Harvard engineering class tries to make the best BBQ smoker
As part of a 14-week-long assignment, 16 Harvard engineering students were given the task to create the perfect brisket. But what did they need to do that? A really, really good BBQ smoker. To build one, Engineering Sciences professor Kevin Parker landed his class a big-name client willing to fund the project: kitchen goods retailer Williams-Sonoma. And, after months of working on it, the result was a meat smoker called the Big Green Egg, which is designed to consistently produce the best possible brisket. The contraption’s curved shape is meant to spread heat evenly throughout the meat, while a slew of heat sensors send temperature readings to a smartphone — and this becomes extremely important in what’s typically a cooking process that takes 12 to 15 hours.
According to the Harvard Gazette, people seem to have enjoyed the Big Green Egg’s meat. “This is first-class brisket,” said Dave Schaefer, a barbecue chef who was at the smoker’s launch event on campus. “This is as good a brisket as I’ve had in months and months.” A student involved with the project added, “I loved it. I’m a huge fan of meat. I figured if we have to do all this each week, at least we get to eat brisket on weekends.”
Look, I’ve had delicious brisket from my days living in the South — including the world famous Frankie’s BBQ in Austin, Texas and, better yet, my father in-law’s (trust me, it is out of control) — so I’m kind of skeptical about the BGE smoker. Still, if Harvard wants to have me over for dinner to try its brisket, count me in. Seriously, let’s make it happen.
[Image credit: Harvard Gazette]
Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Science
Via: Boston Globe
Source: Harvard
Sega will remove select games from the Play Store for not keeping up with the company’s standards
Sega, the Japanese video game developer, has just announced its plans to remove a number of games from the Google Play Store over the next few weeks for not keeping up with the company’s high standards. Users who have purchased a mobile game from the company in the past will still be able to access those games from the My Apps section in the Play Store. There’s no word yet as to which games are being removed, but the company explains that the titles may return in an updated form. These select games are also being removed from the Amazon Appstore, Samsung App Store and the Apple App Store. From Sega:
It is important for us to ensure that all of our fans, regardless of platform or operating system, have a great playing experience and after evaluating our complete list of titles, we have determined that a number of them no longer meet our standards. As a result, we will be removing these titles from the App Store for Apple devices, the Google Play Store, the Samsung App Store and the Amazon App Store over the next few weeks.
Sega has almost 30 classic titles available in the Play Store, including Sonic Dash, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Virtua Tennis Challenge and many more. When the company makes the announcement, we’ll be sure to let you know which titles are leaving and which ones are staying. But for now, you can head to the link below for the entire Sega catalog in the Google Play Store. Be sure to pick up some of these games before it’s too late!
Olloclip Debuts iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ‘OlloCase’ Compatible With Lens Accessory Line [iOS Blog]
At CES, popular iPhone lens manufacturer Olloclip showed MacRumors an upcoming iPhone case designed to work with its line of lenses, and at the time, we were highly impressed with the design. As of this week, Olloclip is now accepting pre-orders for the case, called the OlloCase, which we were able to get our hands on ahead of release.
Those of you familiar with Olloclip’s line of lenses know that they’re not able to work with iPhone cases due to the way that they fit tightly over the iPhone’s camera, so until now, iPhone photography enthusiasts had to choose between using an Olloclip lens and having a case to protect their iPhone from drops and scratches. That’s no longer the case, as the new OlloCase is compatible with the company’s latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus lens systems.
Olloclip’s previous venture into case creation for the iPhone 5 and 5s resulted in a thick plastic case that was overly bulky, but for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Olloclip has designed an entirely new case that’s impressively svelte. Available in clear and smoke black, the case is made from a thin textured plastic that lets the design of the iPhone shine through.
The sides of the case are constructed from rubber (gray for the clear case and black for the darker case) to protect the iPhone from drops. The rubber extends just a bit past the phone’s display to keep the glass free from scratches when it’s placed face down on a surface. There’s full access to ports and there is a deep camera cutout that accommodates the Olloclip lenses. The lens accessory slides right over the top of the case and cleverly replaces the lens insert that shipped with the original Olloclip accessories for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Olloclip’s OlloCase has a simple design that works well on the iPhone even when a lens accessory isn’t attached to the phone, and it makes it easy to slip on a lens when a picture-taking opportunity arises. Adding and removing a lens with the case on is as easy as it is without a case. Compared to the company’s previous lens-compatible cases, the new OlloCase is a significant improvement and worth a purchase for Olloclip owners who want to be able to use their lens systems with a case.
The OlloCase for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can be pre-ordered from the Olloclip website for $29.99. Orders will begin shipping out in June.
Quick Look: Samsung Wireless Charging Pad with MicroUSB Charger
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
One feature that Samsung packed into the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge that they have never offered as a built-in function is wireless charging. It was easy enough to pick up one of their wireless charging cases, or one of a handful of others out there though. There were even a few go getters that created a wireless charging adapter that went behind the rear cover of the device. While some worked better than others, it wasn’t until the most recent flagship that Samsung made it a standard built-in ability. This function now lets users use a variety of Qi wireless charging pads, pucks, stands as anything that is Qi enabled will charge your device. here I will show you a quick look at the Samsung Wireless Charging pad.
In the box:
- Qi compatible wireless charging pad
- USB cable
- 2.0A wall block
- Quick start guide and warranty
The charging pad is a round puck style pad that is constructed of a hard plastic. Sitting in the middle is a raised rubber pad that helps the device stay in place. It is also useful for not scratching the rear gorilla Glass 4 too.
Around the outer edge is a clear plastic halo. There is a LED light that illuminates to show you the charging state. Blue means it is charging and green means your phone is charged.
I distinctively remember the first iteration of wireless chargers being horribly slow at charging a device. This was many years ago and the technology has come a long way. I ran the same battery charge tests that I do for other chargers and battery banks to see how it performed. To best test its charge rates I ran a 10 minute charge with all the usual connections still active. I did the same charge using the stock wall plug.
The stock charger that is included with the wireless charger along with all cellular connections, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and location services connected offered up approximately 7% charge in 10 minutes. The device was naked without a case. Mind you, the charger that it comes with the unit does not enable fast charging.
Leaving the same connections on and placing the device on the Samsung wireless charger it pulled in approximately 5% battery charge in roughly 10 minutes. Again, the device was naked.
While it certainly will take your new flagship a little longer to reach full charge, having wireless charging certainly is a bit more convenient and should help keep extra strain off your USB port. Particularly at the office, in the living room, kitchen or wherever a quick set down is usual. However, there is a flaw in the whole process. Once your device hits 100% the charging pad shuts off and doesn’t resume. In a nutshell, you wouldn’t want to use this as an overnight bedside charging option as you will wake up to less than a full charge on your device. I can’t compare this to others out there as this is the only Qi charging pad I have ever used, but if there are other options that will keep it trickle charging overnight please leave a comment.
I gave it a charge test with the two cases I have sitting here, one being the Samsung Flip View cover and the other being the Rokform Crystal V3. I expected the Samsung case to have no issue as it is fairly thin, I was pleasantly surprised that the phone still charged with the thicker Rokform case on as well. The thicker Rokform case did charge much slower than the slimmer Samsung Flip View though. With the Rokform it slowed to 4 – 5 % per 10 minutes. Not a huge deal if you aren’t looking to grab large amounts of power in a short period of time.
The Samsung Wireless Charger is landing in stores all over the globe right now. Here in the US you can find them for $49.99. If you registered your device you should have received a 30% coupon in your email which knocks the price down to $35 + shipping unless you order something else to get your total over $50, then you get free shipping. Alternatively you can pick them up through Amazon for a little less.
http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wwwandcom-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B00UCZGS6S&asins=B00UCZGS6S&linkId=WZGDTUABMWOXKIAQ&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=truehttp://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wwwandcom-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B00UCZGS36&asins=B00UCZGS36&linkId=NQWJJ2XXOJZORGGI&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true
The post Quick Look: Samsung Wireless Charging Pad with MicroUSB Charger appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Scientists are using powerful X-rays to make better chocolate
Have you ever unwrapped a piece of chocolate only to discover that it looked a little old? That white substance that appears on the delicious confection is known as a fat bloom. As the fats in the chocolate crystallize, they form the rather unattractive white stuff. Fret not, though, a group of scientists from Nestlé, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) are using extremely powerful X-rays to examine exactly what causes the process. And, of course, searching for a method of avoiding the “defects.” With DESY’s PETRA III, which happens to be the brightest storage ring X-ray in the world, the team can examine the blooming process as it happens zoomed in to just a few nanometers. This means watching liquid fats (like cocoa butter) migrate to the surface of the chocolate. A number of factors could prevent the unsightly bloom, from storing chocolate below a certain temperature (around 65 degrees) to adjusting how porous the product is so that those migration routes are slowed. While some permanent solutions are still in the works, if you happen to come across of piece of bloom-covered candy, don’t worry: it’s safe to eat.
[Image credit: EverJean/Flickr]
Filed under: Science
Via: CNET
Source: American Chemical Society
Japanese bankers get exosuits to help move stacks of cash
Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation announced Friday that it will provide Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) exosuits to select senior employees as part of a pilot program aimed at reducing the strain of moving currency. “There have been many cases when a physical burden was placed on senior employees carrying heavy parcels of banknotes and coins. By adopting Cyberdyne’s robotic suits, we can help reduce that burden,” Tomoyuki Narita, a spokesman at SMBC, told the Wall Street Journal. About 16 percent of Sumitomo’s employees (and 25 percent of the nation) are over the age of 65. The HAL is designed to augment its user’s strength, reducing the perceived weight of an item by 40 percent so that a 10-pound weight only “feels” like it weighs 6 pounds. Should the pilot program prove effective, Sumitomo could expand it to more branches throughout Japan.
[Image credit: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp]
Filed under: Robots, Wearables
Source: Wall Street Journal
Anti-graffiti device nabs taggers by sniffing their fumes
Australian taxpayers spent a whopping $34 million last year to remove graffiti from Sydney’s commuter trains. To combat this urban blight, the Australian Department of Transport is rolling out an electronic “nose” that alerts authorities in real-time. This device, dubbed “the mousetrap”, activates when it detects paint marker and spray-can aerosols. It then immediately engages a closed circuit recording of the crime before alerting the police, who pick up the perp at the next stop. The program has already undergone viability testing and, according to CBC News, has caught 30 vandals red-handed. Sydney Trains, the government-owned rail company that operates the region’s commuter lines, hasn’t disclosed how many of the devices will be deployed, only that they’ll be swapped between service lines at random intervals.
[Image credit: New South Wales Police Force/Australia Broadcasting Corporation]
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corp
Deal Alert: Nexus 5 (white) and 1 year of unlimited talk and text for $199 from FreedomPop
It’s rare to find a deal that involves a cell phone and mobile service all in one package and that’s something that you can get right now over in the AA Deals Store. Right now, you can get a white Nexus 5 (16GB) along with a year of free talk and text for $199 from FreedomPop.
The deal includes the following features:
- One year of voicemail service – $30 value.
- One year of tethering – $47.88 value.
- One year of usage alerts – $23.88 value.
- Unlimited talk and text with 500MB of 4G LTE and 3G data per month.
- No contracts or early termination fees.
- Of course, you also get a white Nexus 5 16GB, arguably one of the best Nexus devices ever made.
The Nexus 5 is also unlocked so you can change to another carrier at any point if you don’t want FreedomPop service anymore. FreedomPop also offers a service to port your number to their service which takes 2-3 business days. After the year of free service, customers will be charged $19.46/month and data overage prices are $02.5 per MB.
This is a great deal for anyone looking for a solid phone and cheap mobile service. Even if 500MB is a tad low for many, the unlimited talk and text for 12 months alone is worth giving this deal a second look. Also, $19.46/month for service after the free year isn’t a bad deal either. FreedomPop is an MVNO that runs off of Sprint’s service so be sure you get Sprint service before signing up!
Currently, the deal is set to expire in a few days so hurry before time runs out!
Get the Nexus 5 + 1 year of free service from FreedomPop!
Vivo X5 Pro specifications leak out, to be unveiled May 13th
According to the company’s official Weibo account, Vivo is slated to release its next smartphone, the X5 Pro, on Wednesday, May 13th. Seeing as how Vivo grabbed a ton of headlines in the past few months for producing one of the thinnest smartphones in the world, there’s no doubt that the company’s next handset will push the envelope in one way or another. And thanks to a new leak, we don’t have to wait until the 13th to see what this smartphone will bring to the table.
The X5 Pro has been spotted in a listing from Chinese wireless regulator TENAA, revealing a good amount of the device’s specs. According to the listing, the handset will have a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED 1080p display, a 13MP rear-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture, a 5MP front-facing camera with an f/2.4 aperture, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage. It will also have a 64-bit 1.7GHz octa-core processor, though the listing didn’t reveal what type, specifically. Previous rumors suggest that the device could come with a Snapdragon 615 CPU.
In addition, the device will run Vivo’s Funtouch OS 2.1 software overlay atop Android 5.0 Lollipop. While these are all solid specifications, the most impressive feature on this handset, by far, is the huge 4150mAh battery.
Other rumors have proposed that the X5 Pro will come with a 2.5D glass screen as well as some sort of eye recognition technology. There are no details as to what type of eye tracking tech will be included, so it looks like we’ll have to wait until the 13th to find out for sure.
Bring some classic flair to your new Nexus with these dbrand skins
Google struck gold with its very first Nexus logo, featuring an awesome blue, red, green and yellow ‘x’ that made the design really stick out. While the company doesn’t use that logo anymore, there’s still a way to bring the classic look to your current Nexus device. Popular smartphone skin maker dbrand is currently offering limited edition Nexus skins that bring the traditional Nexus logo to your smartphone.
The Google X Edition skins are only available for current Nexus devices – Nexus 5, 6 and 9. And just recently, the company added the ability to cover up all of the letters in the logo aside from the ‘x’, giving the devices a much more sleek look.
Related Videos
.rvs_wrapper
width: 335px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
#page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
This deal has been going so well, dbrand decided to extend this limited time promotion for a little while longer. With that said, you might want to hurry before these skins become unavailable! dbrand is known for offering its skins for cheap, and these are no exception. The company will make your Nexus into a Google X Edition free of charge. If you’re interested in adding a bit of flair to your device, head to the link below.
AIVAnet 
