Britain: “Submissions to Theresa May’s Child Sex Abuse Inquiry Accidentally Deleted”
October 20th, 2015Via: The Guardian:
Information provided by alleged child abuse victims to the overarching inquiry set up by Theresa May has been deleted due to a blunder, it has emerged.
Submissions sent through an online form to the inquiry between 14 September and 2 October were “instantly and permanently deleted” on Thursday before they reached staff.
The information had been sent to the “share your experience” section of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) website, set up for victims and survivors wanting to share their experiences with officials working on the probe.
Those who provided details between the two dates have now been asked to resubmit their information. The inquiry apologised for the incident and stressed that no material was at risk of disclosure.
In Nigeria, Solar-Powered Fridges at Outdoor Markets Save Food From Spoiling
October 20th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand.
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Via: Gizmodo:
In developing countries, an unbelievable 45% of food goes bad because of a lack of cold storage. It’s an especially big problem during transportation from farms to outdoor markets, where food sits in the scorching sun for hours on end. But one startup has a solution: solar-powered refrigeration stations that could save the livelihoods of half a billion farmers worldwide.
It’s called ColdHubs, and it’s a Nigerian-based company founded by entrepreneur and radio presenter Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, who’s a farmer himself. Here’s the problem he set out to solve: Almost half the post-harvest food in developing nations like Nigeria quickly spoil because there’s nothing to keep it refrigerated, and 470 million farmers in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America lose up to 25% of their annual income because of it. There is no cool storage at local community markets, where it’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This income loss affects 200 million farmers in Africa alone.
So Ikegwuonu turned to solar panels. His design is an easy-to-set-up, modular, walk-in cold room that provides “24/7 off-grid storage and preservation for perishable foods.” Freshness for these fruits and vegetables skyrockets from two days to 21 days, and local farmers’ post-harvest loss is cut by 80%.
Is the Retarded Trend of Men-Wearing-Women’s-Pants a Population Reduction Program?
October 19th, 2015For a few years, I’ve been baffled by the ridiculous trend of men wearing skinny jeans.
It’s easy to just shake your head and pass this off as yet another aspect of the zombie apocalypse. (In the town closest to me, they like to add a blown-out bluetooth speaker blaring rap music to the ensemble as they stroll down the sidewalk.)
After reading the piece below, I wonder if there’s more to it than just the seemingly pointless vagaries of fashion.
Via: Stuff:
For men trying to start a family, it’s time to lose the tight jeans – and sleep naked.
Underwear choice has a huge impact on a man’s sperm count and quality, according to research from Stanford University, the Daily Mail reports.
Their findings? Breezy boxer shorts keep reproductive cells alive, while sleeping in your birthday suit gives the best results.
Stanford scientists worked with the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on a sample of 501 men who were trying to become fathers.
Those who wore boxer shorts during the day, rather than tighter briefs, and wore nothing at all to bed, had 25 per cent less damage to their sperm.
Katherine Sapra of the NICHD said there was an association between the type of underwear worn, and semen quality.
“Reducing exposure for bed decreases DNA fragmentation; better semen quality parameters are observed in men wearing boxers during the day and none to bed.”
Allan Pacey of Sheffield University agreed, saying heat was the factor at play.
“We have known for some time that men who increase the temperature of their testicles, either through the heat exposure at work or by wearing tight underwear, have poorer semen quality compared to men whose testicles are cooler,” he said.
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[???] “We Can Only Assume Gender-Specific Clothing Is On Its Way Out”
Emails Reveal Tony Blair’s “Deal In Blood” with George Bush Over Iraq War
October 19th, 2015Via: Daily Mail:
A bombshell White House memo has revealed for the first time details of the ‘deal in blood’ forged by Tony Blair and George Bush over the Iraq War.
The sensational leak shows that Blair had given an unqualified pledge to sign up to the conflict a year before the invasion started.
It flies in the face of the Prime Minister’s public claims at the time that he was seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
He told voters: ‘We’re not proposing military action’ – in direct contrast to what the secret email now reveals.
Research Credit: emulsified
Government of South Korea and Samsung Developing Robots to Manufacture Consumer Electronics
October 19th, 2015Via: The Korea Herald:
South Korea’s government said Monday that it will join forces with Samsung Electronics Co. to develop precision manufacturing robots that could open new horizons for the local manufacturing sector.
The plan calls for 16.75 billion won ($14.8 million) worth of taxpayers’ money to be invested in the next three years to develop key components that can allow more robotic parts to be made in the country and lower overall prices of industrial machines, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.
Developed robots can be used to make small products like mobile phones and consumer electronic products that require a high degree of precision, it said, adding all technology developed will be used to assist small and medium-sized robotics companies.
“Emphasis will be placed on developing precision speed reducers, motors, controllers and sensor encoders that are currently expensive and imported from abroad,” it said.
“Development of these parts should be completed by late 2018.”
Social Skills Are Last Line of Defense for Humans Seeking Work
October 19th, 2015Via: Bloomberg:
David Deming, an associate professor of education and economics at Harvard University, has found that jobs requiring social interaction are growing relative to work that doesn’t, and such skills may offer some protection from robotic takeover. Certain high-level professions that demand technical expertise and low-skill work that can be done by a greater share of the population often have in common a need for language, creativity, flexibility and physical dexterity, all things humans currently can do better than machines.
Almost all job growth since 1980 has been in work that is social-skill intensive, according to research from Deming published in August. Occupations that require high levels of analytical and mathematical reasoning but little social interface — for example statistical clerks and machinists — have “fared especially poorly,” he wrote. Meanwhile real wage growth has been strongest in jobs that require workers to have both math and social skills, such as registered nurses, designers and financial managers.
Workhorse Drone Company Tests Package Deliveries in Ohio
October 18th, 2015Via: USA Today:
A drone company is ready to start testing package deliveries in Ohio, but it’s not named Amazon or Google.
Workhorse Group Inc. and the University of Cincinnati have been working for years to launch drones from the top of delivery trucks that look like typical UPS or U.S. Postal Service box trucks.
On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration granted the Workhorse team a two-year certificate to test drone deliveries at the Wilmington Air Park in Ohio, a closed airport on land five miles square. A drone nicknamed HorseFly is designed to launch off the top of Workhorse’s electric truck and drop a package right at a doorstep.
Van/Inverter/Freezer Story Updated
October 17th, 2015I’ve updated, Ask the Cryptogonners: Run Freezer Off Van and 12v Inverter?
If you don’t want to click through, the short answer is: Yes, it works great.
Feds Eye Pilotless Helicopters to Battle Wildfires
October 17th, 2015Via: AP:
The future of wildland firefighting launched Wednesday morning in Idaho.
A Lockheed Martin helicopter capable of flying autonomously with no human control did so as it scooped up water, dropped it on targets and delivered supplies to a distant ridge in a demonstration in front of top federal decision makers 20 miles east of Boise.
“Wildland fires are a huge problem, particularly here in the West,” said Mark Bathrick, director of the Interior Department’s Office of Aviation Services. “I’m a believer in the technology that could be put on other helicopters, that eventually could be put on fixed-wing aircraft — scoopers and air tankers.”
The Lockheed Martin K-MAX put through its paces on Wednesday completed seven tasks in about an hour and a half. A safety pilot was aboard, often holding his hands aloft to indicate to about 200 observers that he wasn’t using the controls.
Federal officials, who are also considering other aeronautic companies for the choppers, say having an optionally manned aircraft has advantages in that a pilot can fly it from fire to fire. A pilot could also fly it on fires during the day when conditions are safe.
The problem is that firefighting from the air stops at night or when smoke reduces visibility to unsafe distances.
The unmanned helicopter, though, has high-tech sensors allowing it to fly at night and in smoky conditions too dangerous for manned flights. That means at least tripling the amount of time aircraft could be attacking blazes.
“I’m highly confident (the helicopter) has the technology to be able to do that,” said Dan Spoor, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager for Aviation and Unmanned Systems. “If they bring in unmanned aircraft, they’ll be able to do 24-7 flights. So it could be impressive in terms of helping fight fires.”
The K-MAX demonstrated Wednesday has three communication methods, using line of sight and two different satellite links. The craft can be remotely controlled, but it also flies autonomously after being told what to do.
U.S. Will Require Drones to Be Registered
October 17th, 2015Via: NBC:
The federal government will announce a new plan requiring anyone buying a drone to register the device with the U.S. Department of Transportation, NBC news has learned.
The government has been concerned about the rise in close calls between unmanned drones and aircraft flying into and out of some of the nation’s biggest airports. The plan is expected to be announced Monday.
More: Fortune: U.S. Government to Require That Hobbyists Register Their Drones
