Canada may have delivery drones in service by late 2017

Don’t look now, but Canada might just join the likes of France and the UK in ushering in the courier drone era. Transport Canada has approved its first drone test range near the tiny village of Foremost, Alberta, clearing the way for Drone Delivery Canada to launch a robotic cargo service as soon as late 2017. The roughly 927 square miles will help DDC prove that its drones can haul goods across long distances using satellite guidance. Tests with the company’s early partners should start sometime in the first quarter of the year.

The drone delivery system could be more important for Canada than it would be for other nations. Like in other countries, DDC will help both government and corporate clients deliver packages both to each other and to customers (say, from online stores). However, the firm is particularly focused on serving Canada’s northern communities, where roads are few and even modestly-sized towns may be very far away. Drones could supply these communities with medical supplies and other goods on demand, rather than making them wait for the next scheduled cargo flight or truck. That could not only save lives, but improve the quality of life for rural dwellers that frequently have to deal with food shortages and other problems that come with infrequent deliveries.

Source: Drone Delivery Canada

PBS’ new kids’ channel lets you flip between streams and games

When you give kids digital educational content, you’re frequently forced to choose between passive viewing and games. Why can’t you offer both? PBS wants to give it a try. It just launched a free 24/7 national channel, PBS Kids, where a live internet stream is just the start of the strategy. At a later point in the year, you’ll have the option of switching between the stream and an activity that builds on what the show offers. Your young one will have an easy way of putting what they’ve learned into practice.

The channel itself isn’t skimping on programming, either, with shows like Bob the Builder, Wordgirl and (of course) Sesame Street in the mix.

PBS is keen to add that the very existence of the channel could be a breakthrough, however you watch. Many low-income families have no home internet access, and have to rely either on their phones or public hotspots to get online. At the least, the over-the-air TV broadcast will give these families a constant source of live kids’ programming that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Live streams, meanwhile, provide an option for cord-cutter households — especially those that can’t justify the cost of a TV subscription. If all goes well, many more children will have access to educational shows from now on.

Source: PBS

Japan’s experimental mini rocket launch ends in failure

Japan’s space program troubles aren’t over yet, apparently. The country’s Aerospace Exploration Agency reports that the launch of its miniature SS-520 rocket ended in failure. The first stage went off without a hitch, but communications problems prevented the second stage from igniting and carrying a microsatellite, TRICOM 1, into orbit. While rocket failures certainly aren’t unheard of (just ask SpaceX), the incident is a black eye given what Japan wanted to achieve.

SS-520 was billed as the world’s smallest-ever satellite launch vehicle, measuring just 35 feet long and 20 inches wide — it was supposed to be a record-setter that made a case for tiny satellites. After all, it’s considerably more efficient than the giant rockets and satellites that were the standard until recently. This certainly doesn’t mean that the mini rocket dream is dead, but JAXA will definitely want to make sure that its next launches go according to plan.

Source: Reuters, NVS (YouTube)

China tells app stores to register with the government

China sees mobile app stores as an untamed frontier with too much free expression and rampant malware, and it’s determined to put a stop to both. As of January 16th, the Cyberspace Administration of China will require that all app stores register with the government, ostensibly in a bid to improve security. Some stores are terribly managed, officials argue, and offer apps that pose security risks, tread on your rights or contain “illegal information” (read: political dissent). Registration theoretically raises the baseline quality and makes sure that these portals obey the law.

You could see a demand like this coming. China passed a law in 2016 that prevented apps from doing things that allegedly threaten national security or the social status quo, and just recently had Apple pull the New York Times’ app in a likely bid to enforce that law. A registration requirement ultimately helps enforce this measure — the government will have records that it can wield when it wants to target apps or whole stores.

This could have a positive effect for Chinese smartphone owners, since they don’t have official access to Google Play and its tighter security screening. Stores that frequently permit frauds and viruses could find themselves in hot water pretty quickly. However, it’s bad news for anyone hoping to offer apps that normally won’t make it past the censors. Locals might not have much choice but to sideload apps or otherwise work harder to get those titles the government doesn’t want them to see.

Via: New York Times, The Verge

Source: CAC (translated)

Volkswagen’s modern Microbus remake, and more in the week that was

The Volkswagen microbus is one of the most iconic vehicles of all time, and now the automaker is set to revive the classic for the modern era. Meet the I.D. Buzz: VW’s all-electric, self-driving microbus of the future. In other auto news, Nissan debuted a stylish Vmotion 2.0 sedan packed with self-driving technology, and the Chevrolet Bolt was named the 2017 North American Car of the Year. IKEA is known for its flat-pack furniture, but it’s branching out into urban mobility by launching its very first bike. The Sladda is a chainless aluminum cycle that can be kitted out with front and rear racks, panniers and even a towable cart.

Tesla has built one of the biggest buildings on the planet. Now it’s building the world’s largest solar roof to top it off. When it’s complete, the photovoltaic array will enable Tesla’s Gigafactory to operate entirely on clean energy. Meanwhile, the Netherlands announced that wind energy now powers all of its electric passenger trains, and the UK is developing technology to power its trains with off-grid solar. As Inauguration Day approaches, many are worried about the future of clean energy in the US, but Elon Musk thinks the Trump administration may be “positive on renewables,” and President Obama reassured the public that the US’ clean energy transition is “irreversible.”

Could the skyscrapers of the future purify polluted cities? That’s the idea behind this futuristic tower that eats smog and spits out fresh air. Meanwhile, a shopping mall in Israel has built a flourishing rooftop farm that can produce 10,000 heads of lettuce a month. Elsewhere in the world, the largest survival community on Earth has built a massive compound of 575 off-grid doomsday bunkers, and we featured six amphibious houses that literally lift off the ground to escape flooding. In other design and technology news, MIT developed an ultralight material that is 10 times stronger than steel, and Aerochromics launched a line of clothing that changes color when it’s exposed to air pollution.

Facebook tests fake news filtering outside of the US

Facebook’s tools for fighting fake news are about to get their first test run outside of the US… and they might just prove vital. The company has confirmed to the Financial Times that it’ll trial its new filtering tools in Germany in the “coming weeks,” addressing the country’s concerns that bogus stories could influence its upcoming federal election. As in the States, users can report stories as fake, which sends them to a third-party fact-checker. If a story is deemed false, Facebook will flag it, decline to prioritize it and warn users who want to share it.

It’s not certain when other countries will get a taste of Facebook’s filtering methods, but the company says it’s “certainly thinking” about expansion.

Germany is a very logical target for the first dry run beyond US borders. Facebook has a financial incentive, to start. The country is proposing a law that would impose hefty fines on websites for failing to take action against fake news, which could be more than a little costly given Facebook’s sheer clout. Also, Germany has faced some particularly dangerous instances of fake news as of late, including anti-immigrant stories that falsely accused outsiders of burning a church and raping a Russian girl. There’s a concern that letting this fake news propagate could fuel xenophobia in the country, and possibly let countries like Russia skew election results in their favor.

Via: The Verge

Source: Financial Times