Homeschooling Hits the Mainstream
August 9th, 2020Via: Reason:
DIY approaches to education—including homeschooling, learning pods, and microschools—are gaining popularity as public schools fold under pressure.
Google Speakers Are Listening to More Than Just Voice Commands
August 8th, 2020Via: Protocol:
Last week, Reddit user Brazedowl received a curious notification on his phone: Google was telling him that a smoke detector in his home had gone off. Brazedowl, a teacher from North Carolina who goes by Drew in real life, knew about the smoke alarm — he was at home himself and had just fried some sausages in his kitchen. But up until that moment, he had no idea that his smart speaker was able to detect such events. “Google just made my dumb smoke detectors smart,” he wrote on Reddit. “Pretty rad.”
A Google spokesperson told Protocol that the feature was accidentally enabled for some users through a recent software update and has since been rolled back. But in light of Monday’s news that Google invested $450 million — acquiring a 6.6% stake — in home security provider ADT, it may be a sign of things to come for Google, as it hints at the company’s secret home security superpower: millions of smart speakers already in people’s homes.
Once the deal closes, ADT’s more than 20,000 installers will also sell Google-made smart displays, security cameras and other hardware, and ADT will more closely integrate Google technology into its own home security offerings. “The goal is to give customers fewer false alarms, more ways to receive alarm events, and better detection of potential incidents inside and around the home,” Google Nest VP and GM Rishi Chandra said in a blog post.
Trump: “This May be the Last Time You’ll See Me for a While”
August 8th, 2020This is a pretty weird one.
Via: Summit News:
Remarks made by President Trump during a speech have prompted speculation after he referred to having a lot of rich enemies and told the audience, “This may be the last time you’ll see me for a while.”
The comments were made during an address Trump gave at the Whirlpool Corporation Manufacturing Plant in Clyde, Ohio.
The context of the remarks was an executive order that will mandate U.S. government agencies purchase all essential drugs from American sources.
Oatly: The New Coke
August 8th, 2020Via: Substack:
What actions has Oatly taken that would make us trust them? They’ve built an incredible marketing engine and raised 100s of millions of dollars convincing you that you should put sugar and vegetable oil into your coffee each morning, while hand-waving away evidence that they’re harming you.
U.S. Government Contractor Embedded Software in Apps to Track Phones
August 7th, 2020Via: Wall Street Journal:
A small U.S. company with ties to the U.S. defense and intelligence communities has embedded its software in numerous mobile apps, allowing it to track the movements of hundreds of millions of mobile phones world-wide, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Anomaly Six LLC a Virginia-based company founded by two U.S. military veterans with a background in intelligence, said in marketing material it is able to draw location data from more than 500 mobile applications, in part through its own software development kit, or SDK, that is embedded directly in some of the apps. An SDK allows the company to obtain the phone’s location if consumers have allowed the app containing the software to access the phone’s GPS coordinates.
Pentagon Picks SpaceX and ULA to Remain Its Primary Launch Providers
August 7th, 2020Via: Space News:
The Department of the Air Force announced Aug. 7 that incumbents United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have been selected to receive five-year contracts totaling $653 million to launch national security satellites for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies.
The companies beat Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman in the four-way competition known as the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement.
United Launch Alliance on Aug. 7 received a $337 million contract for two Phase 2 missions and SpaceX received a $316 million contract for one Phase 2 mission planned between between fiscal 2022 through fiscal 2027, according to the Pentagon’s announcement.
Declining Eyesight Improved by Looking at Deep Red Light
August 7th, 2020I’ll try my luck with: Wolfram Alpha: color of [//number:670//] nm light
Batteries not included, your mileage may vary, your monitor and calibration might produce inaccurate results, etc.
Via: Eurekalert:
Staring at a deep red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a new UCL-led study, the first of its kind in humans.
Scientists believe the discovery, published in the Journals of Gerontology, could signal the dawn of new affordable home-based eye therapies, helping the millions of people globally with naturally declining vision.
…
Researchers found the 670nm light had no impact in younger individuals, but in those around 40 years and over, significant improvements were obtained.
Cone colour contrast sensitivity (the ability to detect colours) improved by up to 20% in some people aged around 40 and over. Improvements were more significant in the blue part of the colour spectrum that is more vulnerable in ageing.
Rod sensitivity (the ability to see in low light) also improved significantly in those aged around 40 and over, though less than colour contrast.
Professor Jeffery said: “Our study shows that it is possible to significantly improve vision that has declined in aged individuals using simple brief exposures to light wavelengths that recharge the energy system that has declined in the retina cells, rather like re-charging a battery.
“The technology is simple and very safe, using a deep red light of a specific wavelength, that is absorbed by mitochondria in the retina that supply energy for cellular function.
“Our devices cost about £12 to make, so the technology is highly accessible to members of the public.”
Non-Invasive Nerve Stimulation Boosts Learning of Foreign Language Sounds
August 7th, 2020Via: MedicalXpress:
New research by neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh and University of California San Francisco (UCSF) revealed that a simple, earbud-like device developed at UCSF that imperceptibly stimulates a key nerve leading to the brain could significantly improve the wearer’s ability to learn the sounds of a new language. This device may have wide-ranging applications for boosting other kinds of learning as well.
5000W Direct-Drive Tesla Coil
August 7th, 2020Via: styropyro:
YouTube Deletes The HighWire
August 7th, 2020Via: The HighWire:
CORONAVIRUS: THE FRONTLINE PUSHBACK https://t.co/JQa2nTqOFY
— The HighWire (@HighWireTalk) August 6, 2020
