Elon Musk Says Tesla Model S ‘Range Anxiety’ Will End With A Software Update

 Elon Musk has teased something big coming from Tesla this week – an end to ‘range anxiety.’ The Model S (and every other electric vehicle), Tesla’s current flagship, has been known to inspire so-called range anxiety, wherein a driver spends a lot of time worrying about when they’ll next be able to get a full charge, and consequently don’t often drive… Read More

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Elon Musk Says Tesla Model S ‘Range Anxiety’ Will End With A Software Update

Chinese Government Takes Down Anti-Pollution Documentary "Under The Dome"

An anonymous reader writes with a link to BBC’s report that [A]uthorities in China have a removed from websites a popular documentary which highlights the country’s severe pollution problem. Under the Dome explains the social and health costs of pollution, and was watched by more than 100 million people online, sparking debates. It was removed just two days after Premier Li Keqiang called pollution a blight on people’s lives. Searching YouTube gives you a pretty good idea of what the Chinese government doesn’t want people to see. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Chinese Government Takes Down Anti-Pollution Documentary "Under The Dome"

20-Year-Old Military Weather Satellite Explodes In Orbit

schwit1 writes A 20-year-old U.S. military weather satellite apparently exploded for no obvious reason. The incident has put several dozen pieces of space junk into orbit. From the article: “A 20-year-old military weather satellite apparently exploded in orbit Feb. 3 following what the U.S. Air Force described as a sudden temperature spike. The “catastrophic event” produced 43 pieces of space debris, according to Air Force Space Command, which disclosed the loss of the satellite Feb. 27 in response to questions from SpaceNews. The satellite, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 13, was the oldest continuously operational satellite in the DMSP weather constellation.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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20-Year-Old Military Weather Satellite Explodes In Orbit

With $50M Boost, Silent Circle Aims Blackphone At Enterprise Security

 Encrypted comms company Silent Circle, one half of the SGP Technologies joint venture behind the pro-privacy Android smartphone Blackphone, has just announced it’s reached an agreement to buy out its hardware partner, Spanish smartphone maker Geeksphone. Read More

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With $50M Boost, Silent Circle Aims Blackphone At Enterprise Security

​How Prisoners in China Are Patenting Their Way Out of Jail

China absolutely dominates the rest of the world when it comes to the number of patents it produces, thanks in part to a system of government rewards that encourage inventors with everything from cash to early release from prison. Wait, what? Read more…

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​How Prisoners in China Are Patenting Their Way Out of Jail

Wall.e Restaurant Staffed With Robots Opens in China

Yet another new restaurant with robot servers has opened in China. And the owners seem determined to test Disney’s patience with intellectual property laws. Why? The name of the restaurant is apparently Wall.e — just like the cute little robot worker from the 2008 Pixar film. Read more…

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Wall.e Restaurant Staffed With Robots Opens in China

The Army’s Grenade Launchers Are About to Become Twice as Deadly

American forces in Afghanistan have long complained of a significant drawback in their M320 rifle-mounted grenade launchers : enemies positioned behind the low, mud brick walls ubiquitous to the region’s architecture could easily avoid incoming 40mm grenade rounds simply by ducking. You’d need a direct line of sight to enemy forces in order to inflict maximum damage. But not anymore. Read more…

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The Army’s Grenade Launchers Are About to Become Twice as Deadly