BBC nature series ‘Blue Planet’ will return later this year

Planet Earth II has only just started airing in North America, but already the BBC is working on a big-budget nature follow-up. Blue Planet II, a successor to the original Blue Planet series from 2001, will be broadcast in the UK later this year. It’ll be narrated by veteran presenter Sir David Attenborough (who else) and return to our world’s mysterious oceans, capturing and explaining the creatures that lurk beneath the surface. These include snub fin dolphins, hairy-chested Hoff crabs and a reef octopus.

The new series will consist of seven 60-minute episodes. Each one was shot with a range of 4K cameras customised for the technically challenging job of shooting underwater. Ultra high-def “tow cams,” for instance, were used to shoot dolphins and predatory fish front-on, while novel “suction cams” were adapted to film on the backs of whale sharks and orcas.

Image Credit: BBC/Hugh Miller

“The oceans are the most exciting place to be right now, because new scientific discoveries have given us a new perspective of life beneath the waves,” James Honeyborne, the show’s executive producer said. “Blue Planet II is taking is cue from these breakthroughs, unveiling unbelievable new places, extraordinary new behaviours and remarkable new creatures.”

The show follows Planet Earth II, a hugely successful nature series that attracted viewers young and old last year. It averaged 10.2 million viewers per episode, with a high of 13.1 million for episode two, which featured beautiful snow leopards and hilarious, back-rubbing grizzly bears. The BBC will, of course, be hoping for a similar level of success with Blue Planet II. We just hope a little more than four minutes is available in 4K on iPlayer.

Source: BBC

Expiring Developer Certificates Causing Some Mac Apps to Refuse to Launch

A number of Mac apps failed to launch for users over the weekend because of a change to the way Apple certifies apps that have not been bought directly from the Mac App Store.

Several users of apps including Soulver and PDFPen who had downloaded the apps from the developers’ websites all reported immediate crashes on launch. Developers of the apps quickly apologized and said that the issue was down to the apps’ code signing certificates reaching their expiration date.

Apple issues developer signing certificates to assure users that an app they have downloaded outside of the Mac App Store is legitimate, comes from a known source, and hasn’t been modified since it was last signed. In the past, the expiration of a code signing certificate had no effect on already shipped software, but that changed since the release of Sierra last year, when Apple began requiring apps to carry something called a provisioning profile.

A provisioning profile tells macOS that the app has been checked by Apple against an online database and is allowed to perform certain system actions or “entitlements”. However, the profile is also signed using the developer’s code signing certificate, and when the certificate expires, the provisioning profile becomes invalid.

Victims of expired provisioning profiles over the weekend included users of 1Password for Mac who had bought the app from the developer’s website. AgileBits explained on Sunday that affected users would need to manually update to the latest version (6.5.5), noting that those who downloaded 1Password from the Mac App Store were unaffected. The developers’ surprise was explained in a blog post:

We knew our developer certificate was going to expire on Saturday, but thought nothing of it because we believed those were only necessary when publishing a new version. Apparently that’s not the case. In reality it had the unexpected side effect of causing macOS to refuse to launch 1Password properly.

Currently, the common factor among affected apps appears to be those that were issued iCloud entitlements as part of their provisioning profile. Smile, developers of PDFpen and PDFpenPro, told TidBits that users would need to manually download the latest updates to the apps to fix the problem. Acqualia, developers of number-crunching app Soulver, also apologized for the problem and asked affected users to download an update to fix the issue.

As the above suggests, the immediate solution is for developers of potentially affected apps to renew their code signing certificates before they expire. AgileBits said the incident had given them “a new understanding of the importance of expiring provisioning profiles and certificates” and would be renewing its current certificate, due to expire in 2022, “far before then”.

Tag: Mac App Store
Discuss this article in our forums

Foxconn Shares Riding High on Strong iPhone 8 Expectations

Shares in Taiwanese iPhone assembler Foxconn have reached decade-year highs over growing optimism about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8, due to launch in 2017.

According to a new Bloomberg report, Hon Hai Precision Industry – better known as Foxconn – has gained 29 percent in the last year on high expectations for Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone, which has helped the Apple supplier defy a flat mobile market.

Apple, which accounts for half the company’s revenue, played a pivotal role in the stock’s recent buoyancy. The U.S. company this month reported stronger-than-expected iPhone sales during the key holiday quarter.

While the iPhone 7, introduced in September, failed to convince as many existing customers to upgrade as its predecessor, it did attract new smartphone buyers. That bodes well for the iPhone slated for later this year.

Apple is expected to launch a radically redesigned iPhone this year. The phone is believed to include a glass body, wireless charging, and potentially an edge-to-edge OLED display that integrates a front-facing camera with facial recognition and touch sensors for fingerprint identification. Foxconn may also end up assembling upgraded (but standard) 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones alongside the redesigned handset.

Investors hope the iPhone 8 line-up will provide a boost to a stalling industry, with Foxconn reportedly grappling with the slowdown. According to an average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg, revenue is projected to slip about 3 percent in 2016, and net income will be down 13 percent. However, earnings growth could rebound to 12.2 percent this year.

In addition to the 10th anniversary iPhone boost, Foxconn is said to be considering building a $7 billion display-making facility in the U.S. Japanese company Sharp is reportedly “taking the lead” on the proposed U.S. site and has set aside $1.8 billion to developing facilities for making OLED displays – the same technology Apple is expected to adopt in future iPhones.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 8 in the fall, with claims of a launch as early as this summer likely due to reports that Apple could ramp up production early in order to improve yield rates, work out manufacturing issues, and ensure better supplies for a September release.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tag: Foxconn
Discuss this article in our forums

NASA, FAA to test air traffic control tech aiming to land flights faster

Why it matters to you

This new air traffic control system will free up space for more flight patterns, enhance pilot communication, save fuel, and improve flight arrival times.

NASA and the FAA are conducting trail flights to test new air traffic control technology this week around Grant County International Airport in Washington state.

The project aims at overall flight efficiency. The flights testing the plane-guiding technology is one leg of the $35-billion NextGen national aviation revamp underway, according to Wired.

More: DJI teams up with world’s biggest model aviation group for new programs

The plan is to restructure everything from “preflight prep to arrival, introducing modern planning software, digital instead of voice communication, and GPS-based position-reporting over imprecise radar-based tracking” by 2030.

NASA and the FAA dubbed the air traffic control tests ATD-1, which stands for Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration-1. Wired reports that “a Boeing 757, a Honeywell business jet, and a Boeing 737” will utilize the plane-guiding tech around the Grant County International Airport so that researches can make an assessment of the technology’s productivity.

The current air traffic control system talks pilots through the landing process while using radar data. NASA project manager Leighton Quon said that because radar data is flawed and voice communication causes delays, more space between airplanes is required.

The new system will speed up communications, add more space for airplane flight patterns, and sharpen tracking precision. It will also save fuel and improve flight arrival times.

“The core of the new system is an on-board GPS receiver and data transmitter known as ADS-B, which can broadcast an aircraft’s position to other aircraft and ground controllers with far greater precision than radar. The setup, already on many business and private aircraft, will be required on commercial airplanes by 2020, mostly to communicate their positions to nearby aircraft, as a safety measure. Folding in the approach management element, Quon says, is a bonus,” reports Wired.

The FAA reports it has spent $7.5 billion on the NextGen air traffic modernization program over the past seven years.

“That investment has resulted in $2.7 billion in benefits to passengers and the airlines to date, and is expected to yield more than $160 billion in benefits through 2030,” the FAA stated in a recent press release.

The LG G6 will feature dual 13MP cameras at the back

The LG G6 will come with dual 13MP cameras at the back with a 125-degree field of view.

LG is back with yet another teaser of the G6, this time highlighting the dual camera at the back. Earlier leaks showed off the rear of the device, which sported a similar camera setup as the LG V20. In a blog post, LG confirmed that the G6 will feature a dual 13MP cameras at the back, as well as a front-facing shooter with a 100-degree field of view.

The rear camera will offer a 125-degree field of view, and LG says the regular sensor as well as the wide-angle lens are on an equal footing when it comes to image quality. With the G6 sporting a FullVision 18:9 display, LG is incorporating new features into the camera to take advantage of the display.

The camera will be able to shoot square images in a 1:1 ratio, making it easier to share on platforms like Instagram. There’s also the ability to make GIFs from photos in your camera roll, a 360-degree panorama mode, a food mode that boosts color and saturation, and new filters for selfies.

The latest live images from 9to5Google show off the dual camera setup, as well as the always-on display at the front. Other details of the phone include a 5.7-inch “QHD+” display, Snapdragon 821, 32-bit Quad DAC, water resistance, and Google Assistant. The phone will be making its debut on February 26, so stay tuned for all the coverage from Mobile World Congress.

Color-changing hair dye responds to your environment

Just because you want to color your hair doesn’t mean you want the same color all the time. Wouldn’t it be nice if it could change with the weather, or whether or not you’re inside? You might get your wish. The Unseen has developed a color-changing hair dye, Fire, that reacts to shifts in temperature — it could be red outside and revert to a more natural color indoors. The carbon-based molecules in the dye alter their light absorption when they’re subjected to temperature changes, producing different colors that you can reverse just by heading somewhere new.

Creator Lauren Bowker tells Wired that the dye is safe. It uses “less toxic” materials, such as irritants that are wrapped in polymers to minimize the damage to your hair and scalp. In theory, it shouldn’t be any more harmful than the dye you buy at the store.

Fire still needs to be refined and fully assessed for safety before you can buy it. However, this isn’t one of those far-off projects that will take many years to reach shelves — there’s already production-oriented testing underway. If everything goes smoothly, you could soon have a hair color evolves from moment to moment, not just whenever you feel up to a dyeing session.

Via: Wired

Source: The Unseen

‘Counter-Strike’ is facing a chat bot invasion

The Counter-Strike community has faced numerous challenges in the years since launch, ranging from cheating to gambling, but there’s one more to add to the pile: a flood of chat bots. At least one intruder is taking advantage of a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive exploit to flood lobbies (even private ones) with text from chat bots that can’t be kicked. From early indications, the attacker is trying to draw attention to security issues — Valve supposedly doesn’t care about cheaters and needs to be taught a lesson, if you believe the harasser.

The tricky part: there’s no easy fix. Valve tells fans it has a “temporary solution” that should soften the blow, but it’ll keep working on a fix “throughout next week.” Unless the perpetrator has a change of heart, it could be difficult (or at least, extremely annoying) to play CS:GO for at least the next several days.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Reddit (1), (2)

The Pacific Ocean is hiding a whole continent

Who knew that finding hidden continents was a trend? Researchers now say they’ve confirmed the existence of Zealandia, a giant land mass (roughly two thirds the size of Australia) hiding in the Pacific Ocean — as you might guess, New Zealand is its peak. Academics have long suspected that the mass was a continent, but they only recently gathered enough information to make a convincing case.

Elevation and shape are obvious clues, but there are other factors. The crust is noticeably thicker than the ocean floor, for example, while the geology is distinct from other areas. Evidence of geological similarity surfaced early in the 20th century, when scientists noticed continental geology in rocks both in New Caledonia (at the north edge of Zealandia) and islands near New Zealand.

The question is, will Zealandia be widely recognized as a continent? The researchers are sticking to observable data and aren’t speculating, but there’s still a tendency to think of continents as being mostly above water. Even if it isn’t broadly acknowledged, though, the findings help fill in more details surrounding the break up of the supercontinent Gondwanaland. Zealandia is estimated to have split off from Australia some 80 million years ago, and we now know that it never entirely went away — it just sank below the waves.

Via: BBC, Reuters

Source: GSA

Amazon lowers its free shipping threshold to counter Walmart

When Walmart ditched its Amazon Prime-style subscriptions and offered free two-day shipping for all orders over $35, it was a shot across the bow — we might not compete directly, but we can still undercut you. Well, Amazon is responding in kind. Just a year after it hiked its free shipping minimum to $49, the online shopping giant has lowered that threshold back to $35. That won’t deliver your goods any sooner (you still need Prime for that), but it could tip the balance if you’re more interested in avoiding fees than getting your order in a hurry.

Amazon likely raised the minimum last year in response to rapidly rising logistics costs. Simply put, it couldn’t afford to hand out gratis shipping as freely as it had in the past. Either Amazon got those costs in check, or it’s willing to take a financial hit to prevent Walmart from luring away customers. No matter what, it’s clear that the fierce competition between internet stores is helping your bank account.

Via: The Verge

Source: Amazon

Researchers just figured out how to make spiders move even faster

Why it matters to you

The research could lead to faster and more mobile insect-inspired robots, which can be used in search and rescue missions.

A spider-like robot built by researchers from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has demonstrated a faster walking gait than that used by six-legged insects in the wild.

The researchers first suspected there could be a faster gait when experimenting with a computer simulation of a common species of fly called Drosophila melanogaster. Like other six-legged insects, D. melanogaster walks with a tripod gait, keeping three legs on the ground at all times.

“We initially thought it would be easy to optimize walking speed and arrive at the tripod gait since it is such a prominent fast gait among insects,” Ramdya Pavan, an EPFL researchers who co-led the study, told Digital Trends. “We were surprised to find that the bipod gait emerged instead and began to investigate why and under which conditions the tripod gait might otherwise emerge.”

More: Darwin is a robot physical therapy assistant to help kids with cerebral palsy

Along with his colleague Robin Thandiackal, Pavan developed a six-legged robot that looks like a mechanical tarantula. Sure enough, the robot confirmed the findings of the computer simulation, by consistently moving faster with bipod gait than tripod gait.

Why then, the researchers wondered, do insects use tripod gaits?

Through further simulations, they found that tripod gaits increased adhesion and helped insects travel faster vertically. They surmised that adhesion may help explain why tripod gaits are so prevalent.

“Adhesion makes it difficult to have a dynamically stable gait like the bipod gait,” Pavan said. “Imagine trying to run with glue on the soles of your feet. Adhesion turns out not to be a problem for statically stable tripod locomotion. Importantly, statically stable gaits are also critical to ensure that animals don’t fall off the wall or ceiling when they climb with adhesion.”

To test this idea, the researchers put adhesion-suppressing polymer boots on real flies and, after an hour, witnessed the flies begin to adapt a gait that more closely resembled bipod. They’ve published a paper detailing their findings in the journal Nature Communications.