Yahoo’s new app is your guide to streaming

We’ve all been there. You decided on a movie or TV show and fired up Netflix only to find it wasn’t available on the service. Next, you tried Hulu. Nope. Then it’s on to Amazon, where you had to rent the movie because it wasn’t in Prime’s free library. Bummer. Rather than waste time hunting for what you’re after, Yahoo’s Video Guide app searches across a host of streaming services, in addition to iTunes and Google Play, to find the content you’re after.

Simply search for the show or movie you want to watch, and the app will let you know all of the places it’s available. After you select your preference, Video Guide will send you over to the appropriate streaming library in a flash. If you’re not sure what you feel like watching, the app’s Mood Picker will help you make a decision with a series of GIFs. While the concept itself isn’t new, most of the previous efforts were poorly designed.

This is an interesting move for Yahoo, a company that paid big money for its own video content from the likes of Saturday Night Live and Community. Now, however, it seems the company is looking to revisit its glory days as a key player in the search (and email) game. At any rate, if you’re looking to give it a shot, Android and iOS apps are ready to accept your queries.

Via: Talk Android

Source: Yahoo

Pee-powered socks generate emergency electricity

A team of researchers from University of the West of England in Bristol, UK want you to pee in your socks. You know, in case of an emergency. They’ve developed a novel power system that leverages your own liquid waste to generate electricity in an emergency. It’s essentially the same process as the still suits from Dune, just with electricity instead of water filtration.

These socks have a series of soft silicon tubes lining the heel that lead up to small microbial fuel cells embedded near the ankle. Walking around mechanically pumps urine from a 640 mL bladder through the silicon tubes and into the MFCs where bacterial colonies convert the liquid nutrients into an electrical charge. It’s not a lot of power, but was enough in lab trials to wirelessly transmit the phrase “World’s First Wearable MFC” every two minutes.

The socks are not yet ready for consumers, mind you. As Heather Luckarift, a researcher at Universal Technology Corporation in Ohio told New Scientist, “It’s not clear how you would get the urine directly into this system — how do you pee into your socks?” Still, once that issue is resolved, these socks could eventually make their way into a variety of applications from military operations to medical treatments. The team published their findings in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics.

Via: Paul Kredosky

Source: New Scientist

Study finds most drone incidents occur in prohibited airspace

The rising popularity of drones is a cause for concern for a lot of folks, not just the FAA. Thanks to the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, we have a bit more info on the dangers created by the UAVs. The center conducted a study of drone sightings and what the FAA classifies as “close encounters.” In other words, any time a drone and a manned aircraft met the agency’s criteria for a “near mid-air collision.” The research, taken from info on flights between December 2012 and September 2015, shows that 35.5 percent of all incidents where the so-called close encounters while the rest were classified as sightings.

When considering all of the reported incidents, nearly 90 percent occurred above 400 feet — an altitude above which drones aren’t allowed to fly. The study also found that “a majority” of the cases also happened within five miles of an airport. And yes, that’s prohibited airspace, too. This means that most of the incidents are happening in areas where drone use isn’t allowed, despite the FAA’s regulations.

In total, there were 158 cases over the nearly two-year period where a drone came within 200 feet or less of a manned aircraft. That number may actually be higher, but a third of the reported close encounters don’t offer an accurate distance measurement. Of the 158, 51 were reported to have happened at a distance of 50 feet or less and there were 28 times when a pilot had to take action to avoid a collision. Lastly, that total count also includes 90 close encounters involving commercial aircraft.

In addition to its regulations and drone registration program, the FAA is working on technology that spots drones illegally flying near airports. Once that’s in place, it should help with the issues of the UAVs operating too close to commercial runways. Drone makers are pitching in as well, with features like DJI’s geofencing system to keep the compact aircraft from causing trouble.

[Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images]

Source: Bard College