Deep learning could predict car trouble before you notice it

Trying to replicate the sounds your car is making to the mechanic you’re talking to is equal parts frustrating and embarrassing. But neural networks could put your best “worn out wheel bearing” impression into retirement. Israeli company 3DSignals uses deep learning to keep track of sounds, listening for deviations from the norm in musical and mechanical acoustics. According to an interview with IEEE Spectrum, the company is in talks with “leading European automakers” to put its ultrasonic microphones in their cars.

But rather than consumer vehicles, the focus seems to be on applications for autonomous taxis. The idea is that before a problem happens, the operator will know as soon as there’s an aberration in the car’s normal operating sounds.

“When trained, the 3DSignals deep learning algorithms are able to identify [and] predict specific problems in advance with 98 percent accuracy,” IEEE Spectrum reports. The tech is already in place in industrial applications, but 3DSignals’ clients have to do some of the heavy lifting in terms of training the detection algorithms.

People are still manually labeling specific sound signatures that indicate problems, so it might be a bit before we see widespread adoption of the system. Given BMW’s eye toward the future and Volkswagen’s aim to launch self-driving taxis, those might be where it’ll show up first.

Source: IEEE Spectrum

What’s on TV: NYE, bowl games and ‘Sherlock’

The last week of 2016 is light on videogames, but there are other options out there. Oliver Stone’s Snowden movie has arrived on Blu-ray, while Netflix recently added its first Marvel flick under the new arrangement with Disney, Captain America: Civil War. Of course, there are a slew of college bowl games on the schedule and the usual New Year’s Eve festivities, but parents will want to keep an eye out for Netflix’s countdown videos. Listed below, they’ll be ready to stream whenever you decide it’s time for the kids to go to bed. If you need one more thing to look forward to in 2017, don’t forget that a new season of Sherlock is about to start on PBS. See you next year!

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• Snowden
• Underworld (4K)
• When the Bough Breaks
• Nature: The Story of Cats
• American Honey
• The Dressmaker
• E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (Netflix – 1/1/17)

Netflix NYE Countdowns (available starting December 28th)

• Word Party
• Trollhunters
• Skylanders Academy
• Puffin rock
• Project MC2
• Fuller House*
• Chasing Cameron
• Beat Bugs
• Luna Petunia
• All Hail King Julien

Tuesday

• Chasing Cameron (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Ajin (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• The 39th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, CBS, 9PM
• Good Behavior, TNT, 9PM
• Inside the NFL, Showtime 9PM
• Shooter, USA, 10PM
• 20/20: George Michael, ABC, 10PM

Wednesday

• Foster Farms Bowl, Fox, 8PM
• Lucha Underground, El Rey, 8PM
• Star, Fox, 9PM
• NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 9PM
• Vikings, History, 9PM
• Blood & Fury: America’s Civil War, American History Channel, 10PM
• The Real World, MTV, 10PM
• Incorporated, Syfy, 10PM
• The Expanse: Expanded, Syfy, 11PM
• True Life: I’m Joining a Commune, MTV, 11:30PM

Thursday

• Gleason, Amazon, 3AM
• The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime, 7PM
• Alone, History, 9PM
• Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM

Friday

• Bookaboo’s Barkin’ New Year’s Eve, Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Orange Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida State, ESPN, 8PM
• The Perfect Stalker, Lifetime, 8PM
• Road to the NHL Outdoor Classic, Epix, 10PM

Saturday

• Peach Bowl: Washington vs. Alabama, ESPN, 3PM
• Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson, ESPN, 7PM
• Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, ABC, 10PM
• Late Night with Seth Meyers New Year’s Eve Special, NBC, 10PM
• Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution, Fox, 11PM
• New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly, NBC, 11:30PM

Sunday

• Packers/Lions Sunday Night Football, NBC, 8:20PM
• 60 Minutes, CBS, 7:30PM
• The Mick (series premiere), Fox, 8PM
• The Librarians, TNT, 8PM
• Brooklyn Nine-nine (winter finale), Fox, 8:30PM
• Ransom (series premiere), CBS, 8:30PM
• Sherlock (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
• To Tell the Truth, ABC, 9PM
• Pure Genius, CBS, 9:30PM
• Conviction (winter premiere), ABC, 10PM
• The Affair, Showtime, 10PM

You won’t be able to upgrade the Nintendo Switch’s battery

Apart from the odd leak, we still don’t know a lot about Nintendo’s next game console. We know it has NVIDIA graphics. We know it can convert from a traditional TV set-up to a more portable one. Unfortunately, that’s about where our verifiable knowledge ends — or at least it did. A new filing at the FCC has added on more piece to the Switch puzzle: we now know that the device will probably ship with a non-removable battery.

This may sound like an insignificant detail, but it could make a difference for folks concerned about the console’s battery life. When the Wii U gamepad was panned for dying too soon, Nintendo was able to release an easy to install high-capacity battery pack that boosted the runtime to 8 hours. That won’t be possible with the Switch. Consumers will be stuck with however much battery life Nintendo’s next game console has at launch.

Well, probably. Technically, the FCC reviewed a production prototype designed to be equivalent to a mass-produced model, but it’s possible that Nintendo could tweak the final product to include a removable battery. We wouldn’t count on it though: the Switch’s tablet-like design doesn’t leave a lot of room for user serviceability — and it probably doesn’t have the extra room to accommodate a larger battery than it ships with. Either way, this news isn’t much of a surprise, but it is nice to learn something new about the Switch ahead of Nintendo’s upcoming preview tour. Want to dig for more news? Check out the official FCC filing at the source link below.

Source: FCC

Bugs push Android 7.1.1 update for Nexus 6 to early Jan 2017

The Nexus 6 lives on for at least one more version of Android.

Google may have long since killed off support for the beloved Nexus 5, but it’s showing a bit of mercy with the Nexus 6.

The Motorola-made Android phone will see its update to Android 7.1.1 in early January, according to Android Police, so it’s not obsolete just yet. The two-year-old device will share software features with the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and the Pixel family, including new emoji and app shortcuts from the Home screen. Just don’t hedge your bets on major features like the Night Light mode and Daydream VR because of hardware constraints.

Google said it would support devices for up to two years, but this is already beyond that, though that could be due to the delayed 7.0 OTA. Regardless, this software update brings Android 7.1.1’s features to a nearly-expired device. Part of the incentive is to appeal to developers, though, who may wonder if implementing a feature like app shortcuts is worth the code and deciding which shortcuts to provide. The other part is reminding those who stuck with the Nexus 6 of the future that lays ahead with a Pixel in hand.

Android Nougat

• Android 7.0 Nougat: Everything you need to know
• Will my phone get Android Nougat?
• Google Pixel + Pixel XL review
• All Android Nougat news
• How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel
• Join the Discussion

Yi Technology’s next action camera promises to capture 4K at 60fps

Action cameras get more impressive with each generation, but 4K support has always been a bit shaky. So far, the best cameras on the market have only been able to shoot in UHD footage at 15-30 fps, forcing users to step down to 2.7K resolutions for a smoother experience. Next month, that could change: Xiaomi-backed GoPro competitor Yi has just announced that it will reveal a new action cam at CES 2017 that can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second.

At a glance, the Yi 4K+ sounds like a modest upgrade of its original 4K action camera — just with the ability to capture 4K footage at double the framerate of the original. That model included a 2.19-inch display, 2 hours of battery life and the ability to stream video over WiFi. The camera will be revealed along side the company’s new Erida drone, which Yi says can reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour for up to 40 minutes. Specifics on both products are scarce for now, but the company plans to reveal more at CES early next month.

Via: Digital Trends

Source: PhotographyBlog

Nano-sized discs teach your body to fight cancer

In the future, getting customized cancer treatments might just be a matter of injecting virtually invisible discs into into your body. University of Michigan scientists have had early success testing 10nm “nanodiscs” that teach your body to kill cancer cells. Each disc is full of neoantigens, or tumor-specific mutations, that tell your immune system’s T-cells to recognize those neoantigens and kill them. When you pair them up with immune checkpoint inhibitors (which boost the T-cells’ responses), they can not only wipe out existing tumors, but prevent them from reemerging later.

This testing has been limited to mice so far, but it’s promising. The nanodiscs took 10 days to eliminate tumors, and they shut down identical tumors when they were reinserted 70 days later. For the researchers, the big challenge right now is scaling the tests to see if they still hold up with larger animals. If the approach proves successful with humans, the days of generic cancer solutions might be limited — so long as doctors could get a sample of your cancer, they’d stand a realistic chance of eliminating the disease.

Source: University of Michigan News

Pre-orders open for the ‘first internet-connected’ keyboard

Das Keyboard is best known for its high-end mechanical keyboards, and now it’s taking them online. Next month at CES the company will debut “the world’s first cloud connected keyboard” that streams info from the web right to the input device. Rather than putting a display on the keyboard itself, info and notifications pop up as user-defined colors on the 5Q’s standard QWERTY layout.

So, if you wanted to know when a specific task was getting closer to being due, you could map it to the tilde key, having it increase its flashing speed or change colors the closer you were to your deadline.

The company promises an open API so that anyone can develop scripts or shortcuts for the device. And of course, the action of the keyboard sounds top notch as well, with a new “Gamma-Zulu” mechanical switch that boasts a 1.5mm actuation point and will apparently withstand 100 million presses before wearing out.

Preorders are now open for $229 in case you missed out on the Kickstarter earlier this year.

Source: Das Keyboard

Sketchy Video Shows What ‘Jet White’ iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Might Look Like

Back in November, a report from Japanese site Mac Otakara suggested Apple would add a sixth “Jet White” color option to its iPhone 7 lineup, and while no Jet White iPhone has surfaced as of yet, a video making the rounds tonight hints at what a Jet White iPhone might look like if Apple does indeed release such a device.

The video, shared by Sonny Dickson, appears to depict an iPhone 7 and an iPhone 7 Plus, both with white casings. While the iPhone 7 Plus features an Apple logo, the iPhone 7 model does not, suggesting it is very likely fake.

Similar iPhone 7 and 7 Plus casing replacements can be found on various auction sites like Alibaba, so it seems the iPhones in the video are sporting third-party shells rather than representing actual forthcoming iPhone models.

Could this be the Jet White iPhone 7? pic.twitter.com/pHoDiZ63ON

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) December 27, 2016

Should Apple decide to release a glossy white color option to sell alongside the glossy Jet Black iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, both of which have proven to be highly popular with customers, it could potentially look something like the shells of the devices in the video.

Mac Otakara did not indicate when Apple might release its white iPhone 7, and suggested the information, obtained from supply chain sources, could be “unreliable,” so it continues to be unclear if and when we will see actual “Jet White” iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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The Witti Beddi – A smart alarm clock worth your dough

Everything is getting smart these days. Smart phones, smart appliances, smart… alarm clocks? Yep, alarm clocks too. Because, why not, right? We’re working our way to a smart home right now with the addition of Google Home, a Nest Thermostat, and Phillips Hue and the Witti Beddi fits right in too.

The iOS and Android Apps are really powerful. The app serves as your dashboard and the Beddi is more of a tool to execute what you set up from within the app. Do you want your Nest Thermostat to start heating your house a half hour before your alarm goes off? How about your smart coffee maker started making your coffee for the day so you wake up the wonderful smell of fresh coffee? You can do that with the Beddi.

The front of the Beddi houses a nice fabric grill where the time sits. It’s a bit faint, but that’s a positive since you’ll most often be looking at this when it’s dark in your room. If you have light colored animals, be prepared to keep a vacuum or lint roller nearby because the fabric holds onto hair as you can see below.

Keep a lint roller near. My white dog’s hair shows up noticeably.

On the bottom of the clock are LEDs that are excellent for setting mood lighting. The Beddi doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, so if you want some lighting effects going on as you’re listening to a Monstercat Electronic Mix before bed, you can make that happen very easily.

The rear of the devices houses several important lights and ports. The large window sits in front of a light designed to emulate a sunrise. Ten minutes before your alarm is set to go off the light will gradually rise to wake you up in a more gentle fashion than just a blaring alarm.

In practice, I’ve found that it didn’t make much difference for how easy I woke up in the morning, but I blame my weird sleeping patterns for that, rather than the Witti Beddi. If it doesn’t help you, you can disable it like I did. In addition to the light are a few USB ports, an aux port, and a power adapter port. Having an extra USB port for a smartwatch or tablet is very convenient, as is the slot that sits on top of the Beddi to securely place your phone.

If you want just a basic alarm clock you can control your phone, the Beddi is great. But, it also offers a lot more if you feel like diving in. Baked into the functionality of the hardware and software is the ability to call an Uber with the press of a button. I don’t use Uber myself, but I don’t think this is really that much more convenient than just opening the app and selecting your options from what friends who use the Uber app tell me.

One of my favorite features of the Beddi is the ability to wake up to your favorite Spotify playlist. I’d love to see Witti extend this functionality to Google Play Music too or even YouTube since I use these more than Spotify. Witti also includes a white noise generator in the app that you can play through the Beddi. I fall asleep faster and sleep deeper when I have either white noise or weather noise going on so I really appreciate this. If you’re not a fan of Spotify or white noise, the FM radio built into the Beddi works just fine too.

To some, $99 for an alarm clock is a tough sell. But honestly, if you’re one of those people you probably don’t have things like a Nest Thermostat or Phillips Hue lights that expand the functionality of the Beddi. I don’t think you necessarily have to have those to justify the price of the Beddi because it’s a damn cool piece of technology on its own. I use it on a daily basis because it makes my life easier. I don’t have to worry about my phone dying or freezing and not being woken up. I can easily turn on my lights or if I had a smart coffee maker, have my coffee ready to go in the morning. Those features are really valuable to me.

I’d like to see Witti to continue to innovate and add more functionality. I can justify the price, but it would be a lot easier if I could tell my Google Home to set an alarm for 7 AM and my Beddi starts going off instead of my phone.

Witti makes excellent products and this doesn’t feel like a first generation product from them, even though it is. Is it perfect? No, but no product out there is perfect. I would spend my own money on it though and if you’ve come into to some Christmas cash, you should definitely give the Witti Beddi a look.

Product Link: Amazon | Witti

Iran bans ‘Clash of Clans’ for encouraging tribal conflict

The Iranian government has been censoring internet for years to keep its citizens from exposing themselves to content it deems inappropriate or radical. Now the people have been saved from another toxic scourge: The mobile game Clash of Clans. The country’s Ministry of Justice has recommended the app be blocked under the auspices of protecting youth from its influence, which the government claims promotes tribal warfare.

The Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content urged a ban on the app after receiving a report from psychologists that claimed the game encourages violence, tribal war and is extensively addictive, according to Vocativ. Even if they follow through, Iranian citizens have a habit of getting around the country’s content filtering, like using satellite TV-enabled tools to bypass the censors. Whether they can pull off the same with a mobile game is another story: It’s unclear if players were able to restore access to Pokémon Go after the country banned it back in August.

Source: Vocativ