Tag: science

Researchers Are Reconstructing Babbage’s Analytical Engine

Slashdot reader RockDoctor brings an update on a project to build Babbage’s Analytical Engine: Between 1822 and 1847, Charles Babbage worked on a number of designs for general-purpose programmable computing engines, some parts of which were built during his lifetime and after. Since 2011 a group under the name of “Plan-28” have been working towards building a full version of the machine known as the Analytical Engine. (The group’s name refers to the series of Babbage’s plans which they are working to — versions 1 to 27 obviously having problems.) This week, they’ve released some updates on progress on their blog. Significant progress includes working on the machine’s “internal microcode” (in today’s terminology; remember, this is a machine of brass cogs and punched cards!) [and] archive work to bring the Science Museum’s material into a releasable form (the material is already scanned, but the metadata is causing eyestrain). “One of the difficulties in understanding the designs is the need to reverse engineer logical function from mechanical drawings of mechanisms — this without textual explanation of purpose or intention…” Progress is slow, but real. Last year marked the bicentennial of Ada Lovelace, who wrote programs for the Analytical Engine and it’s predecessor, the Difference Engine, and whose position as “the world’s first programmer” is celebrated in the name of the programming language Ada. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post:
Researchers Are Reconstructing Babbage’s Analytical Engine

Check Out the Seriously Gnarly Creatures Discovered at the Bottom of the Mariana Trench

Need a pick-me-up on this dreary Friday afternoon? After checking out some of the nightmare-inducing life forms NOAA’s deep-sea diving robot discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, sleep will be the last thing on your mind. Read more…

Read More:
Check Out the Seriously Gnarly Creatures Discovered at the Bottom of the Mariana Trench

‘Largest Recall In American History’: Takata To Recall Nearly 70 Million Airbags

An anonymous reader writes: Federal regulators are ordering Japanese supplier Takata to recall as many as 40 million additional airbags linked to a defect already blamed for at least 11 deaths, bringing the total number of faulty airbags in the U.S. to 69 million. Previously, the recall involved about 24 million vehicles sold in the U.S. over roughly the last decade, with 14 manufacturers impacted. With the latest recall, almost every other major carmaker will now be pulled. “This is the largest recall in American history, ” National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Mark Rosekind told reporters on Wednesday. Initial estimates said 35-40 million airbags were to be recalled. And because some vehicles use more than one Takata airbag, the total number of vehicles will likely be smaller. Now it’s considered highly likely that the total number of cars, trucks and crossovers will now top the 50 million mark, and as many as a quarter of all vehicles on U.S. roads could be covered. The NHTSA has reported that just over 8 million vehicles had been fixed as of April 22. The airbags have so far been tied to at least 10 U.S. deaths and more than 100 injuries — two more fatalities in Malaysia were confirmed Wednesday. “The exploding airbags can send shrapnel into the faces and necks of victims, leaving them looking as if they had been shot or stabbed, ” according to Fox 59. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read the article:
‘Largest Recall In American History’: Takata To Recall Nearly 70 Million Airbags

Biotech Company To Attempt Revitalizing Nervous Systems of Brain-Dead Patients

Sarah Knapton, writing for The Telegraph: A groundbreaking trial to see if it is possible to regenerate the brains of dead people, has won approval from health watchdogs. A biotech company called BioQuark in the U.S. has been granted ethical permission to recruit 20 patients who have been declared clinically dead from a traumatic brain injury, to test whether parts of their central nervous system can be brought back to life. Scientists will use a combination of therapies, which include injecting the brain with stem cells and a cocktail of peptides, as well as deploying lasers and nerve stimulation techniques which have been shown to bring patients out of comas. The trial participants will have been certified dead and only kept alive through life support. They will be monitored for several months using brain imaging equipment to look for signs of regeneration, particularly in the upper spinal cord — the lowest region of the brain stem which controls independent breathing and heartbeat. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

See more here:
Biotech Company To Attempt Revitalizing Nervous Systems of Brain-Dead Patients

Google’s self-driving tech goes into Chrysler minivans this year (update: official)

That rumored deal between Google and Fiat Chrysler for self-driving car technology? It’s reportedly happening… if not quite in the way you’d expect. Bloomberg sources claim that the arrangement will put some of Google’s autonomous tech into the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan sometime this year. Just how deep this integration would go isn’t clear, but it’s not believed to be an exclusive arrangement — either side could cooperate with other partners. If the leak is accurate, the deal could be signed as soon as May 3rd (if you’re reading this in time, today). Once again, the partnership makes more sense than you might think. Google (or rather, Alphabet) already said that it wasn’t going to mass-produce its own cars, so it was always going to need help — this is its first major deal. Fiat Chrysler, meanwhile, has been hoping for a fast track to self-driving technology to help it compete against rivals that have already done a lot of legwork . And minivans? They could make more sense than you think. While you’re unlikely to see truly driverless Chryslers anytime soon, this would show that Google’s know-how can improve one of the most mainstream vehicles you can find: a run-of-the-mill (if relatively high-end) family carrier. If Google and Fiat Chrysler succeed there, the technology could easily spread to other models and manufacturers. Update: Yes, it’s official .. although it’s not quite how it was originally portrayed. Google is adding “about 100” Pacifica hybrid vans to its fleet of self-driving cars, the first of which will hit the streets by the end of 2016. Sorry, folks, you won’t get to drive one yourself. Fiat Chrysler is making it easy for Google to install its systems, and the minivan design conveniently allows for testing larger, more passenger-friendly vehicles that can incorporate features like “hands-free sliding doors.” Source: Bloomberg

Excerpt from:
Google’s self-driving tech goes into Chrysler minivans this year (update: official)

Quaker Oats Is Being Sued Because People Still Don’t Know What ‘Natural’ Means

Quaker Oats is being sued over the big “100% Natural” label on the front of its box. What else is in that big bucket o’ oats that makes the label a lie? Nothing, say the plantiffs—it is, indeed, just oats. Their complaint is that the oats were grown using pesticides. That, they claim, should be sufficient to keep the natural label off it. Read more…

More:
Quaker Oats Is Being Sued Because People Still Don’t Know What ‘Natural’ Means

Gravitational Wave Scientists Win $3 Million For Being Awesome

Earlier this year, scientists confirmed the presence of gravitational waves, a cosmological feature first predicted by Albert Einstein. In recognition of this remarkable achievement, the scientists involved in the study have won the $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize. Read more…

See the original post:
Gravitational Wave Scientists Win $3 Million For Being Awesome

Kodak is giving free film to Kickstarter directors

Crowdfunded filmmakers will be able to shoot on film for a lot less money thanks to a partnership between Kodak and Kickstarter. Kodak says it will provide free 35mm or Super 16mm film stock for select projects, up to a total of around $20, 000 for 35mm film, depending on the total budget. Beyond that, the company will provide discounted film and mentoring for packaging, financing and sales strategies. The choice of filmmakers appears to be at Kodak’s discretion, but so far the company has picked several Kickstarter productions that will launch this spring. Kickstarter has successfully funded 20, 000 productions totalling $330 million so far, though it didn’t say which were shot on film. The platform has garnered a lot of bad publicity in the past by funding large projects like Veronica Mars and Zach Braff’s Wish I Was Here , since the well-known producers probably could have raised the cash elsewhere. On the other hand, it’s an excellent platform for up-and-coming filmmakers, and has helped get Oscar-nominated projects with very small budgets off the ground. Kodak VP Anne Hubbell says that “Kodak understands that artists working at all budget levels strive to tell their stories with the unique quality and emotion that film provides.” The company points out that footage can be purchased by Kickstarter producers in eighteen countries, including the US, UK, France and Canada. Kodak’s situation is a lot more secure in the film industry since it struck a deal with Hollywood to supply film for the foreseeable future. DarkFall, a Kickstarter film backed by Kodak However, it’s equally likely that many young, inexperienced directors would rather shoot digital, given advantages like speed and the ability to easily review takes. As we have pointed out , the costs of shooting on film go way beyond the stock itself. Filmmakers also need to consider processing and transferring footage to a format that can be edited, color corrected and converted to a final screening format. That, combined with the lower sensitivity of film compared to digital cameras (which necessitates more complex lighting) means that the total budget will likely still be higher, even with the film thrown in. That said, it’s always good to have choices, so if it’s an aesthetic that a director absolutely can’t live without, good old celluloid is now a much more feasible option. Source: Kodak

More:
Kodak is giving free film to Kickstarter directors

20-Yr-Old Compaq Laptop Is Still Crucial to Maintaining McLaren’s Multi-Million Dollar Cars

An anonymous reader writes: It may come as a surprise to many, but the 20-year-old Compaq LTE 5280 still plays a vital role in maintaining multi-million dollar McLaren F1s. Jalopnik recently visited McLaren’s Special Operations workshop where it found several of Compaq’s old laptops serving their masters. Why do they rely on these dated computers, you ask? A McLaren Special Operations staff explains, “The reason we need those specific Compaq laptops is that they run a bespoke CA card which is installed into them. The CA card is an interface between the laptop software (which is DOS based) and the car. We are currently working on a new interface which will be compatible with modern laptops as the old Compaqs are getting less and less reliable and harder to find.” For those wondering, the Compaq LTE 5280 comes with a 120MHz Intel Pentium processor, up to “80MB” of RAM, and up to 16MB of HDD. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post:
20-Yr-Old Compaq Laptop Is Still Crucial to Maintaining McLaren’s Multi-Million Dollar Cars

Germany Plans $1.4 Billion In Incentives For Electric Cars

An anonymous reader shares a Bloomberg article: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government reached a deal with automakers to jointly spend 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) on incentives to boost sluggish electric-car sales. Buyers will be able to receive as much as 4, 000 euros in rebates to help offset the higher price of an electric vehicle, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said at a press conference in Berlin. Purchasers of hybrid cars will get as much as 3, 000 euros off the price. The industry will shoulder 50 percent of the cost. The program is set to start in May, pending approval from the German parliament’s budget committee, he said. “The goal is to move forward as quickly as possible on electric vehicles, ” Schaeuble told reporters, adding that the aim is to begin offering the incentives next month. “With this, we are giving an impetus.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Excerpt from:
Germany Plans $1.4 Billion In Incentives For Electric Cars