General Strikes in Spain and Portugal
November 14th, 2012Via: BBC:
Workers across the European Union are staging a series of protests and strikes against rising unemployment and austerity measures.
General strikes in Spain and Portugal halted transport, businesses and schools and led to clashes between police and protesters in Madrid.
Smaller strikes were reported in Greece, Italy and Belgium, and rallies were planned in other countries.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in Spain and Portugal.
Five Really Cool Inventions Being Developed In Metro Detroit
November 14th, 2012Via: Metromode:
They actually make things here. Cool things. Things that may have no commercial value, or they may be market-ready. The idea may not originate here, but innovators find a way to make it happen at places like TechShop and i3Detroit, or in garages and school shops.
That’s one thing that Metro Detroit has been known for. And in the aftermath of the region’s depression, there are signs that the maker spirit never died.
The climate for creative production in this rust belt region is fired up. There’s something happening in the minds of makers: Maybe a daydream on the job, or the dream of an entrepreneur. It’s about possibilities and places to make them a reality.
Here are a few samples of the cool stuff that people are making here.
Australia: Man Questions Power Company Justifications for Rate Increases, Gets Threatening Letter from Law Firm
November 14th, 2012Via: Sydney Morning Herald:
The thing that really irks Bruce Robertson is not just that the giant power companies are threatening to sue him but that their lawyers are demanding he pay for their costs.
“It was a service I never requested,” quips Robertson, who has had to resort to black humour since the letter from Grid Australia arrived out of the blue last week.
In the quintessential act of corporate bullying, the nation’s electricity transmission giants are threatening to sue the corporate-analyst-turned-cattle-farmer from the mid-north coast of NSW.
Robertson has been a constant thorn in their side this year, revealing how the industry’s ‘gold-plating’, dodgy forecasts and misleading rhetoric have been the main factors behind the nose-bleed rise in power bills.
And so Grid Australia, the peak body for the transmission giants, is trying to muzzle him with legal threats.
Research Credit: HW
Foxconn Begins Deploying Robots
November 14th, 2012Via: Singularity Hub:
It appears as if Gou has started the ball in motion. Since the announcement, a first batch of 10,000 robots — aptly named Foxbots — appear to have made its way into at least one factory, and by the end of 2012, another 20,000 more will be installed.
Google Says Government Surveillance Growing
November 14th, 2012Captain Obvious in the house.
Via: Information Week:
In its sixth semiannual government Transparency Report, Google on Tuesday noted that one trend is clear: “Government surveillance is on the rise.”
This may not come as a shock at a time when an FBI investigation into confrontational email messages between two women uncovered a tangentially related extramarital affair, forcing the resignation of the nation’s director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Indeed, it reprises what Google has said in previous government Transparency Reports: Governments want more data about Google users and want more content posted by Google users removed. In June, Google characterized the rise in politically motivated content takedown requests as “troubling.”
Mind-Controlled Robot Avatars Inch Towards Reality
November 14th, 2012Life imitating art:
Via: Gizmag:
Researchers at the CNRS-AIST Joint Robotics Laboratory (a collaboration between France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) are developing software that allows a person to drive a robot with their thoughts alone. The technology could one day give a paralyzed patient greater autonomy through a robotic agent or avatar.
Malaysia: ‘Smart Village’ Offers World Model for Rural Poverty Relief
November 13th, 2012I was intrigued by their food production methods. They make extensive use of Autopot hydroponic systems.
This looks very impressive.
Via: Press Release – Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology:
An innovative, high-tech “smart village” built in Malaysia provides a potential global template for addressing rural poverty in a sustainable environment, say international experts meeting in California’s Silicon Valley.
Rimbunan Kaseh, a model community built north-east of Kuala Lumpur, consists of 100 affordable homes, high-tech educational, training and recreational facilities, and a creative, closed-loop agricultural system designed to provide both food and supplementary income for villagers.
Malaysian Dato’ Tan Say Jim detailed the project Monday at a special meeting in San Jose of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) — a unique assembly of all-star international and Malaysian experts and leaders created to guide sustainable Malaysian development.
The “smart village,” located on 12 hectares in the Malaysian state of Pahang, includes a four-level aquaculture system whereby water cascades through a series of tanks to raise, first, fish sensitive to water quality, then tilapia (“the world’s answer to affordable protein,” says Mr. Tan), then guppies and finally algae. The latter two products are used to feed the larger fish.
Filtered fish tank wastewater is then used to irrigate trees, grain fields and crops such as flowers and fresh produce, the plants grown individually in novel hydroponic devices. The “auto-pot” is a three-piece plastic container that automatically detects soil moisture levels and waters plants precisely as required, reducing needs for costly fertilizers and pesticides as well as water.
Organic waste is composted to encourage worms and other organisms on which free-range chickens feed together with the home-grown grains.
In addition to access to reliable food supplies, villagers augment their monthly income by an estimated $400 to $650.
“It is a complete loop; a modern farm — one that could even exist on the rooftop of a building,” says Mr. Tan of IRIS Corporation Berhad, which spearheads the public-private partnership.
The energy-efficient homes (roughly 100 square meters – 1,000 square feet) require 10 days to construct, in part from post-consumer materials, and cost between 50,000 to 60,000 Malaysian Ringgit ($16,000 to $20,000).
The village’s solar-generated power is complemented by biomass energy and mini-hydro electricity.
Rounding out the design: a community hall, resource centre, places of worship, playgrounds and educational facilities equipped with 4G Internet service supporting both e-learning and e-health services.
More: FastCompany: A Pre-Fab Sustainable Village
Research Credit: almaverdad2
Finnish Nickel and Zinc Mine Leaking Water with High Levels of Uranium
November 13th, 2012Via: Reuters:
Finnish nickel miner Talvivaara said on Friday it was still trying to fix a waste water leak at its mine in Sotkamo, eastern Finland, which resulted in high levels of uranium in nearby waters.
Uranium more than 50 times higher than normal levels were found in streams this week near Talvivaara’s nickel and zinc mine, according to nuclear safety officials, although they said they did not see any risk to public health. The ore from the mine also contains uranium.
Talvivaara shut down production at the mine on Sunday after discovering the leakage, the latest in a series of problems at the site over the past year including environmental concerns and the death of a worker in March.
The company announced early on Friday that it stopped the leakage, but later said that another leak had occurred and it was working to fix it.
Petraeus Investigation Ensnares Commander of U.S., NATO Troops in Afghanistan
November 13th, 2012Besides Petraeus and Allen, there’s Gaouette and Sinclair.
What’s going on here???
Via: Washington Post:
The FBI probe into the sex scandal that prompted CIA Director David Petraeus to resign has expanded to ensnare Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced early Tuesday.
According to a senior U.S. defense official, the FBI has uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 documents — most of them e-mails — of “potentially inappropriate” communications between Allen and Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old Tampa woman whose close relationship with Petraeus ultimately led to his downfall.
Britain: Man Faces Questioning for Posting Burning Poppy Photo
November 13th, 2012Via: Sky:
A man has been questioned by police after an image of a burning poppy was posted on Facebook on Remembrance Sunday.
Kent Police said the 19-year-old, from Canterbury, was detained on Sunday night on suspicion of making malicious telecommunications.
The force said in a statement: “A man (was) interviewed by police this morning following reports that a picture of a burning poppy had been posted on a social media website.
“Officers were contacted at around 4pm yesterday and alerted to the picture, which was reportedly accompanied by an offensive comment.”
The man was later released pending further inquiries.
His detention was met with disbelief on Twitter, where people mounted a fierce discussion over civil liberties.
Tom Williams, tweeting as @tomwilliamsisme, wrote: “The scary thing is, the man wasn’t arrested for burning a poppy – that’s not illegal. He was arrested for putting it online.”
