In the wake of Apple announcing its subscription-only music service, Google made a free, ad-supported version of Google Play Music. Read more…
See more here:
Google Play Music Now Has a Free, Ad-Supported Version in the US
I mean, if you want to get caught committing a crime, please do wear your Fitbit. That’s what a Florida woman learned when she told police she’d been assaulted in March — only to have them examine her Fitbit and discover that the truth was a lot uglier and more awkward. Read more…
View article:
Tip of the Day: Don’t Commit a Crime While Wearing a Fitbit
Early adopters of iOS 9 beta 2 have discovered a new feature that will temporarily delete apps from overloaded devices when there isn’t enough space to install system updates. Many users with the smaller 8GB and 16GB iPhones reportedly had difficulty fitting the last upgrade onto their mobile devices. And while iOS 9 is only a fraction of the size of iOS 8 (they’re 1.3 GB and 4.3 GB, respectively), Apple is clearly trying to nip similar complaints in the bud this time around. The new feature will of course reinstall the deleted app once the update has completed — plus, presumably, any user data that was deleted along with the app itself. Filed under: Software , Apple Comments Source: MacRumors
Read the original:
iOS 9 will delete apps to make room for system updates
itwbennett writes: The Navy relies on a number of legacy applications and programs that are reliant on legacy Windows products, ‘ said Steven Davis, a spokesman for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. And that reliance on obsolete technology is costing taxpayers a pretty penny. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, which runs the Navy’s communications and information networks, signed a $9.1 million contract earlier this month for continued access to security patches for Windows XP, Office 2003, Exchange 2003 and Windows Server 2003. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
View article:
The US Navy’s Warfare Systems Command Just Paid Millions To Stay On Windows XP
Some researchers develop soft robots , while others specialize on building tiny ones. This robotic tentacle by a team of engineers from Iowa State University, however, is both soft and tiny. In fact, that’s a true-to-size ant encircled by the tentacle in the picture above and not a scaled-up version of the bug. Associate electrical/computer engineering professor Jaeyoun (Jay) Kim wanted to “pioneer new work in the field with both microscale and soft robotics.” So, he and his team set out to make microtubes using a silicon-based material called PDMS, measuring 8 millimeters in length and less than a hundredth of an inch in width. The engineers admitted that it was tough to design a teensy tentacle that can delicately handle small and fragile objects. In addition to figuring out how to peel off such tiny tubes from the production templates, they also had to add modifications to the tubes to give them more coils — they detailed the process in their paper published on Scientific Reports . According to Kim, his team’s microrobotic tentacles could be used for medical applications, since they don’t squeeze an object to pick it up — they’re “soft, safe and small” and just gently wrap around what they’re trying to hold. Thanks to the way they work, they won’t damage tissues, nerves or even blood vessels during medical procedures. [Image credit: Jaeyoun (Jay) Kim] Filed under: Robots Comments Source: Scientific Reports , Iowa State University
See more here:
Microrobotic tentacles pick up bugs without squishing them
Used to be that if the US military wanted to clear a roadway, runway or airfield of deadly IEDs (improvised explosive devices), they’d have to send in highly-trained and heavily armored explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams a la ” The Hurt Locker. ” Problem is, this method is as ploddingly slow as it is dangerous to the servicemen and women involved. That’s is why the Army and Air Force are teaming up to burn those IEDs clean out of the Earth using lasers mounted on MRAP battle trucks . The technology is called the Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordinance (RADBO) and was developed through the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center Prototype Integration Facility (AMRDEC PIF) at the Redstone Test Center in Huntsville, AL. It mounts an Air Force-built laser (similar to what’s used in the HEL-MD ) and a dexterous manipulator arm onto the Army’s Cougar I MRAP . That way, EOD crews won’t even have to leave the comfort of the cab to disable roadside bombs. The laser can reportedly fry an IED from 300 meters away while the manipulator arm can rip up to 50 pounds of disabled bomb out of the ground at a time. “We may see hundreds to thousands of small unexploded ordnance items on a runway or airfield but the RADBO will allow us to reduce the time it takes to get an airfield operational, ” Marshall “Doc” Dutton, Air Force EOD modernization program manager of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center said in a statement. “Currently, if a runway gets hit it can take days to weeks to get cleared. With the RADBO, runways can be cleared and operational at a much quicker pace.” The system is currently undergoing munitions testing before moving to Tyndall Air Force Base in September, though there’s no word on when it will actually begin active service. Filed under: Science Comments Source: US Army
Read the original post:
Army and Air Force team up for laser-based landmine sweepers
schwit1 writes: General Mills announced Monday that it will be removing artificial colors and flavoring from its cereal products over the next two to three years. The company said that Trix and Reese’s Puffs will be some of the first cereals to undergo the changes adding that cereals like Lucky Charms that have marshmallows may take longer to reformulate. They say 90 percent of their cereals will have no artificial ingredients by the end of 2016. “We’ve continued to listen to consumers who want to see more recognizable and familiar ingredients on the labels and challenged ourselves to remove barriers that prevent adults and children from enjoying our cereals, ” said Jim Murphy, president of General Mills cereal division, in a statement. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
See the original article here:
General Mills To Drop Artificial Ingredients In Cereal
Prototype Engineer Avery Louie tore down a pair of Beats headphones to see what makes them tick (or thump) and what he found inside is pretty sad. Amidst “generic drivers” and the cost-reducing tricks of the trade many of you ID’ers are familiar with—designing plastic parts that snap together rather than use screws, etc.—Louie found this gem: A little bit of weight makes the product feel solid, durable, and valuable. One way to do this cheaply is to make some components out of metal in order to add weight. In these headphones, 30% of the weight comes from four tiny metal parts that are there for the sole purpose of adding weight. I’ve got no experience with the industrial design of consumer electronics (my specialty was structural package design, where we’re trying to make everything stronger but lighter). Louie mentions that adding metal weights to a product is “a somewhat common trick, ” although he doesn’t list other examples. But if any readership would know, it would be you guys and gals. So, ID’ers among you working in the consumer electronics space, have you seen—or god forbid, had to do—the adding-weights thing before? Anything you can tell us without violating an NDA? Via Medium
View the original here:
Teardown Reveals Beats Headphones Contain Metal Weights to Give Impression of Quality
Last time we heard from Malloy Aeronautics, it was testing hoverbike technology with a robot-carrying drone . A few months later, it’s partnering with a Maryland-based defense company to develop a hoverbike for the US military . Working with Survice Engineering Co., the UK aeronautics company will set up shop in Maryland as part of “an ongoing research and development contract.” The duo will also work with the US Army Research Laboratory on the project that aims to create “a new class of Tactical Reconnaissance Vehicle (TRV).” The goal is to replace some of the work a helicopter does with the hoverbikes, a vehicle that provides increased safety and costs significantly less. “With adducted rotors you immediately not only protect people and property if you were to bump into them, but if you ever were to bump into somebody or property it’s going to bring the aircraft out of the air, ” Malloy’s marketing sales director Grant Stapleton told Reuters . Funds from a Kickstarter campaign for those compact UAVs was used to build scale models capable of carrying a human — one of which was on display at the Paris Air Show. [Image credit: Malloy Aeronautics] Filed under: Transportation Comments Via: Reuters Source: Malloy Aeronautics
Visit link:
The US military is developing Star Wars-style hoverbikes
Fast food is hardly health food, but when you’re on the road or it’s late at night, sometimes it’s your only option. These are the menu options to look for that will fill you up without filling you out. Read more…
More:
The Least Unhealthy Items at Seven Popular Fast Food Joints