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Submission + - Google acquires Robotic company Boston Dynamics

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: According to this New York Times article, Google acquired the famous Robotic company Boston Dynamics which was behind the creation of terrifying robots like WildCat / Cheetah, Atlas, Petman and Big Dog.

Andy Rubin, the man behind the success of Google’s Android Software will be heading the robotic project in Google. Andy Rubin tweeted as “The future is looking awesome!” about this acquisition.

It is the eighth robotics company that Google has acquired in the last 6 months.

And, Boston Dynamics had created lot of interesting robots such as WildCat, Cheetah, Atlas, Petman and Big Dog. This Video shows the highlights of them.

Submission + - Microsoft Takes Steps for Protecting customer data from government snooping

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Microsoft has announced that it is taking various step including data encryption process for Protecting customer data from government snooping. Brad Smith, General Counsel of Microsoft had written a detailed plan about its step to prevent government snooping.

Though he didn’t specifically mention “NSA”, he had said that Microsoft was alarmed by allegations that “some governments” had collected customer data from the Internet without warrants.

He is telling about below three action items for preventing such snooping activities.
  • Expanding encryption across Microsoft services.
  • Reinforcing legal protections for customers’ data.
  • Enhancing the transparency of software code, making it easier for customers to reassure themselves that Microsoft products do not contain back doors.

Brand Smith says Microsoft will pursue a comprehensive engineering effort to strengthen the encryption of customer data across networks and services. This effort will include major communications, productivity and developer services such as Outlook.com, Office 365, SkyDrive and Windows Azure, and will provide protection across the full lifecycle of customer-created content.

Submission + - Amazon plans to use Drones for delivering Packages 2

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos unveiled a new service, named as “Prime Air.” According to this program “Prime Air”, the octocopter drones will pick up packages in small buckets at Amazon’s fulfillment centers and fly directly to customers’ nearby within 30 minutes after they click the “buy” button. The package is pulled off the lines by the octocopter, and then using GPS it is directed to the delivery address. When it arrives it releases the package on the doorstep. Because the octocopter has eight blades, Bezos said, if one broke the drone would still be able to safely drop off a package.

It may take few years for Prime Air drones to take to the skies, as the program is still subject to safety and regulatory rules by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration(FAA).

Amazon Prime Air FAQ says, “We hope the FAA’s rules will be in place as early as sometime in 2015. We will be ready at that time”

Few months back an Australian Startup “Flitery” had announced their plan about using Drones to deliver Books.

Submission + - French Court orders Search Engines and ISPs to block pirate Sites.

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: French Court had asked the Search Engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing to de-list many pirate websites from their search results.

According to the TorrentFreak report, the case dates back to December 2011 when many associations related to the film and TV companies’ complaint targeted 16 domains connected to the popular Allostreaming, Fifostream and DPstream video portals to force the world’s largest search engines – Google, Bing and Yahoo – to completely delist the sites from their search results and to have local ISPs block them.

The tech companies may ask the plaintiffs in the case to cover the cost of the ban.
The ban must be in place within two weeks and will last one year.

Submission + - Comet ISON Fizzles as it Rounds the Sun

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Comet ISON went around the sun on Nov. 28, 2013.
Several solar observatories watched the comet throughout this closest approach to the sun, known as perihelion. While the fate of the comet is not yet established, it is likely that it did not survive the trip. The comet grew faint while within both the view of NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, and the joint European Space Agency and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.

The comet was not visible at all in NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

"We didn't see Comet ISON in SDO," said Dean Pesnell, project scientist for SDO.

"So we think it must have broken up and evaporated before it reached perihelion."
While this means that Comet ISON will not be visible in the night sky in December as previously specified by NASA in this timeline of Comet ISON.

Submission + - Obama's immigration speech interrupted by anti-deportation Activists

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Obama’s speech was interrupted by anti-deportation Activists, when he was giving a speech on immigration reform at the Betty Ann Ong Chinese Recreation Center in San Francisco.

The Protesters yelled at Obama over the number of deportations during his time in office.

An young man shouted about his family being separated for Thanksgiving, and said Obama should use his executive power to stop this. “Stop deportations, yes we can,” the man and other people chanted.

Submission + - NSA infected 50,000 computer networks with malicious software

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: The American intelligence service — NSA — infected more than 50,000 computer networks worldwide with malicious software designed to steal sensitive information. Documents provided by former NSA-employee Edward Snowden and seen by this newspaper, prove this.

Submission + - Google Shows Playable Doodle for "Doctor Who"

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Google is showing special interactive animated Doodle for “Doctor Who” which is a British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord—a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor. If you are not yet seeing this Doodle in your country, you can play from https://www.google.com/logos/2013/drwho/drwho.html

Or, watch this video if you are not having enough patience to play this game yourself.

Submission + - New Island rises in southern Japan after Volcanic Eruption (rtoz.org)

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: A volcanic eruption has raised an island in the seas to the far south of Tokyo, Japan. (Video showing the creation of New Island )

Advisories from the coast guard and the Japan Meteorological Agency said the islet is about 200 meters (660 feet) in diameter.

A volcanologist with the coast guard told that it was possible the new island might be eroded away. “But it also could remain permanently,” he said.

The last time the volcanos in the area are known to have erupted was in the mid-1970s. Much of the volcanic activity occurs under the sea.

Submission + - New Catalyst for improving the efficiency of oil refining.

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: An U.S based Startup “Rive Technology” is commercializing an MIT-developed invention that improves catalysts used in oil refining, leading to greater yields.

Refining of crude oil traditionally uses porous materials called zeolites as catalysts. When hydrocarbon compounds enter a zeolite’s micropores, they break down into transportation fuels and gas. But because of their pore size, the standard zeolites used for refining can’t diffuse the largest hydrocarbons An MIT post doctoral student Javier García-Martínez had designed zeolites with pores that were 10 times larger. This technology would allow refineries to, for example, process more barrels or run heavier (and less expensive) crude oil feeds, leading to greater yields and profits. García-Martínez founded a Startup “Rive Technology” in 2006 with two other people for commercializing his invention. Rive has raised more than $67 million in venture capital. And, Two U.S. refineries have successfully trialed this technology. Rive’s ultimate aim is to use nanotechnology that targets hydrocarbons to transform oil refining — “the horsepower of the 20th century,” García-Martínez says — to a modern, efficient, and sustainable energy-production industry. This technology can be used in a wide range of applications, such as water and air treatment and converting waste and biomass to useful materials and energy. .

Submission + - Self-healing battery electrode for Lithium ion batteries (rtoz.org)

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Scientists have made the first battery electrode that heals itself, opening a new and potentially commercially viable path for making the next generation of lithium ion batteries for electric cars, cell phones and other devices.

A stretchy polymer that coats the electrode binds it together and spontaneously heals tiny cracks that develop during battery operation.

Submission + - Scientists create water splitter with Nickel nanofilm for Hydrogen Fuel cells.

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Stanford researchers have developed an inexpensive device that uses light to split water into oxygen and clean-burning hydrogen. It will be useful to supplement solar cells with hydrogen-powered fuel cells that can generate electricity when the sun isn’t shining or demand is high.

The silicon semiconductor coated in an ultrathin layer of nickel could help pave the way for large-scale production of clean hydrogen fuel from sunlight. The Standford team applied a 2-nanometer-thick layer of nickel onto a silicon electrode, paired it with another electrode and placed both in a solution of water and potassium borate. When light and electricity were applied, the electrodes began splitting the water into oxygen and hydrogen, a process that continued for about 24 hours with no sign of corrosion. To improve performance, the researchers mixed lithium into the water-based solution. Remarkably, adding lithium imparted superior stability to the electrodes. They generated hydrogen and oxygen continuously for 80 hours – more than three days – with no sign of surface corrosion.

Submission + - Fuel Rod removal operation begins at Tsunami-hit Fukushima

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) has started removing fuel rods from a storage pond at the Unit 4 reactor building of Tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power station in Japan.

The first of the fuel-rod assemblies at the plant’s No. 4 reactor building was transferred from an underwater rack on the fifth floor to a portable cask. This step is an early milestone in decommissioning the facility amid doubts about whether the rods had been damaged and posed a radiation risk.

22 unused fuels will be moved to the cask a task which is planned to be completed by November 19. After being filled with fuel, the cask will be closed with a lid, and following decontamination, will be taken down to ground level and transported to the common spent fuel pool on a trailer. It is planned to take approximately one week from placing the fuel into the cask at the spent fuel pool to storing it in the common pool. The entire removal of all fuel inside the Unit 4 spent fuel pool is planned to take until the end of 2014.

Submission + - Google invests $80 million in 6 Solar facilities

Submitted by rtoz
rtoz writes: Google has announced that it is investing $80 million in six solar facilities at California and Arizona.

Developed by leading solar developer Recurrent Energy, the projects have a combined capacity of 106MW and will generate enough electricity to power over 17,000 U.S. homes.

Google has invested more than $1 billion ion renewable energy projects around the world.

It is Google’s 14th investment in renewable Energy.

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