Pope's child porn 'normal' claim sparks outrage

It seems that someone might have let the Pope out unsupervised and he's taken the opportunity to express his opinions again. Clearly his handlers and PR people aren't doing their job but does anyone still believe he has any sort of moral authority? Here is a short quote from his Christmas speech:

"In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children"

Awful. With leadership like this it's hardly surprising the Catholic Church hasn't been able to respond sensibly to the crisis engulfing it. 

Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/popersquos-child-porn-normal-claim-sparks-outrage-among-victims-15035449.html#ixzz2FpURrQQX

Andrew Wakefield's Greatest Achievement?

Nice. I like the idea of mocking people who carelessly endanger the lives of others to advance their own careers; it seems strangely appropriate.

Struck off MMR doctor handed award for 'lifetime achievement in quackery'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/23/struck-off-mmr-doctor-quackery-award

40 Killer Arguments For Internet Creationists.

Great stuff. And the comments are also worth reading.

40 Killer Arguments For Internet Creationists.
http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/40-killer-arguments-for-internet.html

iPad Mini

I bought the original iPad shortly after it was released. I upgraded to the iPad 3 when it hit the market. I'm not planning to buy the iPad 4 - I reckon I can go a couple more generations before upgrading again - but this morning I held the iPad Mini and I am now experiencing an unsettling degree of techno-lust.

It is, in a very real sense, the same as all the other iPads. If you've used an iPhone, an iPod Touch or an iPad you can use the iPad Mini and you know what it can do. It is quite beautifully made and wonderfully light. For reading it is, almost certainly, an ideal shape and size. For writing, maybe it's not as good as its larger predecessors. I want one; maybe next year.

4G timetable agreed by UK mobile network operators

At a meeting with communications regulator Ofcom and the government, rival operators agreed to settle their differences and get services up and running quickly.

via bbc.co.uk

Seems like a victory for common sense - a rare success for our politicians.

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In London, A Sustainable Cafe On The Move

I think I might drop in for coffee next time I'm in Greenwich.

Sit­u­at­ed next to the local light rail sta­tion, the Move­ment Cafe occu­pies the cur­rent site of the for­mer Green­wich Indus­tri­al Estate and is part of a larg­er project to regen­er­ate the area.

Source: http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/09/in-london-a-sustainable-cafe-on-the-move/

Sometimes I Get Comments...

Normally my blog posts disappear into the ether, never to be heard of again. Sometimes they generate comments, although they're almost always spam.

This one appears to be genuine but I can't help thinking that they might be over-egging the pudding, somewhat. Even I, brilliant though I am, would describe my blog as "amazing" only when criminally intoxicated:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "iPhone 4S no longer top-selling US smartphone": 

This was precisely the answers I'd been searching for. Amazing blog. Incredibly inspirational! Your posts are so helpful and detailed. The links you feature are also very useful too. Thanks a lot :)

iPhone 4S no longer top-selling US smartphone

In the month before its replacement is launched, the iPhone 4S has been knocked from the top spot in the US:

For the first time since it launched last October, Apple's iPhone 4S was not the top selling smartphone in the U.S., as the newly released Samsung Galaxy S III took the top spot in the month of August.

Not a bad run. Can the Galaxy SIII make it two months in a row? No, not a hope.

Source: AppleInsider

BBC iPlayer gets download ability

This is great news:

From Tuesday, licence-fee payers will be able to download BBC programmes from the iPlayer video-on-demand service and watch them offline on Apple's iPhone and iPad at no extra cost, including while abroad.

Source: Guardian

Solar lighting: Lighting the way | The Economist

Solar powered lighting isn't very useful if you're connected to the grid but it is apparently hugely beneficial for anyone living off-grid:

As previously happened with mobile phones, solar lighting is falling in price, improving in quality and benefiting from new business models that make it more accessible and affordable to those at the bottom of the pyramid.

Source: Economist

World's biggest offshore windfarm planned off Scottish coast

Whatever you think of wind turbines, this project sounds like a great idea, if only because...

...it is opposed by American billionaire Donald Trump, who says the 200-metre-high turbines will spoil the view from his planned new golf course.

Any environmentally sensible project that also annoys one of the world's richest men has got to be a good thing.
Source: Guardian

Picadilly Circus Circus

This looks like a laugh - I'll be heading into the centre of town tomorrow to have a look, if time allows:

For one day only, Central London is transformed into a pedestrianised paradise full of surprises and spectacle as streets are brought to life and iconic landmarks become the playground of the world's most exciting contemporary circus performers.

Source: Piccadilly Circus Circus

Bagehot: Glory and hope | The Economist

Great article in The Economist about the Olympics. Couldn't agree more.

Then something odd happened: Britain started winning. Not just in the so-called “sitting-down sports” in which it often succeeds, and in which, cycling aside, the team tends to be toff-heavy (surely only in Britain is the class and educational background of medallists so exhaustively scrutinised); nor merely in the sort of obscure disciplines in which, for two weeks every four years, millions are fleetingly interested. Brits won the heptathlon and the 10,000 metres. Andy Murray even won the tennis.

Source: Economist

Folding Hiriko City Car

If I was in the market for a small city car (or any car, for that matter) I think I'd take a look at this one:

The Hiriko Fold city car is an ultra-compact car that can fold upright to fit into tight parking situations – and it’s set to hit the market next year in cities around the world! Created by DENOKINN and MIT’s Changing Places group, the high-tech vehicle is expected to cost $16,000, gets 75 miles between charges, and features spinning wheels that allow it to move sideways, making parallel parking a snap.

Source: http://inhabitat.com/mits-folding-hiriko-city-car-set-to-hit-the-market-next-year-for-16000/

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Edible Coffee Cup

Nice idea if you're drinking espresso but I can't see it scaling to larger drinks - I'd worry that the mug would collapse or just be inedible in large quantities. Otherwise, it's great. Source: http://inhabitat.com/enrique-luis-sardis-edible-coffee-cup-lets-you-have-your...

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Singapore Airport

As ever, Changi is clean, efficient and, for a major airport, relatively peaceful. Their free wifi is a bit flakey but the coffee is good and there are plenty of places to eat and relax; it's still the only airport I've been to with rainforest gardens inside the terminal buildings.

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Green streets can cut pollution, says study

UK researchers say more trees and other vegetation at street level would clean air in areas that are normally exposed to higher pollution levels.

via bbc.co.uk

And they make open places more pleasant.

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Actionsteps: A Simple Idea That Could Revolutionize Email And Save You Time

Managing email, especially at work, consumes a significant amount Of my daily effort. I'd buy this app for my iPhone, iPad and, I strongly suspect, my work laptop as well.

Actionsteps: A Simple Idea That Could Revolutionize Email And Save You Time
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670282/actionsteps-a-simple-idea-that-could-revolutionize-email-and-save-you-time#comment-589293403

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Rocket Espresso Cup

This is a fun way to serve espresso:

Source: http://www.shapeways.com/model/577677/rocket-espresso-cup.html

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Rolls Royce Creates World’s First Jet Engine Made From LEGO Bricks

If you're a fan of Lego and jet engines, this one is for you.

Rolls Royce Creates World’s First Jet Engine Made From LEGO Bricks
http://designtaxi.com/news/352992/Rolls-Royce-Creates-World-s-First-Jet-Engine-Made-From-LEGO-Bricks/

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The Macalope Weekly: Trying too hard

The Macalope - as entertaining as ever: http://www.macworld.com/article/1167676/the_macalope_weekly_trying_too_hard.html

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International Earth-Destruction Advisory Board

If you're interested in knowing whether or not the Earth has been destroyed (it hadn't last time I refreshed the page), check out this useful website. Particularly useful if you're having a bad day and you want to know if everyone else is having a similarly bad time.

So many spam comments

I get very few comments on my blog posts. The most regular commenter is "Anonymous", who I've never met, and he normally writes grammatically poor advertisements for products nobody would ever want to buy. Some people might find this lack of interaction with my readers depressing but it helps to keep me from unwisely pursuing a career as a writer (which would probably end in starvation). More to follow, probably.

Yellow Jacket iPhone stun gun case

This is a bad idea. Would anyone other than James Bond ever really want a stun-gun in their phone?

Yellow Jacket iPhone stun gun case -- Indiegogo
http://www.indiegogo.com/yellowjacket

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Is This the Ultimate Map of the Internet?

Great graphic showing the world's fibre cables. Kazakhstan and its neighbours seem to be particularly poorly server.

Is This the Ultimate Map of the Internet?
http://mashable.com/2012/07/12/mapping-the-internet/

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Android Jelly Bean roll-outs begin with Nexus devices

So now it's in the wild. With Ice Cream Sandwich not yet installed on 11% of Android devices, Google have rolled out the next version of their operating system, Jelly Bean. Didn't they pledge, when launching ICS, that they'd fixed the problem of manufacturers failing to update older phones? Hmm.

Story on BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/18795711

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Nexus Q - Google Play

So Google have launched a media player, the Nexus Q (https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_q&feature=nexus7_campaign). It's a smart looking bit of kit but at $299 it's not cheap, even with a 25W amplifier (and does anyone really believe "audiophile" at those prices and in that case?). It will be interesting to see how it compares to the Apple TV, which lacks the amp but has better content (at the moment - I'm sure Google will be adding more content over the next few months) at a third of the price.

Competition - you've gotta love it.

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Apple’s already started the process of replacing Google Maps

Integrating maps more deeply into iOS is a great idea. I particularly like the sound of this:

> An example of how Apple wants to integrate its maps into iOS: “if Apple’s iCalendar program knows that a person has a meeting across town soon, and traffic is backing up, it might alert the person about road conditions.”

Source: http://gigaom.com/apple/apples-already-started-the-process-of-replacing-googl...

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Weirdo Turns His Taxidermied Cat Into A Quadrocopter

Fancy making a quadrocopter from a stuffed cat? Neither do I. 

http://www.geekologie.com/2012/06/weirdo-turns-his-taxidermied-cat-into-a.php

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Copenhagen coffee cup collector

This is a great example of good design solving a common problem. Take a look.

Copenhagen coffee cup collector
http://www.dothegreenthing.com/blog/copenhagen_coffee_cup_collector

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Another connected watch

This one isn't as exciting as the Pebble but it is a bit more practical (decent battery life) and a bit more elegant. It's still a bit big for my tastes (16.3mm thick compares unfavourably with my current dumb, unconnected, timepiece) but its pretty close. I might go for the second generation device...

cookoo™ on Kickstarter: 
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cuckoo/cookootm-the-watch-for-the-connected-generation

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RIM Business Update

RIM aren't having a good time. Their recent press release suggests
they're down in pretty much all the metrics you want to be going up.
Maybe Blackberry 10 will save them. Maybe.

> The on-going competitive environment is impacting our business in the form of lower volumes and highly competitive pricing dynamics in the marketplace, and we expect our Q1 results to reflect this, and likely result in an operating loss for the quarter.

Read the rest: http://press.rim.com/release.jsp?id=6058

Via The Loop: http://www.loopinsight.com/

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A Smart, Wall-Mounted Desk

I know desks aren't very exciting but this one might be ideal if you have limited space.

Source: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669701/a-smart-wall-mounted-desk-that-hides-your...

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GM Wheat Research

A brief but informative article about the GM wheat research being carried out in Harpenden. It explains what's being done, how it is done, why it could benefit tall of us (particularly the poorest people in the world) and why the protesters, whose rabid objection to anything involving GM has led to calls to destroy the test field, are wrong.

Source: http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/27/observer-editorial-gm-crops...

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Captured CO2 + Geothermal = Ultra-Clean Power

This sounds like a good idea:

In a novel combination of carbon sequestration used in conjunction with geothermal power production, a South Dakota geothermal firm will use sequestered carbon dioxide instead of geothermal fluids to produce geothermal power.

Source: http://theenergycollective.com/node/85862

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BBC News - Web creator backs UK open data institute

Sir Tim Berners-Lee will co-direct the Open Data Institute (ODI) that aims to open its doors in September. The ODI will study the best ways to exploit the growing amounts of data being made public by the government.

via bbc.co.uk

Good news, although I'm not sure why half the funding is coming from business - maybe they will raise money by selling data analysis services? Time will tell.

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IMF tells UK to consider rate cut to boost growth

The IMF said the Bank of England should "reassess the efficacy" of cutting rates below 0.5%.

via bbc.co.uk

There's not a lot of room left for futher cuts but maybe this would help.

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UK inflation rate drops to 3% in April

Inflation in the UK slowed last month owing to a fall in transport prices and the timing of Easter, taking the Consumer Prices Index measure to 3%.

via bbc.co.uk

A rare piece of good news on the economy.

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Nunhead Cemetery

Nunhead Cemetery, the second largest Victorian cemetery in London, is a bit overgrown. In fact it's more like a forest that's been sprinkled with corpses and gravestones. Nice an quiet, except for the birds.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Classic and historic cars exempted from MoT

Vehicles manufactured before 1960 will no longer have to have to pass an MoT from 18 November, Roads Minister Mike Penning said.

via bbc.co.uk

The statistic quoted to support this change - classic cars account for 0.6% of cars on the road but are involved in only 0.03% of accidents - doesn't take into account the tiny number of miles travelled by classic cars. It's not surprising that they have fewer accidents if they also travel fewer miles.

Given that old cars significantly under perform their modern counterparts in terms of both primary and secondary safety, it's astonishing that anyone would want to relax the rules still further. A responsible roads policy would ban these machines from the road.

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China approves Google bid to buy Motorola Mobility with conditions

Authorities in China have put a surprising condition on their approval of Google's $12.5bn (£7.9bn) bid to buy the US phone and set-top box maker Motorola Mobility (MMI): that the Android operating system must remain available to all for free for the next five years at least.

via guardian.co.uk

The report doesn't say which version of Android must remain free but I suspect the Chinese government means all of them. Presumably, if this becomes a problem for Google, they'll release a new OS with similar features and a different name.

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St Paul's Cathedral

Trust me, it's there. This was taken yesterday at the top of Nunhead
Cemetery, about five miles south of the river.

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Openreach launches fastest ever GEA-FTTP product variants

This sounds interesting:

> Openreach is pleased to confirm its intention to offer ... FTTP 330/30 Mbit/s on 11 June 2012

330Mbps should be plenty.

Source: http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/briefings/super-fastfibreaccessb...

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Labour's John McDonnell beats odds to top Private Member's Bills ballot

Labour MP John McDonnell has defied odds estimated at 58,000 to 1 to top the annual Private Member's Bill ballot for two years in a row. MPs' names are selected at random, with 240 having entered the draw this year.

via bbc.co.uk

Er, no, he didn't. The odds of being first this year were 240 to 1, not 58,000 to 1. The odds of him being first next year are also 240 to 1. You only get 57,600 to 1 if you calculate the odds of someone being first for two years when the outcome of neither draw is known.

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Met Police to extract suspects' mobile phone data

The Metropolitan Police has implemented a system to extract mobile phone data from suspects held in custody. The data includes call history, texts and contacts, and the BBC has learned that it will be retained regardless of whether any charges are brought.

via bbc.co.uk

Extraction seems reasonable, if there are strong grounds for believing an offence has been committed, but retention if charges are not brought it totally unreasonable. I don't like this at all.

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UK unemployment falls by 45,000

UK unemployment fell by 45,000 to 2.63 million in the first three months of the year, official figures have shown. The jobless rate fell to 8.2%, the Office for National Statistics said.

via bbc.co.uk

A rare piece of good news, even if the drop probably isn't statistically significant.

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So it's all Facebook, at the moment

The BBC’s most popular technology stories are all about Facebook. Is there nothing else going on in the tech world?

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Phone-hacking police charge Rebekah Brooks

Rebekah Brooks and her husband, Charlie, are being charged with perverting the course of justice as part of the phone hacking inquiry.

via bbc.co.uk

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Bug evolved a self-propelling corkscrew

Read this if you want to know more about bacterial propulsion.

Found throughout the world's oceans, Synechococcus is the basis of many food chains. Its genome was sequenced in 2003, but despite all this detailed knowledge, no one knows how it moves.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21803-zoologger-bug-evolved-a-selfpropelling-corkscrew.html

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Apple to ditch Google Maps in iOS 6, plans in-house service instead

Lots of people are reporting this and it makes a lot of sense. The
less Apple relies on Google for data the happier they'll be, I
suspect. Maps are a huge opportunity for product differentiation.

Source: http://m.bgr.com/2012/05/11/apple-ios-6-google-maps-rumor/

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Apple Bringing Notes and Reminders to iCloud.com with iOS 6

I like the sound of this.

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/11/apple-bringing-notes-and-reminders-to-icl...

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Royal Courts of Justice

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Article: We catch too many sardines — but should we stop eating them?

I keep seeing articles like this one, asking if we are over fishing a particular species of fish and pondering the appropriate action.

We catch too many sardines — but should we stop eating them?
http://grist.org/sustainable-food/we-catch-too-many-sardines-but-should-we-stop-eating-them/

My default answer is that, in every case, we should end industrial scale fishing and concentrate instead on farmed fish. That may mean prices rise and some fish (like tuna) cease to be available but if we continue to over fish that outcome is inevitable and, to add insult to injury, we'll drive species to extinction.

It we stop, or dramatically reduce, our current fishing activities threatened species will be able to recover. If we're lucky, maybe future generations will be able to resume limited commercial fishing.

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Handcrafted Products To Give Your Devices A Steampunk, Vintage Feel

Some great stuff here if you're into Steampunk computers: http://designtaxi.com/news/352366/Handcrafted-Products-To-Give-Your-Devices-A-Steampunk-Vintage-Feel/

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Article: Keybrid Carabiner Key

Great idea: Keybrid Carabiner Key http://uncrate.com/stuff/keybrid-carabiner-key/

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iOS feature request

I use my work email address as my default on my iPhone and iPad because, when my home address was the default, I tended to forget to change the from address and ended up sending emails to colleagues or customers from the wrong account. Embarrassing.

What I'd like is to be able to set a different default for each app. That would allow me to use my work address most of the time and my home address in apps that are totally disconnected from my work.

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Waterproof jacket, sleeping bag and tent

Not necessarily a comfortable residence, but it looks lightweight and easy to transport - a neat solution, maybe, if you want to travel alone in the wilderness. Not really my thing.

Waterproof jacket, sleeping bag, tent from JakPak
http://jakpak.com/home.aspx

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Bill aimed at stopping United Nations takeover of U.S. advances

Paranoid Arizonan legislators are trying to pass a bill to defend their state against a non-existent conspiracy.

The Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that some proponents say is aimed at stopping a United Nations conspiracy to take away the rights of American citizens.

Thanks, Arizona - you've given the rest of the world a good laugh at your expense.

Source: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/04/26/bill-aimed-at-stopping-united-nations-takeover-of-u-s-advances/

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Analytical thinking erodes belief in God

Fascinating piece of research:

Norenzayan and Gervais then asked the students to again rate their supernatural beliefs. The students who had been exposed to analytical priming consistently downgraded their belief in the supernatural, regardless of their previous degree of belief. This was also true of 148 adults tested online.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21749-analytical-thinking-erodes-belief-in-god.html

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Amazing Brick Machine Rolls Out Roads Like Carpet

This is brilliant:

As the electric crawler inches forward along a sand base layer, the bricks are automatically packed together by gravity. A small telescoping forklift feeds the hopper, allowing the Tiger-Stone to lay out an impressive 400 square meters of road day, and the span can be adjusted up to six meters wide.

Source: http://m.inhabitat.com/amazing-brick-machine-rolls-out-roads-like-carpet/

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Who wouldn't feel sorry for Donald Trump?

Tycoon Donald Trump has said he was "lured" into building a £1bn golf resort in Scotland with assurances that a nearby wind farm would not go ahead.

via bbc.co.uk

Well, me, for a start. Anyone who doesn't bother to find investigate local planning regulations are before beginning to construction, especially someone with Trump's resources, doesn't really deserve sympathy.

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Lancashire leads new British textile manufacturing revival

Bill Collins, originally from Scotland, is a serial textile entrepreneur and is now the owner of Thornber Home and Leisure in Clitheroe, Lancashire. A family business for over a century, Mr Collins bought the company in 2010. It is now one of the largest weavers in Europe, capable of producing 60,000 metres of fabric a week.

"Our order books remain healthy, though profit margins are tight as they are pegged against Turkey and the Chinese," Mr Collins tells Radio 4's In Business programme.

via bbc.co.uk

So it is possible to compete against Chinese manufacturers, even in industries that are labour-intensive. There's hope for us all.

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E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android

Two weeks into its Kickstarter project, and with 23 days to go, the Pebble has been backed to the tune of $6.5m. That's pretty impressive.

Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone...

I'm really tempted to pick up one of these things to use when running or travelling.

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Original Google Concept Phone

It's horrible, a sort of nasty white Blackberry without the style or sophistication. I can't imagine why they dropped it...

Source: http://www.cultofmac.com/163132/this-original-google-concept-phone-is-further-proof-that-android-just-ripped-off-apple/

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Oh You Know, Just A Giant Spider Eating A Snake

I don't want to visit a country where plate-sized spiders eat the snakes. It's just wrong.

Story: http://www.geekologie.com/2012/04/oh-you-know-just-a-giant-spider-eating-a.php

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Lord Hurd and the Church's tax bill

Lord Hurd said, in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph:

I think it [application of VAT to alterations of listed buildings] needs to be looked at in the light of the whole scheme of relations between the Church and the state. The Church has, on the whole, a pretty raw deal and this is just one example of it. 

We are governed by people who are vaguely sympathetic to the Church and would be horrified if it started to disintegrate, but don't quite understand that in order to keep it all going it needs a bit of effort and a bit of sympathy.

The politicians might be "vaguely sympathetic" to the plight of the Church and may indeed be "horrified if it started to disintegrate" but the majority of the governed, who don't attend church and who, increasingly, identify themselves as non-Christian, probably couldn't care less.

It is unclear why the Church, with it's £5.3b investment portfolio (2010 figure, source), believes the state should continue to grant it tax exemptions of £20m (the Church's estimate, according to the BBC report) a year. It doesn't seem unreasonable for the Church to pay the same taxes as any other business.

BBC report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17803801 

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8-year-old environmentalist raises $250 in 12 hours after friends’ parents call her ‘stupid’ for caring

Nice story. 

Last night, Red­di­tor ner­vous­break­down19 wrote that her con­sci­en­tious daugh­ter Win­ter had asked for Nature Con­ser­van­cy dona­tions in lieu of gifts for her 8th birth­day, and been mocked to her face by her friends’ jerk­hole par­ents. Instead of crum­bling under not-even-peer-pressure, though, Win­ter decid­ed to set up a fundrais­ing page with the kid-friendly site Earth Rangers, col­lect­ing dona­tions for the endan­gered pine marten. (Earth Rangers gives half the raised money to the Nature Con­ser­van­cy, and uses half for teach­ing about con­ser­va­tion in schools.)

I don't understand why adults would mock an 8-year old for this sort of effort - that's pretty shameful - but her response was brilliant. 

Source: 
http://grist.org/list/budding-environmentalist-raises-over-200-after-friends-parents-call-her-stupid-for-caring/

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Excellent XKCD infographic on ocean depth

Infographic: http://xkcd.com/1040/large/

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Buy the damn coal and keep it in the ground

I quite like this idea; it sounds like something that might form part of a long-term strategy:

Harstad’s [solution] is sim­ple: Focus on the sup­ply side instead. Buy up fossil-fuel deposits in non­par­tic­i­pat­ing coun­tries. Just keep the damn coal in the ground.

Source: http://grist.org/coal/new-climate-strategy-buy-the-damn-coal-and-keep-it-in-the-ground/

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PowerPot Cooks Up Energy—Just Add Heat, Water

Neat.

The Pow­er­Pot has a USB out­put and is avail­able in two sizes, both of which are cur­rent­ly offered via a crowd­fund­ing cam­paign on Kickstarter.

Source: http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/04/powerpot-cooks-up-energy-just-add-heat-water/

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Another interesting Kickstarter project

In-car smart phone holder: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nkmos/ultima-best-in-car-holder-dock-moun...

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Turbine makes fresh water out of thin air in the desert

This is a very neat idea:

Eole’s turbine runs a compressor that condenses water from the air, and the 30 kilowatts of power it simultaneously produces allow it to pump that water to a reservoir.

I wonder if these turbines could be used to water small forest ecosystems in sheltered desert areas? Transforming deserts might have a useful effect on local climate.

Source: http://grist.org/list/turbine-makes-fresh-water-out-of-thin-air-in-the-desert/

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iPhone-Friendly Watch Now On Kickstarter

I'm tempted:

The Peb­ble lets your iPhone do all the heavy lift­ing. Its sim­ple e-paper dis­play — much like the orig­i­nal Kin­dle — is view­able even in direct sun­light, which is pret­ty nec­es­sary for a watch.

It is also releas­ing its soft­ware kit to devel­op­ers, so they can cre­ate their own iPhone app-linking apps. Out of the box, you’ll be able to see incom­ing emails and calls, track your run and your bike ride via your phone’s GPS, as well as use your watch as a remote for the music app on your phone.

That's a neat set of features. Battery life is claimed to be 7+ days, which could be annoying (do I really want another device I have to remember to charge?) but that's the only downside I can see.

iPhone-Friendly Watch Gets $500,000 Kickstarter Funding in a Day
http://mashable.com/2012/04/11/iphone-watch-pebble-kickstarter/

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World's Most Advanced Electronic Cyclewear

Ok, so it might look like a standard hi-vis cycle jacket but actually it's a gadget disguised as a jacket.

> Integrated LED lights with one-touch operation offer wearer the ultimate personal protection and convenience. Furthermore Visijax® introduces the concept of active signalling through the revolutionary iMASS(TM) signalling system that intelligently puts on the appropriate flashing amber signal when rider raises arm to indicate turning. Buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007CBHA6M

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Top 10 Lessons of the Iraq War

The first and most important lesson of Iraq war is that we [the US] didn't win in any meaningful sense of that term.

via foreignpolicy.com

This is worth reading.

Got the link from Charles Stross on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cstross).>

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How To Install Instagram On Your Android Phone In 23 Easy Steps

How To Install Instagram On Your Android Phone In 23 Easy Steps

via buzzfeed.com

The joy of an "open" operating system. I'm sure it's much simpler if you have a modern, supported phone, but this still made me laugh when I read it.

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iPad feature request

In fact I have two features to request this morning:
1) Improved text formatting in Mail - support for numbered lists etc.
2) Support for embedded links in Mail (and Pages).

Small features, maybe, but useful for the way I use my iPhone and iPad.

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Sergey Brin Takes Project Glass Out of Google’s Lab

I like Google's Project Glass even though it's not really an original idea (Charles Stross featured a similar technology in his 2007 book Halting State). I see myself as a would-be early adopter for this sort of technology but I have two non-negotiable requirements for this product, over and above the usual concerns about implementation, design and features.

Firstly, it must work seamlessly with my iDevices, preferably an iPad. If it launches as an Android-only product, which may make sense in some respects, I'm out.

Secondly, I want to pay a fair price and, in return, receive a product that is absolutely guaranteed to be working only for me. Any hint that the glasses would be showing adverts or gathering information for Google would force me to steer clear.

My hope is that Apple are working on something similar, partly because I think they're more likely to pass the above tests but mostly because I think Apple would do a much better job with both the hardware and the UI. Interesting times.

Sergey Brin Takes Project Glass Out of Google’s Lab
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/sergey-brin-takes-project-glass-out-of-googles-lab/

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Holy Week 2012 | Ycpics.com

It's Easter, when Christians all over the world gather to celebrate the execution by crucifixion of their prophet and pseudo-god, Jesus. If you see them partying don't forget to remind them that their bloke loved them so much he stayed dead for only three days before heading back to heaven for an after-life of luxury. That's dedication for you.

Photos. Holy Week 2012 | Ycpics.com

http://ycpics.com/lifestyle/holy-week-2012/

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If I had an office to equip...

...I think I'd choose this range of furniture.

Turnstone Bivi Office Furniture
http://uncrate.com/stuff/turnstone-bivi-office-furniture/

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Could Hydrogen replace oil as a fuel?

If this works then hydrogen's potential to be a sustainable replacement for oil just took a huge leap forwards:

Koepf, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering, has designed a novel reactor that employs highly concentrated sunlight and zinc oxide powder to produce solar hydrogen, a truly clean, sustainable fuel with zero emissions.

Novel solar reactor may enable clean fuel derived from sunlight
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-04-solar-reactor-enable-fuel-derived.html

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Extra storage space at Dropbox

I wrote a brief post last week about the imminent launch of Google Drive, which has a Dropbox-beating 5Gb of storage. My prediction was that Dropbox would up their game when Google launched but it looks like they've struck already, at least in part, by increasing their referral bonus:

Today, we’re really happy to announce that we’ve doubled the amount of free space you get for inviting friends to Dropbox!

Details here at the Dropbox blog.

Hat-tip to The Loop.

Foreign Office attempts to educate Texan politicians

You've got to admire the FO's ambition; Texan politicians appear immune to education, reason and science:

Rick Perry, the governor of Texas and former Republican presidential candidate, has criticised the UK's Foreign Office for funding an environmental group which aimed to "educate" Texan policymakers about climate science and "move them from a state of denial and inaction to one of acceptance and effective action".

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/03/rick-perry-climate-sceptic-policymakers

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Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners

Fascinating stuff.

Modern humans and their immediate ancestors such as Homo erectus sport several adaptations that make humans, instead of some ferocious, furry, or fleet creature, the animal world’s best distance runners.

Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners
http://www.physorg.com/news95954919.html

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Creepy, unpleasant data-mining of your Facebook information

If you haven't read this (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/03/not-an-april-fool-1.html) or this (http://www.cultofmac.com/157641/this-creepy-app-isnt-just-stalking-women-with... you really should. Very, very creepy stuff.

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Email and web use 'to be monitored' under new laws

Internet firms will be required to give intelligence agency GCHQ access to communications on demand, in real time. The Home Office says the move is key to tackling crime and terrorism, but civil liberties groups have criticised it.

via bbc.co.uk

Doesn't sound like a great idea but at least the Government is outsourcing the work to ISP, which means the technology will probably work and won't cost untold billions (although, without knowing exactly what's being done, it's impossible to be sure).

I don't like this sort of thing. It has unpleasant overtones. The Government should be publish the risk register for this legislation and heed all reasonable feedback; I wouldn't put money on them actually doing this.

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Runway In The Sky Lands Planes Downtown

Madness.

Runway In The Sky Lands Planes Downtown
http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/03/runway-in-the-sky-lands-planes-downtown/

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Mayoral Election Issue #7: Health

Here's an interesting article about improving healthcare in London for only (!) £60m. This point struck me as particularly unexpected but concentrating specialist services makes a lot of sense even if it requires hospitals to change or close:

London for his­tor­i­cal rea­sons has got the wrong kind of hos­pi­tals – pos­si­bly too many of them – and cer­tain­ly in the wrong place.

As the article points out, closing hospitals or redefining their services is politically difficult even when the medical case for change is overwhelming but that doesn't mean it can't, or shouldn't, be done. 

Mayoral Election Issue #7: Health
http://londonist.com/2012/03/mayoral-election-issue-7-health.php

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New dirigibles are power plants in the sky

This is very cool:

...this gen­er­a­tor is meant to fly at an alti­tude of 2000 feet.

New dirigibles are power plants in the sky
http://hackaday.com/2012/03/30/new-dirigibles-are-power-plants-in-the-sky/

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Cycling delivers huge economic benefits in Copenhagen

Interesting report about the economic benefits of cycling in Copenhagen. The summary is arresting (hit the link below and have a look at the calculations), especially if you live in car-clogged, bicycle-unfriendly London:

Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80 percent of its population commutes by bicycle, even in winter. That’s $300 per person per year. Clearly, the reason the new Danish minister of the interior said she’d “rather invest in cycle tracks than freeways,” is that only one of those has a positive return.

Source: http://grist.org/list/one-mile-on-a-bike-is-a-42-economic-gain-to-society-one-mile-driving-is-a-20-loss/

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Google Drive may offer 5GB free storage

5Gb is attractive but would you trust Google with your files and would you be happy for them to serve you adverts based on those files? I predict Dropbox will respond with an improved offering as soon as Google go live.

Google Drive leaked screenshots show up to 5GB free storage
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/03/google-drive-leaked-screenshots-show-up-to-5gb-free-storage.ars

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Big Canal Turbine Takes The Plunge In Washington

Generating power from irrigation canals sounds like a neat idea.

In an Earth­Tech­ling fea­ture story last Decem­ber, Hydro­volts CEO Burt Ham­n­er said that when prop­er­ly sited, the com­pa­ny’s tur­bine is priced to pay for itself with­in five years. 

Big Canal Turbine Takes The Plunge In Washington
http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/03/big-canal-turbine-takes-the-plunge-in-washington/

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US Petrol Price v Domestic Production

Interesting stuff. If I'd been asked, I would have expected increasing domestic production to have a minor impact on prices. Looks like I would have been wrong, as shown in this article' which found:

No sta­tis­ti­cal cor­re­la­tion between how much oil comes out of U.S. wells and the price at the pump.

Debunking American Petroleum Institute Claims About Oil Issues

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/03/28/453894/debunking-american-petroleum-institute-claims-about-oil-issues/

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Mad MPs and their campaign against reason

I was going to write something about the idiotic MPs who complained to the Advertising Standards Agency about the recent judgement against Healing on The Streets (a Christian "healing" movement in Bath) but Martin Robbins has already done the job:

If you live in South Luton, South-West Devon, or the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in Southern Cumbria, then congratulations; your neighbours have elected MPs who believe that prayer can heal the sick, and that any quack with a Bible should be able to pimp God's services to the masses, free of pesky regulation.

I think the ASA did exactly what we would want them to do, ending an advertising campaign that was misleading and exploitative; the MPs are clearly in the wrong.

You can get the full story here.

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The Devastating Cost of Not Switching to Clean Energy

Interesting stuff:

But there are two gigantic reasons why clean energy is anything but too expensive, despite the fact that we may pay less for coal-fired power on our electric bills.

The Devastating Cost of Not Switching to Clean Energy
http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/devastating-cost-not-switching-clean-energy.html

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A Watch That Operates On ‘Indian Timing’

Fun stuff.

Mumbai-based designer Prasanna Sankhe of Indian Creative StudioHyphen has come up with a watch that operates on ‘Indian timing’. 

Source: http://designtaxi.com/news/351960/A-Watch-That-Operates-On-Indian-Timing/

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Anglican Communion to Collapse

The BBC has a very dull story about the apparently imminent end of the Anglican communion. It seems they can't agree how much discrimination to allow within their loving, caring church. Strange days.

> The Church of England cannot sign up to a plan aimed at preventing the global Anglican Church from splitting up after half its dioceses voted against it.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17500144

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The Victoria and Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design

And their coffee shop is also worth seeing (although I don't recommend their scones).

The Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington, London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design
http://www.inlondonguide.co.uk/london-art-and-culture/london-museum/victoria-and-albert-museum-kensington-london.html

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Interesting interview with the Mayor of LA

Against all odds, L.A.’s mayor stays green

http://grist.org/cities/mayor-mas-awesome-against-all-odds-l-a-s-mayor-stays-green/

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Slow news day

Lift goes up and down while carrying Queen. End of story.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17450366

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Heavily vegetated offices

I quite like the idea of an office with a garden on the top.

Source: http://www.fletcherpriest.com/6-Bevis-Marks/architecture/

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Solar power station in Spain works at night

A solar power plant that works through the night? > “It is the first station in the world that works 24 hours a day, a solar power station that works day and night!” said Santago Arias, technical director of Torresol Energy, which runs the station.

Now is the time to start building these things in North Africa, Arabia, India and China. They're not cheap but neither are the alternatives.

Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/18/solar-power-station-in-spain-works-at-n....T2adtQ5h7_c.twitter

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Citadel Skyscraper

Amazing idea:

> The “Citadel Skyscraper” project is imagined for Japan because of the numerous natural and manmade disasters that have struck the region in recent years. The project proposes a three-part implementation of new structures with an end result of protecting the island with a fortress-like defense shield.

Source: http://www.evolo.us/competition/citadel-skyscraper/

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Researchers use Lego to help build artificial bones

Another cool way to use the Lego Mindstorms robotics kit.

Source: http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/3/16/2876589/lego-mindstorms-artificial-bone-...

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Will Apple merge the MacBook Pro and Air lineups?

Interesting question:

It’s been rumored before, but on Wednesday a new report is saying that not only will Apple introduce a 15-inch Air, it will replace the 15-inch Pro, or as Electricpig’s source put it, “effectively killing the Pro for the average consumer.”

My guess is "yes", although I wouldn't like to put a date on it.

I expect to see both the 13" and 15" Pro models replaced by Airs, whose power is increasingly rendering the smaller Pros redundant. 

Reducing model variety is attractive. It cuts Apple's inventory and increases per-model turnover, since everyone buying a 13" laptop buys the same basic product, rather than one of two. This reduces stock-holding thoughout the supply chain, cutting costs and allowing margins to grow (or prices to fall). It may even encourage faster innovation by allowing development effort to be concentrated on a small range of products.

Source: http://gigaom.com/apple/will-apple-merge-the-macbook-pro-and-air-lineups/

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Renovation King's Cross Station is Complete

King's Cross station has been due a little light refurbishment for decades. Instead, it's had a huge £500m renovation and, if the photos (link below) are anything to go by, it'll be fantastic:

A five-year renovation of London's King's Cross Station is now complete and the glorious new hub will formally open to the public on March 19th.

The renocation of St. Pancras Station was completed a couple of years ago and is a triumph. The renovation to King's Cross is completely different but, like the work done to St. Pancras, it makes the station a destination rather than a simple travel hub. Next, Waterloo, please.

Source: http://inhabitat.com/photos-incredible-renovation-of-londons-historic-kings-cross-station-is-complete/

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Ultra-thin Silicon Wafers

It doesn't sound like a big deal but creating a silicon wafer that is a tenth of the thickness of a normal wafer is a big deal for high-volume producers. Silicon isn't rare but growing the crystal isn't cheap so anything that reduces raw material consumption is potentially disruptive.

> Twin Creeks Technologies develops manufacturing equipment that dramatically reduces the cost of solar modules, sensors, LEDs and other solid-state devices. The key is thinness: wafers produced on Twin Creeks’ Hyperion manufacturing system are less than one-tenth as thick as conventional wafers.

My favourite part, though, is that they're done it by using a particle accelerator, rather than a conventional saw, to slice the wafers. Very cool.

Source: http://www.twincreekstechnologies.com/

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Future Forest Plants Trees in the Mongolian Desert

Explanation:

Kwon Byong Hyon founded Future Forest, an organization devoted to planting trees throughout the Mongolian and Chinese Deserts in an effort to slow desertification and reduce the widespread negative health impacts the dust storms cause throughout the region.

I like the idea, I really do, but I can't help thinking they'll need to plant an awful lot of trees to make a meaningful difference. That said, China isn't short of people or money, so maybe this cold be made to work.

Source: http://inhabitat.com/future-forest-plants-trees-in-the-mongolian-desert-to-reduce-korean-dust-storms/

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Arsenal Firearms Double Barrel Pistol

Mad. 

...this new pistol — given the model number AF2011-A1 — shoots two .45 caliber rounds at a time...

Arsenal Firearms Double Barrel Pistol
http://uncrate.com/stuff/arsenal-firearms-double-barrel-pistol/

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Cyclists in the City: Southwark Council swings in to gear on cycling

Encouraging post by Cyclists in the City (link below):

Southwark Council had already issued a press release in conjunction with Southwark Cyclists committing to the development of 'safe, cycle routes free of intimidatory traffic for those who travel across the borough by bike'.And that is exactly spot-on. Heavy, fast motor traffic is intimidating. It is the number one reason people think that cycling isn't a normal thing to do.

I'd really like to be able to cycle safely through Southwark from home (East Dulwich) to work (Aldwych). There are lots of parks and quiet roads between here and there but they're often linked by larger roads with lots of heavy traffic. Old Kent Road, with four lanes of fast-moving (well, occasionally fast-moving) traffic is a prime example of a cycle unfriendly road and there are just too many dangerous, unpleasant stretches of road for me to contemplate cycling in the rush hour at the moment.

If the safe bits were better linked and the larger roads had dedicated cycle infrastructure, I'd ride to work most days rather than take the bus.

Source: http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/2012/03/southwark-council-swings-in-to-gear-on.html

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A really short guide to Twitter

Twitter's fun. Not only is a useful source of breaking news (a bit like RSS but faster and easier to use) it's also a great way to communicate with random people you've never met. If you're new to Twitter, or you haven't yet taken the plunge, here's a brief guide by Sree Sreenivasan:

Hat-tip: http://news.cnet.com/8301-33619_3-57394010-275/a-really-short-guide-to-twitter/

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How Nazi laws stymied German nuclear dreams

Interesting stuff. I wonder if America's Republican politicians have considered that their anti-science policies might eventually achieve a similar effect? 

FOR leg­isla­tive acts of nation­al intel­lec­tu­al sui­cide, the "Law for the restora­tion of the pro­fes­sion­al civil ser­vice", passed by the Nazis short­ly after their acces­sion to power in Ger­many in 1933, stands with­out com­par­i­son. Ger­man sci­ence, then the envy of the world, was decap­i­tat­ed as those of non-Aryan descent or sus­pect polit­i­cal views were forced from the nation's uni­ver­si­ties.

It's something we need to watch out for here in the UK, although recent increases in the number of undergraduates studying science suggest we're in reasonably good shape at the moment.

How Nazi laws stymied German nuclear dreams
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2012/03/how-nazi-laws-stymied-german-nuclear-dreams.html

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Oldest chordate spawned everything with backbones

This is cool, if you're into fossils and stuff (and who isn't?).

This strange eel-like crea­ture from half a bil­lion years ago is a fore­run­ner of all mod­ern ani­mals with back­bones, from fish to rep­tiles and humans. Some 505 mil­lion years old, it is the old­est known chor­date.

Oldest chordate spawned everything with backbones
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/03/oldest-chordate-spawned-everyt.html

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