Archive for November, 2015
Q-Carbon
November 30th, 2015Via: PhysOrg: Researchers from North Carolina State University have discovered a new phase of solid carbon, called Q-carbon, which is distinct from the known phases of graphite and diamond. They have also developed a technique for using Q-carbon to make diamond-related structures at room temperature and at ambient atmospheric pressure in air. Phases are distinct […]
The Secret Message Hidden in Every HTTP/2 Connection
November 30th, 2015Via: jgc: If you spy on an HTTP/2 connection starting up you’ll notice that it sends an almost-but-not-quite valid HTTP request at the very start of the connection… Written a little more clearly that’s: PRI * HTTP2.0 SM The HTTP verb is PRI and the body contains just SM. Put them together and you get… […]
Amazon Unveils New Prime Air Drone Prototypes
November 30th, 2015Via: USA Today: Amazon revealed the latest prototype of drones it will deploy as part of its Prime Air service using the unmanned aerial devices to deliver packages in under 30 minutes. According to details released Sunday by the online retailing giant, Amazon says the drones weigh 55 pounds and can carry packages weighing up […]
Airpocalypse Now: China Pollution Reaching Record Levels
November 28th, 2015Via: Guardian: In some areas of Shenyang, PM2.5 readings reportedly surpassed 1,400 micrograms per cubic metre, which is about 56 times the levels considered safe by the World Health Organisation. More: Beijing Residents Told to Stay Inside, Air Pollution 15X Safe Level
DJI Launches Crop-Spraying Drone
November 27th, 201515 grand today. $499 in… three years? Via: BBC: Billion-dollar drone company DJI is expanding from consumer and camera drones into the agriculture industry. The Chinese firm’s latest model is a crop-spraying drone, which it claims is “40 times more efficient” than manual spraying, despite having just 12 minutes of flight time. It will be […]
The Next Frontier in Formula Racing: Driverless Cars
November 27th, 2015Via: Los Angeles Times: Imagine taking Google’s driverless car, mashing it up with Tesla’s zero-to-60-in-three-seconds “ludicrous mode,” and then pushing it to speeds of over 100 mph. Now imagine nearly two dozen of these souped-up robotic cars all speeding around on the same closed track and trying to outdo one another — without a human […]
Air Force Hires Civilian Drone Pilots for Combat Patrols
November 27th, 2015Via: Los Angeles Times: The Air Force has hired civilian defense contractors to fly MQ-9 Reaper drones to help track suspected militants and other targets in global hot spots, a previously undisclosed expansion in the privatization of once-exclusively military functions. For the first time, civilian pilots and crews now operate what the Air Force calls […]
China Announces Military Overhaul to Make Army More Combat Ready
November 26th, 2015Via: Bloomberg: President Xi Jinping announced a major overhaul of China’s military to make the world’s largest army more combat ready and better equipped to project force beyond the country’s borders. Under the reorganization, all branches of the armed forces would come under a joint military command, Xi told a meeting of military officials in […]
Myopia Epidemic: Kids Urged to Drop Devices and Go Outside — Or Risk Blindness
November 26th, 2015Must see picture of Chinese school desks! Via:Sydney Morning Herald: A new global study co-authored by Dr David Wilson of Brien Holden Vision Institute, forecasts that 10 per cent of the world’s population will be at risk of blindness by 2050 if steps aren’t taken to stop myopia turning into high myopia (requiring glasses with […]
“Gene Drive” Mosquitoes
November 26th, 2015Via: Guardian: Hundreds of genetically modified mosquitoes that are incapable of spreading the malaria parasite to humans have been created in a laboratory as part of a radical approach to combating the disease. The move marks a major step towards the development of a powerful and controversial technology called a “gene drive” that aims to […]
