TeslaBot is a new AI assistant from SmartCar for your Tesla Model S or X
Why it matters to you
Want to check if your Tesla’s doors are locked? Just ask a new Facebook bot to do it for you.
The car of the future can not only transport you from Point A to Point B, it can now converse with you, too. Well, sort of. Thanks to a new chatbot from SmartCar, you can now talk to your Tesla with TeslaBot. The virtual assistant is synced with your Tesla Model S or Tesla Model X by way of the car company’s open APIs, and mimics Tesla’s native app in many ways. But unlike the existing Tesla app, this new bot will let you interact with your car on a desktop, whether it’s a Mac or a PC. And if you’re on your phone, you can use your voice to control your vehicle as well.
You can actually glean quite a bit of information from TeslaBot. Once you’ve opened the chat, you can simply type things like “vehicle info,” and the bot will spit out your car model name as well as its VIN (vehicle identification number). If you type in “odometer,” the bot will tell you how many miles you’ve traveled in your Tesla, and if you inquire about the climate status, the bot will let you know what your car’s temperature is set to, and whether the system is currently on or off.
You can even order the bot to do things for you, like lock your car, vent your sunroof, and more. And according to SmartCar founder Sahas Katta, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the company plans on doing. “We used a Machine Learning engine to train it to the thousands of ways people may ask something,” he told Electrek. “We’re excited to see what developers will build on the SmartCar platform in the future.”
Already, the bot can be pretty clever. Telling TeslaBot “I’m bored,” for example, will get you plenty of the type of amusing responses that you might expect from your dorky dad (much as we love him). And of course, as folks keep experimenting with the bot, it’s sure to reveal even more of its personality.
SmartCar is already working alongside Hyundai on the carmaker’s Ioniq platform, so we’ll soon be able to see what these bots can really do.
Smart algorithm lets autonomous drones fly faster without crashing
Why it matters to you
In order for autonomous drones to become more prevalent, they need to get better at dodging obstacles at high speeds.
We don’t think we are going out on a limb when we say that autonomous drones are going to be big. But, like the archetypal protagonist at the start of any hero’s quest, they need to learn a few things first.
One such challenge is how to fly quickly while managing to dodge obstacles. The reason this is hard for drones is because their cameras can only process images up to a certain speed since they have to do it frame by frame. Anything faster than 30 mph causes a bit of a headache.
That is where a new research project from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes into play. It builds on a technology called the Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS), invented by researchers in Zurich. The DVS continuously visualizes scenes by looking for changes in brightness. This is similar to the way that the human brain senses visual information and means that it can work at short, microsecond intervals much faster than regular cameras.
The problem is the amount of processing time it requires due to the huge mass of data. By the time an obstacle has been detected and a control outputted, a drone would have already crashed.
MIT’s work represents a step forward. It is an algorithm that is able to isolate very specific changes in brightness, which has the effect of reducing complex scenes to their most essential elements.
“The DVS has had a lot of empirical successes,” lead author Prince Singh, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told Digital Trends. “However, there [hasn’t previously been] a concrete algorithm that can process the sensor’s ambiguous data to, for instance, control a dynamic system such as a drone. My work addresses the control of any system that has a linearized representation by making sense of the DVS’s ambiguous data. This work unifies the empirical successes observed, and most importantly, one doesn’t need knowledge of the problem’s geometry, as was the case for works until now.”
Singh is currently presenting the work at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers American Control Conference in Seattle. Next up, the plan is to publish a paper on the work. Hopefully, it won’t be too long after that before drones — and other autonomous robots — can take advantage of this high-speed breakthrough.
Apple may be working on an artificial intelligence processor for future devices
Why it matters to you
Apple is working on a chip designed specifically for artificial intelligence, which means your iPhone could soon learn a whole lot quicker than it already does.
Apple is looking to expand its horizons, and it seems as though those horizons could soon include more artificial intelligence. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company is working on a chip designed specifically for artificial intelligence.
The chip is reportedly known internally as Apple Neural Engine, and will essentially improve how devices like the iPhone handle tasks that might otherwise need human intelligence to work properly. In other words, your iPhone could soon learn a whole lot quicker than it already does.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important, but the likes of Amazon and Google seem to have gotten a head start on Apple. This new chip, however, could push Apple’s products onto the cutting edge of artificial intelligence technology — and could also power other new technologies, such as augmented reality and self-driving cars.
There’s no word yet on when the chip could be officially unveiled — but when it doe,s it will go up against other, similar products that companies have already unveiled. Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips, for example, do have a dedicated module specifically for artificial intelligence, while Google has the Tensor Processing Unit, which works in Google’s own data centers to power some of its new services with built-in artificial intelligence.
It’s possible aspects of Apple’s new AI chip could be discussed at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which is coming in early June. If not, the company may still talk about AI in general, especially considering how important the concept has become for large tech companies over the past few years. Apple will unveil iOS 11, its latest and greatest mobile operating system, at the show, along with a new version of macOS, its computer operating system.
We’ll have to wait and see if Apple does eventually unveil an AI-specific chip — but one thing is for sure: AI will continue to be a major focus for Apple and other tech companies for the foreseeable future.
Apple may be working on an artificial intelligence processor for future devices
Why it matters to you
Apple is working on a chip designed specifically for artificial intelligence, which means your iPhone could soon learn a whole lot quicker than it already does.
Apple is looking to expand its horizons, and it seems as though those horizons could soon include more artificial intelligence. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company is working on a chip designed specifically for artificial intelligence.
The chip is reportedly known internally as Apple Neural Engine, and will essentially improve how devices like the iPhone handle tasks that might otherwise need human intelligence to work properly. In other words, your iPhone could soon learn a whole lot quicker than it already does.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important, but the likes of Amazon and Google seem to have gotten a head start on Apple. This new chip, however, could push Apple’s products onto the cutting edge of artificial intelligence technology — and could also power other new technologies, such as augmented reality and self-driving cars.
There’s no word yet on when the chip could be officially unveiled — but when it doe,s it will go up against other, similar products that companies have already unveiled. Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips, for example, do have a dedicated module specifically for artificial intelligence, while Google has the Tensor Processing Unit, which works in Google’s own data centers to power some of its new services with built-in artificial intelligence.
It’s possible aspects of Apple’s new AI chip could be discussed at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which is coming in early June. If not, the company may still talk about AI in general, especially considering how important the concept has become for large tech companies over the past few years. Apple will unveil iOS 11, its latest and greatest mobile operating system, at the show, along with a new version of macOS, its computer operating system.
We’ll have to wait and see if Apple does eventually unveil an AI-specific chip — but one thing is for sure: AI will continue to be a major focus for Apple and other tech companies for the foreseeable future.
Weekly Rewind: ‘Game of Thrones’ is coming, ‘Twin Peaks’ returns, Bond’s best rides
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from the best of James Bonds’ cars to the future of the Apple MacBook — it’s all here.
Apple joins the race to 5G, applies to test experimental technology
Just about every major mobile carrier in the United States is hard at work on 5G wireless technology in advance of its launch (hopefully) in a few years’ time. Meanwhile, device makers have to be sure their products will be ready for the network when that day comes. Apple is seeking permission to begin testing 5G technologies for that very purpose, according to a report from Business Insider.
Although 5G specifications have not been entirely hammered out yet, we know the FCC approved the 28GHz and 39GHz bands for commercial 5G use last year. These are the same ones mentioned by Apple in its testing application.
The 28GHz band, specifically, is meant for ground-to-space transmission, and Apple has reportedly hired engineers with experience developing satellites ahead of testing.
Read the full story here.
Sir Roger Moore, the longest-serving James Bond actor, has died
Roger Moore, the actor with the longest run as British superspy James Bond, has died at age 89. The news of Moore’s death was confirmed by his children — Deborah, Geoffrey, and Christian — in a statement posted on Twitter. The actor’s death was attributed to cancer, and his family indicated that he died Tuesday, May 23, in Switzerland.
Born in South London in 1927, Moore was the oldest actor to take on the role of Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent. Already well-known to American television audiences due to his featured roles in the medieval adventure series Ivanhoe, the Western series Maverick (in which he replaced James Garner during the show’s fourth season), and the popular British series The Saint (which became a hit in syndication in the United States), Moore began his run as James Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die at the age of 46.
Read the full story here.
The world’s largest floating solar power plant just went online in China
China has announced that the largest floating photovoltaic (PV) facility on earth has finally been completed and connected to the local power grid. Long reviled for its carbon emission record, this is the Chinese government’s latest achievement in its ongoing effort to lead the world in renewable energy adoption.
Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ironically, the floating grid itself was constructed over a flooded former coal-mining region.
Read the full story here.
Would Apple dare kill the MacBook? Yeah, it might
What if Apple announced the Mac’s retirement? A huge swath of the company’s devotees would be furious … but is it truly an impossible scenario?
To many, the MacBook has long been the gold standard for luxury laptop computers. But as Apple’s business interests continue to change over time, the importance of the device’s established user base has become less and less relevant to the company.
Apple has enjoyed incredible success thanks to the iPhone and several other wildly popular products — and as a result, the company is poised to do whatever is deemed best for its long-term future. Few of its rivals would kill off such a cash cow, but Apple has no fear of making bold moves forward, even when it means leaving some of its fans behind.
Read the full story here.
10 of the most incredible vehicles James Bond has ever driven
Vodka martinis. Perfectly tailored suits. The Walther PPK pistol. There are countless examples of iconic imagery sprinkled throughout the James Bond saga, but perhaps none is more memorable than 007’s choice of transportation.
During his lengthy tenure at MI6, Mr. Bond and his adversaries have had the pleasure of driving a wide array of vehicles, ranging from stunning Aston Martins to weaponized submarines to combat aircraft. Then there were some have embraced the oft campy nature of the British spy films, and it is those automotive oddities that we’d like to focus on here.
Read the full story here.
B&O Play gets crafty with its newest product, a music-infused beer
Danish audio experts B&O Play, quirky fun-loving sister company to the more serious Bang & Olufsen, has revealed a new music product. It’s not a Bluetooth speaker, nor a pair of gorgeous headphones. It’s a beer. Not just any beer, but one infused with music played through the Beoplay A1 speaker. Don’t check your calendar, it really is the end of May, and not April 1.
Now that we’ve established this isn’t a joke (at least, we don’t think it is), here’s what you should know about what’s being called the Beobrew. B&O Play worked with craft brewery Mikkeller to investigate the effect music has on how beer tastes. We imagine a fair amount of beer was consumed before this question was asked in the first place. To find out, a Beoplay A1 speaker was connected to a classic third-generation iPod Nano, and submerged into a fermenting tank over the course of a two-week period.
Read the full story here.
‘Game of Thrones’ season 7 is coming! Here is everything we know so far
Being a Game of Thrones fan has required extra patience this year. After eschewing the usual production schedule to get the right weather to finally allow winter to come to Westeros, the show’s season 7 premiere was pushed back until summer. In the meantime, we’ve had to obsess over any and all pieces of information we can find.
The season is going to be a crazy one — even for Game of Thrones — as the stakes have never been higher now that the series finale just 13 episodes away. There are already interesting storylines in progress, from Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) seating herself on the Iron Throne to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) coming to make her claim on the crown on the backs of her dragons. The great game could play out in so many ways, and it is going to be fascinating to watch it develop. Prepare yourself with everything we know so far — but be warned that there are spoilers ahead.
Read the full story here.
World’s Smallest Garden lets you grow fresh herbs in the most cramped apartment
Want to eat more fresh ingredients? Wish you could spend the Memorial Day weekend tending your very own garden?
A new Kickstarter project may be able to help with both of these desires. Billing itself as the World’s Smallest Garden, it promises to bring the joy of gardening to your home — even if you live in a tiny, top-floor apartment where the closest thing to wild vegetation is the leftover stir-fry in your fridge.
The World’s Smallest Garden is a small cylindrical device you place in the top of a regular bottle, transforming it into a self-watering herb garden in seconds.
Read the full story here.
New ‘Twin Peaks’ episodes answer some ancient questions, pose many new ones
There is a certain humor in Twin Peaks devoting one of the first scenes of its revival to a man staring at a glass box, waiting for something, anything to appear in it. Like the audience, that man — Sam Colby (Ben Rosenfield) — stares at the box, unsure how long he must wait for something to happen. David Lynch, back in the director’s chair, takes his time with the scene, with long cuts back and forth between Sam and the box, the only sound a faint hum. The buzz of an intercom, piercing the silence, gives a greater jolt than most horror movies could hope to.
In the age of on-demand shows and binge watching, Lynch establishes that these new episodes of Twin Peaks will not provide quick satisfaction. These first two installments wander from place to place, story to story, briefly visiting old characters and introducing new ones. In New York, Sam maintains his vigil over the box. In South Dakota, police find the severed head of librarian Ruth Davenport in her bed, a scene that hearkens back to Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. And back in the town of Twin Peaks, Deputy Chief Hawk (Michael Horse) looks into a cold case: the disappearance of Special Agent Dale Cooper.
Read the full story here.
Weekly Rewind: ‘Game of Thrones’ is coming, ‘Twin Peaks’ returns, Bond’s best rides
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from the best of James Bonds’ cars to the future of the Apple MacBook — it’s all here.
Apple joins the race to 5G, applies to test experimental technology
Just about every major mobile carrier in the United States is hard at work on 5G wireless technology in advance of its launch (hopefully) in a few years’ time. Meanwhile, device makers have to be sure their products will be ready for the network when that day comes. Apple is seeking permission to begin testing 5G technologies for that very purpose, according to a report from Business Insider.
Although 5G specifications have not been entirely hammered out yet, we know the FCC approved the 28GHz and 39GHz bands for commercial 5G use last year. These are the same ones mentioned by Apple in its testing application.
The 28GHz band, specifically, is meant for ground-to-space transmission, and Apple has reportedly hired engineers with experience developing satellites ahead of testing.
Read the full story here.
Sir Roger Moore, the longest-serving James Bond actor, has died
Roger Moore, the actor with the longest run as British superspy James Bond, has died at age 89. The news of Moore’s death was confirmed by his children — Deborah, Geoffrey, and Christian — in a statement posted on Twitter. The actor’s death was attributed to cancer, and his family indicated that he died Tuesday, May 23, in Switzerland.
Born in South London in 1927, Moore was the oldest actor to take on the role of Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent. Already well-known to American television audiences due to his featured roles in the medieval adventure series Ivanhoe, the Western series Maverick (in which he replaced James Garner during the show’s fourth season), and the popular British series The Saint (which became a hit in syndication in the United States), Moore began his run as James Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die at the age of 46.
Read the full story here.
The world’s largest floating solar power plant just went online in China
China has announced that the largest floating photovoltaic (PV) facility on earth has finally been completed and connected to the local power grid. Long reviled for its carbon emission record, this is the Chinese government’s latest achievement in its ongoing effort to lead the world in renewable energy adoption.
Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ironically, the floating grid itself was constructed over a flooded former coal-mining region.
Read the full story here.
Would Apple dare kill the MacBook? Yeah, it might
What if Apple announced the Mac’s retirement? A huge swath of the company’s devotees would be furious … but is it truly an impossible scenario?
To many, the MacBook has long been the gold standard for luxury laptop computers. But as Apple’s business interests continue to change over time, the importance of the device’s established user base has become less and less relevant to the company.
Apple has enjoyed incredible success thanks to the iPhone and several other wildly popular products — and as a result, the company is poised to do whatever is deemed best for its long-term future. Few of its rivals would kill off such a cash cow, but Apple has no fear of making bold moves forward, even when it means leaving some of its fans behind.
Read the full story here.
10 of the most incredible vehicles James Bond has ever driven
Vodka martinis. Perfectly tailored suits. The Walther PPK pistol. There are countless examples of iconic imagery sprinkled throughout the James Bond saga, but perhaps none is more memorable than 007’s choice of transportation.
During his lengthy tenure at MI6, Mr. Bond and his adversaries have had the pleasure of driving a wide array of vehicles, ranging from stunning Aston Martins to weaponized submarines to combat aircraft. Then there were some have embraced the oft campy nature of the British spy films, and it is those automotive oddities that we’d like to focus on here.
Read the full story here.
B&O Play gets crafty with its newest product, a music-infused beer
Danish audio experts B&O Play, quirky fun-loving sister company to the more serious Bang & Olufsen, has revealed a new music product. It’s not a Bluetooth speaker, nor a pair of gorgeous headphones. It’s a beer. Not just any beer, but one infused with music played through the Beoplay A1 speaker. Don’t check your calendar, it really is the end of May, and not April 1.
Now that we’ve established this isn’t a joke (at least, we don’t think it is), here’s what you should know about what’s being called the Beobrew. B&O Play worked with craft brewery Mikkeller to investigate the effect music has on how beer tastes. We imagine a fair amount of beer was consumed before this question was asked in the first place. To find out, a Beoplay A1 speaker was connected to a classic third-generation iPod Nano, and submerged into a fermenting tank over the course of a two-week period.
Read the full story here.
‘Game of Thrones’ season 7 is coming! Here is everything we know so far
Being a Game of Thrones fan has required extra patience this year. After eschewing the usual production schedule to get the right weather to finally allow winter to come to Westeros, the show’s season 7 premiere was pushed back until summer. In the meantime, we’ve had to obsess over any and all pieces of information we can find.
The season is going to be a crazy one — even for Game of Thrones — as the stakes have never been higher now that the series finale just 13 episodes away. There are already interesting storylines in progress, from Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) seating herself on the Iron Throne to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) coming to make her claim on the crown on the backs of her dragons. The great game could play out in so many ways, and it is going to be fascinating to watch it develop. Prepare yourself with everything we know so far — but be warned that there are spoilers ahead.
Read the full story here.
World’s Smallest Garden lets you grow fresh herbs in the most cramped apartment
Want to eat more fresh ingredients? Wish you could spend the Memorial Day weekend tending your very own garden?
A new Kickstarter project may be able to help with both of these desires. Billing itself as the World’s Smallest Garden, it promises to bring the joy of gardening to your home — even if you live in a tiny, top-floor apartment where the closest thing to wild vegetation is the leftover stir-fry in your fridge.
The World’s Smallest Garden is a small cylindrical device you place in the top of a regular bottle, transforming it into a self-watering herb garden in seconds.
Read the full story here.
New ‘Twin Peaks’ episodes answer some ancient questions, pose many new ones
There is a certain humor in Twin Peaks devoting one of the first scenes of its revival to a man staring at a glass box, waiting for something, anything to appear in it. Like the audience, that man — Sam Colby (Ben Rosenfield) — stares at the box, unsure how long he must wait for something to happen. David Lynch, back in the director’s chair, takes his time with the scene, with long cuts back and forth between Sam and the box, the only sound a faint hum. The buzz of an intercom, piercing the silence, gives a greater jolt than most horror movies could hope to.
In the age of on-demand shows and binge watching, Lynch establishes that these new episodes of Twin Peaks will not provide quick satisfaction. These first two installments wander from place to place, story to story, briefly visiting old characters and introducing new ones. In New York, Sam maintains his vigil over the box. In South Dakota, police find the severed head of librarian Ruth Davenport in her bed, a scene that hearkens back to Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. And back in the town of Twin Peaks, Deputy Chief Hawk (Michael Horse) looks into a cold case: the disappearance of Special Agent Dale Cooper.
Read the full story here.
Weekly Rewind: ‘Game of Thrones’ is coming, ‘Twin Peaks’ returns, Bond’s best rides
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from the best of James Bonds’ cars to the future of the Apple MacBook — it’s all here.
Apple joins the race to 5G, applies to test experimental technology
Just about every major mobile carrier in the United States is hard at work on 5G wireless technology in advance of its launch (hopefully) in a few years’ time. Meanwhile, device makers have to be sure their products will be ready for the network when that day comes. Apple is seeking permission to begin testing 5G technologies for that very purpose, according to a report from Business Insider.
Although 5G specifications have not been entirely hammered out yet, we know the FCC approved the 28GHz and 39GHz bands for commercial 5G use last year. These are the same ones mentioned by Apple in its testing application.
The 28GHz band, specifically, is meant for ground-to-space transmission, and Apple has reportedly hired engineers with experience developing satellites ahead of testing.
Read the full story here.
Sir Roger Moore, the longest-serving James Bond actor, has died
Roger Moore, the actor with the longest run as British superspy James Bond, has died at age 89. The news of Moore’s death was confirmed by his children — Deborah, Geoffrey, and Christian — in a statement posted on Twitter. The actor’s death was attributed to cancer, and his family indicated that he died Tuesday, May 23, in Switzerland.
Born in South London in 1927, Moore was the oldest actor to take on the role of Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent. Already well-known to American television audiences due to his featured roles in the medieval adventure series Ivanhoe, the Western series Maverick (in which he replaced James Garner during the show’s fourth season), and the popular British series The Saint (which became a hit in syndication in the United States), Moore began his run as James Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die at the age of 46.
Read the full story here.
The world’s largest floating solar power plant just went online in China
China has announced that the largest floating photovoltaic (PV) facility on earth has finally been completed and connected to the local power grid. Long reviled for its carbon emission record, this is the Chinese government’s latest achievement in its ongoing effort to lead the world in renewable energy adoption.
Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ironically, the floating grid itself was constructed over a flooded former coal-mining region.
Read the full story here.
Would Apple dare kill the MacBook? Yeah, it might
What if Apple announced the Mac’s retirement? A huge swath of the company’s devotees would be furious … but is it truly an impossible scenario?
To many, the MacBook has long been the gold standard for luxury laptop computers. But as Apple’s business interests continue to change over time, the importance of the device’s established user base has become less and less relevant to the company.
Apple has enjoyed incredible success thanks to the iPhone and several other wildly popular products — and as a result, the company is poised to do whatever is deemed best for its long-term future. Few of its rivals would kill off such a cash cow, but Apple has no fear of making bold moves forward, even when it means leaving some of its fans behind.
Read the full story here.
10 of the most incredible vehicles James Bond has ever driven
Vodka martinis. Perfectly tailored suits. The Walther PPK pistol. There are countless examples of iconic imagery sprinkled throughout the James Bond saga, but perhaps none is more memorable than 007’s choice of transportation.
During his lengthy tenure at MI6, Mr. Bond and his adversaries have had the pleasure of driving a wide array of vehicles, ranging from stunning Aston Martins to weaponized submarines to combat aircraft. Then there were some have embraced the oft campy nature of the British spy films, and it is those automotive oddities that we’d like to focus on here.
Read the full story here.
B&O Play gets crafty with its newest product, a music-infused beer
Danish audio experts B&O Play, quirky fun-loving sister company to the more serious Bang & Olufsen, has revealed a new music product. It’s not a Bluetooth speaker, nor a pair of gorgeous headphones. It’s a beer. Not just any beer, but one infused with music played through the Beoplay A1 speaker. Don’t check your calendar, it really is the end of May, and not April 1.
Now that we’ve established this isn’t a joke (at least, we don’t think it is), here’s what you should know about what’s being called the Beobrew. B&O Play worked with craft brewery Mikkeller to investigate the effect music has on how beer tastes. We imagine a fair amount of beer was consumed before this question was asked in the first place. To find out, a Beoplay A1 speaker was connected to a classic third-generation iPod Nano, and submerged into a fermenting tank over the course of a two-week period.
Read the full story here.
‘Game of Thrones’ season 7 is coming! Here is everything we know so far
Being a Game of Thrones fan has required extra patience this year. After eschewing the usual production schedule to get the right weather to finally allow winter to come to Westeros, the show’s season 7 premiere was pushed back until summer. In the meantime, we’ve had to obsess over any and all pieces of information we can find.
The season is going to be a crazy one — even for Game of Thrones — as the stakes have never been higher now that the series finale just 13 episodes away. There are already interesting storylines in progress, from Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) seating herself on the Iron Throne to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) coming to make her claim on the crown on the backs of her dragons. The great game could play out in so many ways, and it is going to be fascinating to watch it develop. Prepare yourself with everything we know so far — but be warned that there are spoilers ahead.
Read the full story here.
World’s Smallest Garden lets you grow fresh herbs in the most cramped apartment
Want to eat more fresh ingredients? Wish you could spend the Memorial Day weekend tending your very own garden?
A new Kickstarter project may be able to help with both of these desires. Billing itself as the World’s Smallest Garden, it promises to bring the joy of gardening to your home — even if you live in a tiny, top-floor apartment where the closest thing to wild vegetation is the leftover stir-fry in your fridge.
The World’s Smallest Garden is a small cylindrical device you place in the top of a regular bottle, transforming it into a self-watering herb garden in seconds.
Read the full story here.
New ‘Twin Peaks’ episodes answer some ancient questions, pose many new ones
There is a certain humor in Twin Peaks devoting one of the first scenes of its revival to a man staring at a glass box, waiting for something, anything to appear in it. Like the audience, that man — Sam Colby (Ben Rosenfield) — stares at the box, unsure how long he must wait for something to happen. David Lynch, back in the director’s chair, takes his time with the scene, with long cuts back and forth between Sam and the box, the only sound a faint hum. The buzz of an intercom, piercing the silence, gives a greater jolt than most horror movies could hope to.
In the age of on-demand shows and binge watching, Lynch establishes that these new episodes of Twin Peaks will not provide quick satisfaction. These first two installments wander from place to place, story to story, briefly visiting old characters and introducing new ones. In New York, Sam maintains his vigil over the box. In South Dakota, police find the severed head of librarian Ruth Davenport in her bed, a scene that hearkens back to Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. And back in the town of Twin Peaks, Deputy Chief Hawk (Michael Horse) looks into a cold case: the disappearance of Special Agent Dale Cooper.
Read the full story here.
OnePlus referral program arrives right before expected unveiling of OnePlus 5
Why it matters to you
If you’re a OnePlus fan, you can earn rewards for recommending the company to your friends.
OnePlus is going through quite a transition period right now. The company is selling out of the OnePlus 3T, which happens to be the last phone it has on sale. It is likely that the device will sell out right in time for the upcoming OnePlus 5.
Also in time for the OnePlus 5, OnePlus initiated a referral program with discounts on purchases, as well as a new point system which you can earn points for OnePlus products you buy online. Those points can then be used to get you some free or discounted OnePlus gear.
Of course, there is a catch — to qualify for the referral program, you have to have bought your phone from OnePlus to receive a referral code. Then, when you have that code, you can share it with friends — and if one of them buys a phone from OnePlus, they get a $20 discount on accessories and you receive 100 points.
“Anyone who’s ever bought a OnePlus smartphone past, present, or future, can get a unique referral link. Once you’ve got a link, just share it with someone interested in buying a OnePlus device and wait for them to hit the order button,” OnePlus said in a post on the OnePlus forum. “We hope you’re as excited about this program as we are. We know that for years, you guys have been telling your friends about OnePlus for free. With the referral program, we want to reward you for all that you do for us.”
The OnePlus 5 is shaping up to be quite a device. The device has been rumored for some time now and will, at least according to rumors, feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. There is no word on pricing yet, however, OnePlus has traditionally sold its flagship-spec phones at a much lower price than others.
Chinese company will train U.S. coal miners for a future in clean wind energy
Why it matters to you
Wind-energy companies are looking to transform the floundering coal industry and provide jobs for those in need of one.
Coal has dominated global energy markets for decades, however, the sector is changing both domestically and abroad. At a news conference in Wyoming, a Chinese wind-turbine manufacturer announced it would be offering free wind farm technician training to local coalminers.
Wyoming is the largest coal producer in the United States. In fact, the state produces nearly four times as much coal as West Virginia. For a welcome dollop of irony, the site of this future Goldwind Americas’ wind farm, Carbon County (named for its extensive coal deposits), was actually the first coal mine in the state. However, the region is undergoing a tremendous economic transformation.
Increased mechanization in the coal industry and falling demand has caused massive layoffs. Last year alone, hundreds of coal miners lost their jobs across the Cowboy State. To say Wyoming has been reluctant to change would be a gross understatement. At one point in time, the state imposed a tax on wind-energy generation. Nonetheless, the wind industry is offering a host of economic and employment opportunities for an area in dire need of job growth.
This staunch resistance to the burgeoning wind-energy market is also inherently paradoxical. Wyoming has some of the highest annual wind speeds in the U.S. and also one of the lowest population densities. These factors make the state ideal for large-scale wind farming projects. And with billions of dollars of federal subsidy dollars available for wind-farm developers, Goldwind Americas is looking to transform both the energy and economic future of the state.
The company is keen on training local American workers on the wind farms it produces. Goldwind believes these former miners are ideal candidates considering their existing mechanical and electrical engineering skills. It is estimated that the wind farm project could create thousands of jobs and hundreds of other auxiliary support positions.
Apple is likely making an AI chip for iPhone called Apple Neural Engine
Apple might be developing a new chip to handle artificial intelligence-related tasks on its devices.
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) chip could be called the Apple Neural Engine, and it would be used to offload AI tasks that require complex algorithms, such as facial and speech recognition and augmented reality (AR) and other intensive features that rely on computer vision. The chip would improve battery live and overall performance of Apple’s devices.
Keep in mind Bloomberg also reported earlier this year that Apple seems to be actively lessening its reliance on Intel chips by designing its own A-series ARM-based chips for Macs, even though Intel processors have powered Apple’s Mac lineup for more than a decade. Apple reportedly wants to offload the Mac’s “Power Nap” feature from the main processor, though it has no plans to dump Intel right away.
Apple has been investing a lot into its own series of chips for the last seven years. For instance, it even designed an ARM-based chip – the T1 – for the MacBook Pro last autumn. Also, in April, British-based technology Imagination Technologies claimed Apple had ended its long-running partnership because it wanted to instead design and produce its own graphics chip for use in the iPhone and iPad.
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- Is Apple making its own chips for Macs so it can eventually ditch Intel?
- Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: What’s the story so far?
As for the dedicated AI chip, Apple primarily wants to separate the most heavy tasks from the iPhone’s processor and graphics chip, but it unclear if the chip will be available in devices this year. Bloomberg said Apple is now testing iPhone prototypes with the chip.
CEO Tim Cook has also teased several times over the past couple years that Apple sees AI and AR as the future, so it’s perfectly believable that the company may be building such technologies into its devices as well as developing a dedicated chip for them.
We may learn more at Apple’s developers conference in a couple weeks.
AIVAnet 