UMaine’s clean snowmobile runs on (a lot of) natural gas

Take a look at what these mechanical engineering students from the University of Maine say is the only natural gas-powered snowmobile in the US. Why make all these changes to what used to be a stock Arctic Cat XF1100? To compete in the Society of Automotive Engineers Clean Snowmobile Challenge, which was founded to create machines capable of running in Yellowstone Natural Park where rules about noise and emissions keep gas snowmobiles out. Changing the fuel source from gasoline to natural gas not only meant swapping out the gas tank, but also the injectors inside the motor. As you can see in the video after the break, last year’s team got the beast running, but this year students are working on improving the handling and tuning.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Yv55DwoD2M8?rel=0

That large and heavy CNG tank is in place because of the original estimates for what it would take to run a snowmobile for 100 miles (a requirement of the competition), but the team told me it will be replaced with a smaller one in the future. Last year the snowmobile operated using an Arduino microcontroller on top of the stock engine computer, but now that’s been changed too, for a custom ECU that allows for more tuning. To make the handling better even with the sled’s extra size and weight, the team is making changes like moving the tank forward for a better center of gravity, and stiffening the rear suspension.

Judging from the video, even with the extra size, snowmobile riding is just as much fun as with any other machine, and by switching to other energy sources, it could be more environmentally friendly. This CNG sled puts out far less emissions than gas, and proposed gas pipelines could make the fuel widely available in Maine. There are other ideas out there — some teams are working on improved tuning of gas engines for better efficiency, exhaust gas recirculation, and using diesel or electric engines — you can see them riding out in this year’s competition below.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9dEUmz-JI44?rel=0

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Source: University of Maine SAE Clean Snowmobile Team (1), (2)

Carphone Warehouse launching flexible ‘iD’ mobile network next month

Does the UK need another carrier? Carphone Warehouse seems to think so. It’s been rumoured for months, but finally the company is ready to unveil its own mobile network. “iD” will arrive in May and, as expected, be powered by Three’s network infrastructure. What makes it special? Well, the retailer says it’s focusing on a few key benefits. The first is “controlled and capped plans,” which it claims will be the cheapest on the market. It’s also emphasising “flexible” 12-month contracts and 30-day SIM-only plans.

Its biggest differentiator, however, is arguably international roaming. iD customers will get free access to their normal data allowances in 22 countries, which tops even Three’s current offering. At launch, the regions will be: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the US.

Otherwise, Carphone Warehouse is staying tight-lipped about iD. The company is yet to disclose any specific contracts, for instance, aside from a limited-time offer which includes a Samsung A3, 300 minutes, 500 texts and 1GB of data for £19.50 per month.

The UK’s telecoms industry is in the midst of a huge shake-up, so Carphone Warehouse will have its work cut out. Three’s owner is looking to buy O2, while BT is completing its acquisition of EE. In the meantime, BT has launched some SIM-only plans, and Sky is preparing an O2-powered network. Alongside the usual stack of MVNOs, iD could struggle to stand out. Unlike some of these smaller networks, however, Carphone Warehouse has retail stores, and you can bet it’ll be using them to avoid a repeat of Phones4u.

Filed under: Networking

Comments

New bill would extend Patriot Act surveillance until 2020

In case you haven’t heard, the Patriot Act’s Section 215 is set to expire June 1st. That’s the provision that National Security Agency uses to justify its bulk data collection practices. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working to make sure the current rules remain in place. McConnell introduced a bill earlier this week that would extend the Patriot Act’s justification of post-9/11 surveillance until 2020. What’s more, the senator already put the bill on the Senate calendar using a rule that allows him to bypass the usual committee process.

Details are scarce for now, but it seems the bill would extend the current regulations without any changes. If it passes, the legislation would stymie the recent effort to clamp down on the NSA’s spying techniques — especially the collection of cellphone data. McConnell already fought against surveillance reform once, leading the charge that defeated a proposed bill last year on the grounds that current practices help the government fight terrorism. Of course, the NSA itself reportedly considered ending its collection, citing cost and effectiveness concerns back in 2013.

[Image credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call]

Filed under: Internet, Mobile

Comments

Source: National Journal, The Hill

It looks like the government will stop the Comcast/TWC merger

That seemingly ever-looming union between Comcast and Time-Warner Cable looks like it hit another roadblock. The Federal Communications Commission wants to put the $45 billion merger in front of an administrative law judge and issue a “hearing administration order,” which The Wall Street Journal says is a pretty strong message from the government that the deal could die. Why’s that? Because it’s essentially Uncle Sam saying that the business move isn’t good for consumers; that whole Netflix situation’s still pretty fresh on everyone’s mind, it’d seem. WSJ‘s sources say that Comcast and Time Warner could still make a case for themselves, but it may be too late.

Today’s meeting was for the telco behemoths to offer concessions that would ease the government’s mind regarding any anti-consumer aspects of the marriage. Based on unnamed sources, it doesn’t sound too promising for Comcast and Time Warner though. From here, each commissioner needs to vote on approving the business deal for it to take place — today’s move is among the first steps in what WSJ says could be a very long and drawn out process. But it’s not like you were holding your breath on this actually happening or anything, were you?

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet

Comments

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Good Technology announces expansion of Android security support

The focus for Good Technology has been mobile security for nearly twenty years and now the company has a new offering that Android hardware manufacturers can implement with their devices and installed apps. Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) is an interface that secures applications for work that can be accessed through compatible hardware. The access comes from secure key storage through enterprise mobility management that hardware manufacturers are already using today. Good Technology claims that its Good TEE covers everyone involved in an enterprise and end users can forgo the long process of entering password after password.

Good Technology will launch this offering in the form of a beta program next month.

Hit the break for the full press release.

Good Technology Delivers Industry First Hardware-Protected Trusted User Interface and Secure Key Storage for Enterprise Mobility Management

Market-leading secure container solution expands Android device options
and enables more productivity

Sunnyvale, CA – April 21, 2015  ̶̶  Good Technology™, the leader in secure mobility, today announced the first Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and secure key storage for enterprise mobility management (EMM). The Good TEE solution is based on a standard being adopted by Android handset manufacturers that enables hardware key protection for higher security and greater ease of use on a broad range of Android devices. By partnering with cybersecurity expert Intercede, Good is adding hardware backed security capability to all Android Good-secured apps, including Good apps as well as more than 1,600 partner and customer applications developed on the Good Dynamics® Secure Mobility Platform.

“Security and usability don’t have to be a zero-sum game,” said Dr. Nicko van Someren, CTO of Good Technology. “With the Good Trusted Execution Environment IT can ease end user requirements, such as allowing much shorter and more memorable PIN codes, without lessening security of corporate data.”

The Good Trusted Execution Environment offers a single solution for a range of Android devices, including personal smartphones and tablets being brought into the enterprise. According to the Good Technology Q4 2014 Mobility Index Report, which tracks secure app and device activations among Good’s 6,200 enterprise customers, Android device activations represented 25 percent of devices activated during the quarter.

The Good TEE enables greater security on a variety of Android devices. Secure container keys cannot be extracted or cracked by “brute-force” attacks even if the device is rooted, and even if the Android OS has been compromised the user’s PIN cannot be intercepted by a malicious app. Decision makers in security-sensitive and regulated markets such as financial services, government and healthcare will find that this layered approach meets the security and usability needs of their increasingly-mobile workforces.

“Good’s leadership in the enterprise mobility management space makes it an ideal partner for our MyTAM Trusted Application Manager service,” said Richard Parris, CEO of Intercede. “By using our over-the-air Trusted Application provisioning service to deliver its secure UI and key-store functions, Good allows IT to have the highest levels of security without compromising ease of use on Android devices.”

Trials of Good Technology’s TEE solution will begin in May 2015. Please contact a Good sales representative for more information.

About Good Technology

Good Technology is the leader in secure mobility, delivering solutions across all stages of the mobility lifecycle for enterprises and governments worldwide. Good offers a comprehensive, end-to-end solutions portfolio, consisting of a suite of collaboration applications, a secure mobility platform, mobile device management, unified monitoring, management and analytics, and a third-party application and partner ecosystem. More than 6,200 organizations in 189 countries use Good Technology, and we are trusted and deployed in 100% of the FORTUNE® 100 commercial banks and aerospace and defense firms as well as leaders across healthcare, manufacturing and retail. Learn more at www.good.com.

Statements concerning future prospects, business outlook, and product availability and plans are forward looking statements that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. This information is intended to outline our general product direction and it should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. It is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality and the development, release and timing of any features or functionality described for our products remains at Good’s sole discretion.

©2015 Good Technology Corporation and its related entities. All use is subject to license terms posted at http://www.good.com/legal. All rights reserved. GOOD, GOOD TECHNOLOGY, the GOOD logo, GOOD FOR ENTERPRISE, GOOD FOR GOVERNMENT, GOOD FOR YOU, GOOD APPCENTRAL, GOOD DYNAMICS, SECURED BY GOOD, GOOD MOBILE MANAGER, GOOD CONNECT, GOOD CONNECTED CONTAINER, GOOD SHARE, GOOD TRUST, GOOD VAULT, and GOOD DYNAMICS APPKINETICS are trademarks of Good Technology Corporation and its related entities. All third-party trademarks, trade names, or service marks may be claimed as the property of their respective owners. Good’s technology and products are protected by issued and pending U.S. and foreign patents.

Come comment on this article: Good Technology announces expansion of Android security support

Futurist Ray Kurzweil: Nanotech is the key to better EV batteries

Living up to his billing as an inventor/visionary, Ray Kurzweil kicked off an engineering conference in Detroit this week by imagining what might power cars of the future. Sure, he mentioned the self-driving cars his employer Google is working on, but a more interesting response was to a question from our AutoblogGreen colleagues. Pressed on the future possibilities of electric cars and hydrogen fuel cells, Kurzweil first mentioned the “modest” progress batteries have made so far and suggested nanotechnology will provide a solution. He believes that being able to “manipulate energy and matter at a molecular level” will lead to revolutionary applications.

While the relevant nanotechnology is still a decade out, he thinks microscopic fuel cells will be a part of that future, saying there’s already at least one company working on just that. Pack millions of them together, and you could have an inexpensive, powerful source of energy in a small package. Small and powerful enough, presumably, to power that future artificial intelligence Kurzweil (unlike Elon Musk) thinks we don’t have to worry about.

Filed under: Transportation, Science

Comments

Source: Autoblog