Tag: german

New Windows look and feel, Neon, is officially the “Microsoft Fluent Design System”

Enlarge / Project Neon in the Groove Music app. (credit: Tom Hounsell ) SEATTLE—Earlier this year, pictures of a new Windows look and feel leaked . Codenamed Project Neon , the new look builds on Microsoft Design Language 2 (MDL2), the styling currently used in Windows 10, to add elements of translucency and animation. Neon has now been officially announced, and it has an official new name: the Microsoft Fluent Design System. The awkward MDL2 name exists because the original codename for the geometric, text-centric style introduced with Windows Phone 7 and incrementally iterated ever since was subject of a trademark dispute. That look and feel was internally named Metro, but Microsoft had to stop using the Metro name after pushback from a German supermarket chain . The company didn’t initially have any particularly good name to refer to the styling formerly known as Metro, so many people continued to use that term for lack of anything better. It wasn’t until a couple of months after dropping “Metro” that a new name, “Microsoft Design Language,” was settled on. Our understanding is that Neon befell a similar fate; someone out there is using the Neon name, forcing Microsoft to pick a different appellation. This time around, however, the company has recognized that it’s important to have an official name for the style that it can talk about and describe, giving us “Microsoft Fluent Design System.” Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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New Windows look and feel, Neon, is officially the “Microsoft Fluent Design System”

New Windows look and feel, Neon, is officially the “Microsoft Fluent Design System”

Enlarge / Project Neon in the Groove Music app. (credit: Tom Hounsell ) SEATTLE—Earlier this year, pictures of a new Windows look and feel leaked . Codenamed Project Neon , the new look builds on Microsoft Design Language 2 (MDL2), the styling currently used in Windows 10, to add elements of translucency and animation. Neon has now been officially announced, and it has an official new name: the Microsoft Fluent Design System. The awkward MDL2 name exists because the original codename for the geometric, text-centric style introduced with Windows Phone 7 and incrementally iterated ever since was subject of a trademark dispute. That look and feel was internally named Metro, but Microsoft had to stop using the Metro name after pushback from a German supermarket chain . The company didn’t initially have any particularly good name to refer to the styling formerly known as Metro, so many people continued to use that term for lack of anything better. It wasn’t until a couple of months after dropping “Metro” that a new name, “Microsoft Design Language,” was settled on. Our understanding is that Neon befell a similar fate; someone out there is using the Neon name, forcing Microsoft to pick a different appellation. This time around, however, the company has recognized that it’s important to have an official name for the style that it can talk about and describe, giving us “Microsoft Fluent Design System.” Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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New Windows look and feel, Neon, is officially the “Microsoft Fluent Design System”

Google’s new algorithm shrinks JPEG files by 35 percent

For obvious reasons, Google has a vested interest in reducing the time it takes to load websites and services. One method is reducing the file size of images on the internet, which they previously pulled off with the WebP format back in 2014, which shrunk photos by 10 percent. Their latest development in this vein is Guetzli , an open-source algorithm that encodes JPEGs that are 35 percent smaller than currently-produced images. As Google points out in its blog post, this reduction method is similar to their Zopfli algorithm that shrinks PNG and gzip files without needing to create a new format. RNN-based image compression like WebP, on the other hand, requires both client and ecosystem to change to see gains at internet scale. If you want to get technical, Guetzli (Swiss German for “cookie”) targets the quantization stage of image compression, wherein it trades visual quality for a smaller file size. Its particular psychovisual model (yes, that’s a thing ) “approximates color perception and visual masking in a more thorough and detailed way than what is achievable” in current methods. The only tradeoff: Guetzli takes a little longer to run than compression options like libjpeg. Despite the increased time, Google’s post assures that human raters preferred the images churned out by Guetzli. Per the example below, the uncompressed image is on the left, libjpeg-shrunk in the center and Guetzli-treated on the right. Source: Google Research Blog

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Google’s new algorithm shrinks JPEG files by 35 percent

How WWII Jeeps Were Crated for Shipping

During World War II, America cranked out some 640, 000 Jeeps produced by both Willys-Overland and Ford. Once assembled, they could be stacked for transport with the assistance of intermediary pallets: However, to get them onto ships for transport across the Atlantic and Pacific, they were broken down and crated for greater space efficiency. Look how small they were able to get these crates: Now you know why the windshields were designed to be folded down. The color photos are obviously of replicas. The giveaway is the American knock-off of the German “jerry-can” design , which would not appear until late into the war. Here’s a video that shows both original production footage from the 1940s, as well as two modern-day mechanics assembling one of the replicas: An even more impressive demonstration is below. Watch these fellows at a Jeep festival completely tear the car down— and put it back together— in under four minutes: I had a devil of a time tracking down where these replicas are produced, but it appears that they’re manufactured by Philippines-based fabrication firm MD Juan and distributed by the France-based Jeep Village company that produced the first video above.

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How WWII Jeeps Were Crated for Shipping

Tesla’s super fast P100D offers tech-heavy luxury for the rich

When you drive the $134, 000 Tesla Model S P100D you want to tell the world that it goes from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. You’re like a child excited about a new toy, stopping strangers on the streets to regale them with your tales of wonder. But to many that staggeringly quick acceleration has little to no meaning. They have no personal barometer to judge it against. They really have to experience it. They have to sit in the car and feel their internal organs and eyes warp as the car leaps forward. And when they do, there’s nervous laughter, swearing and sometimes pleas to never do it again. Seriously, if you’re rich and own one of these, give all your friends a ride. The fact is, you don’t have to push your passengers into their seats time and time again to realize how wonderful the P100D actually is. That thrill of going extremely fast in a very short period of time (while exciting) is only a small portion of the P100D’s charm. In a dense urban environment like San Francisco there aren’t a lot of opportunities to live out your Top Gear dreams. Instead I spent most of the week with the car commuting, meeting with family (holidays!) and heading to Costco. The Model S is a glorious luxury car with the amenities you’d expect to find in fine German sedans, and it has enough room to cram your brood and their presents into the cabin and trunk. It’s also on the cutting edge of semi-autonomous and EV tech that’s working its way into less-expensive vehicles. Whether on surface streets, hitting the freeway or navigating the hellscape that is a box-store parking lot, the car performed admirably. On the highway is where you’ll find the true Tesla experience thanks to Autopilot. We’ve talked before about how it lowers the stress of commuting and can help reduce the chances of a collision. It still does all that, but an update that reins in one of the core features is a welcome addition. Now Autopilot limits drivers to the posted speed limit on undivided roadways. So, if you’re on a small four lane highway without a median, you can’t make Autopilot grow a lead foot. It’s a small thing that’ll probably produce some grumblings on Tesla message boards, but it’s good to see the automaker thinking more and more about safety while pushing the boundaries of auto tech. Other than the updated Autopilot, the rest of the technology in the Model S is pretty much what we found in the Model X . The enormous 17-inch touchscreen that controls everything from the car’s ride height (from very low for that sport look to high enough to get over the tallest speed bumps) to music is still, for the most part, easy to use. Although, I would prefer that climate controls be physical buttons. A few times I reached over to peck at something on the display and missed. Fortunately, some of the features like music and voice commands can be controlled from the buttons and turn knobs on the steering wheel. Tesla is known for innovation and speed, but people overlook the Model S’ luxury. The vehicle sits five, no problem, as long as the rear passengers are shorter than six feet tall. The leather seats were cozy and the wood and suede trim in the cabin add a dash of class without being ostentatious. If you need to do more than drive folks around, the trunk is huge. During a Costco run, I was able to fit a microwave, space heater, random food and enough toilet paper to survive the zombie apocalypse in it with no problem. That’s without using the hidden space below the trunk floor. With seating and cargo space a plenty, the interior feels almost cavernous. That probably has something to do with the lack of an internal combustion engine, but really, it’s the size of the car itself. It’s a huge sedan. Pulling into compact parking spaces meant riding the edge of the painted lines and hoping no one parked next to me. Fortunately, thanks to its low center of gravity and stiff chassis, it doesn’t feel like you’re driving a boat. The steering and handling are crisp and trick you into thinking you’re driving a smaller car. In fact, the Model S P100D is three cars. It’s a technological marvel capable of driving 315 miles between a charge (I got about 305 miles) and will take care of the heavy driving in stop and go traffic. It’s a supercar that will silently launch you down the road so quickly you’ll find yourself doing 90 in the blink of an eye. And it’s a luxury sedan that smoothes out the road, makes you feel comfortable and cements the idea that you’ve made all the right decisions in life. Oh, and it’s good for a Costco run. Cramming three spectacular cars into one isn’t cheap. Starting at $134, 000, the P100D is out of reach for most of us. It’s definitely out of my reach. But Tesla says this car will help fund the building of the Model 3. Of course the 373, 000 presales, at $1, 000 a pop, for the low-cost Tesla are also probably helping get the $35, 000 automobile on the road. So the P100D is for the rich; the folks that can afford to enjoy mind-blowing speeds one minute and a trip to a five star restaurant with their friends the next. Supercars and luxury sedans are for people that vacation on yachts and have very strong opinions about estate taxes and Bordeaux. Fortunately that third car, filled with technology, is coming for the rest of us. It will be either the Model 3 , Chevy Bolt or some other vehicle that changes the way we get from point a to point b. The P100D is an outstanding car. But more importantly, it’s part of a process to get us all into long-range EVs with autonomous features. It’s like Usain Bolt reminding us to go out and run. Sure we’ll never be as fast as the olympian, but he’s getting us to treat our bodies better. So let the wealthy enjoy their speed and luxury so we can eventually treat the roads and earth just a little bit better. Source: Tesla

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Tesla’s super fast P100D offers tech-heavy luxury for the rich

BMW sold 100,000 EVs in 3 years, now turns attention to autonomy

EVs have come a long way in just a few years. Just look at the waves Tesla has made since introducing the Model S in 2012. Nissan just sold its 100, 000th Leaf in the US. BMW , too, would have you know that it has been pulling its weight in this grand acceleration of EVs. In fact, the German automaker has also recently hit a major milestone since it first launched battery-powered cars under its i sub-brand. BMW has announced that it has achieved 100, 000 plug-in vehicle sales worldwide . Beginning with the battery electric i3 in November of 2013, BMW went to work building upon the knowledge and experience gained from its field tests with the ActiveE . In the three years since then, BMW has sold over 60, 000 examples of the i3. The German automaker points out that those sales figures make the i3 “the most successful electric vehicle in the premium compact segment.” It’s not a very crowded segment, but BMW filled a hole and did it well, so we’ll give them that one. Say it proudly, BMW. And, impressively, the automaker reports that 80 percent of i3 buyers are new to BMW, which means first-time owners and those ever-important conquest sales. Next came the ultra-desirable i8 plug-in hybrid. The production car looked a lot like the eye-popping concept, which the public appreciated. Demand initially outstripped production , and the car will probably continue to turn heads for some time to come, particularly when the i8 Roadster allows owners to be seen more easily. BMW says it has sold some 10, 000 examples of the i8 since its launch in mid-2014. Additionally, BMW has sold about 30, 000 plug-in hybrid versions of its other core products, which now fall under the iPerformance label. Just as EV sales are expected to grow in general, we can expect to BMW’s plug-in sales to gather momentum in the coming years, especially as it increases the number of offerings. “BMW i remains our spearhead in terms of innovation and it will continue to open up groundbreaking technologies for the BMW Group, ” says BMW Chairman of the Board of Management Harald Krüger. “When it comes to electric drivetrains, we’ve already successfully managed to put this technology transfer on the road. The next technological advance we will address is automated driving, where the BMW iNEXT will set a new benchmark.” Following a Mini Countryman PHEV and the i8 Roadster in 2018, and an all-electric Mini in 2019, BMW has confirmed it will introduce the all-electric X3 in 2020, with another EV due in 2021. We can’t wait to see what’s (i)Next. Related Video: Source: BMW

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BMW sold 100,000 EVs in 3 years, now turns attention to autonomy

Germany calls for a ban on combustion engine cars by 2030

Germany isn’t content with relying on financial incentives to usher in an era of pollution-free cars. The country’s Bundesrat (federal council) has passed a resolution calling for a ban on new internal combustion engine cars by 2030. From then on, you’d have to buy a zero-emissions vehicle, whether it’s electric or running on a hydrogen fuel cell . This isn’t legally binding, but the Bundesrat is asking the European Commission to implement the ban across the European Union… and when German regulations tend to shape EU policy, there’s a chance that might happen. The council also wants the European Commission to review its taxation policies and their effect on the “stimulation of emission-free mobility.” Just what that means isn’t clear. It could involve stronger tax incentives for buying zero-emissions cars, but it could also involve eliminating tax breaks for diesel cars in EU states. Automakers are already worried that tougher emission standards could kill diesels — remove the low cost of ownership and it’d only hasten their demise. Not that the public would necessarily be worried. Forbes notes that registrations of diesels, still mainstays of the European car market, dropped sharply in numerous EU countries in August. There’s a real possibility that Volkswagen’s emission cheating scandal is having a delayed effect on diesel sales. Combine that with larger zero-emissions incentives and the proposed combustion engine ban, and it might not take much for Europeans to go with electric or hydrogen the next time they go car shopping. Via: Forbes , Gizmodo Source: Der Spiegel (translated)

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Germany calls for a ban on combustion engine cars by 2030

An Email Scam Cost One of Europe’s Biggest Companies $40 Million

Earlier this month, Leoni AG, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wires and electrical cables, informed investors that the German company lost almost 40 million euros (or about $44.6 million) to online scammers. Today, we finally know how: According to investigators, the thieves simply spoofed emails to look like official payment requests, a tactic known as “ CEO fraud .” Read more…

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An Email Scam Cost One of Europe’s Biggest Companies $40 Million

Huge data leak reveals the hidden wealth of the rich and famous

In one of the biggest data leaks ever (even larger than the NSA wires leak in 2013 ), Panama-based legal firm Mossack Fonseca has seen 2.6 terabytes of its private data leaked to journalists. Shared with German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung , it was then spread to a wider network of journalists globally — 370 reporters from 100 media organizations have looked into the leak for a year. The research has already unearthed that 12 national leaders, including monarchs, presidents and prime ministers, have been using offshore tax havens, including a $2 billion paper trail that leads to Russia’s Vladimir Putin . Meanwhile, FIFA’s attempts to clean itself up faces fresh criticism after the leak appears to connect executives being investigated to members of the ethics committee itself. The sheer volume of data means that files are still being pored over, although you can attempt to follow along with this Reddit thread . It sheds light on the huge, lucrative, complex world of offshore finance and special tax laws. Mossack Fonseca is the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, meaning that the leak has plenty of new information and insight globally, from Russia’s rich to property developers in Hong Kong , Lionel Messi and politicians across the world . There’s a big focus on the UK too: more than half of the companies are either registered there or in British-administered tax havens. The company denies any accusations of wrongdoing. Source: The Guardian , Reddit

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Huge data leak reveals the hidden wealth of the rich and famous