EPA hands out $4.5 million to build better air pollution sensors
The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t just want to clamp down on pollution… it wants to develop the technology that helps spot that pollution. It’s handing out a total of $4.5 million in grants to six research teams (including Carnegie Mellon, MIT and the University of Washington) to help develop lower-cost, easier-to-use air pollution sensors. EPA officials hope that this will help neighborhoods track their own air quality and improve health on a local level. You’d have a better idea of whether or not industry really is contributing to the smog in your neighborhood, for instance. Although it’ll likely take a long while before you see results come out these grants, they could easily pay off if they lead to cleaner air in your neck of the woods.
Source: EPA
Why don’t I have the new Nearby mode in Pokémon Go?
Why do I only have Sightings in Pokémon Go?
Pokémon tracking has been restored in the latest updated to Pokémon Go! Well, sort of. What used to ready Nearby for some now reads Sightings for all. Instead of footprints telling you roughly how far away some of these critters are, you get a single icon that tells you Pokémon are somewhere within 70 feet of your current location, and you’re going to have to walk around to find out specifically where your prey is hiding.
Actually, it turns out there’s a whole lot more to this Nearby menu but most of us don’t have access to the new features yet.
What you’re seeing there is the new and improved way to track Pokémon, and what little information you grab from that video is pretty cool. There’s a compass system to show you more generally where to find different Pokémon over a larger area, which means no more wandering around endlessly for something that might run away. This looks like a huge upgrade over the original paw print system, but not everyone has this feature yet.
Why? Did Niantic let an unfinished build leak or something?
Not exactly. What you’re actually seeing is one of many players who have access to a beta feature that isn’t fully available yet. Niantic is testing this feature by releasing it to a small number of people and collecting data on how it gets used. The feature is available exclusively to those select users for now, and it will likely change based on the information collected by this group before it is rolled out to the rest of the world.
How do I get in on this beta?
There’s nothing you can do to be a part of the beta if you aren’t already in it. These aren’t users who have opted-in to something, and these users aren’t contained within a specific place in the world. From what anyone can tell, it was random and could probably be removed at a moment’s notice. It’s not a matter of software version, you can’t sideload a special version of the app. If you don’t have this feature, you have to wait like everyone else.
Look at the bright side, it’ll work really well when it’s activated for you!
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Sony is holding a PlayStation event on September 7th
It looks like we could finally see what Sony has up its sleeve for the future of PlayStation next month. Members of the press have begun receiving invites to a “PlayStation Meeting” scheduled for September 7th at 3pm Eastern. Where? The PlayStation Theater in New York, of course. This confirms reports that began floating around yesterday that Sony would finally show off the revamped PlayStation 4, codenamed “Neo.”
How powerful will it be? Will it pack in an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive like the Xbox One S? As of now, there’s less than a month until we find out. A PlayStation spokesperson tells us that there will be an update on the PlayStation business (the newly formed Sony Interactive Entertainment, most likely) and the PS4 itself.
Seagate’s new 60TB SSD dwarfs the others on the market
Seagate has just announced a whopping 60 TB solid-state-drive, the largest SSD yet with that sort of capacity. Unfortunately, the SSD is only meant for businesses, released as an addition to Seagate’s data center portfolio. With four times the capacity of the next leading SSD, this massive hard drive could hold up to 12,000 DVD movies or even a whopping 400 million photos. Just sit back and think about how ridiculous an amount of data that really is.
The drive was created with quick accessibility in mind, and its flexibile artchitecture means it’ll be simple for data centers to grow from 60TB to accommodate 100TB or more of data in the future, all using the same form factor.
The 60TB SAS SSD is only available right now for demonstration, though it will officially make its debut some time in 2017. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know exactly what the drive itself will look like, though given the fact that it’s just a SSD, I can’t imagine it’ll look especially wild.
Source: BusinessWire
Intel buys an AI processing powerhouse
Intel isn’t the biggest player in the artificial intelligence world, but it might change that very shortly. The chip giant just bought Nervana, a startup specializing in processor-based “deep learning as a service” through technology like its upcoming Nervana Engine, a dedicated AI hardware accelerator due in early 2017. The Intel crew isn’t shy about its intentions. It wants Nervana’s expertise to help boost the AI performance of its Xeon and Xeon Phi processors on top of broadening its AI know-how — it’s a fast track to the future.
The buyout may well be a hedge against NVIDIA. The graphics firm has been big on accelerating AI in both self-driving car systems and its high-powered graphics cards. It could face serious challenges if Intel offers similar power, especially if it’s in a run-of-the-mill server that doesn’t need pricey extras to handle machine learning tasks. Whether or not Intel is targeting NVIDIA, there’s no question that it’s getting serious about one of the hottest fields in tech.
Source: Intel, Playground
Internet meme tries shaming Trump into releasing tax returns
Way back in the years and months leading up to the 2012 presidential election, a loudmouth businessman and reality TV star named Donald Trump continued to push a disproved and fallacious controversy asking Obama to reveal his birth certificate. The paranoid believed it would prove he was born in Kenya and thus ineligible for the office, but the White House released it in 2011 anyway, shutting them down. Still Trump clamored on, shoddily ventriloquizing that not he but others still believed Obama was a fake. Now it’s 2016 and the outsider has somehow become the Republican presidential candidate — and a smattering of internet trolls have turned the tables, claiming that someone else told them he’d donated to the pedophilic North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).
To be clear, as The Daily Beast’s Ben Collins writes, it is incredibly unlikely that Trump donated to an association promoting romantic and sexual relationships between adult men and young boys. Heck, we would never know since NAMBLA is not a non-profit organization and, given its private nature, can legally hide any and all donations, according to The Washington Post. It’s unclear if NAMBLA even really exists anymore, as VICE drummed up only secondhand guesses to its far-dwindled membership. It had become so unknown that Jon Stewart used its acronym as a punchline on The Daily Show, given that most viewers would be clueless as to what it was.
Many people are saying that the Iranians killed the scientist who helped the U.S. because of Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2016
No, the point of the pressure is to fling Trump’s hearsay back at him. By couching his language as passing along the opinions of others, he refuses to take responsibility for his more volatile, aggressive and outlandish claims. By doing so, it stays in the public conversation. So somebody built a bot called AutoModerator and assigned it to post equally ridiculous things about the GOP candidate in the comment sections of the EnoughTrumpSpam subreddit. Here’s an example that’s cropped up in a few threads:
Comment from discussion Trump suggests “Second Amendment people” might be able to stop Hillary Clinton from appointing judges at rally in NC today.
Sound familiar? The point is partially to hammer him into releasing his tax records, so that the world can see where his money is going, and if as much of it is going to charity as he claims. Every presidential candidate in the last four decades has done this, the Post points out.
But it’s also to show how ridiculous his shady attack strategy is. Now Trump’s name is linked with NAMBLA, a pro-contact pedophilia organization, in the national conversation (and in search results). Ideally, this gets everyone to wonder how a fake conspiracy could get this much attention — and then realize how similar it is to the baseless allegations spouted by the GOP candidate for the presidency. And perhaps people will sit up and finally hear what mainstream media has been saying about Trump for months: That he spouts baseless allegations that would get any other candidate booted, and the country lets him get away with it.
Via: The Washington Post
Source: The Daily Beast
Google Chrome will begin blocking Flash in favor of HTML5
Though it’s been a long time coming and the writing’s been on the wall for a while, Google Chrome is finally de-emphasizing Flash in favor of HTML5. Come September, Google Chrome 53 will begin blocking Flash, such as the kind that loads “behind the scenes,” as Google says, which can slow down casual web browsing. HTML5 is a lot less resource-heavy and when pages utilize it, it improves battery life, page loading and responsiveness across the web.
Following Chrome 53, in December Chrome 55 will go even further to make HTML5 the default browsing experience, excepting only sites with Flash-only support. You’ll be given the option to enable Flash when you visit, so it won’t change too much from the way you already browse the web. Last year, Chrome began blocking some Flash ads already, so you’ve likely already seen some of the effects trickling down during regular internet use if you use Chrome, after all.
What this means is you’ll likely see a lot fewer hang-ups when using previously Flash-heavy sites, and fewer crashes to have to worry about — that’s the hope, anyway. It’s part of a larger transition of the web to HTML5, and has been in the works for some time now.
Source: Google
ESPN to Launch Multi-Sport Subscription Streaming Service in Future
The Walt Disney Company has announced it is acquiring a minority 33 percent stake in BAMTech, a video streaming company previously formed by Major League Baseball, for $1 billion. Disney has the option to acquire majority ownership of BAMTech in the coming years.
Disney said it will collaborate with BAMTech to launch and distribute a new ESPN-branded multi-sport subscription streaming service in the future. The direct-to-consumer service will feature content provided by both BAMTech and ESPN, and include live regional, national, and international sporting events. The deal will also support streaming video and digital products from ABC and Disney, and future digital initiatives.
Disney currently offers a free video streaming service called WatchESPN, but a cable or satellite TV subscription is required for authentication. The new multi-sport service would presumably allow cord-cutters to watch live games and other sporting events on the web, smartphones, and tablets for a set cost per month. ESPN broadcasts MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, NCAA sports, and more.
A big caveat: current content on ESPN’s networks such as SportsCenter and Monday Night Football will not be streamed. The service will feature sports content not appearing on ESPN channels, including a mixture of MLB and NHL games.
Apple’s much rumored streaming TV service was originally expected to include content from Disney properties, but the plans were postponed late last year. Apple has a close relationship with Disney, which made the late Steve Jobs its biggest shareholder upon acquiring Pixar in 2006. Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger has also held a seat on Apple’s board of directors since 2011.
Tags: ESPN, Disney
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2017 BMW 3 Series review – Roadshow
Aug 2016
The Good With its plug-in hybrid drivetrain, the 2017 BMW 330e achieves far better fuel economy than a standard 3-series. The navigation system communicates with the drive system to improve efficiency. Balanced weight makes for good handling.
The Bad The 330e only goes 14 miles under electric power, less than other plug-in hybrids, and the air conditioning does not feel very effective.
The Bottom Line The 2017 BMW 330e gives a taste of electric driving, with its associated efficiency, in a competent sport sedan, but its multiple combinations of drive modes will really appeal to number nerds.
Range at 14 miles. That’s what the 2017 BMW 330e’s display says after I leave it on the charger overnight. Combine that zero emission driving with the 330e’s gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain, and you’ve got an EPA-rated 72 miles per gallon equivalent.
The 330e is a very economical BMW.
Then I switch the Driving Dynamics Control to Sport, and also pop the shifter into its Sport position, and suddenly the 330e feels like a BMW. The throttle becomes a sensitive instrument from which to dole out power and the car hangs its tail out in the turns.
It’s no M3, but the 330e holds up its sport sedan heritage.
While cruising down coastal Highway 1, approaching a hill, I feel the 330e’s eight-speed automatic transmission downshift, making a smooth transition on the grade. The navigation system told the transmission about the upcoming hill, so it could prepare with a lower gear.
This communication between navigation and transmission shows the 330e’s smarts.
The 330e only gets 14 miles of electric range, but that can take a chunk out of fuel use for the daily commute.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Consider the 330e a Jekyll-and-Hyde car, with a little Einstein thrown in. It looks like a typical BMW 3-series, a compact rear-wheel-drive sedan in a premium segment. But amid classic BMW design cues such as the kidney grille and Hofmeister kink, it sports a standard electric vehicle charging port on the left-front fender and e-Drive badges on the C-pillars.
An 87-horsepower electric motor complements a turbocharged two-liter engine, which by itself makes 180 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque. The total output from both sources comes to 248 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. A 7.6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack stores electricity from the grid and regenerative braking, giving the 330e its modest amount of pure electric range.
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Like other plug-in hybrids I’ve driven, the 330e operates as a fully electric car while its battery level holds up. The electric motor may be low on horsepower, but its 184 pound-feet of torque makes it quick enough for cruising along with traffic. When I floor it, however, the engine kicks in to maximize acceleration. And if I were to get above 75 mph the engine would also fire up to assist the electric drive.
With the 330e’s Driving Dynamics Control, that rocker switch you see in all BMW models these days, set to Eco Pro, I enjoy the quiet of the ride and the easy drivability. However, the climate control struggles against external temperatures of 80 degrees, and the occasional pothole or bump in the road jars the suspension uncomfortably, probably exacerbated by the low-profile run-flat tires.
BMW’s tendency to complicate its driving modes shows up in the 330e with the addition of an eDrive button to the Driving Dynamics Control modes.
BMW’s tendency to complicate its driving modes shows up in the 330e with the addition of an eDrive button to the Driving Dynamics Control modes. eDrive lets me toggle through three modes, which range from saving electric range for later use to maximizing electric drive. I mostly just leave it in automatic, where it decides when best to use the motor and engine.
The most remarkable thing about the 330e is how the navigation system and transmission communicate. I previously saw this technology on the Rolls-Royce Wraith, where it increases ride comfort, but the 330e uses terrain information more extensively to get the most out of its plug-in hybrid drive system.
ESPN will roll out a streaming service that bypasses cable
Today The Walt Disney Company released its quarterly earnings report, but the most interesting news has to do with ESPN. Disney confirmed reports it’s making a $1 billion investment in BAMTech, a spinoff from MLB’s Advanced Media business that, among other things, works on technology for streaming video services like HBO Now. The big news, however, is that BAMTech is working on ESPN with a “direct to consumer” (read: you won’t need cable or satellite to get it) “ESPN-branded multi-sport subscription streaming service.”
The only curious thing? Whatever that service ends up being, it apparently won’t feature current content from ESPN’s TV networks, so probably no Street Fighter V or drone racing. We’re not sure what’s left, but there is an earning call currently ongoing and we may learn a few more details shortly.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an interview with CNBC (embedded above) that it will include products that BAMTech already has licenses for, including MLB, NHL and major college sports, it just won’t take content off of ESPN’s channels. Reading between the lines, it seems like there may be a bundled way to buy things that we’ve already seen in products like MLB At-Bat.
Developing…
Source: Disney Q3 Earnings, ESPN
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