​A guy in the UK called the ISS from his backyard and you can too

For most of us, visiting the International Space Station is little more than an impossible dream — but if you know what you’re doing, talking to the orbiting laboratory is surprisingly plausible. No, really: just ask Adrian Lane, a Gloucestershire UK Ham radio operator who called up an ISS astronaut from the comfort of his own backyard shed.

Contacting the ISS wasn’t incredibly difficult for the 52 year old amateur radio operator, but it did take some legwork. Lane had to plot the path of the space station to figure out when it would be flying over his house. When the time was right he reached out to the sky and got a response: an American voice was welcoming him aboard the International Space Station.

Lane said the conversation was pretty mundane, but he was still thrilled — for 50 seconds he talked to astronauts about how the earth looked from above the sky and how their day was going. The situation is a little unique, but actually not all that special: the ISS openly publishes its Amateur Radio frequencies on the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) website. Anyone with a 2-meter radio rig, some spare time and a little luck can reach out for contact. If an off-duty astronaut hears your call, they’ll probably even respond.

[Image Credit: Getty Images]

Filed under:
Misc, Science

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ARISS, The Register

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Leaks point to a new TiVo ‘Bolt’ DVR on the way

So what’s next for TiVo? After the company successfully kicked off the DVR era with its boxes, the world is now changing into one where cable TV isn’t quite as important. Purchasing the remnant of Aereo is one way to get cord-cutters attention, but fusing what’s left of traditional TV with the internet is going to be an interesting problem to solve over the next few years. Dave Zatz has tracked down a mess of filings and even mentions on TiVo’s own website pointing to a new “Bolt.” Based on the recent CableLabs certification of two new boxes July 1st and a trademark application, the Bolt definitely seems like a new DVR, possibly a replacement for the current Roamio.

According to Zatz, sources indicate the new box will have a curved design, as you can see a bit of in the screenshots from a (now-pulled) TiVo webpage. That curvy box also matches the refreshed logo TiVo started using this year, so it could be time for a refresh just to make sure everything looks the same. The page also mentioned a Unified Entertainment System, as well as an “Aereo Edition” but doesn’t hint at potential features. In lieu of concrete details, we can only speculate on what the company is planing, but hopefully it includes an even smoother integration of streaming + TV than what we’ve seen so far from OnePass. Until we know more, why don’t you tell us what you want to see in a new TiVo: HD menus everywhere? Cloud DVR? A new BYO hard-drive setup?

Filed under:
Home Entertainment, HD

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Source:
Zatz Not Funny (1), (2), (3)

Tags: bolt, cablecard, cablelabs, dvr, hdpostcross, leak, streaming, tivo, trademark, tv

GE’s Neuro VR experience takes you inside a musician’s brain

“Welcome to the complex universe inside Reuben’s head.” A mysterious voice boomed through the headphones. With an Oculus headset strapped on my face for GE’s Neuro VR experience, I found myself moving through British musician Reuben Wu’s mind. Bright pink globes and interlinked pipelines flashed before me. What was meant to be anatomical, felt more industrial. It was underwhelming. But soon, the globes made way for a dark abyss and I watched as the neurons inside his brain came to life. They gently sparked and burst into little bolts of neon lightning, replicating the magical, interconnected workings of the complex organ.

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There’s more to virtual reality than immersive entertainment. A team of neuroscientists at GE have used the technology to traverse the anatomy of the human brain. “[It’s] a very interactive and intuitive way of visualizing complex, multi-dimensional neuro imaging data,” Sandeep Gupta from GE Global Research told Engadget. “A neurosurgeon could use tools like these to get a complete view of lesions and possible impact of surgery on brain networks and function. The most immediate benefit of the Neuro VR system is perhaps in training for neuroscientists.”

Even with all the scientific breakthroughs, the human brain continues to be an exploration-in-progress. “It’s estimated that our knowledge [of the brain] is about 50 years behind that of every other organ in our body,” says Cory Strassburger, co-founder of Kite & Lightning, the VR content studio that created the experience. But he believes that’s going to change. “The beauty is this big mystery inside our brain is just beginning to unfold and I think VR will play an important roll on both the scientific and educational sides.”

To ensure that the flashes of neurons matched Wu’s brain activity, the team turned to data sets from his MRI. It took about 45 minutes for the imaging technique to map his brain for visual, auditory and motor functions. “Typically, physicians will view MRI brain scan data one layer at a time on a traditional 2D computer monitor, but VR opens up the possibility of seeing into this dimensional data in 3D space,” says Strassburger. “It’s like the holodeck in Star Trek, you can literally move your head forward and see into Reuben’s brain. If you wanted to, you could scale his brain up to the size of a car and walk around inside.” The result is a brief yet powerful moment inside a stranger’s mind, an experience that will be made available on Oculus Share and Samsung Milk VR.

The final imagery in my voyage through Wu’s brain left me in awe. But, every time I recall the neurons that fired up before me, I wonder how this might play out in a practical hospital setting, where the stakes are high. “[It] will come as more clinically proven methods become available for interrogating and assessing the function of the living brain,” says Gupta. “The availability of these methods is very limited today.” In time, he believes, as neuroscience makes strides, VR and science could collide for a virtual tour of a patient’s brain.

[Images: Kite & Lightning]

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Tags: BrainMapping, GE, KiteLightning, mri, neuroscience, NeuroVR, vr, VRbrain, VrStudio

Audi’s A3 e-tron starts at $37,900 in the US, rolls out in October

If you live in the States and have been itchin’ to get behind the wheel of Audi’s new plug-in hybrid, you’ll soon be in luck. The A3 e-tron “Sportback” (read: hatchback) will arrive at dealers in the US in October, with prices starting at $37,900 before any incentives or tax credits. It’s the auto maker’s first plug-in model to be sold Stateside and carries a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine alongside an electric motor for 204 horsepower. Unfortunately, the EPA’s fuel economy stats haven’t been announced, but you can expect around eight hours of charging time via a standard 120-volt outlet. You can reduce the wait to just over two hours if you’re willing to to splurge for a Bosch 240-volt charger. Looking for more add-ons than the base model offers? The Plus model throws in LED headlamps, heated seats and plays nice with your iOS device for $42,000. There’s also a Prestige option that starts out at $46,800 with features like an MMI infotainment system, Bang & Olufsen audio and active lane assistance can take the total up near $50,000.

[Image credit: Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]

Filed under:
Transportation

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Source:
CNET

Tags: a3, a3e-tron, a3etron, audio, car, e-tron, etron, hybrid, pludinhybrid, plug-inhybrid