Archive for the 'Technology' Category
BAY AREA: FBI MICROPHONES RECORD PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS
May 14th, 2016Keep in mind, this is just what’s admitted. Via: East Bay Express: At the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, the FBI planted hidden microphones inside light fixtures on the courthouse’s exterior steps to capture the conversations of people attending the foreclosure auctions. Cameras and microphones were installed in parked Alameda County vehicles next to […]
Wendy’s Installing Self-Service Ordering Kiosks in 6,000-Plus Restaurants
May 13th, 20162014: Notice how companies in Seattle have between three and seven years to start paying the $15/hour rate? *wink* And now… Via: IBD: Wendy’s (WEN) said that self-service ordering kiosks will be made available across its 6,000-plus restaurants in the second half of the year as minimum wage hikes and a tight labor market push […]
Hyperloop One: Open Air Prototype Tested in Nevada
May 11th, 2016I’ve found that Americans, in general, only have a vague concept of what a bullet train is. They know that it’s theoretically possible to travel around the Homeland on the ancient and lumbering Amtrak system, if they want to pay a lot and go slow, but that’s about it. Nothing worth seeing in other countries, […]
Volvo’s Self-Driving Program Will Have Redundancy For Everything
May 11th, 2016Via: IEEE: Next year Volvo will do something no other company has tried: it will put 100 fully self-driving cars in the hands of customers. The tests, which will begin small and ramp up slowly, are to be held in Gothenberg, Sweden and in London. It’s a lot harder than it may seem. True, the […]
Nimble-Fingered Robot Outperforms the Best Human Surgeons
May 10th, 2016Via: MIT Technology Review: A robot surgeon has been taught to perform a delicate procedure—stitching soft tissue together with a needle and thread—more precisely and reliably than even the best human doctor. The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), developed by researchers at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., uses an advanced 3-D imaging system […]
The Coming Wide-Spread Use of Drones in Agriculture
May 10th, 2016Via: Hackaday: Let’s cover what drones can offer and what growers can use, then dig into what is out there and happening over some fields right now. These Things are Important to Farmers, but are Limited or Troublesome Confirmation: Verifying that plants are growing where and when they should, and checking this as early and […]
Software Update Destroys $286 Million Japanese Satellite
May 10th, 2016Via: Hackaday: The Japanese X-ray telescope Hitomi has been declared lost after it disintegrated in orbit, torn apart when spinning out of control. The cause is still under investigation but early analysis points to bad data in a software package pushed shortly after an instrument probe was extended from the rear of the satellite. JAXA, […]
UPS Using Drone Delivery for Medical Supplies in Rwanda
May 9th, 2016Via: MarketWatch: United Parcel Service Inc. has for decades been the company that delivers packages to your doorstep with its signature brown trucks, but the company has quietly begun expanding into drone delivery. The UPS Foundation announced Monday it has entered into a partnership with drone startup Zipline and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to deliver […]
Parents’ Smartphones Harming Children’s Ability to Hold Conversation, Say Teachers
May 9th, 2016I know! Sit them in front of screens in school as well! Increased Use of Computers in Classrooms: “More Likely to be Associated with Lower Results” Oh. Via: Telegraph: Parents’ immersion in smartphones has left some neglected children starting primary school unable to hold conversations, new research warns. Almost a third of children starting school […]
Inside the Gigafactory That Will Decide Tesla’s Fate
May 6th, 2016Via: Bloomberg: The $5 billion Gigafactory was born of necessity. Tesla needs a hell of a lot of batteries, for both the forthcoming mass-market Model 3 sedan and the Tesla Energy product line. The timeline for getting those batteries made just became much shorter, too. On Wednesday, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk stunned investors by […]
