Walking 5 kilometers on this bike will get you as far as 20 kilometers!
Category: Technology
As strong as titanium – but much cheaper
Brittle intermetallic compound makes ultrastrong low-density steel with large ductility
Scientists at the Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea have published a study in which a new alloy that is described as strong and light as titanium , but costs only one-tenth.
The alloy, as described in a study published in Nature, is composed of iron and aluminum, to which nickel has been added as an additional ingredient . This creates a so-called intermettalic B2, in which the metallic nickel reacts with aluminum and at the nanoscale B2-crystals are formed. These crystals would make the alloy much less brittle and therefore extra strong, while due to the presence of aluminum of the material is still light.
According to Korean scientists is the new alloy as strong as titanium , while the weight is comparable . However, the material should cost, if produced on a large scale, a factor of ten lower than the relatively expensive titanium.
Originally published by Nature
Curie: Intel’s button-sized computer
Intel unveils button-sized Curie module to power future wearables
Intel has today unveiled Curie, a low-powered module no bigger than a button, as part of its vision to lead in the wearables field. Company CEO Brian Krzanich announced the module, which will be built on a tiny new chip called the Quark SE, during his keynote at CES in Las Vegas — a year on from announcing the Intel Edison platform.
The module incorporates the low-power 32-bit Quark microcontroller, 384kB of flash memory, motion sensors, Bluetooth LE and battery-charging capabilities in order to power the very smallest of devices. Intel is hoping Curie will prove the flexible solution designers need to create wearables such as rings, pendants, bracelets, bags, fitness trackers and even buttons. It has been created with always-on applications in mind, so will be suitable for devices that relay notifications or constantly track a wearer’s activity.
Source: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-01/07/intel-curie-quark-chip
Intel started down this road with its stamp-sized 22nm Edison SoC and the Curie module shrinks it down even further. The module uses Bluetooth LE and has a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope to track movements and recognize gestures. It can run either off a rechargeable battery or a more traditional coin-like watch battery, though Intel doesn’t say for exactly how long. Curie basically turns just about anything into a gadget that’s at least as smart as your average fitness tracker. Rings, buttons, glasses, watches, whathave you.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/intels-curie-module-will-turn-everything-you-wear-into-1677871417
Careful with these videos now!
UPDATE: HMMM BOTH VIDEOS “REMOVED BY USER”?
This seems legit and will fire up most viewers:
“SYRIA! SYRIAN HERO BOY rescue girl in shootout”
And yet it’s all FAKE:
The Syrian ‘hero boy’ video was faked by Norwegian film crew…:
CAREFUL WITH THESE VIDEOS NOW
A video that appeared to show a young Syrian boy running through sniper fire to rescue a young girl is a fake, it has emerged.
The boy was hailed a hero after the one-minute clip, thought to be filmed in Yabroud, a countryside town 50 miles from Damascus, was posted online earlier this week.
But a group of Norwegian filmmakers have today revealed that the footage was in fact shot on location in Malta using professional actors.
Millions of YouTube viewers have been captivated by the ‘Syrian hero boy’ who manages to rescue a little girl while under gunfire. Now a group of Norwegian filmmakers have told BBC Trending they are behind it. They say it was filmed on location in Malta this summer with the intention of being presented as real.
Lars Klevberg, a 34-year-old film director based in Oslo, wrote a script after watching news coverage of the conflict in Syria. He says he deliberately presented the film as reality in order to generate a discussion about children in conflict zones.
“If I could make a film and pretend it was real, people would share it and react with hope,” he said. “We shot it in Malta in May this year on a set that was used for other famous movies like Troy and Gladiator,” Klevberg said. “The little boy and girl are professional actors from Malta. The voices in the background are Syrian refugees living in Malta.”
Were they comfortable making a film that potentially deceived millions of people? “I was not uncomfortable,” Klevberg said. “By publishing a clip that could appear to be authentic we hoped to take advantage of a tool that’s often used in war; make a video that claims to be real. We wanted to see if the film would get attention and spur debate, first and foremost about children and war. We also wanted to see how the media would respond to such a video.”
In fact the film received funding from the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) and the Audio and Visual Fund from Arts Council Norway in October 2013. The filmmakers say their application for funding made clear they wanted to upload the film to the internet without making it obvious it was real or fiction. They also claim that those who financed it were aware of, and supported, these intentions.
“The children surviving gunshots was supposed to send small clues that it was not real,” said producer John Einar Hagen. “We had long discussions with the film’s financiers about the ethics around making a film like this.”
The Real Reason Wheat is Toxic
“Wheat harvest protocol in the United States is to drench the wheat fields with Roundup several days before the combine harvesters work through the fields as withered, dead wheat plants are less taxing on the farm equipment and allows for an earlier, easier and bigger harvest”
Pre-harvest application of the herbicide Roundup or other herbicides containing the deadly active ingredient glyphosate to wheat and barley as a desiccant was suggested as early as 1980. It has since become routine over the past 15 years and is used as a drying agent 7-10 days before harvest within the conventional farming community.
Here’s what wheat farmer Keith Lewis has to say about the practice:
“I have been a wheat farmer for 50 yrs and one wheat production practice that is very common is applying the herbicide Roundup (glyposate) just prior to harvest. Roundup is licensed for preharvest weed control. Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup claims that application to plants at over 30% kernel moisture result in roundup uptake by the plant into the kernels. Farmers like this practice because Roundup kills the wheat plant allowing an earlier harvest. A wheat field often ripens unevenly, thus applying Roundup preharvest evens up the greener parts of the field with the more mature. The result is on the less mature areas Roundup is translocated into the kernels and eventually harvested as such. This practice is not licensed. Farmers mistakenly call it “dessication.” Consumers eating products made from wheat flour are undoubtedly consuming minute amounts of Roundup. An interesting aside, malt barley which is made into beer is not acceptable in the marketplace if it has been sprayed with preharvest Roundup. Lentils and peas are not accepted in the market place if it was sprayed with preharvest roundup….. but wheat is ok.. This farming practice greatly concerns me and it should further concern consumers of wheat products.”
Roundup significantly disrupts the functioning of beneficial bacteria in the gut and contributes to permeability of the intestinal wall and consequent expression of autoimmune disease symptoms.
Read the full story: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/
Thanks for bringing this up: https://twitter.com/LorieMeacham