Forget what you know about air conditioning
For many of us, it’s hard to imagine summer without air conditioning. ACs make those hot days much more comfortable, they help us sleep, make us more productive and are vital for the elderly who struggle to cope with the effects of high temperatures.
In the US, ACs are often also used for winter heating and remain a must have device all year round.
tado
The challenge of air conditioning
But for all the good ACs have done for us there’s also a flip side – ACs consume a massive amount of energy. Americans use almost as much electricity for cooling than than the rest of the world combined. Almost 90 per cent of American households run ACs, which significantly contributes to the average annual US energy bill of $2,000, while emitting over 100 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
Global warming is real. 14 of the 15 hottest years on record have occurred in the 21st Century, 2014 being the hottest of them all, until 2015 trumped it. Furthermore, the continued rise of global incomes is resulting in a tremendous growth and demand for air conditioners. A recent study by the University of Yale predicted that a tenfold increase of energy consumption for cooling could happen by 2050, driven primarily by the developing world.
The increasing use of air conditioning has the somewhat ironic cyclical effect of making our cities warmer. The hotter our cities get the more AC we use, the more AC we use the more hot air they pump out. Studies have shown that ACs alone can raise a city’s temperature by over 2°F (1.1°C) in the summer.
tado
A smart solution
For those who are concerned about global warming and their energy bill, but need air conditioning, there is a solution. With new smart technology becoming ever more available a huge opportunity has arisen to reduce our AC use without sacrificing our cool homes.
tado°’s Smart AC Control brings the Internet of Things (IoT) to your air conditioner for better energy efficiency and enhanced comfort and convenience. Through the use of your phone’s location, tado° automatically switches down the AC when the last person leaves the house and switches it back on again when it detects the first person heading home.
With the web-based service IFTTT, the tado° geolocation feature can also be used for purposes other than cooling. For example, when the last tado° user leaves the house, not only will the AC automatically go to savings mode, but simultaneously the lights and electric home appliances like the coffee machine or TV switch off, the alarm system activates and the front door locks.
The Smart AC Control works with all remote-controlled ACs. Whether you have a split, portable or in-window AC, tado° will connect to it by replacing your old remote control. If your AC also works as a heat pump then tado° can be used for your home heating as well as cooling.
It doesn’t matter if you’re at home, at work or on holiday, with the tado° app on your phone you’ll always know your home temperature and can easily change the settings via manual control on your Apple, Android or Windows phone, tablet or computer.
The Smart AC Control saves money and energy, allows for flexible schedules and serves those who want to ensure that their home is already cool once they step through the front door. Studies have shown this can reduce AC use by up to 40 per cent and works equally well for those whose priority is a cool and comfortable home as well as for those whose primary concern is living sustainably.
For more information visit: http://www.tado.com
About tado°
Headquartered in Munich, tado°, the European market leader in intelligent home climate control solutions, was founded in 2011. With its Smart Thermostat and Smart AC Control, tado° revolutionizes the way energy is consumed at home. Through the use of a geo-aware app, tado° automatically adjusts the temperature based on the residents’ locations, enabling households to save up to 31% on energy costs while reaching a higher level of comfort.
Best TV and movies to watch this weekend on Amazon, Netflix, Now TV and more: House of Cards Season 4…
There’s really only one major show dominating news from the streaming services world at the moment; House of Cards season four is now available to watch on Netflix in its entirety. But while we obviously focus on that as one of our streaming highlights for this weekend, there’s still plenty of other shows and films available on other services too.
Indeed, we scour the different apps and channels available on devices such as the Roku family of set-top-boxes to bring you our picks each week. And you certainly won’t be left with “nothing on the box” if you subscribe to any of the major providers.
We’ve also chucked in a show available for free, as long as you own a compatible device. And there’s a delightful Oscar-nominated movie to rent or purchase without a subscription for good measure.
Enjoy.
READ: Best TV shows on Netflix, Amazon Video and Now TV you can’t watch anywhere else
HBO
Vinyl
(Now TV)
Vinyl basically does for the music business what Mad Men did for advertising and Boardwalk Empire did for prohibition racketeering.
Executive produced by Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese, with the latter also directing the two-hour opening pilot episode, it spatters its fictional 70s-based, drug-fuelled tale with representations of real-life rock stars.
Wildgaze Films
Brooklyn
(Sky Store, Google Play, Sainsbury’s Entertainment on Demand, Amazon Video)
Although it missed out on the three Oscars it was nominated for, Brooklyn did grab a BAFTA for the best British film and rightly so.
It is moving and beautifully paced, with an excellent script by author Nick Hornby, who adapted the novel by Colm Tóibín. Lead actress Saoirse Ronan is also superb as Irish immigrant Eilis, as we follow her attempts to integrate into the New York lifestyle of the 1950s.
Netflix
House of Cards
(Netflix)
Season four of House of Cards is the most recent addition to the Netflix line-up and, excitingly, all 13 episodes are now available to view on Netflix.
Kevin Spacey once again steps into the leather brogues of President Frank Underwood although this time his wife Claire (played by the ever brilliant Robin Wright) can potentially throw so many spanners in the works, the metaphorical house of cards could collapse in spectacular fashion.
Red Wagon Entertainment
Insurgent
(Amazon Video)
The second movie in the Divergent trilogy hits Amazon Video for Prime members to stream as part of their subscription. The adaptations of Veronica Roth’s science fiction novels for young adults have not quite hit the heights of the Hunger Games flicks in box office success, but Insurgent and the original Divergent (also on Amazon for Prime members) are worth catching up on.
Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) continues her fight against the powers that be, with plenty of sci-fi action thrown in for good measure.
Universal Television
Heroes Reborn
(Demand 5)
Still awaiting a name change to My5 on Roku and similar devices, you should visit the older-styled Demand 5 nonetheless as it has the first three episodes of the long-awaited Heroes reboot series.
Few characters have made the transition since Heroes last aired but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This time we see a new breed of superpowered beings hunted by nefarious agents after a terrorist atrocity blamed on one of their kind.
With a Roku streaming player you can turn any TV into a Smart TV. Stream your favourite TV show or movie from one of the 1,700+ channels including Netflix, NOW TV, Sky Store, Google Play, BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4, Demand 5 and many more. With a ton of great movies and TV shows available, you can find the perfect title to match your mood. Enjoy hundreds of free channels, your favourite subscription-based services, rent or buy. You choose what to watch, where to watch it, and how much to pay for it!
Don’t have a Roku streaming player yet? Shop now at Argos!
Virtuali-Tee AR t-shirts not for the squeamish, will take your kids on a fun, bloody ride
Engaging children in educational pursuits is a fickle old game. A popular route to success has been with edgy content from shows like Horrible Histories. Based on the books of the same name these highlight the gruesome side of life in the past, in a way that engages the younger members of a family.
This unusual approach not only makes the shows and books more popular but triggers children’s questions about history. It tricks them into thinking about what it would be like to live in a particular period of history.
A new piece of tech is doing a similar thing, but for biology. By wearing a special Virtuali-Tee t-shirt (or getting a parent to put one on) children can use a related app to view their or an adult’s insides in real time. This in itself is pretty impressive, but users can then zoom in and around each of the organs and see them working in full 3D.
The result has that same slightly squeamish, gruesome feel to it. Like Horrible Histories it completely changes how children experience the topic. Biology is no longer something learned at a distance from text books but is instantly applied to their or others’ bodies.
Curiscope
This “squeamification” of education is then taken to the next level by popping the smartphone in a VR device, like Mattel’s View Master or Google Cardboard. This provides a first-person view of the experience.
While the technology to achieve all this has existed for some time, it’s the combination of content and tech that makes the real difference here. In fact, children may not even see it as learning – it’s just a fun look at their insides.
Educationally this is substantial though. Not only does it offer a creative and unusual way to communicate the basic facts of anatomy but it delivers this as a lived experience rather than text or illustrations in a book.
Because the learning is about their own bodies, children instinctively apply it to themselves.
Seeing it in action ourselves, there are all sorts of extensions and applications that spring to mind. One mooted by the developer is to link the beating of the heart to a heart rate monitor on a smartwatch so it matches the wearer’s real heart.
If you want to get in early on Virtuali-Tee there is a Kickstarter project where you can back it.
At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.
Robots could get soft, stretchable skin that changes colors
Researchers from Cornell University have developed a potential skin material that lights up and stretches to more than six times its original size. The so-called hyper-elastic, light-emitting capacitors (HLECs) are made from transparent hydrogel electrodes wrapped around an insulating dielectric sheet, allowing them to light up when stretched or rolled. Since the skin can handle twice as much strain as earlier materials, it could function as a skin for soft robots that light up to display “emotions.”
“We can take these pixels that change color and put them on these robots, and now we have the ability to change their color,” says lead researcher Rob Shepherd. “Why is that important? For one thing, when robots become more and more a part of our lives, the ability for them to have emotional connection with us will be important. So to be able to change their color in response to mood or the tone of the room we believe is going to be important for human-robot interactions.”
Another possible use for the material is in wearables, perhaps in conjunction with stretchable circuits. “You could be in a meeting and have a rubber band-like device on your arm and could be checking your email. That’s obviously in the future, but that’s the direction we’re looking in,” says researcher Chris Larson.
However, they also compared it to the skin of an octopus, saying the animal has “pigments that enable rapid and detailed camouflaging abilities.” Since their work is also supported by an Army Research office grant, we know what that means. When the robot revolution comes, the hunter droids will be able to use their stretchable, camouflaging skin to hide themselves in plain sight.
Via: Cornell Chronicle
Source: Science
Epic Games: Microsoft can’t be allowed to control PC gaming
Tim Sweeney, co-founder of Epic Games (Unreal Engine, Gears of War), has written a scathing op-ed about Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform initiative for The Guardian. Sweeney argues that Microsoft is creating a closed platform for Windows 10 “the first apparent step” towards locking down a monopoly on app distribution and commerce.
“In my view, this is most aggressive move Microsoft has ever made,” he continues. “Microsoft is moving against the entire PC industry –- including consumers (and gamers in particular), software developers such as Epic Games, publishers like EA and Activision, and distributors like Valve and Good Old Games.”
Sweeney’s issue isn’t with the Windows Store itself — “I believe Microsoft has every right to operate a PC app store, and to curate it how they choose” — instead, he’s angry that Microsoft is launching new Windows features exclusively to developers that participate in what he calls the “locked-down UWP ecosystem.”
UWP apps are intended to be purchased and updated through the Windows Store (which Microsoft takes a cut from). You don’t get a traditional .EXE file, and it’s difficult to sideload them. While right now it’s not a giant problem, as gamers are free to buy from Steam or GOG, but the fear is that Microsoft will continue to improve UWP while neglecting non-UWP apps, forcing developers to play by its rules. It’s a fear that Valve founder Gabe Newell expressed when Microsoft first added a store to Windows with Windows 8.
The solution, Sweeney says, is to make UWP more open. He wants to see UWP applications that you can download from the web or buy from Steam or GOG. Without that openness, either the PC gaming industry has to follow Microsoft to its closed store, or risk falling behind.
He closes the op-ed saying that Microsoft has been very willing to listen to his concerns over the past 18 months, but “Microsoft intentions must be judged by Microsoft’s actions, not Microsoft’s words.”
We’ll end with a full quote, which sums up his views pretty clearly:
“Their actions speak plainly enough: they are working to turn today’s open PC ecosystem into a closed, Microsoft-controlled distribution and commerce monopoly, over time, in a series of steps of which we’re seeing the very first. Unless Microsoft changes course, all of the independent companies comprising the PC ecosystem have a decision to make: to oppose this, or cede control of their existing customer relationships and commerce to Microsoft’s exclusive control.”
Microsoft responded to the allegations saying “The Universal Windows Platform is a fully open ecosystem, available to every developer, that can be supported by any store.” It also notes that it’s easy to rework UWP software for Android and iOS, and that it made sideloading apps easier in a recent update.
Source: The Guardian
Netflix reportedly in talks with the BBC for new ‘Top Gear’
If Amazon is to be the home of new, new Top Gear, then it’s only fitting Netflix gets its hands on new, old Top Gear, right? The Guardian reports that Netflix is “in the early stages” of discussing a deal with the BBC for certain streaming rights to the Top Gear reboot, which’ll be hosted by a six-strong team that includes Chris Evans, motorsport veteran Eddie Jordan and Joey from Friends.
We have no idea what the terms might be at this point, of course. Netflix could become an exclusive streaming partner of sorts, or hold rights in countries where the BBC has exhausted other syndication options. Netflix may even serve as an archive for new Top Gear episodes in the UK once the clock runs out on the 30-day iPlayer catch-up window. But with the BBC planning to launch a subscription streaming service in the US at some point this year, who knows what structure a deal with Netflix might look like.
It’s easy to paint this rumour as Netflix wanting to give Amazon the middle finger. After all, Netflix was said to be interested in Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for an in-house motoring show after Clarkson’s fist sparked the implosion of Top Gear as we knew it. But it was Amazon that ended up splashing the cash — far too much of it, according to one Netflix exec — to secure the trio for an as-yet unnamed spiritual successor.
We’d be way, way more surprised to hear that Netflix wasn’t having some form of dialogue with the BBC, however, since the two have a long-standing working relationship. You’ll find many a season of pre-punch Top Gear available on the streaming service, for instance, not to mention numerous other examples of content deals the pair have struck. Netflix keeps a beady eye on many high-profile UK shows, in fact, such as Channel 4’s Black Mirror, which is it become a Netflix Original in its third series.
Source: The Guardian
A Super Famicom-themed Nintendo 3DS is headed to Japan
If you were watching the Japan-specific Nintendo Direct yesterday, you would have noticed a little hardware treat for classic console fans. A special edition New 3DS XL is coming to Nintendo’s home turf with a Super Famicom design, complete with classic colors and nostalgic “buttons” on the outer shell. It’ll launch in April for 21,600 yen (about $190) but sadly, there’s no word on a wider international release. Of course, to make the jump to North America, it would need a little splash of SNES purple…
Via: Kotaku
Source: Super Famicom Nintendo 3DS
Explore Google Maps with Link from ‘The Legend of Zelda’
Here’s a little something to brighten up your day — open up Google Maps in the browser and you’ll notice that the yellow Pegman now looks like Link. The fabled Hero of Time is there to celebrate the The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, which launches today on the Wii U in Europe and North America. He’ll be sticking around for a good five days, which makes sense given the game doesn’t come out in Japan until March 10th. In the meantime, enjoy dragging his little tunic and sword around your hometown. Who knows, maybe there’s a dungeon or two to be found?
【トワプリHD】…マロだ。海外では今日がトワプリの発売日らしいな。その記念に、Googleマップのペグマンがリンクになっているらしいぞ。3月5日の16時59分までは確認できるから、時間があったら見てみろよ。 pic.twitter.com/hFF3gKBVWw
— ゼルダの伝説 (@ZeldaOfficialJP) March 4, 2016
Source: ZeldaOfficialJP (Twitter)
Video App ‘Vimeo’ Gets Design Overhaul, iOS 9 Feature Support
Video network Vimeo has released an update to its iOS app that brings an overhauled interface to improve content discovery and added support for iOS 9 features.
The redesign offers clearer navigation and adds 16 human-curated video content categories for users to explore, including Music, Animation, Documentary and Travel.
The update also takes advantage of devices running iOS 9, with an option added for picture-in-picture viewing and the benefit of Spotlight search integration.
Elsewhere, the uploading process has been modified to help video creators share their content quicker and easier than before, with new options to password-protect videos or hide them from public listings.
The app’s sharing options have also been expanded to bring them in line with Vimeo’s desktop web interface, allowing videos to be shared publicly, with select groups or only with people you follow.
Additionally, videos in the stream view now appear as thumbnails with descriptions instead of taking up the whole screen, while the new player window offers recommendations for what to watch next, as well as a simpler commenting system and a streamlined method of viewing videos offline.
Vimeo is available on the App Store as a free download for iPhone and iPad.
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Amazon Dropped Device Encryption From Fire OS Before Apple-FBI Case
Amazon has removed the ability to encrypt data on its consumer devices in the latest update to its Fire OS operating system.
The change effectively kills local encryption on the company’s range of Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers and streaming media devices, leaving the data on these devices vulnerable to attacks and potentially accessible to thieves if the devices are stolen.
Kindle Fire, Fire Phone, Amazon Fire HD, and Amazon Fire TV Sticks are all affected after users accept the Fire OS 5 update. The Verge reports that Amazon forum members first flagged the encryption removal on February 21, before the change was picked up by Twitter user David Scovetta yesterday.
While Apple fights the good fight, @Amazon removes encryption as option from FireOS 5 | @csoghoian @normative @eff pic.twitter.com/nggBdtFG7j
— David Scovetta (@davidscovetta) March 3, 2016
It’s unclear why Amazon would choose to reduce the security of its devices, but the change is not a new development and was actually a decision made months ago, according to the company.
“In the fall when we released Fire OS 5, we removed some enterprise features that we found customers weren’t using,” an Amazon spokesperson stated to various press outlets. “All Fire tablets’ communication with Amazon’s cloud meet our high standards for privacy and security, including appropriate use of encryption.”
The news comes amid Apple’s high-profile dispute with the FBI over its refusal to comply with a court order compelling the company to create software that would unlock the phone of terror suspect Syed Rizwan Farook.
Dozens of technology companies, industry trade groups, and encryption experts have been submitting documents to support Apple, all catalogued on Apple’s website. Yesterday, Amazon also put its name to an amicus brief in support of the company’s stance.
Tag: Apple-FBI
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