Archive for January, 2017
California Adding Massive Battery Systems to Grid
January 31st, 2017Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Via: Bloomberg: Tesla Motors Inc. is making a huge bet that millions of small batteries can be strung together to help kick fossil fuels off the grid. The idea is a powerful one—one that’s been used to help justify the company’s $5 billion factory near […]
AI Beats Professional Poker Players
January 31st, 2017Via: BBC: A poker-playing AI has beaten four human players in a marathon match lasting 20 days. Libratus, an artificial intelligence program developed at Carnegie Mellon University, was trained to play a variant of the game known as no-limit heads-up Texas hold ’em. In a similar tournament in 2015, the humans won. The victory has […]
The FBI’s Secret Rules
January 31st, 2017Via: The Intercept: For example, the bureau’s agents can decide that a campus organization is not “legitimate” and therefore not entitled to robust protections for free speech; dig for derogatory information on potential informants without any basis for believing they are implicated in unlawful activity; use a person’s immigration status to pressure them to collaborate […]
LibreTaxi: Free and Open Source Alternative to Uber/Lyft
January 31st, 2017Via: LibreTaxi: LibreTaxi makes taxi affordable by getting rid of the third party between passengers and drivers. Negotiate the price before the ride is confirmed, pay cash upon arrival. 1-minute hiring for all drivers.
Cafe X, Bringing Robots to the Coffee Shop
January 30th, 2017Via: TechCrunch: The world’s first coffee shop opened in Constantinople in 1555. Four hundred and some years later, Cafe X is putting a twist on that old barista model. Opening in San Francisco today, the startup is opting instead to have a large robotic arm craft your caffeinated potions.
Trump Signs Executive Order to Slash Regulations
January 30th, 2017Via Reuters: President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday that will seek to dramatically pare back federal regulations by requiring agencies to cut two existing regulations for every new rule introduced. “This will be the biggest such act that our country has ever seen. There will be regulation, there will be control, but it […]
Bag of Chips Can Sense If You’ve Been Drinking and Call You an Uber
January 30th, 2017Via: Mashable: Tostitos’ new bag wants to chaperone your Super Bowl party. In honor of the big game, the chip maker is launching a special-edition version of its packaging with a built-in sensor that can detect trace levels of alcohol in your breath. If it decides you’ve been drinking — regardless of how much — […]
Chinese Fishery with a Giant Integrated Solar Array
January 29th, 2017Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — It’s huge. Must see photos. Via: Electrek: The images were released by Xinhau in December and the People’s Daily in January. The 200MW project will produce greater than 220GWh/year of electricity. The project cost 1.8B RMB (US$260M) and covers an area of 300 hectares. The […]
Microplastics Found in Supermarket Fish, Shellfish
January 29th, 2017Via: CBC: Tiny pieces of plastic are making their way into fish and shellfish found at the supermarket, a new study has shown. The findings are part of a report prepared for the International Maritime Organization, the UN agency responsible for preventing marine pollution. It’s not yet been established what effect these tiny particles of […]
First Human-Pig ‘Chimera’ Created
January 27th, 2017Via: Guardian: Scientists have created a human-pig hybrid in a milestone study that raises the prospect of being able to grow human organs inside animals for use in transplants. It marks the first time that embryos combining two large, distantly-related species have been produced. The creation of this so-called chimera – named after the cross-species […]
