Gene-Edited ‘Super-Crops’ to be Grown in UK for First Time
May 29th, 2018Via: Telegraph:
Gene-edited super-crops are to be sown in Britain in a European-first after scientists exploited a legal loophole.
The Government has quietly approved the farming of gene-edited (GE) Camelina oilseed crops as part of a trial to super-charge the plants to produce Omega 3 fish oils, one of the most popular food supplements.
The pilot was approved because, unlike genetically modified (GM) plants, the Camelina oilseed crops contain no foreign DNA. Instead, they had their genetic code altered in a way that could have happened naturally.
Scientists say gene-editing can cut the time it takes to engineer new plants from decades to months. They argue embracing the new technology is vital if Britain is to benefit from GE crops and help maintain a sustainable source of fish oils in face of depleted ocean stocks
The trial starts as the European Court of Justice prepares to decide whether GE plants can be legally treated as if they were conventional crops across the EU.
Critics, however, accused Defra (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) of pre-empting a decision by the court which could end up requiring GM-style regulation of GE crops.
The UK trial of the GE Camelina oilseed plants is being done in collaboration with a French team because the French government has barred release of genetically-altered plants in the environment for research.
California: Digital License Plates Track Vehicles
May 28th, 2018Via: Sacramento Bee:
California’s dramatic new license plate is hitting the streets — a digital display board that allows changeable messages controlled by the driver or remotely by fleet managers.
The new plates use the same computer technology as Kindle eBook readers, along with a wireless communication system.
They come with their own computer chips and battery.
20 Years Of Socialist Utopia In Venezuela Summed Up In 20 Seconds
May 27th, 2018Via: ZeroHedge:
This is the result of almost 20 years of socialist revolution in Venezuela. A sad reality. #Chavismo #May22
pic.twitter.com/vS58mxF8hj— Michael Welling (@WellingMichael) May 22, 2018
In Japan, a Buddhist Funeral Service for Robot Dogs
May 27th, 2018Via: National Geographic:
A traveler happening upon a funeral for robot dogs might be taken aback.
Is this a performance art statement about modern life? Is it a hoax? A practical joke?
But this is actually a religious ceremony, and the emotions expressed by the human participants are genuine.
Not The Onion: Knives Too Sharp in Britain
May 27th, 2018Via: Telegraph:
A judge has proposed a nationwide programme to file down the points of kitchen knives as a solution to the country’s soaring knife crime epidemic.
Last week in his valedictory address, retiring Luton Crown Court Judge Nic Madge spoke of his concern that carrying a knife had become routine in some circles and called on the Government to ban the sale of large pointed kitchen knives.
Microsoft Wins Lucrative Cloud Deal with Intelligence Community
May 27th, 2018Via: Bloomberg:
Microsoft Corp. said it’s secured a lucrative cloud deal with the intelligence community that marks a rapid expansion by the software giant into a market led by Amazon.com Inc.
The deal, which the company said Wednesday is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, allows 17 intelligence agencies and offices to use Microsoft’s Azure Government, a cloud service tailored for federal and local governments, in addition to other products Microsoft already offers, such as its Windows 10 operating system and word processing programs.
Tesla Flies in New Battery Production Line for Gigafactory
May 25th, 2018Balls to the wall 24/7.
Besides the normal Model S and X and energy products output, there’s the Model 3 ramp, the single 50,000 unit Powerwall order from Australia, an as yet undisclosed 1+GWH battery project and the looming Semi.
I’ve been in the queue for a Powerwall 2 since December 2017. #learningpatiencewithtesla
Via: Reuters:
Tesla Inc has flown six planes full of robots and equipment from Europe to California in an unusual, high-stakes effort to speed up battery production for its Model 3 electric sedan, people familiar with the matter told Reuters this week.
Transporting equipment for a production line by air is costly and hardly ever done in the automotive industry, and the move underscores Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk’s urgency to get a grip on manufacturing problems that have hobbled the launch of the high-volume Model 3 and pushed Tesla’s finances deep into the red.
“As usual with Tesla, everything is being done in a massive hurry and money seems to be no obstacle,” said one of the two sources.
Tesla on Friday declined to comment on whether it has shipped in any new production equipment from Europe.
What’s Going On In Your Child’s Brain When You Read Them A Story?
May 25th, 2018Via: NPR:
In terms of Hutton’s “Goldilocks effect,” here’s what the researchers found:
In the audio-only condition (too cold): language networks were activated, but there was less connectivity overall. “There was more evidence the children were straining to understand.”
In the animation condition (too hot): there was a lot of activity in the audio and visual perception networks, but not a lot of connectivity among the various brain networks. “The language network was working to keep up with the story,” says Hutton. “Our interpretation was that the animation was doing all the work for the child. They were expending the most energy just figuring out what it means.” The children’s comprehension of the story was the worst in this condition.
The illustration condition was what Hutton called “just right”.
When children could see illustrations, language-network activity dropped a bit compared to the audio condition. Instead of only paying attention to the words, Hutton says, the children’s understanding of the story was “scaffolded” by having the images as clues.
“Give them a picture and they have a cookie to work with,” he explains. “With animation it’s all dumped on them all at once and they don’t have to do any of the work.”
Most importantly, in the illustrated book condition, researchers saw increased connectivity between — and among — all the networks they were looking at: visual perception, imagery, default mode and language.
“For 3- to 5-year-olds, the imagery and default mode networks mature late, and take practice to integrate with the rest of the brain,” Hutton explains. “With animation you may be missing an opportunity to develop them.”
When we read to our children, they are doing more work than meets the eye. “It’s that muscle they’re developing bringing the images to life in their minds.”
Hutton’s concern is that in the longer term, “kids who are exposed to too much animation are going to be at risk for developing not enough integration.”
Overwhelmed by the demands of processing language, without enough practice, they may also be less skilled at forming mental pictures based on what they read, much less reflecting on the content of a story. This is the stereotype of a “reluctant reader” whose brain is not well-versed in getting the most out of a book.
One interesting note is that, because of the constraints of an MRI machine, which encloses and immobilizes your body, the story-with-illustrations condition wasn’t actually as good as reading on Mom or Dad’s lap.
The emotional bonding and physical closeness, Hutton says, were missing. So were the exchanges known as “dialogic reading,” where caregivers point out specific words or prompt children to “show me the cat?” in a picture. “That’s a whole other layer,” of building reading Hutton says.
Woman Says Her Amazon Device Recorded Private Conversation, Sent It Out to Random Contact
May 24th, 2018I can’t believe people pay to have these things in their homes.
Via: KIRO 7:
A Portland family contacted Amazon to investigate after they say a private conversation in their home was recorded by Amazon’s Alexa — the voice-controlled smart speaker — and that the recorded audio was sent to the phone of a random person in Seattle, who was in the family’s contact list.
“My husband and I would joke and say I’d bet these devices are listening to what we’re saying,” said Danielle, who did not want us to use her last name.
More: Amazon’s Explanation: Accidental Triggering Plus Multiple Coincidences
Trump Cancels Singapore Nuclear Summit with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un
May 24th, 2018Via: CNBC:
President Donald Trump canceled his historic nuclear summit with Kim Jong Un on Thursday, accusing North Korea of “tremendous anger and open hostility.”
The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12 in Singapore.
“Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” Trump wrote in a letter to Kim, which was released Thursday morning.
