London’s Mayor plans Knowledge-like test for Uber drivers

London’s Mayor wants Uber drivers to pass a test similar to the “Knowledge” before they can start working in the capital. In a State of London debate, Boris Johnson said it wasn’t fair that taxi drivers spend years preparing for the famous exam, which tests their geographic knowledge, while minicab drivers are able to take to the streets straight away. The MP also said he disapproves of “the brash attitudes” of large American internet companies and wants to do more to champion London’s black cab industry. As such, his proposed test for minicabs would be easier than the Knowledge to ensure regular cabbies “retain their distinctiveness.” It would, however, make certain that Uber drivers “understand more than the difference between left and right,” according to the Mayor.

Johnson said the exam, which is in consultation with Transport for London (TfL), would cover communication skills too. It would confirm that drivers have a basic grasp of the English language so they can converse with passengers and respond to any problems that arise on their trips. However, a greater threat to Uber’s rapid growth could be the Mayor’s proposed cap on minicabs. During the debate, he accepted Uber’s popularity but said he was concerned about the “glut of minicabs” now congesting London. “I think it’s time for us to seek a ceiling — a quantity license system for the number of minicabs,” he said.

None of these proposals would take Uber out of business, but they could benefit taxi drivers immensely. If it becomes harder for Uber to recruit new drivers and get them on the road, the public would have little choice but to start taking regular black cabs again.

Update: Uber says it supports the Mayor’s plans. “We already interview our drivers face to face to ensure they have the necessary language skills but we would support a more stringent English language requirement for private hire drivers. A topographical test is currently undertaken by all PHV drivers, but we also agree it should be reformed.”

[Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

Filed under: Transportation

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Via: Huffington Post

Source: State of London

Research spat turns a GM lamb with jellyfish DNA into lunch

There’s a scandale playing out at a genetic research facility that caused a valuable lab sheep to end up as someone’s gigot d’agneau dinner. France’s National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) has been breeding sheep that are genetically modified with a florescent jellyfish gene to aid heart researchers. Unfortunately, a lamb called “Ruby” ended up at the slaughterhouse and on someone’s assiette, possibly with a different, more minty jelly. Worse yet, it appears that the incident happened not by accident, but because of some kind of professional feud that escalated way out of control.

According to Le Parisien, animosity had built up over several months between an INRA employee and his boss. At some point, the empoyee called a slaughterhouse to pick up Ruby, saying that it was a regular non-modified sheep. He then allegedly told INRA officials that his boss tried to hush up the incident in an attempt to get him fired. Once INRA officials discovered the details, it issued an alert, saying “as a world-renowned institute, we can’t tolerate such behavior… (which) calls for a severe response.” It asked French police to investigate the incident, which could result in prison term for the perpetrators.

We’d be very curious to see the Yelp review.

If accusation is true, it’s hard to believe someone would allow such a valuable animal to be destroyed over a petty dispute. The sheep were modified to help researchers study therapies for heart attack victims, including transplant recipients. In any event, the sheep posed no risk for consumption, though we’d be very curious to see the Yelp review on the final dish.

[Image credit: Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images]

Filed under: Science

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Via: Washington Post

Source: INRA, Le Parisien

The Elephone P8000 gets listed on Flipkart with a Rs. 12,999 price tag

Elephone’s upcoming P9000 smartphone is believed to be launching with a MediaTek’s deca-core Helio X20 processor at its heart in October, but in the meantime we have news that the P8000 is being launched in India.

The Indian online retailer, Flipkart, has the Elephone P8000 listed for Rs. 12,999 ($205), and while the handset isn’t available to order just yet, it’s believed that it should become available by the end of this month. So what does the P8000 bring to the table?

Specifications:

• Android 5.0 Lollipop (with confirmed update to Android M)
• 5.5-Inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution
• MediaTek MT6753 Octa-core processor (64bit)
• Mali-T720 GPU
• 3GB RAM
• 16GB Internal storage
• MicroSD card support
• 13MP Rear camera with flash
• 5MP Front-facing camera
• Dual Micro-SIM
• 4G LTE/ 3G HSPA+
• Bluetooth/ WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ GPS/ NFC
• FM Stereo
• Fingerprint sensor
• Dimensions: 76.6 x 155.2 x 9.2mm
• Battery: 4,165mAh

Does the Elephone P8000 tick your boxes? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Flipkart
Via: FoneArena

Come comment on this article: The Elephone P8000 gets listed on Flipkart with a Rs. 12,999 price tag

EE’s free Power Bar portable chargers are available again

The UK carrier, EE, announced a customer rewards scheme with a difference back in April by giving its members a chance to sign up to receive a free external battery pack called the Power Bar with a 2,600mAh capacity. But after receiving more than a million requests in just four days, EE had to temporarily halt accepting new applicants. If you’ve had to wait to claim your free Power Bar, you are in luck because EE has just started accepting new sign ups again.

All you have to do to get your hands on the Power Bar is send the word ‘POWER’ to 365 and wait for your unique code to be sent before you can collect it. The text does charge you 35p, so the Power Bar isn’t quite 100% free, but hey, 35p isn’t much considering that you can also swap out a depleted Power Bar at one of EE’s retails outlets for a fully charged one. Naturally, to take advantage of the offer, you must be an EE/Orange/T-Mobile customer with a 12/18/24 month contract, although if you have been a Pay As You Go customer for at least 3 months you can also take part.

If you are an EE home broadband customer, you can also get a free Power Bar, just send ‘JOIN’ plus your EE landline number to 60005. Again, the text will cost 35p.

Power Bar features:

• 2,600mAh capacity
• Guaranteed lifetime of 500 charges
• Charging indicator lights
• Built-in LED torch
• Includes a MicroUSB cable
• Recharges in 4 hours

Source: EE

Come comment on this article: EE’s free Power Bar portable chargers are available again

The next Ubuntu phone is here, but you’ll need an invite

Another Ubuntu phone, another unusual launch. After the BQ Aquaris E4.5, which debuted with a series of online flash sales, Canonical is following up with an invite-only handset built by Meizu. Yep, the same Meizu that once hoped to release an Ubuntu phone in 2014. The new MX4 “Ubuntu Edition” has been available to developers in China since May, but starting tomorrow you’ll be able to order one in Europe too. At least, you will if you’re lucky enough to receive an invite. Canonical and Meizu aren’t revealing how many will be available each day, so you’ll just have to visit their teaser site, complete the “origami wall” and hope for the best. The company is also staying tight-lipped about whether the invite system will eventually be dropped and if the MX4 will later be sold in other markets.

Just like the Aquaris E4.5 and E5, the €299 ($345) MX4 is a modified version of an existing Android handset. It boasts a sharp 5.36-inch display, an octa-core MediaTek 6595 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 3,100mAh battery. For photo-fiends there’s also a 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper. On paper it’s a competent mid-range handset, but there’s little here to grab the attention of power users.

At MWC we were a little underwhelmed by the device, especially in comparison to the ambitious Ubuntu Edge. Canonical has been slow to develop its software and what was once an intriguing platform is now up against Android Lollipop and iOS 8 — not to mention their fast-approaching successors. Some of the ideas around Scopes — categorised home screens that aggregate content from multiple sources — feel fresh and unique, but it’s hard to see how they’ll appeal to anyone beyond the hardcore Ubuntu crowd. Canonical seems to have accepted this, as it’s calling tomorrow’s launch a “journey” rather than a “day one volume play.” Maybe the company is wise to keep its expectations in check, but after two and a half years we had hoped the platform’s launch would pack a little extra punch.

Filed under: Cellphones

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Ford wants customers to rent their cars to other people

Although Ford’s main business is selling cars, it also operates a number of other services that help people do more with them. It’s app-based GoDrive service already allows Brits to rent a car on a pay-as-you-go basis, but now it’s experimenting with letting its US and UK customers rent their own vehicles out to other people. Today, it’s inviting 12,000 Londoners to join its new scheme and will invite a further 14,000 US customers in the near future.

In the UK, Ford has teamed up with easyCar Club, a sister company of budget airline easyJet, to provide on-demand cars for younger drivers. In the US, Getaround will do the heavy lifting. Like Airbnb, renters can search for a nearby car, book online and then collect the keys from the owner (either in person or from a safe), earning them some extra money in the process. After all, owning a car in a city can be expensive, which is why sharing services have boomed in recent years. Ford says Londoners can enroll for the six-month pilot from today, with signups closing on August 1st. However, it remains to be seen whether customers will feel comfortable handing over their keys to a complete stranger.

Filed under: Transportation, Internet

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