims of iPhone 6 Plus bending in normal use, Apple has responded that:

● 10 million iPhone 6s were sold over the first weekend after going on sale

● only 9 users have complained to Apple about bending phones

● strengthening includes:
◌ construction from a custom grade of aluminum
◌ tempered for extra strength
◌ high-stress locations reinforced with stainless steel & titanium inserts

● iPhones are tested extensively before release, including the "sit test", which simulates sitting on a hard surface with the phone in the back pocket of a pair of tight jeans

http://online.wsj.com/articles/apple-defends-against-complaints-of-bending-iphones-1411668618

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/25/apple-response-bend-iphone6-6p-plus-nine-complaints / Apple responded firmly claims new iPhones bend in use problems went on sale last social media iPhone 6 larger 6 Plus warped bent carried trouser pockets normal use bend extremely rare nine customers contacted Apple bent iPhone 6 Plus Apple spokesman Adam Howorth contact Apple potentially damaging claims aluminium alloy 7.1mm thick thin thinnest available larger phones bending warping designed engineered manufactured sturdy precision engineered unibody enclosure constructed machined machining custom grade 6000 series anodized aluminum tempered extra strength stainless steel titanium inserts reinforce high stress locations strongest glass smartphone industry 6000 series aluminium alloy magnesium silicon harden high-quality materials construction strength durability perform rigorous tests development cycle 3-point bending pressure point cycling sit torsion user studies iPhone 6 Plus high quality standards endure everyday real life use /

Will It Blend? — Glow Sticks

You probably have a good idea of what happens, but worth a look. / blender light stick light-stick lightstick glowstick /

Will it bend? — iPhone 6 Plus

Credit: MacRumors/PD13/Sydney Morning Herald

Claims have been appearing across the 'Net, that iPhone 6 Plus have been bending in users' pockets. These claims appear to be supported by photographs & the videos below. Some users claim their phones bend after a slight bump.

Is this an example of Apple's "premium construction"?

If yours does bend, don't try to bend it back. Can lead to a cracked screen — see the second video below.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/24/iphone-6-plus-bend-pockets-complain

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/bendgate-apple-iphone-6-plus-found-bending-in-pants-pockets-20140924-10l5qm.html



/ bend-gate bend gate iPhone 6 Plus owners aluminium body bending pocket pockets bend LG bendy G FLEX MacRumors a small but growing number iPhone 6 Plus owners smart phone smartphone bent carry carrying device pocket pockets new 6 Plus bump lightly bumping into someone small nominal amount of force applied Geek.com reports kink front pocket bumped into someone light bump durable sturdier new iPhone 6 Plus 5.5inch diagonal aluminium Cult of Mac metal /

Samsung's Power Sharing Cable lets you share power between devices

Credit: Samsung/phonedog

Keeping multiple mobile devices charged can be difficult. Samsung may have the solution with their Power Sharing Cable, which does pretty much what it says: allow charge to be transferred from one device to another. This would be useful if the device you need to use is about to die & no other charging source is available.

If you are thinking of using this, be aware that neither charge, nor discharge is 100% efficient. So there is a significant loss any time charge is transferred between devices.

Perhaps the most likely use is charging a smart watch from your phone.

http://www.phonedog.com/2014/09/23/samsung-power-sharing-cable-lets-you-transfer-power-from-one-device-to-another/ / multiple smart devices charged up ready to go Samsung new accessory Samsung Power Sharing Cable transfer battery power Galaxy micro USB microUSB hardware users download Samsung’s Power Sharing app Google Play Store Samsung Apps control how much juice cable Samsung’s online store option smartwatch external battery pack /

Space elevator could be built by 2035, says new study

Credit: Extreme Tech

Space elevator? Yes — launching payloads into geostationary orbit is very expensive — around $20,000 per kilogramme using current technology. A space elevator could reduce this to $500.

A space elevator would be a cable, tethered at the equator, around 100,000 miles (160,000 km) long, with a counterweight at the end. An elevator car would climb the cable to geostationary orbit at an altitude of 22,236 miles (35,785 km).

What is needed to turn the theory into practice?

● Material for the cable. No existing material is strong enough.

● Energy to drive the elevator car. Energy to drive a conventional elevator is provided by conventional electric wiring to an electric winch which lifts the cable & the elevator car. A space elevator would consist of a stationary cable & an elevator car which would climb the cable. Electric wire or on-board energy supply would be too heavy. Microwave beam(s), possibly from both ends, may provide a solution.

● Design for the elevator car. This has to be a device which can lift its own mass, plus the mass of the payload, up the cable, without damaging the cable.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/176625-60000-miles-up-geostationary-space-elevator-could-be-built-by-2035-says-new-study / geostationary orbit GEO new report International Academy of Astronautics IAA carry seven 20-ton payloads tether geostationary geosynchronous orbit anchor two million kilograms payloads detailed case space elevator detailed accounting challenges pay-off cost-per-kilogram launch geostationary orbit geostationary orbit satellites Earth Earth's gravity well cheap Earth-assisted launch mission to Mars tether using small rockets predictably unstable fall loops around the Earth fuel budget base Moon Mars IAA’s projections launch mass different technologies significant investment private sector governments corporations billions installing infrastructure in space investment cheap access to space elevator /

Are artificial sweeteners making us fat?

Artificial sweeteners seem, on the surface, to be a simple way to reduce calorie intake, & so lose weight. On the other hand, for some time, there have been suggestions that artificial sweeteners may be implicated in weight gain.

Perhaps equally counter-intuitive, is the importance of gut bacteria in maintaining health.

Emerging evidence suggests, that artificial sweeteners may cause weight gain by their influence on gut bacteria:

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21613311-sugar-substitutes-may-mess-gut-bacteriacausing-obesity / diet coke Coca cola Coca-Cola sucrose sugar to achieve sickly sweetness 15.9 grams can total daily intake recommended women National Health Service Diet Coke sweetness aspartame acesulfame-K chemical chemicals sweeter sugar human body energy sweetness calories artificial sweeteners food additives waistline in check chemicals food sweeteners cause cancer associated with obesity paper Nature magazine evidence artificial sweeteners humans digest microbes guts digestive tract intestine bacteria live cells researchers “microbiome” gut bacteria depression arthritis regulation immune system artificial sweeteners affect intestinal bacteria paper lead authors Eran Elinav Eran Segal Weizmann Institute of Science Israel biomedical research rodents aspartame sucralose saccharin commercial sugar substitutes control group plain water glucose sucrose sugars energy glucose obesity diabetes artificial sweeteners glucose level blood sugar murine microbiome researchers mice broad spectrum antibiotics gut bacteria metabolic changes transplanted faeces artificial sweeteners sterile conditions glucose intolerance gene sequencing make people fat /